Charles Spurgeon Commentary 1 Corinthians 1

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

So this is a message to us also who call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, (1 Corinthians 1:1–2)

Note the humility of Paul in associating with himself an almost unknown brother, Sosthenes. Although the letter is written by Paul alone, yet, as if he did not care to stand in isolation even for a moment, he associates Sosthenes with himself in the salutation: Unto the church of God which is at Corinth,.

To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints,

Called to sacred uses, set apart to God. That is the call of all believers; they are like those vessels of the sanctuary which were not to be used by anyone but the priests of God, and by them only for God's service.

With all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: (1 Corinthians 1:2).

That is a very happy phrase, "both theirs and ours." There are multitudes of saints whose faces we never saw, yet Christ is theirs; there are some with whom we might not agree in all particulars, yet Christ is theirs just as much as he is ours. All Christ is theirs, and all Christ is ours, and here is the grand bond of union between believers of different nationalities and different tongues.

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

Paul could never have sustained the great weight of responsibility and tribulation which fell upon him if he had not felt that he was called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God. No man will ever be fit for the ministry of the Word unless he is called to it by God. This also will be your strength in every other station of life; if God has called you to your specific work and warfare, he will not send you at your own expense, but he will back you and support you even to the end. I think it is for this reason that Paul so constantly dwells upon his own calling when he is about to write to the churches, that he may remind other believers that they have similar privileges in their spheres of labor.

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, (1 Corinthians 1:1).

This brother had been put to great shame. He was beaten before the judgment-seat, if you remember, and now he has the great and lasting honor of being mentioned by the apostle with himself. God will honor those who bear dishonor for His name's sake. Do not be ashamed even to be beaten for Christ; the stripes are stripes of glory.