Establishing Context
Who is Paul?
Most of us know the story of Paul and his conversion to Christianity on the road to Damascus. According to this text, Paul is specifically an “apostle of Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1.1). There are a number of reasons that it is important that Paul addresses himself in this way.
1. Paul was not one of the original chosen apostles, so it is necessary that he identify himself as an apostle in order to establish credibility.
2. It is important that he address his divine calling in order to establish that change has taken place in his life; that where he formerly opposed and persecuted Christians, now through this divine calling, he is a Christian and an apostle.
3. Paul planted churches. It is important that he be recognized according to his calling as an apostle in order to properly communicate his authority to do so.
4. Paul proclaims divine commands throughout his letters. It is critical that he be recognized as having an apostolic relationship to God so that the church could have confidence is his message.
[From]Paul, invited [or called] to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother to the church of God which is at Corinth, To the ones which had been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the invited [or called] saints [most holy ones], with all in every place who are calling on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from our Father God and Lord Jesus Christ.
(Interpreted from the Greek by Anthony Delgado)
Who is Sosthenes?
(See Acts 18.) When Paul was in Corinth, he went to the home of Titius Justus. The ruler of the synagogue, Crispus was there. Crispus and his entire household were converted. Logically, if he became Christian, he would no longer be allowed to be the ruler of the synagogue. The next ruler was Sosthenes. It is implied in this chapter that Sosthenes was trying to accuse Paul in the courts. Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia (the region where Corinth exists), tossed out the case because it only had to do with Jewish law. It is a bit speculative, but I believe that when it says “they” in Acts 18.17, it is referring to the Jews who were making the complaint in Acts 18.14. I say this because according to the account, there was not another group defined which could be identified as “they.” If, in fact, the Jews were the ones who beat Sosthenes, it would be because he had refused to persecute Paul and turned them over to the courts, knowing that the case would be thrown out. I believe one of two things: either Sosthenes is Crispus or like Crispus, Sosthenes was converted to Christianity by Paul.
Who is Paul talking to?
The interesting thing about the beginning of this letter is that it is not addressed to the Corinthian church. It is addressed to the saints in every place who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only because of Sosthenes’ association with the church in Corinth that we associate this letter with the Corinthian church. Contextually, it makes sense as well. The elements of sin in the church in Corinth are specifically the ones addressed in this letter.
It is also important that a distinction is made between “their Lord,” which is the Lord of “all in every place who…call…on…Jesus” and “ours,” meaning the author(s) and the recipient of the letter. It is possible that by “ours,” Paul means himself and Sosthenes, but that would then negate the sanctification of the recipient of the letter, thus making the introduction nonsense. I say all this to prove that Paul did not write this letter for the express purpose of sending it to all Christians, but that it was intended for a specific audience, namely the church in Corinth.
The Called
Paul was called to be an apostle, same as the saints were called. I think this better translates to invited, rather than called, because of the way this word is often used and the implication of the Greek word. ?????? means called or invited as to a banquet. It is an adjective (Matt 22.14, 1 Cor. 1.1). ????? means to call or invite and is a verb (Matt 22.1-13). In the Greek, many verbs have an adjective counterpart just like this one.
Notice that in the parable in Matthew 22, verses 1-14, the master is inviting people to come in to the wedding feast. Some come and others do not. They have a choice. The same implication of choice is used in this passage as well. Paul chose to follow Christ and to become an apostle according to his calling or invitation. Similarly, the saints, the most holy ones, chose to follow Christ.
The Church
It is important to note that the people being addressed by this letter were anything but holy; rather they were invited to be holy by their choosing Christ. The actual process of becoming holy was through their sanctification.
Notice also that the letter is addressed, not to the church as we talked about earlier, but to the saints. The content of this letter is intended for further sanctification of God’s people, not for evangelical purposes. As we study further, we will quickly realize that the book of 1st Corinthians is primarily about communal sanctification of the body of Christ (all who are calling) and of the local church.
The Blessing
Paul closes out his into with a blessing. This blessing is an awesome example of Paul’s apostleship. He establishes the separate roles of the Father and the Lord. In addition, he offers the blessing of grace and peace. If a servant were to deliver a message from his master, saying, “peace be to you,” it would mean that the master desires that the recipient of the message receive peace. The same applies here. Paul, a servant to Christ, delivers a message to the saints in Corinth expressing God’s desire that grace and peace come upon them.
The Application
As is often the case with the intro to a book, there is not a solid application. I think that the major thing to take away from this passage would be that we need to accept God’s invitation, not just His invitation of grace, but like Paul accepted God’s invitation into apostleship, we too have are invited to serve Jesus in specific ways. We must seek out that invitation and accept it.
Image Credits: sh0dan, sxc.hu
Called to be Saints–1 Corinthians 1.1-3