Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Corinthians 1:26
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]:
26. For ye see your calling, brethren ] or perhaps, Behold your calling. So Vulgate, Wiclif and Tyndale. The Apostle adds an illustration of his paradox in 1Co 1:25. The truth is exemplified in the growth of the Christian Church. Its law of progress is the very opposite to that of all ordinary bodies. Not the powerful in rank, authority, and intellect, but the poor, the uneducated, the uninfluential, were first attracted to Christ, until by “a progressive victory of the ignorant over the learned, the lowly over the lofty, the emperor himself laid down his crown before the Cross of Christ.” Olshausen. Thus the real weakness of man and his incapacity unaided to attain to God were demonstrated, and God’s object, the depriving humanity, as such, of all cause of self-satisfaction ( 1Co 1:29), attained. It is necessary to add here that the word translated ‘ calling ’ does not mean what we usually understand by the words vocation in life, but rather “ the principle God has followed in calling you ” (Beza); cf. Eph 4:1, where the same Greek word is translated vocation, and is followed by wherewith.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For ye see your calling – You know the general character and condition of those who are Christians among you, that they have not been generally taken from the wise, the rich, and the learned, but from humble life. The design of the apostle here is, to show that the gospel did not depend for its success on human wisdom. His argument is, that in fact those who were blessed by it had not been of the elevated ranks of life mainly, but that God had shown his power by choosing those who were ignorant, and vicious, and abandoned, and by reforming and purifying their lives. The verb ye see blepete, is ambiguous, and may be either in the indicative mood, as our translators have rendered it, ye do see; you are well apprised of it, and know it, or it may be in the imperative, see; contemplate your condition; but the sense is substantially the same. Your calling ( ten klesin) means those who are called 1Co 1:9; as the circumcision means those who are circumcised. Rom 3:30. The sense is, took upon the condition of those who are Christians.
Not many wise men – Not many who are regarded as wise; or who are ranked with philosophers. This supposes that there were some of that description, though the mass of Christians were then, as now, from more humble ranks of life. That there were some of high rank and wealth at Corinth who became Christians, is well known. Crispus and Sosthenes, rulers of the synagogue there (Act 28:8, Act 28:17; Compare 1Co 1:1); Gaius, a rich, hospitable man Rom 16:23; and Erastus the chancellor of the city of Corinth Rom 16:23, had been converted and were members of the church. Some have supposed (Macknight) that this should be rendered not many mighty, wise, etc. call you; that is, God has not employed the wise and the learned to call you into his kingdom. But the sense in our translation is evidently the correct interpretation. It is the obvious sense; and it agrees with the design of the apostle, which was to show that God had not consulted the wisdom, and power, and wealth of men in the establishment of his church. So the Syriac and the Vulgate render it.
According to the flesh – According to the maxims and principles of a sensual and worldly policy; according to the views of people when under the influence of those principles; that is, who are unrenewed. The flesh here stands opposed to the spirit; the views of the people of this world in contradistinction from the wisdom that is from above.
Not many mighty – Not many people of power; or men sustaining important offices in the state. Comp, Rev 6:15. The word may refer to those who wield power of any kind, whether derived from office, from rank, from wealth, etc.
Not many noble – Not many of illustrious birth, or descended from illustrious families – eugeneis, well-born. In respect to each of these classes, the apostle does not say that there were no men of wealth, and power, and birth, but that the mass or body of Christians was not composed of such. They were made up of those who were in humble life. There were a few, indeed, of rank and property, as there are now; but then, as now, the great mass was composed of those who were from the lower conditions of society. The reason why God had chosen his people from that rank is stated in 1Co 1:29. The character of many of those who composed the church at Corinth before the conversion, is stated in 1Co 6:10-11, which see.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 26. Ye see your calling] . The state of grace and blessedness to which ye are invited. I think, , c., should be read in the imperative: Take heed to, or consider your calling, brethren that () not many of you are wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble: men is not in the original, and Paul seems to allude to the Corinthian believers in particular. This seems to have been said in opposition to the high and worldly notions of the Jews, who assert that the Divine Spirit never rests upon any man, unless he be wise, powerful, and rich. Now this Divine Spirit did rest upon the Christians at Corinth, and yet these were, in the sense of the world, neither wise, rich, nor noble. We spoil, if not corrupt the apostle’s meaning, by adding are called, as if God did not send his Gospel to the wise, the powerful, and the noble, or did not will their salvation. The truth is, the Gospel has an equal call to all classes of men; but the wise, the mighty, and the noble, are too busy, or too sensual, to pay any attention to an invitation so spiritual and so Divine; and therefore there are few of these in the Church of Christ in general.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
To prove that this is the method of Divine Providence, to make use of seemingly infirm and weak means to produce his great effects, you need not look further than yourselves; look upon the whole body of your church at Corinth, it is not made up of many that have a reputation for the wise men or the noble men of your city. Some indeed were such; Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, was converted, and Sosthenes; but the generality were men of very ordinary repute.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
26. ye seerather, from theprominence of the verb in the Greek, “see” or”consider” (imperative) [ALFORDfrom Vulgate and IRENUS].
your calling . . . arecalled Instead of the words in italics, supplied byEnglish Version, supply, “were your callers.” WhatPaul is dwelling on (compare 1Co 1:27;1Co 1:28) is the weakness of theinstrumentality which the Lord employed to convert the world [HINDSand WHATELY; so ANSELM].However, English Version accords well with 1Co1:24. “The whole history of the expansion of the Church is aprogressive victory of the ignorant over the learned, the lowly overthe lofty, until the emperor himself laid down his crown before thecross of Christ” [OLSHAUSEN].
wise . . . after thefleshthe wisdom of this world acquired by human study withoutthe Spirit. (Contrast Mt 16:17).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For ye see your calling, brethren,…. That is, those that were called by the grace of God among them; for as circumcision and uncircumcision stand for circumcised and uncircumcised persons, and election for elect persons, and righteousness for righteous persons, Ro 3:30 so here “calling” designs men called by grace; the manner of whose calling, and what sort of persons they were, the apostle signifies, they did or might, or ought, to see, observe, and consider; for respect is here had, not, as some have thought, to the first preachers of the Gospel, who were mechanics, fishermen, illiterate persons, very mean and despicable; but to the members of the church at Corinth, whether public preachers, or private members. The city of Corinth had in it many noble families, of high birth and quality, abounded with learned philosophers and rich merchants; and yet it was easy to be seen,
how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. The apostle does not say that there were none of the wise, the mighty, and noble called; for there were Crispus, and Sosthenes, rulers of the synagogue, and Gains a rich hospitable man, and Erastus the chamberlain of the city, and it may be some others of a like or better figure in life; but there were not many of them; instances of this kind are but few recorded in the Scripture; as Joseph of Arimathea a rich counsellor, Paulus Sergius a Roman deputy, Dionysius the Areopagite, and some in Caesar’s palace; which show that nobility, riches, and learning, as they do not at all contribute towards a man’s salvation, so neither can they hinder it where grace takes place; but, generally speaking, God has thought fit, for wise reasons, to choose and call persons of different characters.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Behold (). Same form for imperative present active plural and indicative. Either makes sense as in Joh 5:39 and 14:1 .
Calling (). The act of calling by God, based not on the external condition of those called (, verse 2), but on God’s sovereign love. It is a clinching illustration of Paul’s argument, an argumentum ad hominen.
How that (). Explanatory apposition to .
After the flesh ( ). According to the standards of the flesh and to be used not only with (wise, philosophers), but also (men of dignity and power), (noble, high birth), the three claims to aristocracy (culture, power, birth).
Are called . Not in the Greek, but probably to be supplied from the idea in .
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Calling (klhsin). Not condition of life, but your calling by God; not depending on wisdom, power, or lineage.
Noble [] . Of high birth. So originally, though as Greece became democratic, it came to signify merely the better sort of freemen. Plato applies it to the children of native Athenians (” Menexenus, ” 237).
Aeschylus makes Clytaemnestra say to the captive Cassandra that if slavery must befall one there is an advantage in having masters of ancient family property instead of those who have become unexpectedly rich (” Agamemnon, ” 1010).
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “For ye see your calling brethren.” (blepete gar, ten klesen humon, adelphoi) “For ye have a glimpse of your calling brethren.” Or imperative, “get ye a view or glimpse of your calling brethren.”
2) “How that not many wise men after the flesh.” (Gk. hoti ou polloi sophoi) “that not many wise ones” (kata sarka) “after or according to the order of flesh wisdom.” The common people heard Jesus gladly. Mar 12:37.
3) “Not many mighty.” Not many (dunatoi) “powerful or men of might,” such as Scribes, priests, governors, rulers, Pharisees, Sadducees, or Herodians.
4) “Not many noble are called.” (Greek ou polloi eugeneis) “not many well-born” or “hi-bred” (are called). Among the multitudes there were few of might or nobility – Nicodemus, Luke and Paul. Yet the Corinthians in their day could recognize that most of the earth’s mighty obeyed not the call of God – the call of the cross! Act 4:12.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
26. Behold your calling. As the mood of the Greek verb ( βλέπετε) is doubtful, and the indicative suits the context equally as well as the imperative, I leave it to the reader’s choice which of them he may prefer. The meaning is manifestly the same in either case, for supposing it to be the indicative ( ye see,) he would in that case summon them as witnesses — as of a thing that is manifest, and call them forward as it were to a thing that is present. On the other hand, understanding it in the imperative, he stirs them up, as it were, from their drowsiness to a consideration of the matter itself. The term calling may be taken in a collective sense to mean the multitude of those that are called — in this sense: “Ye see what description of persons they are among you that the Lord has called.” I am, however, rather inclined to think, that he points out the manner of their calling, and it is a most forcible argument, because it follows from this, that, if they despise the abasement of the cross, they in a manner make void their calling, in which God had acted in such a manner, as to take away all merit from human wisdom, and power, and glory. Hence he tacitly accuses them of ingratitude, because, forgetful alike of God’s grace and of themselves, they regard the gospel of Christ with disdain.
Two things, however, must be observed here — that he was desirous from the example of the Corinthians to confirm the truth of what he had said: and farther, that he designed to admonish them, that they must be entirely divested of pride, if they duly considered the order of things that the Lord had observed in their calling. To put to shame, says he, the wise and noble, and to bring to naught things that are Both expressions are appropriate, for fortitude and wisdom vanish when they are put to shame, but what has an existence requires to be brought to naught By the choosing of the poor, and the foolish, and the ignoble, he means, that God has preferred them before the great, and the wise, and the noble. For it would not have sufficed, for beating down the arrogance of the flesh, if God had placed them all upon a level. Hence, those who appeared to excel he put in the background, in order that he might thoroughly abase them. That man, however, were an arrant fool, who would infer from this, that God has in this manner abased the glory of the flesh, in order that the great and noble might be shut out from the hope of salvation. There are some foolish persons that make this a pretext for not merely triumphing over the great, as if God had cast them off, but even despising them as far beneath them. Let us, however, bear in mind, that this is said to the Corinthians, who, though they had no great distinction in the world, were nevertheless, even without any occasion, puffed up. God, therefore, by confounding the mighty, and the wise, and the great, does not design to elate with pride the weak, the illiterate, and the abject, but brings down all of them together to one level. Let those, therefore, that are contemptible in the eyes of the world, think thus with themselves: “What modesty is called for on our part, when even those that have high honor in the view of the world have nothing left them?” (98) If the effulgence of the sun is obscured, what must become of the stars? If the light of the stars is extinguished, what must become of opaque objects?” The design of these observations is, that those who have been called by the Lord, while of no estimation in the view of the world, may not abuse these words of Paul by pluming their crests, but, on the contrary, keeping in mind the exhortation —
Thou standest by faith, be not high-minded, but fear, (Rom 11:20,)
may walk thoughtfully in the sight of God with fear and humility.
Paul, however, does not say here, that there are none of the noble and mighty that have been called by God, but that there are few He states the design of this — that the Lord might bring down the glory of the flesh, by preferring the contemptible before the great. God himself, however, by the mouth of David, exhorts kings to embrace Christ, (99) (Psa 2:12,) and by the mouth of Paul, too, he declares, that he will have all men to be saved, and that his Christ is offered alike to small and great, alike to kings and their subjects, (1Ti 2:1.) He has himself furnished a token of this. Shepherds, in the first place, are called to Christ: then afterwards come philosophers: illiterate and despised fishermen hold the highest rank of honor; yet into their school there are received in process of time kings and their counselors, senators and orators.
(98) “ Dieu ne permet de presumer d’eux mesmes;” — “God does not allow them to have confidence in themselves.”
(99) “ A faire hommage a Christ;” — “To do homage to Christ.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
Butlers Comments
Unity Occasions Glory to God Alone (1Co. 1:26-31)
26 For consider your call, brethren, not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many of noble birth; 27but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, 28God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption; 31therefore, as it is written, Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord.
1Co. 1:26 Their deficiency: The very fact that there existed in Corinth a body of believers, immature and struggling, but united in the love and peace of Christ, proved that whatever unity they had achieved was to be credited to God the Father and Christ the son, for there was no other such body of human beings in Corinth like them. The philosophers and politicians had not produced such a fellowship. These Christians certainly had not come to their fellowship through wisdom according to worldly standards. Paul reminds them to take a look at (Gr. blepete, see, look) their condition at the time they answered the call to the Gospel. Not many of them were sophisticates (Gr. sophoi, wise) as judged by worldly (Gr. sarka, fleshly, human) standards, Not many were powerful as the world would estimate power; nor were many of noble birth (Gr. eugeneis, well-born).
God actually chose what the sophisticates, the powerful and the nobility would call foolishness to form a society in Corinth of loving, caring, righteous-living people. They were called Christians. This put all the philosophies and other human attempts of man to create his own Utopia, by his own wisdom, to shame. The faith and righteousness of Christians became, as it were, a condemnation of all the humanism of their society, just as Noahs obedience to God thousands of years earlier (cf. Heb. 11:7).
The apostles enunciation of the former lack of worldly prestige of these Corinthians is mild compared to his reminder of what a few others had been before becoming Christians (cf. 1Co. 6:9-11). The gospel not only has the power to create a kingdom of love and peace and goodness out of the unsophisticated and powerless people of the world, it also has divine power to bring into this same kingdom, by conversion, people who were formerly the dregs of humanity. Its power is operative, however, only when human beings acknowledge they have no sufficiency in anything that is human and surrender to the revelation of Gods redemptive plan for their lives.
1Co. 1:27-28 Their dynamic: When one considers the tools God chose to use in his redemptive program and the end result he produced, one must admit divine power as the source. God chose what the world, in all its accumulated expertise, calls foolishness (Gr. mora, moronic, stupid), to demonstrably put to shame the sophistication of worldly-wisdom. The world, with all its science, philosophy and psychology has never done what the gospel has done. God chose the weak things (Gr. asthene, no strength, sick, impotent) in order to expose the shame of what the world calls strong and powerful. The world calls the vicarious atonement of Christ sick. But the change wrought in the lives of those who believe Christ proves that the world is wrong in what it depends on for power.
