Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Corinthians 1

Characteristically, Paul begins by naming himself and by identifying his position as an apostle of Jesus Christ. He stresses his apostleship because his authority has been challenged (cf. 1:12; 9:1–27). He makes it clear that he is an apostle by divine calling through God’s sovereign will (cf. Acts 9:15). The word “apostle” (GK 693) means “a sent one” and connotes a commissioned envoy.

Paul links Sosthenes to himself as a Christian brother; he was evidently one of the apostle’s special helpers and was presumably well known to the Corinthian church. It is possible that he was at one time a leader of the Corinthian synagogue (Acts 18:17). If so, he must have been subsequently converted and gone off to help Paul in his Ephesian ministry.

The believers in Corinth are designated as the “church [ekklesia; GK 1711] of God” (cf. also Ac 20:28; 2 Corinthians 1:1), a phrase that has OT associations, as in the expression “assembly [or congregation] of the Lord” (Numbers 16:3; 20:4, Dt 23:1; 1 Chronicles 28:8) and the “assembly of Israel” (Leviticus 16:17). For Paul, this church at Corinth was considered a part of the universal “church of God”; note his reference to Palestinian churches as also being a part of that same body (1 Corinthians 15:9; cf. 10:31–32). The apostle may have found it particularly useful in Corinth to distinguish the church from the secular ekklesia (assembly) of Greek cities, which was the gathering of the citizenry in a city-state to discuss and decide on matters of public interest (cf. Acts 19:39).

The Corinthian Christians are described as “sanctified” (GK 39), i.e., set apart and in a holy position before God because of their spiritual union with Jesus Christ. Paul goes on to emphasize that they are called to live as God’s holy people. They are on an equal footing with the people of God everywhere, who also call on the name of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (cf. Acts 9:14, 21). The unity of believers in Christ is shown by Paul’s emphatic words in v.2, “their Lord and ours.”

This verse is identical to Ro 1:7b; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; and Phm 1:3. Though carrying a sense of greeting, “grace and peace” also refer to the truth of redemption purchased by Christ. It was of God’s grace that the Corinthian believers were saved (2 Corinthians 8:9; Ephesians 2:8–9), just as all Christians are saved, and through this redemption Jesus Christ purchased peace with God for the sinner (Ephesians 2:14; cf. Romans 5:1). This grace and peace are from God our Father, who planned redemption, and from Christ, who purchased it on the cross for the justification of his people.

As is characteristic of Paul in his other letters (cf. Romans 1:8; Colossians 1:3–8; et al.), he begins by thanking God for those whom he is addressing. He realizes that God has given them his grace through their union with Christ, enriching their lives by their ability to speak about God and by their knowledge of him (v.5). He is thankful that the testimony he gave them was confirmed in their lives. The form of the verb “I thank” (GK 2373) indicates that Paul regularly interceded for the believers at Corinth as well as thosewherever he preached the Gospel (cf. Ephesians 1:16; et al.).

Greeks naturally put emphasis on knowledge and wisdom (cf. 1:18–25), and they certainly were good at expressing their thoughts. However, God had so enriched the lives of these Christians in Corinth in spiritual perception and expression that they had been given increased ability in speaking. The extent of their enrichment is seen in the use of the adjective “all” with both “speaking” and “knowledge” (v.5). These two terms are interrelated, for Paul uses a single preposition “in” to unite them. He is convinced that this was a real work of God’s grace because he saw his witness about Christ established in their lives at the time of their conversion and had heard about it since then.

The reference to “knowledge” (GK 1194) in v.5 should not be construed to mean that the Corinthians possessed some hidden mystical knowledge by which they could, without the cross of Christ, somehow reach God and be saved (cf. Php 3:8, 10). While it is true that in the later heresy known as Gnosticism some thought they could do this, Paul is speaking about concrete knowledge based on the reality of Christ’s person and his death on the cross.

As is characteristic of Paul in his other letters (cf. Romans 1:8; Colossians 1:3–8; et al.), he begins by thanking God for those whom he is addressing. He realizes that God has given them his grace through their union with Christ, enriching their lives by their ability to speak about God and by their knowledge of him (v.5). He is thankful that the testimony he gave them was confirmed in their lives. The form of the verb “I thank” (GK 2373) indicates that Paul regularly interceded for the believers at Corinth as well as thosewherever he preached the Gospel (cf. Ephesians 1:16; et al.).

Greeks naturally put emphasis on knowledge and wisdom (cf. 1:18–25), and they certainly were good at expressing their thoughts. However, God had so enriched the lives of these Christians in Corinth in spiritual perception and expression that they had been given increased ability in speaking. The extent of their enrichment is seen in the use of the adjective “all” with both “speaking” and “knowledge” (v.5). These two terms are interrelated, for Paul uses a single preposition “in” to unite them. He is convinced that this was a real work of God’s grace because he saw his witness about Christ established in their lives at the time of their conversion and had heard about it since then.

The reference to “knowledge” (GK 1194) in v.5 should not be construed to mean that the Corinthians possessed some hidden mystical knowledge by which they could, without the cross of Christ, somehow reach God and be saved (cf. Php 3:8, 10). While it is true that in the later heresy known as Gnosticism some thought they could do this, Paul is speaking about concrete knowledge based on the reality of Christ’s person and his death on the cross.