Graduate 115: 1 Corinthians 1:4-9

Johannes de silentio writes the following in the Preface to (Kierkegaard's) Fear and Trembling:

"Today nobody will stop with faith; they all go further. It would perhaps be rash to inquire where to, but surely a mark of urbanity and good breeding on my part to assume that in fact everyone does indeed have faith, otherwise it would be odd to talk of going further. In those old days it was different. For then faith was a task for a whole lifetime, not a skill thought to be acquired in either days or weeks. When the old campaigner approached the end, had fought the good fight, and kept his faith, his heart was still young enough not to have forgotten the fear and trembling that disciplined his youth and which, although the grown man mastered it, no man altogether outgrows - unless he somehow manages at the earliest possible opportunity to go further. Where these venerable figures arrived our own age begins, in order to go further."

It may not be altogether clear to the reader where Johannes is coming from in this passage. He's being heavily ironic and there's important background material that precedes this quotation; so let me explain. Johannes is responding to a church that has settled into a state of mediocrity. Christianity has become such a familiar part of the culture and society that it has been drained of all its significance. In this work, Johannes focuses on the contemporary view of faith. "Today nobody will stop with faith; they all go further." Faith is easy. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved"--that's faith. Do it and you're in. Then you can move on to bigger and better things. Right?

That's how the Christians of Denmark understood their faith. Sometimes that's how we treat faith in contemporary Christianity. And Kierkegaard, through the character of Johannes, says to that, emphatically: No; that is not faith! It's the beginning of faith--but not its fullness. You think you've mastered faith? You think you're ready to move beyond faith? No, you don't have faith. Faith is what Abraham had when he took his son Isaac and prepared to sacrifice him on Mount Moriah. Can you do what Abraham did? If not, then you haven't mastered faith. When you can do what Abraham did, then, maybe, you will have mastered faith. And the rest of Fear and Trembling is an extended meditation on the story of Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac. [See Graduate 54: Embracing Reason, Part 1 of 3: Abraham for my own treatment of this story.]

Now why, in a series on First Corinthians, do I bring up Kierkegaard and his view of faith? I think that there is an important parallel that can be drawn between Kierkegaard's observations about faith and our studying and taking seriously the first nine verses of First Corinthians.

A friend of mine who read the last entry commented to me and suggested that the points I was making could be interpreted as trivial: "Your calling and election are from God. You are not your own, but He has chosen you. Your life in Him is not dependent on your performance (thank goodness) but on Him who is faithful. You are part of a fellowship of believers... . You have been sanctified. You have been set apart as a saint by God. And, as such, the storehouses of divine grace and peace have been opened to you. They are yours to receive as often as you will ask of God. God is doing a work in you. ... He is with you, right now, where you are. Call to Him, rest in Him, take hold of Him, and He will lead you on the Way."

Do these truths seem trivial to you? At first I couldn't imagine how that could be; but then I thought about it a bit more. "Your calling and election are from God." Is that true? Most Christians would say, Yes. What difference does it make in how you live your life? That question might not be so easy to answer. "You are not your own, but He has chosen you"--what difference does that truth make in your life? Read through the list again. In some cases you may have trouble imagining even how it could make a difference in your life? If that is the case (or if you recognize this as having been the case at some point, because we all go through this phase at one point if not repeatedly) then think about this: just as faith takes a life-time to master, so too do all of these truths. Not one of these is trivial; they are all of immense importance. If you don't understand them, then you won't be able to benefit fully from what follows in Paul's letter. If you don't understand them, you may find it difficult to receive all that God wants to give you.

How do you know whether you've grasped these truths? How do you know whether you are grounded and rooted in the goodness and faithfulness of God? Just look into your heart and look into your daily doings. Take me as an example. I wrote a blog entry on the first three verses of 1 Corinthians, talking about God's will and calling being the foundation of our hope. I said that Paul wrote this, in part, in order to prepare the Corinthian Christians for the criticism that would follow--because if their identity was secure in Christ, then they would be able to receive the criticism and benefit from it. I said that this was a lesson that we could apply to our own lives. Then I received a critical response from a friend of mine about the content and tone of the posting--and my knee-jerk reaction was to become defensive and insist emphatically that mine was the correct and best approach to the topic.

I won't tell you whether I won the argument. The point is that my knee-jerk response was one that reflected my insecurity. Here I was, writing about trusting God in the midst of criticism, and when I received criticism I did not receive it but immediately began justifying myself.

Now for those who are concerned, I'm not beating up on myself here. Usually (I think) I'm actually very good at receiving criticism and looking to how I can grow and improve. I've expanded upon this one instance in order to illustrate the point. How much we trust in God really does show up in how we live our lives; and most of us probably need an extra measure of the grace and peace that Paul desired for the Corinthian Christians. When you're at peace, you can receive criticism and correction. When you're at peace, you can face trials and difficulties. When you're at peace, you don't worry about the future or the past or the here-and-now, because you know that God will take care of you. This is one of the first and most important lessons, and you can be pretty sure that you will not have completed the lesson before heaven. So I want to reiterate it for those who may have missed it in the first post. Are you drawing upon the storehouses of God's abundant grace and peace? Before we can move into verse ten and following, that foundation must be established. --Not perfectly, of course. But take time to meditate on that and to enter into that.

