Library
<< 1 Corinthians 1:27 1 Corinthians 1:29 >>
Articles, Bible studies, and sermons that contain 1 Corinthians 1:28:
I Corinthians 1:26-29
Excerpted from: Passover (Part 6)Scholars are important to the world, because people are going to them for answers to life's perplexities. They look to them for authority, to back up their arguments. They say, when they are talking, "Well, so-and-so said this. And that so-and-so is an expert. They are a scholar in that particular field." The implication is—"If so-and-so said this, I am, therefore, correct in what I am saying." We all do it. I do it. It is part of our way of life, our way of thinking, our way of expressing. We want to have authority for the things that we say.
But I think it is so intriguing that God is forming a Family, but it is a Family without very many scholars. To me, there is at least one obvious reason. It is not that God has not called them, but they have, by and large, rejected His calling—because they belong to that group of "the great of this world" who will not become converted. They feel that they have too much to lose! The sacrifice required for conversion is, for them, too great.
I said to myself, "Now, wait a minute! My Savior was a blue-collar worker. He was a carpenter. Peter, James, and John—and possibly also Andrew—were fishermen. That is blue-collar work."
Some scholars do come into the church. By this I mean people who are more gifted intellectually. And that is fine. But these people have a weakness that they need to recognize—they seem to be drawn toward what I call "esoteric twigs" that do not amount to a hill of beans as far as the Kingdom of God is concerned. Esoteric means mysterious, or some knowledge that is understood only by a few. You might be able to pick out your own areas that you have noticed within the church, where these people seem to rise. They have the idea that they kind of have something others do not have.
There is an interesting statement in I Corinthians 8, as we continue this. Once a scholar gets hold of some of this knowledge that captivates him, it tends to impact on him in three ways. (Sometimes one, sometimes two, sometimes all three.) What happens is that a form of elitism begins to develop, which tells the scholar that he is better than others are because look at what he possesses! It is called the pride of life, in I John 2:16.
The third is perhaps the most dangerous of all to the scholar, in that it begins to shift the scholar's dependence entirely towards his knowledge. I do not know whether you realize this, but this was a major factor in destroying Israel and Judah's relationship with God. You will find the prophets of God, the teachers of God, and Jesus Christ Himself saying things like: "Think not that you have Abraham as your father."
Does esoteric information, or knowledge, make us better than others? It makes us more responsible than others. They thought that they had salvation merely because they possessed this knowledge that others did not have. And so their attitude towards the Gentiles was that they were "dogs." They were "beneath them." No, it produces responsibility in God's eyes—not elitism.
But you see what happened with Israel and Judah. They put their faith (their dependence) on whom they were related to—almost as if salvation was something that came through the bloodlines, merely because Abraham was God's friend and they were descended from Abraham. But Jesus had to straighten them out, by saying, "Your father is Satan, the devil." That is quite a different perspective!
Israel did the same thing, as recorded in the book of Amos. God said the punishment was coming upon Israel and Judah because ofwho they were. He said, "You only have I made this covenant with; therefore, you shall be punished." They were relying upon the association with God through the covenant as the means of their salvation—esoteric knowledge (destructive to them in their relationship to God, because esoteric knowledge cannot stand by itself). That is what I Corinthians 8:1-3 is reminding us.
That is far more … . . .
I Corinthians 1:26-28
Excerpted from: Preparing to Rule (1993)We know what we are, despite what our ego may be saying to us. Our vanity keeps telling us that we are great; that we are unappreciated; that we are pretty, handsome, or clever. And when we get to thinking straight, every once in a while, we know that the reality is not what our vanity is telling us it is. So we wonder, how can we ever play our part in this great scheme that God is working out? (I am using “scheme” here in a good sense, meaning the plan that God is working out.)
We see ourselves in this congregation. You do not see yourself up here speaking, or serving in any great capacity, and I know that you very likely think that you are a nobody even here. But that is not so! You are a somebody. There is no greater honor any person could be given than to be given God's Holy Spirit and to bear the name of Christ. You are so important that the second-most important Being in the Universe died to save your life! He not only died to save your life, He died to give you an awesome future—that you can live with Him! You are not unimportant!
Not only are you not unimportant, you are very important to Him! You were personally hand-picked by God. And God knew that when you were born, you were behind the door when the brains were handed out. He was well aware of that.
God has not called the great, or the mighty engineers, architects, politicians, speakers, or professors (and on and on). He has not done that. He has not called the scum, either. You may think of yourself that way. But you are a person of awesome potential. Your potential right now is so exceedingly greater than any human being that has ever lived, except for all those others who were also called in the same way that you were. You are going to put the great minds of the past, present, and future to shame.
