“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: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:2-3)
Paul addressed the members of the Church at Corinth as Saints. He referred to them as sanctified in Jesus. His meaning was that the members of the Church were made holy in and through Jesus, by His death on the cross. The saint is a saint not by what he or she has done, but by the work Jesus has done. And so, all those who have faith in Him are saints, holy ones, people set apart by God to carry out His work on earth.
We who are called to be saints should feel thankful for what Jesus has done for us. We should also feel humble because the Holy Spirit who is alive in us convicts us of sin making us painfully aware that we are not perfect, that we do not manifest holiness on a consistent basis. We are like the saints at Corinth to whom Paul wrote concerning their sins which caused problems among them. Many of the Corinthian brethren were had converted from paganism but were still living under the perverse influence of their cultural background and upbringing. This manifested itself as self-centeredness and pride. Factions had arisen which split the church. Consequently, the light of the gospel was darkened. This always happens when Christians take sides against each other. They no longer demonstrate the unity or love of Jesus Christ. Consequently, we should be aware of all that we do and say especially today on social media in the midst of America’s chaotic and acrimonious political atmosphere. Our words and actions reflect on Jesus and His message of love, forgiveness and mercy, for good or ill.
We can learn from Paul’s attitude in these opening verses. He used tact and praise before criticism and correction. An avalanche of negative criticism leads to nothing but frustration, guilt, and animosity. Words of praise for what others have done correctly or in a Godly manner will temper adverse criticisms and make others more likely to heed them and so acknowledge their faults and sins and repent. Such a loving attitude of correction will promote the cause of the gospel as brethren manifest unity, humility, mercy, longsuffering and forgiveness.