Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother. 1 Corinthians 1:1
What a fascinating character Paul had as a co-author for his first letter to the Christians in Corinth! Sosthenes was actually from Corinth, and had at one point been the leader in the Jewish synagogue there. In fact, he was attacked and beaten after the Jews, presumably led by Sosthenes, had failed to convince the local governor to stop Paul from preaching and teaching in the city. But at some point, this opponent of the Gospel and its messenger had been saved and became a companion and a helper of the apostle who he once opposed. What an excellent testimony to the grace of God!
Actually everyone you see today gathered in assembly capacity to worship our Lord in His weekly remembrance feast is a testimony to that same grace. Most of us probably did not have such a dramatic change of course as Sosthenes. But we were all at some point rejecters and opponents of Christ. We all had to experience the same salvation that he did. And in doing so, we turned away from our rejection and opposition to become followers and worshipers.
Sosthenes must have been thrilled as he helped Paul write this letter. His most likely role would have been to write what Paul dictated to him. And as such, he would know the entire content of the letter. As the Holy Spirit guided Paul to utter the truth that He revealed regarding the Lord’s Supper in what is now chapter 11, Sosthenes would have been as delighted as we are when we read that portion. And he could appreciate how his good friends in Corinth would be encouraged and blessed when they received it. Just as we are today.
The grace of God that transformed us from rejecters to worshipers has also given us a deep appreciation of the revelation of Scripture as to our worship today. – Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/h4emaOOy434