1 Corinthians 1:1 – 3
[1]
Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus
Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, [2] to the church
of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus,
saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: [3]
Grace to you and peace from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.[1]
The elements of a salutation within the Greco-Roman culture
consisted of three things: the author’s name, the recipient(s), and greetings[2].
The apostle however, uses his salutation in a more calculated and distinct
manner, establishing clear positions of salvation, office, authority, and in a
more subtle manner, purpose.
Paul – Luke the historian is the first to reference the apostle by
his Greco-Roman name, Paul (Acts 13:9). Originally identified as Saul
(Acts 7:58), prior to his
conversion experience (Acts 9:3-9),
Paul had been a persecutor of the early church (Acts 8:3). The change or pre-dominant use, of his Greek
name Paul, versus his Hebrew name Saul, is directly associated with, and best
understood as, the resulting course of his calling by Christian experience. The
meaning of his name is “little”, and his perpetuated use of it is not only in
keeping with Paul’s self diminishing view, evident throughout the Pauline
corpus[3],
but it is also an expression of his own perspective of his function, place, and
role within the context of the work of Jesus the Christ, despite his voluminous
contribution to the New Testament portion of the Biblical canon. The apostles
further use of his Greco-Roman name aided in the advancement of his ministry
throughout Asia Minor, and thus ultimately the gospel, which was paramount in
the thinking of Paul (Rom. 1:9a, 15-17;
1 Cor. 2:2).
The reference to being called
is deliberate, and as we will see later it is a preliminary and foundational
remark to questions surrounding the legitimacy of Paul’s ministry. Aware and
undeterred by the skeptical and suspicious Corinthian factions who expressed doubt
about his claim to apostleship, Paul immediately asserts and affirms his
calling as an apostle, implicitly as a result of his encounter with the
resurrected Jesus Christ, and by the will of God.
It has been accepted over the
course of the 2,000 plus years of the church, by Christian historians and
theologians alike, that the definitive qualifications for an apostle
met the following three criteria: (1) he was one who had been chosen by the
Lord Jesus himself (Matt. 10:2-4;
Acts 9:1-9). (2) He was one who witnessed the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus (Acts 1:21-22). And (3) he is one who was entrusted with
the organization of the early church (Acts
2:42-43, 4:33-35, 6:2-4, 15:6). While acknowledging the tardiness of his
rather unusual, as well as unexpected calling by the Christ to serve as an
apostle
(1 Cor. 15:8),
Paul’s conversion, calling, life and ministry, meet all three criteria, and it
is on this basis that he finds his office and authority. In other passages,
Paul will further assert his position, as one who is a steward of the gospel
and the mysteries of God (Rom.
1:15; 1 Cor. 4:1).
Throughout the Pauline corpus, the
apostle opens every letter with an adjectival[4]
reference to his position. In Romans 1:1 and in Titus 1:1 he identifies himself
as a bondservant of Jesus Christ. In Philemon 1:1 he identifies himself as a
prisoner of Jesus Christ. In all of the other epistles attributed to Paul, to
the exclusion of the Thessalonians letters, he is referenced as an apostle of
Jesus Christ[5].
The name Jesus Christ combines the
twofold designation of His personal name, ‘Jesus’,
which is the greek transliteration of ‘Joshua’,
and title, ‘the Christ’, meaning ‘anointed’ or ‘Messiah’. The significance of this title became clear during the
scope of His life, ministry, and resurrection.[6]
For Paul however, the resurrected Jesus was both God, and God’s promise,
revealed in the frailty of flesh; the mediator above all between the Lord God
and a fallen humanity. This truth is essential to Pauline theology (Romans 1:1-6), and confirmed for
the apostle by the Word of the Old Testament prophets, and for Paul, the
witness of Jesus himself on the Damascus road, which resulted in his simultaneous
conversion and calling.
From Damascus forward (Acts 9:1-9), and with much
consideration given to Paul’s persecution of the church prior too, as recorded
in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-2; 22:4-5; 26:9-11),
and in his own epistles (1 Cor.
