1 Corinthians "Through The Will of God"

The greetings/introductions to each of the New Testament books reveal who Jesus is, His leaders are, and who the church is individually-collective, and this blog series is to help us understand how that allows God’s people to receive revelation into a deeper relational existence than they had prior to knowing this amazing map of our journey that He has given to us.

1 Corinthians' greeting is, “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul repeats his, “called to be an apostle” phrase, and adds, “through the will of God” introducing the will of God being above any human’s ability to decide for themselves into a greeting made in the Bible. This revelation is an amazing life changing understanding that gives freedom in His liberty that is unknown to many people and people groups.

The next, first for a greeting in the Bible is the inclusion of a second person into the greeting. This helps God’s people know the journey is not an independent one that is only joined to God, but it is also a covenant with His people.

Paul continues by telling God’s people they are , “sanctified in Christ Jesus,” The statement that they are sanctified and not that they would be sanctified is another revelational one of being who God has created and not the collection of actions that one has achieved. Paul continues later in this book to rebuke the people for their actions being worse than the heathen, but this is not contradictory; because he knew that their actions would become in-line with what God had recreated them to be.

Paul concludes the greeting with, “from the Lord Jesus Christ.” This slight difference of adding the word “from” in front of Jesus’ name begins to differentiate Jesus from our Father ever so slightly. This again is a slow warm up of the idea that Jesus and our Father are connected, but separate beings at the same time. Our Father wants His people to see the Truth so they can worship Him both in Spirit and in Truth.

God has this incredible map for His people, and He shares it with them as He knows they can receive it. Continue following the series and find out how amazing the journey can be.

Tomorrow’s blog is 2 Corinthians introduction which states, “in all Achaia.”; thereby, widening the view of the local church.