“Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 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: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Corinthian believers (and believers today) are holy in Christ. We share one Lord. The Corinthians were people with many problems--some of them shocking. When Christians think about these believers, we are prone to focus on the excessive immorality or the petty squabbling. We think of them as shallow and immature, and we forget that they were sanctified and becoming more like Christ.
I find myself identifying with the Corinthians. Thankfully, I cannot identify with their gross immorality, but I know what it is to be one who is declared righteous and yet to be confronted with my flaws, sins, and other shortcomings. As I give attention to this church’s problems, I should note my own fallen condition. But I should also remember that they were transformed and being transformed. Likewise, I should behave as one who has been called to holiness. Paul prays for grace from God for these believers. I will need the same.
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