1 Corinthians 15:9 (ASV)

Passage

For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 15:7 then he appeared to James; then to all the apostles;

1 Corinthians 15:8 and last of all, as to the [child] untimely born, he appeared to me also.

1 Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not found vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

1 Corinthians 15:11 Whether then [it be] I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "least", "apostles", "meet", "persecuted", and "church". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "least", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "and last of all as to the..." into verse 10's "But by the grace of God I...", so "called" and "least" belong inside that flow. In 1 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "least" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.