1 Corinthians 1:27

Contextual Overview

¹⁷For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. ¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. ¹⁷God didn't send me to see how many people I could baptize. He sent me to preach the good news. And I don't do it with clever words or speeches. Jesus's strength don't lie in fancy tongue talk. ¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. ¹⁷For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to proclaim the gospel, not in wisdom of word, so that the cross of Christ will not be made empty. ¹⁷ For Christ sent me, not to give baptism, but to be a preacher of the good news: not with wise words, for fear that the cross of Christ might be made of no value. ¹⁷ For Christ has not sent me to baptise, but to preach glad tidings; not in wisdom of word, that the cross of the Christ may not be made vain. ¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to evangelize—not with clever words, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect. ¹⁷ For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel -- not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of Christ wouldn't be made void. ¹⁷ I know not that I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel; but not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Psalms 8:2, Isaiah 26:5, Isaiah 26:6, Isaiah 29:14, Isaiah 29:19, Zephaniah 3:12, Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 9:9, Matthew 11:25, Matthew 21:16, Luke 19:39, Luke 19:40, Luke 21:15, Acts 4:11-21, Acts 6:9, Acts 6:10, Acts 7:35, Acts 7:54, Acts 17:18, Acts 24:24, Acts 24:25, 2 Corinthians 4:7, 2 Corinthians 10:4, 2 Corinthians 10:5, 2 Corinthians 10:10

Reciprocal: Exodus 4:17 - General Exodus 39:21 - as the Lord Leviticus 14:32 - whose hand Numbers 22:23 - the ass saw Numbers 22:30 - upon which thou hast ridden Judges 4:21 - took Judges 7:2 - too many Judges 7:13 - a cake Judges 11:5 - to fetch Judges 15:15 - slew 1 Samuel 13:22 - there was neither 1 Samuel 17:40 - staff 1 Samuel 17:49 - smote 1 Kings 20:14 - young men 2 Kings 5:4 - and told his lord 2 Kings 5:13 - how much rather Nehemiah 4:2 - feeble Job 32:9 - Great Job 32:13 - We Isaiah 33:23 - the lame Jeremiah 9:23 - wise Jeremiah 49:20 - Surely Ezekiel 17:24 - have brought Daniel 2:25 - captives of Judah Amos 1:1 - who Amos 7:14 - an herdman Micah 5:2 - yet Matthew 3:9 - God Luke 10:21 - revealed Luke 18:24 - How Acts 4:13 - were Acts 9:22 - confounded 1 Corinthians 1:25 - the foolishness James 3:15 - but

Cross-References

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginnyng GOD created ye heauen and the earth.

Genesis 1:1
God created the sky and the earth. At first,

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1
In the bigynnyng God made of nouyt heuene and erthe.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the Heauen, and the Earth.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world,.... So the Jews, in distinction from their wise Rabbins and doctors, call others, טפשין דעלמא, "the fools of the world" p; the persons whom God made choice of from all eternity, as appears by his calling them in time, are such who with respect to the wisdom of the world are foolish; have not those natural parts and abilities, that sagacity and penetration in things natural and civil, that knowledge and learning which many others have; and are therefore esteemed foolish by the men of the world, in comparison of whom; who are the wise and prudent, they are but babes: and God's end in his choice of them, and calling them, is

to confound the wise; who sooner or later will be brought to shame and confusion, to see such idiots, as they took them to be, wiser than they in the business of salvation; having been directed and influenced by divine grace to choose that good part, which shall never be taken from them, when they will be stripped of their nobility, wealth, and wisdom; to see these men go into the kingdom of heaven, and they themselves shut out:

and God hath chosen the weak things of the world; who cannot boast of their birth and pedigree, of their ancient and illustrious families; have no titles of honour to aggrandize them, nor estates, possessions, and worldly substance to support themselves with; and this he has done,

to confound the things which are mighty; as Haman was by the advancement of Mordecai. It will be to the utter confusion of the rich and mighty, to see persons of the lowest class in life made kings and priests by Christ, set among princes, and upon the throne of glory; and they themselves fleeing, and calling to the mountains to fall upon them, and cover them from the sight of him that sits on the throne, and the Lamb.

p Zohar in Numb. fol. 63. 3. & 65. 4.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But God hath chosen - The fact of their being in the church at all was the result of his choice. It was owing entirely to his grace.

The foolish things - The things esteemed foolish among people. The expression here refers to those who were destitute of learning, rank, wealth, and power, and who were esteemed as fools, and were despised by the rich and the great.

To confound - To bring to shame; or that he might make them ashamed; that is, humble them by showing them how little he regarded their wisdom; and how little their wisdom contributed to the success of his cause. By thus overlooking them, and bestowing his favors on the humble and the poor; by choosing his people from the ranks which they despised, and bestowing on them the exalted privilege of being called the sons of God, he had poured dishonor on the rich and the great, and overwhelmed them, and their schemes of wisdom, with shame. It is also true, that those who are regarded as fools by the wise men of the world are able often to confound those who boast of their wisdom; and that the arguments of plain people, though unlearned except in the school of Christ; of people of sound common sense under the influence of Christian principles, have a force which the learning and talent of the people of this world cannot gainsay or resist. They have truth on their side; and truth, though dressed in a humble garb, is more mighty than error, though clothed with the brilliancy of imagination, the pomp of declamation, and the cunning of sophistry.

And the weak things - Those esteemed weak by the people of the world.

The mighty - The great; the noble; the learned.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 27. But God hath chosen the foolish things — God has chosen by means of men who are esteemed rude and illiterate to confound the greatest of the Greek philosophers, and overturn their systems; and, by means of men weak, without secular power or authority, to confound the scribes and Pharisees, and in spite of the exertions of the Jewish sanhedrin, to spread the doctrine of Christ crucified all over the land of Judea, and by such instruments as these to convert thousands of souls to the faith of the Gospel, who are ready to lay down their lives for the truth. The Jews have proverbs that express the same sense as these words of the apostle. In Shemoth Rabba, sec. 17, fol. 117, it is said: "There are certain matters which appear little to men, yet by them God points out important precepts. Thus hyssop in the sight of man is worth nothing, but in the sight of God its power is great; sometimes he equals it to the cedar, particularly in the ordinance concerning the lepers, and in the burning of the red heifer. Thus God commanded them in Egypt, Exodus 12:22: And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, c. And concerning Solomon it is said, 1 Kings 4:33: And he discoursed of trees, from the cedar on Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. Whence we may learn that great and small things are equal in the eyes of the Lord, and that even by small things He can work great miracles."