The apostle Paul began this epistle as he did his others by identifying himself and a fellow worker known to the readers. Then he identified and described the recipients of the letter and greeted them with a benediction. This is the most extensive elaboration of an address that we have in Paul's letters.
1:1 Paul's description of himself as one whom God had called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ reminded his original readers of his privilege and authority (cf. Rom. 1:1). The idea of authority received added strength from the reference to the will of God (cf. 2 Cor. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 2 Tim. 1:1).
Sosthenes was probably the same Sosthenes who was the ruler of the synagogue in Corinth (Acts 18:17). He was with Paul in Ephesus when Paul penned this epistle. Though Luke did not record his conversion in the Book of Acts, Sosthenes quite clearly became a believer, assuming this was the same man. Probably he was the same man, and Paul referred to him because the Corinthians knew him well.
1:2 Paul frequently referred to all the Christians in a particular locality as the church of God in that place (cf. 11:16). However to the Corinthian church, where party spirit was a problem, this reminder focused on the church's true Lord. There may or may not have been more than one house-church in Corinth at this time. God had set the Corinthians apart to be His holy people by uniting them with Him through faith in His Son. "Sanctified"may be a metaphor for conversion (cf. v. 30; 6:11). They were saints by divine calling. The Corinthians were not saintly in their conduct, as this letter makes clear. Perhaps Paul mentioned their saintly calling to inspire them to be more saintly in their conduct.11
"Paul understands Christian ethics in terms of becoming what you are,' a perspective that emerges in 1 Corinthians in a number of ways. . . .
"Perhaps the single greatest theological contribution of our letter to the Christian faith is Paul's understanding of the nature of the church, especially in its local expression. If the gospel itself is at stake in the Corinthians' theology and behavior, so also is its visible expression in the local community of redeemed people. The net result is more teaching on the church here than in any of Paul's letters."12
The saints in other places are probably those in churches in other places some of whom had come to the Savior through the witness of Christians other than Paul. This seems more likely than that they were just Paul's converts near Corinth (cf. 2 Cor. 1:1; Rom. 16:1). This seems probable in view of "every place"(NASB) or "everywhere"(NIV) and in view of how this verse ends. Paul evidently wanted his readers to remember that they were part of a large body of believers (cf. 12:12); they were not the only church. They needed to fit into the family of God harmoniously rather than being a rebel congregation.
Calling on the name of Christ means to confess faith in Him, to worship and pray to Him (cf. Rom. 10:13-14).
1:3 This greeting is characteristically Christian (cf. Rom. 1:7; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:3). It sums up Paul's whole theological outlook.
Paul followed his salutation with an expression of gratitude for his original readers, as he usually did in his epistles. In this case the focus of his thanksgiving was on God's grace in giving the Corinthians such great spiritual gifts (cf. Eph. 1:3-14).
"What is remarkable here is the apostle's ability to thank God for the very things in the church that, because of the abuses, are also causing him grief."13
1:4 Paul was grateful that God had poured out His unmerited favor and divine enablement on the Corinthian believers through Christ Jesus. He usually referred to the Lord as Christ Jesus rather than as Jesus Christ. This put the emphasis on His divine character as Messiah rather than on His human nature and encouraged his readers to submit to Him as their Lord.
1:5 By "speech"(NASB) or "speaking"(NIV; Gr. logos) the apostle meant eloquence, the ability to express their "knowledge"(Gr. gnosis) fluently and effectively. As we shall see, knowledge and eloquence were two things the Corinthians valued very highly.14Paul had to put them in their proper place among the other gifts. Nevertheless they were great gifts, and Paul was thankful that God had given them to the Corinthians.
1:6 The Corinthians' reception of these gifts had corroborated the truthfulness of the gospel. Giving these gifts was one of the ways God validated the gospel message in the early history of the church (cf. Gal. 3:2-5; Heb. 2:3-4).
1:7 God had blessed the Corinthians greatly with spiritual gifts. The revealing of the Lord Jesus Christ to His saints at the Rapture would be God's greatest gift to them. The early Christians awaited His return eagerly.15
1:8 By God's sustaining power Christians will stand free of guilt before Him on that day. The day of the Lord Jesus Christ is the Rapture (cf. Phil. 1:6; Col. 2:7; 1 Thess 3:13; 5:23; et al.). It is not the day of the Lord, which is a term both Old and New Testament writers used to refer to the period beginning with the Tribulation and extending through the Millennium.
"The expression the day of our Lord Jesus Christ,' identified with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ' (v. 7), is the period of blessing for the Church beginning with the rapture. This coming day is referred to as the day of the Lord Jesus' (1 Cor. 5:5; 2 Cor. 1:14), the day of Jesus Christ' (Phil 1:6), and the day of Christ' (Phil. 1:10; 2:16). (The day of Christ' in 2 Th. 2:2 should be rendered the day of the Lord.') The day of Christ' in all six references in the N.T. is described as relating to the reward and blessing of the Church at the rapture and in contrast with the expression the day of the Lord' (cp. Isa. 2:12, marg.; Joel 1:15, note; Rev. 19:19, note), which is related to judgment upon unbelieving Jews and Gentiles, and blessing on millennial saints (Zeph. 3:8-20)."16
The Greek word translated "blameless"(anegkletos) means unreprovable or without accusation (cf. Col. 1:22; 1 Tim. 3:10; Titus 1:6-7). It does not imply that at the judgment seat of Christ there will be complete equality among believers (cf. 3:10-15; 2 Cor. 5:10). Moreover it does not mean that once God regenerates a person that one never sins again (cf. 1 John 1:6-10). It means every Christian will stand before the Lord guiltless, unimpeachable, because God has imputed the guilt of our sins to the Savior and He has borne them (cf. Rom. 5:1; 8:1).
1:9 Paul's confidence that his readers would one day stand without guilt before the Lord did not rest on the Corinthians' ability to persevere faithfully to the end. It rested on God's ability and promises to preserve them. God had begun the good work of calling them into fellowship with His Son, and He would complete that work (cf. Phil. 1:6; 1 John 1:1-4).
". . . God is the subject of all the actions of the thanksgiving. And in every case that work is mediated by or focused on his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.' Thus the christological emphasis that began in the salutation is carried through in an even more emphatic way in this introductory thanksgiving. Everything God has done, and will do, for the Corinthians is done expressly in Jesus Christ our Lord.'
"His concern here is to redirect their focus--from themselves to God and Christ and from an over-realized eschatology to a healthy awareness of the glory that is still future."17
The apostle's confidence in God as he expressed this in these verses (4-9) enabled him to deal with the problems in the Corinthian church optimistically and realistically. God was for the Corinthians. Now they needed to orient themselves properly toward Him.
