1 Corinthians 1:1

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

'Almost all letters from the Greco-Roman period begin with. threefold saluation: Name of the Writer, to the Addressee, Greetings.' [Note:. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Gordon D. Fee p. 27]

'The phrases which open the epistles of Paul are of deep import. It is true that they follow the forms with which, in his day, letters usually were begun. Yet they never are empty formulas.' [Note:. The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians. Charles R. Erdman p. 21]

'called to be an apostle' -'apostle of Jesus Christ by God's call and by God's will' (NEB) 'not..by merit or human choice, but called...through an express intervention of the Divine will.' (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 757)

Apparently some in Corinth were questioning Paul's apostleship. (1 Corinthians 9:1; 2 Corinthians 11:4; 2 Corinthians 12:11)

'To. church which would often call his apostleship in question, Paul speaks of himself as. "called apostle"...An authorized witness of the resurrected Lord. Commissioned by and on behalf of the Lord who called him..But for all their doubts, he had none and so he claims the place God gave him without. hint of embarrassment.' [Note:. The Book of First Corinthians. Jim McGuiggan p. 17] (Galatians 1:1)

'through the will of God' -(2 Corinthians 1:1) 'Paul was not an apostle because he usurped the postion but because God willed him to be an apostle.' [Note:. A Commentary on Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians. Mike Willis p. 4] (Acts 9:15)

'Paul's call was not produced by. set of fortuitous circumstances. Not accidently or in. temporal and. passing manner was Paul called. Nor did he grow into the call by. kind of evolution or spiritual development on his part.' [Note:. Lenski p. 20]

Paul claimed that God's will for him to be an apostle had went all the way back to his birth (Galatians 1:15). And yet, Paul still had. choice in this call. (Acts 26:19 'I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision'), this implies that he might or could have disobeyed and set his will against that of God. Man can resist. direct call from God, as seen in the case of Pharaoh (Romans 9:15) and Solomon. (1 Kings 2:9)

'and Sosthenes our brother' -(SOS thuh knees). He was. brother to both Paul and the Corinthians. 'Paul generally included in his salutations those who were working with him and who were known to the congregation to whom he was writing. (2 Corinthians 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1). [Note:. Willis p. 6]

Many speculate that this is the same Sosthenes mentioned in Acts 18:17. who is called the leader of the synagogue and who had stirred up the Jews to bring Paul before Gallio. If this is true, then this verse reveals. amazing, yet unrecorded case of conversion 'What. triumph of the gospel would be recorded when Paul, in essence, said, "the Sosthenes who stirred up the Jews against me in your own town of Corinth is now. Christian and working with me, the very one he sought to persecute, here in Ephesus.' [Note:. Willis p. 5] And yet we need to realize that the name was. very common name.