1 Corinthians 1:1-3
Chapter 1
1
Greeting and Thanksgiving
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Sosthenes, our brother,2
to God’s church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, along with all who call on 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.
Commentaries
Greeting and Thanksgiving.
The introduction of the letter typically includes a greeting and thanksgiving. The first thing that stands out is the mention of Jesus Christ nine times across nine verses. This frequent reference to Jesus characterizes the writer, the recipients, and the letter’s content. Paul needs, from the very beginning, to establish his authority as “called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus” (1). His authority had been questioned among the Corinthians, and the Apostle must demonstrate it.
The Apostle addresses the recipients as the “church of God in Corinth” (2). The message is clear: the Corinthians are not alone; they are part of a great assembly called by God, which includes all men and women of every race and nation who have been “consecrated to Christ Jesus with a holy calling” (2) and who, therefore, invoke the name of Jesus wherever they are.
Among the gifts the community has received, Paul mentions eloquence and wisdom, qualities highly valued in the Greek world; by emphasizing them, the Apostle earns the goodwill of his readers. These charisms serve a purpose now, but they are aimed toward the ultimate revelation of Jesus Christ, when “his day” arrives. When writing the letter, Paul believed that the second and final coming of the Lord was imminent.