And follow me as we move into the next four verses of this chapter where many of the same points are further reinforced.

1 Corinthians 1:4-9

"I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

We noticed, in the last entry, the odd way in which Paul addresses the Corinthian Christians. Despite their wickedness and debauchery, he calls them the "church of God" and acknowledges that they "have been sanctified" and are "saints by calling". Here Paul does something equally strange: he offers thanks on behalf of the Corinthians. Notice, he does not offer thanks for the Corinthian Christians, but for "the grace of God which was given" to the Corinthian Christians.

Now prayers of thanks are another common feature of letters written during this time and often praise virtues or deeds belonging to the addressee. (Keener, 2005: 22) But Paul does not thank God for the virtues or deeds of the Corinthians. Why? One might think, Because they didn't have any praiseworthy virtues or deeds to speak of. But that is clearly not the case, for Paul goes on to thank God, "that in everything you [Corinthian Christians] were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking any gift". (italics mine) Clearly there are many very good things to be said of the Corinthian church. Paul thanks God for the grace that has been given to the Corinthian Christians because he understands that every good thing that the Corinthians have comes from God. Just as the Church comes out of the calling of God (and not our own action) and sanctification from the work of God (and not our own action) so gifts and good things come from the grace of God in Christ Jesus (and not from our own action). (Barrett, 36. Fee, 38) Paul will later point out how their losing sight of that fact has led the Corinthian Christians to become prideful and factious. Here he makes the point in a preliminary way--by giving thanks to God for the good things that the Corinthians have received.

Among the gifts of God, Paul cites, in particular, "speech and knowledge". These will play a significant part in the content of the letter. Paul will address many abuses of both speech and knowledge, so it is especially important that we hear, now, his unqualified expression of thanksgiving for them. Speech and knowledge are good things.

[I do not want to dwell too much, at this point, on Paul's later remarks about speech and knowledge, except to bring into sharper relief the significance of his giving thanks for these things. Paul will say plenty, in what follows, about the wise words of men. In 8:1 he will remind the Corinthians that, "Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies." And in 13:1-2 he will say, "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing." The church has developed some problematic practices with respect to speech and knowledge; Paul knows this and will speak about it. So it should strike us as that much more significant that he, here, thanks God for these gifts and for their being given to the Corinthians. I like the way that Fee makes the point:

"What is remarkable here is the apostle's ability to thank God for the very things in the church that, because of the abuses, are also causing him grief. Some in fact have suggested that this is irony. But such a view tends to miss some vital features in Paul's theology. Unlike many contemporary Christians, whose tendency is to domesticate the faith by eliminating anything that could be troublesome, the apostle recognizes that the problem lies not in their gifts, but in their attitude toward these gifts. Precisely because the gifts come from God, Paul is bound to give thanks for them. ... In this thanksgiving, therefore, Paul accomplishes two things: he gives genuine thanks to God both for the Corinthians themselves and for God's having "gifted" them, but at the same time he redirects their focus. / This redirection has two emphases: (1) The Corinthians are genuinely "gifted," but as the letter reveals they are also self-satisfied and creature-oriented, boasting in mere human beings. The whole of the thanksgiving is God-oriented and Christ-centered. Everything comes from God, and is given in Christ Jesus. (2) The second emphasis is eschatological." (Fee, 36)

Also note, "Significantly, both words [logos (speech) and gnosis (knowledge)] appear positively as gifts of the Spirit in chaps. 12-14..." (Fee, 39)]

Now recall that Paul reminds the Corinthian Christians that they "have been sanctified in Christ Jesus" and are "saints by calling". These refer to past actions on the part of God on behalf of His people. Then in vv. 6 and 7, he speaks of the testimony of Christ being confirmed in the Corinthians, "so that you are not lacking in any gift". This refers to a present condition. Paul then goes on to describe them as "awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." Again, it is God's activity that is reflected in all these cases. God is the one who sanctified and called the Corinthian Christians in the past; God is the one who gives them gifts and provides for them in the present; and God is the one who will bring them into fullness and completeness and maturity. At every stage, Paul impresses on them the work of God on their behalf.

Elsewhere I have written on the importance of situating one's life in a larger narrative. [See Graduate 62: The Greatest Story and Graduate 66: The Great Glass] Understanding past and future allow us to know how we should live our lives in the here and now. Paul is setting up that framework for the Corinthians here. He is going to say a great deal about the here and now--how the Corinthians should conduct themselves in the here and now--in the chapters to follow; but it is all said with a view to the past and (particularly for Paul's theology and eschatology) the future. Again, it is because of the past reality of God's call and the future reality of God's promised fulfillment that Paul can give thanks for the Corinthians. It is because of those same realities that the Corinthians will be able to receive Paul's corrections and continue to grow and mature.

