1 Corinthians 1:1–17 Sanctified Saints

Introduction

Opening Illustration: Marriage Counseling

When I officiate weddings, one of the special things I do is I have the husband and wife fill out a questionnaire about the other person. Only 5 question, but I encourage them to go over the top in their answers. I ask questions like, “What does the other person do that shows you they love you?” Or, “Why do you want to get married to this person?” In the actual wedding I will draw from these responses to paint a picture of their love for each other. But there is another use for these answers. There are times as a Pastor when I will be called into some kind of Marriage Counseling. Some of the sweetest moments of my job is getting to care for folks through hardship. Sometimes we’ll be sitting around our dinner table discussing issues and it is clear, this couple has forgotten who they are. Whatever the conflict that has arisen, it has blocked their vision. What is needed is to go back, to remember their identity. And so, I’ll print off their answers from years prior when I officiated their wedding. And I’ll have them read those answers to each other, as a way of reminding them who they are.

Personal

Every follower of Christ is in a marriage. Christ is the Great Groom, and His Church the bride. He has covenanted with us in an unbreakable bond of love. At times, like any other marriage, we allow conflict and challenges to blind us from the deeper truth of who we are. And every once in a while we need to come back to our identity in Christ, as a way of saying, “This is who you are.”

Context

Today we begin our journey through 1 Corinthians. So, if you are new with us, you are joining at a really special time. You’re going to have a chance to dig deep into this book of the Bible, to learn how to study the Bible and draw all of its richness out of it. And we are one week 1, so you haven’t missed anything. 1 Corinthians is in the New Testament, and we call it a book of the Bible (there are 66 books of the Bible), but originally this was a handwritten letter sent by the Apostle Paul to a Church in a city called Corinth, in modern day Greece. As a letter, it has all the markings of a letter. Some of the art of letter writing is now lost to us. But in those days, this was a real skill. Many letters recovered from antiquity begin with a formal greeting, which is the basis of our passage today. We’re looking at the introduction. And I’m going to argue that this introduction is more than just politely taking space. I think Paul is rooting key themes in this introduction that will be vital throughout the rest of the letter. Throughout the letter, Paul will deal with concerns and issues facing the Church. He’s going to speak some very difficult truths. But first, he roots them in their identity. He reminds them who they are as a community. The Main Idea of this sermon is this, It all begins with your identity in Christ

Move 1: A Greeting

The letter opens with a greeting from Paul. This would have been a pretty standard way to begin a letter in those days. And yet, as we’ll see, Paul saturates this opening with identity language.

1 Corinthians 1:1-3 “1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 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: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul Identifies Himself

First, the Apostle Paul identifies himself as the writer of the letter. Let’s get our bearing straight, who is Paul? The Apostle Paul not only has a backstory of how he came to faith in Jesus, but he has a backstory with the Church in Corinth. We read about all of this in the Book of Acts, which only a few years ago our Church went through verse by verse. In Acts we discover that Paul was once a Jewish Pharisee who adamantly and vehemently opposed this budding sect called Christianity. He went around and actually oversaw the very first Christian martyrdom that we know of as recorded in Acts 6 where the Deacon Stephen was killed for his faith in Jesus. Then as he was going from town to town persecuting and trying to shut down the growth of Christianity, Paul was confronted by Jesus himself. He had a vision in which the resurrected Christ called Paul to follow Him (Acts 9). Paul from that moment on, not only became a Christian, but became and Apostle, one of the primary leaders of the New Testament Church who went around planting Churches all throughout the Mediterranean region. Paul would eventually write much of our New Testament.

Paul’s History at Corinth

Paul was the original founder of the Church in Corinth. We read about this in Acts 18. Paul planted a Church in Corinth and labored there for a year and a half building up leadership and preaching the gospel. You can imagine after a year and half of caring for and pastoring this Church, he loved these people dearly. But since his departure he had gotten news from Corinth that things were not going well in the Church. If you look down at 1 Corinthians 1:11 we read,

1 Corinthians 1:11 “11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.”

Apparently, a letter had been sent to Paul giving him the news that the Church was arguing with each other (something we wouldn’t know anything about). And so in this letter to the Corinthian Church, Paul is responding pastorally to issues going on in the Church. In fact, later on in the book when Paul begins the second half of his letter he writes,

1 Corinthians 7:1 “1 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote...

And so it seems that in that letter from Chloe not only did she let Paul know that there was bickering and fighting in the Church, but they also had some theological questions. And so part of this letter is Paul systematically going through the questions they have.

