1 Corinthians 1:26-31

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 — "No flesh should glory before God"

Text (NASB)

"For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, 'Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"

Analysis: Does choosing God = boasting?

A central Calvinist argument against free will is that if humans choose to believe in God, they have grounds for boasting. If you chose God and your neighbor did not, you are "better" than your neighbor and can boast in your decision. Schatz addresses this directly in her article "Are you better than those who say no?"

Paul's argument in context

Paul's point in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 is that God chose the weak, foolish, and despised things of the world — not the humanly impressive — so that human boasting is excluded. The boasting Paul excludes is boasting in worldly wisdom, power, and status. God's method of salvation (the foolishness of the cross, 1 Cor 1:18-25) eliminates boasting in human achievement.

But Paul is not arguing that any human response to God constitutes boasting. Faith is the opposite of boasting — it is the admission that one cannot save oneself and must rely entirely on God's provision. Romans 4:4-5: "To the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness." Faith is explicitly contrasted with works. The one who believes is described as "not working."

Schatz's response to the "Are you better?" argument

Schatz breaks down three hidden Calvinist assumptions:

1. "If man freely responds, all are not equal." Paul refutes this in Romans 3:9: "Are we better than they? Not at all." All are under sin equally. Responding to God's offer does not change one's nature from sinful to superior — it acknowledges one's sinfulness and receives grace.

2. "All cannot believe." Calvinism assumes that because all do not believe, all cannot believe. But Romans 11:32: "God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all." The same "all" shut up in sin are the "all" offered mercy. God's mercy is intentional for all.

3. "God's mercy cannot be related to man." Paul contradicts this in 1 Timothy 1:13: "I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief." God's mercy has conditions related to human disposition, even as it remains entirely gracious.

The glory belongs to God

Verse 30: "By His doing you are in Christ Jesus." Salvation is God's doing — His initiative, His provision, His grace. Verse 31: "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord." The one who receives a gift does not boast in their act of receiving; they boast in the Giver. A beggar who accepts bread does not boast over a beggar who refuses it — the bread came from the baker, and the glory belongs to the baker.

Source

• Cheryl Schatz, "Are you better than those who say no?" and "Is Free Will Another Gospel?" — The Giving blog
• Romans 4:4-5, Romans 3:9, Romans 11:32, 1 Timothy 1:13

Cross-References for 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

• Romans 3:9 — "Are we better than they? Not at all" — responding to grace does not make one superior
• Romans 4:4-5 — "To the one who does not work, but believes... his faith is credited as righteousness" — faith contrasted with works
• Romans 4:13-14 — "If those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made empty and the promise is canceled" — faith cannot be a work
• Romans 11:32 — "God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all" — universal scope of mercy
• Galatians 3:6-9 — Abraham believed God and it was reckoned as righteousness; Abraham is "the believer"
• Genesis 15:3-6 — Abraham believed the LORD; it was reckoned as righteousness before any work of obedience
• 2 Corinthians 3:7-9 — "How will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?" — God's glory cannot be diminished
• 1 Timothy 1:13,16 — Paul received mercy with a stated human condition: "because I acted ignorantly in unbelief"
• Romans 9:30-33 — Gentiles attained righteousness by faith; Israel stumbled because they pursued it by works, not faith

For the full argument analysis, see the Argument Library entry.

Summary: If humans have free will to choose God, then salvation is partly a human achievement, and the one who chooses can boast over the one who does not. 1 Corinthians 1:29 ("no flesh should glory before God") proves that God must be the sole agent in salvation with no human contribution, including faith.