1 Corinthians 1:27-28

1 Corinthians 1:27-28

[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;  [28] And  base things  of the world,  and  things which are despised,  God  chosen,  yea, and  things which  not,  to  bring to nought 

What does 1 Corinthians 1:27-28 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Old Testament is full of illustrations of God choosing less than promising material as His instruments. In the Book of Judges , for example, we see Him using an ox goad ( Judges 3:31), a nail ( 1 Corinthians 4:21), trumpets, pitchers, and lamps ( Judges 7:20), a millstone ( Judges 9:53), and the jawbone of an ass ( Judges 15:15). His method did not change with the coming of Christ nor has it changed since then.
"Things that are not" are things that are nothing. They are non-entities in the eyes of the world. The "things that are" are those things and individuals that the world values highly. Paul did not mean that God cannot or will not save the affluent, but the glory of the gospel is that God"s mercy extends to those whom the affluent tend to write off.