God's Elect or World's Elite? XIV

"I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Cor. 1: 4-6)

Thus far we have discussed three different determinants for determining "social status," both in "this world or age" and in "the world or age to come." The measure used to judge status becomes the framework for the apostle Paul to discuss the superiority of the believer, through Christ, over infidels. 

What are the evidences of being the world's select and elite? Likewise, of being God's elect? How are the world's elite distinguished? What sets them apart? Likewise, how are God's elect distinguished and set apart? How, or in what way are they elite? 

Three of the qualifications (or 'definitions') of superior status, with both the world and with God, involve, as we have seen, similar criteria, being riches, wisdom, and knowledge. In this chapter we will look at "power" as another determining factor for judging elite status, as being one of the "favored few." 

As we have already seen, Paul affirms that believers, though "chosen" from among the lowest classes of society, are nevertheless they who are superior to the world's elite in riches, yea, in enduring treasures of heaven. The believer has title to superior wealth and treasure, in both quality and quantity, as compared to the rich of this world. In wisdom and knowledge the bible believer also is superior, as we have seen. 

In each of the qualifications for determining elect or elite status, Christians, "God's elect," are superior to the world's elect, or to its elite. Why? It is, as the apostle says, on account of having been by God "chosen," "called," "sanctified," and "enriched by him in everything." It is due to having become joined to Christ by faith.This enrichment involves having been "endowed" or "gifted" in every way and is what gives the believer his special favored status with God, both now and in the world to come, yea throughout the ages of the ages, or eternally. 

We have shown that God's elect are generally poor in this world and age and yet are rich (now in part, but even far greater when they come into their full inheritance). We have shown that God's elect, though generally not known as the world's "best minds," or as its intellectual elite, are nevertheless the ones who truly "know all things." They understand the mysteries of the universe, of human existence, of the kingdom of God. Believers are the truly wise and educated because they have been taught by God the Father (John 6: 44) and by the Spirit of God (as Paul says in chapter two of first Corinthians - "God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit"). They, by the scriptures, are "made wise unto salvation." (II Tim. 3: 15) They are wise through Christ who is "The Wisdom of God." Likewise, as we will see, they are strong, mighty, and powerful through Christ who is "The Power of God."

In the above text Paul also speaks of being enriched in "utterance" and we will address that in another chapter. Let us address "power" as one of the criteria used to determine status, both in this "present evil world" (Gal. 1: 4) and in "the world to come." Paul speaks of how the believer is enriched in knowledge, wisdom, and riches, as we have seen, but he also speaks of how believers are enriched with power and authority. The world's elite are often known as "the rich and powerful," or "the power elite," power being one of the qualifications for being one of earth's elite. However, this title or description is more appropriate for God's elect, for the believer in Jesus. 

Strong vs. Weak

Many nations and cultures have so inordinately glorified strength, power, might, and authority that they have actually despised the weak. Such societies had hubris, ridicule, and arrogance against those they viewed as being weak, meek, humble, timid, and cowardly, even putting such to death at times in acts of genocide. 

The label "rich and powerful" has often been used as a descriptive title of the world's "ruling elite." Who are "the power elite"? As we have seen, these are the wealthy, the people who own and control what are called "the means of production." They are generally the leaders in government, economics, business, academia, science and technology, etc. They are the proverbial "movers and shakers." The "golden rule" with the world's secular elite is "he who has the gold makes the rules." 

Why do the elite want power? Why do they want control over the masses of the lower classes? Is it because they are concerned for the well being of the poor and working classes? Because they know what is best for them and so must discipline and control them as children? The truth is, the rich and powerful desire to dominate, to be the head and not the tail. They crave being "on top," to occupy "high places." 

One cannot talk about riches without talking about wisdom and knowledge because, as we have seen, wisdom and knowledge are themselves of great value (and often bring material well being). Likewise it is not possible to talk about power without connecting it with wealth. This is why we hear it said that "wealth is power." Nor can we talk about power without talking about knowledge. Again, we hear it said that "knowledge is power." 

Since we have shown how believers are the truly rich, the truly wise and knowing, we have therefore already shown that they are the real possessors of power, or powers, which the worldly elite do not have; And, though they now only have an earnest of their destined powers, yet that earnest is greater in quality to that of the world's secular powers. We will enlarge upon this in upcoming chapters.

Glorifying Human Power

If babies in Graeco Roman times were born with any defect, or as feeble "runts," they would be killed or left to die in a wilderness. There was no mercy for the handicapped.

The Spartans of Greece were very militaristic, severe, and harsh in their training of boys and young men for service in combat forces. From early childhood combat and killing were part of the daily schooling of young men, a kind of continuous "war college." The training was so difficult, like old time "boot camp" in the U.S. Marine Corps, so much like a gauntlet, that "only the strong survived." To the Spartan way of thinking, it was "survival of the fittest." Those young men who lived to maturity were specimens of masculinity, of power and strength.

The Nazis also had a very negative view of weak citizens. They also worshiped and idealized male strength and power. When the Nazis first came to power they began to euthanize all the elderly poor and the handicapped. If a person had no power, and could no longer work and contribute to the finances of the state, then he was to be euthanized. This is all in keeping with Hitler's view.

