TEXT [Commentary]

  I.   Introduction (1:1-9)

A.   Opening Greetings (1:1-3)

1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes.

2 I am writing to God’s church in Corinth,[*] to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus,[*] just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

3 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

NOTES

1:1 Paul. This lone first word opens the letter, the typical way Greek letters indicated their authors. This is the author’s Greek name. Saul, his Jewish name, while probably still used by him personally, is not employed in his epistles or in Acts after he began his missionary journeys (Acts 13:9).

chosen. Gr., klētos [TG2822, ZG3105], used by Paul only in Romans (Rom 1:1, 6-7) and 1 Corinthians (1:1-2, 24), emphasizes his apostolic vocation by divine mandate, like that of an OT prophet.

apostle. Gr., apostolos [TG652, ZG693], used by Paul in 1 Corinthians more than in any other writing (10 times), refers to a messenger or ambassador sent out with a specific responsibility. Paul’s apostolic call came not from the historic Jesus (as with the original Twelve) but from the risen Lord on the Damascus road (Acts 9:5; Gal 1:1-5, 11-16). The NT does not restrict the term to the Twelve Jesus chose to follow him in his ministry. Seventeen individuals are called apostles, adding Paul, James (Gal 1:19), Matthias (Acts 1:26), Barnabas (Acts 14:14), and Andronicus and Junia (Rom 16:7) to the original Twelve. Such people not only were eyewitnesses to the resurrection (Acts 1:22) but preached the gospel and founded Christian communities.

Christ Jesus. Some early mss, including א, have “Jesus Christ.” However, 46 and B are surely correct, since Paul rarely reverses the order of Jesus’ names without “Lord” preceding them, as in 1:3.

brother. Gr., adelphos [TG80, ZG81]. In the plural, this word usually refers to both male and female believers. In the singular, as here, it is a way for Paul to convey his feelings of kinship for someone working with him as an associate (2 Cor 1:1; 2:13; 8:22).

1:2 church. Gr., ekklēsia [TG1577, ZG1711]. This word originally referred to assembled Greek citizens whom a crier had “called out” to attendance. This word was used in the LXX to refer to Israel gathered together as a community (e.g., Deut 4:10). In the NT, it came to be used mostly to designate the community of believers in a specific location, as it is here, and occasionally of the worldwide church (15:9; Eph 1:22).

made you holy. Paul uses the verb hagiazō [TG37, ZG39] more often in 1 Corinthians than in any of his other letters (four times). In Jewish contexts it refers to things or people who had been set apart for God’s use, like the Temple, the priests, the altars, and the sacrifices.

the name. Gr., onoma [TG3686, ZG3950], which commonly designates the honor and integrity of an individual.

1:3 grace and peace. “Grace” (charis [TG5485, ZG5921]) derives from the standard Greek greeting, and “peace” (eirēnē [TG1515, ZG1645]) is the traditional Jewish greeting. Previously used together in intertestamental Jewish writings, the intercultural greeting is standard in the openings of nearly all Paul’s letters, probably reflecting the multiracial composition of churches to whom he wrote. Theologically, grace constitutes the whole of God’s activity in Christ, and peace the result of that activity on our behalf.

COMMENTARY [Text]

Paul’s opening to this letter is structured like most ancient Greek letters: naming the author and the recipient and offering a blessing. This is a pattern he follows in all his letters. His openings stand out by expanding these common features, as he does here. Whether consciously intended or not, these extras often tip off primary concerns elaborated in the course of the letter.

Paul’s mention of himself as the author of the letter is expanded in two distinct ways. First, he emphasizes his divine calling to be an apostle. This was not unusual for him. He mentions being an apostle at the opening of most of his letters (except Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon). This often signals that his credibility as an apostle was under attack among the people to whom he wrote, as in Galatians or Colossians, but this is not always the case, as with Romans or 1 Timothy. However, since we do know that his apostolic status suffered a major attack by Corinthian believers within the context of 2 Corinthians and the “severe letter” and painful visit mentioned there, it is not overly presumptuous to think that preliminary problems along this line began to appear among the Corinthians previous to the writing of 1 Corinthians. Though not as obvious as in 2 Corinthians, a strong case can be made that subversion of Paul’s apostleship was a major issue for 1 Corinthians, rising to the surface in 4:1-5 and 9:1-23.