I like the way that Fee makes this point: "What is remarkable is that Paul should express such confidence about a community whose current behavior is anything but blamelss and whom on several occasions he must exhort with the strongest kinds of warning. The secret, of course, likes in the subject of the verb, "he" (= God). If Paul's confidence lay in the Corinthians themselves, then he is in trouble. But just as in 5:6-8 and 6:9-11, in Paul's theology the indicative (God's prior action of grace) always precedes the imperative (their obedience as response to grace) and is the ground of his confidence." (Fee, 43-44)

And as if to drive the point home, in v. 9, Paul reminds the church, "God is faithful". That is the bottom line. That is the source of true confidence and hope and peace and assurance. God is faithful, "through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

--

I would like to move toward wrapping things up in this entry by addressing, again, an issue that may have made some people uncomfortable in reading this. Earlier, I described Paul's expression of thanksgiving for the Corinthian Christians as "unqualified" and I think that some may have a problem with that. As I was leading a study on this passage, one of the participants was trying to describe Paul's confidence with respect to the Corinthian church, but he kept on hesitating because he didn't know how to express that strong confidence without falling into libertinism; and he knew he didn't want to even seem to endorse libertinism. (He even said that he wanted to distance himself from that "Calvinist" notion that you're salvation is secure so you can live however you want--loosely paraphrasing. I just laughed inside.) And there are many who, not entirely illegitimately, fear that if we emphasize our confidence in the calling of God too much, then people will interpret that as license to live however they want.

Harper puts the point succinctly in his comment on 1:8, 9. "God's power is able to keep us blameless in holiness until the day of Christ's return... . He is faithful to bring to completion the salvation to which He called us. We must be faithful to Him." (Harper, 1713. Italics mine) Lyons describes Paul's thanksgiving as "guarded" in light of the corrections that will follow. (Lyons, 1002)

But this seems just wrong to me. Of course, one does have to guard against licentiousness and libertinism, but does that mean that every expression of thanksgiving needs to be qualified and every speech in praise of God's greatness tempered? Can you imagine a father who, every time that he told his son that he loved him, followed it with this sort of qualification. "Son, I will always love you, no matter what, forever and ever. But don't interpret that as license to be disobedient or do whatever you want?" Can you imagine a mother expressing this kind of sentiment to her daughter? How much less the Corinthians' spiritual father? (4:15) A philosopher could point out to us that the qualification does not, in any way, compromise the full genuineness and integrity of the parents' expression of love toward the child; but that's not the point. There are so few things that come to us in this life without qualification, without strings attached, without reservations or caveats or addendums or fine print. Must we add fine print to the love of God and the calling of God and the hope of God?

I've pointed out before, that Paul is well-aware of the need for growth and progress toward holiness and maturity. The next fourteen chapters are all about growth and progress toward holiness and maturity. Paul knows that that is important. But I think he also knows that we can't move into that unless we know that we are secure in God's hands. And sometimes we need the unqualified assurance of God's love and faithfulness. So he begins by reminding the Corinthians who they are in Christ. He reminds them of their calling, of the gifts they have received by which the testimony of Christ was confirmed in them, and of God's promise to bring them to fullness and completeness in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, as we move into the body of the letter, I would encourage you to meditate on the ideas that we encountered in the first nine verses. They are foundational--for the Corinthians who first received this letter and for us who wish to learn from it.

God has called us; and it is because of that call--not anything that we do, and often in spite of what we do,--that we are sanctified, saints, and recipients of God's grace and peace. It is in the assurance of what Jesus Christ has done for us and in the confidence of what He will do for us that we can step out in faith to follow Him now--even through rebuke and criticism and correction. God is faithful. That is the source of abiding hope and true peace, for the Church and for us, individually. God is the center.

And I don't emphasize this point for purely theological reasons. I find that I constantly need to be reminded of these truths in my day-to-day life. Otherwise I get sucked into a world that is constantly placing demands on me, tells me that I will be judged on my performance, and says that if I don't have it all together then I'm going to fail. And with that world come worry, anxiety, doubt, disingenuousness, defensiveness, and fear. Also, anger, resentment, frustration, and pride. How can I trust God in that condition? How can I step out in faith in that condition? How can I receive all that God desires for me in that condition?

Think about and meditate on these verses. They are just one instance of a message of hope and peace, that is writ large across every page of Scripture, about God's enduring faithfulness.

--

God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.

Graduate 114: 1 Corinthians 1:1-3

Have you noticed how many 'series' I've started recently and not continued. A 'Heidegger' series and an 'Epistemology' series. At least I got to four (I think) entries in the 'Moral Responsibility' series. Rest assured, I haven't given up on them. It just takes a lot of time to put those entries together and I don't necessarily have a lot of time to do that. Or maybe I do... after all, I probably spent a good __ hours putting together the following entry--which effectively marks the beginning of a new series. Good grief!

