“For consider your calling, brothers: Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’” (1 Corinthians 1:26–31).
Did you catch what Paul did there?
He is accenting the greatness of Christ by reminding the Corinthians that they really aren’t very impressive. Christ’s awesomeness, when rightly perceived, has an uncanny ability to remind us that we are not very awesome. At the same time, he does not diminish the church. It is, after all, the church that is the means by which the gospel goes forth.
To put it another way, the beauty of the church is seen in the preciousness of the gospel she preaches and the weakness of those who preach it. It is as if Paul is saying, “You didn’t get into this by being great and impressive. You got in because God is rich in mercy to those who are not very great nor impressive.” Praise God for this.
