Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.

God chooses who will be saved. Ephesians 2:8 says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” It follows from this truth that God must also determine the criteria He uses to choose who will be saved. And, according to our verse for today, one of the main criteria He uses is foolishness. The ones He chooses are usually the ones that the world considers to be foolish. Paul says, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes,” (1 Corinthians 1:26).

Why? Why does God do it this way? He does it in order “to shame those who think they are wise.” He wants those who think they are wise in the world’s view to be proven wrong. He wants them to realize how foolish their “wisdom” actually is. He also does it so that “no one can ever boast in the presence of God,” (1 Corinthians 1:29). God does not want anyone to be saved, thinking that he deserves it, thinking that God is obligated to save them because of human wisdom.

Another main criterion God uses to choose who will be saved is powerlessness. The ones He chooses are usually the ones the world considers to be powerless. Verse 26 goes on to say that few of those who were chosen by God were “powerful or wealthy when God called you.” God does this in order “to shame those who are powerful.” He wants those with worldly power to be proven powerless. He wants them to realize that their power has no control over His choices and, therefore, cannot boast in His presence. God does not want anyone to be saved thinking that his power or wealth somehow gained salvation.

God is the sovereign Lord of the universe. He controls all things and determines their destinies. The universe depends upon Him and revolves around Him—not the other way around. He proves His point by condemning many whom the world considered mighty and by singling out for exaltation many whom the world considered foolish.

By John Huisman, friend of Bible League International