So my friend, Chris (a.k.a. "TubaChris"), and I have been talking about doing a Bible study in First Corinthians. So I decided to pull together a few commentaries (I had to use LINK+ because the UCR library offerings in theology are pathetic) and start studying First Corinthians. (Sometimes I wonder if I should have gone into Biblical studies instead of Philosophy.)

Well, what I found absolutely blew my mind. And that was just the first three verses. I tried to put some of it together in this entry. Future entries will probably not be this long. I think it comes of this being the first entry that I naturally try to cram way too much into it. Within a few entries, the major themes will have been outlined and the groundwork laid so that what follows thereafter will be more succinct.

One key disclaimer. At one point (a little over half-way through) I criticize Carter's interpretation of 1:2. I think I come off rather strong (for my taste) and I do want to be careful that I not make his view sound fundamentally wrong-headed or anything like that. Biblical exegesis is complicated (as will come out a little in what follows) and theological commitments must be carefully considered. So, just keep that in mind as you read that section.

God bless.

--

On a first pass, one may not be inclined to give much weight or consideration to the opening of Paul's letter to the Corinthians. It is structured along similar lines to those of his other letters and basically presents the same salutary greeting that he extends to all the churches. But just because it is common to all his letters, does not make it commonplace at all. In fact, these opening lines are extremely important. Not only do they establish the framework for everything that follows, but they recall profoundly significant truths that are an essential foundation for anyone who wishes to derive benefit from the message that Paul writes.

Perhaps the most effective way to encounter the magnitude of Paul's opening remarks is to read them in light of certain points of the letter's content. Consider, then, this sampling of passages:

"For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you." (1:7) "I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?" (3:2-3) "It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife." (5:1) "I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren, but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?" (6:5-6) "Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper, for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk." (11:20-21)

These are just a few of the issues that exist in the Corinthian church and that Paul will address in his letter--quarrels and factions, jealousy and strife, flagrant sexual immorality, Christians suing Christians in public courts, and Christian meetings marked by drunkenness and a callous disregard for the needy in their midst. This is the situation into which Paul writes and speaks. And this is how he begins:

1 Corinthians 1:1-3

"Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 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: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

You may need to read it through a few times in order for the impact of the words to sink in. Again, we may be so used to Paul's 'generic' greeting that we miss the full import of what he says. To whom does he address this letter? To the church of God. How does he describe them? As those who have been sanctified in Christ. What does he call them? Saints by calling. What does he desire for them? Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Is this how one addresses a church that is torn apart by factions, full of sexual immorality and drunkenness, callously disregarding the poor, and full of jealousy and strife? Some might even hesitate to acknowledge that it is a church. How could it be a church that is so clearly off the mark of God's express intention for His people? How could they be sanctified? How could they be saints? How could they be recipients of God's grace and peace who are so far removed from anything resembling godliness or Christ-likeness? The incongruity and juxtaposition may grow even more extreme as we read verses 4 to 9, in which Paul offers a prayer of thanksgiving for the Corinthian Christians. We will examine those verses in the next entry. For now, let us consider the first three verses and the question: What is Paul saying? In light of the manifest problems that are endemic to that place, what does it mean that Paul greets the Corinthian church in this way?

Is Paul attempting to curry favor with the Corinthian Christians by speaking highly of them? (We will also consider this question in connection with vv. 4-9.) There is a conventional precedent for that in Hellenic practice. Keener observes: "As in speeches, letters might open with a proem praising the reader, which was designed to secure the reader's favor for the rest of the letter. Moralists who gave rebuking speeches or wrote rebuking letters also mixed in praise to make their advice easier to accept." (Keener, 1993: 454) Is that what Paul is doing here? Maybe that's part of it, but I think that we will lose out on something huge if we dismiss Paul's words as a kind of mere lip service. Indeed, one of the most dangerous things we can do, as Christians, is to read the Bible as a mere collection of pretty sayings--words without substance, promises without power, commands without force. Let us, then, turn to consider what Paul says.

Paul's opening follows the standard letter-writing form of the time--first identifying the sender. But Paul expands upon this basic template to make some important points. He is "called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God". Three distinct and important points are made by this assertion. First, he establishes that his vocation is by divine "call". Very likely, this refers to his encounter with Jesus Christ on the Damascus road. (Acts 9) Second, Paul emphasizes the origin of his vocation in "the will of God". This point is distinct from the first (though they may, at first, seem to be one and the same) and serves to ground "his apostleship, beyond its historical realization in his "call," in its ultimate origins in the divine purposes. … In all of this Paul is affirming that God's action is always the prior one." (Fee, 28-30. Cf. Gal 1:4; Eph. 1:3-11) Third, he describes the nature of his vocation as apostolic.

