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 ■^ FEB 25 1898 
 
 Oivisi»n.. -i4) 
 
 Section.j.t ..'2 '4- 
 No,_ 
 
 
/ 
 
H people's (Tommentat^ 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 j^isriD 
 
 I. AND II. CORmXHIANS 
 
 A POPULAR COMMENTARY UPON A CRITICAL 
 BASIS, ESPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR PASTORS 
 AND SUNDAY SCHOOLS <$><S><$>'$>^'$><S><$><$><»'^ <$><$> ^<$><S> 
 
 BY 
 
 GEO. W. CLARK, D. D. 
 
 Author of " A New Harmony of toe Gospels," and a " Harmony of toe Acts," etc. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA 
 
 AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY 
 
 1420 Chestnut Street 
 
 1897 
 
Copyright 1897 by the 
 American Baptist Publication Society 
 
 jpcom tbe Socletie's own press 
 
PREFACE 
 
 It is proposed to complete the work entitled "A People's Commentary" 
 on the New Testament, by issuing four volumes on the Epistles and Revelation. 
 Like the preceding volumes on the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, they 
 will be popular commentaries on a critical basis, designed for that large class of 
 Sunday-school workers and pastors who are unable, or have not the time, to con- 
 sult original sources, and yet wish the best results of latest scholarship. To do 
 this is a difficult task ; in selecting material from many sources, in deciding what 
 to admit and what to reject, and what explanations are needed. A certain sim- 
 plicity and fullness are required ; for what is plain to one may be obscure to 
 another. But to keep the work within the limits proposed, a certain brevity is 
 necessary. To meet these requirements the paraphrase is sometimes adopted, 
 brief explanations are thrown in between words and clauses, and often a literal, 
 a free, or a full rendering of a passage is given. Often brief sentences, quite 
 independent of each other, are arranged together. 
 
 In this volume four questions have been kept in view : What did the writer 
 intend to express? What was the idea that he conveyed to the Christian readers 
 whom he addressed ? AVhat did the Spirit intend to say through him ? How 
 can the thought thus attained be best expressed now ? The grammatical form 
 and logical connection of the original have been carefully studied throughout ; 
 and it has been the endeavor to give the course of thought and the true meaning 
 of every passage. This has been done, it is believed, in that devout and prayer- 
 ful spirit which brings the mind into sympathy with the object and source of 
 Divine truth. There is deep meaning and much truth in that old saying : " To 
 have prayed well is to have studied well." Prayer fits for reverent study, and 
 the sincere desire that accompanies prayer and the Spirit granted in ansAver to 
 prayer, are adapted to clear the spiritual vision and prepare it to apprehend 
 spiritual truth. The best helps, both earlier and later, have been sought and used. 
 The author, however, is conscious of having come short of this high standard ; but 
 he feels assured of having come nearer to it than he would if his aim had been lower. 
 
 Four years ago the Publication Society authorized me to obtain any assist- 
 ance I needed for the completion of this Commentary on the New Testament. 
 I have been fortunate in securing the services of Rev. O. P. Eaches, D. D., whose 
 scholarly instincts and habits, teaching ability and pastoral experience, spiritual 
 insight and devotion to the truth, clearness and simplicity of style, fit him for 
 the work. He has prepared the notes for the Epistles to the Hebrews, James, 
 and Peter, which volume will follow this. If the Lord will, two additional vol- 
 umes, one by Dr. Eaches, and one by myself, will complete the series. 
 
 HlOHTSTOWN, N. J., 1897. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 THE EPISTLES IN GENERAL 
 
 The Epistles and the Apocalypse supplement the four Gospels and the Acts, 
 and complete the revelations regarding the divine scheme of salvation. In them 
 we may discover the progressive manifestation of truth, and the last and fullest 
 revelations of the Divine will. Addressed publicly to churches, or privately to 
 individuals, or generally to Christians, they rescue from uncertain tradition the 
 certain inspired teachings of the apostles. They deal with doctrinal and prac- 
 tical questions pertaining to the nature of our Lord's kingdom, to his sufferings, 
 death, and resurrection, to his calling of the Gentiles, and to his second coming 
 and final glory. Twenty-two in number, they naturally fall into the three groups 
 of Peter, Paul, and John. With the Gospels of Matthew and Mark as a basis, 
 Peter, with James and Jude, presents the simplest and earliest form of Gospel 
 apostolic teaching. Paul, building upon the foundation laid by Peter in the 
 Jewish and Gentile world, writes more largely and develops more fully than the 
 others the great doctrines of grace and redemption. With him must be associated 
 the writings of Luke, the address of Stephen, and the Epistle to the Hebrews, as 
 kindred in thought and doctrine. John, the profoundest yet most childlike of 
 all, is remarkable for his spiritual contemplation of the heights and depths of 
 the mysteries of godliness, and for the power with which he presents the mani- 
 festation of the incarnate Word and the revelation of the glorified Son of Man. 
 Peter has been aptly styled the apostle of hope ; Paul, the apostle of faith ; and 
 John, the apostle of love. 
 
 The addresses in the Acts are to those who are not Christians, except the 
 debate in the council at Jerusalem and the charge to the elders at Miletus ; but 
 the Epistles are addressed to Christians for their instruction in doctrine and their 
 upbuilding in their inner and outer life. As an apostle of the circumcision and 
 a witness of the resurrection, Peter appeals constantly to the Old Testament 
 Scriptures, and makes prominent the earthly and heavenly life of our Lord. 
 Paul, while using largely the law and prophets in illustrating and confirming 
 the doctrines of salvation by grace, refers but little to the earthly life of our 
 Lord, but makes prominent the risen and glorified Christ. John, starting with 
 the eternal Logos as a fundamental and central fact, dwells upon him as the light 
 and life of men, resulting in their spiritual fellowship with the Father and with 
 his Son, Jesus Christ, and with one another. In practice Peter emphasizes re- 
 pentance toward God ; Paul, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ ; and John, love to 
 God and for our felloAv-men. These three great leaders of spiritual thought in 
 the New Testament, while exhibiting diversity of gifts, manifest unity of spirit. 
 
 V 
 
vi THE EPISTLES IN GENEKAL 
 
 " They are unlike in regard to their point of departure and the method and depth 
 of their teaching, but agree in their convictions in regard to faith in tlieir prin- 
 ciples and expectations ; their color is varied, but not so the original light ; their 
 tones change, but thereby the higher harmony is rather increased than disturbed. 
 The Jewish Christian cast of thought of the one writer is by no means irrecon- 
 cilably opposed to the more Grecian coloring of thought in the other ; and a 
 continued investigation always leads to the discovery of a harmony even in those 
 cases where it was before doubted, perhaps entirely overlooked" (Van Oos- 
 terzee). Each wrote independently of the other, at difterent times and in 
 diti'erent places, but without contradiction and with such unity of purpose and 
 spirit and harmony of thought as to indicate the truth coming from Christ as a 
 common source and that the writers themselves were under the guidance of the 
 Holy Spirit. 
 
 In the study of the Epistles we discover in the writers growth in grace and 
 in the knowledge of the truth. It is best therefore to study them in the order in 
 which they were written. After the Gospels and the Acts, first Peter, then Paul, 
 then John. Chronological order should especially be observed in studying the 
 writings of the Apostle Paul. During the thirteen years between his first and 
 last Epistle, Paul evidently had deep experiences, rich revelations, and increas- 
 ing insight into divine truth. His thirteen or perhaps fourteen Epistles should 
 probably be arranged as follows : First and Second Thessalonians, Galatians, 
 First and Second Corinthians, Romans, Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, 
 Philemon, First Timothy, Titus, and Second Timothy. Dr. Lightfoot places 
 Philippians before Ephesians, and some would place Galatians after Second 
 Corinthians. The Epistle to the Hebrews, whether written under the direction 
 of Paul or not, may be profitably studied after the Epistle to the Romans. 
 
 PAUL THE WRITER OF EPISTLES. 
 
 If we would fully understand Paul we must know Paul. Born a Jew, and 
 yet a Roman citizen (Acts 22 : 28), he was thus connected Avith the better and more 
 influential of Jewish families. Spending his childhood at Tarsus, a city classed 
 with Athens and Alexandria, the three forming the great centers of the world's 
 learning, he must have known something of Grecian culture and felt its influence, 
 while he was carefully trained by his devout parents according to the precepts 
 and doctrines of the strictest Pharisees (2Tim. 1 :3; Phii. 3 : 5; Acts23 :6). Passing 
 his youth and early manhood at Jerusalem under the great Gamaliel (Acts 22 : 3), 
 and instructed in tlie law of the fathers, and again at Tarsus, both doubtless 
 before and certainly after his conversion (Actss : 30; 11 : 25), he enjoyed the 
 best advantages of his times. Of quick intellect and with great powers of ac- 
 quisition (oai.i :i4), taught in Jewish Scriptures and .Jewish tradition and hav- 
 ing the Greek perfectly at comniaiul, he was eminently fitted by nature, position, 
 and education to meet and influence both Jews and Gentiles. Possessing a keen, 
 logical mind with a strong, emotional nature, he Avas a man of clear and deep 
 convictions, naturally following premise to conclusion ; before his conversion 
 a zealot for God and the traditions of the fjithers (Acts 22 : 3; Gai. 1 : u), and after, 
 consecrated absolutely to Christ and intensely devoted to his apostolic and mis- 
 
INTRODUCTION vii 
 
 sionary work ; before, his whole soul bent in the line of Jewish narrowness ; 
 after, toward all the objects of Christ's love, without distinction of race or nation. 
 Paul's Epistles are in a sense parts of himself. We cannot read them to- 
 day, after eighteen centuries, without still feeling the impulse he imparted to 
 them. For (1) he wrote and spoke oat of his own experience. At his conversion 
 Christ was revealed in him (Gai. i : i6) as the Saviour of the sinner, whether Jew 
 or Gentile. The thought grew as a living reality until we find it in its highest 
 development in the Epistles of the imprisonment, which have been aptly styled 
 the " Christological Epistles." He had found the gospel to be the power of God 
 unto salvation, and he knew the truth of its doctrines and the value of its pre- 
 cepts from a rich experience. Two of his addresses in the Acts were accounts of 
 his own conversion, and but a cursory reading of his Epistles will reveal how 
 largely they were the transcripts and results of soul-struggles and soul- victories. 
 
 (2) Connected with his experience were Divine revelations. These he had 
 enjoyed in great abundance (2 Cor. 12 : 2-7) as well as the supernatural gifts of the 
 Spirit (1 Cor. 14 : 18, 19). Many things he had received directly from the Lord, such 
 as the manner of celebrating the Lord's Supper (i Cor. ii : 23) and the gospel which 
 he preached (oai. 1 : 12). The hidden things connected with the redemption of the 
 race had l)een made known to him. He had been so entrusted with these treas- 
 ures, and so commissioned to proclaim them that he could speak of them as " my 
 
 gospel " (Rom. 2 : 16 ; 16 : 25 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 8 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 1 ; Gal. 1 : 11 ; 2:2; 2 Thess. 2 : U). 
 
 (3) Connected with his experience also was an intense love for souls. Abbott 
 speaks of Paul as more a philanthropist than a philosopher. He was indeed a 
 lover of men, but more a lover of the souls of men. And all this because of 
 Christ, the Saviour and elder brother. For the Jews, his persecuting kinsmen, 
 he poured forth his earnest prayers that they might be saved, and would even 
 willingly have died in their behalf. To the Gentiles he devoted his life in labors 
 incessant, not counting his life dear to himself; admonishing in tears, weeping 
 over sinners, becoming all things to all men that he might gain some. 
 
 (4) He was also however a philosopher, in that he was a lover of truth. 
 Whatever was opposed to the truth he treated with the utmost abhorrence ( Gai. 
 1 : 8, 9 ; 2 : u). While uot giviug a systematic theology he gave the most systematic 
 presentation of truth found in the New Testament. A Christian philosophy per- 
 vades and gives color to all his writings. 
 
 (5) And added to this was vehemence. Truth he often enforced with powerful 
 logic ; but whether in argument or persuasion he drove in his points with ve- 
 hemence. Thoughts often came forth in torrents, which would not always yield 
 easily to the rules of grammar. With an object before him he pushed toward it 
 with the fervor and energy of his whole being. And the more since (6) his 
 Epistles are largely of the nature of oral discourse. Employing an amanuensis 
 his Epistles were dictated for the most part and addressed as if speaking to his 
 readers face to face. Often rising to the fervor of the most impassioned oratory, 
 with richness of thought and feeling he plunged into irregular and complex sen- 
 tences, or into a sudden and unexpected burst of eloquence, or some digression 
 suggested by a word or a reminiscence. The Epistles of Paul need to be studied 
 as combining the elements of written letters and oral addresses. 
 
THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 
 
 Paul has been universally regarded as the author of the Epistle to the Ro- 
 mans. The Jewish Christian sects of old who opposed its distinctive doctrines 
 admitted this, and the skeptical school of modern Germany has not assailed its 
 Pauline authorship. The Epistle is found in the oldest manuscripts, which proves 
 its existence before the fourth century. It is quoted by the early Christian 
 writers as Paul's, among them by Eusebius of Csesarea in Palestine, about the 
 end of the third century; by Tertullian, who lived Ijoth before and after a. d. 
 200 at Carthage in North Africa ; by Clement of Alexandria, who died there 
 about A. D. 220 ; and by Origen, who lived in Egypt and Palestine (a. d. 186-254) 
 and wrote a commentary on this Epistle, a translation of which in Latin has 
 come dowm to us, Irenseus of Lyons, the latter part of the second century, fre- 
 quently speaks of Paul as writing to the Romans. The Muratorian fragment, 
 written before A. D. 170, gives a list of Paul's Epistles, among which is that to 
 the Romans. Marcion of Sinope, the Gnostic, about the middle of the second cen- 
 tury, includes this Epistle in his list of Paul's Epistles. Justin, early in the sec- 
 ond century, appears to quote freely from Rom. 4 : 11, 12 {Dial. 23) ; and Clement 
 of Rome, near the close of the first century, in his Epistle to the Corinthians 
 (chap. 35) plainly summarizes Rom. 1 : ^7-32. He appears also to make some 
 reference to 2 Peter 2:5; and Peter (2 Peter 3: 15, le) speaks of the letters of Paul. 
 
 Some, however, during the past hundred years, while regarding the whole 
 Epistle as Paul's, have thought the closinj» chapters (some the last five, others 
 the last two) either mutilated, or misplaced. Their reasons are insufiicient and 
 their views have met with but little fiivor. It has been suggested that the six- 
 teenth chapter belonged to some epistle sent to Ephesus, or to some Asiatic 
 church. The suggestion has been made because of the number of persons 
 greeted, and especially because of the mention of Aquila and Priscilla, who 
 had been recently at Ephesus, and of the church at their house. But Strabo ( XVI., 
 5) says that many Tarsians were at Rome and that Rome swarmed with Asiatics. 
 Communication was easy and frequent between Ephesus, Corinth, and Rome. 
 Aquila doubtless went to Rome either soon after the tumult at Ephesus ( Acts 20 : 1) , 
 or possibly before, when Paul definitely purposed to visit Rome (Acts 19 : 21). There 
 was abundance of time therefore for Aquila to have gone to Rome, arranged 
 matters, and sent back word to Paul. He may have taken some of his helpers in 
 liis business with him, who were Christians, and, having room in his establish- 
 ment, may have commenced meetings at once and interested and gathered in 
 other believers also. That Aquila and his wife were adapted to this kind of 
 work, and successful, is evident from their instruction of Apollos ( Acts is : 26. 
 
 See introductory remarks to chap. 15 ; and note on 16 : 3, 14). 
 
 TO WHOM ADDRESSED. 
 
 The Epistle is addressed " to all the beloved of God, called to be saints, that 
 are in Rome." They are nowhere in the New Testament spoken of as a church, 
 though there appear to have been several church assemblies in the city ( i6 : 5, u, i5) . 
 It is very probable that there was no place sufficiently large at their com- 
 
INTRODUCTION ix 
 
 mand, where the entire discipleship could conveniently meet. Rome is vari- 
 ously estimated to have contained from one to two million inhabitants. The 
 streets were generally narrow and crooked, and the tenement houses were built 
 to a great height, and densely crowded. Nero decreed that dwelling-houses 
 should not be more than seventy feet high. Under such surroundings but few 
 believers, like Aquila, would have rooms for religious gatherings except very 
 small ones. Such circumstances and the changing character of the population 
 may have prevented them from having one central organization, and a great 
 central meeting place. They seemed however to have moved in concert, and, if 
 not in fact, they were really one body of Christian believers, with their several 
 
 bishops or pastors (l : S ; 16 : 17. see note ou 16 : 5, 16) . 
 
 The composition of the Christian congregation at Romejhas been much dis- 
 cussed. It is evident from the Epistle that it comprised both Jewish and Gentile 
 elements. The former is implied in the appeal of 2 : 17, but the general tone 
 of the Epistle (i : i3 ; ii : is ; 15 : 15, 16) implies a majority of the latter. The number 
 of Jews at Rome in the apostolic age, has been variously estimated at from 
 twenty to sixty thousand. They lived in their own quarter beyond the Tiber, 
 and had at least seven synagogues. That but few Jews were Christians, who 
 kept themselves mostly separate from the others, seems evident from Acts 28 : 
 17-22. It was doubtless the best policy for them to ignore Christianity as much 
 as possible ( Acts 28 : 22), But there was also a large number of proselytes, and 
 especially of devout Gentiles like Cornelius at Rome and elsewhere. This is 
 the testimony of Josephus and the historians of that day. These pious Gentiles 
 accepted and studied the law of Moses and practised many of its precepts. From 
 this class most of the early Gentile converts were drawn. They were prepared 
 to appreciate Paul's quotations and arguments from the Old Testament Scrip- 
 tures and to receive the doctrines he taught. It would seem that the Christians 
 at Rome had not been subjected to such Judaizing influences as had those in 
 Galatia, nor had serious error grown up among them. What they had taught met 
 with his general approval (1 : 8; 6 : i7; 15 : 14), and their views were so far accord- 
 ant with his own, that they were well prepared to receive and profit by the great 
 doctrines of this Epistle. Their type of Christianity appears to have been not 
 widely different from that proclaimed by Paul himself. 
 
 The origin of Christianity at Rome is unknown. It must have existed there 
 some time before this Epistle was written. Its adherents there had already be- 
 come famous everywhere. This however is accounted for in part by the fact that 
 from every place there was a road to Rome. Some of these believers also had 
 been long in the faith (16 : 7), That Paul should have addressed his most sys- 
 tematic and longest letter to them indicates growth, standing, intellectual and 
 spiritual attainments in his readers — not only of the leaders but also of the better 
 part of the brethren at large. An unreliable tradition makes Peter the founder 
 of the church in a. d. 42 and continuing as its bishop for twenty-five years till 
 his martyrdom. But every known evidence is against such a supposition. It 
 finds no support in this Epistle, indeed it is excluded by Paul's principle of not 
 building on another man's foundation ( is : 20) . The Acts proves that Peter was at 
 Jerusalem in a. d. 44 (Acts 12) and in about a. D. 50 (Acts 15), and at Antioch about 
 
THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 
 
 A. D. 54 (Gal. 2 : 11). There is no mention of Peter's labors at Rome in the Acts or 
 in any of the Epistles. He was probably in Babylon in Chaldea, in A. D. 66 
 (iPeter5:i3). Paul makcs uo mention of Peter, nor implies his presence at 
 Rome either in this or in any of his Epistles. He would not have w ritten as he 
 did, nor passed over his name in silence, if Peter had founded the church at 
 Rome or if he had been the pastor or bishop of the church. Of all places Rome 
 was the most likely to have the gospel take root without apostolic help. Its 
 close connection with all parts of the empire would bring its inhabitants, both 
 Jews and Gentiles, into contact with the gospel. Converts would come to so- 
 journ there. Some of the sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes 
 (Acts 2 : 10), who witiiessc'd the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, doubtless re- 
 turned, bringing the gospel with them. Thus doubtless the seed was first carried 
 to Rome ; and so it would continue to be by pilgrims returning from the feasts, 
 and by converts in the leading cities where the gospel was successfully preached. 
 The language of the saints at Rome appears to have been principally Greek. 
 The Jews were Hellenists, or foreign Jews who spoke that language. The names 
 mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Epistle are mostly of Greek origin. A 
 very large proportion of the population of Rome was from the Greek-speaking 
 provinces. The most enterprising, intelligent, and energetic of the middle 
 classes and common people were Greek. From these the Christian converts 
 would most likely be gathered. The early Christian literature of the Roman 
 church was Greek. The first Latin version of the Bible was not made for Rome, 
 but for North Africa and the provinces. The Epistle to the Romans would 
 naturally be written in Greek, both because it was more familiar to Paul, and 
 because it would be more generally understood by believers at Rome and to a 
 large extent in Italy. 
 
 WHEN AND WHERE WRITTEN. 
 This Epistle was written in anticipation of Paul's going to Rome (i5 : 28) by 
 way of Jerusalem. He purposed this visit at Ephesus in the spring of a. d. 57 
 (Acts 19 : 21) ; but he Spent a year in Ephesus, Macedonia, and Greece, before leav- 
 ing the last-named for Jerusalem (Acts 20:5) in the spring of A. D. 58. The 
 Epistle therefore must have been written between these two dates. So long and 
 systematic an Epistie may have been prepared from time to time. But when it 
 was completed he had done his work in Macedonia and the East (is -. 19, 23) , and 
 he was about to leave Greece, where he had spent three months, for Jerusalem 
 (15 : 25), Phoebe, the bearer of the Epistle, was of Cenchrtea, the eastern port of 
 Corinth (i6:i) ; Gains, who was Paul's host, appears to have been of Corinth 
 (16 : 23: 1 Cor. 1 : u). The phrasc " the city " (16 : 23), where Paul was, points also 
 to Corinth as the capital. It seems evident therefore that Paul completed this 
 Epistle and sent it from Corinth in the spring of A. D. 58. 
 
 OCCASION AND DESIGN OF THE EPISTLE. 
 Paul had long desired to visit Rome, but had l)een hindered from so doing. 
 As his third missionary tour was nearing its close, he formed the design of visit- 
 ing Spain, taking Rome on his way. With a view to this he probably sent 
 Aquila and Priscilla to Rome to open a business and prepare an abode for him. 
 
INTRODUCTION xi 
 
 Still later Phcebe, a deaconess of Cenchraea, was going to Rome. He also knew 
 a goodly number there ; and his expected visit would be short. All these cir- 
 cumstances gave him an occasion for writing this Epistle and an opportunity of 
 sending it ahead as a forerunner of himself. 
 
 Rome was the metropolis of the world, where were found, as residents 
 and visitors, the representatives of all nations. Through the Christians at Rome 
 Paul could reach a greater variety and larger number of peoples than in any 
 other city. He therefore presents the gospel which he preached in a more ex- 
 tended and systematic way than he had done in any other writing. His gospel was 
 cosmopolitan, and Rome the most cosmopolitan of cities was the place in which 
 to unfold it. He presents salvation through Christ alone adapted to the whole 
 human race, to both Jews and Gentiles, a salvation solely through grace and by 
 faith, in harmony with God's declaration and conduct as recorded in the Old 
 Testament, and applicable to the inner and outer life of the Christian, as a mem- 
 ber of a church and of the kingdom and a citizen of the world. Very likely 
 the apostle desired to anticipate any possible error by presenting the truth, and 
 to guard them against the assaults of- Judaizing teachers. Very likely also he 
 would fortify them in some instructions which he had but recently found very 
 needful at Corinth (i Cor. 8 : i sf. ; 12 : iff.). Doubtless he wished to comfort and 
 confirm the disciples at Rome (1 : u. 12) ^ but he evidently had a wider and more 
 general design. 
 
 CONTENTS AND ANALYSIS. 
 
 This Epistle is Paul's masterpiece, and the fullest presentation of his the- 
 ology. It is an advance upon the Epistle to the Galatians, deeper and broader. 
 In that the contrast is between Moses and Christ ; in this between Adam and 
 Christ. That has special reference to Judaism ; this deals more with the race. 
 The errors and the evils he combats in this are such as he had found every- 
 where, and which would naturally be expected to exist to some extent in Rome. 
 Very probably the discussions in this Epistle were largely anticipatory and pre- 
 ventive. Thus he meets the points of controversy with Judaizers logically and 
 systematically and in a conciliatory manner, fitted to disarm prejudice and 
 obtain the fiivor of the Jewish element among Christians. As Rome was the 
 seat of justice for the whole world Paul naturally presented the gospel in rela- 
 tion to law and righteousness. He also deals with the bearing of the gospel on 
 the Jewish people and upon the Gentile world, presenting an interesting lesson 
 on the philosophy of history (11 : 32). 
 
 Briefly and generally the Epistle may be divided into six parts : I. The in- 
 troduction, in which is presented God's righteousness and salvation by faith 
 alone, the leading thought of the Epistle (1 : i-n). II. The ruin and guilt of the 
 whole human race (1 •• is-s : 20). HI. The remedy provided by God in the gospel 
 for the justification, sanctification, and complete salvation of believers in Jesus 
 (3 : 21-8 : 39). IV. A vindication of God's dealing with the Jews and the Gentiles 
 (9 : 1-11 : 36). V. Practical and ethical lessons regarding the inner and outer life, 
 among Christians and in the world (12 : 1-15 : 13). VI. Personal and concluding 
 matters (15 : 14-16 : 27). 
 
xii THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 
 
 A FULLER ANALYSIS. 
 
 I. Introduction. 
 
 1. Salutation to saints at Eome, 1 : 1-7. 
 
 2. Paul's long-cherished desire to preach to them, 1 : 8-15. 
 
 3. The Theme : The gospel God^s power to save all tvho believe, 1 : 16, 17. 
 
 II. The ruin and guilt of the whole race, 1 : 18-3 : 20. 
 
 Hence the necessity of a salvation and righteousness such as the gospel 
 reveals. 
 
 1. God's wrath against the sins of men, 1 : 18. 
 
 2. The downfall and degradation of mankind, 1 : 19-23. 
 
 3. Judicially given over to a reprobate mind, 1 : 24-32. 
 
 4. The self-righteous and censorious self-condemned, 2 : 1-16. 
 
 5. The Jew fails to keep God's law, 2 : 17-24. 
 
 6. Circumcision cannot save him, 2 : 25-29. 
 
 7. Yet the Jews have a certain advantage, 3 : 1-8. 
 
 8. But they and Gentiles are both condemned by the law, 3 : 9-18. 
 
 9. Hence all men are sinners and condemned, 3 : 19, 20. 
 
 III. The remedy : righteousness and salvation alone through faith 
 
 IN Christ, 3 : 21-8 : 39. 
 Justification. 
 
 1. Its nature : gratuitous, 3 : 21-24. 
 
 2. Its ground : the redemption and sacrifice of Christ, 3 : 25. 
 
 3. Its object : to enable a righteous God to save sinners, 3 : 26. 
 
 4. Its results: exclude boasting, etc., 3 : 27-31. 
 
 5. Illustrated and confirmed from the Old Testament, 4 : 1-25. 
 
 6. Results of justification upon the individual, 5 : 1-11. 
 
 7. Results upon the race, 5 : 12-21. 
 Sanctification. 
 
 1. In Christ's death the believer died to sin, 6 : 1, 2. 
 
 2. Illustrated by his baptism, 6 : 3-11. 
 
 3. Let him not serve sin any more, 6 : 12-14. 
 
 4. A servant of righteousness constrained to loving obedience, 6 : 15-23. 
 
 5. The new life illustrated from .Jewish law, 7 : 1-6. 
 
 6. Sinful passions excited by the holy restraints of the law, 7:5. 
 
 7. Yet the laW is not evil but holy, 7 : 7, 12. 
 
 8. Illustrated by his experience before conversion, 7 : 7-12. 
 
 9. The evil not in the law but in man, 7 : 13. 
 
 10. Illustrated in experience both before and after conversion, 7 : 13-25. 
 
 11. Justified, and having a new life in Christ, no condemnation, 8:1,2. 
 
 12. Grace has accomplished what the law could not, 8 : 3, 4. 
 
 13. A changed nature insures a changed life, 8 : 5-8. 
 
 14. The Spirit dwelling in and actuating believers, 8 : 9-13. 
 
 15. The sons of God with the spirit of sonship, 8 : 14-17. 
 
 16. Grounds of encouragement in the midst of suffering, 8 : 18-30. 
 
 17. Final issue assured, complete salvation, 8 : 31-39. 
 
INTRODUCTION xiii 
 
 IV. Vindication of God's dealings with Jews and Gentiles, 9 : i-ll : 36. 
 The problem in respect to the passing over of Israel and the calling of the 
 
 Gentiles. 
 
 1. Paul's interest and deep sorrow for Israel, 9 : 1-5. 
 
 2. Yet God's promise had not failed, 9 : 6-13. 
 
 3. No unrighteousness with God, 9 : 14-18. 
 
 4. God's justice and mercy displayed, 9 : 19-24. 
 
 5. According to prophecy, 9 : 20-29. 
 
 6. How Israel failed and Gentiles succeeded, 9 : 30-33. 
 
 7. Israel savable, yet unsaved. Why ? 10 : 1-4. 
 
 8. The gospel adapted and designed for all, 10 : 5-13. 
 
 9. The gospel should be preached to all, 10 : 14-21. 
 
 10. God has not wholly passed over his people, 11 : 1-10. 
 
 11. Israel's fall not final ; an occasion of salvation to the Gentiles, 11 : 11-16. 
 
 12. Gentiles should be humble, reverent, and grateful, 11 : 17-24. 
 
 13. Gentiles gathered in, and Israel restored, 11 : 25-32. 
 
 14. Praise to God at this sublime mystery, 11 : 33-35. 
 End of the doctrinal portion of the Epistle. 
 
 V. Practical and ethical lessons, 12 : 1-15 : 13. 
 
 1. A consecrated body and a renewed mind, 12 : 1, 2. 
 
 2. The right use of spiritual gifts, 12 : 3-8. 
 
 3. Duties to one another, 12 : 9-13. 
 
 4. Duties to the world, 12 : 14-21. 
 
 5. Subjection to rightful civil authority, 13 : 1-5. 
 
 6. Faithful attention to civil duties, 13 : 6-10. 
 
 7. Motives: brevity of life; approaching salvation, 13 : 11-14. 
 
 8. Conduct toward weak and overscrupulous brethren, 14 : 1-12. 
 
 9. A stumbling-block should not be put in the way of the weak, 14 : 13-18. 
 
 10. Should exercise self-sacrifice for the weak, 14 : 19-23. 
 
 11. Enforced by the example of Christ, 15 : 1-13. 
 
 VI. Personal and concluding matters, 15 : 14-16 : 27. 
 
 1. Paul's apostolic labors among the Gentiles, 15 : 14-21. 
 
 2. Plans for the future, 15 : 22-24. 
 
 3. Present plans and work, 15 : 25-29. 
 
 4. Entreats their prayers. A benediction, 15 : 30-33. 
 
 5. Concluding words. Phoebe commended, 16 : 1, 2. 
 
 6. Salutations of Paul, 16 : 3-16. 
 
 7. Warnings against false teachers and divisions, 16 : 17-20. 
 
 8. Salutations from Paul's companions, and others, 16 : 21-24. 
 
 9. Doxology, 16 : 25-27. 
 
THE p:pistlp:s to the Corinthians 
 
 No Epistles of the New Testament have come down to us better attested 
 than the two to the Corinthians. They bear the evident marks of the times in 
 which they were written, of the state of the Corinthian church, and of the char- 
 acter of Paul as the writer. Clement of Rome, quite generally regarded as a 
 friend and companion of Paul (Phii. 4:3), wrote his first Epistle to the Corinthians 
 about A. D. 97, in which (chap. 47) he refers to Paul's first Epistle to them. 
 And Polycarp, a disciple of John, and perhaps pastor of the church at Smyrna 
 when John wrote the Revelation (Rev. 2:8), in his Epistle to the Philippians 
 (chap. 11) about A. D. 116, quotes 1 Cor. 6 : 2 as the words of Paul. So also, about 
 the same time, in the shorter Greek Epistles of Ignatius, who was pastor of the 
 church at Antioch, there are several quotations from the same Epistle. Irenseus, 
 a disciple of Polycarp, Athenagoras of Athens, Clement of Alexandria, and 
 Tertullian of Carthage, all belonging to the second century, give their testimony 
 to both the First and the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, as those of Paul. 
 From that time oiiAvard they have been unhesitatingly accepted as the genuine 
 writings of the apostle. 
 
 The genuineness of these Epistles is confirmed by the undesigned coinci- 
 dences between them and the Acts of the Apostles. These have been exhaust- 
 ively treated by Paley in his " Horce Pmilince," and they are brought to view in 
 the author's " Harmonic Arrangement of the Acts." (See g§ 26, 27, 30, 31, 34, 36, 
 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 49, and notes.) They form decisive arguments for the genu- 
 ineness and truthfulness of these books of Scripture. A reference may here be 
 made to some of them : 
 
 Paul at Corinth before Apollos, 1 Cor. 1 : 12 ; 3:6; Acts 18 : 27, 28. 
 
 Paul's baptism of Crispus, 1 Cor. 1 : 14 ; Acts 18 : 8. 
 
 Paul's laboring with his own hands, 1 Cor. 4 : 12 ; Acts 18 : 3. 
 
 Paul's sending Timothy to Corinth, 1 Cor. 4 : 17 ; Acts 19 : 22. 
 
 To the Jews becoming as a Jew, 1 Cor. 9 : 20 ; Acts 16 : 3 ; 21 : 23-26. 
 
 The churches of Galatia, 1 Cor. 16 : 1 ; Acts 18 : 23 ; 19 : 1. 
 
 Paul's going to Macedonia, 2 Cor. 1 : 15, 16 ; 9 : 2, 4 ; Acts 20 : 1, 
 
 Brethren coming from Macedonia, 2 Cor. 11 : 9 ; Acts 18 : 5. 
 
 Silas, or Silvanus and Timothy, 2 Cor. 1 : 19 ; Acts 18 : 5. 
 
 Paul stoned once, 2 Cor. 11 : 25 ; Acts 14 : 19. 
 
 Letters of commendation, 2 Cor. 3:1; Acts 18 : 27. 
 
 Paul's escape from Damascus, 2 Cor. 11 : 32, 33 ; Acts 9 : 23-25. 
 
 In these and many other passages the variations and agreements are so 
 marked, without contradiction, as to stamp them as genuine writings of the 
 times and the truthful exhibitions of matters as they then existed. 
 
 TO WHOM ADDRESSED. 
 
 Both Epistles are addressed to " The Church of God which is at Corinth." 
 It was in a. d. 52 that Paul, on his second missionary journey, first visited 
 Corinth. There he continued for eighteen months, then three months (Acts is : ii. is) 
 xiv 
 
INTRODUCTION xv 
 
 with perhaps a short visit to Athens between (2Cor. i2:U: i3:i). He gathered 
 many disciples, some of them being Jews (Acts is : 8), but the majority being Gen- 
 tiles of Greek and Koman descent (icor. 12:2). They were mostly from the 
 poorer classes (1 Cor. 1 : 26) and of slender intellectual attainments, but Crispus, 
 the ruler of the synagogue (Acts is : 8), Erastus, the chamberlain of the city 
 (Rom. 16:23), and Gaius, Paul's host, formed exceptions. After Paul left them 
 they were ministered to by ApoUos and others. Factions arose in the church and 
 questions upon Christian morality and doctrine, which are discussed in these 
 Epistles. 
 
 The subsequent history of the church is brought to view by the letter of 
 Clement, pastor at Kome (about a. d. 97. See above). It was addressed to this 
 church, and indicates that after a period of harmony the church had been again 
 divided into factions by ambitious leaders. A copy of the Epistle is found in 
 the Alexandrine manuscript of the New Testament. Hegesippus, an ecclesi- 
 astical writer about the middle of the second century, speaks of the church of 
 Corinth as having kept the true faith ; and Dionysius, a most noted pastor at 
 Corinth (about a. d. 170), in one of his letters, speaks of their Lord's Day's 
 observances. It would seem that for a long time the church maintained apos- 
 tolic doctrines, and usually enjoyed a good degree of prosperity. 
 
 CORINTH. 
 
 Some knowledge of the city of Corinth will help us to understand better the 
 church there and these Epistles. It was not the ancient Greek Corinth which 
 Paul visited. That had been taken and destroyed by L. Mummius, a Eoman 
 consul, B. C. 146. For one hundred years it lay in total ruin, till Julius Csesar, 
 B. C. 46, rebuilt it and colonized it largely with veterans and Roman freedmen. 
 Standing on the isthmus with two harbors, Cenchreae, the eastern, about nine 
 miles distant, and Lechseum, the western, only a mile and a-half distant, it in- 
 vited the commerce both from the East and the West. It soon regained more 
 than its ancient opulence and was the metropolis of Achaia, embracing Southern 
 and Central Greece. The Roman proconsul of Achaia fixed his seat there 
 (Acts 18 : i2)j the city having a population of from four to five hundred thousand. 
 Jews were drawn thither by its merchandise, and Greeks by its ancient reputa- 
 tion and the glory of its Isthmian games. Its marts were filled with objects of 
 luxury, and visited by every nation of the civilized world. The worship of Venus, 
 which had given Corinth an infamous pre-eminence, was restored, and a thousand 
 priestesses were dedicated to its licentious and shameful worship. The very name 
 of Corinthian was synonymous with profligacy. A declining Greek philos- 
 ophy prevailed among the Greeks and wealthier classes, and more or less affected 
 the mass of the people. It was with such difiiculties that Paul, his associates, 
 and the disciples gathered there, had to contend. In these Epistles we find in- 
 dications of a general looseness of manners and morals (1 Cor. 5 : 11 : 6 : 9-11), a denial 
 of a future life and the making of this life one of unlimited enjoyment (1 Cor. 15 : 
 32), rivalries and personal vanity (1 Cor. 4 : 6, 7 ; 5:6; 2 cor. 11 : 12), and a worldly phi- 
 losophy and strife of words (1 Cor. 1 : 17 ; 2 : is ; 2 Cor. 12 : 20). 
 
THE FIRST EPISTLE 
 
 Apollos had returned from Corinth to Ephesus (i Cor. i6 : 12). The church had 
 degenerated, and some had fallen into immoral practices. Paul had "svritten 
 them a letter, charging them not to keep company with fornicators (icor. 5:8), 
 Judaizing teachers came to Corinth (2 cor. 11 : 22)^ who brought letters of recom- 
 mendation from other churches (2Cor. 3:i) and who opposed the authority and 
 teaching of Paul. This led to unduly extolling and following different religious 
 leaders (1 Cor. 1 : 12). Some were carrying their views of Christian liberty so far 
 as to tolerate notorious immorality (icor. 5:i), and to attend idolatrous feasts 
 (1 Cor. 8 : 10). Others were going to laM' against their brethren in heathen courts 
 (1 Cor. 6:6). Christian women, transgressing the customary rules of modesty, 
 were casting aside their veils in the public congregation (1 cor. 11 : 5). The Lord's 
 Supper was degenerating into a common and disorderly meal (1 Cor. 11 : is, 19). Be- 
 sides all this, spiritual gifts had been shamefully misused, and had become occa- 
 sions of envy and strife. Doubtless under the influence of heathen philosophy 
 and perhaps Sadducean influence, the doctrine of the resurrection had been denied 
 or questioned by some (1 Cor. i5: 12). There were, however, many members of 
 the church of sincere piety and exemplary lives, whom the apostle could con- 
 scientiously commend (1 Cor. 1 : 4-9). Certain brethren had come to him, who had 
 been a source of great comfort to him ( 1 cor. le : it, is) , 
 
 Deeply solicitous for the church Paul sent Timothy with instructions to pro- 
 ceed to Corinth after transacting some necessary business in Macedonia. Soon 
 after this he received a letter from Corinth asking questions on certain subjects 
 discussed there, without referring to the disorders among them (1 Cor. 7 : 1). From 
 others however he heard of the factions in the church and of immoral excesses 
 (1 Cor. 1 : 11; 5 : 1). As he could not leave Ephesus at that time (1 Cor. le : 9), he at 
 once sends Titus and a brother not named, very probably in charge of this Epistle 
 which these circumstances of the church had called forth (2 cor. 2 : i3; 8 : 6, le-is, 22, 
 
 23; 12:18). 
 
 His design in writing was to restore harmony in the church, to correct 
 errors of doctrine and practice, to vindicate his authority as an apostle, and the 
 character and style of his preaching from the attacks of his enemies, and to con- 
 firm the Christians of Corinth and Greece in their allegiance to Christ. He 
 would have them realize the true ideas as a church and as Christians. 
 
 TIME AND PLACE OF WRITING. 
 
 Paul wrote the First Epistl^to the Corinthians from Epnesus (le : 8, 19) a little 
 time before Pentecost, shortly after sending Timothy to Corinth by way of 
 Macedonia (16 : 10, 11). A considerable interval must have elapsed since his min- 
 istry at Corinth ; for Apollos had labored there (3:6; Acts 19 : 1) and had returned 
 to Ephesus (16:12) ; divisions and disorders had grown up in the church; and 
 Paul had written a pre%nous letter which now is lost (5:9), All this would lead 
 us to put this letter near the close of Paul's ministry at Ephesus, Now from 
 Acts 19 : 21, 22, we learn that near the end of his stay at Ephesus he was propos- 
 ing to visit Macedonia and Greece, and he sent on before Timothy and Erastus 
 xvi 
 
INTRODUCTION xvii 
 
 into Macedonia. He was in Ephesus from a. d. 54 to 57. From all this it 
 appears that he wrote this Epistle at Ephesus, probably in the spring of a. d. 57. 
 
 FEATURES OF THE EPISTLE. 
 
 In the Epistle to the Eomans doctrine predominates ; in those to the Corin- 
 thians the practical prevails. Peculiar circumstances of a church in a pagan 
 city called them forth. Did we not have these Epistles we should know far less 
 than we do of apostolic churches in general, and of Gentile churches in particu- 
 lar ; of their struggles and temptations, of the trials of apostolic missionaries 
 and the difficulties of their work. The first Epistle brings more especially to 
 view the church and its relations ; the second brings into prominence Paul as an 
 individual. But both present different sides of the church at Corinth, and also 
 most remarkable characteristics of the apostle. The wisdom and shrewd 
 common sense of Paul are marked in the first Epistle. It is applied Christianity 
 in practical matters and to ordinary life. At the same time no Epistle presents 
 better specimens of sublime thought or eloquent language. How he speaks of 
 the wisdom of God and the foolishness of men (i:20f.) ; of the ministers of 
 Christ (4: If.); and of the shortness of time (7:29f.). How magnificent his 
 panegyric on love (chap, is)^ and how unsurpassed in force of argument and 
 happy illustration his defense and development of the doctrine of the resurrec- 
 tion. Paul appears as the settler of great principles and the preacher of great 
 doctrines, the guide, the instructor, and the counselor of churches. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 In the first six chapters Paul speaks of the divisions and disorders of the 
 church at Corinth ; and from the beginning of the seventh chapter on he answers 
 the series of questions which the church had sent him. The following analysis 
 is given. 
 
 FiEST Part.— Divisions and disorders in the church at Corinth, 1:1-6: 20. 
 I. Salutation and thanksgiving, 1 : 1-9. 
 II. Divisions from party spirit, 1 : 10-4 : 21. 
 
 1. Exhortation to unity, and a statement of their divisions, 1 : 10-12. 
 
 2. Paul disclaims his own headship of the Christian system, 1 : 13-17. 
 
 3. The preaching of the Cross abasing to pride, 1 : 18-23. 
 
 4. But it is the power and wisdom of God, 1 : 24, 25. 
 
 5. Illustrated in the Corinthian converts, 1 : 26-31. 
 
 6. Paul preached not himself but Christ crucified, 2 : 1-5. 
 
 7. Held up as the wisdom of God, 2 : 6-9. 
 
 8. Eevealed by God's Spirit, 2 : 10-13. 
 
 9. Must be spiritually received, 2 : 14-16. 
 
 10. But their party spirit proved their carnal-minded ness, 3 : 1-4. 
 
 11. Christian ministers only workmen ; God the master, 3 : 5-9. 
 
 12. They must build on Christ, the only foundation, 3 : 10-15. 
 
 13. Their danger and responsibility, 3 : 16, 17. 
 
 14. Must renounce human wisdom, that they may be wise, 3 : 18-20. 
 
 15. Therefore they must not glory in men, 3 : 21-23. 
 
 B 
 
xviii THE FIRST EPISTLE 
 
 16. Paul and Apollos servants and stewards, 4 : 1-4. 
 
 17. Accountable to God and judged by him, 4 : 5. 
 
 18. Let there be no strife about teachers, 4 : 6-8. 
 
 19. The Corinthian arrogance and their self-denying labors contrasted, 4 : 9-13. 
 
 20. Paul speaks with apostolic authority, 4 : 14-21. 
 III. Moral disorders in the Corinthian church, 5 : 1-6 : 20. 
 
 1. Case of incest. Failure of discipline, 5 : 1-8. 
 
 2. Directions of a previous letter, 5 : 9-11. 
 
 3. The oflfender to be expelled, 5 : 12, 13. 
 
 4. Lawsuits at heathen tribunals, 6 : 1-7. 
 
 5. The inconsistency of such conduct, 6 : 8-11. 
 
 6. Fornication not a matter of indifference, 6 : 12-14. 
 
 7. A sin against their own body, which belongs to Christ, and the temple of 
 
 the Spirit, 6 : 15-18. 
 
 8. A redeemed body should be used to God's glory, 6 : 19, 20. 
 
 Second Part. — Answers to certain questions asked in a letter from Corinth. 
 I. In regard to marriage, divorce, and celibacy, 7 : 1-40. 
 
 1. Advice as to marriage and celibacy, 7 : 1-7. 
 
 2. General advice to the unmarried, 7 : 8, 9. 
 
 3. General advice as to divorce, 7 : 10, 11. 
 
 4. As to the separation of married persons, 7 : 12-16. 
 
 5. Generally, let each one abide in his calling, 7 : 17-24. 
 
 6. Kegarding marriage" under present circumstances, especially of maiden 
 
 daughters, 7 : 25-34. 
 
 7. Duty of parents to unmarried daughters, 7 : 35-38. 
 
 8. The duty of widows, 7 : 39, 40. 
 
 II. Concerning things offered in sacrifice to idols, 8 : 1-11 : 1. 
 
 1. To be settled by love rather than V>y knowledge, 8 : 1-3. 
 
 2. Really a matter of indifference, 8 : 4-6. 
 
 3. But all not enlightened in regard to this, 8 : 7. 
 
 4. Sin against a brother's conscience a sin against Christ, 8 : 8-12. 
 
 5. Paul's principle of abstinence for the sake of others, 8 : 13. 
 
 6. Illustrated by his own conduct. 
 
 (a) Foregoing his rights as an apostle for others' good, 9 : 1-12. 
 
 (b) His freedom and self-denial, 9 : 13-23. 
 
 7. Self-restraint needful for their own safety, 9 : 24-27. 
 
 8. Want of self-restraint was fatal to their highly favored fathers, 10 : 1-10. 
 
 9. An example and warning to Christians, 10 : 11-13. 
 
 10. Fellowship cannot exist with both Christ and demons, 10 : 14-22. 
 
 11. Consideration for others our rule of action, 10 : 23-30. 
 
 12. Seek God's glory and our neighbor's good, 10 : 31-11 : 1. 
 
 III. Concerning public worship, 11 : 2-34. 
 
 1. The conduct and dress of women in public services, 11 : 2-16. 
 
 (a) Praising the Corinthians for observing his instructions, 11 : 2. 
 
 (b) Women veiled in public worship, 11 : 3-6. 
 
 (c) Because of her relation to man, 11 : 7-12. 
 
INTRODUCTION xix 
 
 (d) From a sense of natural fitness, 11 : 13-15. 
 
 (e) From the custom of the churches, 11 : 16. 
 
 2. Disorders at the Lord's Supper, and its proper observance, 11 : 17-34. 
 
 (a) Their abuse of the Lord's Supper, 11 : 17-22. 
 
 (b) History, nature, and purpose of the Lord's Supper, 11 : 23-26. 
 
 (c) Manner in which it should be observed, 11 : 27-34. 
 IV. Concerning exercises of spiritual gifts, 12 : 1-14 : 40. 
 
 1. How to discern their nature, 12 : 1-3. 
 
 2. Unity and diversity of spiritual gifts, 12 : 4-11. 
 
 3. Illustrated by the human body, 12 : 12-26. 
 
 (a) Many members in one body, 12 : 12-14. 
 
 (b) None to be overrated or despised, 12 : 15-26. 
 
 4. Application of these principles, 12 : 27-31. 
 
 5. The superiority of love, 13 : 1-13. 
 
 (a) Love pre-eminently essential to religion, 13 : 1-3. 
 
 (b) Characteristics of love, 13 : 4-7. 
 (e) Permanence of love, 13 : 8-12. 
 
 (d) Pre-eminence of love, 13 : 13. 
 
 6. Prophecy superior to gift of tongues, 14 : 1-25. 
 
 (a) Prophecy a means of edification, 14 : 1-5. 
 
 (b) Unknown tongues not understood, 14 : 6-9. 
 
 (c) If not understood they tend to confusion, 14 : 10-19. 
 
 (d) They are a sign to unbelievers, 14 : 20-22. 
 
 (e) Prophecy especially for believers, 14 : 22-25. 
 
 7. Directions to insure decency and order, 14 : 26-40. 
 
 (a) Rules for the use of tongues and prophecy, 14 : 26-33. 
 
 (b) As to the public ministrations of women, 14 : 34-36. 
 
 (c) Exhortation to obedience and order, 14 : 36-40. 
 V. Concerning the resurrection of the dead, 15 : 11-58. 
 
 1. Christ's resurrection a primal theme of Paul's preaching, 15 : 1-4. 
 
 2. The fact of Christ's resurrection established, 15 : 5-11. 
 
 3. Christ's resurrection implies a general resurrection, 15 : 12-19. 
 
 4. The resurrection essential to the scheme of redemption, 15 : 20-28. 
 
 5. Argument from the lives of believers, 15 : 29-34. 
 
 6. Manner of the resurrection, 15 : 35-49. 
 
 7. Result of the resurrection, 15 : 50-58. 
 
 VI. Concerning collections. Sundry matters, 16 : 1-24. 
 
 1. Directions about the collection, 16 : 1-4, 
 
 2. Paul's proposed visit to them, 16 : 5-9. 
 
 3. Regarding Timothy, Apollos, and others, 16 : 10-18. 
 
 4. Salutations, warning, and benediction, 16 : 19-24. 
 
THE SECOND EPISTLE 
 
 TIME, PLACE, OCCASION, AND OBJECT 
 
 This Epistle is addressed to the church of God at Corinth, and to "all the 
 saints which are in all Achaia." It was therefore a matter of interest to the 
 churches throughout Greece, including that of Athens, and it impliedly met a 
 want in them. With Paul was associated Timothy (2 Cor. 2 : i)^ whom he had sent 
 from Ephesus into Macedonia and Achaia to prepare for his coming (Acts 19 21, 22 : 
 1 Cor. 16 : 10). After this Paul left Ephesus and went to Troas and into Macedonia, 
 where he wrote this Epistle (Acts 20 : 1 ; 2 Coi. 2 : 12, 13 ; s ; 1 ; 9 : 2, -t), Titus, who also 
 had been sent to Corinth, returned bringing favorable tidings regarding the state 
 of the church (2 Cor. 7 : 6 ; 8 : le, 23). After sending this Epistle Paul visited Corinth 
 and spent the winter of A. D. 58 there (2 Cor. 13 : i; Acts 20 : 3, 4; Row. 15 : 19, 23, 26). 
 From all this it appears that Paul wrote this letter in the autumn of a. d. 57. 
 
 The plcLC^ where he wrote it cannot be so definitely determined. It has 
 been common to fix it at Philippi ; but Paul speaks of the liberality of the 
 churches of Macedonia (2 Cor. 8 : i; 9 : 2) as though he had visited more than one 
 of them, whereas Philippi would be the first in his way from Troas (Acts le : 11, 12). 
 An examination of the Epistle indicates a change of feeling and tone with the be- 
 ginning of the seventh chapter. The first six chapters imply that Paul had learned 
 some things favoral)le from Corinth, but that he was left in a state of some uncer- 
 tainty and anxiety regarding their condition. The remaining chapters indicate a 
 fuller and more favorable report of the church, and a clearer view of the oppo- 
 sition of his opponents. He is filled with greater joy and greater boldness in 
 defending his apostolic authority, and answering taunts and accusations against 
 himself. May we not then suppose that upon coming to Philippi he met with 
 Timothy, who had returned from a brief visit to Corinth (1 Cor. 4 : n ; 16 : 10, 11), and 
 who informed him of the exclusion and repentance of the incestuous person, as 
 well as of some other matters in the church. Paul at once begins his letter, and 
 after writing the first six chapters passes on to Thessalonica, where he meets 
 Titus returning from a longer mission to Corinth, who gives him a full account 
 of the church there. He is filled with joy, and he sees just what is needed to 
 complete the work already going on at Corinth. From the fullness of his heart 
 he completes the Epistle and sends it at once, perhaps by Titus (2 Cor. a : 23, 24), 
 preparatory to his speedily following himself. If this theory is correct then the 
 Epistle was begun at Pliilippi and finished at Thessalonica. It should be noted 
 also tliat the situation as to parties in tlie church had changed since his writing 
 the first Epistle. Then there were four parties, though his own followers and 
 those of Apollos appear to receive his principal attention. Now in the second 
 Epistle his bitter opposers seem to center in the Christ-party, who made light of 
 his apostolic authority, some of whom claimed a special relationship to Jesus, 
 and very probably were Jews who had seen Christ in the flesh (2 Cor. 10 : 7: 11 . 23). 
 These largely made this Epistle necessary. 
 
 Paul's object in writing this Epistle seems to have been to develop in be- 
 lievers at Corinth a proper state of mind ; to promote in them the reformation 
 
 XX 
 
INTRODUCTION xxi 
 
 already begun ; to guard them against the influences of false teachers, and thus 
 render severity unnecessary on his part, when he should come to them. His 
 own language is, "This also we pray for, even your perfection. For this cause 
 I write these things while absent, that when present I may not deal sharply 
 according to the authority Avhich the Lord gave me for building up, and not 
 casting down " (2 Cor. 13 : 9, 10). It was intended to prepare the way for the visit 
 which he was soon to make them. 
 
 ITS CHARACTERISTICS. 
 
 This Epistle was evidently written in haste. Hence it is the least methodical 
 of all of Paul's Epistles. It is the outpouring of a soul filled with afiection, 
 burdened with anxiety, schooled in afilietion, and terribly in earnest. It is dis- 
 tinguished by its variety of gentleness and severity, calmness and vehemence, 
 earnestness and irony. Nowhere do we see so much of Paul as an individual 
 and as an apostolic missionary. He lays open his heart, discovers to us his soul- 
 struggles, and the inner and outer conflicts in his planting and training of the 
 churches. At the same time we get an inner view of the Corinthian church, with 
 its praiseworthy characteristics and its glaring defects, and having a member- 
 ship with different attitudes toward himself. How wisely he addresses different 
 classes and how skillfully he anticipates argument and meets objections. How 
 is the whole interspersed with the most delicate touches of thought and the sub- 
 limest eloquence. " Now he boils up," says Erasmus, " like a limpid spring, sud- 
 denly he rolls away with a great noise like a mighty torrent bearing all before it, 
 and then he flows gently along, or expands like a placid lake over all the land." 
 
 SPECIAL PRACTICAL USES. 
 
 The two Epistles to the Corinthians were pre-eminently tracts for the times ; 
 yet they are suited, in a greater or less degree, to churches and believers of every 
 age. 
 
 1. As to ch urches. The word church occurs more frequently in these Epistles 
 than elsewhere in the New Testament. It is generally applied to the local church 
 (1 Cor. 4 : 17 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 8, etc.), though it is also applied to the collective membership 
 everywhere (i cor. 12 : 28; i Cor. 15 : 9). It is styled " the church of God," bringing 
 into view its high position (1 Cor. 1 : 1 : 2 cor. 1 : 1). It is the dwelling-place of the 
 Spirit (1 Cor. 3 : 16) ; a cultivated field (1 cor. 3 : 9) ; a building, a temple (1 Cor. 3 : 11-n). 
 Baptism, as related to Christ, is implied in 1 Cor. 10 : 1 ff". The institution and 
 administration of the Lord's Supper in the church is given more fully than 
 elsewhere in 1 Cor. 11 : 23-29. Ordinary and extraordinary gifts have their 
 fullest presentation in chapters 12, 13, and 14 of 1 Corinthians. Church dis- 
 cipline is noted (1 Cor. 5 : 7-13), and the duty to the returning penitent (2 Cor. 2 : 5-8). 
 Liberty is enjoyed, but must not be exercised to the injury of others, but guided 
 by the highest iftw of love (1 Cor., chap, s and 9). Christian benevolence is treated 
 in 1 Cor. 16 : 1-4 and 2 Cor., chap. 8 and 9. Social life in the church is brought 
 to view in 1 Cor. 7 : 16-24 ; 2 Cor. 6 : 14-16, etc. 
 
 2. As to the ministry. The nature, character, motives, responsibilities, and 
 work of the Christian ministry are treated in 2 Cor., chap. 4, 5, and 6 ; by whom 
 
xxii THE SECOND EPISTLE 
 
 to be exercised (i Cor. ii : 4, 5, i6; h : 24), They are to be supported by the churches 
 
 ( 1 Cor. 9 : 13, 14 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 7-9) . 
 
 3. As to our ovm age and country. As Coriuth was a place of great mental 
 activity, celebrated for its wealth and commercial and manufacturing enterprises, 
 the obstacles to the gospel were in many respects similar to those in our own age. 
 As Corinth lay between two seas, so our own great country lies between two 
 oceans, drawing toward it the commerce and enterprises of the world. A spirit 
 of pride and worldly wisdom, a lowering of moral standards, and losing sight 
 of the headship of Christ, are affecting our Christianity. There is a tendency 
 on the part of many to undervalue the simplicity of the gospel, to neglect 
 spiritual gifts, to cover up immoral practices, to fail in the grace of Christian giv- 
 ing, to engender party strifes and insubordination in churches and to pastors, to 
 prefer a brilliant to a godly and experienced ministry, and to make both church 
 and ministry subserve a worldly interest. The zeal, humility, consecration, self- 
 denial, love, and earnest labor, such as Paul exercised, and the gospel he preached 
 at Corinth, are needed to counteract and overcome these evils of our day. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 This Epistle naturally divides itself into three parts. In the first seven 
 chapters Paul explains his conduct in not coming immediately to them, l>ut 
 going to Troas, and how he exercised his ministry toward them. In the eighth 
 and ninth chapters he treats the grace of giving and the collection for the poor. 
 Beginning with the tenth chapter, and on to the end of the Epistle, he vindicates 
 his apostolic authority and character. The Epistle has also a historical setting, 
 the past, present, and future, corresponding to its three divisions. ( see i : 8, 15 ; 
 
 2 : 12, 13; 7:5; 8:1; 10 : 1 ; 13 : 1.) 
 
 First Part. — Explains why Paul first went to Troas instead of coming to 
 Corinth, and the principles upon which he exercised his ministry, 1 : 1-7 : 16. 
 I. Salutation, 1 : 1, 2. 
 II. Reasons for first going to Troas, 1 : 3-2 : 17. 
 
 1. Divine consolation in suffering, 1 : 3, 4. 
 
 2. Enabled thereby to console others, 1 : 5-7. 
 
 3. Paul's affliction in Asia and their sympathy, 1 : 8-14. 
 
 4. Reasons for delaying his visit, 1 : 15-2 : 17. 
 
 (a) Not fickleness on his part, 1 : 15-22. 
 
 (b) But to spare them and help them, 1 : 23, 24. 
 
 (c) And that he might not come in sorrow, 2 : 1-4. 
 
 (d) So now advises the forgiveness and restoration of the penitent 
 
 offender, 2 : 5-11. 
 
 5. Why he left Troas and came into Macedonia, 2 : 12, 13. 
 
 6. Exults in the triumphs of his ministry, 2 : 14-16. 
 
 7. His insufficiency, yet sincerity, 2 : 16, 17. 
 
 III. Explains his ministry ; its principles, character, and results, 3 : 1-7 : 16. 
 
 1. His ministry accredited by his converts, 3 : 1-3. 
 
 2. Its sufficiency not in himself, but from God, 3 : 4-6. 
 
 3. Superiority to the ministry of the law, 3 : 7-11. 
 
INTRODUCTION xxiii 
 
 4. He and his fellow-laborers superior to Moses, 3 : 12-18. 
 
 5. His ministry true and genuine, 4 : 1, 2. 
 
 6. They that perish shut their eyes to the glory of Christ, 4 : 3-6. 
 
 7. The weakness of the minister but sets off the power of his ministry, 
 
 4 : 7-15. 
 
 8. But sustained by the hope of glorious immortality, 4 : Ui-o : lU. 
 
 (a) Cheered by the prospects of eternal life, 4 : 16-18. 
 
 (b) Looking for the future glorified body, 5 : 1-4. 
 
 (c) Having an earnest of this, though as yet absent from the Lord, 
 
 5 : 5-8. 
 
 (d) And stimulated by the thought of the judgment, 5 : 9, 10. 
 
 9. The motives : fear of the Lord, love of Christ, 5 : 11-15. 
 
 10. Their ministry one of reconciliation, 5 : 16-19. 
 
 11. Therefore preaches earnestly the Divine reconciliation, 5 : 20, 21. 
 
 12. How he aims to give elFect to this ministry, 6 : 1-10. 
 
 13. Appeals for an affectionate response, 6 : 11-13. 
 
 14. Warning against evil associations, 6 : 14-18. 
 
 15. Exhorting the pursuit of inward holiness, 7:1. 
 
 16. Exhorts them to trust him, 7 : 2-4. 
 
 17. His affection proved by his experience in Macedonia, 7 : 5-16. 
 
 (a) Anxiety gave way to joy through the report of Titus, 7 : 5-7. 
 
 (b) His former letter designed for their reformation, 7 : 8-12. 
 
 (c) The end attained awakened his joy and hope, 7 : 13-16. 
 
 Second Part. — Paul urges upon them to exercise the grace of giving for 
 the poor of the saints of Jerusalem, 8 : 1-9 : 15. 
 
 1. By the example of the Macedonian Christians, 8 : 1-6. 
 
 2. By the example of Christ, 8 : 7-11. 
 
 3. Let there be a fair proportionment, 8 : 12-15. 
 
 4. The brethren in charge of this are trustworthy, 8 : 16-24. 
 
 5. Wishes them to sustain his boasts of them, 9 : 1-5. 
 
 6. Rich blessings will be returned to them, 9 : 6-11. 
 
 7. Will redound to God's glory, 9 : 12-15. 
 
 Third Part. — Paul vindicates his apostolic authority and character, 
 10 : 1-13 : 14. 
 I. His authority as an apostle, 10 : 1-18. 
 
 1. Declares his spiritual power, 10 : 1-6. 
 
 2. His authority a reality, 10 : 7-11. 
 
 3. Does not imitate the false pretenses of his opposers, 10 : 12-18. 
 11. Paul's defense against his accusers, 11 : 1-12 : 13. 
 
 1. Apologizes for his boasting, 11 : 1-20. 
 
 (a) He does it out of interest and anxiety for them, 11 : 1-6. 
 
 (b) His disinterested love, 11 : 7-11. 
 
 (c) Guarding against dishonest men, 11 : 12-20. 
 
 2. Equal and superior to his opponents, 11 : 21-33. 
 
 (a) Equal to them in race, 11 : 21, 22. 
 
 (b) Superior to them in labors, sufferings, and deliverances, 11 : 23-33. 
 
xxiv THE SECOND EPISTLE 
 
 3. Abundant revelations, 12 : 1-6. 
 
 4. Continued suflfering and promised grace, 12 : 7-10. 
 
 5. The signs of his apostleship wrought among them, 12 : 11-13. 
 
 III. His proposed apostolic conduct, exhortations, and warnings, 12 : 14-13 : 14. 
 
 1. Will still act disinterestedly and honestly, 12 : 14-18. 
 
 2. His object their reformation, 12 : 19-21. 
 
 3. When he comes will enforce discipline, 13 : 1-4. 
 
 4. Exhorts to self-examination, 13 : 5, 6. 
 
 5. Prays for their perfection, 13 : 7-9. 
 
 6. Writes in order to avoid using severity, 13 : 10. 
 
 7. Closing words, salutations, and benediction, 13 : 11-14. 
 
 The comments in the commentary are on the Common version and the 
 original Greek. But the Improved version is placed in parallel columns. This 
 will be found valuable for comparison and reference. 
 
PAUL'S EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 
 
 Introduction, salutation, and theme of the 
 
 Epistle. 
 1 PAUL, >a servant of Jesus Christ, 
 
 1 PAUL, a servant of Jesus Christ, 
 
 a 15 : 16. 
 
 Title. The oldest known title is 
 simply To the Romans. Later it was 
 enlarged to designate the writer of the 
 Epistle. The fuller form is included 
 and implied in the first and seventh 
 verses of the salutation. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The apostle begins with a marvel- 
 ously full and rich salutation ; and then 
 after a few introductory words of per- 
 sonal interest passes, in ver. 16 and 17, 
 to the ground thought of the Epistle. 
 Through the remainder of the chapter 
 he shows the need of the gospel, with 
 the salvation it brings and the right- 
 eousness it reveals, from the base moral 
 condition of the Gentiles. 
 
 1-17. Salutation to the saints 
 AT Rome, and the particular in- 
 troduction to the Epistle. The 
 salutation presents very strikingly 
 Paul's manner. Ver. 1 and 7 form a 
 complete sentence by themselves, the 
 rest being parenthetic or relative sen- 
 tences. Thoughts crowd upon him and 
 press for utterance. Christ is the cen- 
 ter, and around him thought suggesting 
 thought revolves. In the introduction 
 Paul expresses his thanksgiving for the 
 well-known faith of the saints at Rome, 
 and his prayerful desire for the mutual 
 benefit which would arise from seeing 
 and knowing them. This desire had 
 been a well-formed purpose which he 
 had been hindered from carrying out; 
 but it was kept alive by a sense of duty 
 to preach the gospel to all classes and 
 everywhere. This he could readily and 
 even joyfully do, since the gospel makes 
 kno\vTi to men the divine salvation, re- 
 vealing God's righteousness by faith. 
 
 1. Paul — meaning /?7//g ; his Roman 
 name, which he uses in all his Epistles 
 to the churches and fellow-laborers 
 among the Gentiles, and is applied to 
 him in the account of his Gentile work 
 in the Acts. Saul was his Hebrew 
 name, meaning the asked for, and was 
 applied to him in his connection with 
 the Jews, and in his earlier and less dis- 
 tinctive work. See "Notes on the 
 Acts," 13 : 9, where the change of his 
 name first appears, for further discus- 
 sion. According to the custom of his 
 time Paul inscribes his name at the be- 
 ginning instead of at the end of his 
 letter. With his name he writes the 
 statement of his ofiicial position as a 
 servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. 
 This he did because most of the church 
 at Rome were not personally acquainted 
 with him, and because he was about to 
 discuss the great doctrines under Divine 
 direction and by apostolic authority. 
 Compare the opening salutations of his 
 other Epistles, especially those to the 
 Galatians, the Philippians, and to Titus. 
 Servant — literally, a slave, one who 
 serves, answering in the Scriptures to a 
 bond-servant. The word has the two- 
 fold idea of belonging to a master and 
 of service as a bondsman. Paul re- 
 garded himself as belonging to Christ, 
 to whom he owed the service of obe- 
 dience (l Cor. 6 : 20; 7 : 23). But SUCh SCr- 
 
 vice was true freedom (Gai. 5:i). The 
 service of sin was slavery (e : i6-i9; John 
 8 : 34). The word servant is frequently 
 applied in the New Testament to be- 
 lievers in general (i Cor. 7 : 22 ; Eph. e : 6; 1 
 Peter 2 : 16) ; but Paul appcars here ^ to 
 apply it to his general official position 
 in the kingdom of God, just as in the 
 
 25 
 
26 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 b called to be an apostle, separated unto 
 
 2 the gospel of God, (>^^ which he had 
 promised afore "'by his prophets in the 
 
 3 Holy ScTii)tures,) concerning 'his Son 
 Jesus Christ our Lord, f which was 
 made of llie seed of David according 
 
 4 to the flesh ; and declared to be the Son 
 
 called to be an apostle, set apart to the 
 
 2 gospel of God, which he promised be- 
 fore through his i)rophcts in the Holy 
 
 3 Scriptures, concerning his Son, who 
 was born of the seed of David accord- 
 
 4 lug to the flesh, who was instated as 
 
 b See refs. Acts 22 : 21. c See refs. Acts 26 : 6. d 16 : 26 ; Gal. 3 : 8. 
 
 e Ps. 2 : 7 ; John 5 : 17-30 ; Heb. 1 : 2, 3. / Matt. 1:1; Luke 1 : 32. 
 
 Old Testament it was applied to proph- 
 ets (Deut. 34 : 5 ; Jer. 23 : 4), and iu the NcW 
 
 frequently to ministers of the gospel 
 
 and to apostles (Col.4;12; 2Tiiu. :^:24: .laiiKs 
 1:1; 2 Peter 1 : l) . It waS a high llOUOr tO 
 
 be a servant of Jesus Christ. Paul 
 gloried in being spiritually and officially 
 thus connected with such a Master. 
 Called to be an apostle— ^livinely 
 selected and appointed to the office. 
 From the general designation of servant, 
 Paul goes on to specify what kind of a 
 servant, namely, an apostle. He had 
 been called by Christ himself to the 
 office, like the other apostles (Acts9:i5; 
 
 26:16-18; Gal. 1 : 1, 15, 16) . TllC apOStlcS 
 
 were eye-witnesses of Christ's ministry, 
 death, and resurrection, (sec Acts i : 21, and 
 note). Paul speaks of having seen the 
 Lord after his resurrection, and of the 
 
 signs of his apOStleship (1 Cor. 9 : 1 ; 2 Cor. 
 
 12:12). The apostles had their three 
 years' preparation with the Lord ; Paul, 
 his three years in Arabia and Damascus 
 (Gal. 1 : 17, 18), and also an alnindance of 
 revelations (Gai. 1 : 12; 2 Cor. 12 : 1, 7). Sep- 
 arated — set apart from the mass of men 
 unto the work of preaching the gospel 
 by God's choice and call (Acts 9: 15; Gai. 
 1:15.) There seems also to be a special 
 reference to the act of the church at 
 Antioch under the Spirit's direction 
 (Acts 13: 1,2). This Paul specifies still 
 more: not only called to the apostolic 
 office, but set apart to the particular 
 calling of preaching the glad tidings. 
 Of God — as the authorand giverof tlie 
 gospel, showing its dignity and au- 
 thority (15 : 16: 1 Tl.ess. 2 : 2,8,9).* This VCrSC 
 
 may be paraphrased thus: Paul, who 
 has tlie honor to be a servant, or l)ond- 
 man, of Jesus who is the Christ, to 
 whom he and his service absolutely be- 
 long, yet in whom he finds his highest 
 freedom and glory, chosen and ap- 
 pointed ])y him to he an apostle, set 
 apart from among men, from bis ])irth 
 (Gal. 1 : 14), at hjs conversion, and by the 
 Spirit throngli the church at Antioch, 
 to the particular work of an)ioi(ncin'^ 
 
 the glad tidings of which God himself 
 is the author. 
 
 2. This verse should not be put in a 
 parenthesis, as in the Common version. 
 In this and the two following verses 
 Paul gives a brief description of the 
 gospel, which had been promised 
 or announced beforehand, amounting to 
 a promise, through his prophets in 
 the Holy Scriptures. These proph- 
 ets included all who had uttered Mes- 
 sianic predictions in the Old Testament. 
 Paul holds up the gospel as no human 
 inv^ention, no afterthought, but as com- 
 ing from God, and long before promised 
 through inspired men (Acts 3 : 22-24) , The 
 phrase. Holy /Scriptures, in the original 
 is without the article, but the adjective 
 holy makes the noun definite. But 
 Meyer renders literally, in holy 7rrit- 
 ings, that is, in the prophetic portions 
 of the Old Testament. In either ren- 
 dering the thought is essentially the 
 same. 
 
 3. Concerning his Son — the great 
 theme of the gospel and of ^lessianic 
 promises, without whom there could 
 have been no gospel. The Son is pre- 
 sented in two aspects, the Son of Man 
 in this verse, and the Son of God in the 
 next verse. According to the highest 
 critical authorities Jesus Christ our 
 Lord does not belong here, but at the 
 end of ver. 4. AVhich was made, 
 rather, ivho became or uxis borii, of the 
 seed of David, intimating liis higli 
 kingly character. It is also implied 
 that in his birth there was a change of 
 relation, that he had a previous exist- 
 ence in another relation (Joim i:i4). 
 According to the flesh — in respect 
 to his human nature, body, soul, and 
 spirit, distinguished from his divine 
 nature brought to view in the next 
 ver.se(i Tim. 3:16; Phil. 2: 7). Thusliewas 
 David's nol)lest son, pre-eminently the 
 Son, among the sons of men. (see ps. 89 : 
 
 26-37; 2 Tim. 2:8.) 
 
 4. And declared — determined, it 
 was manifestly settled, that lie was the 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 27 
 
 of God with power, according sto the 
 spirit of holiness, ''by the resurrec- 
 5 tion from the dead : by whom J we have 
 received grace and apostleship, for obe- 
 dience to the faith ^ among all nations, 
 
 the Son of God with power according 
 to the Spirit of holiness, by resurrec- 
 tion of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord ; 
 5 through wiiom we received grace and 
 apostleship, for obedience of faith 
 among all the nations, for his name's 
 
 g He\/. '* : 14. h Acts 13 : 33-37. i Gal. 2:9; Eph. 3:2-9; 1 Tiux. 1 : 11, 12. ft Mark 16 : 15 ; Acts 9 : 15. 
 
 Sod of God. Although he was the 
 Son of God before his resurrection, yet 
 he was openly defined and manifested as 
 such by that great and crowning event. 
 With power — literally, in poiver. 
 Some would join this as an adverbial 
 phrase with the preceding verb : De- 
 clared, or determined powerfully to be, 
 etc., as in Rev, 1 : 16, " The sun shines 
 in his strength." But it is better to join 
 it with Son. It was manifestly settled 
 and shown by the resurrection that he 
 was the Son of God in power, exalted 
 and having all authority in heaven and 
 on earth (Matt. 28 : i8 ; Phil. 2 : 9-11) , It ap- 
 pears to refer to Christ's condition after 
 his resurrection, with power, such as he 
 did not have in his earthly condition 
 and as born of the seed of David. Com- 
 pare "in glory" (pwi- * : i9). Spirit 
 of holiness — presenting holiness as 
 an essential quality, a spirit to which 
 belongs holiness. Holiness in the ab- 
 stract is ascribed only to God (Exod. 
 15 : 11; isa. 6:3; Rev. 15 : 4). The refer- 
 ence here is not to the Holy Spirit, but 
 to Christ's divine nature which is con- 
 trasted with the flesh, his human nature, 
 in the preceding verse. In his divine 
 nature he is spirit (John 4: 24)^ and the 
 phrase spirit of holiness is evidently ap- 
 plied to him as the Word who iii the 
 beginning was with God and was God 
 
 (johnl:l. Coiu4)aj-e9 : 5). By the reS- 
 
 urrection from the dead. The res- 
 urrection is here spoken of generally, 
 which had its most glorious illustration 
 in the resurrection of Christ. He is its 
 author (-loUu 11 : 25, 26) and its first-fruits 
 (1 Cor. 15: 20). Christ's resurrection is 
 constanfly appealed to as a proof of his 
 Messiahship (Acts 2 : 31-36: n : 31, etc.). And 
 so at this point, according to the best 
 text, comes in, Jesus Christ our 
 Lord, in apposition with " his son " of 
 verse 3. The son, in his two-fold na- 
 ture, Son of David and Son of God, is 
 here emphatically presented in his 
 familiar three-fold title : Jesus, Sav- 
 iour; Christ, the promised Anointed 
 or 3Iessiah; our Lord, our Lord and 
 
 Blaster, the Lord of the gospel dispensa- 
 tion, the Head of the church, to whom 
 all believers owe allegiance and obedi- 
 ence. Paraphrase ver. 3 and 4 as fol- 
 lows : Concerning his Son, the great 
 theme of the gospel, ivho, being pre-ex- 
 istent, became by birth of the royal seed, 
 the noblest Son of David according to 
 his human nature, the flesh, tvho was 
 manifestly determined and shown to be 
 the Son of God with power and author- 
 ity in heaven and on earth, peculiar to 
 himself, according to his divine nature, 
 the spirit of holiness, by virtue of the 
 resurrection of the dead of which his 
 own resurrection was a proof and first- 
 fruit (1 Cor. 15) J even Jesus Christ our 
 great anointed Saviour and our Su- 
 preme Master and Lord. On "Son of 
 God," see note on John 1 : 34. 
 
 5. By {through) whom. Christ is 
 \newed mediatorially, through whom 
 he had received grace and the high 
 calling of God (i5:i5). We— Paul 
 uses the plural in speaking of himself, 
 as was frequently done by Greek 
 authors, though perhaps of himself as 
 one of a class. Compare 3:9; Gal. 1 : 
 8, 9, etc., where Paul refers to himself 
 by the plural "we." We have re- 
 ceived — rather, we received, at a defi- 
 nite time in his past history. Grace 
 and apostleship. Some take this as 
 a figure of speech to mean, the grace or 
 gift of apostleship (Eph. 3:2, 7). It is 
 better and more natural however to 
 take grace, generally, the favor of God 
 which he received at conversion and as 
 a Christian, and apostleship as some- 
 thing in addition which he received 
 particularly and ofiicially from the 
 
 Lord (-4cts 9 : 15; 26 : 16-18; Gal.'l : l). For 
 
 obedience to the faith — rather, 
 unto obedience of faith, expressing the 
 design for which grace and apostle- 
 ship had been conferred on Paul. It 
 is better to take faith here, not as a 
 system of Christian doctrine, but as 
 tiiat exercise of belief and trust in 
 Christ by which the gospel is accepted 
 and with which obedience is invariably 
 
28 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 6 • for his name : among whom are ye 
 also " the called of Jesus Christ : 
 
 7 To all that be in Rome, " beloved of 
 God, called to be saints ; 
 
 6 sake ; among whom are ye also, called 
 
 7 to be Jesus Christ's— to all the beloved 
 of God that are in Rome, called to be 
 saints : Grace to you and peace from 
 
 I Mai. 1 : 11. 
 
 m 8 : 28-30 ; 1 Peter 5 : 10. 
 
 n Deut. 33 : 12 ; Col. 3 : 12. 
 
 o 1 Cor. 1 : 2 ; 2 Peter 1 : 3. 
 
 connected. Faith is the controlling 
 principle. To receive and act on faith 
 is to obey. And as it is the design that 
 Christ and the whole gospel should be 
 received by faith, so the obedience re- 
 quired of all by Christ is embraced in 
 tiie gospel. Among all nations. 
 Many regard this as including all na- 
 tions, according to the last Commission 
 (Matt. 28 : 19) aiid Paul's general treat- 
 ment of the gospel as for both Jews and 
 Gentiles. This accords also with the 
 fact that the salutation was to all the 
 saints at Rome, Jews and Gentiles 
 (ver. 7^, and that his work among Gen- 
 tiles IS not definitely introduced until 
 ver. 13. Others, however, with strong 
 reasons take it to mean : Among all the 
 Gentiles. For so the word translated 
 nations is commonly used in Paul's 
 Epistles, occurring, according to Prof. 
 J. R, Boise, fifty-five times, of which 
 forty-four times it is translated Gentiles, 
 four times heathen, and in other places 
 nations. The corresponding Hebrew 
 word also always means Gentiles or 
 pagan nations. Moreover, the apostle- 
 ship of Paul had special reference to 
 the Gentiles and is so presented in this 
 Epistle (11 : 13; 15 : 16). A strict interpre- 
 tation would seem to demand this view. 
 Yet may not the apostle have designed 
 a certain indefiniteness of expression in 
 the salutation of the Epistle, in defer- 
 ence to the two classes of his readers ? 
 Elsewhere he shows groat conciliatory 
 tact, especially in his ad<lress recorded 
 in the Acts. For his name— /or his 
 vnnie's sake, for all that name implies, 
 the human and divine Christ (Acts»:i6: 
 s :■*!). These words are most closely 
 connected in thought with " obedience 
 of faitli " (2 Cor. 5 : 20. 21). Paul had for 
 years exercised his apostleship inost 
 earneslQy amonj; all nations, especially 
 the Gentile nations, to bring them into 
 faith and obedience for the sake of hon- 
 oring and knowing Christ — for what he 
 was in himself, what he liad done and 
 could do, to whom also he himself as 
 a Christian and an apostle owed so 
 
 nuich (2Thess. 1 : 11, 12). 
 
 6. Paid intimates the reason for ad- 
 
 dressing them: Among whom (the 
 nations, ver. 5) are ye also the 
 called ones of Jesus Christ, or, 
 
 called to be Jesus Christ's. They are 
 represented not as called by Jesus 
 Christ, but as belonging to him. Paul 
 generally regards the calling as coming 
 from God the Father (9 : 24: oai. i : »; 
 
 2 Thess. 2 : 14 ; 2 Tim. 1:9). ThC Calling alsO 
 
 is not that which is general and ex- 
 ternal, but that which is internal and 
 effectual ; the called ones being made 
 partakers of the blessicgs which Christ 
 
 bestows. (Compare 8 : 28-30 : Heb. 3:1.) 
 
 7. This verse contains the salutation 
 and is connected with the first. All the 
 clauses thatintervene came forth from his 
 richly stored mind, and prevented him 
 from sooner finishing tne sentence he 
 had begun. To all that be in Rome, 
 etc. A clearer and preferable render- 
 ing is : To all the beloved of God that are 
 in Rom e. ( See note ending ver. 13. ) Paul ad- 
 dressed the Epistle to Christians, not 
 to the church as a collective body, at 
 Rome. It was doubtless made up of 
 two or more congregations (i6:5). So 
 in his later Epistles "to the saints" 
 (Eph. 1:1: Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:2). His earlier 
 Epistles were addressed to churches 
 
 (iThess.l :1; Gal. 1 : 2,etc.). BelOVed of 
 
 God. As reconciled with God through 
 Christ they are beloved (8:31-39). God's 
 people a-e thus often honorably named 
 
 (Deut. .SS: 12: Col. 3:12). Called tO be 
 
 saints, or called, chosen saints. The 
 word saint includes the ideas of separa- 
 tion from the world and consecration 
 to God. Christians are so called, as 
 those who are called out from the world 
 (John 17 : 16-19) to bc a clioscu, holy 
 people (1 Peter 2: 9). Their consecration 
 is not only by an external profession, 
 but also by the regenerating power of 
 the Holy Spirit, and the cultivation of 
 spiritual worship and holiness. 
 
 Grace to you, etc. This is the be- 
 ginning of the salutation proper, and 
 should commence a new sentence. All 
 that precedes is the inscription. Saluta- 
 tions in letters among the ancients were 
 brief. The Greeks simply sent greet- 
 ings, as in Acts 15 : 23 ; James 1:1; 
 
Ch. L] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 29 
 
 p Grace to you and peace from God 
 our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 8 First, 1 1 thank my God through Jesas 
 Christ for you all, that ^your faith is 
 spoken of throughout the whole world. 
 
 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve 
 with my spirit "in » the gospel of his Son, 
 that ' without ceasing I make mention 
 
 10 of you always in my prayers ; " making 
 request, if by any means now at length 
 
 God our Father and the Lord Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus 
 Christ for you all, that your faith is 
 
 9 proclaimed in all the world. For God 
 is my witness, w^hom I serve in my 
 spirit in the gospel of his Son, how un- 
 ceasingly 1 make mention of you, al- 
 io ways in my prayers making request, if 
 
 in any way now at length I may be 
 
 p 1 Cor. 1 : 3 ; 2 Peter 1:2; Rev. 1 : 4, 5. 
 i 1 Sam. 12 : 23. 
 
 q 1 Cor. 1:4. r 16 : 19. 
 u 1 Thess. 3 : 10. 
 
 s 1 John 5 : 9-11. 
 
 the Hebrews, Peace be with thee. 
 
 ( Compare Dan. 4:1; 6 : 25 ; 3 John 14. ) The 
 
 Christian salutation combines the two, 
 and enriches them from the infinite 
 
 fountain of God's love. ( Compare 2 John 
 
 3:Jude2.) Grcicc — the favor of God 
 with all its attendant spiritual bless- 
 ings. Peace — the fruit of grace, 
 the sense of inward .security and the 
 blessedness which flows from the Di- 
 vine favor. God our Father and 
 the Lord Jesus Christ are equally 
 the source of grace and peace. ' ' God 
 the Father is the Author, Christ the 
 mediator and procurer, the Holy Spirit 
 the applier or imparter, of grace and 
 peace. The Spirit takes them from 
 Christ and shows them to the believer 
 (John 16: 14). The latter may be the 
 reason why the Holy Spirit is not es- 
 pecially mentioned in the epistolary 
 salutations, except 2 Cor. 13 : 13, 14; 
 1 Peter 1:2" (De. Schaff in Lange). 
 This concludes the salutation. How- 
 full of Christ ! How rich in doctrine ! 
 Where in profane writers can we find 
 so much compressed within so small a 
 compass ? 
 
 8. The special introduction begins 
 with this verse. First of all — abso- 
 lutely — without intending to state sub- 
 sequent points in numerical order. As 
 was usual with Paul's Epistles, with 
 the exception of that to the Galatians, 
 he begins w^ith conciliatory and com- 
 mendatory words. I thank my God. 
 How he appropriates God to himself 
 personally, conscious of reconciliation 
 and communion with him ! No pagan 
 religion thus brings God endearingly 
 to the soul, and no heathen writer 
 
 thus appropriates him. (Compare Acts 
 27:23; 1 Cor. 1:4, etc.) ThrOUgh JeSUS 
 
 Christ, as mediator, we approach God 
 in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving 
 (Eph.5:20). That your faith in the 
 gospel, including trust in Christ and its 
 
 legitimate fruits, is spoken of, or 
 proclaimed, throughout the whole 
 
 world. A popular expression and at 
 the same time the language of ardent 
 feeling, meaning everywhere, wherever 
 Christians were found. (Compare coi. 
 1:6:1 Thess.i : 8.) The Roman empire 
 was generally regarded as the whole 
 world (Luke 2:1) J and the gospel had 
 already been preached in its chief 
 cities (10:18:15:19). Rome was the 
 center of the empire and there was a 
 going and coming from all the prov- 
 inces. News could be easily trans- 
 mitted. 
 
 9. For introduces the proof of his 
 statement in ver. 8. God is my wit- 
 ness. Such solemn aflirmations, made 
 in tlie warmth of feeling, are common 
 
 in Paul's writings (2 Cor. 1 : 23; Gal. 1 : 20; 
 Phil. 1 : 8 ; 1 Thess. 2 : 5, 10). God WaS his 
 
 only witness and his only appeal in 
 regard to his secret prayers. Whom I 
 serve with my spirit — rather, in my 
 spirit, implying a spiritual heart ser- 
 vice. (Compare John 4 : 24.) The WOl'd 
 
 translated serve denotes religious ser- 
 vice, or worship. Compare Whose I 
 am and w^hom I serve" (Acts 27 : 23, and 
 note). In the gospel of his Son — 
 in the field assigned me in proclaiming 
 and defending the glad tidings of his 
 Son. Thus both inwardly and out- 
 wardly he was engaged in serving God 
 and spreading the go.spel. All this thus 
 far is closely connected with "God is 
 my witness" and strengthens that 
 solemn assertion. So also what fol- 
 lows : J/?/ ^t'jYjifsj? . . . hoio unceasingly 
 I make mention of you always 
 in my prayers — never forgetful of you 
 whenever I pray, (compare pmi. 1 : 3; 2 
 
 Tim. I: 3.) 
 
 10. Paul notes a special subject of 
 prayer connected with his incessant 
 praying for them : Making request, 
 etc. If by any means, or in any 
 
30 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 I might have a prosperous journey by 
 
 11 the will of God to come unto you. For 
 I long to see you, that ^ I may impart 
 unto you some' spiritual gift, to the end 
 
 12 ye may be established ; that is, that 
 I may be comforted together with you 
 by y the mutual faith both of you and 
 me. 
 
 13 Now I would not have you ignorant, 
 brethren, that » oftentimes I purposed 
 
 prospered by the will of God to come 
 
 11 to you. For I long to see you, that I 
 may impart to you some spiritual gift, 
 to the end that ye may be' established ; 
 
 12 that is, to be comforted together in 
 you, through each other's faith, both 
 
 13 yours and mine. And I do not wish you 
 to be ignorant, brethren, that often- 
 times I purposed to come to you, (and 
 
 X 15 : 29. 
 
 y 2 Peter 1 : 1. 
 
 z See refs. Acts 19 : 21. 
 
 way, implying a strong desire. If 
 now at length, after so long a delay, 
 I may have a prosperous jour- 
 ney, the way made clear, and pros- 
 pered by the will of God to come 
 unto you. It is implied that he had 
 long desired to visit them, but had thus 
 far been unable to carry out his purpose. 
 Literally, hi the will of God — the de- 
 termining however being within the 
 Divine will, and upon that his coming 
 to them depended (i5 ; 32 ; Acts is : 21). 
 
 11. Giving an explanatory reason 
 for what he had just said about coming 
 to them, he adds, For I long ear- 
 nestly to see you (compare 2 Cor. 9 : 14 ; 
 Phil. 1:8; 2 : 26 ; 2 Tim. 1 : 3) not frOm CU- 
 
 riosity, nor for personal advantage, 
 nor for mere social friendship, but 
 that I may impart to you something, 
 a spiritual gift, to each one accord- 
 ing to his faith and the will of God, 
 to the end that ye may be estab- 
 lished in Christian doctrine and life, 
 and fortified against every temptation 
 to swerve from them (i Thess. 3 : 2. S: 2 
 Thess. 3:3), Spiritual gifts, bestowed by 
 the Holy Spirit, included both the mi- 
 raculous (1 Cor. 12:10) and the ordinary 
 gifts of teacliing, exhortation, foith, 
 and the like (12 ; 4-8 : 1 cor. 12 : 8, 9). Mi- 
 raculous gifts were endowments com- 
 municated by laying on of hands of 
 the apcstles (Actss : 17: 19 :6), and were 
 common in apostolic churches (1 Cor. 1 : 7 : 
 r.ai. 3:5); the Ordinary were the edify- 
 ing and comforting influences of the 
 Holy Spirit and those endowments 
 which were needed for service in the 
 churches (1 Ptt.r 4 : 10, 11 ). In this passage 
 the word may refer to all kinds of 
 gifts, but more especially to every re- 
 ligious benetit, of faith, knowledge, 
 holiness, consolation, virtue, of which 
 the apostle might be the means of be- 
 stowing. Paul's desire was that they 
 might be " comforted together " (ver. i2)\ 
 that he might "preach the gospel" to 
 
 them at Rome. In his ministry he 
 valued most highly the ordinary gifts 
 of the Spirit (icor. 13). To the end ye 
 may be established. This word es- 
 tablished occurs at the end of this 
 Epistle (16:25)^ and is suggestive both 
 of Paul's desire and hope that this 
 Epistle, as well as his visit to them, 
 would result in building them up in 
 the Christian life. 
 
 12. That is, in other -svords, to 
 speak modestly and without seeming to 
 assume too much, to be comforted 
 and helped together among you pri- 
 vately and in your assemblies through 
 each other's faith in Christ and the 
 gospel — the faith both of you and 
 me. Paul expresses himself with del- 
 icate courtesy to brethren who were 
 mostly strangers to him, lest he should 
 seem to put too high an estimate on 
 himself and too low^ upon them. The 
 advantageous result of his \"isit would 
 by no means be one-sided. In being a 
 blessing to them they would be a bless- 
 ing to him. There would be a mutual 
 strengthening of the faith of each and 
 his heart would be consoled as well as 
 theirs. The full meaning of the verb 
 translated to be comforted together can- 
 not easily be expressed in English. It 
 includes the ideas of enlivening, en- 
 couraging, and consoling. It has two 
 corresponding nouns. One is used to 
 express exhortation, encouragement, 
 consolation, comfort. The other is the 
 one that Jesus applies to the Holy 
 Spirit the Comforter, Advocate, or Help- 
 er (John 14 : 16). While Paul hoped to 
 impart spiritual gifts to the strengthen- 
 ing of his Roman brethren, he was not 
 unmindful of his own dependence on 
 Christian communion and fellowship 
 for encouragement and comfort. 
 
 13. Now not only have I longed to 
 come to you, but / do not wish you to be 
 ignorant, brethren. This is the first 
 time that tlie word brethren is found in 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 EOMANS 
 
 31 
 
 to come unto you. (but " was let hither- 
 to,) that I might liave some ''fruit 
 among you also, even as among other 
 
 14 Gentiles. •=! am debtor both to the 
 Greeks, and to the Barbarians ; both to 
 
 15 the wise, and to the unwise. So, as 
 much as in me is, I am ready to preach 
 the gospel to you that are at Rome also. 
 
 was hindered hitherto,) that I might 
 have some fruit in you also, even as 
 
 14 in the rest of the Gentiles. Both to 
 Greeks and Barbarians, both to wise 
 
 15 and foolish, I am debtor ; so, as far as 
 lies in me, I am ready to preach the 
 gospel to you also who are in Rome. 
 
 a See refs. Acts 16 : 6, 7. 
 
 6 John 15 : 16 ; Phil. 4 : 17. 
 
 c 1 Cor. 9 : 16-23. 
 
 the Epistles. It is much more fre- 
 quent than any other designation of 
 Christians, suggestive of their rela- 
 tion in the churches, and of their 
 union in Christ (Eph. 2 : i9; 5: 23, 30). They 
 are generallly called disciples in the 
 Gospels, frequently in the Acts, but 
 never in the Epistles. They are never 
 styled saints in the Gospels, only four 
 times in the Acts, and fifty-five times in 
 the Epistles. But they are termed 
 brethren about fifteen times in the 
 Gospels, thirty times in the Acts, and 
 about one hundred and ninety times 
 in the Epistles. The term sister is some- 
 times used (Rom. 16 : 1; 1 Cor. 7 : 15 ; James 
 2 : 15; Matt. 12 : 50. See on Acts 9 : 13 ; 11 : 29). 
 
 That oftentimes during many years 
 (15:23) / purposed to come to yoa 
 (Acts 19: 21) and was hindered hith- 
 erto, especially by the urgent calls 
 from nearer fields, where the gospel 
 had not been preached, being ambitious 
 to preach Christ in such places (i5: 20). 
 Doubtless the Spirit at times was di- 
 recting otherwise (Actsi6:6), and Satan 
 at other times was hindering (1 Thess. 
 2:18). But had it not been for these 
 many hindrances we might not have 
 had this Epistle to the Romans. Let 
 is the old English word for hindered. 
 Paul adds the object he had in view. 
 That I might have some fruit — as 
 a harvest, in you also and among you, 
 ill building you up in Christian graces 
 and activities, and in the consequent 
 
 conversion of souls (e : 22 ; John 4 : 35-38 ; 
 
 15 : 16; Ps. 51 : 12, 13), evcii as amoiig or 
 in the rest of the Gentiles (i5:i8, 19. 
 
 See note on ver. 5). Paul Speaks aS the 
 
 apostle to the Gentiles. It would seem 
 that the brethren at Rome were mostly 
 Gentiles. 
 
 Rome was the leading Gentile city of 
 the world, and the brethren there Avere 
 largely Gentiles (i5:i5, i6). It con- 
 tained about two million inhabitants, 
 one-half of whom were slaves. Repre- 
 sentatives of all nations were found 
 there, among whom were about sixty 
 
 thousand Jews. The Greeks were its 
 most enterprising inhabitants. The 
 names in the last chapter of this Epistle 
 would indicate that the Christians there 
 were mostly Greek. Indeed this seems 
 to have been its character during the 
 first two centuries. 
 
 14, Having introduced himself as 
 the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul in this 
 verse and the next expresses his sense 
 of obligation to preach the gospel to 
 Gentiles everywhere, including those at 
 Rome. I am a debtor, under obliga- 
 tion from gratitude to Christ for gra- 
 ciously calling me into his kingdom 
 
 (Gal. 1 : 15, 16; 1 Tim. 1 : 12-16), and from my 
 commission (ver. 5; Acts 9: 15; 26:16-18; 2 
 
 Tim. 1 : 11) to preach the gospel both to the 
 Greeks and Barbarians, to culti- 
 vated and uncultivated nations without 
 distinctions of race, both to wise and 
 unwise or foolish, without regard to 
 conditions of life, to natural intelligence 
 and culture among the people. Paul is 
 speaking of Gentiles. The Jews would 
 naturally be reached to some extent as 
 they were scattered among the Gentiles. 
 " The question w^hether the Romans be- 
 longed to the Greeks or the Barbarians 
 is scarcely in place, probably did not 
 occur to the mind of Paul" (J. R. 
 Boise). Barbarian meant originally 
 a foreigner, a man speaking a strange 
 tongue, and is so used in 1 Cor. 14 : 11 ; 
 Acts 28 : 2, 4. But the Greeks in their 
 pride of race and culture and the Ro- 
 mans in their pride of power, came to 
 look upon all outside of themselves as 
 rude and uncultured foreigners. Debtor 
 — held under obligation to do something 
 for some one (s : 12 ; 15 : 27) . This obliga- 
 tion was imposed by Christ and by the 
 lost condition of men. In preaching 
 the gospel he was paying a debt to God 
 and his fellow-men. He had received, 
 and must give forth. 
 
 15. So, under this sense of obliga- 
 tion, as far as it respects me, on my 
 part as far as I have the ability and the 
 opportunity, I am ready and desirous 
 
32 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 d Ps. 40 : 9, 10 ; 1 Cor. 2 : 2 ; 1 Tiiu. 1 : 8, 12. 
 / John 3 : 15, 16. ff 2 : 9 ; Luke 2 : 30-32 ; Acts 3 : 26. 
 
 e 1 Cor. 1 : 18 ; 2 Cor. 10 : 4, 5 ; 1 Thess. 2 : 13. 
 h 3 : 21-30 ; 4 : 5 ; Gal. 2 : 16 ; 5:5; Phil. 3 : 8, 9. 
 
 to preach the gospel to you aho 
 that are at Rome — where are found 
 the representatives of all nations ami 
 elasses of the worUl. Paul's readi- 
 )i(itii eorrespoiuled with his sense of ob- 
 ligation. To YOr— refers primarily 
 to the Christians at Rome (v.r. -) who 
 ■would profit by his evanj^elistie labors; 
 but i/ou, used jienerally and popularly, 
 includes all who should be disposed to 
 hear the gosixd from him. To preach 
 the gospel here is one word, /<> evangel- 
 ize (Acts 8 : 25), aunouueiug the glad tid- 
 ings coneerning Jesus as the Messiah 
 and of salvation through him. 
 
 IG, Paul passes naturally and in- 
 formally to the leading thought or 
 theme which he intendeil to develop 
 in his letter : The gospel is the power 
 of God for siiving men, both Jcms and 
 Gentiles, on condition of faith, since 
 it reveals a righteousness from God 
 through faith alone. For introduces 
 the reason for his readiness to preach 
 the gospel at Rome, where there was so 
 much grandeur and politeness, human 
 learning and su]>erstition. I am not 
 ashamed of the gfospel, though it 
 is galling to human pride to meet the 
 contempt cast upon the doctrine of the 
 world's Messiah crucified as a nuile- 
 factor (i Cor. 2 : 1-5). Paul had met it 
 wherever he went; at Philippi. which 
 was a colony, a miniature of Rome 
 
 (Acts 16 : 12,21 : Phil.l : 30) ; at AthCUS, wllCrC 
 
 he was called " a babl^ler " (Acts 17 : ih) ; 
 at Corinth and throughout (ircece, 
 where Christ crucified was a stuml)ling- 
 block to Jews and foolishness to (Jen- 
 tiles (1 Cor. 1 :2:i). Of Christ — should 
 be omitted accordiiu; to the best (Jreek 
 text. The gospel wliich Paul i)rca('hed 
 included all about < 'hrist, his life, death, 
 resurrection, and ascension ; that he was 
 the Messiah, tlie Saviour of the w<u-ld, 
 the Son of the living God; that salva- 
 tion was through him alone by faith in 
 him, hy which man could be justified 
 from all things that he was not able 
 to be justified by the law of Moses 
 
 (.\cts 13 : 39). For, rather than be 
 ashamed 01 the gos])el, it becomes me 
 to glory in its divine excellency, it 
 being the power of God, sn]>critir 
 to anything that man has ever devised ; 
 etficaciously working and Icatling into 
 ct)mplete and eternal salvation of the 
 soul from sin and death, to every one 
 tht'it believeth, without regard to 
 national distinctions, to the Jew first 
 in priority of time and in precedence 
 of national privilege, and also to the 
 Greek, the rest of mankind, the Gen- 
 tiles (Luke 24 : 47 : .\cls 13 : 46) . NoticC tluit 
 
 the gospel itself is the power of God, 
 great, glorious, and efficacious (2Cor. 
 10 ; 3-6) ; the wliolc provisiou made in 
 the gospel is meant, including the in- 
 fluences of the Holy Spirit accompany- 
 ing the W(U*d (l f"r. 1 : 18 : Heb. 4 : 12 ; Jium-s 
 1 : 18; .Kt. 23 : 29). To thc RoUiaUS, tllC 
 
 most powerful of meUj it was fitting to 
 style the gospel "thc power of God," 
 but to tlie Greek the most eminent for 
 human wisdom, Paul adds, " the wisdom 
 of God" (1 Cor. 1:24). T(, every ove 
 that believeth — that has faith in the 
 gos]>el, which of course includes faith 
 in Christ. Faith is not the ground of 
 merit, but the medium of receiving 
 Christ and salvation as proclaimed in 
 
 thc gospel (Koin. 5:1; Phil. 3:9). 
 
 17. TIic gospel is the power of God 
 unto salvation. For therein is a 
 righteonsness of God revealed — 
 
 or God's righteousness, that which juo- 
 ceeds fnmi him as its author, is im- 
 parted l)y him to the believer, and is 
 
 I only acceptable to him. This right- 
 eousness was foreshadowed in Abraham 
 
 i (4:9), predicted in ])rophecy (isa. 56:i), 
 but was not fully made known to men 
 till it was revealed in the gos])el (Kph. 
 2:8.9). It is from faith to faith, 
 literally, ont of faith into faith, begin- 
 ning with faith iuid leading on to faith. 
 It is from beginning to end of faith 
 (9 : 30; 10 : 6 ; Phil. 3 : 9). It is appropriated 
 
 ! so as to be personally available at first 
 
 I and ever after by faith. To the believer 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 ROMANS 33 
 
 as it is written, 
 faith. 
 
 > The just shall live by from faith to faith ; as it is written, 
 
 But the righteous shall live by faith. 
 
 i See refs. Hab. 2 : 4. 
 
 this righteousness becomes more and 
 more a reality, a personal realization, 
 but only by faith. Compare the phrase 
 "from glory to glory" (iCor. 3:i8) and 
 " from strength to strength " (Ps. 84 : 7), 
 Also " of death unto death " (2 cor. 2 : le) . 
 Faith is an exercise of the soul includ- 
 ing belief and trust. As it is Avritten, 
 in Hab. 2 : 4, The righteous shall have 
 life from faith. Quoted also in Gal. 
 3 : 11 ; Heb. 10 : 38. In the Hebrew, 
 Habakkuk says, "The righteous by 
 his faith," or ''his faithfulness, shall 
 live." Faith is implied and really in- 
 cluded in faithfulness. ' ' This fa ithful- 
 ne^s in the prophet's sense, nrviS. faith in 
 the Christian sense, have the same fun- 
 damental idea, trustful self -surrender 
 to God" (Meyer). The faith of a 
 heart accepted with God is always the 
 same in its nature under whatever cir- 
 cumstances exercised. Paul uses this 
 expression as a brief summary of the 
 Old Testament on this point, witliout 
 reference to its particular use and appli- 
 cation in Hal)akkuk. Some place a 
 comma after faith. " The righteous by 
 faith, shall live." It seems better, if a 
 comma is used, to put it after "right- 
 eous " ; but it is best to have no comma 
 at all. 
 
 Right eonsness and four kindred words, 
 translated y«s^ or righteous, justify q.w*\ 
 justification, are of first importance in 
 Paul's writings. A clear understand- 
 ing of these terms is needful in the ex- 
 position especially of Romans and 
 Galatians. They must therefore be 
 briefly noticed here. They are derived 
 from a Greek word {^>-<^, dike), mean- 
 ing right, as folloM's : 
 
 (1) Righteous or just {dikaios,SUaio^), 
 This is used absolutely of God, as per- 
 fectly righteous and holy, and is thus 
 
 applied to Christ (3 : 26 ; 2 Tim. 4 : 8 ; 1 John 
 
 2 : 29: Acts 3 : 14). In this scnsc it can be 
 rightly said of mankind, that there is 
 not one righteous (3 : lo). In a relative 
 sense, however, righteous can be applied 
 to men, as upright, virtuous, and serv- 
 ing God (Acts 10 : 22 ; Titus 1:8). It is ap- 
 plied to them as approved of God (» = ■?), 
 as acceptable to him by faith (this verse; 
 Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38), Thus they are 
 spoken of as "righteous before God" 
 
 (2:13). This word occurs eighty-one 
 times in the New Testament. In the 
 Revised version it is translated sixty- 
 three times righteous, eleven times just 
 (nine of which are translated righteous 
 in the Improved Bible Union version), 
 and seven times right. 
 
 (2) Righteousness {dikaiosune, Stxaio. 
 o-v»"j), denoting the abstract idea or 
 quality or state of one who is righteous. 
 It never means justification, but simply 
 righteousness, and is always so trans- 
 lated in both the Comiuou and the Re- 
 vised versions. This sense varies in its 
 application. Sometimes it means the 
 righteousness or holiness in the Divine 
 character (3:5); sometimes godliness or 
 true piety in man (6 : i3). Sometimes it 
 is that righteousness which is reckoned 
 to us on Christ's account (*:6), and 
 sometimes that which, through and in 
 connection with this imputation of 
 Christ's righteousness, has become an 
 effect in us _(6:i6, i9). Both of these 
 ideas are at times united in this word, 
 the righteousness which is reckoned to 
 the believer and that resultant moral 
 condition inseparably connected with it 
 (2 Cor. 5:21). Righteousness in this pas- 
 sage (ver. 17) appears to include this 
 double meaning. As salvation in the 
 preceding verse is a full and complete 
 salvation of the soul, so righteousness 
 here includes Avhat Christ does for us 
 and in us. Both of these ideas Paul 
 discusses and develops in this Epistle. 
 So Dr. A. H. Strong, "Svstematic 
 Theology," p. 486 (f.) : "This right- 
 eousness includes sanctification as well 
 as justification, and the subject of the 
 Epistle to the Romans is not simply 
 justification by faith, but rather riglit- 
 eousness by faith, or salvation by faith. 
 Justification by faith is the subject of 
 chap. 1-7 ; sanctification by faith is the 
 subject of chap. 8-16. We are not 
 sanctified by efforts of our own any 
 more than we are justified by efforts of 
 our own." The particular application 
 of this word in different passages, and 
 Paul's use of it, will appear more ex- 
 actly as we proceed in these notes. It 
 occurs thirty-six times in this Epistle. 
 
 (3) To justify {dikaiod, fittaiow) in 
 New Testament usage means to shoiv. 
 
34 
 
 KO.MANS 
 
 [Cn. I. 
 
 The ruin and guilt o/ the (ientUes. 
 18 ■' FOR the wrath of God is revealed 
 
 18 For God's wrath is rovoaled froui 
 
 * 2 : 5, 6, 8, 9 ; Kzt-k. 18:4; Col. 3 ; «. 
 
 or declare Hghteous. The former 
 meaning is occasional and occurs in 
 3 : 4 ; 1 Cor. 4 : 4 ; 1 Tim. 3 : 16 ; Matt. 
 11 : 19 ; Luke 7 : 35 ; 10 : 29. The lat- 
 ter meaning, in a judicial sense^ to de- 
 clare one righteous and treat him ac- 
 cordingly, is found elsewhere in Paul's 
 Epistles, and is the predominant idea 
 of the word elsewhere in the New Tes- 
 tament. This act of God declaring and 
 treating one as righteous for Christ's 
 sake, carries along with it the forgive- 
 ness of sins. The sinner is not only 
 released from punishment, but accepted 
 as though he had committed no offense 
 (3:25; 4:6-8; 8:33). It also implies re- 
 generation and the impartation of right- 
 eousness (8 : 30 ; Phil. 3:9; 2 ("or. 5 : 17-19 ; (Jal. 
 6 : 15; John 5 : 24), 
 
 (4) Justification {dikaimis, StKaitoo-ts) 
 expressing the abstract idea of the verb 
 justify. The act of God declaring men 
 free from guilt and acceptable to him. 
 This word occurs only twice in the New 
 
 Testament (4:25; 5: is). 
 
 (5) Justification {dikav'mia, fiiKaiw/xa) 
 that which is divinely accounted right, 
 namely, a divine reqnirement or ordi- 
 nance (1:32; 2 26 ;8: 4; Luk.; 1:6; Heb. 9 : 1,10). 
 
 Also that which the law regards or ac- 
 counts right, a righteous act (5:i8; r<v. 
 15 : 4 ; 19 : 8). Oucc it mcaus justification 
 (5:16), a favorable sentence, by which 
 God acquits men and declares them ac- 
 ceptable to him, and restored to his 
 favor. By this and the two preceding 
 words God is represented in the New 
 Testament as acquitting the believer 
 from all guilt and restoring him to the 
 Divine favor on the ground of Christ's 
 obedience, death, and intercession, irr<'- 
 specti ve of the believer's personal merit. 
 "V et when justification is explained and 
 treated as an actual experience in man 
 it at once appears as ins<'parable from a 
 moral change of tbejustilied (6:7-ii.i8, 
 22; 8:1-4). The fact sccms to be that 
 when Paul addressed those who trusted 
 in themselves that they were righteous, 
 he preached the judicial doctrine of jus- 
 tification by faith alone, salvation at- 
 tainable only through trust in .lesus 
 Christ ; but when he exj)laincd and en- 
 forced this doctrine it was a salvation 
 
 attained alone by a personal trust and 
 union of the justified with his Saviour, 
 which necessarily implied and involved 
 a renewal of his nature. Acquitting the 
 sinner and accounting him righteous, 
 forgiveness, regeneration, and faith, 
 though we may distinguish and treat 
 them separately, in order to understand 
 them clearly, yet in our conception of 
 them should not be divorced from one 
 another, and in actual experience, they 
 are inseparable. 
 
 The five words, above considered, re- 
 lating to righteousness and justifica- 
 tion, should be clearly understood in 
 order to an intelligent reading or study 
 of Paul's writings. 
 
 The subject of the Epistle as here pre- 
 sented may be thus stated : The gos- 
 pel REVEALS SALVATION THROUGH A 
 RIGHTEOrSNESS BY FAITH IN CHRIST 
 ALONE, IRRESPECTIVE OF WORKS OF 
 
 LAW. From this point the doctrinal 
 portion of the Epistle l)egins and ex- 
 tends to the end of the eleventh chap- 
 ter. The necessity of this righteous- 
 ness in order to salvation is shown in 
 1 : 18 to 3 : 20. This righteousness 
 through Christ is presented and illus- 
 trated, for the justification, sanctifica- 
 tion, and complete salvation of be- 
 lievers in Jesus in 3 : 21 to the end of 
 the eighth chapter. The njection of 
 Israel as a peculiar covenant people, 
 and the extension of the offer of salva- 
 tion to all men ar«' considered in chaj). 
 9 to 11 inclusive. The remainder of 
 the Epistle contains the practical part ; 
 various y)recepts, directions in reganl 
 to the treatment of weak l)rethren, per- 
 sonal explanations and exhortation, 
 messages and salutations. 
 
 18-32. The necessity of salva- 
 tion AND of a RIGHTEOISNESS such 
 as the gospel reveals SHOWN FROM TIIE 
 SINFULNESS OF tlic human race witli 
 special reference to THE GENTILE 
 WOULD. Divine wrath against the un- 
 godliness and unrighteousness of men 
 (v.r. 18) ; historical view of the downfall 
 and (b'gradation of mankind (ver. lo--'.-?); 
 judicially given over to vileiiess and to 
 a reprobate mind (vir. 24-32). Paul views 
 the race as having sunk down from a 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 35 
 
 from lu'uvcu against all ungodliness 
 and unrighteousness of men, ' who hold 
 
 19 the truth in unrighteousness. Because 
 "that which may he known of <iod is 
 manifest in the'm ; for " God hath 
 
 20 showed i< unto them. For <> the invisible 
 things of him from the creation of the 
 world are clearly seen, being under- 
 stood by the things p that are made, even 
 his eternal power and Godhead ; so that 
 
 heaven against all ungodliness and 
 unrightecjusnessof men, who hold buck 
 
 19 the truth in unrighteousness ; because 
 that which may be known of God is 
 manifest in them ; for God manifested 
 
 20 it to them. For, since the creation of 
 the world, his invisible things are 
 clearly seen, being perceived by the 
 things that are made, even his eternal 
 power and divinity ; that they may be 
 
 I Luke 12 : 46, 47 ; John 3 : 19-21. m Acts 14 : 17. n 1 .Juhn 1:9. o Ps. 19 : 1-6 ; Acts 14 : 17. p 2 : 15. 
 
 primeval state in which a true knowl- 
 edge of God was enjoyed. 
 
 18. Having presented salvation 
 through a righteousness by faith alone, 
 Paul proceeds to prove the necessity of 
 ju.st such a provision. Tliis is evident 
 from man's condition as a sinner, and 
 as such condemned before God, For 
 the wrath of God, etc. The tvrath 
 of God is his antagonism against sin, 
 and is infinitely removed from the ma- 
 lignity of human anger. God's holi- 
 ness and justice, and indeed his love 
 and his entire nature, are diametrically 
 opposed to all that is evil. Is re- 
 vealed through man's conscience, 
 through Divine interpositions and reve- 
 lations from heaven, M'here God 
 dwells. Paul assumes the exi.stence of 
 God and his primitive justice as truths 
 which exist in human consciousness, 
 and force themselves on the knowledge 
 and convictions of men. See ver. 24-32 
 for an illustration of how God has re- 
 vealed his wrath. Such wrath from 
 heaven should certainly suggest the ne- 
 cessity of a righteousness from heaven. 
 Against all kinds of ungodliness, 
 impiety toward God, and unright- 
 eousness, immorality and injustice 
 among men. These two classes are a 
 comprehensive summary of the objects 
 of the Divine displeasure. Who hold 
 the truth in unrighteousness — 
 who possess the truth yet remain in sin, 
 who know it yet refuse to obey it. So the 
 verb hold is used in 1 Cor. 7 : 30 ; 2 Cor. 
 
 6 : 10. ( Compare James 2:1.) This vicW is 
 
 favored by ver. 21, 28. This wrath is re- 
 vealed against those who know some- 
 thing of God's will and disregard it. 
 Others, however, Avould translate more 
 literally, hold hack the truth, repress it, 
 in their reason and conscience, not 
 allowing what they do know concern- 
 ing God and his attributes, to have its 
 proper influence, (ver. 21, 28), "Truth 
 repressed is soon forgotten or perverted. 
 
 ( Compare John 7 : 17. ) " There nccd be no 
 conflict between these views as stated 
 above ; for they who possess the truth 
 and remain in sin must in a certain 
 measure repress it, and vice versa. 
 
 19. Because introduces the reason 
 of the statement of ver. 18. They were 
 not ignorant of the truth which they 
 disregarded and repressed, therefore 
 " tlie wrath of God is revealed," etc. 
 That Avhich may be known of 
 God — from nature and providence; or 
 as many translate. That ivhich is known 
 of God from creation and providence. 
 Is manifest in them — within their 
 minds, in their heart.s. For God 
 hath shewed, rather, manifested or 
 made it known, unto them by his 
 works and providence from the time 
 man became an inhabitant of the 
 earth (ver. 20). The historic or indefi- 
 nite past tense is used. The knowledge 
 of God among men preceded heathen- 
 ism. This is the teaching of Scripture 
 (o.n. 1. 2; Ecci.7:29) and is Confirmed by 
 tradition. God's revelation is three- 
 fold: (1) To the reason and conscience 
 
 (2 : 15; John 1:9); (2) through CrcatioU 
 and providence (ver. 20- Acts 14:17; 17: 
 
 25-28) ; and (3) through the Holy Scrip- 
 tures including the gospel of the mani- 
 festation of Christ. The first two are 
 here meant in distinction from the last. 
 
 20. For confirms the statement just 
 made. The invisible things of 
 him — the attributes and i>erfections of 
 his being which are not seen by tlie 
 senses, from, rather, since, the crea- 
 tion of the world (compare A-ts 15 : n) 
 
 are clearly seen by the mind, being 
 understood, or better, being jyerceivrd, 
 by the things that are made — by 
 
 means of his works. There has been no 
 time or circumstance since the world was 
 created at or in which men could have 
 excuse, since the knoAvledge of God from 
 his works was within their reacli. 
 Heathen writers have expressed simi- 
 
36 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 21 they are without excase : because tliat, 
 4 when tlK'y knew God, they glorified 
 him not as God, neither were thankful ; 
 but ' became vain in their imagina- 
 tions, and their foolish heart was 
 
 22 darkened. » Professing themselves to 
 
 23 be wise, tliey became fools, and 
 changed the glory of the uncorruptible 
 t God into an image made like to cor- 
 ruptible man, and to birds, and four- 
 footed beasts, and creeping things. 
 
 21 without excuse. Because, knowing 
 God, they glorified him not as God, nor 
 gave thanks ; but became vain in 
 their reasonings, and their stupid 
 
 22 heart was darkened. Affirming them- 
 selves to be wise, they became fools : 
 
 23 and changed the glory of the in- 
 corruptible God for the likeness of 
 an image of corruptible man, and of 
 birds and fourfooted beasts and creep- 
 ing things. 
 
 q Ver. 28. 
 
 r 2 Kings 17 : 15 ; Jer. 2:5; Kph. 4 : 17, 18. s Jer. 10 : 14 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 19-21. 
 
 t See refs. Exod. 20 : 4 ; Ps. 106 : 20 ; Ezek. 8 : 10. 
 
 lar sentiments. Even his eternal 
 
 power — the first and prominent attri- 
 bute which the works of creation would 
 impress on tlie mind ; and Godhead, 
 Divinity, tlie divine nature and char- 
 acter. These are the invisible things ju.st 
 spoken of. So that they are, or So 
 that they may be, without excuse. 
 Professor Boise suggests that both ideas, 
 result and purpose, may be included 
 here. Some may shut their eyes to the 
 light ; others may not go through the 
 process of reasoning. But even then 
 where knowledge is attainable ignor- 
 ance is no excuse. Or even if a whole 
 nation is found utterly ignorant of God 
 it only shoAvs how man through sin has 
 degenerated, and sunk into spiritual 
 darkness. See Fish's "Masterpieces," 
 Vol. II., p. 463, sermon by President 
 Maxcy; also "Christian Review," Vol. 
 XXV., p. 105 ff. on Rom. 1 : 18-23. 
 
 21. Because introduces more em- 
 phatically and more fully why they are 
 without excuse. Because that having 
 hioivn or knowing the true God, in con- 
 trast to false gods, in the early history 
 of the race and from time to time in all 
 ages. Knowing of his existence and 
 his chief perfections. Paul treats now 
 of a matter of fact and shows what 
 men did, although they had this knowl- 
 edge. Heathen mythologies indicate 
 the doctrine of the Divine unity to have 
 been universally held among all na- 
 tions in their early history. So also 
 the Scriptures indicate this. Before the 
 
 flood. (Sic Oen. 4:26; 5:24; 6:8.) After 
 
 the flood for indications of the knowl- 
 edge of the true God among the early 
 
 nations. (S'-'- O.n. U : I8-2O : 20 : 5, 10 : Num. 22 : 
 
 8, 24; Jonah .T : 5) They ^lorificd him 
 not as God, by worshiping and ol)ey- 
 ing him as such, neither were they 
 thankful, they did not give thanks to 
 him as the source of all good. (Compare 
 
 Dan. 5:23.) Thus they totally rejected 
 God. But became vain in their 
 imaginations — in their reasonings 
 and speculations; became vain ref(-r- 
 riiig to their foolish and base concep- 
 tions of God, especially in their idol wor- 
 ship. Heathen gods and their worship 
 are spoken of in Scriptures as vanities. 
 
 ( Acts 14 : 15 ; 1 Kings 16 : 13 ; 2 Kings 17:15; Jer. 8:19.) 
 
 And their foolish heart, stupid 
 and senseless, as to their whole inward 
 being, w^as darkened ; losing all 
 right views of God, their moral con- 
 ceptions became more and more de- 
 graded (lCor.3 : 20). 
 
 32. This sentence enlarges and 
 proves the .statement just made. Pro- 
 fessing, or affirming, themselves to 
 be wise, making high pretensions 
 to wisdom, they became fools, or 
 foolish, in their conceit of wisdom. Such 
 were the idle speculations of the early 
 Greek philosophers who were justly 
 condemned by Socrates. But special 
 reference is had to the origin of idola- 
 try, and to that worldly wisdom which 
 engenders pride, separates from God, 
 brings on spiritual blindness, and results 
 in the worship of the creature rather 
 than the Creator (i cor. i : 21 : jer. 10 : u). 
 
 23. The sentence continuing from 
 the preceding verse illustrates their 
 folly: And changed the glory of 
 the uncorruptible God, the iniper- 
 i.shal)le, eternal God with his glorious 
 perfections, whom they ought to have 
 worshiped, into an image, etc. In 
 their conceptions they degraded God 
 into the likeness of human beings, and 
 even of the meanest creatures, and car- 
 ried out these conceptions in making 
 objects of worship. Or translate, An<l 
 exchanged . . . for the fikeness of an 
 image, something similar to the form of 
 corruptible man , etc. Of birds — as the 
 ibisorstork. Four-footed beasts — 
 
Ch. I.J 
 
 KOMANS 
 
 37 
 
 24 " Wherefore God also gave them up to 
 uncleanness through the lusts of their 
 own hearts, " to dishonour their own 
 
 25 bodies * between themselves : who 
 changed ^ the truth of God y into a lie, 
 and worshipped and served the crea- 
 ture more than the Creator, ^ who is 
 
 26 blessed for ever. Amen. For this 
 cause God gave them up unto ^ vile af- 
 
 24 Wherefore God delivered them up in 
 the desires of their hearts to unclean- 
 ness, to dishonor their bodies among 
 
 25 themselves ; who changed the truth of 
 God into falsehood ; and worshiped 
 and served the creature rather than 
 the Creator, who is blessed forever. 
 
 26 Amen. For this cause God delivered 
 them up to shameful passions ; for 
 
 u See refs. Ps. 81 : 12 ; Hosea 4 : 17 ; Eph. 4 : 18, 19. v 1 Cor. 6 : 18 ; 1 Peter 4:3. w Lev. 18 : 22. 
 
 X 1 John 5 : 20. y Isa. 44 : 20 ; Jer. 10 : 14 ; Amos 2:4; Hab. 2 : 18. 2 Ps. 72 : 19. 
 
 a Ver. 24 ; Eph. 5 : 12 ; Ju^e 10. 
 
 as the cat and the dog and the sacred ' 
 ox. Creeping things — as the croco- 
 dile and the serpent. In Greece, idols of 
 the human form prevailed ; in Egypt, 
 those of birds, beasts and reptiles ; in 
 Kome, the former largely, though at 
 that time both were united. ( see ou 
 VT. 25.) Though the intelligent " de- 
 fender of such Avorship may plead that 
 it is offered only to the Divine Being, 
 as manifested or brought to mind by 
 objects (a plea which the Bible no- 
 where admits), yet the mass of the 
 people everywhere unquestionably wor- 
 ship the idol itself as a god." (com- 
 pare Acts 19 : 26, 35.) 
 
 24. Thus far Paul had made promi- 
 nent the imgodliness of men (ver. i8); 
 from this point to the end of the chapter 
 he brings into prominence the unright- 
 eousness, the immorality, and injustice of 
 men (ver. is). Wherefore, in righteous 
 retribution upon the heathen for their 
 idolatry, God gave them up, aban- 
 doned them, unrestrained, to their own 
 wicked passions. To uncleanness, 
 the impurity of lustful, profligate liv- 
 ing, through, rather, in, the lusts or 
 the desires of their hearts, in this ter- 
 rible state or condition they were in, 
 degraded but voluntary on their part. 
 Here Paul presents the judicial act of 
 God ; in Eph. 4 : 19 he presents the 
 manward side of the heathen, by their 
 own act delivering "themselves up to 
 wantonness, to work all uncleanness 
 
 in greediness." (.see Acts 28 : 27, and note.) 
 
 To dishonour their bodies be- 
 tween, rather, among, themselves. 
 
 In their foolish speculations they had 
 dishonored God (ver. 21-23) ; and now fol- 
 lowing their desires they dishonor their 
 own Tjodies. Paul refers here and 
 farther on to those crimes against na- 
 ture which were common to pagan na- 
 tions, and was the reproach of pagan 
 civilization. 
 
 25. Who — As they ivho, indicating 
 the class to which they belonged, and 
 implying the reason why God gave 
 them over : because they cJtianged the 
 truth of God, which he had revealed 
 respecting himself (see ver. 19-21)^ into a 
 lie, the very essence and atmosphere of 
 
 idolatry (2 Thess. 2 : ll; Rev. 22 : 15), The 
 
 verse may be rendered : As those toho 
 exchanged the truth of God for a lie, 
 that is, the true God for false gods. The 
 term falsehood is applied to false gods 
 in the Old Testament ( Jer. 13 : 25 ; ps. 31 : 6 ; 
 
 compare Rev. 21 : 8) . Paul vicWS idolatry ill 
 
 the heart (Ezek. 14 : 3) and in practice as 
 the root of all heathen degradation 
 (ver. 18-23.) From it come the sins of im- 
 purity (ver. 24-27), and all other sins (ver. 
 28-32). And, enlarging the idea of the 
 preceding clause, worshipped, inter- 
 nally from the heart, and served, ex- 
 ternally by words and sacrificial rites, 
 the creature, or the created, rather 
 than the Creator. More than should 
 be translated rather than, implying the 
 entire exclusion of the Creator from 
 their worship. In holy horror at the 
 thought of thus dethroning God and in 
 reverence to his name, Paul exclaims, 
 who is blessed for ever — sur- 
 rounded with the perpetual praise and 
 homage of the heavenly world and 
 worthy thus to be. To which also he 
 adds in deep devotion his solemn afiir- 
 mation and prayer, Amen, so it is and 
 so let it be. Compare Paul's doxologies 
 
 elsewhere (9:5; 11 : 36 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 17 ; 2 Tim. 
 4 : 18). 
 
 26. For this cause, because of 
 their idolatrous apostasy just spoken of 
 in ver. 25, God gave them upo Paul 
 repeats what he had said in ver. 24 (on 
 which see) with greater force and de- 
 lineation. It was necessary thus to do 
 in order to prove the utterly lost condi- 
 tion of the heathen, and that their sal- 
 vation could only be attained through 
 
38 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 fections: for even their women did 
 change the natural use into that which 
 
 27 is against nature : and likewise also the 
 men, leaving the natural use of the 
 woman, burned in tlieir lust one to- 
 ward another; men with men working 
 that which is unseemly, and receiving 
 in themselves that recompense of their 
 
 28 error which was meet. And even •> as 
 they did not like to retain God in their 
 knowledge, <-MJod gave them over to 
 <ia rei)rol)ate mind, to do those things 
 
 29 e which are not convenient ; being tilled 
 
 their women changed the natural use 
 
 27 into that which is against nature ; and 
 in like manner the men also, leaving 
 the natural use of the woman, burned 
 in their desire one toward another ; 
 men with men working that which is 
 unseemly, and receiving in themselves 
 the recompense of their error which 
 
 28 was due. And as they did not choose to 
 retain God in their knowledge, God 
 delivered them up to a reprobate mind, 
 to do those things which are not be- 
 
 29 coming ; being filled with all unright- 
 
 6 Ver. 21. 
 
 c Ver. 24. 
 
 d Jer. 6 : 30. 
 
 e Eph. 5 : 4. 
 
 the power of God and his righteousness 
 by faith (ver. le, i7). Yet with great del- 
 icacy he alludes to those vile practices 
 of which he says elsewhere it is a shame 
 to speak (Eph. 5:12). To vile affec- 
 tious — to vile passions and unnatural 
 sins. This was true of both sexes. 
 For even their women — their fe- 
 males. Omit even. He may speak of 
 these first, because such unnatural sen- 
 sual abominations were the more horri- 
 ble in that sex whose chief adornment 
 was modesty and sobriety ( 1 Tim. 2:9); yet 
 at the same time not more flagrant than 
 thatamongmen (ver. 27). Did change, 
 etc. This unnatural vice among females 
 was common in pagan Greece and Rome, 
 even in the time of their highest civili- 
 zation and refinement. 
 
 27. And likewise also the men, 
 or, their males— the prominent idea 
 is the shameful abuse of their sex. 
 Burned— were i7} flamed. Unseemly 
 — sliameful and indecent. The vice 
 here mentioned Mas that which has 
 been called sodomy from the shameful 
 
 sin of Sodom (fi'"- 19:5; Lev. IH : 22 ■ 1 
 
 Cor. 6:9). And receiving in them- 
 selves that recompense of their 
 error which was meet, justly 
 their due. Tlicir error was tlieir de- 
 parture from the true God into idola- 
 try ; and this reeo)npe)ise was a neces- 
 sary consequence and a just penalty, 
 received in their own persons — pliysical 
 diseases and degeneracy, mental weak- 
 nesses and disorders anil moral degra- 
 dation. Tlie unnatural crime liere 
 spoken of was common in the liighcst 
 periods of pagan civilization. The pic- 
 ture here given in these and the follow- 
 ing verses represent truly the morals of 
 the heathen world at tliat time. This 
 may be ])rovt(l by contemporary Greek 
 and Latin writers as gathered and 
 
 quoted by Tholuck and Dollinger. It 
 is confirmed by the excavations and 
 disclosures of the buried cities of Her- 
 culaneum and Pompeii. That it is a 
 true portraiture of the fearful moral 
 results of idolatry is shown by the con- 
 dition of the heathen to-day. Mission- 
 aries afiirm the present truthfulness of 
 the likeness, and the heathen recognize 
 it as descriptive of themselves. 
 
 28. Paul now proceeds to enumerate 
 other general vices to which God had 
 given them over. And even as — ac- 
 cordingly. Correspo)iding to their re- 
 jection of the knowledge of God Avas 
 their punishment. As they did not 
 like, or choose, to retain God in 
 their knowledge, as they reprohated, 
 rejected the knowledge of God (ver. 22-25), 
 God gave them over to a repro- 
 bate mind. The force of the sen- 
 tence is increased in the original by 
 different forms of the same Greek word, 
 translated like and reprobate. It may 
 be rendered, "As they did not think 
 God tcorthy to be kept in knowledge, 
 God gave them up to an nnnr/rthy 
 mind," the moral unfitness extending 
 to the deepest springs of life. Tliey 
 are represented as bringing this aban- 
 donment by God upon themselves. To 
 do, to the doing hal)itually, those 
 things which are not convenient, 
 7iot beeoini)ig moral and intelligent crea- 
 tures, hence immor(tlities, siieli as are 
 named in ver. 29-32. Notice this is the 
 third time he says God gore them vp 
 
 (ver. 24, 2fi). 
 
 29. Tliis summary of tlu' more com- 
 mon passions, feelings, and acts, fur- 
 nislies examples of what departure 
 from God has produced. As a whole 
 they are characteristic of our race, 
 sinc(> none can plead exemption from 
 all of them, and they indicate our fallen 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 39 
 
 with all unrighteousness, fornication, 
 wickedness, covetousness, malicious- 
 ness ; full of envy, murder, f debate, de- 
 
 30 ceit, malignity ; s whisperers, backbit- 
 ers, haters of God, despiteful, proud, 
 boasters ; inventors of evil things, dis- 
 
 31 obedient to parents ; without under- 
 standing, covenant breakers, ^ without 
 natural affection, implacable, unmer- 
 
 32 ciful: who i knowing the judgment of 
 God, that they which commit such 
 things ^ are worthy of death, not only 
 do the same, but ihave pleasure in 
 them that do them. 
 
 eousness, wickedness, covetousness, 
 maliciousness; full of envy, murder, 
 strife, deceit, malignity ; whisperers, 
 
 30 slanderers, hateful to God, insolent, 
 proud, boasters, devisers of evil 
 
 31 things, disobedient to parents, with- 
 out understanding, covenant-breakers, 
 Avithout natural affection, unmerciful ; 
 
 32 who, knowing the judgment of God, 
 that they who practice such things are 
 wortny of death, not only do them, 
 but also have pleasure in those who 
 practice them. 
 
 / See 13 : 13 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 4. 
 
 g See refs. Ps. 41 : 7. h Ps. 106 : 37, 38. 
 
 I Ps. 50 : 18 ; Hosea 7 : 3. 
 
 t 2 : 2, 14, 15. 
 
 A 6 ; 21. 
 
 and depraved condition by nature. 
 These sins are not named according to 
 any particular order, but rather for 
 rhetorical effect; accumulated accord- 
 ing as Paul's emotions bore him on 
 toward the climax of his thought. 
 Words denoting general sins and par- 
 ticular sins are mingled together. See 
 a similar catalogue of sins in 2 Cor. 12 : 
 20 ; Gal. 5 : 19-21 ; 2 Tim. 3 : 2-4. Be- 
 ing filled — a strong expression, ex- 
 tending to the whole being. With all 
 unrighteousness of heart and life. 
 Fornication — not found in the best 
 manuscripts. Wickedness — the bad- 
 ness of a vicious disposition. Covet- 
 ousness — avarice, a greedy desire of 
 gain ; a sin especially condemned by 
 
 Paul (Eph. 5:3; Col. 3 : 5). MaliciOUS- 
 
 ness — a spirit of malice, a disposition 
 to inflict evil. The apostle proceeds 
 to specify more particularly: Full 
 of envy, murder (in the heart, a 
 spirit of murder), debate, rather, 
 strife, deceit, malignity — a mali- 
 cious fault-finding, putting the worst 
 construction on everything. Paul con- 
 tinues his catalogue by designating per- 
 sons by their most characteristic sins. 
 Whisperers — who hint and slander in 
 low tones and secretly. 
 
 30. Backbiters — who publicly 
 speak ill and slander those who are 
 absent. Haters of God, or hate- 
 ful to God — exceptionally impious and 
 wicked. Despiteful — insolent in 
 words and acts. Proud — haughty, 
 despising others and even treat- 
 ing them with contempt. Boast- 
 ers — empty pretenders. Inventors 
 of evil things — of new devices to 
 practise evil; authors of mischief 
 (2 Mace. 7 : :n). Disobcdicut to pa- 
 rents — breakers of the fourth com- 
 
 mandment, and especially displeasing 
 to God. 
 
 31. Paul concludes his catalogue by 
 designating persons by some prevail- 
 ing principle or sentiment that actuates 
 their lives. Without understanding 
 — stupid morally. Covenant break- 
 ers — faithless, false to their contracts. 
 Without natural alTection of 
 love — heartless, (see Ps. loe : 37, 38.) As 
 "mothers who exposed their children, 
 emperors or satraps who put their broth- 
 ers to death." — Jowett. Implacable. 
 This word is not found in the best man- 
 uscripts, and should be omitted. Un- 
 merciful— " The dark places of the 
 earth are full of the habitations of cru- 
 elty " ( Ps- 74 : 20) . Merciless in the treat- 
 ment of children and slaves, of the 
 sick and the aged, and in their gladia- 
 torial combats. 
 
 32. Who, knowing the judg- 
 ment, or ordinance, of God — an ap- 
 pointment of God having the force of 
 law. See note on the word justifica- 
 tion (.5) on ver. 17. That they who 
 practise such things are worthy of 
 death — they know this from their own 
 consciences and from the lessons of 
 their wisest teachers. It had been 
 taught our first parents at the fall 
 (Gen. 2:17), and it had been recognized 
 in the laws and mythologies of the 
 heathen. Compare Acts 28 : 4, where 
 we may discover this moral sense of 
 retribution in the natives of Melita. 
 Not only do the same, but have 
 pleasure in, or applaud those ivho 
 practise them. Here, then, is the climax 
 of depravity. They know the Divine 
 ordinance of death for such sins, yet 
 they practise them ! And deeper and 
 more shameful still, they even ap- 
 plaud others who practise them. Many 
 
40 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 will eoudeinn in others what they do 
 themselves; but these rejoiee iii in- 
 iquity. 
 
 Thus Paul has shown that the heathen 
 are willful sinners, exposed to Divine 
 wrath and sutiering from the results of 
 their own depravity. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. To be a servant of Christ is a greater 
 honor than to be a lord or king among 
 men (ver. 1 ; Luke 7 : 28 ; 1 John -1 : 4). 
 
 2. The gospel was the soul of the old 
 dispensation (ver. 2 ; llev. 19 : 10 ; Acts 
 26 : 22, 23). 
 
 3. Christ is the center and circumfer- 
 ence of the gospel (ver. 3; Rev. 1:8; 
 Heb. 1:2; 1 Cor. 2: 1). 
 
 4. Christ is human and divine, the God- 
 man, attested both by his birth and his 
 resurrection (ver. 4 ; 2 Tim. 2:8; Phil. 
 2:5-10). 
 
 5. The ministry and the means of grace 
 are designed to lead men everywhere to 
 believe and obey God (ver. 5 ; 15 : 18 ; 
 James 2 : 'z2, 26) . 
 
 6. Christians are saints, called to be 
 Jesus Christ's, and beloved of God on his 
 account (ver. 6, 7 ; 1 Cor. 3 : 21 ; Rom. 8 : 
 16, 39; Eph. 5 : 1). 
 
 7. The Father and the Son are equally 
 the source of grace and peace, and 
 equally the objects of prayer (ver. 7 ; 1 
 Tim. 1:2; Rev. 1:4; 5 : 13). 
 
 8. Christ is our Mediator, through whom 
 our prayers and thanksgiving must ascend 
 to God' (ver. 8 ; John 14 : 4 ; Eph. 5 : 20 ; 
 Heb. 13 : 15). 
 
 9. We should be unceasing in our pray- 
 ers for God's people everywhere (ver. 9 ; 
 Gal. 6: 16; 1 Thess. 1 : 3, 4). 
 
 10. We should make journeying and the 
 ordinary affairs of life subjects of prayer, 
 and dependent on the will of God (ver. 
 10; James 4 : 14, 15). 
 
 11. One of the designs of the Christian 
 ministry is to build up and strengthen be- 
 lievers (ver. 11 ; 15 : 29 ; Eph. 4 : 11-13). 
 
 12. In spiritual friendship we both give 
 and receive (ver 12; 3 .John 4-8; 1 Cor. 
 9:23). 
 
 13. As Christian workers we should ever 
 be solicitous for fruit, the salvation of 
 souls (ver. 13 ; John 15 : 16). 
 
 1 1. What Christ h;i.s done for us makes 
 
 us debtors to preach the gospel to the 
 world he came to save (ver. 14, 15; 1 
 Cor. 9 : 16-23). 
 
 15. There is something in the gospel of 
 which the natural man is ashamed. Only 
 the renewed soul can glory in the gospel 
 (ver. 16 ; 1 Cor. 2 : 14 ; Gal. 6 : 14). 
 
 16. The power of the gospel is in the 
 truth which embodies Christ, and reveals 
 Christ to the soul (ver, 16; John 17:3; 
 2 Cor. 3 : 18; James 1 : 18). 
 
 17. The gospel produces not mere tem- 
 porary effects, but extends unto salvation, 
 a complete deliverance from sin and its 
 consequences (ver. 16, 17 ; 1 Peter 1 : 5). 
 
 18. Unless we become united with 
 Christ by faith, and receive heartily the 
 righteousness which is of God, as the 
 ground of our acceptance, we have no 
 part in the salvation of the gospel (ver. 
 17; Acts 4 : 12; 8 : 20-23). 
 
 19. Sin is two-sided— being against God 
 and against man. In the very nature of 
 things, human and divine, it merits wrath 
 and punishment (ver. 18; Eph. 5:6: 
 Col. 3:6; Job 36 : 18). 
 
 20. There is nothing that prevents the 
 spread and triumph of truth but sin (ver. 
 18, 19 ; John 3 : 20, 21 ; 2 Tim. 3 : 8). 
 
 21. God has never left himself without a 
 witness to the reason and consciences of 
 men (ver. 19 ; John 1 : 5, 9 ; Acts 14 : 17). 
 
 22. The visible creation is a proof of the 
 existence of God though he is invisible 
 (ver. 20; Ps. 19:1-6). 
 
 23. Sins committed against the light, 
 and in spite of the light, are doubly with- 
 out excuse (ver. 21 ; Ps. 14 : 1 ; John 9 : 
 41). 
 
 24. Tlie tendency of the race, even in 
 the highest civilization and wisdom, has 
 been away from God. Reformations have 
 ever been followed by declensions (ver. 
 22 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 20, 21 ; Jer. 8 : 8, 9). 
 
 25. Idolatry is senseless, and betrays both 
 mental and moral degradation (ver. 23, 
 25: Isa. 44 : 9-20). 
 
 26. God needs but to give up the sinner 
 to his own desires to ensure his degrada- 
 tion and punishment (ver. 24 ; Ps. 81 : 
 11, 12; Hosea4 : 17). 
 
 27. God abandons those who willfully 
 abandon him. Irreligion and immorality 
 are likely to go together (ver. 26. 28; 
 Isa. 66 : :3, 4; 1 Sam. 2 : 30). 
 
Ch. IL] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 41 
 
 The greater guilt oj the Jews ; and the im- 
 possibility of justification by the Law. 
 
 2 THEREFORE thou art ^ inexcusable, 
 O man, whosoever thou art that judg- 
 est : ° for wherein thou judgest anotlier, 
 thou condemnest thyself ; for thou that 
 
 2 judgest doest the same things. But we 
 are sure that the judgment of God is 
 according to truth against them which 
 
 3 commit such things. And thinkest 
 
 2 WHEREFORE thou art without ex- 
 cuse, O man, whoever thou art that 
 judgest ; for wherein thou judgest an- 
 
 • other, thou condemnest thyself ; for 
 thou that judgest dost practice the 
 
 2 same things. Now we know that the 
 judgment of God is according to truth, 
 upon those who practice such things. 
 
 n 2 Sam. 12 : 5-7 ; Malt..7 : 1, 2 ; John 8 : 9. 
 
 28. The sins of uncleanness are scrip- 
 tural evidences of human depravity and 
 God's disfavor (ver. 27; Eccl. 7:26; 
 Prov. 22 : 14). 
 
 29. Sin is often its o^vn punishment, en- 
 gendering other sins, and leading to phys- 
 ical, mental, and moral degeneracy 
 (ver. 29-31 ; Prov. 14 : 14 ; Gal. 6 : 7, 8). 
 
 30. The moral degradation of the 
 heathen proves their need of a religion of 
 divine power and a rigiiteousness from 
 God (ver. 30 ; 16, 17 ; 1 John 5 : 19 ; 2 
 Tim. 3 : 13). 
 
 31. If the apostasy of the heathen was 
 so terrible, how much more aggravating 
 must apostasy be under the light of Chris- 
 tianity (ver. 29-31 ; Matt. 11 : 22 ; 2 
 Thess. 2 : 8-12). 
 
 32. Sinners evince the climax of deprav- 
 ity when they not only sin knowingly 
 themselves, but also help others to do the 
 same (ver. 32 ; Isa. 5 : 18-24). 
 
 33. The wrath of God is a revealer not 
 against ignorance but against sin, disre- 
 gard and disobedience of the truth (ver. 
 18-32). 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Having shown that the heathen are 
 inexcusably guilty, Paul proceeds in 
 this chapter to show first, that those 
 who exhibit their superior knowledge 
 in judging others, whether Jews or en- 
 lightened Gentiles, must be inexcusable 
 too. Then with this transition of 
 thought he passes (ver. n) to a pointed 
 application to the Jew, showing that 
 he is thereby the more guilty and the 
 more inexcusable, and that circum- 
 cision cannot save him. 
 
 1-16. Application to the self- 
 righteous, WHETHER Jew or Gen- 
 tile, who condemn in others what they 
 themselves practise, showing that they 
 are guilty and inexcusable. Paul lays 
 
 down general principles regarding Di- 
 vine forbearance and justice to which 
 they, especially the Jew, must assent. 
 So that this section forms a transition 
 in his discussion between the sinful and 
 lost condition of the Gentile and the 
 sinful and lost condition of the Jew. 
 
 1. Therefore, in view of what I 
 have just said ( i : 18-32) thou art in- 
 excusable, O man. This sudden 
 and unexpected application is a pecu- 
 liarity of Paul's style (ver. 17). Who- 
 soever thou art that judgest — im- 
 plying that they had that knowledge of 
 God and of the ill-desert of sin spoken 
 of in 1 : 20, 21, 32. The class addressed 
 would be found both among Jews 
 and Gentiles. For wherein thou 
 judgest another— passeth unfavor- 
 able judgment on the other, thy tellow- 
 man, thy neighbor. Condemnest — 
 a little stronger word than judgest. 
 For thou that judgest doest, dost 
 practise, the same things — the same 
 in nature, not necessarily the same act, 
 but equally sinful. The direct appeal 
 to the conscience makes it the more 
 forcible. The fact that he judges an- 
 other shows that he has all the light 
 necessary to render his own sinful prac- 
 tice without excuse. Knowing the 
 right and doing the wrong, was indeed 
 holding the truth in unrighteousness 
 
 (1:18). 
 
 2. But we are sure — we knoio; 
 Christians, Jews, and intelligent Gen- 
 tiles must at once assent to the state- 
 ment he is about to make. That the 
 judgment of God is according to 
 truth, to right. There can be no error 
 n©r injustice possible in God's judg- 
 ment. This truth, confirmed alike by 
 reason, conscience, and the Old Testa- 
 rnent Scriptures, he makes the founda- 
 tion of the application that follows. 
 Against, or upon, them Avhich 
 commit, or practise, such things. 
 
42 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 thou this, O man, that judgest them 
 which do "sufh things, and doest the 
 same, that thou shalt escape the judg- 
 
 4 ment of God ? Or, Pdespisest thou q the 
 riches of his goodness and ■■ forbearance 
 and s longsulfering ; 'not knowing that 
 tlie goodness of God leadeth thee to re- 
 
 6 pentance ? But after thy hardness and 
 impenitent heart "treasurest up unto 
 thyself wrath against the day of wrath 
 and revehition of the righteous judg- 
 
 6 ment of God ; » who will render to every 
 
 7 man according to his deeds : to them 
 
 3 And reckonest thou this, O man, that 
 judgest tliose who practice such 
 things, and doest them, that thou shalt 
 
 4 escape the judgment of God? Or de- 
 spisest thou tlie riches of his kindness, 
 and forbearance, and long-suffering, 
 not knowing that the goodness of God 
 
 5 is leading thee to repentance ; and 
 after thy hardness and impenitent 
 heart, art laying up for thyself wrath 
 in the day of wratli and of' the revela- 
 tion of the righteous judgment of 
 
 6 God ; who will render to every man 
 
 7 according to his works ; to those 
 
 o 1 : 32. iJ 6 : 1, 15 ; Eccl. 8 : 11. 9 9 : 23 ; Eph. 1 : 7 ; 2 : 4, 7. /• 3 : 25. s See refs. Kxod. 34 : 6. 
 
 t Job 33 : 27-30 ; Jer. 3 : 12, 13 ; Hosea 5 : 15 ; 2 Peter 3 : 9, 15. u Deut. 32 : 34 ; James 5 : 3. 
 
 X 14 : 12 ; see refs. Job 34 : 11 ; Jer. 17 : 10 ; 1 Cor. 3:8; Rev. 20 : 12. 
 
 every enlightened man, whether Jew 
 or Gentile, admits this statement. 
 
 3. And can there be any escape ac- 
 cording to the principle laid down ? If 
 so it must be either on man's side (this 
 verse) or on God's side (next verse). 
 And thiukest thou this — but reckon- 
 est thou, in face of the proposition, that 
 the judgment of God is according to 
 truth, that thou shalt escape, etc. 
 Since God is just and righteous will he 
 not condemn those sins which ye your- 
 selves condemn, and condemn them in 
 you as well as in others? The mere 
 question was sufficient answer. Reason, 
 conscience, and the word of God, would 
 promptly respond. There is no escape 
 so far as what man can do is concerned. 
 As to the Jew hiding himself within 
 the Abrahamic covenant, Paul notices 
 that farther on, in ver. 25-29, in which 
 he shows that circumcision cannot pro- 
 tect .the sinner. 
 
 4. Or, if thou art not counting on 
 thus escaping, art thou thinking that 
 the goodness of God is so great that he 
 will for])ear to punish thee? Thus to 
 do was to (lespifte his goodness: De- 
 spisest thou the riches, the wealth, 
 the abundance (9 : 2.-<) of his §fOod- 
 ness, etc. Goodness is the kindness 
 which God exercises toward men. For- 
 bearance is tolerating and enduring, 
 hoUling back, as it were, liis vengeance. 
 liOngsuflTering is liis patient waiting, 
 his slowness in avenging wrongs (2 Peter 
 3:5-9: Ps. 103. h). How vast Paul's con- 
 ception of Divine in<lulgence! One 
 word could not express it; nor three. 
 It was the almndanccof them all. Not 
 knowing — not rccogmziinj and ignor- 
 ing the design of (iod's goodness to 
 them. Instead of encouraging them to 
 
 hope that God would not punish them, 
 its design was to lead them gently to 
 repentance, that they might humble 
 themselves, and turning to him might 
 forsake their sins. Notice that riches 
 is a favorite word with Paul (u : 33; Eph. 
 1 : 7; 3 : 16, etc.). Tliis pointed qucstiou 
 was well fitted to any Jewish reader. 
 
 5. But God's mercy has its limits, 
 and after, according to, thy hard- 
 ness, the obstinacy which resists the 
 influences of Di\ane kindness, and im- 
 penitent heart, thy firm persistence 
 in evil, thou treasure st up, thou art 
 treasuring up for thyself, wrath, etc. 
 (seeLukei2:2i.) The siuiier is Avillfully 
 lieaping up this fearful treasure ju.st in 
 proportion to his obstinacy toward good 
 influence and his persistence in evil. 
 He is accumulating for himself person- 
 ally wrath which will come upon him 
 against, rather in, the day of 
 wrath, the day of judgment (Rev. e ; iv ; 
 
 Aiuos 3 : 10; Zeph. 1 : 15), God's displcaSUrC 
 
 against sin is now revealed (i : is), but 
 tliere is to be a day of final reckoning, 
 which will also be a day of revealing the 
 righteous judgment of God, show- 
 ing that his dealings with all men are 
 in strict accordance with truth and 
 justice. This is further exhiltited in 
 the next six verses. This great i)rin- 
 ciple of God's moral government ac- 
 cords with the teachings of the Old 
 Testament. Tlie Jews must assent to 
 it; the intelligent Gentile could not 
 deny it. 
 
 6. » ho will fully render, be he 
 Jew or (JenliU", according to his 
 deeds, in oj)positit>n to any other 
 ground of judgment. Paul is not speak- 
 ing here of the provisions of the go.s- 
 pel, but is expounding the law, and 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 43 
 
 who by patient continuance in well- 
 doing seek for glory and honour and 
 
 8 immortality, eternal life: but unto 
 them that are contentious, and y do not 
 obey the truth, but obey unrighteous- 
 
 9 ness, indignation and wrath, tribula- 
 tion and anguish, upon every soul of 
 man that doeth evil, of the Jew '■ first. 
 
 who by patient continuance in well 
 doing seek for glory and honor and 
 
 8 immortality, eternal life ; but to those 
 who are contentious, and do not 
 obey the truth, but obey unrighteous- 
 
 9 ness, wrath and indignation, tribula- 
 tion and distress, on every soul of man 
 that works evil, of the Jew first, and 
 
 y Job 24 : 13 ; 2 Thuss. 1 : 8. 
 
 z Ma.t. 11 : 20-24 ; Luke 12 : 47, 48 ; 1 Peter 4 : 17. 
 
 righteousness by the law. In this and 
 the following five verses he teaches that 
 the Divine awards will be not accord- 
 ing to race or rank, relations or profes- 
 sions, but according to their works, 
 which will indicate their real character. 
 Tlie honest Gentile would naturally 
 assent, for why, he might say, should 
 God deal partially with the Jew. The 
 Jew could not but admit that this was 
 taught in their own Scriptures. Indeed 
 this verse is a quotation from Prov. 
 
 24 : 12. (Comp. Job 34 : 11; Ps. 62 : 12 ; Jer. 
 
 17:10, etc.) The Christian reader must 
 
 also assent (l Cor. 3:13; 2 Cor. 5:10; Ual. 
 
 6:7,8). But Paul does not here speak 
 of works as a ground of merit. (See on 
 ver. 13.) Faith also is a work of God 
 
 (John 6 : 29 ; Rom. 4:3; James 2 : 21-26) , but Paul 
 
 had no occasion to speak of it in this 
 part of the discussion (3 : si), 
 
 7. Paul proceeds to explain in de- 
 tail. To them, on the one hand, 
 who by patient continuance, or 
 constancy, in well doing, in conduct, 
 in every good work which piety begets 
 and demands. They who are un- 
 swerved, even by the greatest trials and 
 suiFerings, from their deliberate purpose 
 and loyalty to God and the truth (Luke 
 
 8:15; 2 Thess. 1:4; James 5:11; Rev. 13 : lO). 
 
 Seek, by this persevering life of piety 
 in God's service, glory, honor, and 
 immortality. These three words form 
 a full and complete description of future 
 salvation. The glory is the splendor of 
 that perfected life (Matt. 13 : 43) ^ the honor 
 that comes to it like a prize to a victor 
 
 ( 1 Cor. 9 : 25 ; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4), and ini- 
 
 mortality is its imperishableness (i Peter 
 1 : ♦). Man at first was crowned with 
 glory and honor (ps. 8 : 5) which he lost, 
 but these seek to regain them with that 
 immortality which will free them from 
 all that is perishable. To those thus 
 seeking he will render (ver. e) eternal 
 life, life in the highest and truest sense, 
 spiritual, in holy and loving harmony 
 with God, and everlasting. The gospel 
 reveals also that it consists in knowing 
 
 Jesus Christ (John 17 : 2). Paul, from his 
 higher Christian viewpoint, describes 
 future blessedness. 
 
 8. Butunto them, on theother hand, 
 who are contentious, or factious, 
 having a self-seeking and partisan spirit, 
 corresponding very closely to that de- 
 scribed in ver. 5. With their stubborn- 
 ness they do not obey the truth 
 (1:18), and in their persistence they 
 obey unrighteousness — and hence 
 are the servants of sin and Satan (e : 17; 
 John 8 : 44) . Thus dircctly and indirectly 
 they factiously contend against God's 
 revealed will, a sin committed indeed 
 by Gentiles, but often by the Jews as 
 
 well (Isa. 1:2-4; Jer. 5 : 23 ; Acts 7 : 51). To 
 
 such shall be rendered (according to 
 the best Greek text) indignation 
 and wrath. The former word ex- 
 presses the internal heat and the more 
 permanent feeling ; the latter the sud- 
 den bursting forth of feeling and the 
 stronger passion. But both words as 
 expressing the just retribution of sin, 
 and as connected with God, must be 
 regarded as the outbursting of his holi- 
 ness and justice against sin. 
 
 9. In this and the next verse Paul 
 recapitulates what he had said in the 
 two preceding, inverting the order and 
 emphasizing the universality of the 
 retribution. The change gives vivid- 
 ness and force to his language. Tribu- 
 lation and anguish. The first 
 word expresses that affliction that comes 
 from without ; the second, that distress 
 and hopelessness which is felt within. 
 Upon every soul of man, whoever, 
 doeth, is working, practising evil. 
 Soul, while it may suggest that part of 
 man which feels pain, seems to be used 
 as in chap. 13 : 1 for the whole man, and 
 calls to mind the formulas of the law, 
 and gives solemnity to the warning 
 (Lev. 5:1). This should come, according 
 to the principles of truth and righteous- 
 ness, upon every soul of this class, of 
 the Jew first, who, so far from enjoy- 
 ing special favor, should on account of 
 
44 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 10 and also of the Gentile; 'but glory, 
 honour, and peace, to everj' man that 
 worketh good, to the Jew first, and 
 
 11 also to the Gentile. For •'there is no 
 respect of persons with God. 
 
 12 For as many as have sinned « without 
 law shall also perish without law : and 
 as nuinv as have «i sinned in the law 
 
 13 shall be judged bv the law ; For •> not the 
 hearers of the law are just before God, 
 f but the doers of the law shall be jus- 
 
 14 tified. For when the Gentiles, e which 
 
 10 also of the Greek ; but glory and honor 
 and peace to every man that works 
 good, to the Jew first, also to the 
 Greek. 
 
 11 For there is no respect of persons 
 
 12 with God. For as many as sinned 
 without law will also perish with- 
 out law ; and as many as sinned with 
 
 13 law will be judged by law ; for not 
 the hearers of the law are righteous 
 before God, but the aoers of law will 
 
 14 be justified : (for wben Gentiles, who 
 
 a 1 Pcltr 1:7. b See refs. Deut. 10 : 17. c 1 : 19, 20. d Gal. 2 : 16-19 ; 3 : 10 ; James 2 : 10, 11. 
 e Matt. 7 : 21-27 ; James 1 : 22-25. / 10 : 5 ; Lev. 18 : 5 ; Gal. 3 : 11, 12. g Eph. 2 : 12. 
 
 greater light and higher privileges be 
 first in condemnation and punishment 
 
 (1 : 16; Luke 12 : 47,48). And alSO of the 
 
 Gentile, rather, of the Greek. None 
 of this class shall escape this impartial 
 tribunal. 
 
 10. But glory, honour. (Seeon ver. 
 
 7.) Peace is used here instead of im- 
 mortality in ver. 7, and refers to the 
 tranquil, blessed state of the righteous 
 after death. To every man that 
 worketh good. In the original 
 worketh is not so full and strong as its 
 compound word "worketh" in ver. 9. 
 There the idea is of accomplishing, per- 
 petuating, ew\\; here the idea is the giv- 
 ing of one's strength to doing the good, 
 working for it. To the Jew first- 
 having received the oracles of God 
 (3 : 2) and the first offers of salvation. 
 And also to the Gentile — the Greek, 
 who on this account shall not be ex- 
 cluded. 
 
 11. This verse forms a connecting 
 link between the preceding verses of 
 this chapter and the next five verses. 
 This equitable distribution without par- 
 tiality must be made, For there is 
 no respect of persons, partiality 
 on account of outward conditions such 
 as rank or race, with God. (James 2: 
 
 1-4 ; Eph. 6:9: Col. 3 : 25.) This WaS taUgllt 
 
 in the Old Testament (Deut.io:n), but 
 tlie Jew limited this to God's dealings 
 with his chosen people. Paul uses it 
 with a broader application, as also did 
 Peter to Cornelius at Csesarea. See 
 Acts 10 : .34 and note, where a kindred 
 word of the same formation is used, 
 
 12. This principle of impartiality in 
 th<' divine government is explained and 
 illustrated in respect to both Jew and 
 Gentile (v,r. 12-I6). For introduces the 
 reason and contirmation of tlie stnte- 
 ment of the preceding verse, with spe- 
 
 cial reference to future condemnation. 
 All shall be treated according to the 
 light they have^ and their opportunity 
 of knowing their duty. For as many 
 as have sinned, rather, as sinned, be- 
 ing viewed in the past with reference 
 to the future judgment. Without 
 law — the written law, referring to the 
 law of Moses. Shall perish — be con- 
 demned and punished without the 
 written law, with due allowance for 
 the circumstances under which they 
 sinned. Perish means here shall incur 
 the loss of true or eternal life{yeT.T; 
 John 3: 16). And as many as sinned 
 in the law, in possession and with 
 the knowledge of it, shall be judged 
 by the law, their condemnation being 
 implied. Paul here states a general 
 fact in regard to the impartiality of the 
 rule by which men are to be judged. 
 It would commend itself to the reason 
 and conscience of both Gentile and Jew, 
 and it also accorded with the Scriptures 
 of the latter (nan. 12:2). 
 
 13. Paul enforces the declaration in 
 the last clause of ver. 12, showing that 
 it was useless to possess and know the 
 law unless it was obeyed. For not 
 the hearers of the law, like the 
 Jew who heard it read constantly in 
 their synagogues, are just, or right- 
 eous, before God, but the doers of 
 the law shall be justified, shall be 
 counted righteons, that is, actually so 
 
 (James 1 : 22;" 4 : 11). Pa 111 is UOt hcre 
 
 speaking of gospel justification, but of 
 a legal principle in God's government. 
 The law required perfect obedience; 
 and this included sinlessness in heart 
 aiul life. "This do and thou shalt 
 
 live" (Lukcl0:28, on which sec note). TllC JcW 
 
 is taken upon his own ground. The 
 ])ossession of the law could not make 
 him righteous unless he obeyed it. He 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 45 
 
 have not the law, ^ do by nature the 
 things contained in the law, these, 
 having not the law, are a law unto 
 
 15 themselves : which shew the work of 
 the law i written in their hearts, their 
 conscience also bearing witness, and 
 their thoughts the meanwhile ^ accus- 
 
 16 ing or else excusing one another ; i in 
 the day when God shall judge the se- 
 
 have no laAV, do by nature the things 
 required by law, these, having no law, 
 
 15 are a law to themselves ; who show the 
 Avork of law written in their hearts, 
 their conscience testifying with it, and 
 between one another" their thoughts 
 
 16 accusing or also excusing ;) in the day 
 when God will judge the secrets of 
 
 h Ver. 27. 
 
 t 1 : 18-20. k Gen. 3 : 8-11 ; Eccl. 7 : 22 ; 1 John 3 : 19-21. 
 
 I Eccl. 12 : 14 ; 1 Cor. 4:5; Rev. 20 : 12. 
 
 could not count upon certain privileges 
 as a Jew ; he must rigidly keep the re- 
 quirements of the law. " The thought- 
 ful Jew must have felt how impossible 
 it was for him to be justified on this 
 principle ; and to create this conviction 
 was the object of the apostle in this en- 
 tire connection " (Boise). 
 
 14. In this and the next verse the 
 apostle illustrates and defends the state- 
 ment in the first clause of ver. 12 in 
 respect to the Gentiles who without the 
 written law have the light of nature 
 for their guide. For when Gentiles, 
 pagans, (omit the) — some of them — 
 who have no revealed laio, do by 
 nature, from their natural impulses 
 without any higher instruction, the 
 things required by law, moral duties 
 toward God and man. Pagans perform 
 many virtuous deeds. He does not say 
 that they fully obey the law, but he 
 only means so far as they do this. 
 They have the law of nature or con- 
 science — their own innate perceptions 
 of what is right and wrong, guided by 
 conscience; and by this law they are 
 to be judged. Whether any one ever 
 actually attained to eternal life without 
 the gospel revelation is not the ques- 
 tion, and is not here referred to. Ilav- 
 ing no law, in the sense that tlie Jew 
 has it, are a law unto themselves — 
 the voice of their own moral nature is 
 their rule, which the constitution of 
 their minds teaches them to revere as 
 the law of Him who formed it. God is 
 author of both the written and unwrit- 
 ten law, and so far as they run parallel, 
 
 they must agree. ( see next verse. ) 
 
 15. Inasmuch as they shew the 
 w^ork of laiv, its operation, not so 
 much by what it requires as by what it 
 performs, written in their hearts — 
 
 in their inner intelligent being. They 
 show the work and office of law, in 
 their inner perceptions of right and 
 wrong, corresponding to the more im- 
 
 portant precepts of that law written on 
 tables of stone. Note that it is not on 
 but in their hearts. Their con- 
 science, their moral sense or judg- 
 ment, also bearing witness, rather, 
 loitnessing therewith, with the outer 
 manifestation of this inner law, and 
 confirming it by its testimony. And 
 their thoughts the meanwhile, 
 better, And between one another, that is, 
 between these pagans, their thoughts, 
 in reviewing one another's conduct, 
 accusing or also excusing, according to 
 the decisions of their moral judgment. 
 Thus this inner law is shown by its 
 outer operations, by conscience, and by 
 the mutual judgment of their thoughts 
 regarding one another. 
 
 16. There is a difference of opinion 
 among expositors in respect to the con- 
 nection of this verse with what goes be- 
 fore. Some would connect it directly 
 with ver. 15, which is manifestly im- 
 possible unless we suppose that Paul 
 omitted some connecting thought he 
 had in mind. There evidently precedes 
 this a parenthetic passage or tiiought. 
 But where to begin it is the question. 
 Alford would begin with ver. 11. But 
 this seems too remote; Meyer begins 
 with ver. 15 ; Beza with ver. 14. It 
 would seem that with the end of ver. 12, 
 Paul proceeds in ver. 13 to explain the 
 last clause of ver. 12, beginning with 
 For ; and having done this, it occurred 
 to him that the first clause of ver. 12 
 equally needed explanation, which he 
 does in verses 14, 15, beginning again 
 with For. Having thus explained the 
 two clauses of ver. 12, he proceeds in 
 ver. 16 with his regular course of 
 thought. Thus the parenthetic passage 
 seems to be ver. 13, 14, and 15. It was 
 a peculiarity of Paul to throw in paren- 
 thetic thoughts. It indicates the high 
 state of spiritual emotion in which he 
 wrote. In the day — connect with 
 ver. 12; ^vill be judged by laiv in the 
 
46 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Cii. 11. 
 
 cretsof men "' In' Jesus Christ, ° accord- 
 ing to luy gospel. 
 
 17 Behold, "thou art called a Jew, and 
 prestest in the law, i and inakest thy 
 
 18 boast of God, and 'knowest his will, 
 and "approvest the things that are 
 more excellent, being instructed out 
 
 19 of the law ; and art confident that 
 
 men, according to my gospel, through 
 Jesus (,'lirist. 
 
 17 But if thou art called a Jew, and 
 restest on law, and gloriest in God, 
 
 18 and knowest his will, and approves! 
 the things that are excellent, being in- 
 
 19 structed out of the law ; and believest 
 
 m See rcfs. John 5 : 22-29. n 16 : 25 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 8. 
 
 q Isa. 45 : 25 ; Micah 3 : 11 ; John 8 : 41. 
 
 See refs. Luke 3 : 8. 
 r 3 : 2 ; Deut. 4 : 8. 
 
 j> 9 : 4 ; John 9 : 28, 29. 
 s Phil. 1 : 10. 
 
 day ; that is, at the final judgment, ac- 
 cording to the universal usage of the 
 New Testament (Matt. 7 : 22, etc.). Shall 
 judge the secrets of men — what 
 human judges cannot detect, what the 
 sinner hides from others, and even what 
 he himself may blindly fail to see. 
 According to my gospel — which he 
 was commissioned to preach (Gai. 1 : 1, 9, 
 11.12). A day of judgment by Jesus 
 Christ was one of its doctrines (Acts 
 
 17 : 31 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 10 ; 2 Thess. 4.1; John 5 : 22 ; Acts 
 
 10 : 42). Ju that day, also would be veri- 
 fied the great principle which he has 
 explained in ver. 13-15. So doubtless 
 it vividly appeared to Paul as he passed 
 from his parenthetic thoughts to this 
 verse. 
 
 17-29. The Jew, directly ad- 
 dressed KNOWS God's law better, 
 
 BUT KEEPS IT STILL LESS. NOR CAN 
 
 CIRCUMCISION SAVE HIM. His need 
 of God's righteousness is therefore 
 apparent. In the preceding section 
 Paul had passed gradually and skill- 
 fully to the Jew, naming him first in 
 ver. 9, having .secured his co-operating 
 conscience. The Jewish reader must 
 have felt that he was being addres.sed, 
 when now Paul turns suddenly upon 
 him in ver. 17. Such carefulness and 
 such surprises were characteristic of 
 
 Paul. ( Compare Acts 13 : 40 ; 17 : 31 ; 22 : 21. ) 
 
 17. Behold — If, according to the 
 oldest and best manuscripts. Thou — 
 emphatic. Notice how it is repeated in 
 ver. 21. If thou art called, sur- 
 
 named, or denominated, a Jew — if thou 
 art entitled in addition to your personal 
 name a Jew. Tlie name Jew, mean- 
 ing praised, was a matter of national 
 and religious pride (r<v. 2:9). Paul's 
 ol)ject in thus addressing the .Jew point- 
 edly and by name, was to arrest his 
 attention to the fact that by his sinning 
 against his superior knowledge and his 
 larger means of grace he was more 
 guilty than the Gentile who sinned only 
 
 against the light of nature. And re st- 
 est confidently in the law, vpoji laiv, 
 and makest thy boast exultantly, 
 gloriest in God, in the true God, Jeho- 
 vah, as the exclusive guardian and pro- 
 tector of Israel. The gods of the Gen- 
 tiles were but idols and vanity (i :2i). 
 There is a true and right glorying in 
 God ( !■<»• 45 ■■ 25 ; Gal. 6 : 14) ; and there is a 
 false and self-righteous boasting (Gai.e-. 
 13; John 8 : 41, 42). Noticc how Paul rises 
 in each clause toward a climax. He 
 enumerates the superior advantages of 
 the Jew in the Jew's own boastful lan- 
 guage, in order to try him on the high- 
 est ground he chooses to claim. 
 
 18. And knowest his will — hav- 
 ing a distinct knowledge of the things 
 willed by God. And approvest the 
 things that are more excellent — 
 and as one who has power to decide in 
 regard to points of dutj- and to recognize 
 what is genuine after examination, — 
 thoic approvest the things that are excel- 
 lent, even as one who is instructed 
 out of the knv, which is the form, or 
 the true expression of knowledge and 
 truth (ver. 20). Another rendering equal- 
 ly grammatical is: And (listing uishest 
 the things that differ, that is, And art 
 able to discriminate rightly between 
 what is lawful and unlawful, being in- 
 structed, etc. Meyer prefers the first of 
 these renderings ; Alford the second. 
 The first however seems to suit the 
 connection better, and forms a better 
 climax in the thought. (Comp. Phii. i : lo.) 
 Being instructed, orally, out of 
 the law — by hearing it read pub- 
 licly in the .synagogues (Actsis : 25: 21 .• 
 
 21 ; i Cor. 14 : 19). 
 
 19, 20. Notice how the clauses in 
 these two verses are thrown in one after 
 another without any conjunctions, thus 
 giving vividness and strength to the 
 description. And art confident — 
 exhibiting the high opinion the Jew 
 had of himself, especially as a teacher 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 47 
 
 thou thyself art » a guide of the blind, 
 a light of them which are in darkness, 
 
 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher 
 of babes, "which hast the form of 
 knowledge and of the truth in the 
 
 21 law. * Thou therefore which teachest 
 another, teachest thou not thyself? 
 Thou that preachest a man should not 
 
 22 steal, dost thou steal ? Thou that say- 
 est a man should not commit adultery, 
 dost thou commit adultery ? Thou that 
 abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sac- 
 
 thyself to be a guide of the blind, a 
 
 20 light of those who are in darkness, an 
 instructor of the foolish, a teacher of 
 babes, having in the law the form of 
 
 21 knowledge and of the truth ; thou then 
 that teachest another, dost thou not 
 teach thyself? thou that preachest a 
 man should not steal, dost thou steal ? 
 
 22 thou that sayest a man should not 
 commit adultery, dost thou commit 
 adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, 
 
 t Matt. 15 : 14 ; John 9 : 34, 40, 41. 
 
 M 6: 17. 
 
 X Ps. 50 : 16, etc. ; Matt. 23 : 3, etc. 
 
 of the Gentile world. That thou 
 thyself art a guide of blind persons. 
 This and the other titles may have been 
 those which Jewish teachers assumed, 
 gathered from such passages as Isa. 42 : 
 6, 7 (Matt. 15 : 14). He regarded himself 
 as blessed with spiritual vision while 
 others were blind, especially Gentiles. 
 A light to them which are in 
 darkness of heathenism (isa. 9:i. 2; 
 60:2). An instructor of the foolish 
 — stupid in regard to divine things. 
 A teacher of babes — untaught, hav- 
 ing a low degree of spiritual knowledge 
 and development in general. Jews 
 styled Gentiles blind, foolish, baby, the 
 last applied to proselytes. Thus the 
 proud Jew spoke of himself in com- 
 parison with Gentiles. Which hast, 
 rather, having, the form, the embodi- 
 ment as it were, of knowledge and of 
 the truth in the law. Knoivledge — 
 what is known of divine things and 
 human things. Truth — moral truth, the 
 highest kind, which the Jew sought in 
 the Mosaic law. Knowledge and truth 
 were embodied and typically repre- 
 sented in the law ; but they are essen- 
 tially revealed in the gospel (John i : 
 17; 1" : 3). The woixl translated form is 
 only found elsewhere in the New Testa- 
 ment in 2 Tim. 3 : 5. May not the 
 word here, as there, be used reproach- 
 fully ? As the proud self-righteous Jew 
 held the law, it was but an embodiment 
 of a dead system, an organic structure 
 without life. 
 
 21. Thou therefore —introduces 
 the conclusion, in an unusual form, of 
 the preceding four verses. The inter- 
 rogative form gives point and vividness 
 to the argument. Thou then that art 
 teaching another, art thou not teaching 
 thyself f The present tense expresses 
 what they were habitually doing. The 
 inference was : If you are what you 
 
 claim to be, your guilt in sinning must 
 be proportionately greater. Thou that 
 art preaching or heralding, a man 
 should not steal, dost thou steal ? 
 
 — art thou stealing f Paul uses striking 
 and extreme examples to illustrate his 
 position, and yet such as would force 
 itself upon the Jewish conscience. 
 " Grotius on the text proves from Jose- 
 phus that some of the Jewish priests 
 lived by rapine, depriving others of 
 their due share of the tithes, and even 
 suffering them to perish in want " 
 
 (Doddridge). (compare l Sam. 2 : 13-16.) 
 
 See what James (5 : i-e) says of the rich 
 fraudulently keeping back the hire of 
 the reaper ; and the words of our Lord 
 regarding the rapacity and excess of 
 the Pharisees (Matt. 23 : 23-25). 
 
 23. Thou that art saying and en- 
 joining, a man should not commit 
 adultery, art thou committing adul- 
 tery? That this crime was common 
 among the Jews seems evident from our 
 
 Lord's discourses (M.att. 19 : 8,9; 23 : 15) ; 
 
 and the Talmudists even charge adul- 
 tery on some of the most celebrated rab- 
 bins (James 4. 4). Thou that abhor- 
 rest idols and their contamination, 
 turning away from them as polluted 
 and detestable, dost thou commit 
 sacrilege, or i^ob temples, not hesitat- 
 ing to plunder their shrines and sacred 
 places. The question has arisen whether 
 Paul refers to the specific crime of 
 temple robbery or more generally to 
 the profane abuse of sacred places and 
 things. He probably refers primarily 
 to the former without entirely exclud- 
 ing the latter. The Sermon on the 
 Mount shows that even definite crimes 
 extend wider and deeper than the mere 
 outward act (Matt. 5: 21, 22). That Jews 
 might have become temple-robbers ap- 
 pears from Acts 19 : 37 and Josephus 
 (Ant., Bk. IV., 8, 10). They were forbid- 
 
48 
 
 KOMANS 
 
 [Cii. II. 
 
 23 rilege? Thou that ymakrst tliy boast 
 of the h\w, through breakiuir ihe hiw 
 
 24 dishonourest tliou Cod ? For the name 
 of God is blasphemed among the Gen- 
 tiles through you, as it is ^ written. 
 
 25 a For circumcision verily protiteth. if 
 thou keep the law : but if thou be a 
 breaker oi the law, thy circumcisiou is 
 
 23 dost thou rob temples ? thou that glo- 
 riest in law, through the transgression 
 
 2-1 of the law dishonorest thou God ? For, 
 the name of God is blasphemed among 
 the Gentiles because of you, as it is 
 wriiten. 
 
 25 For circumcision indeed profits, if 
 thou doest the law ; but if thou art a 
 transgressor of law, thy circumcision 
 
 y Ver. 17. 
 
 z 2 Sam. 12 : 14. 
 
 a 3 : 1, 2 ; Deut. .% : 6 ; Ga!. 5 : 3-6. 
 
 den to take the gold and silver ornaments 
 of idols ( i>^ut. - : 2.i). As they did not re- 
 gard heathen temples sacred, and these 
 contained many things of great value, 
 it is altogether proliable that they often 
 took valuables from them. They shrank 
 in abhorrence from the pollution of 
 idols, but neither their pollution nor 
 that of the idol temples would deter 
 them if they could only get the gold 
 and silver. The same spirit led them 
 to make the house of God a den of rob- 
 bers (Matt. 21 : 13)^ and to commit the sin 
 of robbing God by withholding from 
 him what was his due (Mai. 3 : 8, 9). 
 
 23. Thou that makest thy boast, 
 or, that gloriest in the law, thnmgli the 
 transgression o/the law dishonour- 
 est thou God ? Thus showing incon- 
 sistency and hypocrisy in their con- 
 temptuous treatment of the true God, 
 the author and giver of the law. 
 Meyer regards this verse as the answer 
 of the four preceding questions, and 
 punctuated it as such. It might be so 
 taken. But the climax of thought 
 appears better, by regarding this also 
 as a question. It includes all the pre- 
 ceding questions and much more. 
 Notice the gradation: Steal, commit 
 aduftcry, robbing temples and sacrilege, 
 and contemptuous treatment of God. 
 Again.st thy neighbor, thyself, things 
 sacred, God. Similarly Bengel. 
 
 24. For connects the statement 
 made in the preceding verse witli the 
 quotation here given. The name of 
 God is blasphemed, brought into 
 contempt and reviled, amon&: the 
 Gentiles through you, better, on 
 acroH)it of yoii, l)ecause of your wicked 
 lives and immoralities. Tiiey would 
 say that Jeliovah was corrupt and im- 
 pure like their own heathen gods. As 
 it is written — as true now as when 
 first written. This comes after the quo- 
 tation, indicating both that it is a gen- 
 eral quotation, and used tlescriptively 
 of the then present condition of things. 
 
