18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient—
18 For
“For” gives an explanation for Paul’s boasting.
I will not dare to speak of any of those things
Paul only boasted about what Christ accomplished through him. He would not “dare” to speak of what he did without Christ.
which Christ has not accomplished through me,
Whatever God did through Paul, the credit goes to Christ.
in word and deed,
Paul did not take the credit for anything that he said or did, whether it was by preaching or working.
to make the Gentiles obedient—
Making Gentiles “obedient” is the winning of them to Christ.
PRINCIPLE:
We should glory only in what Christ does through us.
APPLICATION:
Believers should be careful regarding to what they draw attention. Christians need to take note of the true source of their work when they assess their ministry. We all should carry a distaste for self-glorification. Although God uses us as the agent, He is the one who does the doing. Our goal is to draw attention to what God does through our ministry.
An objective of Christians is to increase the glory of Christ and decrease our own glory. We can take no credit for what Christ does through us.
Jn 3:30, He must increase, but I must decrease.
1 Co 9:16, For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!
