Pentecost Season · Thanksgiving Day Canada · Year C
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Thanksgiving
November 23, 2028
Overview & Insights
“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9)
If anything strikes someone who begins reading 1 Corinthians, it is how Paul packs content into every word from the outset. When we realize how well he knows the Corinthian congregation even on a personal level and recognize that this is at least his second letter to the church (5:9), it is quite remarkable that even his opening “hello” reads like a thoughtful theological reflection. Not only does he broadly follow the conventions for a traditional Greco-Roman letter opening;1he subtly introduces the major perspectives that will guide his discussion in the coming sections of the letter. Interpretive Insights 1:1 Paul . . . an apostle. Paul begins by identifying himself as “an apostle.” Unlike in his letter to the Galatians, where the reference to his apostleship is an argument for authority (Gal.
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Commentary
1 Corinthians 1 Commentary Enduring Word · David Guzik
David Guzik covers Paul's opening thanksgiving for the Corinthians' gifts.
1 Corinthians 1 Commentary Precept Austin
A word study on Paul's thanksgiving for grace already given to a troubled church.
1 Corinthians 1:4 Commentaries BibleHub
Classic commentary on Paul's thanks for grace given in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1 (Barnes' Notes) StudyLight
Barnes explains Paul's opening thanksgiving before he turns to correction.
Commentary on 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Working Preacher
Reads Paul's thanksgiving as grounded in what God has already done, not what the church has earned.
1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Center for Excellence in Preaching
A preaching angle on giving thanks for gifts God has already supplied.
Background & Word Study
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
How does Paul open this letter?
He gives thanks that the Corinthians were enriched in Christ with every gift and speech, and that God will sustain them guiltless to the end, for he is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:4–9).
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