The Apostle Paul was HUMAN!

In my exegetical study of the first few verses I Corinthians 1, I'm using Fee's commentary. As I read, I see that Paul was, in fact, human and was dealing with what most church staff deal with to some degree at one time or another, namely, lack of confidence and support from the church members. Let me show you.

As the letter is broken down, it follows the form of most letters written during the first century. Most letters begin with a salutation. I Corinthians 1:1-3 is the salutation of this letter. In an other Pauline letter, I Thessalonians, Paul writes,

Paul, Silas and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.

However, in I Cor he writes:
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes

Notice the difference: In I Thes. Paul simply states who writes the letter - Paul, Silas and Timothy, yet in I Cor, he reminds his readers of his credentials: called to be and apostle, by the will of God

Going on: to the church of God in Corinth - he reminds the Corinthians who are questioning Pauls apostolic authority that they are first the church of God, not the church in Corinth...

and: to those sanctified in Christ and called to be his holy people - he is already alluding to the immorality going on in the fellowship that he will address more thoroughly in later chapters...

finally: together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. - Paul is forceful in this statement, telling his readers who are influenced by their culture (read commentaries 1 & 2 for background) that they don't corner the market on God. He lets them know that there are Christians all over who all serve one God.

Y'all...that's just the salutation!