That Paul identifies himself in this way is important for several reasons. First, Paul's credentials and authority have already been called into question by members of the Corinthian church. He will address issues related to that later in this letter and in 2 Corinthians. So it is important that he lay down, at the outset of this letter, who he is and by what authority he speaks. Second, in clearly establishing the source of his authority, he is drawing a distinction that will be developed further, later, between those who minister in God's power and those who rely on human wisdom. Already, he is laying a framework for the material that will follow. Third, by grounding his ministry in the "will of God," he is turning the Corinthian's attention away from himself and back to God.

[Expanding on this third point…] Indeed, I think that we will find that Paul, over and over again, is endeavoring to turn the focus and attention of the Corinthians away from themselves and away from himself and away from the world and away from all the other things that distract and back to God. In these opening three verses, alone, Jesus Christ is mentioned four times and God is mentioned three times. That is not an accident; nor is it merely redundant. Paul is calling the Corinthian Christians back to the center, back to the source, back to the foundation. Have you noticed how the character of your life changes when you turn from focusing on yourself or your problems to focusing on God? Your problems may still be there, but you see them in a fundamentally different light; you see them in light of a God who loves and is in control. How many of our problems are rooted in us simply failing to keep our eyes fixed on God? [The Apostle Peter bears the distinction of being one of only two people that have ever walked on water; but when he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the wind and the rough sea, he began to sink. (Matthew 14:22-33)] How many of our problems would be solved if we would only look to Him?

I will forego discussing the identity and character of Sosthenes. Some speculate that he may be the Corinthian synagogue official mentioned in Acts 18. I will not discuss the point here. However, I would like to note an observation made by Collins, that I like very much, concerning Paul's description (the mode of presence within the letter) of Sosthenes as brother.

"Paul has done more than merely identify Sosthenes for the benefit of his addressees. He has also introduced kinship language, the language of belonging, into the letter from its outset. Use of kinship language occurs frequently throughout the letter, most commonly when Paul addresses the members of the community as "brothers and sisters." He does this more often in 1 Corinthians than in any of his other letters: some twenty-one times in all, first in 1:10 and finally at the very end of the letter in 16:20. Paul's use of kinship language emphasizes the bonds that bind Christians to one another as members of the same family. The language is particularly appropriate to a community that is divided (1:10-11)." (Collins, 45)

Again, one of the problems that the Corinthian church faces is the presence of factions and divisiveness within the community. How significant, then, that Paul should refer to them as brothers and sisters… or is that just flowery language? Is it meant to make them feel a brotherly or sisterly kinship where none actually exists? That is the question we are asking in considering these opening lines. That question is raised again as we turn to v. 2 where Paul identifies the recipients of his letter as "the church of God". Is that just a convenient euphemism? A commonplace locution or designation? Or is Paul saying something more?

Fee observes: "In his earlier two letters Paul had written to the church of the Thessalonians in God. Here they are the church of God in Corinth. The church belongs to God (cf. 3:9), not to them or to Paul…". Moreover, no names, parties, factions, leaders, or particular bodies are mentioned. "Rather, the entire community is addressed, and what is said here and throughout is said to all." (Fee, 31) Paul is, once again, directing the attention of the Corinthians away from their factions and divisions and the various things that divide them. He is turning their attention back to the one (and only thing) that unifies them. The church is not theirs; it is God's. These are not just pretty words; Paul is making a very particular point about the nature of the true church--that it is not grounded in or dependent upon the people that form its membership, but that it is, fundamentally, of God and from God and for God.

This point is further underscored by the subsequent phrases. Just as Paul grounds his own ministry and call in the will of God, so he grounds the Corinthian church, not in the behavior or conduct or quality of its members, but in the action of God. So he says of them that they "have been sanctified in Christ Jesus," and that they are "saints by calling".

These designations are enormously significant, for they establish the members of the Corinthian church as having been set apart by God for His purposes. Indeed, where many of us might be tempted to question whether these, so-called, "Christians" really are Christians, Paul does not raise this concern; but, instead, he emphatically affirms the identity of these people in Christ. The expression "having been sanctified" underscores this point particularly well, for the term in Greek is a perfect passive participle. That it is a participle means that it is a verbal adjective; it is describing the Corinthian Christians. That it is in the passive voice represents the Corinthians as the recipients of the act or action (in this case, of sanctification). And that it is in the perfect tense indicates that the action was completed in the past and carries with it continuing, ongoing results. (Zodhiates, 1703. Cf. Collins, 46) "In contrast to popular modern usage, this "sanctification," or being set apart, occurred when they joined God's people, that is, at conversion, and was first of all a ritual category." (Keener, 2005: 21)

This may not sit well with some. How can these people be "saints" and "sanctified" if they are so thoroughly debauched? The key lies in the realization that the church is not grounded in the conduct or character or behavior of men and women, but in the will of God.