Paul stresses the divine origin of his apostleship in a way comparable only to Galatians and Romans. In other letters he mentions both the “will of God” and “apostle of Christ” (Eph 1:1; Col 1:1; 1 Tim 1:1; 2 Tim 1:1), but only here does he insert the word “chosen” (also used in Rom 1:1) immediately after his name, making the first three words of the letter “Paul, chosen apostle.” He desired his readers’ first and lasting impression to be that his role as their apostle was not just a title for him or even something he sought. Rather, he was compelled by God himself to enter God’s service (bringing to mind Acts 9:1-5 and Gal 1:13-17). In 2 Corinthians 11:16–12:10, he will recount for the Corinthians that his life as an apostle was not filled with glory and honor but with suffering and pain (as predicted in Acts 9:16) like the life of Christ himself, whose message he has doggedly brought to Gentiles like the Corinthians. It is not without design that Paul will emphasize in the very next verse that the Corinthians are also “chosen” themselves (“chosen, holy”) not for an easy life but for one which must struggle against the forces of the world.

Paul was first and foremost an “apostle of Christ,” a commissioned messenger of the gospel sent especially to the Gentiles. Simultaneously, he viewed his apostolic life as occurring within God’s overarching providence. Thus, he says he is an apostle “by the will of God.” God himself was not merely the agent but also the compelling cause of his vocation to serve Christ rather than to oppose Christ and persecute his followers, as Paul once thought God wanted.

Paul’s second expansion of his name adds “our brother Sosthenes.” Paul often added the names of working companions who were with him at the time of writing (e.g., 2 Cor 1:1). Though some maintain that this means Sosthenes had a role in writing the letter (Murphy-O’Connor 1993), this does not fit with Paul’s normal intention of including names at the beginning of a letter (Garland 2003:26). The intriguing mention of Sosthenes as “our brother” could be because he is the same man who failed to make the case against Paul and Christianity to Gallio in the days when Paul originally brought the gospel to Corinth (Acts 18:14-18). Could he have become a Christian since then and afterward begun serving with Paul in Ephesus? Calvin (1960:17) thought the identity was certain, but most today assert no more than that this is probable (Garland 2003:26; Hays 1997:15).

Paul’s expansion on the addressees of this letter in 1:2 is more elaborate than usual. It underscores God’s expectation for the Corinthian believers to view their assembly as God’s special, holy people, like Israel of old. This can be seen first in Paul’s designating them “God’s church,” a term he normally uses to identify the worldwide church (10:32; 11:22; 15:9; Gal 1:13). The Corinthians were God’s people “in Corinth,” a vital part of God’s new work to bring “all people everywhere” into relationship with him through Christ. Their commission mirrors Paul’s own, and so they are “called” like Paul was.

Second, encouragement for the Corinthians to view themselves as God’s holy people can also be seen in Paul’s double emphasis on their holiness. They are both “called” holy and “made” holy, having been summoned and prepared to function as God’s people. They are separate from other people yet are entrusted with a mission to enable others to join God’s people by calling “on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul’s desire for the Corinthian believers to live as a holy community encompasses this epistle, even if the precise words are not used in each context.

Paul intentionally invoked the words of Joel 2:32, “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” God was now assembling his new covenant people from city to city around the world, including Corinth. The rallying cry voiced the name “Jesus Christ,” who is now “Lord.” He shares the title “Lord” with God because he has completed God’s mission to save all people through his death on the cross. Both the worldwide church and its local representation in the Corinthian believers as God’s people serve “their Lord and ours” and swear their allegiance to him. Indeed, it is “by means of Christ” that each one then and now enters into God’s people, uniting with Christ and the church in baptism (Conzelmann 1975:21-23) and confessing Christ as Lord (Rom 6:1-7; 10:9).

Paul’s blessing in 1:3 is a standard part of his introductions, appearing word for word in Romans 1:7, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, and Philippians 1:2. This formula’s coordinated appeal to both God and Christ exemplifies the Christian belief, well established by Paul’s day, that the two govern with equal power. The risen Christ stands at the right hand of the Father administrating his rule (Acts 7:56; Eph 1:10; Phil 1:5-11; Col 1:15-20). Thus, to invoke both is fitting. Attributing fatherhood to God and lordship to Christ is a typical way of distinguishing their functions. Jesus himself encouraged his followers to address God as Father (Matt 6:9), not because he is either male or female, but because he is the Creator and Provider for humanity, as well as for each individual. Addressing Jesus as Lord honors his resurrection, our devotion to him, and his cause to redeem every person from the bondage of sin.