1. Comment on the setting and significance of 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 in the larger context of 1 Corinthians 1-4.
In 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Paul was addressing those members of the population of Corinth who were a part of the church of God. In today's parlance, these people would be more likely to be referred to as members of the church or followers of Christ. In addressing the people who comprised the church of God, Paul, in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Paul asked that these people consider two important factors. The first factor that Paul want the people to consider involved the differences between the people of Corinth who were not called to the church of God and those Corinthians who were called to the church of God. Paul wanted the people to consider such differences as social status, wealth, education, wisdom, and so forth. The second factor that Paul wanted the people of the church of God to consider involved God's logic for making such distinctions when calling people to become a part of the church of God.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 states that, of the people of Corinth called to the church of God, few were wise, mighty, or noble (1 Corinthians 1:26). In contrast, God chose people who were characterized (a) by the wise as foolish, (b) by the mighty as weak, and (c) by the noble as base (1 Corinthians 1:27-28). The logic of God's choices was to confound the wise, the mighty, and the noble by choosing those who were little valued in Corinthian society (1 Corinthians 1:27-28).
Paul's comments in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 were made within the context of the general society of Corinth, which is described in 1 Corinthians 1, 4. The society of Corinth of the day was dominated by the wise, the mighty, and the noble. These people (who not infrequently were characterized by two or three of these social classifications) availed themselves of a disproportionate share of the so-called earthly benefits that Corinth was able to provide. A...