15:9; Gal. 1:13,23; Phil. 3:6), Paul explains his calling purely as a
result of the will of God. Paul will later respond more forcibly to this
matter, but here, in the salutation, he lays the ground work by situating that
both his call and the authority therein associated with, is the byproduct of God’s
will. As a result, God is the absolute appraiser of his life and ministry, and
thus he is not beholden to no one particular congregation.
Acts 18:17 records a synagogue
ruler at Corinth at the time of Paul’s first visit, who’s name was Sosthenes
[Sos-thuh-knees]. His name means “of safe strength.” According to the passage,
this Sosthenes was seized by a crown of Jews and beaten before the judgment seat
following the refusal of Gallio to manage their complaints against Paul. It is
widely held that this Sosthenes mentioned by Paul is the same. Further, he is
referred to as a “brother”. The point of his salvation is not mentioned and it
is not need. The affirmation of the apostle, called by the will of God, in
service to Jesus Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit, is enough.
(2) Paul addresses this letter to the only Christian congregation
at Corinth. With his address to the church of God he clarifies who the
recipients are. This sect is different and distinct from all other groups that
are gathering throughout the highly secular and pagan metropolis of Corinth.
The Corinthian congregation is distinguished as being the one that belonged to
God (10:32; 11:16, 22; 15:9)
and confesses Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Further, with this singular use
of the term, the apostle strikes a chord that will be repeated throughout the
epistle.
From there, he proceeds to qualify
those who have been sanctified.[7]
This is the result of divine activity, as from the divine perspective
throughout scripture, as God’s intention in saving His people involves
holiness. In this context, Paul is, and will throughout the epistle, speak in
terms of practiced behavior. The sanctification comes as a result of one’s
confession in Jesus Christ.
Saints by calling, redundancy of word use and meaning aside,
Paul identifies that they are the people of God as a result of His involvement
through the person and work of Jesus Christ. And in the same sense that the
apostle is called, they are the called of God as believers and as a
congregational community.
The inclusion of this line within and its wording speaks to
the fact that the Corinthian congregation had been moving in a direction that
was independent of the apostles teachings and the one body identity (4:17;
11:16; 14:33), which has unfortunately gone on to become global
denominationalism within Christendom. With this remark, Paul is attempting to
lovingly gesture them back into the right mindset and direction that they are a
part of the one church established by Jesus Christ, as a result of the will of
God the Father.
(3) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
– Augmenting the traditional Hellenistic salutation of the day, Paul
deviates to Christianize the opening of the epistle. By employing grace and
peace, Paul is expressing the sum total of the redemptive experience. The
activity of the triune God’s is most easily understood through grace and peace.
Grace is seen in God’s love toward humanity; unmerited, undeserved, unqualified
mercy reveal in the Christ. The benefit this grace is realized in, and best
expressed as, peace. It has been
called many things: joy, blessing, favor, and while all are applicable, peace,
it would appear, best summarizes the byproduct of grace. And all of this is the
result of the collaborated work of the triune God, whose will is of the Father,
realized and fulfilled through the Son, Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy
Spirit.
[1]
(2009-03-19). Holy Bible: New American Standard
Bible (NASB 1977 edition) (Kindle Locations 39046-39049). The Lockman
Foundation. Kindle Edition.
[2]
Example writings of the period can be found in F.
X. J. Exler, The Form of the Ancient
Greek Letter of the Expository Papyri (3rd c. B.C. -3rd
c. A. D.) (Chicago, 1923), pp. 23-68.
[3]
Within the context of literature, a corpus is a large collection of writings
of a specific kind, by a specific person, or on a specific subject.
[4]
A phrase wherein the head word is an adjective,
e.g. glad about it, disappointed in the news, eager for the results; glad,
disappointed, eager.
[5]
(2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; Php. 1:1; Col.
1:1; 1 Tim. 1:1; 2 Tim. 1:1)
[6]
Who was who
in the Bible: the ultimate A to Z resource. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1999.
(p. 189)
[7]
The verb ‘sanctified’ functions as an metaphor for the consecrate or convert
of Christianity. Throughout the Pauline corpus it functions in a variety of
ways, but coherently as describing a set apart purpose, as well as the ethics
of the Christian (1 Thess. 5:23).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Z. M. D. McGregor is the senior pastor of The Relevant Church, in Dallas, Texas.
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