So, Keener writes: "Despite their behavior (elaborated from 1:10 forward), Paul acknowledges them as "saints," "sanctified in Christ" (cf. also 6:11). These are biblical designations for the people God set apart by his own redemptive act. Like Israel, they were summoned to live holy (set apart, "sanctified") to God because God had chosen them; they were not chosen because of how they were living (1 Cor 6:9-11; cf. Lev 20:24; Deut 9:5-6)." (Keener, 2005: 21)

Barrett takes a similar line: "It is God's act in sanctifying them (that is, in separating them for himself) and not any act of their own that makes these men into the church. … The Corinthian Christians, concerning whose morals we shall hear a number of complaints in the following pages, are saints (that is, holy persons) in the sense that they are God's people, as was Israel in former times; cf. e.g. Exod. xix. 6. They exist no longer to serve their own purposes but God's; hence, if they take their holiness seriously, the most important of moral consequences will flow from it. But it is not in itself a moral condition." (Barrett, 32)

Clearly there is a connection between sanctification and moral conduct, but we must be careful in defining that connection. We may be tempted, at times, to make proper moral conduct a condition of sanctification; but who can hope to meet such a condition? [Didn't Jesus die, in part, just because we could not meet that condition?] On the other hand, one may wonder, if we cannot know on the basis of conduct (since Paul seems to accept the Corinthians as "saints") how can we determine who is and is not a Christian? [Doesn't Jesus talk about recognizing people by their fruits? (Matthew 7:12-23)] Paul will later instruct the Corinthians to remove certain people from their fellowship. (ch. 5) Doesn't he have some criteria in mind?

These are difficult and complicated questions. We will deal with some of them in the course of studying this letter, which is very much concerned with the practical application of theological doctrine to real life situations and contexts. Paul will instruct the Corinthian Christians to remove certain people from their fellowship. He will speak of freedom at one point; and of submission and accountability at another. He will say that it is okay to eat meat sacrificed to idols and then outline conditions when it is not appropriate to do so. Some will throw up their hands in frustration and accuse Paul of contradiction, obfuscation, and incoherence; but I would suggest a different response. (See also Bruce, 22)

I do not think that we face an impenetrable fog; rather, we face the complexity of normal life, which we experience on a day-to-day basis. The Bible, and Paul's letter to the Corinthians, in particular, speak to that life and to its complexity. Wading through the complexity will require patience and not-a-little faith (not blind faith in a particular end result, but faith that careful study and prayerful consideration will yield a harvest of truth).

What is Paul doing in addressing his letter "to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling"? Paul is taking the Corinthian Christians back to their roots, back to the foundation, back to the source--and that source is God. Having taken their eyes off God, they have become divided and full of contention; before he can bring healing, or rebuke, or correction, Paul must first turn their attention back to God. He has many hard things to say to the Corinthian church? Who will endure it? They will endure it if they remember who they are in Christ.

Consider your own life. How willing are you to receive criticism from others. Maybe there are some people from whom you receive correction graciously and gratefully. But there are others whose rebuke or reproof grate on your nerves and make you want to lash out in anger or else sink into shame. What makes the difference? I would suggest that one of the key difference-makers is how safe you feel with that individual. When a friend corrects you, it is in a loving and nurturing context; you know that he or she has your best interest at heart and only wants to help you. Others may not have your best interest at heart; they may be in competition with you or want to demean you (or you may think that they want to). You will not feel safe with them; and their correction will only underscore their competitive or demeaning attitude. Much time and effort and energy is spent trying to navigate between the 'safe' and 'un-safe' people in our lives. It's exhausting… and often fruitless.

This is just the point at which the profound and extraordinary truth of life in the Kingdom of God is revealed, the life that Paul proclaims: that, in Jesus Christ, we are always safe. In Jesus Christ, we are free and able to face our problems, faults, challenges, and even failures without fear, because we know that we are safe in the arms of God. Paul is going to deal harshly with the Corinthian church at points. How will they avoid angrily lashing out in response or else shutting down and withdrawing as we sometimes do when faced with criticism? Only by remembering that they are safe in the arms of God; only by remembering that their calling and election and appointment are secure; only by remembering who they are in Christ--"sanctified," "saints." These are not just pretty words that Paul is saying. He's not trying to mollify the Corinthians. Instead, he is laying a necessary and secure foundation for the work to follow. That foundation is the truth of who they are in Christ.

