The Call of God

Parkdale Grace Fellowship

Sunday AM, February 3, 2008

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

The Call of God

The Bible has been revealing to us in these opening verses of First Corinthians two different kinds of wisdom. First of all there is the wisdom of God which originates with God and is characterized by respectful faith in Him, it depends upon God for all things and has the glory of God as its chief purpose and objective in everything. The world calls this foolishness but it is really the wisdom of God. Then there is mere human wisdom, also known as fleshly wisdom or wisdom of this world. It begins with man, relies on human understanding, operates independent of God, and has man’s selfish interests and desires as its chief purpose and objective. The world calls this wisdom but God calls it foolishness. Therefore, do not misunderstand the Bible to be promoting anti-intellectual mindlessness and foolishness. The Bible is a strong advocate of wisdom and learning. But the scriptures oppose any form of so-called intellectualism or wisdom of this world that is independent of God or that denies or diminishes the glory of God.

Vs. 26

This verse begins with the word “For”, which indicates that what follows gives further explanation or illustration to demonstrate the point that is being made in the previous verses. (Fee, p. 78) Here we have further demonstration of the wisdom of God that flies in the face of, looks foolish and is offensive to mere human wisdom. Here we have further example of how the world through its own wisdom cannot know God. “For example”, says Paul, “think about what you were when you were called”, or “consider your calling.”

What does the Bible mean by the word “calling”? What is your calling? This is now the fifth time Paul refers to being called and we have not yet stopped to discover what is meant by our calling. In verse 1, Paul is “called” to be an apostle; in verse 2 the church at Corinth were “called” to be saints, along with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus; in verse 9 they were “called” into the fellowship of His Son; and again in verse 24 Paul referred to those who are “called”.

(Much of this following section on the call of God is from John Piper, Sermon notes on 1 Cor. 1:18-25, “God Called Us into Life and Hope, p. 2-4)

Let us do what verse 26 invites us to do, let us consider our calling. First of all let us ask, who is the one who does the calling? Who calls us? God is the one who calls. Look back to 1 Corinthians 1:9, “God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” So it is clear that this call we are reading about is God’s call. And the effect or the result of this call of God is that it brings us “into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ.” The call of God not only informs and invites but it also accomplishes that which it calls us to.

As we will see, the implication of these verses in 1 Corinthians chapter one is that this call of God is different from an invitation. If somebody calls you on the phone or sends you a letter inviting you to dinner is there any guarantee that just because you were called you will actually arrive at dinner? You may be unable or unwilling to accept the invitation. But, in contrast to an invitation, God’s call carries with it the power and enabling to do what the call demands.

Something we notice here in chapter one of First Corinthians is that the call of God is different from the general preaching of the gospel or witnessing to a friend (although the call of God may, and often does, accompany that gospel presentation). Notice carefully what is happening in verses 22-24. Paul preaches Christ crucified to Jews and Greeks. He tells the story of Jesus’ crucifixion in order to save sinners. He offers Christ to everyone who will receive Him as the power and the wisdom of God. So in one sense, through Paul’s preaching, God is calling all people to take Christ into their lives.

There certainly is a sense in which there is a call, or perhaps more accurately, an invitation that is extended to all people. That is the way we should witness and preach – indiscriminately, to Jew and Gentile and every race and people and tongue and tribe and nation on earth. When we do, the same thing happens that happened when Paul preached. Some listeners stumble over the gospel as unacceptable. Some say it is foolishness. But some respond and they believe and are saved. But what makes the difference between those who believe and those who don’t? The answer is in verse 24: Christ is a stumbling block and foolishness to everyone who hears the gospel except to “those who are called”. In other words, the preaching of the gospel is not exactly the same thing as the call of God which enables those called to experience the power of God to believe in the wisdom of God. All the people were hearing the preaching of the gospel. But some were rejecting it and others were accepting it. The Bible indicates in verse 24 that only “to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, [is] Christ [received as] the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

So the call of God is not like an invitation calling us to dinner. That is what the gospel proclamation is. All are invited to dinner when the gospel is preached. And whosoever wants to may come. But because you are invited does not mean that you will go. However the call of God (in verses 1, 2, 9, 24 and 26) is something supernatural that the grace of God places into the heart of a man or woman when they hear the preaching of the gospel and it causes them to want to come. The call of God creates conviction of sin, it stirs up faith and it compels one who is by nature at enmity with God to humbly yield to God when nothing in their nature would ever incline them to do so. Although the calling of God is not exactly the same thing as the proclamation of the gospel it is through the proclamation of the gospel that God’s call goes forth. (2 Thes. 2:13-14)

The letter of 1 Corinthians is an application of the doctrines taught in the book of Romans. In Romans 8:30 we read, “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” Notice that everyone who is called is justified because the call of God creates the faith to believe. The call of God creates what it commands. Just as John 12:17 says that Jesus “called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead.” When Jesus called, “Lazarus, come forth!” the all powerful call of God created what He commanded, namely, life.” Ephesians 2:2-5 says that we were dead in trespasses and sins. But the call of God creates in us spiritual life.

Unlike those who stumble and scoff at the gospel, those who are called are enabled to receive the things of God and to recognize that the message of Christ and the cross is not foolish after all but it is in fact the wisdom of God and the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. If you are a Christian this morning you can give yourself no credit. We contribute nothing to our salvation; we can’t even congratulate ourselves for accepting the invitation to come to Christ. We came only because God’s grace enabled us when we were dead in our trespasses and sin. We were dead to God and thoroughly incapable of any acceptable response to Him. We did not love Him nor trust Him nor did we want to. We could not for we were spiritually dead. But then one day God called us to life and we rose from the dead because God did it. This is important for us to understand so that we give God all the credit and all the glory.

