Matthew Malcolm - The glory of God in 1 Corinthians

Matthew determines to read 1 Cor with the help of John Chrysostom.

For Chrysostom: The Corinthians are effectively pursuing the glory of humans rather than the glory of God. Boastful pride is the cause of the evil among them. Orators who think of themselves as wise have put themselves forward, and put godly leaders like Stephanos down. In all the various sins of the Corinthians, Chrysostom identifies pride. His hearers should see human pride to be nothing. Paul must pull down the 'puffed up pride of the opponents'.

But also: present wealth. We should ... look down on all things present. Let us think nothing of riches and think much of hell. Let us look down on glory, and look rather at salvation. Let us endure toil and labour here, in order that we might not fall into punishment there. (Hom 6)...

The problem of human autonomy. The present focussed human pride results in the problem of human autonomy. This is an attempt for humans to save themselves.... He does all things in order that we might consider nothing to be of ourselves; in order that all things might be ascribed to God. And have you given yourselves over to this or that person? And what pardon will you receive for this? For God has shown that we are not able to be saved by ourselves alone, and he has done this from the beginning.

Paul wants to indicate that God overcomes the world by contraries and how the gospel is not human. Becoming dead to the world, we live! The pastoral point of 1 Cor 1-4: the church clings to CHrist and his cross, not feeding boastful human pride. Therefore:

We glorify God by depending on the cross of Jesus Christ. We exhibit our dependence by inhabiting the cross of Christ. 'let us be cemented to him; for if we are apart from him, we are destroyed.'... 'The one who has descended will rise with great gain, just as also Paul descended alone, but ascended with the world...

The Glory of God and the Exercise of Theology...
Will we entrust ourselves to the one who raises Christ from the dead?
The ground and goal of all theology is necessitated by independent identification with God's messiah Jesus Christ. Christian believers are united to Jesus Christ. Sharing ultimately in his glory. Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord!

Paul evaluates pastoral situations theologically in terms of the glory of God.

But: why the ascension? God is glorified when we know him as the one who gives life to the dead....