Ministry of Grace Church

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

Truth to Learn

God calls lowly sinners to His kingdom and to His family.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “you see” is blepō, which means “to look at” or “to see.” The form of this verb is ambiguous. It could be present tense, active voice, indicative mood, meaning “you see.” But it could also be present tense, active voice, imperative mood, meaning “look at!”

“Calling” is from klēsis, which refers to “an invitation.” As we explain below, here it refers to those who respond to the invitation and accept it by faith.

The word translated “mighty” is dunatos, meaning “that which is powerful.”

Eugeneis is the Greek word translated as “noble.” It is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and genos, meaning “a race” or “a family.” Thus, eugeneis literally means “well born” or “born into a good family.”

Meaning Explained

In verse twenty-four, Paul told us that to those of us who are called, the gospel message is “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Back in verse nine we talked a little more about this calling. It does not refer to everyone who has heard the gospel message; it refers to everyone who has believed the good news. Now he gives us some additional information about those of us who believe.

Remember that Paul has been contrasting the wisdom and power of the world system with the wisdom and power of God. To the world, especially the wisest, the most powerful, and the ruling class, the death of Christ and the gospel message are foolishness. It is likely for this very reason that He did not call many of them. Notice that Paul does not say that none of them are called, rather he says that very few of them are called. Instead, God pours out His grace on the “foolish,” the powerless, and the common people. To the world this seems like foolishness because these people have little or nothing to offer Him, which is precisely Paul’s point. Jesus, in one of His prayers, put it this way:

At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. (Matthew 11:25)

Later, in verse twenty-nine, Paul tells us God’s reasoning: “that no flesh should glory in His presence.” In our fleshly nature we want to take some or all of the credit for our salvation, but all the credit and all the glory belongs to God. Our salvation is not ours because we have done anything; this salvation is ours because God has done everything and has freely given it to us. It was not given to us because we deserve anything. It was given to us because we do not deserve anything except eternal damnation. That’s God’s wisdom!

Application

If you are a born-again Christian, it is not because you have done anything; it is because God has done everything for you. That should drive all of us to our knees with thankful hearts!