To the church of God that is in Corinth… 

1 Corinthians 1:2

This article begins a study of the first of two letters to “the church of God that is in Corinth” (1:2a).  Paul identifies himself as the author and alludes to his divinely given authority by mentioning how he had been “called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus” (1:1a).  He also cites “our brother Sosthenes” (1:1b), likely Paul’s scribe to whom he dictated 1 Corinthians and probably the ruler of the synagogue in Corinth who had been beaten by a mob of persecutors (Acts 18:17).  While this epistle is not the first letter Paul wrote to this church (5:9a), it is the first letter to Corinth which would be included in the New Testament canon.

Corinth was a seaport of 100,000 to 500,000 people at the foot of the isthmus which joined northern Greece to the Peloponnesian Peninsula next to the Aegean and Adriatic Seas.  The city was extremely evil, so much so that the name “Corinthian” was synonymous with acts of severe debauchery.  The church began its existence there when Paul visited Corinth around 49-52 A.D. during his second missionary journey.  After reaching out with the gospel to the Jews and being rejected by most of them, Paul converted many Gentile Corinthians to the faith (Acts 18:1-8).  Paul apparently feared for his life while there but was encouraged by the Lord to stay in Corinth and continue preaching (Acts 18:9-10).  He did so for 1 ½ years until the Jews tried to bring him before the courts of Achaia and, upon failing in their effort, assaulted Sosthenes; after this “Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave” of the church at Corinth and moved on (Acts 18:11-18).

This church had some serious problems.  Apparently some of its members – identified by Paul as “Chloe’s people” (1:11), “people” (ho) referring to either Chloe’s family, friends, hired help, or slaves – had written to the apostle informing him of these problems (e.g., 1:10-11ff; 5:1ff; 6:1-8; 6:12-20; 11:2-16; 11:17-34; 12:1ff; 15:1ff).  They had also passed along theological questions from the church which concerned some of these problems which were causing anxiety or division within their ranks (e.g., 7:1ff; 8:1ff).

Because of her numerous shortcomings, Corinth is often viewed by Christians as one of the worst congregations of the New Testament.  In like manner, Paul’s numerous blunt rebukes within this letter have contributed many brethren to view him primarily as the “bad cop” preacher as opposed to, say, Barnabas’s encouraging “good cop,” someone that “lays the hammer down” and “tells it like it is” without any need for tact or kindness.

However, a closer examination shows something quite different.  Notice that Paul starts his letter to Corinth by…not immediately rebuking them for all their shortcomings…but instead by greeting them as “the church of God” (1:2a), ekklesia theos, theos being the Greek term that is used for God and is used here as a genitive noun, i.e., a noun which shows possession.  In other words, the first thing Paul says about the church at Corinth is that they are a church which, despite their faults, still belongs to God.  He then elaborates by describing them as “those sanctified in Christ Jesus” (1:2b), i.e., set apart and made holy in Christ, “called to be saints” (1:2c), hagios, holy ones.  Unlike Catholicism’s teachings, the New Testament calls all living Christians saints (Acts 9:13; 9:32, 41; 26:10; Rom. 1:7; 8:27; 12:13; 15:25-26; 1 Cor. 6:2; 16:15; 2 Cor. 1:1; 8:4; 9:1, 12; 13:13; Eph. 1:18; 2:19; 3:8, 18; 4:12; 5:3; 6:18; Phil. 1:1; 4:21, 22; Col. 1:2, 4, 12, 26; 1 Thess. 3:13; 2 Thess. 1:10; Philemon 5, 7; Heb. 6:10; 13:24; Jude 3, 14; Rev. 8:3-4; 11:18; 13:7, 10; 14:12; 15:3; 16:6; 17:6; 18:24; 19:8; 20:9).  Paul wanted Corinth to know that they were among their number, “together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours” (1:2c).  Since “calling upon the name of the Lord” is associated with salvation through baptism (Acts 2:21; 22:16; cf. 1 Pet. 3:21; Mk. 16:16), Paul was telling this problem-filled church that they were saved.  He then wishes upon them “grace…and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1:3).

That encourages me, friends.  I hope it encourages you too.  I’m looking forward to starting this study of 1 Corinthians with you.

— Jon