God chose to use what the world calls low and despised (Gr. agene, inconsequential, unknown; and exouthenemena, contemptible, rejected) to abolish (Gr. katargese, nullify, destroy) the things which the world in rebellion against God considers effective. Paul is not the first God uses to reveal this. The Old Testament Prophets warned their people that God was going to accomplish mans redemption by a despised and rejected Messiah, one in whom was no comeliness and who would not be esteemed (cf. Isa. 52:13-15; Isa. 53:1-12). Jesus warned in his parables that the kingdom would start as small and insignificantly as a mustard seed but would grow to be huge (Mat. 13:31-32). Righteousness, love, self-control, humility and faith are things the world calls weaknesses. Wealth, fame, self-sufficiency, political position and skepticism are things the world calls powerful. God has demonstrated his sovereign wisdom by putting everything the world calls powerful to shame through the power of the redemptive work of Christ. Only the gospel of Christ produces the society of people transformed into loving, hoping, trustworthy, faithful, peaceful servants of God. Wealth, fame and political power all combined has never done it and never shall.
God chose the betrothed of a lowly Jewish carpenter as the mother for the Savior of the world. He decided this Savior was to be born in a cattle-shed. This Saviors friends would be harlots and hated publicans. He would select as his intimate co-workers fisherman, publicans and women. But these low born and rejects would, with the divine message of Gods reconciling grace through the cross of Christ, turn the world upside down (cf. Act. 17:6) showing that philosophies of men were totally inadequate while the word of God changed people and society for the best.
It is through this word that human beings may be born again (cf. 1Pe. 1:22-25). Through these promises human beings may partake of the divine nature (2Pe. 1:3-4). Through this, human beings receive power to be transformed and purified (cf. Rom. 12:1-2; 1Jn. 3:1-3). And the word of God is the only instrument chosen by God to accomplish this in the world. The world thinks otherwise because it has believed the devils lie told in Eden (Gen. 3:1-7) that to trust, depend upon and obey God is weakness, while independence from and resistance to God brings power.
1Co. 1:29-31 Their declaration: God deliberately gave salvation to mankind as a gift so that no human being might boast. He chose to effect mans salvation through what the world called weaknesses so that man would not be able to glorify himself or any of his finite schemes. Salvation is absolutely by faith in the redemptive deeds done by God in Christnot by any merit of man. Salvation is appropriated (or accepted) by mans believing obedience to the covenant terms decreed by God in his New Testament. But man, by accepting salvation, never merits it, His sins were paid for by Christs deathfinally and completely. When finite and sinful man compares himself with other finite and sinful men, he is inclined to find someone who, in his estimation, is worse than himself. He then resolves to trust in his own self-righteousness and his own glory, (cf. 2Co. 10:12). But when man, by belief in the divine record (the Bible) honestly compares himself with the infinite and absolutely righteous God (and his Son), he finds nothing in himself to trustnot even his own feelings (Jer. 17:5-10, esp. Jer. 17:9-10; Mar. 7:21-23; Eph. 4:22; Ecc. 9:3; Isa. 6:5). Jeremiah, tempted to follow his own feelings and desires, surrendered to the word of God burning in his bones (cf. Jer. 20:7-12), and preached to turn mans trust in the Lord.
The KJV is nearer a literal translation of the Greek text in 1Co. 1:30. The Greek phrase is: ex autou de humeis este en Christo Iesou. Literally that would be translated: but out from him you are in Christ Jesus. The RSV gives the meaning in its translation: He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus. . . . Christ is the source of our salvation because he became (Gr. egenethe, 3rd aorist, sing. passivehe was both made and willingly became) our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. God was in Christ on the cross, reconciling the world to himself. God decreed (made) Christ to be sin for us and righteousness for us (cf. 2Co. 5:11-21). At the same time, Christ, the Son, willingly became sin for us (Heb. 10:5-10). God decided on the substitutionary atonement by his Anointed One from the foundation of the world (cf. 1Pe. 1:19-20; Isa. 53:1-12, etc.). The Son of man knew he had come into the world as a vicarious ransom for the sins of the whole world (Mat. 20:28; Mat. 26:28). He knew that it was only by his perfect sacrifice men would be able to be set apart (sanctified) to God (cf. Heb. 10:5-10; Joh. 17:13-26). Christ is the source of our sanctification. We could never be good enough on our own to be set apart unto God! If we are sanctified for God at all it is because we trust completely in the merit of Christs perfect sacrifice, Of course, we must choose to accept his sanctification for us. And our choosing must conform to his revealed will. The same concepts apply to any claims we may have to wisdom or redemption. Christ alone is the source. We choose whether we want what he offers or not on his terms.
1Co. 1:31 is a quotation of Jer. 9:24. Jeremiah faced the same problem with Gods covenant people 600 years before Paul. Men basked in their own self-glory. The glory of other men was what they thought was the ultimate meaning of life (Jer. 9:23). As a result they conducted their lives on the bases of falsehood, hypocrisy, treachery, slander and deceit (Jer. 9:1 ff.). But Jeremiah poured out his life in ministry of the Word to turn them to glorying in the Lord (Jer. 9:24) and in what the Lord determines is righteousness.
Paul wrote a great deal about boasting and glorying to the Corinthians. The Corinthians apparently assumed that anyone with the office of apostle would automatically be boastful, proud and arrogant. Paul did not behave like that (see 1Co. 3:18-23; 1Co. 4:1-13; 2Co. 11:1-33; 2Co. 12:1-21). Paul made it plain that Christians have nothing to boast about except the grace of God (Rom. 3:27-28; Gal. 6:14; Php. 3:3-7; 2Co. 12:9). And who can boast in self when all one is or has or hopes to be is by the grace of Christ?
Since all Christians are thus joined and united to Christ by grace alone, such unity must give occasion to glorifying only Christ. Whatever results from the regenerative work going on in the church on earth, whether through spiritual leaders or those being led, it all redounds to Gods glory and not mans. Man works, God gives the increase. Unless God gives the increase, there will be none of any value or permanence at all, no matter how hard and expertly man works.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(26) For ye see your calling.Better, imperative (as in 1Co. 8:9; 1Co. 10:18; 1Co. 16:10), For see your calling. The Apostle directs them to look at the facts regarding their own calling to Christianity, as an illustration of the truth of what he has just written, viz., that though there were, perhaps, a few of high birth and education who were called, and responded to that call, yet that these are not many. It has been well remarked, the ancient Christians were, for the greater part, slaves and persons of humble rank; the whole history of the progress of the Church is in fact a gradual triumph of the unlearned over the learned, of the lowly over the great, until the emperor himself cast his crown at the foot of Christs cross (Olshausen); or, as an English writer puts it, Christianity with the irresistible might of its weakness shook the world.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
26. Ye see Rather, in the imperative, Behold, contemplate your calling.
Your calling Not, says Wordsworth, “ your calling; but , the calling of you.” That is, God’s calling of you into the kingdom of Christ, implying your acceptance and all its blessed results.
Not many wise Why were not many sophoi called? Because the pride of their sophia was in the way. They were called, indeed; but they never, by faith, became the called. They were called to repentance and faith; but never were the called, upon repentance and faith, to be saints.
How their sophia was in the way we see in the case of Gallio, the philosopher, at this very Corinth. Act 18:12-17, where see notes. Christianity, brought before him by our illustrious apostle, was repudiated even from examination by antecedent contempt, as a mere matter “of words and names.” He heard of it with nervous impatience, and dismissed it with unmannerly abruptness. What was true in Corinth was true on a larger scale in the whole Roman world. The sages of the age of Tacitus, Seneca, Pliny, and hundreds of lesser literati and philosophers, deemed Christianity unentitled to investigation. And yet, according to the skeptical historian Lecky, and others, of the same school, the true cause of the triumph of Christianity in the Roman empire was not miracles, but the obvious superiority of Christianity over all rival systems of religion.
Not many mighty Few statesmen, warriors, princes. The government of the Roman empire, civil and military, was a stupendous system, at the head of which was Nero, a butcher and a fiddler. Ecclesiastically it was paganism, with Capitoline Jupiter at its head. Politically and ecclesiastically it was a sham, destined in due time to go down to ruin.
Not many noble Ancient Corinth was celebrated for its brilliant, high-born, old nobility. Its great, ancient families, now extinct, were instances how transient are all earthly grandeurs. But of the new and rather vulgar aristocracy of modern Corinth, restored from the conflagration inflicted by Mummius, probably few deigned to enter the house of Justus, near the synagogue, where Paul held forth the foolishness of preaching to busy Corinth. Slaves, artisans, and a few of the higher class, in whom religious interest overcame the pride of rank, received the holy truth.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Let Them Consider Whom God Has Chosen And What He has Done For Them (1:26-31).
‘For look at your calling, brothers, how that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame those who are wise, and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are powerful. And the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are. That no flesh should glory before God.’
The themes of folly and weakness continue. He asks them to consider themselves. Not only did God reveal His power and wisdom through the cross, which was in man’s eyes but weakness and folly, He also chose as His instruments those who were weak and foolish, that He might reveal through them His power and wisdom, making them powerful and wise in God’s power and wisdom. Men found Him not by wisdom but by being called.
‘Look at (behold) your calling.’ They have been called and chosen by God. Note the threefold stress on His choosing. But whom has the Great God called and chosen? He has chosen the weak and the foolish, the base and the despised, the things that count for nothing. The Galilean fishermen and the despised local tax-collector are the kind who make up His followers. And the same applies among the Corinthians. They too can look at their numbers and see that they are mainly made up, not of those recognised as ‘wise’, not of those who are influential, and aristocratic, not of the rulers of this world, but of slaves and of poor men, of artisans and labourers, with ‘the great’ a comparative rarity among them (although there were quite a number of influential men). Thus God selects His army for the future and it reveals similarity with the cross, a picture of apparent weakness and folly. But it will overcome the world through God’s power revealed through the cross.
The world sees His followers as foolish, but they will put the wise to shame. The world sees His followers as weak, but they will put the strong to shame. The mighty Roman Empire will wither and be no more, Greek culture will be displaced, but the people of God will go from strength to strength. They will in a sense replace both.
‘Has God chosen.’ Again the theme of His sovereignty is apparent. He points out that the fact that the church is made up of the foolish and the weak, the base and the despised, is no accident. It is God’s deliberate choice, God’s working, so that men may recognise their rightful place in God’s eyes, weak and foolish, base and despised, but loved and chosen.
Indeed it has always been so. In the Old Testament and especially in the Psalms those who sought God were seen as the ‘poor’ and ‘humble’. Those terms were used to depict those who responded to God truly. For they were the ones most likely to listen to God and to look to God, and only those who took up their attitude of heart found life.
‘And the things that are not, to bring to nought the things that are.’ In context this is comparing nonentities with the great and the wise. The Corinthian Christians are nothings, Paul is a nothing (note the almost contemptuous ‘things’), but it is through such as them that God will do His mighty work, revealing the great as not great, the wise as not wise, indeed as the true nonentities in relation to God’s kingdom. For the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal (2Co 4:18)
‘That no flesh should glory (or ‘boast’) before God.’ The purpose in all this is that man might realise what he is, and not boast in the sight of God. That he might recognise that any glory or wisdom he has apart from God is as nothing. This is true of Jewish Rabbis, of Greek philosophers and of Christian preachers. It is true of men of power and men of wealth. It is true of the rulers of this world. It is true of all. Men may seem to achieve much but unless God applies the word, the effective power that brings about His purposes, what they do is in the long run in vain. Their work is only temporal. And the only ‘word’ He sends forth to do His work is the word of the cross. Thus none can have cause to glory for to succeed they are totally dependent on God for their efforts and their preaching and their teaching to be effective, and if it is effective it will not be through their wisdom but through the power at work through the cross. And in the end there is nothing else to glory in.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The status of the believers:
v. 26. For ye see your calling’, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called;
v. 27. but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world, to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
v. 28. and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are,
v. 29. that no flesh should glory in His presence.
v. 30. But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us Wisdom, and Righteousness, and Sanctification, and Redemption,
v. 31. that, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord. The miraculous working of the power and wisdom of God is exemplified in the case of the Corinthian Christians themselves. The apostle urges them to consider, to contemplate earnestly, their calling, the act of God’s calling as it affected their own ranks. There were not many wise according to the flesh in their midst, few that ranked high as the people of this world rate knowledge; there were not many powerful, such as were influential in public affairs by reason of their wealth or social or political position; there were not many noble-born, people of aristocratic rank by birth. “Few intellectual men, few politicians, few of the better class of free citizens embraced Christianity. ” There is a sharp contrast: But the foolish things of the world God has chosen to put to shame the wise men. The Christians are not only considered bigoted, but actually narrow-minded and lacking in the proper use of their reasoning faculty. And the weak things of the world has God chosen to put to shame the strong ones. Those whose numbers would tend to make them anything but a power in the world in many cases control the destinies of nations. And the base, the vile things of the world and the utterly despised things has God chosen, and the things which are non-existent before the pride of the world, which are made absolutely nothing of, which are not considered as by any possibility having any weight, in order to make null and void, to deprive of all validity, that which is something in the judgment of men. Since the time of Christ the believers have been despised, scorned, ignored, and yet they have displayed a power of action and endurance which cannot be accounted for by reasonable suppositions. The despotism of the Roman emperors, the tyranny of the medieval hierarchy, the inquisition of the counter-reformation, all the so-called assured result of modern science falsely so called have not been able to overcome or to render obsolete the truth and the power of the Gospel. For it is the power of God that lives in the message of salvation, and it is His grace which has chosen the lowly. And therefore no flesh, no human being, can boast before God. No matter how wise, how powerful, how rich the children of the world may be, before God they can boast of nothing. No man can say that he, out of his own endeavors, or position, or worth has contributed anything to the success of the Gospel. And therefore the vessels of mercy also will never be tempted to allege their own fitness and their own readiness to accept the wealth of God’s wisdom and power. It is all the mercy of God’s election, the grace of God’s call.
