“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.”
The city of Corinth was one of the great cities of the ancient world. A thriving, prosperous, and fast-growing community. It was home to a rich mix of people from many nations and served as a major center for sports, government, the military, and business. Every two years, thousands of people gathered at the temple of Poseidon for the Isthmian Games, a massive festival of athletic competition second only to the Olympic Games and were a celebration of athletic skill, endurance, and discipline. The games were deeply woven into Corinthian culture, and the people took great pride in them. The Apostle Paul understood the deep passion the Corinthians had for sports. He used that same enthusiasm to help them clearly grasp and visualize the message he was teaching, comparing the Christian life to running a race. When Paul spoke of “running the race” and striving for the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24–27), his words instantly connected with them. The Corinthians knew what it took to train hard, to stay disciplined, and to give everything for the sake of victory. Paul drew on that familiar image to show that following Christ requires the same determination, focus, and endurance. Yet unlike the athletes who competed for a temporary reward, believers run for a prize that is incorruptible, far greater than anything this world can offer.
Corinth was also filled with temples dedicated to various gods and goddesses such as Athena, Apollo, Poseidon, Hermes, Isis, Serapis, and Asclepius. Most prominent of all was the worship of the Corinthian Aphrodite, the goddess of love, whose temple was served by more than thousand “hierodouloi“, women who worked as prostitutes and priestesses. This kind of worship wasn’t new, it only changed the names and the places If you look back at the Old Testament, the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth was the same thing. Sexual acts were part of their rituals and were seen as worship. Even in Ephesus, people practiced similar things to honor their gods. For the Corinthians, this way of living—partying, drinking, and sexual immorality was completely normal. It was what defined their city. And the truth is, the same sin that ruled Corinth still rules many hearts today. Sin runs deep in human nature and continues to manifest itself in every generation.
When Paul says, “To the church of God which is at Corinth. He was addressing the assembly of God’s in a city filled with idolatry and immoral practices. What makes this so radical is what the Lord Jesus told Paul in Acts 18:9–10, “Do not be afraid, but speak, for I have many people in this city.” Corinth was a place filled with corruption, idolatry, and immorality, yet God declared that He had many people there. Let that sink in for a moment.
Many people still hold an unbiblical expectation that the church should be full of perfect people—those who always smile, act politely, and do everything right. But that mindset completely misses the heart of the gospel. The Corinthian church, the very one where Jesus said, “I have many people in this city,” was full of issues. They struggled with moral failure, false teaching, divisions in leadership, misuse of spiritual gifts, disorder in worship, and rebellion against authority. Yet despite all their flaws, they were still called the church of God. Jesus came for sinners, that’s the heart of His gospel. Salvation is for anyone who recognizes their need for a Savior, anyone willing to turn from their sinful nature and come into the kingdom of God. Jesus never waits for us to be perfect, and He doesn’t expect us to have it all together. His grace meets us right where we are, in the middle of our brokenness and mess. That’s what He did for the Corinthians, and that’s exactly what He’s still doing for us today.
Then Paul affirmed the Corinthians with these words: “To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” Notice the words to be are inserted by translators. The Corinthians were called saints, not called to be saints despite all their corruption, and sin. Paul wasn’t blind to their struggles and fall short, but he wanted the Corinthians to remember who they were in Christ. They were sanctified, set apart for God’s purpose. The Greek word hagiazō means “to sanctify,”, “to separate from profane things or dedicate to God.” It also carries the idea of being made holy and freed from the guilt of sin.
But how could people with such a broken past be called sanctified? The answer is found in the book of Hebrews 10:10. “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all”. Our sanctification doesn’t come from our own good works, because as Scripture says, “There is none who does good, no, not one” (Romans 3:12). It comes from what Christ accomplished on the cross. Paul reaffirmed this truth to the Corinthians when he wrote, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). Paul wanted them to understand that their new identity was not defined by who they used to be, but by what Christ had done for them.
There is no one in this world who can truly transform our life in a way that pleases God apart from Christ. We have all sinned and fallen short of His glory. So if you think Jesus expects you to come to Him already clean, think again. Do you think Jesus would have died on the cross to pay for all our sins, if He were unaware of our transgressions and uncleanness before God? Of course not. He knew exactly our spiritual conditions. What He desires is not perfection but repentance.
To repent means to change our mind, to turn away from sin, and to turn toward Him. It’s a willingness to be changed by His power. A humble heart that submits to His will and purpose for our lives. All Jesus wants is for us to come to Him, just as the Corinthians did, and follow Him. As Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). He is the one who cleanses, sanctifies, and makes us new and our job is to believe and follow Him.
Then Paul continues, “with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2,). Paul corrects their mindset by reminding them that they were called saints not because of their own goodworks, status or spiritual achievements, but because they believed in and confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord. He made it clear that this calling was not exclusive to them, it included everyone who calls on the name of the Lord in everywhere.
What made some of the Corinthians think they were the only true saints was their abundance of spiritual gifts. They had prophets, spoke in tongues, and experienced many manifestations of the Holy Spirit. But this caused pride to creep in. Some began to believe that their gifts made them more spiritual or superior to others. Have you ever met Christians who look down on others because they don’t speak in tongues or don’t show the same spiritual experiences? That same attitude existed in Corinth.
Paul wanted them to understand that spiritual gifts are not a measure of maturity or superiority. Speaking in tongues doesn’t make someone greater than another believer. Paul addressed this directly when he said that love is what truly builds up the church and that every gift has its proper place and limit (1 Corinthians 13:1–13). He reminded them that the grace of God was not confined to their church or their abilities. The same grace that saved and worked through them was the same grace extended to all who believe in Jesus Christ.
The epistles of Paul to the church in Corinth are one of my favorites because they reveal the true spiritual condition of humanity. Paul’s letters to the Corinthians are filled with correction and that’s what we all need. We need preaching that convicts the heart and draws us closer to Jesus. This is why prosperity preaching often makes people spiritually asleep and comfortable in sin.
Corinth stands as living proof that Jesus never called anyone to be perfect. He calls us to repentance. He knows our weaknesses, and that’s why the only thing He asks of us is to believe in Him and follow Him. When you truly believe in someone, you act on what they say. If someone told you that broccoli could heal a disease, you’d probably start eating broccoli. It’s the same with Jesus. When you believe in Jesus and hear His words, “Go and sin no more,” your heart begins to change. You no longer want to live in sin. And the more you walk with Him, the more you understand His great love for you. That agape love that transforms you from the inside out until you begin to hate sin not out of fear, but out of love because you understand, it was sin that crucified Christ on the cross and you never want to see Him crucified again.
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