Context of Corinth

Secondly, in verse 2 Paul continues

1 Corinthians 1:2 “2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus...

Corinth is an actual city with a very long history. But there are some important cultural things you should know about Corinth, that I think will make this letter of Paul’s highly relevant to us living in Chicago, even 2,000 years later as we are. Corinth was a booming Metropolis of the ancient world. It was a port town in Greece, but it was more Roman than it was Grecian. It was one of the most important cities in Greece. It was populous. It was largely wealthy comparatively. It held the famous Ismuth games where athletes from around the world would come and compete. It was a cultural center. One commentator writing about Corinthian culture said this,

“The ideal of the Corinthian was the reckless development of the individual. The merchant who made his gain by all and every means, the man of pleasure surrendering himself to every lust, the athlete steeled to every bodily exercise and proud in his physical strength, are the true Corinthian types: in a word the man who recognised no superior and no law but his own desires.”

Does it sound a little like Chicago? Right in the middle of that self-promoting, self-centered, ego-driven, populous city, is this little Church, the Church of Corinth. And they have this mission given to them by God to build the Kingdom. And they’re struggling to even be a community, let alone a missional community. That’s the backdrop of this letter.

Sanctified: Identity

Look how Paul addresses the Christians in Corinth.

1 Corinthians 1:2 “...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:”

“Sanctified in Jesus.” This is identity level language. Often when we use the word sanctification, its normal use is to describe the ongoing process in a believers life of becoming more like Christ. Sanctification is typically a journey. But that is not how it is used by Paul here. Paul is referring to a completed action, something that has already taken place in their life. The word means, “to make holy” or perhaps “to consecrate” or “to set apart.” Before Paul begins to work through the junk that this Church is going through, he calls to remembrance their full identity. He addresses them as they truly are, those who have been made holy, those who are set apart.

Called to Be Saints

The same root word behind sanctified is used in the next phrase, “called to be saints.” That word saints is essentially a noun form of that same word. It means, “a holy one.” According to the Bible, every person who has ever placed their faith in Jesus Christ receives the title, “Saint.” That is not designated for super Christians or for a particular class of holy people. It is your identity.

The Point

I need you to consider how important this is, and I don’t want to overlook it. This is not just a standard greeting. This is Paul’s way of rooting them firmly in truth in order that he can then work through difficult topics. Why is that important? Difficult topics have a way of shaking us up, especially when they are related to ideas and topics that you hold near and dear to your heart, like some of the topics that Paul is going to be getting into before we’re done. What a person believes about who they are at root level, comes out of them in they way handle conflict.

Identity Politics

We live in a moment of history where identity is front and center to the conversation. Identity politics is a common phrase at this point. The idea an entire group of people can all be categorized together with the belief that they will behave a certain way, or vote a certain way, or consider one issue of more importance than another issue. This is how our entire political landscape functions today, politicians pandering to blocks of people. And the reason they do that is because there is a certain sense that it’s true. We all have stories and ideas and narratives that have shaped our upbringing, our psyche, our lens through which we see the world. As an example, somebody whose parents risked everything to immigrate to America, and build success day in day out for their children to have a better life. All of those evenings and moments of growing up, conversations about the issues your parents were dealing with, is going to have a huge impact on your identity. But when you become a Christian, something changes, and Paul is getting at it even in this introduction. He’s saying, there is a new identity as a Christian that far surpasses (does not erase), but it far surpasses and guides every other way you could possibly identify yourself, and that is that you are a saint that has been sanctified, “called to be saints together with all those in every place who call upon the name of the Lord.”

