1 Cor 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty:
Jesus, the Son of God, could have come to earth at any time and could have been part of any social status. The family lineage was from the house of king David, a royal blood line, Christ chose to be the natural son of a carpenter from a simple and plain family. We see examples of this all through scripture. David, in nature being the least (or weakest) of all on the battlefield, kills the unbeatable giant Goliath and becomes king of Israel. Christ did not call the well-respected Pharisees to be His disciples, instead he called common fishermen.
Mat 19:21-23 If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
We spend too much time trying to better ourselves in this world that we often lose sight of Christ teaches us. In most cases, the more treasures people acquire, the more they desire to have. There is nothing wrong with having things in this life but we must keep things in perspective. We need to remember that no good thing dwells in the flesh (Rom 7:18), we will give up all possessions when we depart from this world (Luke 12:13-21), and there truly is no profit if we gained everything this world has to offer (Mat 16:26).
Mat 18:3 Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
True submission is very humbling. I have come to believe that every person has within themselves a lethal dose of pride. Nature teaches us that we be and do anything our heart desires, all it takes is dedication and hard work. Yet I find in scripture that salvation is a free gift that cannot be earned by our works (Eph 2:8-9). We must accept that we are unable to obtain this by our good works and that salvation is only received in Christ. “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Mat 19:26). How many Pharisees were willing to give up their position in society as being a well-respected ruler and follow Christ? Was the rich man willing to be perfect and sell everything he had and follow Christ (Mat 19:22). How many people today would be willing to sell everything they have to follow Christ? The simple truth is it would be difficult for anyone but I am persuaded the more you have, the more difficult it would be to give it up.
1 Cor 1:22-23 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness:
I believe what Paul is saying is that the Pharisees would not follow Christ because (in Nature) they believed they were above Christ. He was not the Savior they were looking for. They were looking for a king to free them from natural slavery, not the king of kings who would save them from their sins. The Gentiles (Those at Corinth) sought after wisdom. If they could not figure it out then it wasn’t possible. They would believe that true strength was the exact opposite of what Christ taught. When people think of a strong man, do we think of a body builder, a wrestler, or a man who prays for his enemies? When people think of courage, do they think of a man who would never back down from a fight or a man who turns the other cheek?
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
To the natural man, the ways of God and the ways of serving God are foolish and weak. Stepping out on faith and placing complete trust in something you cannot see or physically touch is not wise by man’s standards. Paul told the Corinth Church, “For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (1 Cor 1:26). I believe that Paul’s audience, the church at Corinth, were able to see this in themselves. No matter how rich or poor we are, no matter what our formal education may be, and no matter what our social status is, we all seem to believe that our way is the best way.
I see a two-fold meaning in this scripture. A natural man can only see things naturally and will follow the things of the flesh. According to nature, the natural man is strong and will not follow the spirit. God is a Spirit and does His work with a man through his (The man’s) spirit. Those that believe will be born with the Spirit of God and that will confound the wise (The carnal mind) and the mighty (The flesh). I also see this scripture being natural as well as spiritual. I believe a simple man being led by the Holy Spirit being able to witness to others regardless of their education or social status. Those that are obedient to God will display a light and be a witness to those around them. It means that when someone is blessed to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, their natural status does not matter. It is the power of the Holy Spirit bearing witness to their spirit. I find a perfect illustration of this when Ananias was sent to Saul (Paul) and prayed for him. Saul was a mighty man who was feared by many. He was a very educated man calling himself a “Hebrew of the Hebrews” (Phil 3:5). He was thought of as being well-respected in the Jewish community because he was a Pharisee who was a student of Gamaliel. This mighty man Saul was confounded by the weak Ananias.
An Old Regular Baptist of Jesus Christ 