This is our fifth session. We have now come all the way from 1 Corinthians 1:1 to verse 25.
This letter was written by the Apostle Paul, through the Holy Spirit, to the believers in Corinth.
We have not spent much time understanding the history of the city of Corinth, because Scripture does not give us much insight into that city. That means we do not have to spend too much time studying it.
But through secular history, we know that this was a Roman province.
Even by secular standards, this city was highly immoral.
And in this city, the Gentiles who lived that worldly life received the gospel message and came to faith in Christ.
Scripture called them saints.
The church founded by the Apostle Paul was made up predominantly of Gentiles.
If they had been Jews, they would already have known the Old Testament Scriptures. They would already have been waiting for the Messiah to come. They would already have had moral boundaries.
But because they were Gentiles, they had no moral boundaries. There was no knowledge of the Messiah. They lived as the world lived.
And it is amidst this culture that this church is established.
So now, this group of people who once lived in Corinth like the rest of the Corinthians, having now received Christ, must live a life separated from the people of Corinth.
These people now have to shine the light of Christ.
They cannot live just like the other Corinthians anymore.
The Apostle Paul spent time teaching them the Word of God.
Because it is only through the Word that a believer can be transformed.
Psalm 19:7–10 proclaims that the Word of God:
- is perfect,
- converts the soul,
- makes wise the simple,
- rejoices the heart,
- enlightens the eyes,
- is clean, that is, holy,
- and leads us to righteousness.
The only way that can happen is through the Word of God.
Believing in Christ separated them from pagan Corinth.
But now, maturing in Christ is necessary so that they may shine the light of Christ in this pagan nation.
This is what Scripture refers to as sanctification—being washed in the Word of God through the Spirit of God, made possible by the blood of Jesus Christ.
We are in exactly the same place they were.
We also live in a highly pagan and dark city. It does not matter where you live.
The city needs the light of Christ.
And the only way we can shine is when we grow in Christ.
But the people of Corinth were unable to do that.
Why? The only reason is that they were not being perfected through the Word of God, because they were losing the understanding of the Word.
So, unfortunately, they were slowly slipping back into the mold of the world, rather than being strengthened into the image of Christ.
This is very much like the church of today.
The reason is the same—they have lost the understanding of the Word of God.
This letter was written to the believers to bring them back to the Lord through the Word of the Lord.
They, just like us, had been brought out of the world through the blood of Christ.
The first thing we saw was that the church was divided. The body of Christ was divided.
Because they did not have the right understanding of Christ. Again, because they did not have the right understanding of the Word of God.
When we do not have the right understanding of Christ, and when we do not have the right understanding of the Word of God, we will not be able to mature.
Believers do not grow in Christ because they are unable to walk in the understanding of the Word of God.
The sign of a mature church today is often seen as:
- charity work,
- growth in the church, both in numbers and property,
- and a good year-end balance through offerings.
Do you know that this is the same measure used for groups like ISKCON?
With that said, let us read the passage for today, knowing that the Word of God is clean and will lead us, and should lead us, to holiness and righteousness.
Not the Wise, Not the Mighty, Not the Noble
1 Corinthians 1:26 | For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
Scripture is not talking about being called into His kingdom.
Remember, this Word is given to the saints.
Scripture is talking to the called about what their calling is.
Or, a better way to put it is this: Why are you called?
Let us ask this discussion point:
Why are you called into the kingdom of God?
In the New Testament, in the Gospel of Matthew, we read about a rich young man. Scripture says that he chose not to follow the Lord because he was unable to let go of his wealth.
But these people are already following the Lord. Yet the principle is the same. They are unable to grow in Christ because they are holding on to some things, refusing to grow in Christ.
This verse is not about redemption.
This verse is not saying that the wise of the world, the powerful of the world, and the noble of the world may not be redeemed.
The words “are called” are in italics because they are not there in the original.
The context of this verse is that the Lord would not use what they have gained in this world to shine the light of Christ.
The context is to testify of Christ in the fallen world through the Spirit of God, and not through man’s strength or wisdom.
Scripture says that God does not use the wisdom of man, the strength of man, the power of man, or the nobility of man to proclaim His goodness.
