1 Corinthians 1:26-31 - True Wisdom

Chad Werkhoven
Aug 14
4 min read

It's easy to forget how odd it is to be a Christian.

Cartoon of a worried man in a blue shirt with "WORDS" going in one ear and floating out the other on a mustard-yellow background.

1 Corinthians 1:26–31 (NIV)

²⁶Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Canons of Dordt

Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election

Point 2 - Limited Atonement

Point 3 - Total Depravity

Point 4 - Irresistible Grace

Article 10: Conversion as the Work of God

The fact that those who are called through the ministry of the gospel come to Christ and are brought to conversion
1. must not be credited to human effort,
  1. as though one distinguishes oneself
    1. by free choice
    2. from others who are furnished with equal or sufficient grace for faith and conversion
  2. (as the proud heresy of Pelagius maintains).
2. No, it must be credited to God:
  1. just as from eternity God chose his own in Christ,
  2. so within time God effectively
    1. calls them, grants them faith and repentance,
    2. and,
      1. having rescued them from the dominion of darkness,
      2. brings them into the kingdom of his Son,
3. in order that they
  1. may declare the wonderful deeds of the One
    1. who called them out of darkness
    2. into this marvelous light,
  2. and may boast not in themselves,
    1. but in the Lord,
    2. as apostolic words frequently testify in Scripture.

Summary

The whole premise of today's passage seems off kilter - that God choose the foolish / weak / lowly / despised things of the world to shame and nullify the 'wisdom' and 'strength' of the world.

Maybe it's just me. But it can't be just me, since it's quite likely that most of you, like me, have grown up in the wisdom and strength of the Lord, and so by His grace we've always been able to see that those who consider themselves as the wise, influential nobility of this world are actually fools.

Conversely, I've never despised the things God chose to bring us righteousness, holiness, and redemption - things like a child born to a virgin who, after living a life of perfect self sacrifice, would be violently executed on a cross only to appear alive three days later to a motley crew of itinerant followers. These were things I (we) was (were) taught to exalt above all things - so far from ever considering them as foolishness

So it's sort of weird to read Paul describe the things we've revered as being weak and lowly according to the world. Maybe those of you who had the blessing of being regenerated and brought to faith later in life can use the comment box below to help people like me understand: how did you view Jesus, the cross, and grace before God opened your eyes to see the truth of these things?

To be clear, I'm not bragging about the fact that I've never thought of Christianity in the terms Paul uses to describe it here. In fact, sometimes I'm a bit envious of those of you who remember your conversion experience. Regardless of whether you're like me and have been raised in the knowledge of truth your entire life, or whether God's grace came upon you at a specific time later in life, we all point to the same source: It is because of God that we are in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord" (Jerimiah 9:23-24).

Dig Deeper

Today's passage defines what true wisdom is:

Christ Jesus has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

Very few people who are wise by human standards would include these three attributes in their definition of wisdom. But these are the things you've been given by God through Christ and which you are expected to be growing in.

These words certainly aren't unfamiliar, but it will be helpful to be re-grounded in what they actually mean:

Righteousness - The result of doing what God requires.
Holiness - Being separated from the world and dedicated / consecrated to the service of and loyalty to God.
Redemption - A transaction has been made which has set you free from the power of sin and which has resulted in you now belonging to our Lord, Jesus Christ.

AAA Prayer (About)

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is the reason that we are in Christ Jesus;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you grow in Christ, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: