GREETING AND THANKSGIVING. PARTISANSHIP IN THE CHURCH St. Paul, after greeting the Church and giving thanks for its spiritual gifts, rebukes the preference for various teachers which was prevalent among them; such a spirit lost sight of Christ crucified, the one subject of all Christian teachers.... [ Continue Reading ]
CALLED _TO BE_ AN APOSTLE] chosen by God, not self-appointed: see Acts 22:17. SOSTHENES] This may be the ruler of the synagogue of Acts 18:17, converted since that time.... [ Continue Reading ]
SANCTIFIED IN CHRIST JESUS] consecrated to God through faith in Christ, having Christ living in them and His influence moulding them. CALLED _TO BE_ SAINTS] lit. 'called saints'; because consecrated to Christ. They bore the name and should also show the nature of saints. The holiness of the Church i... [ Continue Reading ]
GRACE _BE_ UNTO YOU, AND PEACE] St. Paul's invariable greeting to the Churches. GRACE is the favour of God, and PEACE the result of the enjoyment of that favour.... [ Continue Reading ]
I THANK MY GOD] St. Paul regarded the Corinthian Church, in spite of its sins and faults, as a true and living Church.... [ Continue Reading ]
PARAPHRASE. 'I praise God continually because through your spiritual union with Christ you have received the gifts of His grace. (5) I am especially thankful because your knowledge of the truth and your ability to give it expression have increased (6) with the increasing response of your spirits to... [ Continue Reading ]
ARE ENRICHED] RY 'were enriched.' IN ALL UTTERANCE, AND _IN_ ALL KNOWLEDGE] The fact that they abused these gifts (1 Corinthians 12:3; 1 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Corinthians 14:2) did not lead the Apostle to undervalue them.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE TESTIMONY OF CHRIST] The Apostle's witness to Christ's person and power and saving work was verified by its effects upon the Corinthians.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE COMING OF OUR LORD] cp. 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 7:29; 1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 2 Peter 3:4; 2 Peter 3:14.... [ Continue Reading ]
CONFIRM YOU] keep you steadfast.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SON] i.e. union with Him. This is the keynote of the Epistle, and leads to the thought suggested in the next paragraph, that they who are united to Christ should be united to one another. _(A) 1 CORINTHIANS 1:10 TO 1 CORINTHIANS 4:21. PARTIES AND PARTY SPIRIT IN THE CHURCH_ 10... [ Continue Reading ]
BY THE NAME OF OUR LORD] The Apostle appeals to them by the Holy Name of Jesus, which itself should remind them of their oneness as His followers, since they had all been baptised into it. SPEAK THE SAME THING] i.e. agree in calling Christ your only leader. PERFECTLY JOINED, etc.] lit. 'adjusted in... [ Continue Reading ]
CHLOE] We know nothing of her but her name. 'Those of her house' may have been sons or brothers or servants. CONTENTIONS] The 'divisions' of 1 Corinthians 1:10 had produced disputes probably at the meetings for worship.... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS I SAY] The Corinthian Christians were divided into parties (see Intro.), each professing to follow the teaching and example of a favourite teacher. These parties had not yet separated into opposing sects, but their existence deprived the Church of the power of united action arising from united... [ Continue Reading ]
IS CHRIST DIVIDED, etc.] see paraphrase. St. Paul reminds the Corinthians indirectly but emphatically of the crucifixion of Christ for them and of their baptism into His name. By the one they had been redeemed from sin; by the other they had been dedicated to Christ's service, and had entered into c... [ Continue Reading ]
CRISPUS] the ruler of the synagogue (Acts 18:8). GAIUS] see Romans 16:23.... [ Continue Reading ]
LEST ANY SHOULD SAY] This does not mean that the Apostle refrained from baptising because he had this danger in view, but only that because of the fact that a party had been formed in his name, it was well that he had not baptised, and so laid himself open to misrepresentation.... [ Continue Reading ]
STEPHANAS] was now with St. Paul (1 Corinthians 16:17). He had been the first Corinthian convert (1 Corinthians 16:15).... [ Continue Reading ]
NOT TO BAPTIZE] The Apostle reserved himself as far as possible for the work of preaching, and left baptism for the most part to his companions. NOT WITH WISDOM OF WORDS] i.e. paying attention, not to the manner of presenting the truth, but to the substance of the truth itself. 18-25. The gospel of... [ Continue Reading ]
FOOLISHNESS] Christ's self-sacrificing death produces no response in some hearts: cp. 2 Corinthians 2:15. PERISH.. ARE SAVED] RV 'are perishing.. are being saved.' Salvation is here spoken of as present and progressive. The Apostle is thinking of the work of Christ in sanctifying those who believe.... [ Continue Reading ]
IT IS WRITTEN] Quoted from the LXX version of Isaiah 29:14; Isaiah 21. BY WISDOM] The Greeks learned nothing of His character from nature or speculation, and the Jews failed to recognise the truth taught in their history and in their law (cp. Romans 1:2). THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING] St. Paul, of c... [ Continue Reading ]
PARAPHRASE. 'And this is true, as the facts declare. The Jews will not believe unless a miracle is wrought before their eyes; the Greeks will accept no truth that is not commended by philosophical speculation; (23) but the subject of our preaching is salvation through the crucified Christ—who has by... [ Continue Reading ]
A STUMBLINGBLOCK] The idea of a crucified Messiah was repugnant to the Jews. FOOLISHNESS] The Greeks made a jest of such a religion. As an illustration the raillery of Lucian in a later age may be cited.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEM WHICH ARE CALLED] those whom the message has found responsive. CHRIST THE POWER.. AND THE WISDOM OF GOD] He is the power of God because He enables the sinner to overcome his sin; and the wisdom of God because He reveals the mind of God and the practicable way of salvation.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD] This method of salvation by the Cross of Christ in point of fact saved men from their sins. And thus the so-called foolishness of God was proved in practice to be wiser than the wise methods of men.... [ Continue Reading ]
YE SEE YOUR CALLING] RV 'Behold your calling.' CALLING] Not 'worldly station,' but God's invitation given through Christ. NOT MANY WISE, etc.] The Corinthian Church was composed chiefly of people who from the worldly standpoint were of little account. There were probably many freedmen and slaves in... [ Continue Reading ]
PARAPHRASE. 'Look at the state of matters in your own Church. There are few among you eminent in the eyes of the world. (27-29) But it is just what is weak and lowly and of no account according to worldly standards that God has chosen to shame what is strong and lofty and worldly-wise; that no man m... [ Continue Reading ]
BASE] i.e. of low birth. THINGS WHICH ARE NOT] i.e. mere nonentities: cp. Matthew 11:5; Matthew 11:25. HATH GOD CHOSEN] Thrice emphatically repeated, to mark the fact that all is due to God.... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT NO FLESH SHOULD GLORY] because God's call is not given on account of any earthly position or advantage.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO OF GOD IS MADE UNTO US WISDOM, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS, etc.] RM 'Who was made unto us wisdom from God, both righteousness and sanctification and redemption,' etc. There are only three co-ordinate terms in the sentence. Righteousness, sanctification and redemption are subordinate to wisdom and descrip... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT GLORIETH] There was nothing of which human wisdom could boast. Philosophy had helped a few intellectual minds, but had never touched the ordinary man. But the Cross made its appeal to the lowly as well as to the noble, and 'the foolishness of God' transformed human lives, delivering them fro... [ Continue Reading ]