This thought is emphasized by the apostle in conclusion: Out of Him, due to His grace and power, you are in Christ Jesus. God has brought us to the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, because we are the spiritual offspring of God by His grace, and the life which we have received from God is grounded in Christ. And what this life in Christ all includes the apostle shows: Who was made Wisdom unto us from God, Righteousness as well as Sanctification and Redemption. All this has been revealed to us by faith and has become our property through faith. By the grace of God, Christ has become Wisdom to us: in and through Him the mystery of the divine plan of salvation has been unfolded to us; in and through Him we know God as our dear Father and through this knowledge have eternal life, Joh 17:3. But this would not be possible were it not for the fact that Christ became unto us Righteousness as well as Sanctification, 2Co 5:21; Jer 23:5; Mat 3:15; Gal 2:16-17. The righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us as well as His perfect fulfillment of the Law, and thus our whole life is consecrated to God, and every act is a work of divine service. “For that is Christ’s rule. To that end He has been placed as the Lord, that He might do such works among men, justify them, and bring them back to the fear of God, innocence, and obedience, from which we fell in Paradise through the cunning of the serpent. ” These great benefits are ours by faith, not because faith in itself is a work which merits the blessings, but because it accepts the promise made by God that He for the sake of Christ would be gracious to those that believe in Him. For Christ is our Redemption; by paying the ransom of His blood and life He has delivered us forever from the power of all our enemies; He had in Himself the power to achieve this deliverance, 1Th 1:10; Col 1:13-14. And thus we have in Him the guarantee of the glory of eternal life which will be revealed to us on the last day. And all this is God’s free gift of grace, excluding all boasting on our part, all alleging of merit before Him. As it is written: He that glories shall glory in the Lord, Jer 9:23-24. There should be boasting and praising indeed, but only in God, as the Author of our salvation. Where the preaching of the Cross reveals God’s mercy and righteousness, God’s wisdom and power, only one boasting shall be heard, namely, this: All glory be to God on high!
Summary. After opening his letter with a salutation, the apostle thanks God for the revelation of His grace, reproves the Corinthian Christians for their wranglings, which had resulted in the formation of factions, and discusses at length the wisdom and power of God as revealed in the Gospel.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
1Co 1:26. Are called Call you: which words I would supply from the first clause of the verse. Our translators have supplied the words are called, for which there are no correspondent words in the original, and which convey a sentiment neither true nor suitable to the Apostle’s design. It is not true: for even in Judea among the chief rulers, many believed on him, Joh 12:42 particularly Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. Other Jews likewise of rank and learning were called; such as the nobleman whose sick son Jesus cured, Joh 4:53 and Manaen, Herod’s foster-brother, and Cornelius, and Gamaliel, and that great company of priests mentioned Act 6:7. Who were obedient to the faith. At Ephesus, many who used the arts of magic and divination were called, and who were men of learning, as appears from the number andvalue of their books which they burned after embracing the Gospel, Act 19:19. And in such numerous churches as those of Antioch, Thessalonica, Corinth, and Rome, it can hardly be doubted, that there were disciples in the higher ranks of life. There were brethren even in the emperor’s family, Php 4:22. In short, the precepts in the Epistles, to mastersto treat their slaves with humanity, and to women concerning their not adorning themselves with gold and silver and costlyraiment, shew that many wealthy persons had embraced the Gospel.On the other hand, though it were true, That not many wise men, &c. were called, it did not suit the Apostle’s argument to mention it here. For surely God’s not calling many of the wise, &c. joined with his calling the foolish ones of the world to believe, did not put to shame the wise and strong, &c. Whereas, if the discourse be understood of the preachers of the Gospel, who were employed to convert the world, all is clear and pertinent. God chose not the learned, the mighty, and the noble ones of this world to preach the Gospel, but illiterate and weak men, and men of low birth: and by making them successful in reforming and converting mankind, he put to shame the legislators, statesmen, and philosophers among the heathens, and the learned scribes and doctors among the Jews, who never had done any thing to purpose in that matter. See Macknight.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
1Co 1:26 . Confirmation of this general proposition from the experience of the readers. The element of proof lies in the contrast, 1Co 1:27 f. For if the matter were not as stated in 1Co 1:25 , then God would not have chosen the foolish of the world to put to shame its wise ones. By so doing He has, indeed, set before your eyes the practical experimental proof, that the transcends men in wisdom. Otherwise He would have acted in the reverse way, and have sought out for Himself the wise of the world, in order, through their wisdom, to help that which now appears as the . to victory over the foolishness of the world. This holds, too, as against de Wette, who (comp also Hofmann) makes refer to the whole series of thoughts, 1Co 1:19-25 , notwithstanding that the expressions here used attach themselves so distinctly to 1Co 1:25 .
] imperative . As such it has with logical correctness its hortatory emphasis; [264] but not so, if we take it as indicative (Valla, Erasmus, Castalio, Beza, Vatablus, Bengel, Rosenmller, and Schrader).
] is not to be taken arbitrarily, with Beza, Estius, Mosheim, Semler, Rosenmller, and Pott, pro concreto , for , but as: your calling (to salvation through the Messiah); see, what was the nature of it as regards the persons whom God, the caller, had chosen (1Co 1:27 ff.). Krause and Olshausen run counter to the specific Christian sense of the word, and even to the general linguistic usage (see on 1Co 7:20 ), when they make it mean, like the German word “ Beruf ” [ calling ], the vitae genus , the outward circumstances.
] equivalent to , , in so far, namely, as . Plat. Prot. p. 330 E, Crat. p. 384 C, al [265] Joh 2:18 ; Joh 9:17 ; Joh 11:51 ; 2Co 1:18 ; 2Co 11:10 ; Mar 16:14 ; Fritzsche, a [266] Matth. p. 248 f.
. . ] that not many (among you) are wise in the eyes of men , etc. It is enough to supply the simple , making ., i.e. but few , the subject, and . the predicate; and there is no need for introducing an (so commonly ), according to which . . together would be the subject. , specifying the kind and manner of the , marks it out as purely human , and distinguishes it from the Christian wisdom which proceeds from the Holy Spirit. For comprises the simply human element in man as opposed to the divine principle. Comp , 2Co 1:12 ; , Jas 3:15 ; and see on Rom 4:1 ; Joh 3:6 . Estius aptly remarks: “Significari vult sapientiam, quae studio humano absque doctrina Spir. sancti potest acquiri.” In substance, the , 1Co 1:20 , and the . , 1Co 2:6 , are the same.
] We are not to supply here again; for that was essentially requisite only with , and Paul otherwise would have coupled it with the third word (comp 1Co 1:20 ). That mighty men of this world are meant, is self-evident .
] of high descent . Comp Luk 19:12 ; frequent in the classics.
Rckert objects that Paul, instead of proving the phenomenon recorded in 1Co 1:26 to have proceeded from the divine wisdom, uses it as an argument for 1Co 1:25 , and so reasons in a circle. But this is without foundation. For that the phenomenon in question was a work of the divine wisdom, was to the Christian consciousness (and Paul was, of course, writing to Christians , who looked at it in the same light with himself) a thing ascertained and settled , which could be employed therefore directly to establish 1Co 1:25 in conformity with experience.
[264] The is not against our taking it as imperative; Greek writers, too, use it with that mood, as e.g. Soph. Phil. 1043: .
[265] l. and others; and other passages; and other editions.
[266] d refers to the note of the commentator or editor named on the particular passage.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
THE TRUE METHOD OF PREACHING
(Continued)
B. As suited to the character of the called and the ends contemplated
1Co 1:26-31
26For ye [om. ye] see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and [om. yea, and]27 things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29That no flesh should glory in his presence [the presence of God].28 30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God [om. of God], is [has been] made unto us wisdom, [from God, ]29 and [both] 31righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: That according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
[The connection. Kling here, as usual, follows Meyer in considering these verses as confirmatory of what immediately precedes 1Co 1:24. It were better, however, with de Wette and Hodge, to regard the Apostle as introducing here a new argument in support of the general position taken in the previous section. It is an argument drawn from facts directly under their eye. In proof of what he had said of the true method of preaching and the utter vanity of the worldly wisdom they were tempted to prize, they could see for themselves what course the Gospel had in the main actually taken among them who were its converts and what were the ends subserved by this. Accordingly he begins by directing attention to the character of the called, first described negatively].
1Co 1:26. For look at your calling, brethren.The verb may be taken in the Indicative [as in the E. V.]; but the Imperative corresponds better with the animated style of the Apostle (see 1Co 10:18; Php 3:2). [And is required by the emphatic position which the verb occupies in the sentence Alf. So also Words., Wickliffe, Tyndale, and the Rheims version]. Nor is this at all inconsistent, as Bengel asserts, with the use of the for, since this is to be found elsewhere also in imperative clauses. [: to consider, take to heart, is employed to express a more intent, earnest, spiritual contemplation than . The one denotes mental vision, the other bodily sight. W. Webster]. (Heb 12:3). The calling which they are requested to observe is not their secular vocation, or their external circumstances [Olshausen], in which they were found when called of the Lord. Nothing is said of this in the subsequent context. Nor yet can we admit Bengels explanation: the state in which the heavenly calling proves an offence to you. This anticipates a thought which is not mentioned till afterwards. It is more correct to understand it of the Divine call, both as to the act itself, and the method God pursued in calling them, especially in respect to the persons whom he had chosen and their condition. [This is seen in the very use of terms. He does not say , nor but ; the calling of you. Words.]. What this was he proceeds to statehow that not many wise men after the flesh.The flesh here denotes the purely human state or course of action, as utterly devoid of Divine influence or coperation. It is the sensuous and selfish life, possessed by sin. Hence a wisdom which is suited to this life, which moves according to its ways instead of after the methods of that Divine spiritual principle from which all true higher knowledge springs, is a wisdom of this age, of the world (1Co 1:20), earthly, godless, and hostile to God. Such is its essential character. Yet without pushing the matter so far, we might simply abide by the idea of what is purely human. (Comp. Herzogs Theol. Real. Ency. under the word Fleisch).30To attach this qualification to the remaining predicates, would be superfluous. These of themselves indicate what is external, worldly, and belonging to the lower extra-christian life.not many mighty, : persons of consequence in civil life, influential, powerful, whether it be by wealth or any other means,not many noble, : of distinguished descent, well-born. In highly-civilized, aristocratic Corinth, all this was regarded of great importance.are called.There is no verb in the original with which the above nominatives can agree, and it is best to supply the defect [as in the E. V.] are called from the word calling in the first clause. Others prefer are, and take it either as the sole predicate of the clause: There are not many wise, etc., among you; or they unite with it the adjectives as predicates: Many are not wise, etc. [Some of the Fathers thought that the persons employed to dispense this calling were here meant. So Theodoret. God endorsed the nations in the evangelical net of Galilean fishermen. Also Augustine. Christ caught orators by fishermen, not fishermen by orators. Wordsworth]. The supplying of are called, suits as well with the preceding words, your calling, as with the following, hath chosen. In the early centuries it was often flung at Christianity (by Celsus and others) that its converts were, for the most part, common people, women and slaves. Paul here not only confesses the fact, but also discovers in it one cause of glory for the Gospel; for it is precisely in this that the Gospel displays itself to be the power of God and the wisdom of God, that starting from such humble beginnings it had nevertheless both outwardly and inwardly overcome the world.
1Co 1:27-28. The positive aspect of the case. But the foolish things of this world.Luther translates in the eyes of the world, as though the Genitive in the original were that of estitmaion. But Paul is here speaking of things not as they seem, but as they are; and here, as well as in the subsequent Epistles, we have the actual quality indicated. The foolish things ( ), the neuter for the sake of greater generalization. We have here a strong contrast to the wise, i. e. whatever is lacking in higher cultivation and insight, including, too, the additional thought of being deemed foolish, contracted and simple.hath God chosen, an expression which is repeated three times with great emphasis. It denotes the Divine purpose which is made known in the calling; or that Divine decision in virtue of which a separation is effected among fallen mankind, and certain individuals are selected out of it to become a possession of God in Christ, and are so made blessed (comp. Eph 1:4; Is. 15:19). The expression belongs to the Theocratic language of the Old Testament (comp. Deu 14:2 ff.). Foreknowledge and Predestination are cognate terms, Rom 8:29; 2Ti 1:9, yet so, however, that the word choose here designates the free, eternal gracious will of God, as carried out in time, and therefore includes the calling in itself.The object of such a choice is to confound the wise i.e., the wise after the flesh. By the fact that He selected the foolish, persons destitute of superior culture, to enjoy holy and blessed communion with Him, the wisdom in which the wise boasted, is exposed in all its insufficiency and worthlessness. Or we may say with de Wette, the wise were put to shame by being compelled to see the foolish obtaining that which was denied to them. In the latter case, it is implied that the wise are conscious of the preference made, and so were stung to reform (Osiander). But this is not sustained by the context as the parallel expression bring to nought shows. The jubilant contrast proceeds.and the weak things of this world, i. e. the weak of every kind, bodily, mentally, politically.God hath chosen to confound the things which are mighty.The antithesis here is introduced by the neuter: , denoting the category in general, although persons are meant. That any thing contemptuous was intended by this use of the neuter, is not probable, since he just before spoke of a kindred class, the wise, in the masculine. The confounding is seen in the fact that the weak things, by virtue of the indwelling power of God, evince an energy and an overcoming power which is denied to the strong of this world.In the third set of contrasts there appears an expansion of thought on the one side, with which there is nothing to correspond on the other.And the base things of the world, and the despised things hath God chosenthe things which are as good as not, in order that He may bring to nought the things that are.Here we have the antithesis only to the last expression of the first series: the things that are ( ). [This is readily accounted for, if the omission of the as sustained by the best authorities (see critical notes) be correct. In that case the : the things which are not instead of being an addition to the previous specifications, would stand in opposition with them, as a sort of summary of their meaning, and so be the main word requiring the offset on the other side]. Observe also the order of thought in the specifications, base things,: of low origin. To this is added as a natural consequence: despised things : regarded as nothing. Then below both, as putting the matter in its strongest possible aspect, there comes the (to be distinguished from inasmuch as the is not an absolute, but a subjective negative. Winer, 59, 3): that which in the opinion of men is as good as nonexistent.In the antithetic , some would insert a , making it read: things that are somewhat, of some importance. But this we are as little warranted in doing as in making = : things which are of no account, are nothing. What Paul here sets in contrast with the former are things which have being, are real, which are regarded as existing, and which continue to make themselves pass for sole realities. And for these things the verb confound would no longer suit. So we have another bring to naught: make null, deprive of all validity. This is a much stronger expression, and it puts its object, relatively to the highest good to be enjoyed, out of existence.31 The truth of the assertion has been well brought out by Neander: In its scorned professors, the Gospel has in fact displayed a power of action and endurance, which far transcends the measure of the natural man. They alone never bowed to the despotism of the Roman Emperor. To them also the Gospel has imparted a steadfastness of conviction, which the proud philosophy of the Greeks never possessed; and a Christian mechanic, as Justin Martyr and Tertullian have affirmed, was able to answer questions which the Greek philosopher asked in vain.
1Co 1:29. The reason of the above mentioned peculiarity of Gods procedure in calling men.that no flesh should boast in the presence of God. , lit.: that all flesh should not boast. A Hebraism. The negative belongs to the verb, and=that all flesh should give up their boasting. The sense is: no man should boast that he, out of his own endeavors, or position, or worth, had contributed any thing to the great achievements of the Gospel. Neander. It is a question whether we are to take the word flesh as simply denoting humanity in general, or are to associate with this the ideas of guilt and transientness which are also conveyed by it. As a general rule the expression occurs in this way only when the one or the other of these ideas is implied in the context. Flesh beautiful, yet frail says Bengel.[Here then we see that God by confounding the mighty, and the wise, and the great, does not design to elate with pride the weak, the illiterate, and the abject, but brings down all of them together to one level. Calvin].