At this point, I will present an alternative interpretation of these key lines in v. 2 offered by Carter. I do not agree with portions of this interpretation and will attempt to explain why. He writes: "The church of God is not sufficiently definitive to satisfy the Apostle and thus he adds the two qualifiers them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints. Paul is writing to the church of God which is at Corinth, but not to the church of Corinth. Corinth was a veritable cesspool of iniquity - far from being a church. But God had a church in Corinth. The leaven of righteousness was present and pervading the wickedness of that city. The church of God is universal, but it has its local and specific locations and manifestations. To hear of the church of God which is in Corinth sounds as paradoxical as "saints… of Caesar's household" (Phil. 4:22). But such is the purpose of God to plant His people where they are most needed, and where they can do the most good." (Carter, 122)

He goes on to say, "These Christians at Corinth were sanctified in Christ Jesus. Thus they belonged to the ecclesia, the called-out or separated ones, and were consecrated or sanctified Christians. Doubtless Paul was in the main speaking teleologically or ideally here. Many in the church at Corinth were not consecrated, not to mention cleansed. But such was God's purpose for them, as it is for all believers, and that purpose must be realized in the plan of God before redemption for man is complete. … That even some, at least, of these Corinthian believers had entered the portals of heart purity appears evident from Paul's words: "but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified" (1 Cor. 6:11). Quite correctly Whedon observes, "Every justified man is also, in some degree, a sanctified man. Every true Christian is a saint." Potentially and initially this is true. Actually and ultimately it must be realized in experience by every true believer." (Carter, 122-123)

[Lyons, I think, makes the point of Carter's second block quote even more succinctly. He writes: "That the Corinthians were sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy (v.2) implies only that their calling had set them apart from the world to be numbered among the people of the Holy One." (Italics mine. Lyons, 1002)]

It is possible that, as you read Carter's comments, you felt them a more apt interpretation of Paul's words than my own. I will not offer a definitive refutation; I am not equipped to do so. But this is what occurs to me as I read and think about the Corinthian church. It is already divided, it is already broken. We see that beginning in 1:10. What they need now is unity and not more division. Now this letter would likely have been read aloud in the presence of the whole assembly. Imagine the thoughts that must naturally run through the minds of such people if they here Paul's opening words: "to the true church of God in Corinth". Some immediately say to themselves, "Yes, that's me. I'm part of the true church. Not like those people over there." Others, who have been convicted of their sin may say, "Oh, that doesn't apply to me. I've stumbled too badly to be included in the true church." Those who are arrogant will only take the occasion of such an address to heap further condemnation on their neighbors. And those who are broken in spirit will receive none of the blessing that Paul desires to pour out on them. Can this have been Paul's intention? Certainly not, but that is what must come from drawing, at this point in the letter, a distinction between the true church of God and the false church of God in Corinth.

I am also troubled by Carter's description of Paul as, "in the main speaking teleologically or ideally here." There is, of course, some truth in this. The Corinthian Christians are very, very far from perfection and Christ-likeness. They have a long way to go in their journey of faith--a very long way to go. So what they need now is to encounter the present reality of God in their midst; that is their only hope. Those who have followed my blog may recall that I like to take the "ideal" and move it from the unreal world of abstraction into solid and foundational reality. The "ideal" is more "real" than the real that we encounter in our day-to-day lives. It only seems less real because we are blind to its presence. That is, I think, a better picture of the present reality of God's power and activity.

Paul is not, here, addressing a small segment of the Corinthian church. Paul is the last one to exclude anyone from the fellowship of the believing community. Some, by their actions, will show that they are not a part, but Paul will not make that judgment at this point in the letter. Instead, he opens his arms to receive all and in doing so sets about demolishing the barriers that divide them. There is no room for factions or parties or cliques in the church of God. In a human organization, such groups naturally arise. In God's family, when people are focused on God, they (such groups) naturally vanish.

Paul emphasizes this even more in the next phrase: "with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours". Not only does he set about demolishing the barriers that exist within the Corinthian church, but he also reminds them of their kinship with all the other churches of Christ. They are all one community, one body (Paul will emphasize later).

Fee makes the point well: "So Paul starts by giving them a gentle nudge to remind them that their own calling to be God's people belongs to a much larger picture. In the new people that God is creating for himself in the coming age that has already dawned, the Corinthians have a share with all the saints, fellow believers "in every place" who also "call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," that is, who have put their trust in him and pray to and worship him." (Fee, 33)

This leads us to the last line of Paul's opening greeting: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

This is what Fee has to say: "In a sense this sums up the whole of Paul's theological outlook. The sum total of all God's activity toward his human creatures is found in the word "grace"; God has given himself to them mercifully and bountifully in Christ. Nothing is deserved; nothing can be achieved. " 'Tis mercy all, immense and free." And the sum total of those benefits as they are experienced by the recipients of God's grace is found in the word "peace," meaning "well-being, wholeness, welfare." The one flows out of the other and both together flow from "God our Father" (see n. 16) and were made effective in human history through our "Lord Jesus Christ." (Fee, 34)

Fee calls grace, "the sum total of all God's activity toward his human creatures." Does that resonate with you. Many in the church, I expect, have a rather anemic view of grace. We correctly recognize that it is a gift of God and often associate it with the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross, as we should. But is that all there is to it? What is Paul wishing for and praying for here? Dallas Willard (one of my favorite teachers) has helpfully pointed out that "Grace is not [just] for sin; it's for life." Adam and Eve, who were sinless, dwelt in the grace of God. Jesus Christ, who was also sinless, walked and taught in the grace of God. What is the grace of God. One way to think of grace is in terms of power. Grace is the power of God, as it is expressed and revealed in the lives of people. Certainly the power of God was and is revealed in the redemption of sinful human beings, but that is just one part (albeit significant) of grace. Every breath you take is a gift from God and reflects the power (i.e. grace) of God. Every new day that you see is a gift of God. Every time you are enabled to move under your own power--that is God's grace. The fact that the universe does not blink out of existence in the next moment--that is a gift of God and the power of God and the grace of God.

