Remembering Our Calling (Tuesday, July 30)

The Word of the Day is “called.” In today’s scripture study, we read Paul’s induction to his first letter to the Corinthians (1:1-9). The apostle states, “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ…” (OSB vs. 1) and again, “To the church of God, which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be saints…” (OSB 1:2).  Today our study will remind us of the summons of God to serve Him all that we say or day.

In today’s Epistle, the Apostle begins his communication to the church in Corinth with the most gracious words. But they are more than words of flattery before he gets to the concerns of the letter. As he begins to write, the apostle reminds the Corinthians of his calling and theirs. He writes that God had willed to call him to be an apostle (1 Cor.1:1). And the Corinthians likewise had been called–“called to be saints” (1 Cor. 1:2); “called” to be numbered “with those who in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord…” (1 Cor. 1:2), and called into the “fellowship of His [God’s] Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9).

The Meaning of Being Called

What does it mean to be “called”? It is striking that the apostle uses the same Greek word and its derivatives throughout the passage. The Greek term comes from a combination of “call” and “out,” making “to call out” or “to summon” (Strong’s #2822, 140 and #2564).  Accordingly, to be called is more than to be invited. It is to be singled out and drafted for duty. Recall that when the Lord Jesus called his disciples, He had the divine authority to choose them. It was not their prerogative to volunteer. It was not their mission that they were to serve.

In the same way, Paul insisted that his authority as an apostle did not rest in him. St. John Chrysostom reminds us that Paul repeatedly claimed that what he proclaimed did not come from him. No credit belonged to him, but all glory belonged to God (NfPf1:13, 3). St. Paul, therefore, makes the bold claim that he had divine authorization to counsel and admonish the congregation in Corinth. His teaching was not from him but from Christ.

Likewise, Paul addresses the Corinthians as the “church of God.” By His own choice, not theirs, the Almighty God had claimed the Corinthians as His own.”  Thus, the church is the body of those who have been selected from among the nations and  called together to be members of a new assembly, the church. The church of which they were a part, therefore, was not a human creation but “of God.

By the same token, the Corinthians have nothing of themselves to boast about. But the Lord has called them to be “saints.” The Greek word for “saints” that St. Paul uses here is the word hagios, “holy.” That is, the believers are summoned to be “set apart” as the “holy ones” of “holy ones” who are dedicated to God (1 Cor. 1:2). Consequently, it did not belong to any human but to God..

This gathering of sanctified people was a new “fellowship,” joined together and unified in Christ. In our upcoming reading of this letter, St. Paul will remind the Corinthians again and again of their calling–their mission that comes from God. In their conflicts, pride, and toleration of sin, the congregation had forgotten the purpose for which God had selected them and brought them together in Christ. Paul will stress that this divine summons is to be the Body of Christ, a “holy communion” of the faithful, a new creation set apart from the world to know the grace of God and to be united in the love of Christ.

For Reflection

When we identify with the Corinthians, we realize that the stresses and challenges of the moment can overshadow the remembrance of our divine calling. The passions and their temptations can divert us from the Lord’s summons to holiness. And the purpose for which Christ has chosen us to be His disciples can be lost in the day-to-day grind.

Our study suggests that we ask ourselves whether we also need to be reminded of our calling–who we are and whom we serve. If so, we must pray that the Lord of Grace will call us back to the holiness, the dedication to God that is our true vocation in Christ. When we do, then all that we do from day to day will have an underlying sense of a larger purpose. 

Addendum: St. Theophan the Recluse on the Spirit-Inspired Calling

“God does not come near to where flesh is in charge: God's contact with man is through his spirit, and the spirit in such a [flesh-controlled] person is out of its proper order. He will feel God's calling for the first time when his spirit begins to claim its rights in the voice of conscience and the fear of God. And when a man finally makes his free deliberate choice for the spirit, then God will join that man and dwell in him. From that moment on begins the conversion of his soul and body, the whole inner and outer man, until "God may be all in all" (1 Cor. 15:28), and the man who once was carnal transforms into a spiritual being and becomes sanctified. What a marvelous privilege of mankind, and how few of us know about it, appreciate it, and seek it!"