1Cor 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For consider your calling, brothers, that there are not many wise according to flesh, not many powerful, not many wellborn. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world that He might shame those who are wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world that He might shame the things that are strong, 28 And the lowborn things of the world and the despised things God has chosen, things which are not, that He might bring to nought the things which are, 29 So that no flesh may boast before God.
Here we see that among the believers there are not many wise according to flesh. To be wise is related to the mind, whereas to be powerful is related to the will. In verse 26 Paul points out that among the believers in Corinth there were not many wellborn. The Greek word rendered wellborn in verse 26 means highborn, noble, that is, born of a noble or royal family. The church of God is composed not mainly of the upper class, but of the lowborn of the world and the despised. To appreciate the upper class is against God's mind and a shame to the church. In verse 28 the word lowborn means base, ignoble, that is, born of common people. The expression "things which are not" refers to the lowborn and the despised as being as good as having no existence. The lowborn and the despised are of no account in the world. Hence, "things that are" refer to the wellborn, who are counted much in the world but brought to nothing by God in His economy. In the eyes of man, the lowborn, the despised ones, seem not to exist. They are so looked down upon that they seem to have no existence. Thus, they are "things which are not." But God uses these very things to bring to nothing the things which are, the wellborn who are counted much in the world. God has chosen the lowborn, the low class, that He might shame the wellborn, those of the upper class. (c) Living Stream Ministry.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of 1 Corinthians, pp. 77-78. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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