Devotional 31 October 2025

Paul reminds the Corinthians that neither he nor Apollos invented the gospel: they were servants, not sources. Their ministry was grounded in the written Word and centered on the grace of God in Christ. Yet the Corinthians had gone “beyond what is written,” creating hierarchies and prideful comparisons based on personality, eloquence, or gifting. To exalt human teachers or personal abilities was to exalt themselves beyond Scripture and forget the foundation of grace. Paul’s question pierces human pride: “What do you have that you did not receive?” The answer silences boasting. Everything the believer possesses (salvation, understanding, spiritual gifts, life itself) comes as a gift from God (James 1:17; John 3:27; Eph 2:8–9). We are not originators but recipients of mercy. To act otherwise is to imitate the ungrateful servant in Jesus’ parable (Matt 18:23–35), who, after being forgiven much, refused to extend mercy to another. Paul’s warning “not to go beyond what is written” draws a boundary around both doctrine and attitude. The Scriptures are the measure of truth and the guardrail of humility (Deut 4:2; Prov 30:6; 2 Tim 3:16–17). To remain within them is to remain within grace. To go beyond them is to replace grace with pride. Every boast is silenced when we remember that all we are and all we have comes from Christ. We are not the architects of salvation but the stewards of a received inheritance. Let us, then, walk humbly as those who live only by what we have been given.