Romans 17:2, "To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours."
To the church of God: Most people today associate the word church with a building where Christians meet. But the Greek word for church (ekklesiai) was a non-religious word for an "assembly" of people, typically gathered together for a specific purpose.
Which is at Corinth: Corinth was one of the great cities of the ancient world, and a community very much like Southern California. It was prosperous, busy, and growing; it had a deserved reputation for the reckless pursuit of pleasure. Corinth had a rich ethnic mix, and it was a center for sports, government, military, and business.
Paul continues his description of the Corinthian Christians: Those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints. The words sanctified and saints communicate the same idea, of being set apart from the world and unto God.
There is much in 1 Corinthians that is unflattering to the Christians of Corinth. They are shown to have, at times, morality problems, doctrine problems, church government problems, spiritual gift problems, church service problems, and authority problems. It might be easy for us to think they weren't even saved! But they were. They were called saints.
Both theirs and ours: In his first few words, Paul lays the foundation for a fundamental issue he will address in this letter: Christian unity, based on the common Lordship of Jesus Christ. The Corinthian Christians are called … saints, but this isn't exclusive to them. They are saints together with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus is both their Lord and our Lord, and because they share a common Lord, they share an essential unity.
Dear God, thank you for the church that is made up of all who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord!
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