1 Corinthians 15:9,10

“For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. 10. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”

The for bears on the repulsive figure which has just been used. It by no means justifies the explanation of ἔκτρωμα, which we have set aside; its whole force falls on the sequel of our verse on to the ἐδίωξα, I persecuted. The apostle cannot think of that decisive moment of his life without remembering that at that very time he was playing the part of a persecutor. For this it was which necessitated the violent operation to which he was subjected. On ἐλάχιστος, comp. Ephesians 3:11.

The word ἱκανός, capable, when a moral act is in question, takes the meaning of “ morally capable,” and thus becomes synonymous with ἄξιος, worthy; comp. Matthew 3:11 with John 1:27 (see Edwards). Καλεῖσθαι, to bear the title of...

On the whole passage, comp. 1 Timothy 1:12-14.

Vv. 10. The δέ is strongly adversative; it contrasts with what Paul was, when he was yet left to himself, what grace made him.

By the expression: what I am, Paul means first a saved believer, then an apostle, finally, the apostle of the Gentile world. It is this last idea which he specially develops in the following words.

The word κενή, empty, applies to the intrinsic power of the grace which was shown toward him.

If with the Greco-Lats. the ἡ were omitted after the word αὐτοῦ, the εἰς ἐμέ might depend on the verb: “ was not in vain toward me; ” but this idea does not suit the context so well as that of the ordinary reading, which preserves the ἡ : “The grace shown toward me was not in vain.”

The word ἐκοπίασα, I laboured, denotes not only labour properly so called, effort, toil, sufferings, journeys, prayers, but also the fruits obtained; comp. John 4:38. The inward power of grace in Paul was demonstrated by its fruitfulness. Indeed, it is only from the viewpoint of the works accomplished that Paul can add without presumption, and as appealing to a patent fact, more than they all. These words might signify: more than any one of them in particular. But they should rather be understood, with Meyer, Osiander, Edwards, in the sense of: more than all of them together. The first meaning would be too weak; the second contains no exaggeration; comp. Romans 15:19. After thus suddenly rising to the full height God gave him, he abases himself again, as if he were alarmed at what he has just declared. This extraordinary labour was not, strictly speaking, his own, but that of the grace which wrought with him. The art. ἡ, which is here read by the Byz. before σὺν ἐμοί, connects this regimen closely with the word χάρις : “The grace which is with me, it was that which wrought.” But the omission of the article in the other two families leads us to apply the regimen with me to the verb laboured (understood), which is better: “It was not I, however, who laboured, but the grace of God laboured with me. ” It seems as if by me would have been more logical, as corresponding better to the absolute negative: not I. But Paul cannot overlook all the intensity, good-will, and personal devotion which he has thrown into this immense labour. And hence, notwithstanding all his humility, the with me forces itself into his thought. If he had not been open to the impulse and power of grace, how could it have produced such effects by him!

Evidently these two verses are a digression, but for the digression there is a good reason. We have already seen at the beginning of chap. 9 that there were people at Corinth who were making inquiries as to the reality of Paul's apostleship, and who said: He has not seen the Lord; therefore he is not really an apostle. Paul does not in this First Epistle enter upon a direct discussion with such opponents, as he will be forced to do later. He restrains himself, till the latent evil shall be unmasked. But he makes certain allusions to the accusations which he cannot yet combat. His object in this passage is to show that although he has been called quite differently from the Twelve, God has nevertheless certified him to be a true apostle, and that consequently he is entitled to join his testimony to theirs. It is precisely this parity with them, in the matter of bearing witness to the resurrection, which is expressed in the following verse, the conclusion of 1 Corinthians 15:3-10.