Identity Before Correction: Then and Now

When Paul wrote his letter to the church in Corinth, he was writing to a church with problems—real ones. They were divided, prideful, confused about spiritual gifts, and struggling to live differently from the culture around them. Yet Paul begins his letter in a way that might surprise us. He doesn’t open with criticism. He opens with identity.
Instead of saying, “You need to do better,” Paul says, “You are called to be saints.”

That word saints did not mean the Corinthians were perfect. It meant they belonged to God. Before Paul addresses what needs to change, he reminds them who they are and whose they are. Their faith was not built on their performance, but on God’s calling and grace through Jesus Christ.

This matters just as much today.

Modern Christians live in a world that is fast, loud, and divided. We are quick to point out flaws—our own and others’. Churches feel pressure to fix behavior, chase influence, or defend themselves in the public eye. But Paul shows us a better starting place. God’s work in His people begins with identity, not shame.

Paul thanks God for the grace given to the Corinthians and reminds them that they lack nothing they need while they wait for Christ’s return. Even with all their struggles, God was still at work among them. And more importantly, God was not going to abandon them halfway. “He will sustain you to the end,” Paul writes—not because they were strong, but because God is faithful.

That truth bridges the ancient church and the modern one. We are still imperfect people living in broken places, called to live as saints while we wait for Jesus. Our hope does not rest in how well we hold everything together, but in the faithfulness of the God who called us.

Before God corrects His church, He reminds her: You belong to Me.