A little bit of a rant today – we were reading devotion this morning and came across a quotation from 1 Corinthians 1:2, "to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints...." It's always bothered me how easily some translations add words to the text and give no indication what they've done. That's the case with this verse, and others like it in Paul's letters. St. Paul did not say that the Corinthians were called 'to be' saints, and I would suggest that given Paul's emphasis on justification by faith it would be the last thing he would say.
Although some people seem to be unable to see it, it strikes me that there is a big difference between saying that someone is called something and say that someone is called to be something. The former fits perfectly with the justification by faith, with God declaring that we are now righteous in his sight. The latter fits perfectly with works righteousness and a theology of glory, a way of viewing life that sees this life as a striving to meet certain goals that God has set up.
Needless to say, what so many translations add to this verse are the words 'to be' – and thereby put into Paul's letters a hint of ideas that he wrote so vehemently against. On the other hand, for Paul to refer to his misbehaving Corinthians as saints, called saints by God, emphasizes the graciousness of God which Paul was at such pains to proclaim.
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