We do not fully realize how utterly dependent we are on the grace of God. We do not see how it pervades our lives, unbeknownst to us. Those who come to some understanding of its full extent throw themselves on it constantly. They know that there is no more secure foundation and source. "And the sum total of those benefits as they are experienced by the recipients of God's grace is found in the word "peace," meaning "well-being, wholeness, welfare."" When a person knows that she is provided for, that God's grace is sufficient for all her needs, then she is truly at peace. When she is not troubled by the world, by the opinions of other people, by worries about her finances or her future, by doubts about her abilities, by fear that something bad may happen to her--when she understands how much the Father loves her and that He will take care of her, then she is at peace.

So much more could (and should) be said about these themes. But I will close with a few words from Barrett that I think sum up the point of this last line nicely. "Grace is the antecedent being and act of God which are the ground of all Christian existence (cf. 1 Cor. xv. 10); peace is the outcome of God's redemptive act, the total state of well-being to which men are admitted (cf. Rom. v. 1). When one Christian wishes grace and peace to another he prays that he may apprehend more fully the grace of God in which he already stands, and the peace he already enjoys." (Italics mine. Barrett, 34-35)

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We've come a long way. And this is only the first three verses. But I hope that you see how absolutely indispensable they are. They were indispensable for the Corinthian Christians who originally received this letter and they are indispensable for you and me if we are to derive benefit from its words. Do you think that you can learn something from this letter by just barreling through it? Do you think that you will be able to discern the truth that underlies some of its more subtle and complicated passages by running headlong into its pages? Do you think that you will be able to receive the difficult, controversial, and even offensive material that follows with an open and ready heart by skipping the first and most important step in the process?

Isn't that how we often approach life? We barely think about God at all between Monday and Saturday; and then we wonder why our lives are falling apart and seem so out-of-control. Is it possible that we've neglected the first and most important step?

If you have some time, I'd encourage you to sit and meditate on these verses. They are, perhaps, an odd set of verses to meditate on--hardly the kind of thing you'd normally find in a devotional book or stenciled on a greeting card. But if they will remind you of the foundational truths that are so essential for anchoring our lives in God and in Christ, then by all means, review them and think on them. As you study the Scripture, or if you continue to read through First Corinthians, or even as you face the challenges of day-to-day life. Remember these things.

Your calling and election are from God. You are not your own, but he has chosen you. Your life in Him is not dependent on your performance (thank goodness) but on Him who is faithful. You are part of a fellowship of believers--of brothers and sisters who have also been called by God. As mere humans, you are just strangers, or acquaintances, or even enemies--but, in Christ, you are one body. You have been sanctified. You have been set apart as a saint by God. And, as such, the storehouses of divine grace and peace have been opened to you. They are yours to receive as often as you will ask of God. God is doing a work in you. At times it may be scary; at times it may be hard. But if you will only fix your eyes on Jesus, and draw upon the encouragement of your brothers and sisters, then God will bring you through. He is with you, right now, where you are. Call to Him, rest in Him, take hold of Him, and He will lead you on the Way.

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Principle Resources: Craig Keener, IVP Bible Background Commentary of the New Testament, 1993. Craig Keener, 1-2 Corinthians (The New Cambridge Bible Commentary), 2005. C.K. Barrett, A Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Harper's New Testament Commentary), 1968. Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (The New International Commentary on the New Testament), 1987.

Additional Resources (alphabetically by author) : Albert Barnes, 1 Corinthians (Notes on the New Testament by Albert Barnes), 1949. Craig Blomberg, 1 Corinthians (The NIV Application Commentary), 1994. F.F. Bruce, 1 and 2 Corinthians (New Century Bible), 1971. Charles W. Carter, "First Corinthians," The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, 1965. Adam Clarke, Clarke's Commentary (Vol. 6), date. Raymond F. Collins, First Corinthians (Sacra Pagina), 1999. F.W. Grosheide, Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians (The New International Commentary on the New Testament), 1953. Albert F. Harper, The Wesley Bible: A Personal Study Bible for Holy Living (KJV), 1990. Alan Johnson, 1 Corinthians (The IVP New Testament Commentary Series), 2004. George Lyons, "1 Corinthians," Asbury Bible Commentary, 1992. Leon Morris, The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries), 1958. Spiros Zodhiates, ed., Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NASB, 1977), 1990.

Not all of the Additional Resources will be cited or consulted in connection with every entry. All emphases (italics, boldface) in quotations are in the original unless otherwise specified.

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God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.