Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:1-3
Change of Gentile Greeting: Chairain (greetings) to Charis (grace)
Addition of Jewish Greeting: Eirene (peace)
Paul is closing the gap between two worlds: Jew & Gentile
Grace and peace comes from God.
3 gaps:
- The vertical gap between us and God
- The horizontal gap between us in the church
- The gap between Paul and the Corinthians
Bottom Line
The grace and peace God gives to us closes the gap between us.
Before Paul corrects them, he extends grace to them.
The rub: We often want others to go first.
Will you be the first to move?
You doing the right thing shouldn’t depend on someone else.
Action Steps
Prayerful Reflection
- Where are you resisting God’s grace toward you and the peace God wants with you?
- Where is there a relational gap between you and someone else?
- What would it look like for you to go first?
Practice
- Name that gap that exists between you and someone else.
- Pray before you move. Ask God to soften your heart.
- Take one step toward them (a text, email, phone call, etc).
- Extend grace and peace to them.
- Trust God to work.
