In 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Paul tells his readers, “Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position. But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something, so that no one can boast in his presence” (1 Cor. 1:26-29, NET). He reminds them that most were not people that are important or special by worldly standards, and this is one of the reasons God chose them.
A sermon I recently heard emphasized that this passage shows God makes a habit of working with people who are considered nothing because that demonstrates His power. This sermon was addressed to people who have been told that they are uneducated, unsophisticated, foolish, and weak by this world’s standards. As I listened to this message, I knew it would be well-received by the people in our small, rural, Midwestern church congregation.
Audience awareness is a major part of my training in rhetoric and writing, so it’s something I think about a lot. As I thought about it in the context of this sermon, I realized that particular message would not resonate the same way with a different audience of more wealthy, more educated, and more cosmopolitan people. That doesn’t mean this scripture isn’t for them, though. There’s encouragement here for the many “foolish, weak, and despised” called-out ones, as well as cautions and reminders for the “not many” wise, powerful, and privileged whom God also chose to call.
Audience One: Those Who Know They Are Nothing
One of the major things that we can see when studying the Bible is that God chooses to work with humble people. You do not necessarily need to be in humbling circumstances to have a humble attitude, but the two often go together. When Jesus was here on earth, He lived as a carpenter’s son and many of the disciples He called were working-class people with only a basic education (e.g. fishermen) or someone in a despised occupation (e.g. tax collector). Most the spiritual leaders at the time and experts in the law did not recognize Him as the Messiah or choose to follow Him.
Paul referenced this truth when he asked the Corinthian brethren–who were struggling with divisions in their congregation (1 Cor. 1:10)–to think about their calling. When God was drawing people in Corinth to follow Christ, “Not many” of the people called “were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position” (1 Cor. 1:26, NET). Paul invited the Corinthians to remember that “the message of the cross” and the preaching of the gospel seems like “foolishness” to most people in the world, particularly to those who consider themselves wise (1 Cor. 1:18-24). People who believe in Jesus will be called fools by some, but God chose those “foolish” people on purpose.
But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something, so that no one can boast in his presence.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29, NET
People God chooses to work with don’t already need to be perfect. In fact, we need to recognize that “perfection” is an unachievable goal apart from Him (and one we’ll be working on the rest of our lives). As a popular phrase goes, “God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called.” Many of the people God chooses to work with are those that others would pass over. When God does amazing things with those sorts of people, it makes others marvel at what He is doing.
When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discovered that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13, NET
Jesus’s disciples weren’t illiterate or completely uneducated; it is almost certain that they would have attended a synagogue school. However, they “had no formal rabbinic training and thus, in the view of their accusers, were not qualified to expound the law or teach publicly” (NET footnote). God chose to do wonderful things with people who most others wouldn’t have given a second thought. The only thing remarkable about them was that they “had been with Jesus.” That truth provides great encouragement for us today when we feel unqualified, overlooked, foolish, or weak.
Audience Two: Those Who Think They Are Something
When Paul addressed the Corinthians, he did not say none of the called were wise, powerful, or respected. The phrase “not many” indicates there were some people in those categories that God chose to use. In fact, as we consider Paul’s life, we see that he was one of the “not many.” In another letter, Paul said that “we are … the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, exult in Christ Jesus, and do not rely on human credentials—though mine too are significant” (Phil. 3:3, NET). He was an educated, respected, zealous Pharisee and a Roman citizen by birth. He was “wise by human standards,” “powerful,” and “born to a privileged position.”
But these assets I have come to regard as liabilities because of Christ. More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things—indeed, I regard them as dung!—that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness—a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness.
Philippians 3:7-9, NET
Paul realized the truth that is so hard to grasp for people with wealth, education, strength, riches, and other things respectable by human standards. The human qualifications don’t actually mean anything. In God’s eyes, we are just as “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked” as anyone else (Rev. 3:17, NET; see Rev. 3:14-22). Let’s continue reading a little farther in 1 Corinthians to see what Paul said after what we’ve already quoted.
God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something, so that no one can boast in his presence. He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
1 Cor. 1:28-31, NET (bold italics mark a quotation from Jer. 9:24)
When Paul says, “it is written,” he is referencing a passage in Jeremiah. Those familiar with this passage or who look it up see that the passage addresses this second audience of people who have wisdom, might, and riches but need to understand that those things don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.
Yahweh says,
Jeremiah 9:23-24, WEB
“Don’t let the wise man glory in his wisdom.
Don’t let the mighty man glory in his might.
Don’t let the rich man glory in his riches.
But let him who glories glory in this,
that he has understanding, and knows me,
that I am Yahweh who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness in the earth,
for I delight in these things,” says Yahweh.
People with worldly recognition for wisdom, might, riches, and privilege need to overcome their pride and realize that those human qualifications don’t make them something special in God’s eyes. The group of people we are talking about as this “second audience” are no more qualified to receive God’s call than the people in the “first audience.” They have a harder time realizing that, though, because pride is more likely to get in the way.
All One Audience
There really aren’t two different audiences for Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1 (though the way we preach from this text might change based on who we’re talking to). That’s the truth the second audience needs to realize–they are actually part of the first audience. This can be a very difficult thing for people who think they are “something” to accept.
As Paul continued addressing his Corinthian audience, he returned to the topic of dissentions and quarrels among the believers there. He berated them for forming into camps following specific men. He told them they were immature “infants in Christ” who aren’t even ready yet for hearty spiritual food (1 Cor. 3:1-4). Dissention, jealously, and bragging about which teacher you follow are the sort of foolishness rooted in wrongly thinking that you’re wise.
Guard against self-deception, each of you. If someone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he can become wise. For the wisdom of this age is foolishness with God. As it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness.” And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about mere mortals!
1 Corinthians 3:18-20, NET (bold italics mark quotations from Job 5:13 and Ps 94:11)
If we read 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 and think, “I must be one of the ‘not many,'” then we need to be particularly on-guard against self-deception. Later in the same letter, Paul said, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If someone thinks he knows something, he does not yet know to the degree that he needs to know” (1 Cor. 8:1-2, NET). Whatever qualifications we think we have, boasting about ourselves does not impress God and is completely unfounded considering how much greater He is than us. But if we’re not careful, pride and attachment to worldly things can get in the way of our relationship with God.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven! Again I say, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.” The disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but for God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:23-26, NET
There are many things that could serve as obstacles to salvation. Weak and lowly people might think they are beneath God’s attention. Strong and proud people might think they don’t need Him. But obstacles that are impossible for mere humans to overcome don’t stand in God’s way at all! He can and does accomplish salvation for all types of people. We just need to recognize our need for Him and respond to His call, letting go of whatever might stand in our way. No matter what our backgrounds, education status, jobs, nationality, ethnicity, etc. when we compare ourselves to Jesus’s standard we all fall short. We are all the people that Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians as those who have no reason to boast in themselves, but many reasons to praise the Lord.
Just look at yourselves, brothers — look at those whom God has called! Not many of you are wise by the world’s standards, not many wield power or boast noble birth. But God chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise; God chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the strong; and God chose what the world looks down on as common or regards as nothing in order to bring to nothing what the world considers important; so that no one should boast before God. It is his doing that you are united with the Messiah Yeshua. He has become wisdom for us from God, and righteousness and holiness and redemption as well! Therefore — as the Tanakh says — “Let anyone who wants to boast, boast about Adonai.”
1 Corinthians 1:26-31, CJB
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