The word wise refers to one who is skilled or expert—someone who has excelled in what he does through years and years of training.
The understanding is that this is a skill that you have learned, something you have worked hard to gain.
And God says, “I will not use that to proclaim My kingdom.”
This is a hard saying, for we should have numerous questions now. Does that mean God will not use my talents, which I have worked hard for, to give glory to God? Are not all good things from God?
Let us take it in a more evangelical sense.
I am a molecular biologist. I now use the knowledge that I have learned to tell the world why evolution is false, and why you need to believe in Christ.
In this context, God says, “I will not use that.”
This is a hard saying, is it not? Let us ask this question:
Why would God say that?
Can I not use my God-given talents to the glory of God?
What is the gospel?
The gospel is Christ crucified.
The Apostle Paul said that this is all he preached.
When I disprove evolution, does that take me to the Lord Jesus Christ?
Recent developments in molecular biology have placed Darwinian evolution in grave doubt, to the point that scientists have moved on—
not merely challenging evolution, because they see its weaknesses,
but moving on, seeking the truth, and following science.
But that does not lead everyone to Christ. It leads to further advancement in science.
For there is only one thing that can lead and root a believer in Christ—it is Christ crucified; it is the Word of God.
But we need to understand why God has made the gospel message so narrow.
For we can prove the existence of God in so many ways, can we not?
But God says there is only one way you can preach the gospel:
Christ crucified, and through His Word.
Let us continue reading further.
The Foolish and the Weak
Can we read 1 Corinthians 1:27–29?
1 Corinthians 1:27 | But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
1 Corinthians 1:28 | and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,
1 Corinthians 1:29 | that no flesh should glory in His presence.
These are heavy verses.
But we are continuing our question:
Why would God not use the wise, the strong, and the noble? Why would God not use my talents and my skills?
In these three verses, God gives us the reason why.
The Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:29, teaches us that if God allows us to use our skills, talents, and strength, which we have gained in this world, it will give glory to us; it will not give glory to God.
The application would be this: if I am a molecular biologist, and I use my wisdom to prove Darwin’s theory wrong, it gives glory to me, not to God.
People would probably say, “This man is smart. He can debate. He can prove.”
But why?
Did I not become a molecular biologist because of God?
Is He not the One who provided me with all the providence to become the person I am?
Can I not prove evolution wrong?
Why?
Before continuing, let us ask the question: What is glory?
How do I accidentally end up giving glory to myself rather than to God?
How do I give glory to God?
When we talk about glory, there are two types of glory:
- the glory of God,
- and the glory of man.
And we also need to understand how to give glory to God.
Let us first understand how a believer takes the glory of God.
Then we will understand the glory of man.
And then the glory of God.
The best example of glory is found in Judges 7.
Let us continue with our understanding of how we end up taking God’s glory.
We now come to the account of Gideon.
In Judges 6, we read that Israel is troubled by the Midianites.
The people of Israel are so oppressed that they are crying out to the good Lord, asking that He would send a redeemer to take them out of this slavery, just as God had taken them out of Egypt.
At this time, the Lord meets a man called Gideon and declares that he will be the redeemer for Israel.
Why did God choose Gideon?
Remember the context we are in now. God said He will not choose us to use our strength, our wisdom, or our power to proclaim the gospel.
In Judges 6, Scripture tells us why God chose Gideon.
Let us read Judges 6:15.
Judges 6:15 | So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
The Lord had just declared to Gideon that he would go and deliver Israel from the Midianites. This is Gideon’s response.
He says, “Lord, the tribe of Manasseh is one of the smallest tribes in Israel.”
And in that small tribe, Gideon says his clan is the weakest.
And in that weakest clan, in that small tribe, he says that he is the least in his father’s house.
That sums up why God picked him.
He was the last person, in the mind of man, that anyone would assume God would choose for deliverance to come through.
But there is one more reason why God chose him.
Gideon had a strength amidst all this weakness.
Let us read the verses before that, Judges 6:12–14.
Judges 6:12 | And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
Judges 6:13 | Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
Judges 6:14 | Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”
Gideon was a mighty man of valor.
But the valor was not in his physical abilities.
