Holy

Paul opens his letter to the church in Corinth with a description of the Corinthians. Surprisingly, because there is a lot of rebuke in the letter, he calls them holy.

Actually, in the original Greek, he used the word hagios, which can be translated as holy, or set apart. He was reminding the believers that they were set apart for a divine purpose.

And he was reminding them that they couldn't earn this or attain it: it was the state that God called them to. God called them to hagios, or holiness, not to be absorbed by their culture.

And he makes an interesting point: they are what they are called. They are called as saints and so that is what they are.

We, too, have this same calling: to be hagios, or set apart for God's purpose. It was a challenge for the believers in Corinth and it's a challenge for us today. But Paul skillfully defends his position throughout the book of 1 Corinthians.