The Wisdom Of God Series

Paul possibly went over the membership of the Corinthian church in his mind as he wrote verse 26. He reminded them that they had very few who were famous, wealthy, highly educated, powerful, or influential when they believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is likely that, when they became Christians, they lost a great deal of the prestige, influence, and income they did have. Consider your calling, brothers/brethren, he says. Paul always uses the term calling to refer to the saving call of God, the effectual call that results in redemption. “You know what sort of persons you were when God called you out of darkness. You know that He did not accept you as His child because you were brilliant or wealthy or intelligent or powerful. If you were any of these things,” he says, “you were saved in spite of them not because of them. If anything they were stumbling blocks that hindered you, obstacles between you and God’s grace.” He implies that they should be glad that not many were wise according to worldly standards or powerful/mighty or noble. Such things often keep people from the sense of need that leads to salvation. If more of them had been wise, powerful/mighty, or noble, from a human perspective, it is likely that fewer of them would have been saved.

Matthew 11:25 [25]At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; (ESV)

• We are often tempted to think that it would be wonderful if such–and–such a great athlete—or brilliant scientist, popular entertainer, or world leader—would become a Christian.

• But Jesus did not think this way when He chose His disciples. He did not choose them for their wealth or influence, and in His training of them He did not try to capitalize on any such things. None of them had anything so great that he was not ready to leave it to follow Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 1:27, Paul shows God’s work in redemption; he does so by the literary techniques of contrast and repetition. First, God rules sovereignly by choosing the foolish things of the world. For instance, according to the Roman author Seneca, God’s people did a foolish thing by keeping the Sabbath; the Gentile world had no concept of a week and thus regarded resting on the Sabbath utter foolishness and a waste of time. But God uses the things which the world calls foolish to shame the men who are reputed to be wise.

Next, God chooses those things which the world considers weak to shame the strong. To illustrate, the Beatitudes teach that the meek will inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5), even though to the world meekness is the equivalent of weakness.

Third, in 1 Corinthians 1:28, Paul states that the low/insignificant things and the despised things are chosen by God. For him, the noun things in the neuter plural “indicate[s] a mass in which the individuals have so little value that they are not counted as distinct personalities.” But those persons whom are despised in the world, God chose as his own. God works out his purpose by honoring that which is common and by abolishing things that are important (Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 18: New Testament commentary : Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians. New Testament Commentary (62–63). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).