1 Corinthians 1:1

Called to be an apostle See on Romans 1:1. Compare 1 Timothy 1:1. Not distinguishing him from other apostles. Compare Matthew 4:21; John 6:70; but Paul was called no less directly than these by Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:12-16. John does not use the word apostle, but gives the idea, John 13:18.

1 Corinthians 1:1 . Paul, called to be an apostle — There is great propriety in every clause of the salutation, particularly in this, as there was a faction at this time in the church at Corinth, which pretended to entertain doubts of his apostleship, 1 Corinthians 9:1 ; probably in consequence of insinuations thrown out against it by the Judaizing teacher, or teachers, who had come thither after his departure. The apostle, therefore, begins his letter by informing them, “that he was not, like Matthias, an apostle made by men, neither did he assume the office by his own authority, but he was called to it by Christ himself, who for that purpose appeared to him from heaven.” The original expression, κλητος αποστολος Ιησου Χριστου , is literally, a called apostle of Jesus Christ, or Jesus Christ’s called apostle. Through the will of God — Termed the commandment of God, 1 Timothy 1:1 . This was, to the churches, the ground of his authority; to Paul himself, of an humble and ready mind. By the mention of God, the authority of man is excluded, Galatians 1:1 ; by the mention of the will of God, the merit of Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:8 , &c. And Sosthenes — If, as most commentators think, this person be that chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinth, mentioned Acts 18:17 , as active in persecuting Paul, we must suppose that he was afterward converted, and became an eminent preacher of the gospel.

And as it seems he had considerable influence among the Corinthians, it was prudence, as well as humility, in the apostle, thus to join his name with his own, in an epistle where he was to reprove so many irregularities. Sosthenes our brother — Probably this word is emphatical; as if he had said, Who, from a Jewish opposer of the gospel, became a faithful brother.

Paul, {1} called to be an {2} apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and {3} Sosthenes our brother, (1) The inscription of the epistle, in which he mainly tries to procure the good will of the Corinthians towards him, yet nonetheless in such a way that he always lets them know that he is the servant of God and not of men. (2) If he is an apostle, then he must be heard, even though he sometimes sharply reprehends them, seeing he has not his own cause in hand, but is a messenger that brings the commandments of Christ. (3) He has Sosthenes with himself, that this doctrine might be confirmed by two witnesses.

Ch. 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 . Salutation and Introduction 1 . called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God ] St Paul here as elsewhere asserts his Divine commission. This was necessary because a party had arisen which was inclined to dispute it. We read in the Epistle to the Galatians of the ‘false brethren unawares brought in’ whose doctrine he was compelled to withstand and to assert the Divine origin of his own; and in the second Epistle to the Corinthians we find many allusions to those who rejected his authority, as in ch. 1 Corinthians 3:1 , 1 Corinthians 5:12 , 1 Corinthians 10:2 ; 1 Corinthians 10:7 ; 1 Corinthians 10:10 , and the whole of chapters 11 and 12. They no doubt laid much stress on the fact that St Paul had not received the call of Christ as the Twelve had (see notes on ch. 9), and also on the different complexion his doctrine, though the same, necessarily bore, from the fact that it was mainly addressed to Gentiles and not to Jews. It is worthy of remark that in the two Epistles to the Thessalonians, written before the controversy arose, no such clause is found, while after the commencement of the dispute the words or some equivalent to them are only absent from one epistle addressed to a church. Sosthenes our brother ] Literally, the brother . He was probably not the Sosthenes mentioned in Acts 18:17 , who was an opponent of the faith, but some one well known to the churches in the Apostolic age.

(1) Paul, called to be an apostle. —Better, a called Apostle of Jesus Christ. His apostolic authority, which was questioned by some in Corinth, is thus set out at the commencement of the Epistle. And Sosthenes our brother.—Sosthenes the brother, probably the Sosthenes (see Note on 1Corinthians 1:16) the chief ruler of the synagogue mentioned in Acts 18:17, one of the brethren well known to the Corinthians. From his name being thus joined with that of the Apostle, we may conjecture that he was his amanuensis in writing this Epistle, the salutation only (1Corinthians 16:21) having been written by St. Paul’s hand.

