1 Corinthians 1:2--The Church of God in Corinth

1 Corinthians 1:2 is one of the most theologically rich greetings in Paul's letters:

“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.”

1. "To the church of God"

The Greek word translated church is ekklesia, meaning an assembly or called-out people.

Paul does not say "the church of Corinth" as though it belongs to Corinth. He says "the church of God that is in Corinth."

The distinction is important:

This is especially significant because Corinth was a notoriously immoral city. Paul immediately reminds them that despite living in Corinth, they belong to God.

2. "Sanctified in Christ Jesus"

The Greek verb is in a perfect tense (hēgiasmenois), indicating a completed action with ongoing results.

Paul is speaking of something God has already done.

Believers have been:

This is remarkable because the Corinthian church had serious problems:

Yet Paul still calls them "sanctified."

This demonstrates the difference between:

Positional Sanctification

What God has declared believers to be in Christ.

Progressive Sanctification

The ongoing process of becoming more like Christ.

Paul begins with their position before addressing their failures.

3. "Called to be saints"

The phrase can literally be understood as:

"called saints"
"called to be saints."

The emphasis is not that a special class of Christians becomes saints.

Rather, every true believer is a saint.

The New Testament consistently uses "saints" for ordinary Christians.

Examples include believers in:

A saint is simply one whom God has set apart for Himself.

Thus:

4. "Together with all those who in every place"

Paul immediately broadens the scope beyond Corinth.

The Corinthians were tempted toward pride, factions, and elitism.

Paul reminds them that they are only one local congregation within a much larger body.

This phrase points to the universal church:

All united through Christ.

This is one of the earliest expressions of the worldwide nature of Christianity.

5. "Call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"

This phrase carries enormous theological significance.

In the Old Testament, to "call upon the name of the LORD" referred to worship and prayer directed toward Yahweh.

Examples include:

Paul applies this language directly to Jesus.

Thus believers are characterized as people who:

This is a strong testimony to the deity of Christ.

For a first-century Jew such as Paul, applying Old Testament Yahweh language to Jesus is highly significant.

6. "Both their Lord and ours"

This final phrase reinforces unity.

Jesus is:

No congregation possesses a unique Christ.

No apostle possesses a different Lord.

There is one Lord over all believers.

This directly anticipates Paul's later correction of the Corinthian factions:

"I follow Paul." "I follow Apollos." "I follow Cephas."

(1 Corinthians 1:12)

Paul begins by reminding them that they all belong to the same Lord.

Theological Summary

This single verse teaches:

  1. The church belongs to God.
  2. Believers have been sanctified in Christ.
  3. Every believer is a saint.
  4. The local church is part of the universal church.
  5. Jesus receives the worship and invocation that belong to Yahweh.
  6. All Christians share one Lord and one identity in Him.

The striking irony is that Paul addresses one of the most troubled churches in the New Testament and begins not with condemnation but with their identity in Christ. Before correcting their behavior, he reminds them who they already are: God's church, sanctified in Christ, saints by calling, united with all believers, under one Lord Jesus Christ.