Apostle Paul is writing to “the church of God.” The Greek word for church can be better translated as “congregation” due to the many modern-day uses of the English word “church”. The meaning behind the Greek word for “church” implies that God called people to come to His community of believers from among the people of that ancient Greek city with commanding authority.
God’s congregation is defined in three ways. First, we are sanctified in Christ Jesus. The original Greek verb for “sanctified” means “set aside and made holy for a special purpose.” Sanctification is the process of being made holy, resulting in a changed lifestyle for the believer in Jesus Christ. More than that, God has a set purpose for each of his people.
Second, God calls his congregation to be holy. The original Greek word for “holy” can also be translated as “pure”, as Jesus is pure. God’s people were impure. When God called us, he made us pure through the blood of Christ Jesus. Corinth was known for the immorality of religious prostitution throughout the Greek and Roman world. God called some, made them pure by grace through faith in Jesus, and enabled them to leave that lifestyle.
Third, God’s community calls on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. God calls us to have an active relationship with Him, every day, every hour, every moment.
The amazing fact of these truths concerning the congregation at Corinth is that Apostle Paul, in this letter, finds many faults with the young church. Still, he states all these things to be true. However, this is not so amazing because the truth in them is not based on us. Rather, they are based on God’s work in and through us. God sanctifies me. God makes me holy. God makes the relationship with me so I can have communion with him. Not “what I did”, its “what God has done for me”.
