called to be saints. A reference to 2 Cor. 1, 1 suggests a bet- ter explanation. It is there said, "To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints which are in all Achaia." The same limitation must be supplied here. This epistle was addressed not only to the Christians in Corinth, but also to all their brethren in the province of which Corinth was the capital.
Theirs and ours. These words admit of two connections. They may be connected with the word Lord, ' Their Lord and ours.* There were certain persons in Corinth who claimed a peculiar relation to Christ, and said, " We are of Christ ; " to whom Paul said, " If any trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, as he is Christ's, so are we Christ's," 2 Cor. 10, 1. It is possible that he may have in- tended at the very opening of his epistle, to rebuke this ex- clusive spirit, and to remind his readers that Christ is the common Lord of all who call upon him. The position of the words however renders it more natural to understand the apostle to mean, " in every place, theirs and ours." If this be the true construction, then the sense may be, ' In every place of worship theirs and ours.' This interpretation sup- poses that the divisions known to exist in Corinth had led to the separation of the people into different worshipping assem- bhes. There is, however, not only no evidence that such ex- ternal separation had occurred, but clear evidence in ch. 11, 18 to the contrary. Others understand the sense to be, ' In every place, theirs and ours,' i. e. 'where they are, and where I am.' This supposes the epistle to be general. A third interpretation has been proposed. The epistle is ad- dressed to all Christians in Corinth and Achaia, wherever they might be. Every place is at once theirs and ours. Their place of abode, and my place of labour.
3. 'Grace (be) unto you, and peace from God our Father, and (from) the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace is favour, and. peace its fruits. The former includes all that is comprehended in the love of God as exercised towards sinners ; and the latter all the benefits which flow from that love. All good, therefore, whether providential or spiritual, whether temporal or eternal, is comprehended in these terms : justification, adoption and sanctification, with all the benefits which either accompany or flow from them.