1 Corinthians 1:26 (GNV)

Passage

For brethren, you see your calling, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 1:24 But vnto them which are called, both of the Iewes and Grecians, we preach Christ, the power of God, and the wisedome of God.

1 Corinthians 1:25 For the foolishnesse of God is wiser then men, and the weakenesse of God is stronger then men.

1 Corinthians 1:26 For brethren, you see your calling, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.

1 Corinthians 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish thinges of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weake thinges of the worlde, to confound the mightie things,

1 Corinthians 1:28 And vile things of the worlde and thinges which are despised, hath God chosen, and thinges which are not, to bring to nought thinges that are,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "brethren", "calling", "wise", "after", "flesh", "mighty", and "noble". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "brethren", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "For the foolishnesse of God is wiser..." into verse 27's "But God hath chosen the foolish thinges...", so "called" and "brethren" 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 "brethren" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.