“Man should not glory in himself, but alone in God; that no flesh should glory in His presence.
That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:31
How this end is attained in the work of redemption is by that absolute and immediate dependence which men have upon God in that work, for all their good. Inasmuch as, first, all the good that they have is in and through Christ; He is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption…
It is by Christ that we have sanctification: we have in Him true excellency of heart as well as of understanding; and He is made unto us inherent as well as imputed righteousness. It is by Christ that we have redemption, or the actual deliverance from all misery, and the bestowment of all happiness and glory. Thus we have all our good by Christ, who is God.
Secondly, another instance wherein our dependence on God for all our good appears, is this, that it is God that has given us Christ, that we might have these benefits through Him; He of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, etc.
Thirdly, It is of Him that we are in Christ Jesus, and come to have an interest in Him, and so do receive those blessings which He is made unto us. It is God that gives us faith whereby we close with Christ.
So that in this verse is shown our dependence on each person in the Trinity for all our good. We are dependent on Christ the Son of God, as He is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. We are dependent on the Father, who has given us Christ, and made Him to be these things to us. We are dependent on the Holy Ghost, for it is of Him that we are in Christ Jesus; it is the Spirit of God that gives faith in Him, whereby we receive Him, and close with Him.”
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) excerpt from the opening of his “God Glorified In Man’s Dependence” sermon.
I am Dallas today at meetings with professors who have developed projects on teaching biblical stewardship in seminary settings. We will share resources with each other. Any that come from me share this perspective of Edwards: that our generosity is dependent on the Trinity, our only boast and glory!