October 1, 2023
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
“Bragging Rights”
Service Overview: God doesn’t use those who “have it all together” to be champions of the faith. He seeks and uses those who know they DON’T have it all together, but are willing to simply trust and follow Jesus.
Memory Verse for the Week:
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” 1 Corinthians 1:27 (NIV)
Background Insights:
- From a human viewpoint wisdom, influence, and high breeding were apparently in short supply. If God had chosen on the basis of such criteria, He would have passed them by. But when God called, he turned the world’s standards upside down and usually chose the ordinary rather than the outstanding in order that no one may boast before Him (v. 29) but only in the Lord. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty, 509)
- The Old Testament does not lack instances of God’s deliberate choice of people or instruments that were foolish, weak, despised and mere nonentities by ordinary standards in order to accomplish his purpose; in this regard the gospel marked no change of procedure on his part. By this means, and pre-eminently so by the gospel, he annuls all conventional canons of wisdom, power, reputation and value. (F. F. Bruce, 1 and 2 Corinthians, 36)
- Paul’s references to boasting, both positive and negative, form an important motif throughout his letters. Boasting about oneself played a crucial role in Greco-Roman sophistry and in secular leadership more generally. (Craig L. Blomberg, NIV Application Commentary: 1 Corinthians, 54)
- Then, as now, voluntary societies tended to be socially homogeneous. The fact that the early Christian assembly brought together people of diverse rank and background who acknowledged one another as “brothers and sisters” (v. 26) was one of its distinctive characteristics. (Richard B. Hays, Interpretation Bible Commentary: First Corinthians, 32)
- To know nothing but Christ, does not mean to reduce theological knowledge to its barest minimum. If that were the case, Paul should never have written the rest of this letter, let alone the Epistle to the Romans. As a thoughtful sermon could point out, to know nothing but Christ is to know everything significant. Christ is the key unlocking the depths of divine wisdom (see 2:6-16). (William Baird, 1 and 2 Corinthians, 13)
- God has elected to shame the wise and powerful of the world by creating an eschatological community made up of people whom the world scorns; this is an illustration of God’s apocalyptic action of abolishing “the things that are” and bringing a new creation into being ex nihilo (“out of nothing,” v. 28). That point is underscored in verse 30: God is the source of the very existence of the Corinthian community; they have been brought into being by God in Christ Jesus. (Hays, 33)
What counter-culture ideas does Paul present here?
- The brightest and best don’t get a free pass into God’s kingdom.
(v. 26 | Prov. 1:7; 16:5; Luke 18:9-14; Romans 3:23; 5:8; Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 1:9)
God has not called Caesar or persons of senatorial rank to represent the gospel in the world; instead, he has called this motley assembly which embraces freedmen, tradespeople, and slaves—along with a few people of higher standing (hence “not many,” rather than “none”). The mixed socioeconomic status of the church was one of the most striking features of the early Christian movement. (Richard B. Hays, Interpretation Bible Commentary: First Corinthians, 32)
God does not seek out the people whom the world admires; instead, he reveals himself to humble and searching hearts, (Grant R. Osborne, Life Application Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Corinthians, 32)
From the standpoint of God’s wisdom, this world’s values of worldly wisdom, power, and noble birth are null (1:26). God’s wisdom exalts what is weak and despised in order to nullify human boasting (1:27-29) and to direct all boasting to God himself (1:31). These principles are nowhere more clearly on display than in the sufficiency of Christ for the believer’s salvation (1:30). (Guy Waters, 1–2 Corinthians, 229)
- God often uses the “lowly” to prove he is mighty.
(vv. 27-29 | Judges 6:15; Is. 53:2-3; Mat. 11:28-30; 1 Cor. 9:22; Eph. 1:11; Heb. 11:32-34)
God called them, not because of what they were, but in spite of what they were! (Warren Wiersbe, Be Wise, 22)
The message and miracle of God’s grace in Jesus Christ utterly confounds (“puts to shame”) the high and mighty people of this world. The wise of this world cannot understand how God changes sinners into saints, and the mighty of this world are helpless to duplicate the miracle. God’s “foolishness” confounds the wise; God’s “weakness” confounds the mighty! (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 457)
- Everyone is who they are by God’s grace; therefore, we boast only in the Lord.
(vv. 30-31 | Jer. 9:23-24; Deut. 8:17-19; 1 Cor. 15:10; 2 Cor. 4:7; Eph. 2:8-9; James 4:6)
A high IQ, an Ivy League education, or numerous degrees hanging on your wall will not give you an edge with God. It is not the wisdom of people that saves; it is the message of the cross. (Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians, 35)
why does God reveal the foolishness and the weakness of this present world system, even with its philosophy and religion? “That no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Cor. 1:29). Salvation must be wholly of grace; otherwise, God cannot get the glory. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 457)
Conclusion… How does a passage like this encourage us in living counter-culture?