1Co 1:30. The ground in the Divine economy on which this end is obtained and the glory of salvation secured to God alone.But of him ye are in Christ Jesus.A two-fold construction and exposition is here possible. Either the first five words may be taken as a sentence by itself, stating the fact of their origin in God: Of him are ye. The subsequent words, in Christ Jesus, would then assert the ground of their being from Godof their Divine Sonship, and this too in such a manner as to carry the emphasis. Such a construction is supported by the fact that the important relative clause which follows is joined directly to it. Or the words ye are in Christ Jesus may be taken together as denoting their being in fellowship with Christ, and then of Him assigns the cause of this fact,shows how they came to be in Christ. The latter construction is not contrary to usage, and at least is not more forced than to suppose the word are to be employed as a pregnant construction for have sprung or been born, as Osiander does. We might compare with this Eph 2:8, And that, to wit, being saved, not of yourselves, which is the same as and ye are not saved of yourselves,stated in the positive form, ye are saved of God, i. e. He is the author of your salvation. So here: He is the author of your being in Christ Jesus. This is sustained also by the from God ( ) in the relative clause which evidently refers back to of Him ( ) and imparts to the thought additional emphasis32 by repetition. In relation to the truth conveyed see Joh 6:44; Joh 6:37; Joh 6:65. The preference accordingly is to be given to the second construction. In this way, on the one hand, we preserve the Pauline expression to be in Christ, and avoid one which never elsewhere occurs : to be from God. By this explanation we would be compelled to refer : in the Lord (1Co 1:31), to God and not to Christ, contrary to Pauline usage. But this need present no difficulty, singe these words in 1Co 1:31 are not Pauls, but a citation from the Old Testament.Who was made wisdom unto us from God, both righteousness and sanctification and redemption.33Here we have the rich treasure of blessings contained for us in Christ all laid open, revealing the largeness of our indebtedness to God, for what of real worth we have and are. From God is not to be connected with wisdom as indicating the source whence it came, but with was made as showing the author of the act. (, a later Doric form for , not passive). This is the order of thought presented in the German [as well as in the English] version. The fact that Christ has been made to us wisdom depends on God; and not only wisdom, but also the other particulars specified. Observe, too, he here passes over into the first person plural, unto us, including therein himself as he frequently does elsewhere when specially moved by a sense of his fellowship with his readers in the salvation of Christ. The position of wisdom, coming in as it does before the words unto us from God, and thus separated from the remaining predicates, is not to be explained on the ground that wisdom is the leading thought to which the others are subordinated. Such a construction is neither called for by the , which only serves to connect righteousness and sanctification a little more closely, nor by the nature of the conceptions expressed by the other terms, which designate rather cordinate aspects of the one great scheme of salvation entirely distinct from wisdom, and therefore not capable of being included under it. Rather we may say that in consequence of the course of thought thus far pursued, the idea of wisdom pressed foremost upon his mind, and so came in where it did; or that he put the qualifying word common to the several members of the sentence right in among them as a word of connection (Osiander.) It is natural to look for some antithesis to what precedes in these four specifications, wisdom, etc. But it can only be called a mistake in Bengel when he attempts to find a contrast, as in wisdom to the foolish things; so also in righteousness to the weak things, in sanctification to the base things, and in redemption to the despised things.34When it is affirmed that Christ was made to us wisdom, by this we are to understand that in Him, in His person, the fulness of which was unfolded in His history, the mystery of the Divine plan of salvation has been disclosed, and with this an insight been afforded us into the dispensations and judgments of God, and we are enabled to recognize and lay hold upon that which shall conduct us to the goal of our noblest longings (comp. 1Co 2:7 ff.; Col 1:9 ff.; Col 1:26 ff.; Col 3:2; Col 3:10; Php 1:9 ff.; Eph 5:8 ff. etc.). As closely related ideas, righeousness and sanctification are so joined as to form a distinct whole: . The first reminds us of 2Co 5:21that we might be made the righteousness of God in him; and of Jer 23:5The Lord our righteousness; and also of the saying of Christ himself in Mat 3:15, as well as of Act 13:38; Isa 53:11; Gal 2:16-17; Rom 1:17; Rom 3:21 ff. In the language of Holy Writ righteousness denotes that conduct which comports with the law of God or the disposition suitable to it. This existed in Christ in absolute perfection; and it existed in Him as the second Adam (1Co 15:4; 1Co 15:7), the son of man, the head representing the whole body, and in behalf of the entire sinful race, whose obligations to the law He had fulfilled by a life of perfect obedience, and whose debt to justice He has cancelled by submiting to the penalty threatened upon sin in a voluntary sacrifice of Himself even unto death, thereby complying with the behests of the Father and revealing His holy and compassionate love towards the fallen. In this way has He become righteousness for us, that we may be counted righteous before God and enter into the possession of the rights and privileges which belong to this state of righteousnessthat is, be adopted into the Divine family. This, regarded as an act of God, is expressed by the terms : to justify, justification; and the pardon of sin, as the negative side of justification, includes also, for its corresponding positive side, Gods cordial acceptance of us as pleasing in His sight. But in this judicial portion of Christs redeeming work there lies also, at the same time, an element of moral changeof sanctification (), and the intimate connection between these two things is expressed by the . (In this conjunction there is implied at once distinction and equality, an intimation of similarity, as though the one were consequent upon the other. Osiander. In order that the relation to God, in which our justification places us, may be subjectively sustained, so that we may say the judgment of God is according to truth, there must be an inward connection between the Head and the members who participated in the righteousness of their Head. This connection is effected by the love of Christ awakening faith in us. This love at once destroys in the subject of it all disposition to live for himself, as the moving spring of his existence, all ambitious aspiring, and transports him into a state of mind that leads him to live and to become every thing in Christ alone. And this is faith, humble, earnest faith, that works in us repentance as its result. In this emancipation of the individual from the thraldom of selfishness (an emancipation which is at the same time a deliverance from every thing to which selfishness binds us, even the idols of flesh and sense, and the world), and in this union to Christ as the sole worthy and worth-giving Saviour, lies the germ of our sanctification. By this we understand becoming godly-mindedthe consecration of our whole life in all its elements unto Godthe offering up of self unto the Most High, so that all labor becomes a Divine service, the springs of which are joy in the Lord and the witness of the Spirit to our adoption and final salvation. This : holiness, may be regarded either as progressivesanctification, or as a fixed qualitysanctity. The latter is the prevailing usage in the New Testament (Rom 6:19-22; 1Th 4:3-4; 1Th 4:7; 1Ti 2:15; Heb 12:14 etc.). It is to be so taken here. In reference to the thing itself see Joh 17:19, and the juxtaposition of ye are justified and ye are sanctified in 1Co 6:11. But while all are agreed as to the meaning of these foregoing terms as a whole, it is not so in regard to the last one, and redemption (). Are we (with Meyer) to take this as denoting the work of Christ through which our salvation is achieved (as in Rom 3:24; Eph 1:7), so that it is for us an object of faith? or (according to the Catholic expositors) as our final deliverance from death and all the evils and temptations of sin (as in Rom 8:23; Eph 1:14), and so as an object of hope? The latter interpretation corresponds better with the position of the word, since it will hardly do, after having mentioned righteousness and sanctification, to go back again to the negative idea of deliverance from guilt, which is already involved in the term righteousness. On the other hand, its position renders the addition of any explanatory term like that found in Rom 8:23; Eph 1:14; Eph 4:30, unnecessary. Comp. for a fuller development of the thought Rom 8:10-11; Rom 8:21-24.Here then is the final stage of our salvation a deliverance from the bondage of corruption unto the glorious liberty of the sons of God. That in this, as well as in the foregoing instances, Christ exhibits himself as the power of God victorious over the power of sin and its terrible consequence, death, is a proximate thought, so that here again those two chief predicates, wisdom and power, recur to view, only the second with greater prominence. But in the case of sanctification, as well as of redemption, it is implied that Christ is in Himself what He has become for us; that He in all His life and walk was entirely severed from all fellowship with sin and wholly consecrated to God, i.e. holy, and as such was the principle of our sanctification; that He arose victorious from the grave and the whole realm of sin, and at once ascended up on high, exalted over all, and as such carries in Himself the power by which our redemption is to be achieved. (Comp. 1Co 15:26; 1Co 15:55; Eph 2:6).
1Co 1:31. The final cause of the peculiar method of Gods call and the plan of His salvation by the free gift of an all-sufficient Saviour.In order that, according as it is written, he that boasteth, in the Lord let him boast.Here is where the argument conducts us. There must be a boasting, a glorying; not, however, in oneself before God, but in God as the author of all our advantages and blessings. And this boasting is the expression of a lofty emotion of joy and confidence. If by the term Lord Christ were meant, it should be explained as an exultation in His fellowship, in possessing a share in His salvation. But the relation to 1Co 1:29 points rather to God, the original source of all salvation. And such an application would not militate against Pauls usage, because, as has already been remarked, the passage is a citation from the Old Testament (Jer 9:23), particular prominence being given to the chief thought by holding fast to the original form. Hence the anacoluthon, , instead of . If anything were to be supplied it would be . For a similar case see Rom 15:3.
DOGMATICAL AND ETHICAL
1. Gods thoughts and ways entirely unlike those of the natural man.What is great and glorious in the sight of men, God sets at naught. What men slight as mean and contemptible, God prizes, or makes it precious. Mans propensity is to exalt himself, and hold in honor whatever is the product of his own powers and bears the mark of mental or physical superiority, or can be used to personal advantage, or is of noble origin, while he treats all that is crude and powerless and vulgar, just as if it had no existence. God, on the other hand, in His work of redeeming vain man, especially at its very commencement, proceeds on methods quite the reverse. Here we see the Son of the Highest, who is in the form of God, the Fulness of Divine life and wisdom and power, and, as the perfect image of the Father, is infinitely exalted above the most eminent of created beings, yea, is the very substance and vital principle of all the excellence and power which these beings possesswe see Him emptying Himself of His glory, entering into a state of creaturely dependence, assuming the form of a servant, coming into association with a sinful race although Himself sinless, bearing in holy sympathy all their burdens and trials on His own heart, and sharing in their condemnation and suffering and death, even to the ignominious death of the cross. Thus, at the very start, did Divine Power and Wisdom and Holiness exhibit themselves as weakness, foolishness and sin; Life and Light, as death and darkness; Riches inexhaustible, as deepest poverty; the All in All, as nothing; Essential Being, as not being. Thus in His fundamental act did God confront and confound the vain conceit of men who aspired to resemble Him in power, wisdom and blessedness. And this initial procedure has shaped the whole method of salvation ordained in the Gospel. As the condition of pardon and acceptance God requires of men the absolute renunciation of their own wisdom, power and sufficiency, and a disposition to ascribe all honor and glory unto God, who has thus manifested Himself to them in Christ, and to regard His workmanship in them as alone possessing worth. But since this requirement is exceedingly difficult for such as have distinction in this world, it happens that among the saved there are found not many wise, mighty and noble; but the Divine calling proves effectual rather in the sphere of the rude, the weak, the ignoble and the lowly, inasmuch as it is among these that the disposition to accept salvation exists in the highest degree or is most readily awakened. Thus it cometh to pass that while the wise and the noble and the mighty of earth are passed by and deemed unfit for heavenly honors, the foolish are lifted up into the light of Divine wisdom, the weak are clothed with Divine power, the ignoble are invested with the highest nobility, those who are as if they were not, attain consideration as the only real personages, and by the contrast the pomp and pride of earth are put to shame. The reason of this is that there may be no boasting before God. To this there is the opposite.
2. Unto God the Lord be all gloryHe is the author of all benefits which come to us through Christ, and as He is the author so is He their final cause. Of Him and to Him are all things.
And these benefits appertain to all the aspects and relations of mans being and life as connected with God and His kingdom, viz. the intellectual, the legal, the moral and the physical. First, Wisdom. This in its highest form is the knowledge of God, and such a knowledge we have imparted in the revelation of His Gospela knowledge of His character, His works and ways, of the economy of His kingdom in its preparation, establishment, spread and final consummation, by means of which the thoughtful spirit may be led to choose the way of life, and to advance from the first appropriation of salvation in faith on to its full fruition in glory. Of this wisdom Christ is made to us the substance and the illuminating principle. The second is Righteousness, i. e., restoration of fellowship with God by the satisfaction of all the laws demand, and the cancelling of all obligations incurred, so that the sinner can on this ground, be accounted righteous in the sight of God, and be reinstated in his forfeited rights, and have free access to the Father as one of His family. This righteousness Christ has been made unto us by His having fulfilled all the claims of the law, both in doing and in suffering, both by yielding a perfect obedience and by assuming the curse out of His free, infinite love, so that we, being found in Him, may be made partakers of His merits. The third, inseparably connected with the preceding, is the Sanctification of human life in all its inward and outward movements so far as they are determined by mans own will. This is effected by the shedding abroad of the love of God in the heart through the indwelling Spirit, who, consequent upon the work of Christ, comes to appropriate to us His righteousness and to assure us of his pardoning grace. And when, notwithstanding all past sins, we become thoroughly conscious of this love to us, there is awakened in our souls a love in return which shows itself in perfect confidence and in entire devotion to God, and in the utter renunciation of all selfish and worldly affections. And this is holiness. But this holiness perfects itself gradually, in the daily exercise of repentance and faith, and love more and more takes possession of the whole life to the complete regulation of all our faculties and relations, so far as they can be determined by it. And this Christ is made, unto us by virtue of His holiness passing over into our hearts through the Holy Ghost, whom He hath given unto us, and who transforms us into a likeness to His all-perfect character. Finally, Redemption.This is the destruction of all our enemies, even to the last, which is death, so that not only is the spirit life because of righteousness, but God, who hath raised from the dead the Lord Jesus Christ, will quicken our mortal bodies through the Spirit that dwelleth in us. Thus is man, in respect to his entire organism, delivered from the bondage of corruption, and introduced into the glorious liberty of the children of God. And all this is done through the power and after the type of Christ, who, Himself victor over death, has become the principle of life eternal for all who believe in Him. As they die with Him, so also will they reign with Him. In this that profound saying is fulfilled, that corporeity is the end of the ways of God; in other words, that the deliverance of our whole organization from the ban of death, and our introduction into the fulness and power of an indestructible life is the consummation of Gods work of restoring fallen man; a work which was begun in his deliverance from the Condemnation of sin. Short and good, Olearius: Christus est sapientia in verbo, quoad doctrinam, justibia in merito, quoad fidem; sanctificatio in spiritu, quoad vitam; redemptio in novissimo adventu, quoad salutem ternam.