The Gospel

This is the root of it all, and we get this so wrong so often. As a Pastor I have to come back to this over and over again. The moment you believed in Jesus, you were sanctified, made holy. It’s your primary identity. It shapes everything. Jesus took your sin on his shoulders, paid your debt in full. You were an enemy of God, a rebel to His Kingdom, destined for eternity apart from God. But if you’re a Christian, then God in his mercy reached out to you, he called you, he healed you, he changed you, he forgave you, he adopted you, he gave you a crown that cannot be removed, he gave you a future that is certain and true. Paul is saying, “with every issue we get to, root yourself in that identity…”

Move 2: A Prayer

Now he moves to this beautiful prayer of Thanksgiving where once again he drives home these identity level ideas.

1 Corinthians 1:4-9 “4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I want to highlight from that little prayer four separate identity level ideas that Paul prays over this Church. As I do this, I’m trying to form in you a sense of your own identity, a sense of who you are.

Unmerited Favor

First, in verse 4 Paul highlights that they are recipients unmerited favor, “the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus.” Every follower of Christ has received grace upon grace. A forgiveness of sin that they did not earn or merit. It’s pure grace, its undeserved unmerited favor. This is my story and your story.

Undeserved Gifts

Secondly, we have received undeserved gifts.Verse 6 you, “are not lacking in any gift.” What is he referencing here? He is speaking about the way that God equips a local Church family. He’s looking at the entire Corinthian Church, and he’s saying there is nothing you need that God has not already richly provided for inside this body. Consider that in terms of identity. You are a treasure to this community, because you have gifts, parts of you that are vital to the health and wellbeing of this Church. No person is an island. There is no such thing as lone ranger online Christianity. It does not exist. You are one who has received overwhelming from God, and one who is plugged into a community that has overwhelming gifts from God.

Unwavering Hope

Third, you have an unwavering hope. Verse 8 says that God will sustain us to the end, all the way to day when Christ returns. What an identity marker this is. You will be sustained, not by your own strength, not by your own ability to follow God’s laws. Christ himself will sustain you. The grace that has been overwhelmingly given to you, he will never take away. Your future is certain. No matter what this world throws at you. No matter what failures you have in this life. If you lose your job. If someone you love abandons you. If you don’t live up to your expectations. You have unwavering hope of what is to come. It can’t be taken.

Unbreakable Fellowship

The fourth is an unbreakable fellowship. He says in verse 9 we were, “called into the fellowship of the son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” God has invited you into true religion, relationship with God. This is not a mystical esoteric phenomenon that is partly related to your life. This is your life. As a Christian, every moment is now in fellowship with God through Christ. He is with you. He has given you the Holy Spirit. You can lean on him for everything, for every bit of wisdom, every challenging decision, every hard time, every sweet time. You have been given an unbreakable fellowship.

Main Point: Lavishly Loved by God

To sum it up, You are lavishly loved by God. You’ve received unmerited favor. You’ve received undeserved gifts. You have an unwavering hope. You have an unbreakable fellowship. You have been overwhelmingly blessed by the love of God. That’s who you are in Christ. Brennan Manning in his book Abba’s Child says it this way:

“Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion.”

This is the great work that lies before us as a community, as a Church living in the 21st century. How will we define ourselves? The temptations have not changed from 1st century Corinth. The world and the Devil offer a thousand ways to define yourself. You are what you achieve. Define yourself by your accomplishments. You are how well behaved your kids are. Define yourself by your parenting. You are how many people liked your facebook post or instagram post. Define yourself by your popularity. Define yourself by your looks, or your weight, or your muscles. You are how attractive you are. Define yourself by the issues you care about. You are the sum total of your good deeds. And on our bad days we take the bait, hook line and sinker. We wake up and give lip service to God in a quick prayer while we busy ourself all day with feeding these insecurities, these illusions of identity. All the while, the reality, is that in Christ you are fully loved by God.

Move 3: A Plea

Part of the great work that lies before us as a Church is recognizing this and fighting for it together. I’m going to briefly introduce us to this next section, and I say briefly because this entire theme that Paul brings up is going to be developed in far greater detail in chapter 3.