His mighty valor was in the promises of God.
Gideon asks the Lord, “God has promised us that there will be deliverance.”
God looks at Gideon and says, “Go in that might.”
Go in that confidence that God has indeed promised deliverance.
God chose Gideon because he had no strength of his own. But all his strength was in God and in the promises of God.
We know the account of Gideon.
Gideon gathers 32,000 people. The Lord says it is too many, so He reduces it to 10,000. Then again, He reduces it to 300.
And eventually Gideon requires only 100 people in one division to begin the battle, for he would never even raise the sword. The Midianites flee even before the battle truly begins.
But in that whole summary, look at this verse in Judges 7:2, where the good Lord says why He did what He did.
Judges 7:2 | And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’”
This is a powerful verse.
The good Lord says that if you go to war and win with so many people, the people of Israel—not the enemies; it does not matter what the enemies think—
but the people of Israel may assume that they won because of themselves, on account of Me.
The word against is ‘al, which can carry the sense of “on behalf of” or “on account of.”
God says, “You will take what I did and consider it as if you did it.”
God says, “I will not allow that.”
That is how man takes the glory of God to himself.
This is very subtle. Why should the good Lord not allow us to take some glory?
After all, did not Gideon do what God asked him to do?
Should we not learn the faith of Gideon?
But in the context of our study, if we learn the faith of Gideon in a way that makes Gideon the focus, that is exactly what God did not want us to learn.
We will assume that it is because of Gideon.
God said that is not the lesson.
It is His providence, His Word, and the Lord fulfilling His Word.
Why We Cannot Receive Glory
How do we give glory?
How do we give glory?
We give glory, or we receive glory, through the words of our mouth.
Philippians 2:11 | and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Psalm 30:12 | To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
Scripture indicates that your tongue is your glory. And when you use that to praise God, you are giving glory to God.
But when you take to yourself what God has done, you take the glory of God to yourself.
Psalm 108:1 | O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
That is how we give glory to God.
Through our lips.
But here is the reason why God does not want us to take the glory.
The word glory is often translated in Scripture as boast, praise, or thanks.
When we boast about people, when we praise people, and when we thank people, we end up giving glory to them.
We do not always recognize this, but that is what Scripture shows.
1 Samuel 2:3 | Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the LORD is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.
That is Hannah’s prayer when she dedicates Samuel back to the Lord.
The word proudly is the same word used for glory.
Psalm 49:6 | Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches,
Here again, the word boast carries the idea of glory.
When glory is turned toward us, it is considered pride in the eyes of God.
That is what the good Lord was pointing out to Gideon.
If I allow you to take My glory, you will fall into pride.
Understand this in the context of what the good Lord is teaching us.
We asked the question: Why can I not use my knowledge, my skill, and my talent to preach the gospel?
Scripture says that when we use our skill, our talent, and our knowledge, rather than the cross of Christ, it is taking glory from God. It becomes pride.
And Scripture teaches us that if you have pride, you cannot come close to God.
God Himself will keep you far away so that you are not destroyed.
It was the pride of the devil, and his proximity to God, that caused him to be destroyed.
It is God’s grace that He commands you not to take glory, so that you do not fall into pride.
And when you fall into pride, it is God’s grace that He does not allow you near Him, so that you are not destroyed.
That is the glory of man.
His tongue.
When he stands and takes credit for what God has done.
God says that is pride.
The Glory of God
The First Occurrence
Exodus 16:7 is the first occurrence of the glory of God.
Israel has walked out of Egypt, and within a few days they are already missing Egypt.
They are proclaiming that in Egypt they were eating choice foods.
Let us read Exodus 16:3.
Exodus 16:3 | And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
At this point, the good Lord says that He will give bread (manna) in the morning and meat in the evening.
He does not punish them for being unthankful. He says He will give them food. Not just bread, but also meat.
This is what Moses proclaims to the children of Israel.
Exodus 16:7 | And in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD; for He hears your complaints against the LORD. But what are we, that you complain against us?”
The glory of the Lord is shown to the Israelites not because they were worthy, but because they were chosen and continued to remain unworthy.
What is the glory of the Lord in this context? Providence. Manna and meat.
