Post by Bro. Freddie on Jul 13, 2008 6:54:13 GMT -5
I Corinthians 1:1-3 (King James Version)
1. Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
2. Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's:
3. Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord has laid on my heart to began a study of I Corinthians. Now, these may not be posted as regularly as some of our other studies, but I pray that you will find them helpful in your everyday walk with the Lord. We will begin our study by looking at the greeting.
In verse 1 we see who the author of I Corinthians is. It is Paul! This letter was written probably in A.D. 55 or 56, but some say it could have been as late as A.D. 59. The date isn't that important. What is important is that Paul wrote it from Ephesus, and from the start it has been declared canonical. Early church fathers quoted frequently from I Corinthians, and it has been deemed from the beginning as inspired of God.
Notice also in verse 1 that Paul says that he was called to be an apostle of Jesus through the will of God. What Paul is doing is that he is stating by what authority, or right, he has in writing this letter. Paul says that he was an apostle, thus he has this authority. There were only 14 men who ever held the office of apostle. There were the original 12, the one elected to replace Judas, and Paul. That's it. Paul is also stating why he was called to be an apostle. It was through the will of God. In other words, God wanted Paul to be an apostle, so he became an apostle. Now, could any man today decide that God had called him to do like Paul and serve in this office? NO! This office died out when John, the last remaining apostle, died. If someone tells you they have been called of God to be an apostle they are lying and are teaching falsehoods.
The Sosthenes mentioned in verse 1 is a common name. Some think that it might have been the same Sosthenes mentioned in Acts 18 that was beaten by the Greeks at Corinth. Since this letter was written in Ephesus, that theory is plausible but unlikely. Other than knowing that this man was with Paul at Ephesus when this letter was written, nothing more is known of him.
In verse 2 we see who this letter was written to. It was to the church at Corinth! Now Corinth is about 40 miles west of Athens, Greece and was the capital of the Roman province Achaia and had been made a Roman colony by Julius Caesar about 46 B.C. Corinth was known for it's corruption. People from all walks of life came to Corinth for trade and vice in all it's different forms. So as you can see Corinth was a very wicked place, thus a place that needed the Lord.
In the first part of verse 2 Paul uses the phrase "unto the church of God at Corinth". Folks, Jesus never named His church! Man named it, but Jesus never gave His church a name. So if someone tells you that this is where a certain denomination started, they are wrong. Also, Paul could have used the name of Jesus here instead of God to identify the church, but he didn't. Why? Because God and Jesus are the same! Folks, Jesus was God in human flesh and God is God. They are the one and the same, yet each are different.
Looking further in verse 2 Paul uses the phrase "to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus". The word "sanctified" is a verb here and carries the meaning of to sanctify. Sanctify is defined as to be separated unto God. In other words, to be set aside for God's use and to be separate from the evil things of this world. In this verse Paul also uses the word "saints" which are those that are sanctified. Folks, every one that has been saved is sanctified! We are called to be apart from the things of this world. So if we are all sanctified, doesn't it stand to reason that we are all also saints? Folks, there is no difference between a saint and a saved person. All saved are saints.
Looking further in verse 2 Paul uses the phrase "with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord". As I sat and thought on this phrase, at first I didn't really understand it. I prayed about it, and still didn't understand it. After a lot of thought I think I have figured it out. This phrase is part of Paul's greeting to the church at Corinth, and he uses this phrase to tell the church that this letter is from him, Sosthenes, and is profitable to everyone, not just the church at Corinth. Why is this for everyone? There are things in this letter that will do each of us good to learn, and to practice, that will help us in our walk with the Lord. So while some may say that this pertains just to the church at Corinth, I believe it pertains to each and every one of us.
In verse 3 Paul says "Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." Now "grace" is defined as the unmerited favor of God. We don't use the word unmerited much, so I like to use the word undeserved in place of it. They mean the same thing. Which of us has ever deserved the favor of God? No one! We are all sinners, deserving to be sent to hell for the sins we have committed against God. But because God loves us so much, He provided a way for us to obtain salvation. And that is through Jesus Christ. That is grace.
Paul also goes on in his greeting and wishes not only grace, but peace upon the church at Corinth. Think about this if you will for just a moment. Can you have true peace without Jesus in your life? NO! And Jesus is the complete picture of grace. So you see, Paul is wishing grace (undeserved favor of God) and peace (a calm) to the church at Corinth. And to tell you the complete truth, this church will need it after Paul gets through with them.
I also want you to notice in verse 3 who this grace and peace comes from. God the Father and Jesus Christ. Two separate entities. Folks, right here is a conformation of two of the three aspects of the triune Godhead. God the Father, and God the Son. Paul states that both grace and peace come from both the Father and the Son. God the Father provided a way for us to obtain salvation, through Jesus' shed blood, which is grace. And after a person has accepted Jesus as their Saviour, they will have true peace. Have you accepted this free gift of grace that is provided for you?
Today, we have seen the greeting to the church at Corinth. Now, I know this has not been much of a sermon. Greetings are almost as hard to preach as genealogies. But my question to you today is twofold. Have you accepted the free gift of grace that God has provided for you? Do you have true peace in your life today? Jesus shed His life's blood on the cross at Calvary for you. Have you accepted Him as your Saviour today?
1. Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
2. Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's:
3. Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord has laid on my heart to began a study of I Corinthians. Now, these may not be posted as regularly as some of our other studies, but I pray that you will find them helpful in your everyday walk with the Lord. We will begin our study by looking at the greeting.
In verse 1 we see who the author of I Corinthians is. It is Paul! This letter was written probably in A.D. 55 or 56, but some say it could have been as late as A.D. 59. The date isn't that important. What is important is that Paul wrote it from Ephesus, and from the start it has been declared canonical. Early church fathers quoted frequently from I Corinthians, and it has been deemed from the beginning as inspired of God.
Notice also in verse 1 that Paul says that he was called to be an apostle of Jesus through the will of God. What Paul is doing is that he is stating by what authority, or right, he has in writing this letter. Paul says that he was an apostle, thus he has this authority. There were only 14 men who ever held the office of apostle. There were the original 12, the one elected to replace Judas, and Paul. That's it. Paul is also stating why he was called to be an apostle. It was through the will of God. In other words, God wanted Paul to be an apostle, so he became an apostle. Now, could any man today decide that God had called him to do like Paul and serve in this office? NO! This office died out when John, the last remaining apostle, died. If someone tells you they have been called of God to be an apostle they are lying and are teaching falsehoods.
The Sosthenes mentioned in verse 1 is a common name. Some think that it might have been the same Sosthenes mentioned in Acts 18 that was beaten by the Greeks at Corinth. Since this letter was written in Ephesus, that theory is plausible but unlikely. Other than knowing that this man was with Paul at Ephesus when this letter was written, nothing more is known of him.
In verse 2 we see who this letter was written to. It was to the church at Corinth! Now Corinth is about 40 miles west of Athens, Greece and was the capital of the Roman province Achaia and had been made a Roman colony by Julius Caesar about 46 B.C. Corinth was known for it's corruption. People from all walks of life came to Corinth for trade and vice in all it's different forms. So as you can see Corinth was a very wicked place, thus a place that needed the Lord.
In the first part of verse 2 Paul uses the phrase "unto the church of God at Corinth". Folks, Jesus never named His church! Man named it, but Jesus never gave His church a name. So if someone tells you that this is where a certain denomination started, they are wrong. Also, Paul could have used the name of Jesus here instead of God to identify the church, but he didn't. Why? Because God and Jesus are the same! Folks, Jesus was God in human flesh and God is God. They are the one and the same, yet each are different.
Looking further in verse 2 Paul uses the phrase "to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus". The word "sanctified" is a verb here and carries the meaning of to sanctify. Sanctify is defined as to be separated unto God. In other words, to be set aside for God's use and to be separate from the evil things of this world. In this verse Paul also uses the word "saints" which are those that are sanctified. Folks, every one that has been saved is sanctified! We are called to be apart from the things of this world. So if we are all sanctified, doesn't it stand to reason that we are all also saints? Folks, there is no difference between a saint and a saved person. All saved are saints.
Looking further in verse 2 Paul uses the phrase "with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord". As I sat and thought on this phrase, at first I didn't really understand it. I prayed about it, and still didn't understand it. After a lot of thought I think I have figured it out. This phrase is part of Paul's greeting to the church at Corinth, and he uses this phrase to tell the church that this letter is from him, Sosthenes, and is profitable to everyone, not just the church at Corinth. Why is this for everyone? There are things in this letter that will do each of us good to learn, and to practice, that will help us in our walk with the Lord. So while some may say that this pertains just to the church at Corinth, I believe it pertains to each and every one of us.
In verse 3 Paul says "Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." Now "grace" is defined as the unmerited favor of God. We don't use the word unmerited much, so I like to use the word undeserved in place of it. They mean the same thing. Which of us has ever deserved the favor of God? No one! We are all sinners, deserving to be sent to hell for the sins we have committed against God. But because God loves us so much, He provided a way for us to obtain salvation. And that is through Jesus Christ. That is grace.
Paul also goes on in his greeting and wishes not only grace, but peace upon the church at Corinth. Think about this if you will for just a moment. Can you have true peace without Jesus in your life? NO! And Jesus is the complete picture of grace. So you see, Paul is wishing grace (undeserved favor of God) and peace (a calm) to the church at Corinth. And to tell you the complete truth, this church will need it after Paul gets through with them.
I also want you to notice in verse 3 who this grace and peace comes from. God the Father and Jesus Christ. Two separate entities. Folks, right here is a conformation of two of the three aspects of the triune Godhead. God the Father, and God the Son. Paul states that both grace and peace come from both the Father and the Son. God the Father provided a way for us to obtain salvation, through Jesus' shed blood, which is grace. And after a person has accepted Jesus as their Saviour, they will have true peace. Have you accepted this free gift of grace that is provided for you?
Today, we have seen the greeting to the church at Corinth. Now, I know this has not been much of a sermon. Greetings are almost as hard to preach as genealogies. But my question to you today is twofold. Have you accepted the free gift of grace that God has provided for you? Do you have true peace in your life today? Jesus shed His life's blood on the cross at Calvary for you. Have you accepted Him as your Saviour today?