3. [The efficiency of faith in the matter of salvation.This consists not in any virtue or meritoriousness of the act itself but in the fulness of blessings contained in the Being whom it appropriates or to whom it unites us. It enlightens because it lets in the light of Christs wisdom; it justifies because it appropriates the righteousness of Christ; it sanctifies because it puts us into fellowship with Christs holy life, and it proves our victory over death and the grave by associating us with Him who, as the Captain of our salvation, has proved himself the mighty conqueror. Thus while the wisdom and the power of this world are limited by the weakness and imperfection of human faculties, faith proves its superiority over both by taking to itself the fulness of Him who filleth all in all.]
4. [Christ cannot be divided in the benefits accruing from Him. We cannot have Him for our wisdom or for our righteousness without at the same time having Him for our sanctification and our redemption. The lack of any one of these benefits proves the absence of them all.Christ is a perfect whole, and His work a perfect whole, and to be accepted at all He must be accepted as a whole.]
5. [The surpassing excellence of Gods method of salvation is seen in the fact that he presents to us not a dead system of doctrines nor lifeless instrumentalities to be acquired and improved by us, but a living agency, a person, infinite, ever-present, ever-active, all-wise, all-powerful, all-good, who acts upon us while we act on Him, and saves us by an efficiency of his own.]
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
1. [The method of preaching the Gospel must be adapted to the nature of the Divine calling.1. As to the subjects thereof. The preaching should be of such a kind, and be set forth in such a manner, as to reach the poor, the illiterate and the weak. One sign that the kingdom of God has come is that the poor have the Gospel preached unto them. As it was in the beginning so must it still be. Gods calling has not changed its nature. But in thus suiting the Gospel to the humble, we are not to set aside the noble and learned as though excluded from salvation. At the manger in Bethlehem the worship of the shepherds was followed by the worship of the wise men from the East; among the disciples there was a Joseph of Arimathea; the vacancy in the Apostleship made by the fall of Judas was filled by a Paul; among the converts at Corinth, was Erastus the chamberlain and the wealthy Gaius. 2. As to the ends it has in view, viz: the humbling of mans pride and the promoting of Gods glory.The aim at such an end must be seen in the style and manner of the preacher himself and in the effects which he seeks to produce. 3. As to its contents.This must be Christ in all His fulness and in His manifold adaptations to the wants of the sinner; Christ Himself, not a system of doctrines, nor a code of precepts, but the living person.]
2. The reason why not many wise are called. 1. Not because God puts contempt on human wisdom, on rank or fortune, or upon mans natural faculties and powers, for these are His gifts and were designed for good, 2, but on account of mens guilt. They abuse these gifts into an occasion for withdrawing themselves from the grace of God, and setting up for themselves to the darkening of their own understandings and the ruin of all their own interests through their weakness and insufficiency. Spener in Starke.
3. Three classes of persons, the wise, the strong and the noble, are the special foes of Gods kingdom, partly because they think that Gods grace detracts from their power and consequence, and partly because they imagine themselves to be already in a blessed condition (Joh 9:39-41). Starke.
4. The fact that a majority of its professors at first were of humble rank redounds to the honor of Christianity. From this it is seen: 1. That it esteems all men alike. 2. That it owes its rise and spread not to human might and art, but to God. 3. That it requires not learning but an honest heart that is anxious for its own salvation.A miserable hull often conceals a precious kernel. Heubner.
5. The obligations which spring from these truths.The poor and needy owe Christianity their profoundest gratitude for being so honored by it. [At the same time they must be careful not to arrogate any superiority in the sight of God over those who are above them in learning or birth or ability. Pride in ignorance and meanness is no less abominable in the sight of God than pride in greatness, wealth and learning.] On the contrary, the rich and the noble have occasion to humble themselves. Christianity owes them nothing, and they should be mindful of the danger of being beguiled from it.
6. The proud and self-sufficient must be humbled.The Saviour did not become the Son of David until the princely glory of Davids house had departed and his descendants had come to the saw-horse. This was to show that the loftiness of this world must be brought low, if it would enter the kingdom of God. [The heights of earthly promotion and glory lift us no whit nearer Heaven.It is easier to step there from the lowly vale of humiliation and sorrow.] Gods kingdom is a cross-kingdom. Gossner.
7. Cheer for the lowly.What the world rejects that God lifts up and transforms into a sanctuary. Art thou small and despicable in the sight of men, rejoice at it and consider that God looks down especially upon thee (Psa 113:6-8; Psa 138:6).
8. Instruction for the high.To God belongs all the glory. If then God is to display his power in thee and make something out of thee, thou must consent to become as nothing. Everything in Christianity turns upon this one quality of humility. The blessedness of the children of God is that they possess nothing, the glory of which does not belong to God.
9. What incomparable riches in Christ!Believest thou in Him? Then thou possessest Him. Let earths trifles pass. Thou hast Christ, and with Him thou hast all things.He is thine in all his offices.As a Prophet, he is our wisdom; as High-Priest, he is our righteousness; as King, he is our sanctification; and in all three offices, he is our complete redemption. Hedieger.
10. J. Spencer. 1Co 1:21. The superiority of Christianity over human science, on the subject of religion. I. Demonstrated as to a. a future state; b. Human duty; c. The character of God; d. The pardon of the sinners. II. Application; a. Guard against a so-called philosophical style of reasoning; b. Cling to the great distinctive doctrines of the Gospel; c. Prize the pure Gospel; d. Heedlessness of sinners, strange. J. Barrow. 1Co 1:23. The doctrine of the Gospelthe doctrine of the cross. 1. As a sufferingin appearance criminal. 2. As most bitter and painful. 3. As most ignominious and shameful. 4. As agreeable and advantageous to the intents of the passion. 5. As completory of ancient significations and predictions. 6. As apt to excite devotion, and enforce the practice of duty. H. Bushnell. 1Co 1:23. The power of God in self-sacrifice. I. God is morally passible; a part of His glory is to be compassionate. II. This compassion exhibited in Christs passion on the cross. III. The power of it as seen in the effect it has to subdue enmity. It conquers evil by enduring evil.C. H. Spurgeon. 1Co 1:23-24. Christ crucified. I. The Gospel rejected. II. The Gospel accepted. III. The Gospel admired. Anonymous. 1Co 1:26-29. The Christian calling. I. Its nature; a. Not many mighty, wise and noble; but b. The foolish, the weak, the base, are called. II. The reason: a. Not that God is unwilling that the great, and wise, and noble should be saved; but b. Because the foolish, the weak, the base, are more ready to feel their need and accept grace; and c. that the glory of God may be the more signalized. III. In its bearings; a. Shows us the perilous position of the mighty, and noble, and wise; they are in danger of being passed by and confounded; b. Teaches us not to disparage the foolish, the weak and the base; c. The foolish, the weak and the base are not to be proud against the opposite class, as though any better in Gods sight; d. The true preparation for Gods kingdom is an entire emptying of self; e. The purport of the calling, the glory of God.Jon. Edwards. 1Co 1:29-31. God glorified in mans dependence. I. This dependence absolute and universal; a. As they have all their good of God; a. of his grace; . of his power; b. As they have all through God; c. As they have all in God both their objective good and their subjective good. II. God is glorified in it. a. In that it affords greater occasion and obligation to take notice of and acknowledge Gods perfections and all-sufficiency; b. In that it is hereby demonstrated how great Gods glory is as compared with the creatures. III. Use of the doctrine; a. It shows us Gods marvellous wisdom in the work of redemption; b. Those systems of doctrine, that are opposed to this absolute and universal dependence on God, do derogate from Gods glory, and so thwart the design of the contrivance for our redemption; c. We learn the efficiency of faith; d. Our duty is to exalt God above, and ascribe to Him all the glory of redemption. A. Butler, 1Co 1:30. Christ the source of all blessings.
Footnotes:
[27]1Co 1:28.The before is not original. [A mistaken supplement of the sense.Alf.]
[28]1Co 1:29.Instead of the rec. the best authorities read which is repeated by way of emphasis.
[29]1Co 1:30.The best attested order of words is . That in the Rec. is to be explained from the tendency to take together in relation (Meyer). [See below].
[30][See also for a masterly analysis of the Ethical import of this word. Mller on Sin. 2 Book, 2 Chap. Also Sartorius, Von der heiligen Liebe.]
[31]Whitby discovers an allusion in the above designations to the Jews and Gentiles. His observations are valuable. The Jews looked upon themselves as the only , persons of true nobility, as being of the stock of Abraham. Even the poorest Israelite, saith R. Akibah, is to be looked upon as a gentleman, as being the son of Abraham, &c.; but the Gentiles they horribly despised, as the base people of the earth, not fit to be conversed with, they being styled in their law, : not a nation; , a people that shall be born, Psa 22:31; , that should be created in the generation to come, Psa 102:19, and so yet had no being, Deu 31:21. , not a people, Hos 1:10; and it being said by the prophet, that all the Heathens are as nothing, and were accounted as nothing. Isa 40:17, they still account them as such. Hence, Mordecai prays, Lord, give not thy sceptre , to them that are not, Est 4:11; and Esdras. As for the people which also came of Adam, thou hast said they are nothing. And now, O Lord, these Heathens who have ever been reputed as nothing, have begun to be lords over us. 2Es 6:56-57. Thus Abraham is said to be the father of the Gentiles, before that God who calleth things which are not as if they were, Rom 4:17 : and Clemens Rom. saith of the Gentiles, He called us who were not, and would that of no being we should have a being. So filthy are the Gentiles represented here by things that are not, things base, things accounted as nothing. See also 1Co 6:4. And this is the ancient exposition of Origen, who, speaking of the rejection of the Jews, or the calling of the Gentiles, and Gods provoking the Jews to jealousy by them that were not a nation, he confirms this from these words: God hath chosen the base things of the world, and things which are not, that he might abolish the things which were before, that Israel, according to the flesh, might glory before God. Philal c.p. 3. Now, however much we may feel constrained to take these designations in question in their more natural and broader acceptation as above, it is very evident that they were derived from the Theocratic usus loquendi.]
[32]A question might then arise: why was not repeated and instead we have . See below].
[33]We have here given the exact order of the Greek in order to render the exposition more intelligible.]
[34]We here insert the arguments in favor of the interpretation which Kling has simply set aside without refuting, and which seems worthy of consideration as best fitted to dispose of some of the difficulties under which his view laborsand also as fraught with valuable suggestions. This other interpretation has in its favor, that it takes in the thought as it flows upon the mind in the order of the words, who is made unto us a wisdom from Godboth righteousness and sanctification and redemption. In a collocation of words so peculiar, it were natural to take the last three terms as an after thought exegetical of the main oneand such an addition was needed. Wisdom was what Paul had been disparaging throughout this section. But it was the wisdom of man. Now he glories in Christ as having been made unto us wisdom. It was necessary therefore to difference this from what he had been condemning. So he adds not , as in the previous clause where he wishes to express the cause of an act; but : from, denoting derivation, showing whence this wisdom came. It is no objection to this that the article is not mentioned before , since the omission is quite in Pauls style. Eph 3:13. (See Alf.: also 15). Then to characterize this wisdom, to exhibit its distinguishing peculiarities as practical and suited for mans deepest deeds, instead of being merely speculative, he subjoins the three great points it contemplated. And here is where wisdom of the Gospel far surpasses that of secular philosophy. It gives him in Christ pardon, holiness, triumphant deliverance from woe to glory. Here then we find 1, an adequate reason for the order of the words; 2, not a repetition but a distinct thought in , and so a reason for the change of preposition: 3, not a digression from the main course of thought as must be supposed in the other interpretation, which Stanley admits, but a glorious consummation of it, displaying the infinite superiority of the wisdom from God over all human Wisdom 4, an epexegesis quite in the manner of Paul. Rom 1:12. Since writing the above I see that the view above given is adopted, though not argued out, by Butler in his sermons on our text. It is substantiated also by the Syriac, Vul., and Rheims versions. Neanders testimony may be added: In these last three conceptions (righteousness, sanctification and redemption), there are presented to us the practical contents of the wisdom (from God), by which it is distinguished from the wisdom of to is world.]
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
DISCOURSE: 1931
THE OBJECTS OF GODS CALL
1Co 1:26-29. Ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence.
IT is manifest to the most superficial observer, that the Gospel, wherever it comes, meets with a very different reception from different people; some accounting it foolishness, whilst others regard it as the wisdom of God and the power of God [Note: ver. 23, 24.]. That we must trace this to the dispositions of men, is certain; because the guilt of rejecting the Gospel must lie upon the sinner himself: yet, inasmuch as a love of the truth is not attainable by mere human efforts, we must acknowledge God as the true and only source of that difference which appears. If he did not interpose, all would equally despise the Gospel: it is his grace which makes the distinction, and causes some to overcome the corruptions of their nature, and to accept his proffered salvation.
To unravel this mystery, or at least to throw light upon it, we shall shew,
I.
Who are the objects of his choice
Gods thoughts and ways are not only far above ours, but often directly contrary to ours.
He has not chosen the wise, the noble, and the mighty
[He has not indeed excluded these; for he invites them all; and no more wills the death of them, than he does the death of any others: but he has not chosen them either in preference to the poor, or even in comparison of them. Some there have been in every age, who were possessed of much human wisdom, and power, and wealth. God would not pass by them altogether, lest it should appear as if the possession of earthly wisdom and power were an insurmountable obstacle to the reception of the truth; or lest the embracing of his salvation should be thought incompatible with natural abilities, or intellectual attainments. Among the Corinthians there were Crispus and Sosthenes, chief rulers of the synagogue [Note: Act 18:8; Act 18:17]: and Gaius, a man of wealth and of an enlarged heart; and Erastus, the chamberlain of the city [Note: Rom 16:23.]. Some few others were numbered with the disciples: there was Joseph of Arimathea, a rich and honourable counsellor [Note: Mat 27:57. Mar 15:43.]; and Sergius Paulus, a Roman deputy, famed no less for his wisdom than his power [Note: Act 13:7.]. But if we were to collect the names of all, they would bear no proportion to the numbers of those who composed the Church of Christ. Though therefore there were some, there were not many of this description called.]
The objects of his choice are, the weak, the ignoble, the illiterate
[As we do not say that these are chosen exclusively, so neither do we say that they are chosen universally; for, alas! there are myriads of poor who are as ignorant and depraved as it is possible for any of the rich to be. But the great majority of the Lords people are of this description. They have not rank, or learning, or wealth, or great abilities, or any of those things which would recommend them to earthly preferments. This was the case with the first teachers of Christianity: they were, for the most part, poor illiterate fishermen and mechanics. And they who have been their followers have been almost entirely of the middle and lower classes of society. Who are the persons in every town and village who most welcome the preaching of the Gospel? Who are the people that are glad to avail themselves of all the spiritual instruction they can get? Who are they that will be thankful to you for speaking closely to their consciences, and for warning them of their danger? Who are they who will go miles every sabbath to a place where the Gospel is faithfully preached, notwithstanding, when they come thither, they can scarcely be accommodated with a seat whereon to rest? Who are they that love social meetings for reading the word of God and prayer; and that make it their meat and their drink to do the will of God? In short, Who are they that prove their effectual calling, by turning from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God [Note: Act 26:18.]? Are these the rich, the great, the learned? or are they the poor and unlearned? Let observation and experience decide the point. You see your calling, brethren: look at it, and judge [Note: It is just as in the days of old: Mat 11:5. Joh 7:47-48. Mar 12:3.]: We are not afraid to make our appeal to yourselves; for God himself appeals to you; and thereby makes you judges in your own cause [Note: Jam 2:5.]. We know that these facts give umbrage to many: but however the proud may find in these things an occasion of offence, our blessed Lord saw nothing in them but ground for praise and thanksgiving [Note: Mat 11:25-26.].]