But there is more to this understanding.
Glory of the Lord is a title which the Lord takes to Himself.
Elohim Kavowd or YHWH Kavowd is the word—Glory of God.
The glory of God in Scripture is not just praise, or worship, or exaltation. It is more than that. Scripture considers the glory of God as a person.
Let us read Ezekiel 43:2.
Ezekiel 43:2 | And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.
Ezekiel is having a vision of a future temple. And he sees the glory of God moving and speaking.
The glory of God is a person.
Who is this person?
It is Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 1:3 | who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Hebrews 1:3 confirms what we read in Ezekiel 10, and all through Exodus, when the Israelites saw the glory of God.
Jesus Christ is the brightness of glory and the image of God.
Jesus Christ is the glory of God.
Put it back into the context we are reading.
When we take the glory of God, what are we doing?
We are sitting in the place of Christ.
That sounds extreme. But that is what Scripture says.
Put it back into the full context of what we are learning.
There is only one way Christ can be preached. It is through Christ crucified; it is through His Word.
There is only one way a believer can grow in Christ—it is through Christ crucified; it is through His Word.
Any other way—glory goes to us.
We take the glory of God.
We take the place of Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:30 | But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—
1 Corinthians 1:31 | that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 2:1 | And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.
1 Corinthians 2:2 | For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
1 Corinthians 2:3 | I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
1 Corinthians 2:4 | and my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
1 Corinthians 2:5 | that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Let us summarize what we have seen so far.
Scripture proclaims that we are called to shine the light of Christ.
We are called to testify of Christ.
Scripture says that it is not through our wisdom, it is not through our strength, it is not through our power or position, that we can proclaim Christ or preach Christ.
We asked the question—why would God not want us to use our skills and talents?
God walked us through the understanding that when we use our skills and talents, we end up receiving glory for ourselves.
When we do that, we step into the glory of God, we replace Christ, and sit in the seat of Christ.
Let us ask these two questions.
What if I am careful not to take glory? Can I proclaim Christ the way I want to, using my skills and talents?
How did the Apostle Paul proclaim Christ?
The Apostle Paul was a very learned man.
He was a Jew. He was also a Roman citizen. And Scripture says that he learned under one of the leading Jewish schools, under Gamaliel. He is called in Scripture a learned man.
The Apostle Paul was powerful enough to have his way in the Jewish synagogue.
He was skilled in tentmaking.
But when he came to know the Lord, when he came to grow in the knowledge of God, he did not want to use anything.
We know that famous verse in Philippians 3, where the Apostle Paul proclaims that he considers all things as loss for the knowledge of Christ.
The Apostle had to come to a place of nothingness to gain Christ.
Here in 1 Corinthians 2:1–3, he proclaims that he came in fear and trembling, so that he would not end up using any wisdom of his own, or any excellence of speech of his own, while proclaiming the gospel.
Why? Because he knows that he cannot use his wisdom to give glory to God.
He did not use persuasive words or any human wisdom.
He is not interested in disproving anything. Why? Because a lie is a lie. The only way you will know it is a lie is when you receive the understanding of truth.
The only way you can show them the truth is through the gospel of Christ.
That is why the Apostles never got themselves mingled in social issues, psychology, or debates with scholars to prove that this is wrong, or that is wrong. Nothing.
Why? Because it would mean they had to use their wisdom.
But they understood the path is narrow.
There is only one way you can proclaim Christ, and there is only one way you can grow in Christ—it is through His Word.
Scripture says that only when I preach Christ, and only Christ, will the faith of the believers be strengthened in the power of God. Else, it will be in the wisdom of men.
That is what 1 Corinthians 2:5 proclaims.
1 Corinthians 2:5 | that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
If I have used my debate skill to prove He is God, who received glory?
If I have used my scientific skills to prove He is God, who received glory?
Science changes, technology changes, and new things are constantly identified. There is always someone better at debate than me.
What happens when the person you testified to through science receives something else which seems more scientifically true?
Where should his faith be rooted?
Scripture says it should be in the power of God—which is the Word of God.
The Apostle Paul was afraid that he might end up bringing in his own wisdom, and so he was trembling with fear.