1 Corinthians 1:1 . Παῦλος , Paul . The epistle consists— I. Of the Inscription, 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 . II. Of the Discussion; in which we have— I. An exhortation to concord, depressing the elated judgments of the flesh, 1 Corinthians 1:4 ; 1 Corinthians 4:21 . II. A reproof,— 1) For not putting away the wicked person, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 . 2) For perverse lawsuits, 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 . III. An exhortation to avoid fornication, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 . IV. His answer to them in regard to marriage, 1 Corinthians 7:1 ; 1 Corinthians 7:10 ; 1 Corinthians 7:25 ; 1 Corinthians 7:36 ; 1 Corinthians 7:39 . V. On things offered to idols, 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 ; 1 Corinthians 8:13 — 1 Corinthians 9:27 — 1 Corinthians 10:1 — 1 Corinthians 11:1 . VI. On a woman being veiled, 1 Corinthians 11:2 . VII. On the Lord’s Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:17 . VIII. On spiritual gifts, 1 Corinthians 12; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 Corinthians 14. IX. On the resurrection of the dead, 1 Corinthians 15:1 ; 1 Corinthians 15:12 ; 1 Corinthians 15:29 ; 1 Corinthians 15:35 . X. On the collection: on his own coming, and that of Timothy and Apollos; on the sum and substance of the whole subject, 1 Corinthians 16:1 ; 1 Corinthians 16:5 ; 1 Corinthians 16:10 ; 1 Corinthians 16:12-14 . III.

Of the Conclusion, 1 Corinthians 16:15 ; 1 Corinthians 16:17 ; 1 Corinthians 16:19-20 . — ἀπόστολος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ , an apostle of Jesus Christ ) 1 Corinthians 1:17 .— διὰ θελήματος Θεοῦ , by the will of God ) so 2 Corinthians 1:1 ; Ephesians 1:1 ; Colossians 1:1 ; 2 Timothy 1:1 . His apostleship is said to be “by the commandment of God,” in 1 Timothy 1:1 . This was the principle on which rested the apostolic authority in regard to the churches: and the principle of the zealous and humble mind which characterized Paul himself; comp. Romans 1:1 , note. For by the mention of God , human claim to wages (auctoramentum) is excluded, Galatians 1:1 ; by the mention of the will of God , merit on the part of Paul is excluded, ch. 1 Corinthians 15:8 , etc.: whence this apostle is in proportion the more grateful and zealous, 2 Corinthians 8:5 , at the end of the verse. Had Paul been left to his own will, he would never have become an apostle.[1]— Σωσθένης , Sosthenes ) a companion of Paul, a Corinthian. Apollos is not mentioned here, nor Aquila; for they do not appear to have been at that time with Paul, although they were in the same city, ch. 1 Corinthians 16:12 ; 1 Corinthians 16:19 . In the second epistle, he joins Timothy to himself. [1] It is of the greatest advantage to have the will of GOD for our guide. To attempt anything under the guidance of a man’s own will is an undertaking full of hazard, under however specious a name it may be capable of being commended.

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS Commentary by A. R. Faussett INTRODUCTION The Authenticity of this Epistle is attested by Clement of Rome [First Epistle to the Corinthians, 47], Polycarp [Epistle to the Philippians, 11], and Irenæus [Against Heresies, 4.27.3]. The city to which it was sent was famed for its wealth and commerce, which were chiefly due to its situation between the Ionian and Ægean Seas on the isthmus connecting the Peloponese with Greece. In Paul's time it was the capital of the province Achaia and the seat of the Roman proconsul (Ac 18:12). The state of morals in it was notorious for debauchery, even in the profligate heathen world; so much so that "to Corinthianize" was a proverbial phrase for "to play the wanton"; hence arose dangers to the purity of the Christian Church at Corinth. That Church was founded by Paul on his first visit (Ac 18:1-17). He had been the instrument of converting many Gentiles (1Co 12:2), and some Jews (Ac 18:8), notwithstanding the vehement opposition of the countrymen of the latter (Ac 18:5), during the year and a half in which he sojourned there. The converts were chiefly of the humbler classes (1Co 1:26, &c.). Crispus (1Co 1:14; Ac 18:8), Erastus, and Gaius (Caius) were, however, men of rank (Ro 16:23). A variety of classes is also implied in 1Co 11:22.

The risk of contamination by contact with the surrounding corruptions, and the temptation to a craving for Greek philosophy and rhetoric (which Apollos' eloquent style rather tended to foster, Ac 18:24, &c.) in contrast to Paul's simple preaching of Christ crucified (1Co 2:1, &c.), as well as the opposition of certain teachers to him, naturally caused him anxiety. Emissaries from the Judaizers of Palestine boasted of "letters of commendation" from Jerusalem, the metropolis of the faith. They did not, it is true, insist on circumcision in refined Corinth, where the attempt would have been hopeless, as they did among the simpler people of Galatia; but they attacked the apostolic authority of Paul (1Co 9:1, 2; 2Co 10:1, 7, 8), some of them declaring themselves followers of Cephas, the chief apostle, others boasting that they belonged to Christ Himself (1Co 1:12; 2Co 10:7), while they haughtily repudiated all subordinate teaching. Those persons gave out themselves for apostles (2Co 11:5, 13). The ground taken by them was that Paul was not one of the Twelve, and not an eye-witness of the Gospel facts, and durst not prove his apostleship by claiming sustenance from the Christian Church. Another section avowed themselves followers of Paul himself, but did so in a party spirit, exalting the minister rather than Christ.