Our subject leads us to notice,
II.
The immediate effect of that choice
We are told that Noah, in building the ark, condemned the world [Note: Heb 11:7.]. A similar effect is produced by the peculiar mercy vouchsafed to the poor. The great and learned, though they shame the counsel of the poor [Note: Psa 14:6.], yet are ashamed [Note: .] and confounded when they see,
1.
Their superior discernment
[Many of the wise, like the Scribes and Pharisees of old, are conversant with the Holy Scriptures, and extremely well instructed as to the letter of them. From hence they suppose that they must necessarily enter into the spirit of them, and be as superior to others in a comprehension of divine truth, as they are in wealth or talents. But when they come to converse with one who has been called out of darkness into Gods marvellous light [Note: 1Pe 2:9.], they begin to feel their own ignorance, and to wonder at the depth and clearness of the persons knowledge. They cannot conceive how an unlettered person should attain such just and comprehensive views, which they with all their application have not been able to acquire [Note: Pro 28:11.]. They do not reflect on what God has told them, that the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God; and that the knowledge of them must be obtained by means of a spiritual discernment [Note: 1Co 2:14.]. They, through the pride of their hearts, presume to bring divine truths to the bar of their own reason; and thus are led to account them foolishness: but the humble disciple of Jesus willingly receives all that God speaks; and to him every word is both plain and right [Note: Pro 8:9.]. But all this is a mystery to those who are wise after the flesh,a mystery which mortifies their pride, and inflames their wrath [Note: Joh 9:34.].]
2.
Their indifference to the world
[The men of letters and of wealth, instead of rising above the world, are really its greatest slaves. To enjoy its pleasures, its riches, and its honours, is the summit of their ambition. They, on the contrary, who are chosen of God and called [Note: Rev 17:14.], are enabled to renounce the world, and to regard it no more than they would a crucified object, with whom they have no further connexion [Note: Gal 6:14.]. Now when these persons shew, by their heavenly conversation, that they consider themselves as mere pilgrims and sojourners here, and that they are looking for a better country, that is, an heavenly [Note: Heb 11:13-16.], the poor slaves of this world cannot comprehend it. They wonder how any should be so indifferent to the things of time and sense, so bold to encounter the frowns and contempt of all around them, and so immoveable in their adherence to such exploded sentiments and conduct. They know that they themselves could not act in such a manner; and they are unable to account for it in others. But if they understood those words, This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith [Note: 1Jn 5:4.], they would cease to wonder; yea, they would rather wonder that the operations of faith were not yet more uniform and extensive.]
3.
Their delight in holy exercises
[The wise, and mighty, and noble will often perform religious duties with a commendable regularity: but they comply with them rather as the institutions and customs of their country, than as exercises in which they find any pleasure, or from which they expect to derive any present benefit. It is far otherwise with the poor, weak, despised followers of Christ: they engage in these employments with delight: they look forward to the returning seasons of devotion with unfeigned joy: and, though they cannot always maintain a spiritual frame in them, yet there is no other employment so pleasing to them, or so productive of permanent satisfaction. Now this also appears strange and unaccountable to them that are yet in their unconverted state: they cannot conceive how it should be, that persons should multiply their seasons of worship, and put themselves to much expense and trouble in attending on them, without any apparent necessity. They can ascribe it to nothing but enthusiasm or hypocrisy. They are constrained however to confess, that, if religion so abstracts the mind from earthly things, and so inclines us to set our affections on things above, their hopes and prospects are brought to nought.
Thus as the Gentiles, who were scarcely regarded as having any existence, were made use of by God to bring to nought the Jewish polity, in which all that was valuable was supposed to be contained [Note: This is the meaning of those expressions, things which are not; and things which are. Compare 2 Esdras 6:56, 57 and the Apocryphal Esther, 4:11. with Rom 4:17.]; so the spirituality of real Christians is yet daily made use of by God to bring to nought the pride of wisdom, the power of greatness, and the fond conceits of pharisaic morality.]
But let us examine yet further
III.
Its ultimate design
God, as it becomes him, consults in all things his own glory. In this dispensation more especially,
He has provided, that no flesh should glory in his presence
[It would not become his Majesty to suffer any of his creatures to assume honour to themselves: it is meet and right that all should acknowledge him to be the one source of all their happiness. As he is the Author of their being, they cannot but be indebted to him for all their powers; and as he is the one Restorer of those powers, both by the blood of his Son and the agency of his Spirit, he must have the glory of all which may be wrought by them; none must stand in competition with him; nor must any presume to claim the smallest share of that honour which is due to him alone.]
The dispensation is admirably calculated to insure his end
[If the wise and noble were called in preference to others, they would infallibly arrogate to themselves, in part at least, the honour of that distinction: they would either think that they had effected the change in themselves by their own power, or that God had had respect to them on account of super-eminent worth. But by the preference given to the poor, all occasion for such boasting is cut off. The rich cannot boast, because they have nothing to boast of. The poor cannot boast, as if God had respected their superior talents; for they feel and know assuredly that they had no such superiority, but directly the reverse. The few rich and wise that are among them cannot boast, because they find that they are few in number, and that the great majority of those who are as wise and great as themselves, have made use of their talents, only to harden themselves in infidelity, and to justify their rejection of the Gospel. Hence they are constrained to confess, that it is God who has made them to differ [Note: 1Co 4:7.], and that by the grace of God they are what they are [Note: 1Co 15:10.].]
Many and important are the lessons which we may learn from hence
1.
That God acts sovereignly in the disposal of his gifts
[We should not hesitate, if any one presumed to direct us in the disposal of our own favours, to put this question to him; Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own [Note: Mat 20:15.]? Yet we are offended if God assert this liberty, and we think ourselves injured if any be chosen by him in preference to us. But how unreasonable and absurd is this! It is unreasonable, because we have no claim upon him for the smallest benefits. Who imagines that the fallen angels have any ground of complaint against him for withholding a Saviour from them, while he provided one for us? Yet they are a superior order of beings to us, and therefore might have been supposed more worthy of Gods attention. What right then can any of us have to murmur, if he be pleased to impart salvation itself to some and not to others, when none possess the smallest title above their brethren? But it is absurd also: for God will not alter his dispensations because we choose to quarrel with them. That he does act in this sovereign manner we cannot doubt; for he dispenses his temporal favours according to his own will; and sends his Gospel to us, while it is withheld from far the greater part of the world: and he tells us no less than three times in the short compass of our text, that he has chosen some in preference to others. Let us not then dare to reply against God [Note: Rom 9:20.]: but, while we confess his right to confer his benefits on whomsoever he will [Note: Rom 9:15-18.], let us humbly implore an interest in his favour, and lie as clay in his hands, that he may, for his own glory sake, fashion us as vessels of honour meet for the Masters use [Note: Rom 9:21-23.].]
2.
That there is not so much inequality in the Divine dispensations as we are apt to imagine
[It is certainly God who causes some to be born to ease and affluence, whilst others are born to labour and penury. In a time of health there may not be any great difference between them:but what is there in a time of sickness! The one has all the comforts of medical aid, of numerous attendants, of delicacies suited to his appetite; whereas the other, in a cold and comfortless habitation, is without food, without fuel, without friends, his wife and children as well as himself almost perishing for want, destitute of every thing proper for his disorder, and subsisting only by the scanty pittance hardly obtained, and grudgingly bestowed by an unfeeling dispenser of the public charity. Compare these; and there appears as wide a difference between them as can well be imagined. But pause a moment: Is this the whole of Gods dispensations towards them? Can we find nothing to counter-balance this inequality? Yes: look to the spiritual concerns of these two persons: perhaps, like Dives and Lazarus, the one has his portion in this life, and the other in the next: perhaps God has said to the one, Enjoy all that the world can bestow; to the other, Enjoy my presence, and the light of my countenance: to the one, Be rich in learning, wealth, and honour; to the other, Be rich in faith and good works: to the one, Possess thou kingdoms for a time; to the other, Be thou an heir of my kingdom for evermore. Now, though this is not Gods invariable mode of dealing with men, (for there are some who are poor in both worlds, and others rich,) yet it accords with the general tenour of his proceedings: it accords also with the text, and therefore is peculiarly proper for our present consideration. Take then the whole of his dispensations together, and it will be found that the spiritual advantages conferred upon the poor are more than an equivalent for any temporal disadvantages they may labour under. Let the rich then not pride themselves on their distinctions [Note: 1Ti 6:17.]; for it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for them to enter into the kingdom of heaven [Note: Mat 19:23-24.]: nor let the poor, on the other hand, be dejected on account of their present troubles; for God has chosen them (if they do not despise their birthright) to be partakers of his richest blessings, even life for evermore [Note: Jam 2:5.]: but let all, whether rich or poor, seek to have God himself for the portion of their cup, and for the lot of their inheritance [Note: Psa 16:5.].]
3.
That they are the wisest people who covet the best gifts
[It is generally accounted folly to seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness [Note: Mat 6:33.]; but the time will come when it will appear to have been the truest wisdom. Indeed the fear of the Lord is the very beginning of wisdom [Note: Psa 111:10.]; insomuch that all who are not possessed of that, whatever else they may possess, are no better than fools in Gods estimation. Let us not then be deceived by the glare and glitter of the world. Let us view things as God himself views them. Let us confess that it is better to be among the foolish, the weak, the base, the despised, the mere nonentities of this world, and attain eternal happiness at the last; than to be among the wise, the mighty, and the noble, and to have our good things in this life only [Note: Luk 16:25.].
We beg leave however to repeat, that the rich will not be excluded from Gods kingdom, if they do not exclude themselves; nor, on the other hand, will the poor be admitted into it, if they do not strive to enter in at the strait gate [Note: Luk 13:24.]. Whatever we be in respect of our worldly conditions, we shall be admitted by the Bridegroom, if we be found among the wise virgins [Note: Mat 25:8-10.]: but the foolish shall not stand in his sight; for he hateth all the workers of iniquity [Note: Psa 5:5.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called :
Ver. 26. Not many mighty ] The eagle and lion were not offered in sacrifice, as the lamb and the dove were. It is hard for great ones to deny themselves. Hence it grew to a proverb in times of Popery, that hell was paved with priests’ shaven crowns and great men’s headpieces. Rasis sacrificulorum verticibus et magnatum galeis. (Jerome.) Indeed if men might pass de deliciis ad delicias, e coeno ad coelum, as Jerome hath it; if they could dance with the devil all day, and sup with Christ at night; if they might live all their lives long in Delilah’s lap, and then go to Abraham’s bosom when they die, they would have a fine time of it. But that cannot be, and hence so many mighties miscarry.
Not many noble ] Blessed be God that any; as Galeacius Caracciolus, an Italian marquis, and nephew to Pope Paul V, was converted by Peter Martyr reading upon this First Epistle to the Corinthians; George Prince of Anhalt, a pious preaching prince, converted by Melancthon; Ulysses Martinengus, earl of Baccha, another Italian convert, and some few more that might be instanced. But good nobles are black swans (saith one) and thinly scattered in the firmament of a state, even like stars of the first magnitude. We may say of such, as Luther (in Epist. ad John Agricol.) doth of Elizabeth Queen of Denmark, a pious princess, Scilicet Christus etiam aliquando voluit reginam in caelum vehere. Certainly even Christ ever wished to bear a queen into heaven.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
26. ] , imperative, as in reff. If taken indicatively, it loses the emphasis which its place in the sentence requires. It would thus be . See a similar reminder on the part of the Apostle, 1Th 1:4 .
seems best to apply to what has immediately gone before. As a proof that the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God stronger than men, he calls attention to the fact that the Christian church, so full of divine wisdom and strength by the indwelling Spirit of God, consisted for the most part, not of the wise or mighty among men, but of those whom the world despised.
, as in reff. the calling the vocation and standing of Christian men.
] that not many of you are wise according to the flesh (‘significari vult sapientiam, qu studio humano absque doctrina Spiritus Sancti potest acquiri,’ Estius), not many mighty (no need to supply , which is understood as a matter of course), not many noble . This is far better than to supply (as E. V., and most Commentators) after ; and thus Vulg., Chrys., Beza, Meyer, De Wette, al. Olsh. observes: “The ancient Christians were for the most part slaves and men of low station; the whole history of the expansion of the church is in reality a progressive victory of the ignorant over the learned, the lowly over the lofty, until the emperor himself laid down his crown before the cross of Christ.”
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
1Co 1:26-31 . 5. THE OBJECTS OF THE GOSPEL CALL. 4 has shown that the Gospel does not come (1Co 1:17 b ) by the method of its operation; this will further be evidenced by the status of its recipients . If it were, humanly speaking, a , it would have addressed itself to , and won their adherence; but the case is far otherwise.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
1Co 1:26 . , , “For look at your calling, brothers”: God has called you into the fellowship of His Son (1Co 1:9 ); if His Gospel had been a grand philosophy, would He have addressed it to fools, weaklings, base-born, like most of you? P.’s experience in this respect resembled his Master’s (Mat 11:25 , Joh 7:47-49 , Act 4:13 ). This argument cuts two ways: it lowers the conceit of the readers ( cf. 1Co 6:9-11 , and the scathing irony of 1Co 4:7-13 ), while it discloses the true mission of the Gospel. On see the note to (1Co 1:2 ), also on 1Co 7:20 : it signifies not one’s temporal vocation in the order of Providence, but one’s summons to enter the kingdom of Grace; is objective gen [241] For . , see note on , 1Co 1:5 . (thrice repeated) suggests at least a few of each class amongst the readers: see Introd. , p. 730. : “hinc Athenis numero tam exiguo lucrifacti sunt homines” (Bg [242] ). is qualified by (see parls., and cf. , 2Co 1:12 ), in view of the distinction worked out in 4 between the world’s and God’s wisdom: the contrast implied resembles that between and in 2Co 7:9 ff. The “wise after the flesh” include not only philosophers (1Co 1:20 ), “but educated men in general, the as opposed to the . The were men of rank and political influence, opp [243] to . The meant, in the aristocratic ages of Greece, men of high descent;” but in later degenerate times “men whose ancestors were virtuous and wealthy, the honesti as opposed to the humiliores of the Empire. Few intellectual men, few politicians, few of the better class of free citizens embraced Christianity” (Ed [244] ). In a Roman colony and capital, the would chiefly be men of hereditary citizenship, like P. himself; the , persons associated with Government and in a position to influence affairs; the former word is applied in an ethical sense to the Beran Jews in Act 17:11 . “That the majority of the first converts from heathenism were either slaves or freedmen, appears from their names” (Lt [245] ); the inscriptions of the Catacombs confirm this. The low social status of the early Christians was the standing reproach of hostile critics, and the boast of Apologists: see the famous passage in Tacitus’ Annals , xv., 44; Justin ., Apol. , ii. 9; Origen, contra Celsum , ii., 79; Minuc. Felix, vii., 12 ( indocti, impoliti, rudes, agrestes ). As time went on and Christianity penetrated the higher ranks of society, these words became less strictly true: see Pliny’s Ep. ad Trajanum , x., 97, and the cases of Flavius Clemens and Domitilla, cousins of the emperor Domitian (Ed [246] ), The ellipsis of predicate to . . . is commonly filled up by understanding , as implied in : “not many wise, etc. (were called)”. Mr [247] , Bt [248] , and others, supply , or preferably : “(there are) not many wise, etc. (among you),” or “not many (of you are) wise, etc.”; the omission of courteously veils the disparagement.