Wrote Hitler in Mein Kampf:

"The stronger must dominate and not blend with the weaker...No more than Nature desires the mating of weaker with stronger individuals, even less does she desire the blending of a higher with a lower race..." (As cited here)

"The Jewish doctrine of Marxism rejects the aristocratic principle of Nature and replaces the eternal privilege of power and strength by the mass of numbers and their dead weight."

"Core Concepts - Struggle: conflict between races is the source of human progress. The weak impure races decline and perhaps perish; the strong pure races dominate and build culture."

This thinking on the part of the power elite is peculiar to almost all nations, both of the past and present. It is elitist philosophy, of which we have already spoken, what Hitler calls "the aristocratic principle," involving the "privilege of power and strength." By "the masses" he means those who are naturally inferior, being the weak and inferior majority. These cannot and should not govern, according to elitist thinking. They must rather be governed, according to this elitist "aristocratic principle." Hitler condemns rule by the majority, or democracy, in favor of a rule by the elite few. "The strong" are the elite, and they must "dominate" those who are "weak." This was the view of the Greeks and Romans and was what was the culture in Corinth. Paul has much to say about these labels and classes.

Even among the ancient Jews there was sometimes this same kind of thinking, this glorifying of power and strength. One of the idols that the infidel Jews worshiped was the "bull." Why the bull? It was because it and its horns were symbols of power and might, of male strength and masculinity. Women were associated with being weak (and indeed she is called by Peter "the weaker vessel" - I Peter 3: 7). 

Anyone familiar with Paul's Corinthian epistles will have noticed how much Paul speaks of the powerful and the mighty in contrast to the weak and impotent. 

Kinds Of Power

There are various kinds of power. In the Greek new testament there are two main nouns that are important as respects the kinds of power, being "dunamis" and "exousia" (there are adjective forms). The former denotes one kind of power and the latter another. 

Dunamis (from which we get our word "dynamite," "dynamic," etc.) denotes strength, might, and ability. It also has to do with force, energy, and potency. It also has connotations of youth and vigor, of vitality, health and soundness, yea, even a godlike quality. These are its synonyms and closely related terms. Its antonyms would be weak, impotent, powerless, etc. 

Exousia denotes "right" and "authority," being what is delegated by a higher authority, or "empowerment." Authority is defined as the "power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior" (Merriam Webster). It is power to rule and to enforce. It is power to mandate, to legislate, to judge, to command obedience. It is connected with government. Parents have authority in governing the home. Police and other government officials have authority. The "highest authority" of a nation has often been a king, or queen, or dictator, or president, etc., or some special group (Supreme Court, Board of Directors, etc.)  

Power in both these senses is never possessed equally. Potency is sometimes used to signify both kinds of power. Potentate speaks of authority to rule. Potent speaks of strength. 

Concerning the sub categories of power, strength, might, and authority we note the difference between mental strength and physical strength. Or we may speak of strength of will, or spiritual strength, or strength of soul or spirit, or moral strength, strength of purpose, strength of mind, etc. We have already talked about the power of riches, of fame, of the various instances and kinds of elitism. 

Paul On Power & Weakness

Paul has a lot to say in first Corinthians about being powerful versus being impotent (or 'weak'). Let us notice it. Paul begins in chapter one by saying:

"For the preaching (logos) of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are (being) saved it is the power of God." (I Cor. 1: 18)

"But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 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; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence." (23-29)

In these verses both Christ and the Gospel are styled "the power (dunamis) of God." In verses 23-29 Paul witnesses that believers are they who God has chosen even though they have nothing to recommend them to God, or move him to choose them, seeing they come generally from the lower classes and possess no special talents, learning, or power. If God chose and saved men on the basis of merit, then surely he would not have chosen to save "the weak (or powerless)," the "despised" nobodies, the "base" of the world, the ignoble, or the uneducated poor. But, he did not do that and sent a message in doing so. 

Two times he mentions the "mighty" of this age. Who are they? We know them today as the rich and powerful, those who are of "the power elite." It is not a reference to those of great physical strength, to those who compete in "strongest man" contests or run endurance races.

Said Mary the mother of our Lord:

"For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away." (Luke 1: 49-53)

Notice how Mary speaks of the infidel (the unbelieving, or those without biblical faith) elite as being "the mighty" and "the rich," those we are calling the world's elect or elite. She also identifies them in their leadership positions by reference to "their seats," that is, their seats of authority. 

She also speaks of the great reversal of fortune destined for the believing poor and weak and also for the unbelieving rich and power elite (of which we have already spoken). The unbelieving elite will be "put down" from their seats of power and rule when this age (world) ends and "the age to come" begins. It is when the rich are divested of all their wealth and are forever "sent away empty," the worst of ironies and misfortunes. It is when they who were the "exalted" of this evil world become forever abased. 

On the other hand, she also speaks of believers, who God has taken from among the world's poor, weak, and lowly masses, as being they who God, by his mighty arm of power, elevates by a greater reversal of fortune. Mary speaks of them as being people "of low degree," meaning of the lower classes, or of the common people, and how they are "exalted," taking the place in the age to come that the unbelieving elite have now in this world. The world to come will see a change of leadership for this planet. 

What Mary says is also the same message that Paul gives in his opening words of his first Corinthian epistle. The world's elite reject the gospel and God rejects them. The world's common folk accept the gospel and God accepts them.

On Paul's further mention of might, power, weakness, etc., and his observations thereon, we will continue to investigate in the next chapter.