1 Corinthians 15:9 (LSB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 15:7 After that, He appeared to James, then to all the apostles,

1 Corinthians 15:8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

1 Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not worthy 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 toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

1 Corinthians 15:11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "least", "apostles", "worthy", "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 one..." 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.