A. Don’t allow your past to hinder what God wants to do in your present.
(Is. 43:18-19; Rom. 8:1; 2 Cor. 5:17; Phil. 3:12-14; James 4:10; 1 Peter 4:10; 1 John 1:9)
Some folk like to give emphasis to the prominent folk who have accepted Christ—the entertainment greats, the leaders in industry, and the prominent in government. But God majors in average people. He is calling simple folk like you and me. (J. Vernon McGee, First Corinthians, 31)
B. Be mindful how you regard or treat other brothers and sisters in Christ.
(Micah 6:8; Matthew 25:40; Romans 12:10; 1 Corinthians 4:7; Ephesians 4:2; Philippians 2:3; Colossians 3:12; 4:6; 1 Timothy 6:17-19; Titus 3:2; James 2:1; 2:12-13; 1 Peter 5:5)
I expect to be amazed by three things when I first arrive in heaven. I will be delighted by those I find are actually there. I will be shocked to note who isn’t there whom I assumed I would see. And then I will be speechless with wonder as I realize that by God’s grace I am there! (Charles Spurgeon)
People that the world pays no attention to, God notices and uses them greatly for his glory! A shepherd boy named David whom he made a king. An uneducated farmer and tender of sycamore trees named Amos whom he made a prophet. An old woman named Anna whom he called to be a prophetess and who testified to the redemption of Jerusalem when she saw the baby Jesus (Luke 2:26-38). All of them are insignificant to the world but not to God. (Akin, 36)
C. As a nobody, take every opportunity to brag to everybody, about a Somebody.
(Mat. 5:16; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 20:24; Rom. 1:16; 2 Cor. 5:18-21; James 1:16-18)
Strangers who hear the gospel may think that Christians are claiming superiority over them. When the gospel exposes their sin, they may feel more vulnerable than they can stand. God’s answer to those people must be given with plain humility, not just clever argument. This is why we must be clear about our own sinfulness as we speak to others (see Paul’s testimony in 1 Timothy 1:15-18). We share the gospel with them because we both need it. The gospel is not a message we preach down to people. (Osborne, 32)
Our glory should be in the Lord. We should glory in the Lord Jesus Christ today. Let me ask you, what do you glory in? What are you boasting of today? Are you boasting of your degrees? Of your wisdom? Of your wealth? Of your power? Are you boasting today of your position and your character? My friend, you don’t have a thing of which you can boast—and I know I haven’t. But we can boast of Christ. He is everything. He is everything that we need. (J. Vernon McGee, First Corinthians, 32)
Gospel Connection…
God is far less impressed with your influence or affluence than he is with whether you have acceptance by Christ Jesus. In him alone is life now and forever.
(John 3:16-17; Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 3:20-21; Titus 3:4-6; 1 John 1:9)
The gospel of Jesus Christ is an amazing story of God’s great reversal in his grand redemptive plan. The nobodies of earth can now become the somebodies of heaven, because the great Somebody of heaven came for the nobodies of earth! (Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians, 40)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- Where do you see Jesus’s relationships in the Gospels exemplifying God’s choice of the unlikely, unimpressive, and unworthy? Who in your circle would fall into such categories?
- Is it possible for the church to implicitly communicate that it values or requires a certain social or economic status? If so, how?
- How can you better value those deemed “unworthy” by most? How does your church make sure such people feel welcomed? How are you at welcoming such people into the church?
- What are some dangers or blessings that come when certain people are given more influence or status among believers?
- God does not often call the “powerful,” the movers and shakers of the world, to salvation. Why?
Quotes to note…
What could be weaker than a poor, homeless Jew, bloody and beaten, hanging on a cross though innocent? Yet what could be more powerful than the salvation his death brought to the world? (Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians, 36)
Here Paul reminded the Corinthian believers that God alone is the source of life in Christ Jesus. He used the word “your,” speaking directly to his audience of believers. These believers in Corinth had received eternal life in Christ Jesus, not because of who they were or what they did but because of Christ Jesus alone, the “source of life.” God is the source of believers’ existence and the reason for their personal and living relationship with Christ. (Grant R. Osborne, Life Application Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Corinthians, 34)
the gospel of God’s grace leaves no room for personal boasting. God is not impressed with our looks, our social position, our achievements, our natural heritage, or our financial status. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 456)
What God did in the cross and in calling the “lowly” Corinthians not only exhibits his own character, that he is gracious, but also illustrates that he is not beholden to the world: (Gordon D. Fee, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: 1 Corinthians, 83)
Scripture nowhere guarantees salvation for all people under a certain socioeconomic level. But it does consistently reflect God’s special concern for the poor, oppressed, and marginalized people of the world. (Craig L. Blomberg, NIV Application Commentary: 1 Corinthians, 57)
In Paul’s view, the relatively low status of most of the Corinthian Christians is a sign of what God did in the cross and therefore is doing in the world: overturning expectations. God is creating his new community out of unimpressive material precisely to exemplify the power of his own unmerited grace. (Richard B. Hays, Interpretation Bible Commentary: First Corinthians, 32)
The Corinthians had the typical Greek reverence for wisdom. But Paul decisively rejects this as the criterion whereby God chooses His own. That is not to say that there are none from the classes mentioned. On the contrary, not many implies that there were some, though not a large number. (Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: 1 Corinthians, 48)
Christ Jesus “became for us wisdom (sophia) from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” He is in effect saying to the Corinthians, “You want wisdom? All right, here is the wisdom that God has provided us: Christ Jesus. And remember, that means Christ Jesus crucified!” This reiterates what Paul has already said in verses 23-24. The identification of Christ with wisdom cannot be separated from the very specific event of the cross, which ironically deconstructs all human wisdom. (Richard B. Hays, Interpretation Bible Commentary: First Corinthians, 33)
