S4: Week 25 Day 3: Annotating 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 - A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace

Summary

A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace
Season 4, Week 25 Day 3: Annotating 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Release Date: June 18, 2025

Introduction

In this episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace, hosts Beth and Alexa guide listeners through an in-depth study of 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. As part of their overarching mission to uncover how Jesus is interwoven throughout both the Old and New Testaments, this episode delves into the Apostle Paul's message about God's wisdom versus worldly wisdom.

Exploring 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Alexa reads the passage (1 Corinthians 1:26-31), emphasizing themes of God's unexpected choices and the contrast between divine and human perspectives:

"Brothers and sisters, consider your calling. Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. And God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world, what is viewed as nothing, to bring to nothing what is viewed as something so that no one may boast in his presence. It is from him that you were in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us, our righteousness, sanctification and redemption, in order that as it's written, let the one who boasts boast in the Lord." [00:37]

Insights on God's Attributes

Beth begins her annotation by focusing on the attributes of God highlighted in the passage. Referencing their study materials (pages 198-199), she identifies the attribute of incomprehensibility:

"God is high above and beyond human understanding. He is unable to be fully known." [01:26]

She elaborates that the passage illustrates how God's criteria for wisdom, strength, and significance vastly differ from human standards. This divine otherness underscores God's mysterious ways and His continual action on behalf of humanity, even when His methods are beyond our comprehension.

Distinguishing Divine and Worldly Wisdom

Continuing her analysis, Beth emphasizes the stark contrast between God's wisdom and worldly wisdom. She references specific prompts from their study, such as circling phrases like "God has chosen" and boxing verses containing "in the world," to highlight how God deliberately opts for what the world deems foolish, weak, and insignificant. This intentional choice demonstrates God's sovereign power and His ability to subvert human expectations.

"God's ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts." [02:20]

She underscores this by citing Isaiah 55:8, reinforcing the theme of divine transcendence and otherness.

Theological Implications

Alexa builds on Beth's insights by reflecting on how God's unconventional choices challenge and overturn societal norms. She points out that understanding this dynamic is crucial for believers to recognize and embrace God's unique plan and purpose.

"This shows us how God works in ways that are often contrary to how the world operates." [03:03]

Looking Forward

As the episode wraps up, Alexa hints at the next session, which will draw connections between 1 Samuel 17:41-50 and 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. This upcoming discussion aims to further illustrate the Christ-centric narrative woven throughout Scripture.

Conclusion

Beth and Alexa conclude the episode by encouraging listeners to engage with the study materials available on their website, thedailygraceco.com, for additional resources and support in their Bible journey. They invite everyone to continue exploring God's Word together, fostering a deeper understanding and love for Christ as the central figure of the Bible.

Notable Quotes:

Beth [01:26]: "God is high above and beyond human understanding. He is unable to be fully known."
Beth [02:20]: "God's ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts."
Alexa [03:03]: "This shows us how God works in ways that are often contrary to how the world operates."

For further study materials, journals, and resources to enhance your understanding and love for God and His Word, visit thedailygraceco.com.

Transcript

Beth (0:00)

Welcome to A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace. This year we want to spend a few minutes with you every day walking through our study Christ in All of Scripture. Each week we will dive deeply into two passages of Scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the New, seeing how they connect and point to Jesus.

Alexa (0:17)

Whether you are doing the study yourself or just following along with us here, we are hopeful that through studying these passages each week, you will see how Christ is not only present throughout the entire Biblical story, but the center of it.

Beth (0:31)

Hi everyone. Welcome back to A Year in the Bible. I'm Beth and I am here as always with my co host Alexa.

Alexa (0:37)

Hi friends. Today we are discussing our New Testament passage for this week, which is 1 Corinthians 1:26,31. I'll read that for us. Now, brothers and sisters, consider your calling. Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. And God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world, what is viewed as nothing, to bring to nothing what is viewed as something so that no one may boast in his presence. It is from him that you were in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us, our righteousness, sanctification and redemption, in order that as it's written, let the one who boasts boast in the Lord. So Beth, what did you learn from annotating this passage?

Beth (1:26)

Well, first I want to talk about the attributes of God that are in the passage. So I decided to look at the list of God's attributes that we have printed on pages 198 and 199 of this study, just to see if there were any on the list that are present in this passage. And I found the attribute of incomprehensible, which is defined as God is high above and beyond human understanding. He is unable to be fully known. And I think that this attribute really is captured by this passage. Our standards of wise and foolish and weak and strong, significant or insignificant are not the same standard that God uses. So because we are so immersed in the ways of the world, we cannot comprehend comprehend why or how God works in the ways that he does, but he still continues to act on our behalf.

Alexa (2:13)

That's so helpful. And I love that you drew attention to an attribute that we might not think about that often. Did you have any other takeaways?

Beth (2:20)

Yeah, I think it's important that we highlight the distinction between God's wisdom and earthly or worldly wisdom. So although I already slightly touched on this in the last thing that I said, I still wanted to talk about the third and fourth prompts which have a circle what the text says God has chosen and to put a box around the verse verses that say in the world. So I'll talk about these prompts together. Um, so first, God has chosen what is foolish in the world, and he has chosen what is weak in the world, and he has chosen what is insignificant in the world. And so this just shows the truth of God's otherness, that he is not like us. Like we already said, he's incomprehensible. His ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts. As Isaiah 55:8 says.