That is what He says here! God has called you to put to shame the great of the world. It is very likely that had you had the opportunities that these people, who are great in the world in all the world’s history, that if you had the same opportunities that they had in their lives, it is entirely possible that you would have achieved just as much as they did. You were not behind the door when the brains were handed out. You were not behind the door when the skills were given. They are there. But they need to be developed. That is what sanctification is for.
ArticlesAre You Living the Abundant Life?
Beware of Philosophy
Can Theology Define God's Nature?
Can We Win People For Christ?
Do Not Be Afraid!
Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part Eleven): Paradox, Continued
Leadership and Covenants (Part Four)
Leadership and Covenants (Part Three)
Leadership and Covenants (Part Two)
Living By Faith and God's Grace
Mercy: The Better Option
Our Spiritual Marathon of Hope
Prepare to Meet Your God! (Part Seven): The Prophesied Blow Falls
Preparing to Rule!
Thanksgiving
The Mixed Multitude
The Sovereignty of God: Part Eight
The Sovereignty of God: Part Seven
The Sovereignty of God: Part Three
Who Are the 'Guests at the Wedding'?
Bible StudiesBiblical Symbolism
Parables of Matthew 13 (Part Four): The Parable of the Mustard Seed
Parables of the Millstone and the Lost Sheep
BookletsPrepare to Meet Your God! (The Book of Amos) (Part Two)
EssaysDeep Thinkers
Do We See Our Calling? (2)
Hold Tightly to Revelation
Loving the Body of Christ (Part One)
Merit
Our Awesome Calling
Spiritual Gifts, an Overview
The 75-Cent Screwdriver (Part Two)
The Role of the Outcasts (Part One)
The Unique Greatness of Our God (Part Five)
Truth Revealed to Babes
What Does It Take to Be a Hero? (Part Two)
SermonsWilderness Wandering (Part 4)
Reluctant Leaders
Where Do We Fit?
God's Calling and Election
A Seed of Highest Quality
Ecclesiastes (Part Four; B)
Continuing on to Completion
Living by Faith: God's Grace (Part 3)
Living by Faith: Humility and God's Justice
Living Abundantly In Tough Times
Who Are You?
Mark: Stupid, Unbelieving Disciples
Wilderness Wandering (Part 3)
Why Are You Here?
The Faithfulness of God (Part 2)
What Is Your Calling Worth?
All in All (Part 1)
All in All (Part 1)
Why We Observe Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part 10)
Themes of I Corinthians (Part 7)
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part 3)
His Eye is on the Sparrow (Part Three)
The Ultimate Gift
Preparing To Rule
Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen (Part Nine)
Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen (Part One)
Facing Times of Stress: When God Is Silent (Part One)
Hebrews: Its Background (Part Three)
God's Real Transformation
God Works in Mysterious Ways (Part Two)
Leadership and Covenants (Part Seventeen)
That No Flesh Should Glory
Jesus Christ's Trial (Part Three)
Leadership and the Covenants (Part Four)
Why Is God Doing This, This Way?
Why Is God Doing This, This Way?
Who Are We and Where Do We Fit? (Part One)
Where Does Righteousness Come From?
Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty-Three)
The Epistles of II and III John (Part Two)
Are You Living an Abundant Life?
Samson and the Christian (Part 6)
The Millennium and Union With Christ
God Expects a Return on His Investment (Part Five)
The Sovereignty of God (Part Seven)
The Sovereignty of God (Part 6)
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Five)
Fall Feast Lessons
Conviction and Moses
Grace, Mercy, and Favor (Part One): To the Beaten
Our Part in the Sanctification Process (Part Ten): Cultivating the Fruit of Self Control
Among the Few
Christ's Responsibility, Resurrections, and All in All
Deuteronomy: Hearing
The Sovereignty of God (Part Eight)
Chosen Instruments of God
Where Do We Go From Here?
Choices and a Man After God's Own Heart: Turn, Turn, Turn
Strategies for Escaping Babylon (Part One)
Biblical Wisdom
Christ's Mission Statement
Wrong Will Eventually Be Set Right
Sacrificial Service Within the Body
Our Spiritual Career
God's Pearls
Pitfalls of Scholarship
Strategies for Interfacing with Babylon Without Being Assimilated (Part Six)
Our Core Business
Why Many Do Not Understand
Why Are We Called To Overcome?
John (Part 11)
The Christian Medal of Honor
The Reversal of Human Will
Christ Our Wisdom
Christ Our Wisdom
Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part 6)
Jesus Is God
God's Rest (Part 1)
What Is the Work of God Now? (Part Two)
Prepare for Your Future Now
Globalism and the Wisdom of Men
Parables of Matthew 13 (Part 1): The Mustard Seed
God's Workmanship (Part 1)
Of One Accord
The Sovereignty of God (Part 11)
How Big Is God?
<< 1 Corinthians 1:27 1 Corinthians 1:29 >>
Join 138,350+ readers
A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning
Consistent Bible study is hard to start.
The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.
Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.