Do we approach God and His Word like that today?
Do we approach teaching and preaching and sharing the gospel like that today?
But if I understand that when I give a smart, wise answer and I get the glory, rather than pointing back to Scripture, I took the place of Christ—
if I understand that,
will I be careful how I conduct myself?
Will I be careful how I share the gospel?
Will I be careful how I conduct church, and what I preach in church?
Will I tell stories in church?
We have not understood the power of God—the power of His Word.
We look down upon it.
What is the expectation?
I am called to proclaim Christ.
I cannot use my skills and my talents.
Scripture teaches us in 1 Corinthians 1:31 that if there is anything we should glory in, we should glory in the Lord.
This is a verse from Jeremiah 9.
Jeremiah 9:23 | Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
Jeremiah 9:24 | But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.
The only thing you can glory in is the fact that you now understand and know Christ.
Scripture says the reason you do not speak Christ, but rather do everything else, is because you do not know Me.
That you have not matured in Me.
That is the only thing you can glory in.
And that pleases the Lord.
What is it that you would know about Christ? Scripture teaches in Jeremiah 9:
That He is merciful.
That He is righteous.
Let us go back to 1 Corinthians 1:30.
1 Corinthians 1:30 | But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—
1 Corinthians 1:31 | that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
Scripture says that Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God.
And He is the righteousness of God.
He is our sanctification.
He is our redemption.
But this verse is inserted in the understanding of us preaching as fools in this world.
There is no human wisdom that can preach righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, but the Word of God.
The reason we do not speak or preach is because we do not know who God is. We do not understand His righteousness.
Only when we know who God is, and only when we grow in His righteousness, can we glory in Him.
Only when we know who God is will He rejoice in us.
Only if we can teach His righteousness and His wisdom can we proclaim who Christ is.
There is no worldly wisdom that can teach His righteousness.
When we use worldly wisdom to prove someone is wrong and this is right, can you teach righteousness?
You cannot.
Can you teach sanctification?
You cannot.
Can you teach redemption?
You cannot.
Scripture says that is the wisdom of God, and only the wisdom of God.
We are called to show Christ—His righteousness.
There is no way we can show the righteousness of Christ through the wisdom of this world, because His righteousness is not available in the wisdom of this world.
His righteousness is not available in your skills, your talents, your power, or your position. It is only through Christ—His Word—His Spirit.
We saw Philippians 3:8, where the Apostle Paul said that he considers all things as loss. Let us read that verse.
Philippians 3:7 | But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
Philippians 3:8 | Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
Philippians 3:9 | and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
Philippians 3:10 | that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
Philippians 3:11 | if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
The Apostle Paul proclaims, “I consider all things as rubbish so that I may gain Christ.”
For if I do not do that, then I am having my own righteousness. We tend to skip that, assuming the Apostle is forsaking all for Christ. But the understanding is far more than that.
The Apostle proclaims that if I hold on to anything else, it means I am seeking my own righteousness, my own glory.
But the righteousness of God comes only through faith in His Word.
Only when I know Him do I gain and grow in His righteousness.
That is what is proclaimed in 1 Corinthians 1:30. To speak His righteousness, His sanctification, we need to speak through the Word of God.
Nothing else can be spoken. Nothing else can be proclaimed.
This is the fear, the respect, and the awe the Apostle Paul had for the Word of God.
But we have lost this today.
Very rarely can we hear a sermon which has nothing but the Word of God.
We will have stories. We will have testimonies of how I had no money, and God gave me all this.
Is that what God asked us to teach?
Or did God say, “Speak My righteousness”?
Who is receiving glory today among Christians?
Are we preaching so that Christ is glorified?
Are we living so that Christ is glorified?
Or are we receiving the glory of Christ while using the name of Christ?
In Christ — Noel Kingsley
All content © 2026 Noel Kingsley, www.Jeremiah364.com.
These studies are freely shared for personal growth, family devotion, and group Bible study. You are welcome to reproduce them in full, provided no changes are made and proper credit is given. Please do not use the material for commercial purposes.
Open the Scriptures to see Christ.
Study the Scriptures to know Christ.
Cling to the promises to grow in Christ.