1 Corinthians 1:10-17 “10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”

Striving For Unity

Paul pleads with this small Corinthian Church to fight for unity. Apparently there were differents sects growing in the Church. They were supposed to be one Church built on the love of Christ, chasing hard after Jesus. But slowly over time divisions were settling in. A group over here identified as ‘Those who follow Paul.’ They were getting a little cocky about it. Then there was this other group over here who identified themselves as ‘those who followed Apollos,’ that was the Pastor that took over after Paul originally left Corinth. Then there were other groups, some said, “I follow Peter.”

Take Encouragement

Let me pause here, as a Pastor of a Church, this is totally realistic. I’ve seen this literally play out at this Church. How? There are any number of issues to divide on as a Church? We just came through Covid. Literally camps developed in the Church. I watched deep friendships divide over mask decisions. We came through an unbelievable season of racial tension in our country and our city. Vital conversation. But again I watched camps form. “I follow so and so. Yeah.. well I follow so and so.” Don’t get me wrong, the theological conversations are important, but very often these were not healthy theological conversations, they were individualistic aggressive conversations. Do you know what I’m encouraged by? I’m encouraged that this little Corinthian Church in the 1st century was dealing with some of the same stuff we’re dealing with. They didn’t have it all together. They needed an Apostle to guide them through some of the challenging conversations, and tricky theological positions. That is such good news to me as a Pastor of Church in our wildly divided season.

Take Instruction

But hear this. We must do more than take encouragement. We must take instruction. Reasons to be divided as a Church will continue to come. We live in a fractured society that is hyper political, and it is all fueled by a social media force that incessantly pours gasoline on your biases. The instrctions Paul is giving is to labor as a community to see beyond the reasons that we are different, and to see into the oneness we have in Jesus. No matter what other camp you find yourself associating with, your primary identity is one who has been crucified with Christ. Your primary identity is one of brotherhood, of sainthood. Jesus defines you. And if Jesus defines me, and Jesus defines you, then whatever else we might bicker about, we are one in Jesus. Define yourself as one utterly loved by Christ.

Conclusion

I want to go back to the beginning, where we started. I started by saying that it is our narratives, our journeys that so often define us. It is the story of what we’ve come through and where our hope lies that truly form the deepest parts of who we are, how we identify. Permit me to close by reminding you of your story. You have been adopted (Romans 8) into a very special family. Your adopted family lineage traces back to Abraham, where the God of Creation called out one man to leave his home in Ur of the Chaldeans and to move to a Promised Land. God made a covenant with him and promised that he would father many nations. Abrahams family eventually made their way to Egypt during a famine where they were taken as slaves, forced to do manual labor. For 400 years they served Pharaoh, all the while God grew their numbers exorbitantly. God always heard their prayers for deliverance. He raised up one from among them named Moses who delivered them from slavery in Egypt. When your family was stuck between an approaching Egyptian Military and the Red Sea, God miraculously parted the waters for them to escape through to the other side. It was a miraculous escape. On the other side, your family faced many hardships in the desert. All the while they were hoping for a Promised Land, a land flowing with Milk and Honey. And after 40 more years of wandering in the desert, God brought them to that land, the land we call Israel today. It was there where God began a monarchy under King David that was one of the strongest and greatest in all of human history. It was a nation with many faults, but also a nation that God had covenanted with, a people that chased after God. And all the while, your family hungered for that day when the messiah, God’s Son would come to Earth. Their hope was in that future day! God sent them prophets that told of that day. You trace your family back through the great men and women of faith (David, Isaiah, Elijah, Deborah, Ezekiel). These are the narratives that define you. And then, one day in the backwaters of Israel, the promised messiah born into your family tree. He was descended of King David himself. This Savior was crucified on a cross outside Jerusalem for the sins of the world. But three days later, he resurrected from the grave because even death could not hold him. He ascended into heaven and he promised that he would return. Until that day He has sent His Holy Spirit to guide His people, to lead His people, into all truth and joy. And today, you are part of that family that eagerly awaits that precious day when Christ returns.

Park—It all begins with your identity in Christ. If that is not how you identify today, then don’t leave until you do. Do business with God. Root out false identities, and cling to who you are in Christ.