Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Corinthians 15:9

"For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." — 1 Corinthians 15:9 (ASV)

Paul reflects on his own unworthiness and on God’s matchless redeeming grace. Though he taught that all are unworthy before God (Romans 3:10–18), he felt himself particularly unworthy because he had persecuted the church. He calls it “the church of God”; therefore, in persecuting it, he felt he had been persecuting God. With true humility, he attributes all his hard work for the cause of Christ solely to God’s amazing grace (v.10). Then, with great emphasis, he declares that all—both he and the other apostles—preached the same Gospel with the same stress on the resurrection, and this is the message the Corinthians believed.