[241] genitive case.
[242] Bengel’s Gnomon Novi Testamenti.
[243]
[244] T. C. Edwards’ Commentary on the First Ep. to the Corinthians .
[245] J. B. Lightfoot’s (posthumous) Notes on Epp. of St. Paul (1895).
[246] T. C. Edwards’ Commentary on the First Ep. to the Corinthians .
[247] Meyer’s Critical and Exegetical Commentary (Eng. Trans.).
[248] J. A. Beet’s St. Paul’s Epp. to the Corinthians (1882).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1Co 1:26-31
26For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29so that no man may boast before God. 30But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
1Co 1:26-31 This last paragraph of chapter one shows us the tension-filled relationship of “wisdom” and “knowledge” as it relates to the gospel. In one sense they are “bad,” in another they are “good.” Let me quote a wonderful passage from Herman Ridderbos’ Paul, An Outline of His Theology:
“To be sure, the relationship of faith and knowledge, pistis and gnosis, just as that of faith and works, is ambivalent. On the one hand knowledge stands in faith’s way, that is, when, just as good works for the Jews, it represents the human will to self-redemption. As this antithesis is developed in Galatians and Romans with respect to works, this threat to the Christian faith from the side of gnosis is elucidated especially in 1 Corinthians (cf., e.g., 1Co 1:26-29). And this danger exists not merely from the side of what Paul calls “the wisdom of this world” (1Co 1:21), but also from a certain kind of Christian gnosis. Paul does recognize that gnosis in itself: we know that we all have knowledge (1Co 8:1). But he immediately adds to this: knowledge puffs up, love builds up. What is at issue here is a wrongly employed Christian gnosis, which elevates itself above one’s neighbor, the weak; a knowledge that is indeed in the service of one’s own individual freedom, but not of the edification of the church. This gnosis only promotes proud individualism and stands over against love. In that sense gnosis, even as works, can come to stand over against love; as such it is injurious and without profit (1Co 13:2-3)” p. 242.
1Co 1:26
NASB, NRSV,
NJB”consider”
NKJV”see”
TEV”remember”
This is either a present active imperative or a Present active indicative. Moffatt translates it as, “Look at your own ranks.” This passage was not meant to be a put-down to the early church and its leaders, but an affirmation of the love and power of God. It was meant to shatter the pride of this arrogant church. The early church was made up mostly of the “have nots” of society. However, apparently one of the factions in Corinth was made up of Roman patrons and the culturally elite. By using these who have no worldly status, God magnifies His power.
“not many wise according to the flesh” This refers to human wisdom or worldly standards (cf. 1Co 1:20; 1Co 2:6; 1Co 2:8; 1Co 3:18).
SPECIAL TOPIC: FLESH (sarx)
“not many mighty” This refers to physical strength or social standing.
“not many noble” This refers to one’s family background which would involve wealth, education, and social privilege. These three characterizations fit the Sophists, who were so proud of their education, position, and sophistication.
1Co 1:27 “God has chosen the foolish things of the world” This is an AORIST MIDDLE INDICATIVE. God Himself has chosen to manifest His power through the weak so that there will be no doubt who should receive the glory (cf. 2 Corinthians 12). The victory is in God’s resources, not human achievement (cf. 1Co 1:29; Eph 2:9) or social standing.
For “foolish” see note at 1Co 1:25. For “world” see Special Topic at 1Co 3:21-22.
1Co 1:28
NASB”the base things of the world and the despised”
NKJV”the base things of the world and things which are despised”
NRSV”what is low and despised in the world”
TEV”what the world looks down on and despises”
NJB”those who by human standards are common and contemptible”
This phrase is in contrast to the “wise. . .mighty. . .noble” of 1Co 1:26. The term “base things” is literally “those of low birth,” which is another reference to Roman nobility.
NASB, NRSV “the things that are not”
NKJV”the things which are not”
TEV”things is nothing”
NJB”those who count for nothing”
Is this another category of debased things/people or a summary? Because there is no kai (i.e., and; MSS P46, *, A, C*, D, F, G) before this phrase as there is with all the others, it is probably a summary statement. God calls and uses those people of whom the world takes no notice! The theological points are
1. “no flesh will glory before God” (cf. 1Co 1:29)
2. God’s power and equipping is magnified in the weakness of the human vessel (cf. 2Co 12:1-10)
3. Christ’s mediation is magnified (cf. 1Co 1:30)
In Him, everything that the Jews and Greeks sought and strived after, is a gift from YHWH, through Messiah, energized by the Holy Spirit!
“nullify the things that are” This is the Greek term, katarge. See note at 1Co 1:18 and the Special Topic following.
SPECIAL TOPIC: NULL AND VOID (KATARGE)
1Co 1:29 “no man may boast before God” The verb is an aorist middle subjunctive which implies a settled personal choice. No created flesh entity will vaunt itself before the creator (cf. Eph 2:9)! This was the central truth of Paul’s message to the proud Corinthians and to fallen mankind in general, Jew or Gentile (cf. Rom 3:27; Eph 2:9). See SPECIAL TOPIC: BOASTING at 1Co 5:6.
“man” This is literally “flesh.” See Special Topic at 1Co 1:26.
1Co 1:30
NASB”by His doing”
NKJV”of Him”
NRSV”He is the source”
TEV”God”
NJB”by Him”
This is literally “out of him,” which is a Greek idiom expressing the First Cause, the Prime Mover. The Father sent it, Jesus brought it, and the Spirit energized it. What follows is a list of God’s gifts to believers through Christ.
“wisdom from God” In Jewish thought wisdom is personified in Pro 8:22-31 and Col 2:2-3. Wisdom is a person. Truth is a person. The gospel is a person-Jesus! (cf. Joh 14:6).
If, however, Paul was addressing the philosophical element in the church, then sophia would have a connection with their pride in their cultural traditions (i.e., Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, etc.). It would be a metaphor from academy. It is also possible that an incipient Gnosticism was present in the eclectic religious milieu of Corinth and possibly had infiltrated the church (cf. 1Co 1:18 to 1Co 2:8; 1Co 3:18-23; 1Co 8:1-2). If so, then Paul’s comments in Colossians are relevant (i.e., Christ, Himself, is wisdom, cf. Col 1:9; Col 2:3).
I think all these terms refer to what Christ has done for believers through Jesus.
1. He is God’s wisdom to us
2. He is God’s righteousness to us
3. He is God’s sanctification to us
4. He is God’s redemption to us
It is all of God the Father through God the Son.
“righteousness” This was a metaphor from the law court (cf. Rom 3:21-26; 2Co 5:21). By Paul’s day the rabbis had transferred the semi-personal wisdom of Proverbs 8 to the Mosaic Law. To it was attributed ultimate authority. If Paul was thinking of the Jewish element in the Corinthian church, this was a powerful and ultimate designation.
SPECIAL TOPIC: RIGHTEOUSNESS
“sanctification” This was a metaphor from the sacrificial system of Israel (cf. Rom 6:19-23). This is the from the same root as “holy” or “consecrated.” In the OT it referred to a person, place, or thing that was separated to God’s service. Theologically it refers to the believer’s position in Christ. The moment one puts his faith in Him, he is justified and sanctified (cf. Rom 8:30). See Special Topic at 1Co 1:2.
“redemption” This means “to buy back” (cf. Rom 3:24). This was a metaphor from the slave market. It is the major OT concept of salvation.
SPECIAL TOPIC: RANSOM/REDEEM
1Co 1:31 This is a quote from Jer 9:23-24. Paul repeats this quote in 2Co 10:17. “Lord” in the Jeremiah passage refers to YHWH, but here to Jesus! This is a common NT technique to affirm the deity of Jesus.
We do not boast in and of ourselves, but of Him in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily! These two quotes of Jeremiah show a connection between 1 Corinthians 1-4 and 2 Corinthians 10-13. The opponents are Jewish sophists who boasted of the rhetorical style (cf. Bruce W. Winter, Philo and Paul Among the Sophists).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
ye. Omit.
see. App-133.
calling. Greek. klesis. See Rom 11:29. Here it means the way ye were called, i.e. the kind of persons whom God sent to call you. Hence instead of “are called” as in Authorized Version and Revised Version, the ellipsis should be supplied thus: “not many are wise”, &c. Apollos was an eloquent man, but as to Paul, his speech was regarded as contemptible. See 2Co 10:10, and compare Act 17:18.
after = according to. App-104.
noble. Greek. eugenes. See Act 17:11.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
26.] , imperative, as in reff. If taken indicatively, it loses the emphasis which its place in the sentence requires. It would thus be . See a similar reminder on the part of the Apostle, 1Th 1:4.
seems best to apply to what has immediately gone before. As a proof that the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God stronger than men, he calls attention to the fact that the Christian church, so full of divine wisdom and strength by the indwelling Spirit of God, consisted for the most part, not of the wise or mighty among men, but of those whom the world despised.
, as in reff. the calling -the vocation and standing of Christian men.
] that not many of you are wise according to the flesh (significari vult sapientiam, qu studio humano absque doctrina Spiritus Sancti potest acquiri, Estius), not many mighty (no need to supply , which is understood as a matter of course), not many noble. This is far better than to supply (as E. V., and most Commentators) after ; and thus Vulg., Chrys., Beza, Meyer, De Wette, al. Olsh. observes: The ancient Christians were for the most part slaves and men of low station; the whole history of the expansion of the church is in reality a progressive victory of the ignorant over the learned, the lowly over the lofty, until the emperor himself laid down his crown before the cross of Christ.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
1Co 1:26. ) ye see. For shows it to be the indicative mood.- , your calling) the state, in which the heavenly calling proves an offence to you; so, calling, 1Co 7:20.- , not many) Therefore, however, some supply, have been called. As a comparison has been made with the preachers, so also with the hearers of the Gospel. The ellipse contains a euphemism [end.[13]]- , according to the flesh) a phrase nearly related to the expression, of the world, which presently after occurs in 1Co 1:27. The world judges according to the flesh.-, noble) who are generally also wise and powerful. [Can it be believed, that this is the distinctive characteristic of the society of those, who, in our vernacular tongue (German) are styled Freymaurer, Freemasons.-V. g.]
[13] , wise) Hence such a small number of men were gained at Athens, which was the seat of Grecian wisdom.-V. g.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
1Co 1:26
1Co 1:26
For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:-This will bear two constructions. One is, not many worldly or great ones accept the divine call and become servants of God. The other is, that not many wise, noble, or great ones of earth are chosen of God to preach the gospel. Both propositions are true. The latter one seems more in harmony with the context.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Gods Glory in Mens Weakness
1Co 1:26-31; 1Co 2:1-5
Like the sons of Jesse before Samuel, so do the successive regiments on which the world relies pass before Christ. The wise, the mighty, the noble, the great, the things that are! And the King says, I have not chosen these. The warriors with whom He will win the world to Himself are the nobodies, the ciphers, the people who in the worlds estimate do not count. Do not depreciate yourself, but give yourself to Him; He will find a niche for you and make your life worth living. Notice that God has put you into union with Christ Jesus. Everything we need for life and godliness is in Him; only let us make all that we can of our wonderful position and possessions.
Paul came to Corinth from Athens, where he had sought to win his hearers by a studied and philosophical discourse as best adapted to their needs. But as he entered Corinth, he appears to have deliberately determined that his theme would be the crucified Lord, and expressed in the simplest phrases. When we speak the truth as it is in Jesus, the Spirit is ever at hand to enforce our testimony by His demonstration and power.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
that: 1Co 1:20, 1Co 2:3-6, 1Co 2:13, 1Co 3:18-20, Zep 3:12, Mat 11:25, Mat 11:26, Luk 10:21, Joh 7:47-49, Jam 3:13-17
not many mighty: Luk 1:3,*Gr: Luk 18:24, Luk 18:25, Joh 4:46-53, Joh 19:38, Joh 19:39, Act 13:7, Act 13:12, Act 17:34, Phi 4:22, Jam 1:9-11, Jam 2:5, 2Jo 1:1
Reciprocal: 2Ki 5:4 – and told his lord Neh 3:5 – their nobles Job 32:9 – Great Job 37:24 – he Ecc 9:16 – the poor Isa 23:9 – bring Isa 26:6 – General Isa 29:19 – the poor Isa 41:9 – called Jer 8:9 – The wise men are Zec 12:7 – save Mat 19:23 – That Mar 10:23 – How Luk 1:48 – regarded Luk 1:53 – and Luk 6:20 – Blessed Act 5:38 – for Act 13:50 – honourable Act 17:12 – honourable Rom 9:16 – General 1Co 2:8 – none 1Co 4:10 – are fools
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Co 1:26. Are called has the same bearing as the words in verse 24, namely, those who accept the call of the Gospel. The classes named are among the philosophers and wise men of the nations. The invitation and promises held out by the story of a slain and risen Lord, do not appeal to many of those classes, hence a comparatively small number are willing to accept the favor.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
1Co 1:26. For behold your calling, brethren,[1] how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
[1] This imperative rendering is preferable to the indicative of our Authorised Version: Ye see. It is the peculiar usage of the New Testament, and it is thrice so used in this very Epistle.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Observe here, 1. The singular favour which our apostle calls upon the Corinthians to eye and view, namely, their effectual vocation and calling out of heathenism to the profession of Christianity: You see your calling brethren. Such as are exalted by God in any kind, ought to call to mind their former meanness; but those that are persuasively called by God out of a state of nature, ought frequently to observe and consider the worth and weight of that mercy, and the freeness of that divine favour: Brethren, see, and take notice of your calling.
Observe, 2. That God has in all ages called some of all ranks and degrees of men, of the wise and great, the rich and noble, to the knowledge of himself and his Son. Not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; he doth not say, not any, but not many, lest the world should think that Christians were deceived through their simplicity and weakness; one rich Joseph of Arimathea, one honourable Nicodemus, one Crispus, a ruler of the synagogue, but not many men of might and power.
