Ministry of Grace Church

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

Truth to Learn

We have a commission from our Lord to make disciples.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “called” is the noun klētos. It means “one who is called, invited, welcomed, or appointed.” It is not a verb, that is, Paul is not saying that he is “referred to as an apostle,” but that he is an “appointed apostle.”

“Apostle” is transliterated (a word of one language spelled with the letters of another language) from the Greek word apostolos. It is made up of apo, meaning “away from” and a form of the verb stellō, meaning “to send.” Thus, literally apostolos means “one who is sent away.” It refers to those disciples of Christ who saw Him personally and were sent away to preach the gospel message.

Thelēma is the Greek word translated “will.” When used of God it expresses “what God Himself does of His own good pleasure.”

“Sosthenes” is a proper name which means “of sound strength.” He was a ruler of the synagogue in Corinth.

Meaning Explained

This letter is identified in our Bible as the first one sent to the Corinthians. It appears, however, that there was a previous letter sent to them from Paul (1 Corinthians 5:9), though it has never been found. The writer immediately identifies himself as the Apostle Paul. As pointed out in the introduction, there is little doubt that this letter was sent by him, and a number of the early church fathers have attributed this letter to him in their own writings.

Paul refers to himself as “a called apostle.” Throughout the ages there have been many who have identified themselves as apostles, but in Scripture only those who have been sent in person by our Lord are identified as apostles. In fact, Paul makes it very clear that he did not simply give himself the title of an apostle, nor was he given that title by other members in the church. He was appointed as an apostle by the determined will of God Himself. His commission from God was to preach the gospel, and he tells us later in this letter:

For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! (1 Corinthians 9:16)

A careful reading of the eighteenth chapter of Acts will reveal that Sosthenes was the second ruler of the Jewish synagogue who was converted by Paul’s preaching. Crispus was converted first (Acts 18:8). Later, after Paul’s trial before the proconsul Gallio, Sosthenes (also called the ruler of the synagogue) was taken and beaten by the Jews. This man is now identified by Paul as his companion in writing this letter to the believers in Corinth, and he is identified as a brother in the Lord (a Christian).

Application

We are not all apostles, but we have all been given a commission from our Lord to make disciples, to baptize those who believe, and to teach all things concerning our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:19, 20). This commission binds us to our duty just as much as Paul was bound to his. Woe to us if we do not make disciples and teach God’s truth!