Let us now return to our text.

1 Corinthians 1:26

When they were called into the body of Christ not many of the Corinthian believers were wise by the standard of human wisdom, not the highly educated elite of Corinth. Nor were many of them prominent or influential in society. They did not carry much clout in the city of Corinth. There were a few in the church who were influential by human standards. The Bible doesn’t say there were no influential, noble or wise, but not many. Primarily the church was composed of people who were not “upper class.”

Paul does not intend to put down the Corinthian believers with these comments but rather he seeks to exalt the awesome sovereignty and grace of God that saves us without any help or contribution from us. Listen to this ancient writing by a Roman named Celsus who accused the Christians of his day of having a faith that appealed only to the dregs of society:

“Let no one educated, no one wise, no one sensible draw near [to the Christian faith] . . . But as for anyone ignorant, anyone stupid, anyone uneducated, anyone who is a child, let him come boldly.” By the fact that they themselves admit that these people are worthy of their God, [Christians] show that they want and are able to convince only the foolish, dishonourable and stupid, and only slaves, women, and children.” (Fee, p. 81)

What Celsus saw, from his perspective of human wisdom, as the shame of Christianity, Paul saw from God’s perspective as the glory of the church, as the following verses reveal.

Vs. 27-28

This emphasis on the outcasts of society is consistent with Jesus’ own ministry focus in the Gospels. God has chosen the weak and despised things of the world. Luke 4:18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;”

Look also at Luke 7:22-23 “Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

Jesus Christ has come to overthrow the false standards of the world and to overthrow Satan’s deceptive paths to happiness apart from God. Deceptive paths such as pursuing the riches, power and celebrity status of this world in the false belief that they will lead to life. Jesus wisely requires all who would follow Him to deny themselves and take up their cross. This is consistent with what we saw in Mark’s gospel. Only those who are prepared to let go of all that this world esteems as vital to success will be able to follow Jesus. And who are more prepared to let go of all than those who have little to let go of?

What about those who have it all together in the eyes of the world? Most often they must first be humbled and brought low by crisis and failure in their lives before they will be open to the gospel. We must come to Christ empty handed. God has chosen and called the foolish things of the world and the weak things and the things that are not. Think of Jesus’ counsel to the rich young ruler who wanted to know what he must do to inherit eternal life and Jesus told him to “Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” (Mark 10:21)

The Bible makes it clear that God chooses who He does in order to bring to shame the wise and the mighty things of the world. He does it to make clear that God’s ways are not just different from, but radically opposed to, the world’s ways. The world’s ways will not lead anyone to God; instead they will lead you away from God and straight to hell. The Bible has warned that there is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death. The world pursues riches, prestige power and influence thinking that it is the way of life, but it is the broad road that leads to destruction and many are those who are travelling on it.

So why should we be surprised when we read here that God has chosen the weak and the despised things that the world considers foolish? In the end, at the judgment seat of God, those who chose the world’s broad and appealing ways rather than God’s narrow way of the cross will stand condemned, empty handed and put to shame. The word shame in this context refers to what they will experience at the judgment of God. This concept of shame associated with final judgment is clearly brought out in some of the Psalms. For example: Psalm 31:17 “Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You; Let the wicked be ashamed; Let them be silent in the grave.”

Vs. 29

“That no flesh should glory [or boast] in His presence.” God has deliberately chosen the foolish things of the world, including the cross and the Corinthian believers, so that He could remove forever, from every human being, any possible claim on our part of being even slightly worthy to stand before the presence of God in heaven. (Fee, p. 84) The ground is level at the foot of the cross; not a single one of us possesses anything that will give us the slightest advantage over the most undeserving sinner in the presence of God. By choosing the lowly Corinthians with all of their problems God declared that He has forever ruled out every imaginable human system of gaining His favor. We either trust in Him completely, depending upon His grace alone from start to final breath, or stand condemned without any hope at all. As 1 Corinthians 4:7 says, “What do you have that you did not receive [from God]?”

Vs. 30

The ESV does a much better job of translating this verse. 1 Corinthians 1:30 “He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”

God is the source of our new life in Christ. What this verse means is that Jesus Himself is the whole sum of every aspect of my Christian life (my wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption). There is no aspect of my salvation that I can point to and say “that is my work, or my accomplishment or my contribution.” It is all Jesus, the wisdom, the righteousness, the sanctification and redemption. He does it all for me, lock stock and barrel.

Vs. 31

Or “He who boasts, let him boast in the LORD.” There is no place for human boasting. God did it all for us and He continues to do it all. In heaven there will be no proud rivals, like Satan once was, seeking to share the glory that belongs to Jesus alone.

It is not that God cannot, or will not, save the rich or the powerful, (as Jesus said to His disciples when asked about this very question, “Nothing is impossible for God”. But God has chosen to show His mercy toward the very people whom the rich and powerful tend to write off, the poor, the weak, the helpless and the despised. Because we must all become emptied of self before we can be filled with Christ. We must come to see ourselves for the pitiful, weak, needy creatures that we are, totally hopeless and helpless without Christ before we will ever recognize our need of Christ who is the only source of life and joy and pleasure forever without end.