Thomas Aquinas Commentary 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

"For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]: but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, [yea] and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are: that no flesh should glory before God. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." — 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (ASV)

After showing that the method of teaching with eloquent wisdom does not suit Christian doctrine because of its subject matter—the cross of Christ—the Apostle now shows that this same method is unsuitable for Christian teaching because of the teachers themselves. As it is written in Proverbs 26:7, A parable is unseemly in the mouth of fools, and in Sirach 20:22, A parable from a fool’s mouth will be rejected. Therefore, since the first teachers of the faith were not wise in a worldly sense, it was not suitable for them to teach with eloquent wisdom.

In this regard, he does three things:

1. First, he shows how the first teachers of the faith were not versed in worldly wisdom and suffered from a disadvantage in human affairs.
2. Second, he shows how this disadvantage was compensated for them by Christ (verse 27).
3. Third, he gives the reason for this (verse 29).

He says, therefore: It has been stated that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and you can see this in your own lives. For consider your calling, brothers—that is, how you were called. You did not approach Him by yourselves; you were called by Him: Whom he predestined he also called (Romans 8:30); He has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). He urges them to ponder the manner of their calling by considering those by whom they were called, as Isaiah 51:2 says: Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you.

From these ministers of our calling, he first excludes wisdom when he says that not many of those by whom you were called were wise according to worldly standards—that is, in worldly and earthly wisdom. For this is not a wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic (James 3:15); the children of Hagar, who seek for wisdom on earth . He says "not many" because a few had been instructed in worldly wisdom, such as he himself and Barnabas, or Moses in the Old Testament, of whom Acts 7:22 says that he had been instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians.

Secondly, he excludes worldly power when he says, "not many powerful"—that is, powerful according to the world. Hence it says in John 7:48, "princes of nations? They are cut off and are gone down into hell." Thirdly, he excludes lofty birth when he says, "not many were of noble birth." Yet some of them were noble, such as Paul himself, who said that he had been born in a Roman city (Acts 22:25), and others referred to in Romans 16:7: They are men of note among the apostles.

Then, when he says, But God chose, he shows that they were lowly according to worldly standards. First, he shows that they lacked wisdom when he says God chose what is foolish in the world—that is, those whom the world would consider foolish—for the office of preaching, namely, ignorant fishermen. As it says, Understanding that they were illiterate and ignorant men, they wondered (Acts 4:13), and, Where is the one who is learned? Where is he who ponders the words of the law? (Isaiah 33:18). This was to shame the wise—that is, those who trusted in the wisdom of the world, while they themselves did not know the truths revealed to the simple: You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes (Matthew 11:25); Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you what the LORD of hosts has purposed (Isaiah 19:12).

Secondly, he shows that they lacked power, saying God chose what is weak in the world—that is, men with no power in the world, such as peasants and commoners—for the office of preaching. As it is written, I will deliver them into your hand by the servants of the governors of the districts (1 Kings 20:13). And in Proverbs 9:3 it says that wisdom has sent out her maids to call from the highest places in the town. Weakness is indicated by both of these shortcomings in the first preachers, and this was to shame the strong—that is, the powerful of this world: The haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the pride of men shall be brought low (Isaiah 2:17).

Thirdly, he mentions a lack of splendid rank, which is implied in the word "nobility." In contrast to this, he says God has chosen what is despised in the world—that is, men looked down upon by the world—for the office of preaching: We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us (Psalms 79:4). Furthermore, in contrast to the grand opinion people have of the nobility, he says God has chosen things that are not—that is, people who seem to be nothing in the world: The strength of whose hands was as nothing to me, and they were thought unworthy of life itself (Job 30:2).

God did this to bring to nothing things that are—that is, those who seem to be something in this world: The LORD of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pride of all glory, and to dishonor all the honored of the earth (Isaiah 23:9). Then he reveals the reason for all this, saying that God has not chosen the great but the lowly, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. This means that no one may glory in his own worldly greatness before the Lord: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, and let not the rich man glory in his riches (Jeremiah 9:23).

For since God did not bring the world to faith by using the great ones of the world but the lowly, no one can boast that the world was saved by means of worldly greatness. However, so that it would not seem that worldly greatness does not originate from God, He did employ a few—and later, a great number—of the world's great for the office of preaching. Hence, a gloss says, "if the faithful fisherman had not come first, the humble orator could not have come later." Furthermore, it brings glory to God to draw the great of the world to Himself by means of the lowly.

Then, when he says, He is the source, he prevents the preachers of the faith—who were lowly, not great in the world's eyes—from being seen as contemptible, by showing how God compensated for their defects. In this regard, he does three things.

First, he indicates who deserves the honor for the world's salvation, which was accomplished through the ministry of preaching. He says that you have been called not by the great of this world but by the lowly; consequently, your conversion should not be attributed to men but to God. In other words, He is the source of your life; that is, by God's power you are called in Christ Jesus, which means you are joined to Him by grace: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10).

Then he shows how God supplies for the deficiencies of His preachers by means of Christ. First, regarding their lack of wisdom, he says that Christ was made wisdom for us by God. This applies to us who preach the faith, and through us to all the faithful. By adhering to Him who is the wisdom of God and by partaking of Him through grace, we have been made wise. This wisdom comes from our God, who gave Christ to us and drew us to Him, as it says in John 6:44, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And as it says in Deuteronomy 4:6, This is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations.

Secondly, regarding their lack of power, he says Christ is our righteousness. Righteousness is called a breastplate because of its strength: He will put on righteousness as a breastplate . Christ is said to have been made righteousness for us, since we are made righteous by faith, as it says in Romans 3:22: the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

Thirdly, regarding their lack of nobility, he says Christ is our sanctification and redemption. We are sanctified by Christ, since it is through Him that we are joined to God, in whom true nobility is found. As it says in 1 Samuel 2:30, Those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Hence it says in Hebrews 13:12, Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. He has been made our redemption, since we have been redeemed by Him from the slavery of sin, in which true baseness consists. Hence it says in Psalm 31:6, You have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.

Finally, he gives the reason for all of this when he says, Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord" (Jeremiah 9:24). Our version of this verse reads, Let him who glories, glory in this, that he understands and knows me. For he is saying that if a person's salvation does not spring from any human greatness but solely from God's power, the glory belongs not to man but to God. As it says in Psalm 115:1, Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, and in Sirach 51:23, To him that gives me wisdom will I give glory.