Men of strong reason and sharpness of wit, are too proud and stout to stoop to the simplicity of the gospel, and the humbling, self-denying terms of it; yet some of the wise and mighty are called, lest any thing in man should seem too hard for the grace of God; but not many, lest worth and worthiness in us should be thought the motive that rules God.
Men of greatest fame and renown in the world, have been the fiercest enemies against Christ and Christianity. Galen, the chief physician, Porphyry, a chief philosopher, Lucian, a chief orator, with many others, were all professed enemies of the Christian religion.
Wherefore observe, 3. That although God called some of the wise, rich, and noble, amongst the Jews and Gentiles, to espouse Christianity, yet the far greater number of those which hear his voice, and obey his call, are poor and mean, and in the world’s esteem weak and foolish, base and despicable: God hath chosen foolish things to confound the wise, and weak things to confound the mighty.
This was verified in the choice which God made of the apostles, who first planted Christianity in the world, and though illiterate fishermen, confuted and confounded the wisest among philosophers; and also in the choice God made of the primitive Christians, who first entertained the gospel, who were a poor, despised company, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom? Jam 2:5
This choice Christ thanks his Father for, Mat 11:25 and the wisdom of God therein deserves our highest admiration; because thereby,
1. God plainly showed that Christianity needed do worldly props to support it. As it was first planted and propagated by weak and contemptible means and instruments, so it is still upheld and supported without human policy or riches: God can outwit wise men by fools, and overpower mighty men by those that are weak; witness the apostles and primitive Christians.
2. God by this choice of the weak and foolish, of the base and despised, does pour contempt upon those things which are most admired among men, namely, the internal endowments of the mind, strong reason, and sharpness of wit; and the external gifts of providence, nobility of birth, riches, and honours.
Lord! what shame and confusion of face will cover the noble and honourable, the great and mighty, the rich and wealthy, in the coming world, when they shall see those poor Christians, whom they despised for their poverty, scorned for their meanness of parts, as unworthy to come into their presence, highly exalted in the favour of God, and proclaimed the heirs of his kingdom!
For as here God has more rent, and better paid him (as the great Landlord of the world) from many smoky cottages, than from divers great palaces, where persons wallow in plenty, and forget God; so will God own his faithful, though despised servants, at the great day, and make it evident to angels and men, that he accepteth not the person of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor; but every one that here feared him, and wrought righteousness, shall be accepted of him, and rewarded by him.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
1Co 1:26. And hereby it appears that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, &c. Because he makes use of such weak and mean instruments to bring men to the knowledge of the truth. For ye see , behold, consider; your calling And you will discern how agreeably to these things the divine wisdom hath ordered it; observe especially the state of your fellow-Christians in general, and what method he uses, and what manner of persons he employs, to bring men to the knowledge of, and to obedience to the gospel; that not many wise men after the flesh In secular matters, and according to the wisdom of this world, or in the account of carnal, worldly men. Not many mighty, &c., are called Are brought to the knowledge of the truth: or, as the apostle rather means, and as ought to have here been supplied to complete the sense, are employed to call you. Our translators, in supplying the words, are called, convey a sentiment, says Macknight, neither true nor suitable to the apostles design. It is not true: for even in Judea, among the chief rulers, many believed on him, Joh 12:42; particularly Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea. Other Jews, likewise, of rank and learning were called; such as the nobleman whose sick son Jesus cured, Joh 4:53; and Manaen, Herods foster-brother, and Cornelius, and Gamaliel; and that great company of priests mentioned Act 6:7, who were obedient to the faith. At Ephesus many who used the arts of magic and divination were called, and who were men of learning, as appears from the number and value of their books, which they burned after embracing the gospel, Act 19:19. And in such numerous churches as those of Antioch, Thessalonica, Corinth, and Rome, it can hardly be doubted that there were disciples in the higher ranks of life. There were brethren even in the emperors family, Php 4:22. In short, the precepts in the epistles to masters, to treat their slaves with humanity, and to women, concerning their not adorning themselves with gold and silver, and costly raiment, show that many wealthy persons had embraced the gospel. On the other hand, though it were true, that not many wise men, &c., were called, it did not suit the apostles argument to mention it here. For surely Gods not calling many of the wise, &c., joined with his calling the foolish ones of the world to believe, did not put to shame the wise and strong, &c. Whereas, if the discourse be understood of the preachers of the gospel, who were employed to convert the world, all is clear and pertinent. God chose, not the learned and mighty, and the noble ones of this world, to preach the gospel, but illiterate and weak men, and men of low birth: and by making them successful in reforming mankind, he put to shame the legislators, statesmen, and philosophers among the heathen, and the learned scribes and doctors among the Jews, who never had done any thing to the purpose in that matter.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Vv. 26. For see your calling, brethren, there are among you not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble.
This mode of recruiting the Church confirms the conclusion drawn above from the nature of the gospel. Hence the , in fact, which is certainly the true reading. It was not the leading classes of Corinthian society which had furnished the largest number of the members of the Church. The majority were poor, ignorant, slaves. God shows thereby that He has no need of human wisdom and power to support His work.
The verb should be taken as imperative and not as indicative: Open your eyes, and see that… This meaning is not incompatible with the . Meyer rightly quotes Sophocles, Phil. 5.1043: .
Paul has come near to his readers in reminding them of this fact which touches them so closely; hence the address, brethren! The word , calling, has sometimes been taken in the sense wrongly given to the word vocation, as denoting social position. But this meaning is foreign to the New Testament. Paul would describe by it the manner in which God has proceeded in drawing this Church by the preaching of the gospel from the midst of the Corinthian population. Jesus had already indicated a similar dispensation in Israel, and had rendered homage to it: Father, I thank Thee because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight (Mat 11:25-26). The fact was not therefore accidental; it belonged to the Divine plan. God did not wish that human wisdom should mix its alloy with His: the latter was to carry off victory alone. Meyer makes , many, the subject, and , wise, the attribute: There are not many who are wise…mighty… But in this sense the must have been completed by the genitive , of you. It is better simply to understand the verb , Ye are not many wise.
In the adjunct , according to the flesh, the word flesh denotes, as it often does, human nature considered in itself, and apart from its relation to God. This adjunct has not been added to the two following terms, mighty…noble, because, as de Wette says, these latter obviously denote advantages of an earthly nature.
, mighty, denotes persons in office; , the noble, persons of high birth, descendants of ancient families.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
For behold your calling [the “principle God has followed in calling you”–Beza; a principle whereby “God,” as Augustine says, “caught orators by fishermen, not fishermen by orators”], brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called [The wise were moved by conceit to reject the gospel invitation: see the case of Gallio (Act 18:12-17). The corruptness of Roman politics kept the mighty aloof from the purity of Christianity, and the pride of noble birth felt repugnance at the lowly fellowship of the early church. A brief catalogue will record all the distinguished names brought into the church during its first thirty years, viz.: Joseph of Arimathea, perhaps Nicodemus, Saul of Tarsus, Sergius Paulus and Dionysius the Areopagite]:
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
26. For behold your calling, brethren, because not many wise after the flesh. Jesus said, The poor have the gospel preached unto them. When the prophets and teachers at Antioch, responsive to the call of the Holy Ghost, sent out Barnabas and Paul to evangelize the heathen world, they laid but one embargo on them, and that was to remember the poor, which Paul certifies that they were always diligent to perform. The Lords people have always been among the lowly of this world, and doubtless always will be. During this dark age of Satans reign (2Co 4:4), the rich possess this world, and are so well satisfied with it that it is a miracle of grace for one of them to seek the world to come. As the poor have neither possessions nor emoluments to wed them to this world, they are the people who hail the gospel as a feast, rally under the banner of King Jesus, shout the battle cry, and aspire to a home in Heaven, which they never were able to possess on earth. Not many influential. It is a significant fact that the influential people in State and Church, as a rule, are not the custodians of the Heavenly treasury, but the contemners of perfect humility, radical unworldliness, intrinsic holiness, and a meek and unpretentious life, such as Jesus lived. When the Holiness Movement becomes influential, like Samson, she has left her locks of spiritual power in the lap of the worlds Delilah, and taken the fatal plunge into spiritual darkness, hopelessly gone in the track of fallen Protestantism, Romanism and Judaism. Not many well born. To find a European nobleman, an Asiatic nabob, or an American millionaire truly devout, humble, holy, meek and lowly, like the Man of Galilee, would create a sensation in popular journalism like the discovery of a planet.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 26
Your calling; that is, the nature of the Christian calling, in respect to the condition of the subjects of it, as specified below.–After the flesh; in the estimation of mankind.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
1Co 1:26-29. Apart from proof, the assertion of 1Co 1:25 commends itself at once as indisputable. But Paul thinks fit to support it by another fact in addition to those of 1Co 1:21-24. He thus gives a second proof from matters of acknowledged fact of the chief teaching of 3, viz., that the Gospel is not an appeal to human wisdom. This he has already proved by pointing to the impression and effect of the Gospel on different kinds of men, believers and unbelievers. He will now prove it by pointing to the class of men which most readily accepts the Gospel.
Your calling: the gospel call, looked upon as actively operating. Since it comes from God, it is His calling, Eph 1:18 : but, as the means of our salvation and the ground of our hope, it is our calling,
Eph 4:1; Eph 4:4. Contemplate in its operation the gospel call in which you have heard the voice of God. With characteristic good taste Paul does not say not many of you, which is sufficiently indicated by your calling. These words imply that some of the early Christians were men of education and influence; an interesting coincidence with Rom 16:23; Act 18:8; Act 13:12; Act 22:3.
Wise according to flesh; i.e. in reference to the needs and pleasures of the present life, which are determined by the constitution of the human body. See note under Rom 8:11. It is the wisdom of the world, 1Co 1:20; of this age, 1Co 2:6.
Powerful: men with influence arising from office, wealth, or natural talent.
1Co 1:27-28. A contrast to not many wise, and a description of those in whom chiefly the call had been effective. The Greek neuter, foolish things, suggested here by similar words in 1Co 1:25, looks at the object without considering whether or not they are personal. It refers frequently to what are in fact persons. So Luk 1:35, the Holy Thing; Gal 3:22; Joh 6:37. The persons referred to here are looked upon simply as objects of God’s choice, and as coming under the general principle of 1Co 1:25.
The foolish things of the world: uneducated men, who before they believed the Gospel belonged to the world.
Chosen: see note under Rom 9:13. The reception of the Gospel chiefly by the lower classes (1Co 1:26) arose from its very nature. It is good news of a deliverer. But every kind of earthly good tends to make us unconscious of our need, and independent of divine help. Intellect, education, rank, and wealth, so precious when laid on the altar of God, yet, by promising to supply of themselves our need, tend to keep men from accepting the Gospel. Cp. Rom 11:9. On the other hand, misfortune and want have led many to cry to God for help. In full view of this, God chose an instrument of salvation which He foresaw would appeal with greatest force to men in humble positions. Now the early converts to Christianity were God’s agents for spreading it through the world. Therefore, by choosing as the instrument of salvation a message which He knew would commend itself chiefly to the uneducated, the obscure, and the low-born, God chose these for Himself to be His representatives to the world and His agents for setting up His kingdom. Cp. Jas 2:5.
That He may put to shame etc. That for the more part God selected as His agents unlearned men, was a stern rebuke to those who trusted in learning; and was designed to be such. The weak things, the strong things, recall not many powerful.
Chosen: three times, emphatically asserting that the social position of the early converts was by God’s deliberate choice. Put-to-shame (twice,) and bring-to-nought, lay stress upon the further purpose of this choice.
Things which are not: a climax, things practically the same as though they had no existence.
Bring-to-nought: 1Co 2:6; 1Co 6:13; 1Co 13:8; 1Co 13:10 f; 1Co 15:24; 1Co 15:26; 2Co 3:7; 2Co 3:11; 2Co 3:13 f; Luk 13:7 : same as make-of-no-effect; see Rom 3:3.
Things which are: whose existence seems to be a power, and therefore a reality. By choosing as His instruments things reckoned to be nothing, and passing by things reckoned to be much, God made the latter to be practically nothing. The neuter forms are maintained throughout 1Co 1:27-28, perhaps because of the principle asserted is true both of men and things.
A broad general statement of God’s purpose in putting the Gospel in a form which would appeal chiefly to men in humble position. Cp. Eph 2:9.
No flesh: see Rom 3:20.
Exult, or boast: a favorite word almost peculiar in the New Testament to Paul, and very common in these two epistles, also Rom 2:17; Rom 2:23; Rom 5:2 f, Rom 5:11; Gal 6:13 f; Php 3:3; 2Th 1:4; Jas 1:9; Jas 4:16. It denotes a rising or gladness of spirit which has always in view the object, external or internal, which called it forth, and which is ever ready to express itself in words. It thus combines the meanings of rejoice, exult, and boast.
Before God: who watches perishing flesh and blood lifting itself up because of something man thinks he can do.
Argument of 1Co 1:26-29. Evidently the Gospel has been successful chiefly among the humbler ranks. And the reason is that the possession of earthly good makes men less anxious for the heavenly gifts offered in the Gospel.
All this God foresaw, and took up into His plan, in choosing the Gospel to be His instrument of drawing men to Himself. It is therefore correct to say that He deliberately chose for Himself these men of humble rank. For He might have put the Gospel in a form which would have attracted chiefly the learned; as did the teaching of Plato. Now the uneducated and obscure men were, as agents for the spread of Christianity, both foolish and weak. Consequently, that God chose them and gave them success, proves that even foolish and weak things, in the hand of God, are able to achieve results altogether beyond the utmost power of man. It also proves that the Gospel and its results must not be measured by the standard of human wisdom.
Fuente: Beet’s Commentary on Selected Books of the New Testament
1:26 {26} For ye see your {t} calling, brethren, how that not many wise men {u} after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]:
(26) A confirmation taken from those things which came to pass at Corinth, where the church especially consisted of the lowly and common people, insomuch that the philosophers of Greece were driven to shame when they saw that they could do nothing with their wisdom and eloquence in comparison with the apostles, whom nonetheless they called idiots and unlearned. And in this he beats down their pride: for God did not prefer them before those noble and wise men so that they should be proud, but that they might be constrained, whether they wished to or not, to rejoice in the Lord, by whose mercy, although they were the most abject of all, they had obtained in Christ both this wisdom as well as all things necessary to salvation.
(t) What way the Lord has taken in calling you.
(u) After that type of wisdom which men consider to be important, as though there were none else: but because they are carnal, they do not know spiritual wisdom.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The folly of the Corinthian believers 1:26-31
Paul turned from the content of the gospel to the Corinthian believers to strengthen his argument that the gospel he preached contradicted human expectations. God had chosen "nobodies" rather than the "beautiful people" of Corinth. They themselves were evidence that God’s "foolishness" confounds the "wise." Jer 9:23-24, with its emphasis on boasting in one proper thing or another improper thing, lies behind this pericope.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
This verse reflects that there were few in the Corinthian assembly who came from the higher intellectual and influential levels of their society. This characteristic has marked most local churches throughout history.