Paul's opening salutation to, and expression of thanksgiving for, the church at Corinth opens our epistle reading. It is typical of the Pauline epistles that their opening sections, as stuffed as they are with flowery introductions, do not lead nowhere. Rather, in these few verses, Paul turns his thanksgiving into a thumbnail sketch of the most basic issues confronting the Corinthians.

Even the typically Pauline expression of greeting in verse 3 throws a beam of light toward the concerns addressed in the body of this letter. Paul wishes for both "grace" and "peace" to a highly contentious church. Few other congregations could be more in need of this "grace and peace" and the presence of the "Lord Jesus Christ." Together these constitute the gift of salvation.

The gratuitous quality of this…