1 Corinthians 1:28 teaches that God deliberately picks people the world overlooks, the lowly, the despised, and those considered nothing, so that human status cannot take credit for what He does. Paul wrote this to the church in Corinth, a community where people were divided by social rank, education and wealth.
And God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are…
1 Corinthians 1:28 (WEB)
What 1 Corinthians 1:28 Means
Paul begins with the word “chose,” which places the action in God’s hands. The people He selects are described in three overlapping ways: “the lowly things of the world,” which points to those of low birth or social standing; “the things that are despised,” meaning those others look down on or treat with contempt; and “the things that are not,” a striking phrase that describes people who count for little or nothing in the eyes of society.
The purpose clause follows: God does this “that he might bring to nothing the things that are.” The “things that are” are the people and powers that look important and impressive in the world’s eyes. God’s choice of the overlooked is not random. It is aimed at exposing the emptiness of human pride so that no one can claim that their own standing won the day.
The verse does not say that rank or ability is evil, or that every poor person is automatically chosen. It describes a pattern in how God works and a principle about where glory belongs. Read with the verses around it, it promises that God’s power is perfectly able to work through weakness, and it calls believers to receive grace rather than boast.
The Context of 1 Corinthians 1:28
First Corinthians was written by the apostle Paul, traditionally dated to around AD 53 to 55, to a church he had founded in the bustling Greek port city of Corinth. The congregation included people from different backgrounds, and some were proud of their wisdom, their spiritual gifts, or their social connections. Divisions had formed around favorite teachers, and some members looked down on others.
Verses 25 to 31 form a single argument. Paul first says that God’s “foolishness” is wiser than human wisdom and God’s “weakness” is stronger than human strength. He then reminds the Corinthians of their own calling: few of them were wise, powerful or well born by worldly measures. Verse 28 is the center of this reasoning, and verse 29 states the goal plainly: “that no flesh should boast before God.” Verses 30 and 31 finish the thought by pointing believers to Christ as their wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, so that anyone who boasts must boast in the Lord alone. Seen this way, verse 28 is not a general comment about social justice. It is part of a letter aimed at humbling a divided church.
Key Phrases in 1 Corinthians 1:28
1 Corinthians 1:31
That, according as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”
(WEB)
This verse finishes Paul’s argument by stating that whoever boasts must boast in the Lord. It connects directly to the purpose clause of verse 28 and shows where the humbling leads: away from self-praise and toward gratitude for what God has done in Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:27
But God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong…
(WEB)
Verse 27 comes just before verse 28 and sets up its contrast between the foolish and the wise, and the weak and the strong. Reading it alongside verse 28 shows that God’s choice of the overlooked is a deliberate pattern running through the whole passage.
A Short Prayer From 1 Corinthians 1:28
Lord, thank You that You chose people like me, not because I earned it but because You are gracious. When I am tempted to measure myself against others by their status, their gifts or their success, remind me that You delight in working through what the world overlooks. Keep me from boasting in anything except You, and help me to honor those who are unnoticed around me. Let my life point to Your wisdom and strength rather than my own. Amen.
