1 CORINTHIANS 1:1-3

1
Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the
will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 To the
church of God which is at Corinth, to those who
have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by
calling, with all who in every place call on the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and
ours: Grace to you and peace from God our
3 

Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 THEME: THE GREETING
1
Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
and Sosthenes our brother,
1. THE SENDERS v.1
A. Paul
a. Called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.
a.1. His life before he was called to be an apostle Gal.1:13-
14 For you have heard of my former manner of life in
Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond
measure and tried to destroy it; 14 and I was advancing in
Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among
my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for
my ancestral traditions.
 THEME: THE GREETING
1
Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of
God, and Sosthenes our brother,
1. THE SENDERS v.1
A. Paul
a. Called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of
God.
a.1. His life before he was called to be an apostle
(cf. Gal.1:13-14)
a.2. His life after his calling and conversion
(Gal.1:15-24)
 GALATIANS 1:15-24
 
But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb
and called me through His grace, was pleased 16 to reveal His Son in me so
that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult
with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were
apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more
to Damascus.18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become
acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I did not
see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now in
what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not
lying.)21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 I
was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in
Christ; 23 but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now
preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they were
glorifying God because of me.
 THEME: THE GREETING
1
Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes
our brother,
1. THE SENDERS v.1
A. Paul
a. Called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.
a.1. His life before he was called to be an apostle (cf. Gal.1:13-14)
a.2. His life after his calling and conversion (Gal.1:15-24)
B. Sosthenes our brother
a. A former synagogue leader who was converted to Christ during
Paul's missionary journey in Achaia (Corinth) was with Paul when
he wrote this letter in Ephesus (cf. Acts 18:12-17).
 Acts 18:12-17
But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one
12 

accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the

judgment seat,13 saying, “This man persuades men to worship
God contrary to the law.”14 But when Paul was about to open his
mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrong or of
vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up
with you; 15 but if there are questions about words and names and
your own law, look after it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a
judge of these matters.” 16 And he drove them away from the
judgment seat. 17 And they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader
of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment
seat. But Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.
 THEME: THE GREETING
2 
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been
sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call
on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours
2. THE RECEIVERS v.2
A. The church of God (Not the church of the Corinthians
but the God's church [the members] located at Corinth]
a. Those who have been sanctified [separated and
consecrated for God] in Christ Jesus
b. Those who are saints [holy, sacred, morally blameless]
by calling [not applying] (cf. Deut.7:1-6)
 Deuteronomy 7:1-6
When the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to
possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the
Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the
Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, 2 and when
the LORD your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you
shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no
favor to them. 3 Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not
give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for
your sons. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other
gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly
destroy you. 5 But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, and
smash their sacred pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven
images with fire. 6 For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD
your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the
peoples who are on the face of the earth.
 THEME: THE GREETING
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been
2 

sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call

on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours
2. THE RECEIVERS v.2
A. The church of God (Not the church of the Corinthians but the God's
church [the members] located at Corinth]
a. Those who have been sanctified [separated and consecrated for God]
in Christ Jesus
b. Those who are saints [holy, sacred, morally blameless] by calling [not
applying], (cf. Deut.7:1-6)
c. Those who are united with [the other true believing churches in Christ]
who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours (cf.
Mt.7:21-23; Rom.10:9-10)
 Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of
21 

heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will

enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy
in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name
perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew
you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

Romans 10:9-10
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your
9 

heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the
heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he
confesses, resulting in salvation.
 THEME: THE GREETING
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the
3 

Lord Jesus Christ.

3. THE BLESSERS v.3
A. God the Father
B. The Lord Jesus Christ
 THEME: THE GREETING
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the
3 

Lord Jesus Christ.

3. THE BLESSERS v.3
A. God the Father
B. The Lord Jesus Christ
1. The blessings
a. Grace
a.1. Unmerited Favor (cf. Eph.2:8-9;
1Cor.15:10; Rom.11:6)
 EPHESIANS 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
8 

yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one

may boast.

1CORINTHIANS 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did
10 

not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the
grace of God with me.

ROMANS 11:6
But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is
6 

no longer grace.
 THEME: THE GREETING
3 
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. THE BLESSERS v.3
A. God the Father
B. The Lord Jesus Christ
1. The blessings
a. Grace
a.1. Unmerited Favor (cf. Eph.2:8-9; 1Cor.15:10;
Rom.11:6)
b. Peace
b.1. It is the absence of hostilities against other people.
b.2. It is the reconciliation with God (Isa.48:22;
Rom.5:1).
 ISAIAH 48:22
“There is no peace for the wicked,” says
the LORD.

Romans 5:11
And not only this, but we also exult in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom
we have now received the reconciliation.
 THEME: THE GREETING
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 

3. THE BLESSERS v.3

A. God the Father
B. The Lord Jesus Christ
1. The blessings
a. Grace
a.1. Unmerited Favor (cf. Eph.2:8-9; 1Cor.15:10; Rom.11:6)
b. Peace
b.1. It is the absence of hostilities against other people.
b.2. It is the reconciliation with God (Isa.48:22; Rom.5:1).
b.3. It is the presence of Jesus through the Holy Spirit in our life
producing serenity and quietness in the midst of troubles
in life (Jn.14:27).
 JOHN 14:27
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give
 

to you; not as the world gives do I give

to you. Do not let your heart be
troubled, nor let it be fearful.
 CONCLUSION
● BY THE GREETING ALONE, WE CAN
SEE HOW BLESSED WE ARE AS GOD'S
CHILDREN. LET US THEREFORE
PRAISE HIM AND GLORIFY HIM IN
OUR LIVES!
 TEXT TO PONDER
"SEE HOW VERY MUCH OUR FATHER LOVES
US, FOR HE CALLS US HIS CHILDREN, AND
THAT IS WHAT WE ARE! BUT THE PEOPLE
WHO BELONG TO THIS WORLD DON'T
RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE GOD'S CHILDREN
BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW HIM." (1John
3:1, NLT)