God's Elect or World's Elite? II

The Devil In The Definition

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!" (Isa. 5: 20-21 KJV)

The devil, as the old saying goes, is often in the definition or in the details. Definitions can be so drastically different as to have one group calling a thing evil that other groups call good, especially in morals and ethics. It is certainly true that what God calls good sinful man often calls evil, and vise versa. 

Because of inborn depravity and a wicked world environment, man's judgment of such things is warped. In his moral and spiritual condition, fallen man's values are base and vain, and his purposes and pursuits are woefully misguided, and his worldview the result of Satanic propaganda. All this led the Lord Jesus to say - 

"that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God." (Luke 16: 15) 

What is "highly esteemed" is called good, "among men," but God sees it as evil. He also warned - 

"Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." (Luke 12: 15 kjv) 

Everyone has or acquires "judgments of things pertaining to this life" (I Cor. 6: 4), about what is good and right, and conversely, about what is evil and criminal. The elites among men are they (or should be) who are judged to be superiors, to be experts in knowing what is the best kind of life for humans to live in their pursuit of "life, liberty, and happiness." Sadly, it is far too often the case that the worldly elite are not able to live up to their own standards. It is ironic. Worldly elites often spend much time declaring how men should listen to them, to follow their examples, or to believe, think, and live as they do. They often want to run the lives of others (who they judge are inferior to themselves), and yet they can't even run their own lives. 

Hypocrisy abounds among the world's elite or chosen ones. They are quick to judge and condemn others but will not judge themselves so quickly. Against this thinking and practice Paul wrote - "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." (I Cor. 11: 31) How they measure themselves is not how they measure others. Later, in his second epistle, the apostle enlarged upon this, saying:

"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." II Cor. 10: 12) 

By "consists not" is meant "not measured or judged by." In spite of the warnings of Christ about how to properly "measure" the character, abilities, and worth of a person, it is still fairly universal for people to judge others by wealth or financial statements, by socio-economic status, and by reputation. How men "size up" a person is not generally how God sizes them. In fact, in Corinthians Paul speaks of "man's judgment" over against the judgment of God. (I Cor. 4: 3, literally "man's day");  And, what can we say of "man's judgment" about moral worth and good character? 

God's own oracle on the subject gives us the answer - "man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." (I Sam. 16: 7) So too Paul rhetorically asks - "Do ye look on things after the outward appearance?" (II Cor. 10: 7) Looking on the outward appearance, the people of I Samuel 16 desired Saul to be their first king because he was "head and shoulders" taller than any other. Looking on the heart and soul, however, God chose little David.

Who, looking at things by mere "outward appearance," are the world's best characters, its heroes who deserve imitation? Are they not those who wear the finest clothes? Who live in the finest homes? Who eat the finest food? Who have all the leisure time? Who rule over or manage others? Is it not those who meet the world's criterion of being among the wealthy elite? On this and other criteria the Apostle Paul had much to say in his opening epistle to the elite citizens of Corinth.

The word "approved" as an adjective for a person is quite interesting in this line of thinking about judging and measuring the character of others. Paul spoke of a life of doing right and of living peaceably, saying that the one who "in these things serves Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men." (See Rom. 14: 17-18 KJV) In these words there is acceptance and approval by God (the words 'acceptable' and 'approved,' both in English and Greek, mean practically the same thing, i.e., what is pleasing) and by man. In some things we are able to please both God and man, to have both their approvals. But, often, to have man's approval and acceptance means to not have God's, and vise versa. 

Heretics have not God's approval, though they may have man's. (I Cor. 11: 19) Paul also said - "For not he that commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends." (II Cor. 10: 18) The same apostle exhorted Timothy to be "diligent to shew yourself approved unto God." (II Tim. 2: 15) The person that the world upholds as the ideal human being, whom they approve, is unlike the one God approves. This is what Paul will show in his opening words of his first epistle.

The world's description of an elite character is only an "idea," for he or she does not exist in reality. The only truly elite human is our Lord Jesus Christ. Further, the world's idea of the "ideal human being" and of the "ideal life" is not the same as that of God's idea. Man's dreams of "utopia" and bliss of Paradise are rarely in keeping with what is true and right. Many nonreligious movies and books have in fiction attempted to picture the ideal man and environment, such as we see in the "Star Trek" movies, but they are wholly unlike the picture of ideal man and environment that we see in scripture. 

The new testament speaks of "the perfect man" (Eph. 4: 13; Jas. 3:2). The word "perfect" is from "teleios" and means "lacking nothing," speaking of man as he is becoming in Christ, through the work of salvation, and finally through the resurrection and glorification of the bodies at the end of this age.

What are those things "highly esteemed" among men besides wealth and abundance? The general view of the valued life? 

The Elites Of This World

What is it that "sets apart" or "distinguishes" a person among other persons? The dictionary says that the phrasal transitive verb "set apart" means "to make something or someone special or different," to distinguish or differentiate it. The basic meaning of "sanctify" is to "set apart" for religious purpose. 

Paul addresses the believers in Corinth as "saints," who have been "sanctified in Christ Jesus" (1: 2). Any remarkable or distinguishing thing about the character of believers results from their union with Christ Jesus, a point Paul will focus and expand upon in his opening words to the Corinthians. The elect or elite status of believers results from God's gracious choice and work. This is evident in these words to them:

"For who makes thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?" (I Cor. 4: 7)

The idea here is this: "assuming you are different for the better, who makes you superior, elect, or elite?" 

Though all share some things equally in common, yet there are in many other things inequalities. 

Though the words "elite," "elitism," and "God's elect," are not specifically used in the Corinthian epistles, yet they are nevertheless very much in the mind of the apostle, as the narrative demonstrates. 

Other commentators have mentioned how elitism was a problem with the Corinthians. Paul does not specifically mention Stoics, Epicureans, Sophists, Gnostics, etc., yet he certainly does clearly allude to them in many of his denunciations. 

In the next chapter (post) on this subject we will begin to look at the opening words of the apostle in chapter one of his first epistle to the Corinthians.