17 Jan Paul’s Greeting – 1/16/2021

That Paul was in Corinth for 18 months in 50-52AD is historical fact. Read Acts 18:1-22 – Paul was sure busy, and under threat, and tried before Gallio (but acquitted), and preached the Word of God, Christ Jesus and Him crucified all the while.

Later, from Ephesus, Paul wrote 1Corinthians, together with his friend Sosthenes, who is mentioned in the first verse. There was much to sort out among the Christians in Corinth. They had perverted the communion to something Jesus never intended. They were “puffed up,” human egos being what they are. Their worship tended to exclude new Christians of lesser social standing than the hosts of the house churches. As you read Paul’s letter, he takes them to task in no uncertain terms.

But look at the grace with which he begins the letter. That greeting, as he says himself, has always been in my heart for all of us, far away in space and time, that have been touched by the Holy Spirit and brought to faith. Sometimes we forget the simplicity and beauty of the Christian faith. Sometimes we, like the Corinthians, need to be reminded that our own egos have no place in the story. We are of the family of God the Father through His grace and will, a truth that has lasted since the Cross and carries us through our whole lives.

So today let’s look at Paul’s greeting, to them back then, and to us this very day.

PP