When the Apostle Paul hears a disturbing report of divisions between believers in the church in Corinth, he immediately begins writing a rather direct letter to them. Yet Paul does not start the letter by immediately addressing the problems. Instead, firstly, he reminds them of who they are in Christ.
What an amazing place to begin any conversation like this. It’s very easy to get so focused on our own point of view that we miss the bigger picture, often without realizing it. Paul wants to ensure the Corinthian believers have not lost sight of what is actually most important. So before he addresses any of the issues, he brings them back to Christ and back to their calling as God’s people.
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:2-3 (NIV)
There are four very specific and intentional things in verse 2 that Paul wants to draw their attention to. They form a framework for the rest of what he wants to share. And they are also incredibly important reminders for us too.
The church of God
The first thing Paul reminds them is that they are the church [ekklesia] of God. In other words, they are the assembled citizens of God’s kingdom – that gathers in Corinth. He is reminding them that first and foremost, they belong to God, and to God’s kingdom.
The roots of the word ekklesia go back to the Greek version of the Old Testament. Israel are referred to as people who gathered together to stand before God (Deuteronomy 4:10). The believers at Corinth needed to remember they were part of something much bigger than their gathering at Corinth. They are part of the whole church of God. The church belonged to God and was all about Him.
So Paul begins his letter by lifting their eyes beyond themselves. They need to begin with God, the One who has called them into His Kingdom, and to recognise Who they belonged to.
Sanctified in Christ Jesus
The second thing Paul reminds them is that through the cross, each one of them had been set apart (ie. sanctified) or consecrated to God. This is no small thing. In fact, the same word is used for consecrating priests (Exodus 28:41) and sacrifices (Exodus 28:38; Numbers 18:9) in the Old Testament.
The gravity of this shines through in Jesus’ amazing prayer in John 17:19. Here, Jesus “sanctifies” or sets himself apart to do God’s will – which is to die on the cross. And through His death, every believer is not only saved, but also “truly sanctified” or completely set apart, or consecrated, to God’s service.
The believers at Corinth needed to be reminded that they were not living for themselves. They had been set apart for God’s service, and that this was a privileged and weighty call, bought by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Called to be His holy people
Being sanctified and set apart for God’s service has marked them as “holy people.” Just as God called the Israelites to be His holy people (Exodus 19:5-6), so Paul is reminding the Corinthian believers that they are also God’s holy people. As such, they are to reflect God’s character.
Their behaviour, and the way they are treating each other, needed to come into line with their calling. Yet, from what Paul writes in the rest of the letter, it seems this was not the case. They appeared to be acting more like the ordinary citizens of Corinth than citizens of God’s holy kingdom.
So Paul was reminding them that as they were sanctified through the cross, so they were to live as sanctified (holy) people.
Together with all those everywhere…
Paul adds one more reminder – that there are people all over the world who “call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” And that Jesus is the Lord of the church. Unfortunately it seems the Corinthian church had got their eyes on people rather than Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:12), and this caused division. Paul reminds them that they are “of Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:22-23), and Paul is adamant that Jesus Christ is the One who must have highest place in all things (1 Corinthians 8:6).
The magnitude of our calling
So right at the beginning of the letter, Paul is painting a picture of the magnitude of their calling. They all belong to God. Through the cross they have all been truly set apart for His service. They are called to be holy and reflect God’s character. And because Jesus Christ is the Lord of the church, He has the final say.
This suddenly brings all the other issues into perspective.
The thing is, that when we lose sight of the magnitude of our calling, we actually lose the ability to walk according to all that God has called us to be. We begin to focus on smaller things.
Paul’s words are a timely reminder that acting according to our calling, showing love and respect to others, and reflecting the character of the One who called us, are far more important than gaining agreement or resolving a difference of opinion. In turbulent times, let’s be sure not to lose sight of the magnitude of our calling.