 It is better to take it, not as a quotation 
 of any particular passage, but the sul)- 
 stance of several passages (i-^a. 52 : 5: 
 
 Ezek. 36 : 20-23 ; Neh. 5 : 9 ; Mai. 1 : 12), 
 
 25. The Jew could not but assent to 
 the force of the apostle's reasoning, 
 and acknowledge consequent guilt, but 
 was he not on account of his connection 
 with Abraham and circumcision en- 
 titled to favor and certain immunities 
 from the strict construction of the law ? 
 This was the ceremonial distinction to 
 which tlie Jew attached the most im- 
 portance. It was a common opinion 
 among the Jews that no circumcised 
 man would go to hell. Paul therefore 
 proceeds to show that even this could 
 not save the Jewish sinner. For I 
 grant that circumcision indeed pro- 
 fiteth, if thou keep, or doest, the 
 law, if thou habitually do the require- 
 ments of the law. (See on ver. 13.) Cir- 
 cumcision was indeed an advantage 
 to the Jew if he were a good man ; it 
 was profitable to him spiritually to be 
 thus connected with God's chosen 
 people, to be the first to whom Christ 
 and the gospel should be presented 
 (1 : 16) ; it gave him special advantages 
 for becoming a Christian, and if his 
 obedience were perfect he would be en- 
 titled to all the blessings promised l)y 
 the law. But if thou be a breaker, 
 or transgressor, of the law, thy cir« 
 cumcision is made, or h((s become. 
 uncircumcision. As a sign of a 
 covenant it was of value only as the 
 covenant was kept ; but through a vio- 
 lation of tlie covenant circumcision l>e- 
 comes in effect uncircumcision ; the 
 Jew comes into the same condition nio^ 
 ally as the CJentile. As a mere rite it 
 had no merit. It might indicate a 
 righteousness l)y faith in the lieart, on 
 the promi.se of God to the heirs by faitli 
 (4:ii-i.t). But Paid had not reached 
 these points in his discussion. 
 
 26. Paul draws a logical inference 
 from the statement just made. Jf, 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 49 
 
 26 made uncircumcision. Therefore ^it 
 the uncircumcision keep the righteous- 
 ness of the law, shall not his uncircvun- 
 cision be counted for circumcision? 
 
 27 And shall not uncircumcision which is 
 by nature, if it fulfil the law, •= judge 
 thee, who '^ by the letter and circumci- 
 
 28 sion dost transgress the law ? For <^ he is 
 not a Jew, f which is one outwardly ; 
 neither is that circumcision, which is 
 
 29 outward in the flesh ; but he is a Jew, 
 which is one inwardly ; and s circum- 
 cision is that of the heart, •» in the spirit, 
 and not in the letter ; i whose praise is 
 not of men, but of God. 
 
 26 has become uncircumcision. If then 
 the uncircumcision keep the require- 
 ments of the law, shall not his uncir- 
 cumcision be reckoned for circumci- 
 
 27 sion ? And shall not the uncircumcision 
 that is by nature, if it fulfils the law. 
 judge thee, who with the letter and 
 circumcision art a transgressor of law ? 
 
 28 For he is not a Jew, who is one out- 
 wardly ; nor is that circumcision, 
 
 29 which* is outward in the flesh. But he 
 is a Jew, who is one inwardly ; and 
 circumcision is that of the heart, in 
 spirit not in letter ; whose praise is 
 not from men, but from God. 
 
 6 Isa. 56 : 6, 7 ; Matt. 8 : 11, 12 : Acts 10 : 34, 35 ; 1 Cor. 7 : 18, 19. c Matt. 12 : 41, 42. d 7 : 6. 
 
 .? 9 : 6-8 ; Matt. 3:9; Gal. 6 : 15. / Matt. 23 : 25-28. g Deut. 10 : 16 ; 30 : 6 ; Phil. 3:3; Col. 2 : 11. 
 
 A 7 : 6 ; Johu 3:5-8:2 Cor. 3:6. t 1 Sam. 16 : 7 ; 1 Cor. 4 : 5 ; 2 Cor. 10 : 18. 
 
 therefore, by parity of reason, the un- 
 circumcision keep the right- 
 eousness, the things accounted right, 
 that is, the requirements of the law 
 
 (seeonl : 17 (5)), shall UOt hiS UUCir- 
 
 cumcision be accounted, or be reck- 
 oned, for circumcision ? A fine illus- 
 tration of the phraseology of 4 : 3 ; Gal. 
 3 : 6. The moral requirements of the 
 law are here meant. In such a case 
 would not the Gentile be treated as 
 favorably by God as the Jew ? ( Compare 
 Acts 10 : 35.) The Jcw could hardly deny 
 the conclusion. 
 
 27. This verse can be punctuated as 
 a question or as a period. Each is sup- 
 ported by eminent authorities. The 
 latter regards this as an answer to the I 
 preceding question, the affirmative j 
 being self-evident: And the uncircum- 
 cision by nature, etc. The interroga- 
 tive form naturally follows the pre- 
 ceding question and gives a certain 
 vivacity and force, and is preferred in 
 these notes. And shall not the un- 
 circumcision, which is by na- 
 ture — occasioned by the circumstances 
 of birth, a Gentile. Judge, condemn, 
 thee (Mat. 12 : 41). Who by the let- 
 ter, rather, loho with a written law, and 
 circumcision, descriptive of his state 
 or condition in contrast to the Gentile ; 
 who possessing these, and impliedly in 
 spite of them, dost transgress the 
 
 law (l Sam. 15 : 22 ; Matt. 12 : 42. See ver. 14, 15) . 
 
 28. This verse and the next are ex- 
 planatory and confirmatory of the pre- 
 ceding two ver-ses. They also give us a 
 beautiful specimen of Paul's condensed 
 and vigorous style. For he is not a 
 Jew, a genuine Jew, a true child of 
 God, which is one outwardly — one 
 
 in mere form and outward show. Nor 
 is that circumcision truly, which 
 is outward in the flesh — this is not 
 the true circumcision which indicates 
 one to be beloved of God. Mere out- 
 ward religion and forms are denounced 
 in the Old Testament (i^a. 29 : 13). 
 
 29. Having made the statement 
 negatively (ver. 28), he now makes it 
 affirmatively. The former being ac- 
 cepted as true, the latter must be also 
 accepted. But he is a true and genuine 
 Jew, which is one iuAvardly, in 
 the hidden parts, in the soul (ps. 51 : 6) ; 
 and circumcision is that of the 
 heart, or and there is a circumcision of 
 the heart. "Circumcise therefore the 
 foreskin of your heart" (oeut. 10 : le). 
 "And the Lord thy God will cir- 
 cumcise thy heart" '(Deut. 30 : 6). In 
 the spirit — in the spiritual nature 
 effecting a purification of it, instead of 
 in the flesh (ver. 28). Compare what 
 is said elsewhere in Scripture of the un- 
 circumcised in heart (Lev. 26 : 41 ; Jer. 
 
 9 : 26; Ezek. 44 : 9 : Acts 7 : 51 ). SomC refer 
 
 this to the Holy Spirit. This circum- 
 cision is, of course, effected by the Holy 
 Spirit, but it is performed upon the 
 spiritual nature of man. Not in the 
 letter — not in the literal observance of 
 mere rites (2 cor. 3:6). Whose praise 
 is not of men — that is, of the true 
 Jew (John 1:47). The truly pious does 
 not thus seek honor from men, but 
 rather of God. A rebuke to Jew- 
 ish pride and vain-glory (John 5: 44: 
 
 Gal. 6 : 12). 
 
 The above views would be well under- 
 stood by the more pious and spiritually 
 enlightened Jews, who looked beyond 
 the letter of the law to its deeper and 
 
50 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 spiritual meaning (Mitau 6 : 6-8). See 
 the scribe's answer to Jesus in Mark 
 12:32-34. "Tlie Jew consists in the 
 innermost parts of tlie heart," is quoted 
 from the Talmud. Paul therefore ap- 
 peals to the conscience on the ground 
 of well-known and admitted truths; 
 and shows that the Jew as wtII as the 
 Gentile was inexcusably guilty, that he 
 could hope nothing from external ob- 
 servances either in obtaining salva- 
 tion or in exemption from condemna- 
 tion, and hence needed tlie righteous- 
 ness of God (vor. 1 : 17). 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. The self-righteous, who are generally 
 censorious and hypocrites, are inexcus- 
 able and self-condemned (ver. 1 ; Matt. 23 : 
 23 ; 29-31 ; Luke 18 : 9-14). 
 
 2. God is just ; without partiality on the 
 one hand, or prejudice on the other 
 (ver. 2 ; Ps. 89 : 14 ; Isa. 45 : 21). 
 
 3. The refuges of a deceived and de- 
 ceitful heart will fail men at last (ver. 
 3: Isa. 28: 17; 44 : 20). 
 
 4. God's goodness is despised and per- 
 verted by any who hope thereby to es- 
 cape just punishment (ver. 4:10:21 : Ps. 
 78:36-41, 61). 
 
 5. The goodness of God is designed to 
 lead sinners to repentance, but if it fails 
 the fault is their own (ver. 4 ; Matt. 23 : 37 : 
 John 5 : 40). 
 
 6. If God's goodness does not soften, it 
 will harden the heart and aggravate the 
 guilt (ver. 5 ; Eccl. 8:11: 2 Peter 3 : 3-7). 
 
 7. The day of judgment will be to the 
 finally impenitent a day of wrath and 
 woe (Ver. 5 , Rev. 6 : 17 ; Matt. 25 : 41-43). 
 
 8. The retributions and rewards of the 
 judgment will be according to those 
 works which are an index of the char- 
 acter and life (ver. 6-8 ; Prov. 24 : 12 ; Jer. 
 32:19; Matt. 2-5 : 14-29). 
 
 9. The truly righteous are indicated by 
 their perseverance in well-doing and in 
 seeking heavenly things (ver. 7 ; Rev. 2 : 
 10; Heb. 10:38, :39). 
 
 10. The wicked are rebellious toward 
 God, disobedient to the truth, and Avork- 
 ers of evil (ver. 8, 9 ; Isa. 1:2; 2 Thess. 
 1:8). 
 
 11. Whether Jew or Gentile, Christian 
 or heathen, none will be saved but 
 the truly good ; none lost but the truly 
 
 wicked (ver. 6-10; 2 Thess. 1:6-9; 1 Peter 
 4 : 17, 18). 
 
 12. The heathen are in a perishing con- 
 dition and need the salvation offered in 
 the gospel (ver. 12; Jer. 10 : 25). 
 
 13. Nothing short of perfect obedience 
 can satisfy the claims of the law (ver. 13 ; 
 James 2 : 10). 
 
 14. The heathen are not to be judged 
 by a law they never had, but by that 
 standard revealed in the works of crea- 
 tion and to their own reason and con- 
 science (ver. 14, 15; 1 : 20: Isa. 40 : 21-26). 
 
 15. There is in every man that which 
 accuses and excuses, call it what Ave may, 
 which is not the result of education, since 
 it can itself be educated (ver. 15; 9: 1; 
 13:5; 2 Cor. 4:2). 
 
 J 6. The fact that the secrets of the heart 
 are to be manifested and that Jesus Christ 
 is to be- the Judge, invests the judgment 
 with an awful character (ver. 16 ; 1 Cor. 4 : 
 5; Matt. 10:26, 28). 
 
 17. Character and conduct, and not out- 
 ward professions, are the tests before God 
 now, and Avill be at the judgment (ver. 
 17 ; Matt. 7 : 21, 22 ; 1 Sam. 16 : 7). 
 
 18. Boasting instead of gratitude, de- 
 spising others instead of wishing to save 
 them, are evidences of formalism and 
 self-righteousness (ver. 17-20; Luke 18 : 9). 
 
 19. Neither the knowledge of the truth, 
 nor teaching the truth, but doing and 
 keeping the truth, is what God requires 
 (A^er. 18-20 : Micah 6:8: John 13 : 17). 
 
 20. Back of a form of knoAvledge and 
 truth there is a spiritual discernment and 
 life (ver. 20 ; 2 Tim. 3:5: 1 Cor. 2 : 14). 
 
 21. We should illustrate godly teaching 
 by godly living (ver. 21 : Matt. 23 : 3). 
 
 22. A man's life and practice do more 
 than his Avords to honor or disgrace relig- 
 ion (ver. 22, 23 ; Matt. 5 : 16 ; 15 : 8, 9, 14). 
 
 23. The inconsistent lives of many pro- 
 fessed Christians aflford the strongest ar- 
 guments to infidelity and the greatest 
 cause of reproach of religion among un- 
 believers (A'er. 23. 24 : Neh. 5:9). 
 
 24. No religious rite is of profit unless it 
 tends to produce holiness of heart and 
 life (ver, 25; Titus 1 : 16; Isa. 1 : 11-16). 
 
 25. OutAvard ordinances haA'e their place 
 and value, but dependence on them for 
 salvation Avill result in certain ruin (ver. 
 26, 27; Gal. 5:6; 6: 15). 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 51 
 
 3 kWHAT advantage then hath the 
 Jew ; or what profit is there of circum- 
 
 2 cision ? Much every way : chiefly, be- 
 cause that 1 unto them were committed 
 
 3 the oracles of God. For what if some 
 did not believe ; ™ shall their unbelief 
 make the faith of God without effect? 
 
 3 WHAT then is the advantage of the 
 Jew ? Or what is the profit of circum- 
 
 2 cision? Much every way; first, in- 
 deed, that they were intrusted with the 
 
 3 oracles of God. For what if some dis- 
 believed ? Shall their disbelief make 
 
 4 void the faithfulness of God ? Far be 
 
 J 2 : 18 ; 9 : 4 : Ueut. 4:7,8; Acts 7 : 38. 
 
 w 9 : 6; 2 Tim. 2 : 13. 
 
 26. The essence of religion is not in any j 
 ritual, but in the loving service of an 
 obedient heart (ver. 26-28 ; 14 : 17 : 1 Tim. : 
 1:5). I 
 
 27. Spiritual religion is of the first im- 
 portance, and will manifest itself neces- 
 sarily in outward religion (ver. 27 ; 10 : 
 9, 10). 
 
 28. The greatest boon of a man of God 
 is a right heart, and the highest honor 
 the praise that cometh from God (ver. 28 ; 
 John 5: 44; 8: .54). 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 In this chapter Paul completes his 
 argument begun with 1 : 18, showing 
 that Jews and Gentiles are alike under 
 sin. He then ( ver. 21 ) proceeds to exhibit 
 and discuss the doctrine of salvation by 
 Christ, in whom there is revealed a 
 righteousness from God to be received 
 through faith, not earned by works. 
 
 1-20. Conclusion of the dis- 
 cussion PEOYING THAT JEWS AND 
 
 Gentiles are alike sinners and 
 CONDEMNED, and hence in need of 
 God's righteousness. The apostle an- 
 swers certain objections which might 
 be brought against the preceding view : 
 First, That it takes away from God's 
 chosen people all their advantages over 
 Gentiles. Second, That it makes God 
 unfaithful to his holy covenant. Third, 
 That God cannot justly inflict punish- 
 ment upon his chosen people, since 
 their sinfulness redounds to his glory 
 (ver. 1-8). He then resumes his argu- 
 ment and proves from Scripture the 
 universal sinfulness of men, both Jews 
 and Gentiles. 
 
 1. VVhat then, in view of what he 
 had said regarding Jews and Gentiles, 
 circumcision and uncircunicision, is the 
 advantage, or superiority, of the 
 Jew ? Or, changing the question and 
 
 {putting it in a different and more spe- 
 cific form, IMiat is the profit, or benefit 
 of circumcision? These questions 
 would naturally arise in the mind of a 
 Jew, and doubtless had been met and 
 
 answered in Paul's own experience. 
 He had admitted that circumcision did 
 profit (2: 23). But how? To put Jew 
 and Gentile both under condemna- 
 tion and on a level before God was 
 offensive to Jewish pride. The objec- 
 tion that would at once arise he there- 
 fore asks and answers. 
 
 2. Much every way — however you 
 may look at it. This he admits is 
 strictly true and needs no abatement. 
 But it makes no difference in regard to 
 the essential point of his argument. 
 Chiefly — literally. First indeed, used 
 absolutely as in 1 : 8, meaning. First 
 of all, as much as to say, I need men- 
 tion this only. There is no probability 
 that Paul thought of enumerating other 
 points. He, however, specifies some 
 other advantages in 9 : 4, 5. He also 
 implied certain advantages in 2 : 17-20 ; 
 and discusses circumcision somewhat in 
 4 : 1 ff. For first of all, they had this 
 advantage, in which the Jew especially 
 gloried, that they were entrusted with the 
 oracles of God — the diyine ictterances 
 of his word ; the commands of the Mo- 
 saic law and especially the Messianic 
 promises, as is evident from the next 
 
 verse (Heb. 5 : 12 ; 1 Peter 4 : 11 ; Acts 7 : 38, ou 
 which compare note) , 
 
 3. This verse is differently punc- 
 tuated by different critical editors, with- 
 out substantially altering the sense. 
 That used in the Common, Revised, 
 and Bible Union versions is preferred 
 here. For what, introduces a vigor- 
 ous question, implying that nothing 
 could be said to the contrary. For 
 what if some did not believe? 
 rather, if some disbelieved ; positively 
 and actively exercised their unbelief in, 
 and hence their rejection of, the prom- 
 ises contained in the oracles of Go<l 
 (ver. 2). Shall their unbelief, better, 
 their disbelief, make the faith, rather, 
 the faithfulness or fidelity (tuus 2 : lo) of 
 God of none effect? — make it inop- 
 erative and useless in fulfilling his 
 promises to his chosen people? The 
 form of the question in the original de- 
 
52 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. III. 
 
 4 God forbid : yea, let "God be true, but 
 "every man a liar; as it is written, 
 That thou mightest be justified in thy 
 sayings, and mightest overcome when 
 
 5 thou art judged. But Pif our unright- 
 eousness commend the righteousness 
 of God, what shall we say? q/sGod 
 unrighteous who taketh vengeance? 
 
 6 ('I speak as a man) God forbid: for 
 
 it. But let God be true, and every man 
 a liar, as it is written, 
 That thou may est be justified in thy 
 
 words, 
 
 And mayest overcome when thou art 
 
 judged. 
 
 a But if our unrighteousness commends 
 
 God's righteousness, what shall we 
 
 say? Is God unrighteous who visits 
 
 6 wrath? (I speak as a man.) Far be 
 
 n See refs. Num. 23 : 19 : Deut. 32 : 4 ; John 3 : 33. 
 q Gen. 18 : 25. 
 
 Ps. 62 :9; 116 : 11. 
 
 r 6 : 19; Gal. 3 : 1,5. 
 
 p Ver. 25, 26 : 5 : 8, 20, 21. 
 
 mands a negative answer. Their dis- 
 believing rejection of the Messiah does 
 not show that God is unfaithful to his 
 promises or to his covenant (9:6fif.). 
 They surely, on their part, had broken 
 their covenant obligations. Some such 
 objections as these would naturally 
 arise in the Jewish mind. What were 
 the Scriptures with all their promises 
 of the Messiah to the Jews, if when he 
 came they for the most part rejected 
 him ? Does not this imply in some way 
 unfaithfulness on the part of God to 
 his holy covenant? Or that he has 
 been thwarted in fulfilling his cove- 
 nant? The answer is given in the 
 next verse. 
 
 4. But even the thought of question- 
 ing the faithfulness of God is repulsive. 
 God forbid? Far be it ! Away the 
 thought! The translation of this ex- 
 clamation is unfortunate, since the 
 name of God does not occur in the orig- 
 inal, and its literal translation is, Let it 
 not be — named or thought of. It occurs 
 thirteen times in Paul's Epistles and in 
 Luke 20 : 16. It generally follows a 
 question, as here, implying a negative 
 answer. It prepares the w^ay for a 
 strong assertion of God's prerogative as 
 the God of truth: Yea, better. But, 
 rather tlian harbor such a thought let 
 God be true, be found true, in his 
 words and faithful to his promises, and 
 acknowledged as such, and every 
 man be found a liar. Let God be 
 true though all el.se l)e false. Compare, 
 the similar thought in 2 Tim. 2 : 13. 
 As it is Avritten, in Ps. 51 : 4. The 
 quotation is from the Septuagint ver- 
 sion, and is .sufficiently true to the He- 
 brew to answer Paul's purpose. That 
 thou mig;htest be justified — that 
 thou mayest be shown to be righteous in 
 thy words — actually so of course in 
 God's case. ( i : n (3).) And mightest 
 
 (mayest) overcome when thou art 
 judged, or when thou comest into judg- 
 ment. The idea is, that God is right- 
 eous in all his doings, and will most 
 certainly come off victorious over any 
 who may enter into judgment with him. 
 How great then the folly of arraigning 
 the conduct of God ! 
 
 5. At this point an objection faces 
 the apostle, one which he had doubtless 
 felt in his own experience, and which 
 was perfectly suited to the arrogant and 
 self-righteous Jew, and could be made 
 a pretext for every wicked indulgence : 
 If according to the Scripture just 
 quoted, the sinfulness of God's people 
 renders conspicuous God's righteous- 
 ness and redounds to his glory, how can 
 he therefore justly inflict punishment ? 
 Paul therefore asks. But if our un- 
 righteousness commends, or shows 
 forth, renders conspicuous, the right- 
 eousness of God, the righteousness 
 or holiness of his divine character 
 (note.i :i7(2)), what shall we say? 
 Are we to say or infer that God is un- 
 righteous in inflicting punishment ? The 
 question. What shall we sayf was after 
 the manner of Jewish teachers, and oc- 
 curs seven times in this Epistle, and no- 
 where else in Paul's writings (4 : i ; e : i : 
 
 7 : 7; 8:31; 9: U, 30). Shall WC Say: Is 
 
 God unrighteous Avho taketh 
 vengeance? who lisits wrath f The 
 word for vengeance is that rendered 
 wrath in 1 : 18 ; 2:5. The form of the 
 question demands a negative answer. 
 But Paul would not utter such an im- 
 pious sentiment without a form of an 
 apology. And so he adds, I speak 
 as a man, after the manner of men, as 
 men speak; here, as such impiety leads 
 men to feel and speak. 
 
 6. God forbid. By no means. 
 Away the thought ! This negative as- 
 sertion is proved in this and the next 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 53 
 
 then show shall God judge the world ? 
 
 7 For if the truth of Grod hath more 
 abounded through my lie unto his 
 glory ; twhy yet am I also judged as a 
 
 8 sinner? And not rather, (as we be slan- 
 derously reported, and as some affirm 
 that we'say, ) " Let us do evil, that good 
 ma.' come ? Whose damnation is just. 
 
 9 What then ? ^ Are we better than they f 
 No, in no wise : for y we have before 
 
 it! For then how shall Grod judge the 
 
 7 world ? For if the truth of God, 
 through my lie, abounded unto his 
 glory, why am I also still judged as a 
 
 8 sinner? And why should we not (as 
 we are slanderously reported, and as 
 some affirm that we say,) do evil, that 
 good may come? wHose condemna- 
 tion is just. 
 
 9 What then ? Are we better ? No, in 
 
 Ps. 9 : I 
 
 t 9 : 19, 20. 
 
 X Ver. 22, 23 ; 1 Cor. 4 : 7. 
 
 y 1 : 18-32 ; chap. 2. 
 
 two verses. For then — in that case, 
 how shall God judge the world ? 
 
 He could not judge at all, since every 
 man might escape punishment on the 
 same ground. The ivorld is all man- 
 kind ; not limited to Gentiles as some 
 have maintained. Some suppose that 
 Paul here assumes the righteousness of 
 God as a judge to be a self-evident 
 truth, which must be admitted by all 
 (Gen. 18:25) ; aiid that to admit God to 
 be unrighteous would incapacitate him 
 for the office of judge of the world. 
 The former view I regard as better 
 suited to the connection. The argu- 
 ment appears to be this : If God cannot 
 punish sinful Jews, then (ver. 6) he can- 
 not judge the world, for (ver. 7) every 
 one might say, God has been glorified 
 and his truth made conspicuous by my 
 sinful conduct. Why then am I con- 
 demned as a sinner and not exempted 
 from punishment? And why (ver. 8) 
 should we not adopt the sentiment 
 slanderously ascribed to us, etc. ? 
 
 7, This verse applies still further the 
 principle stated in ver. 5, and naturally 
 carries on the argument begun in ver. 
 6. For if the truth of God, his 
 moral truth, righteousness, holiness. 
 Through my lie, that falsity by 
 which man by sinning breaks faith 
 with God. Here it is equivalent to im- 
 morality, wickedness. Hath more 
 abounded — more exactly, abounded 
 Kiifo his glory, making his truthfulness 
 more conspicuous. Why yet am I — 
 why am / also still Judged and con- 
 demned as a sinner ? In this verse 
 the thought naturally passes to the 
 Gentile, whom the Jew usually desig- 
 nated a sinner. Thus by the false prin- 
 ciple of ver. not only Jews but all 
 sinners might escape punishment. 
 Some of the oldest manuscripts begin 
 this verse with But instead of For. In 
 that case the word rendered But can be 
 regarded as eontinuative, and rendered 
 
 And. It thus indicates the contin- 
 uance of the argument and the amplifi- 
 cation of ver. 5. But there are strong 
 reasons for retaining the reading For. 
 
 8. And not rather — better. And 
 why shoiild tee not (as we he slan- 
 derously, blasphemously, reported, 
 and as some affirm we say,) Let 
 us do evil, that^ good may^ come? 
 This sentiment and impious slander, 
 Paul does not stop to refute. Its bare 
 statement was its own refutation. The 
 form of the question shows that Paul 
 regarded it as untrue and the statement 
 basely false. He only adds. Whose 
 damnation, rather, condemnation, is 
 just ; that is, those who follow this 
 principle. He strongly denounces it as 
 subversive of all morality and its per- 
 petrators as deservedly condemned. 
 Thus he repels the slander on the one 
 hand and condemns the slanderers on 
 the other. 
 
 In reviewing ver. 1-8, it appears evi- 
 dent that Paul does not introduce an ob- 
 jector into his discourse, but carries on 
 the argument in his own person, meet- 
 ing objection which he sees would arise. 
 An objector would have put his ques- 
 tions in a form looking for an affirma- 
 tive answer, and not a negative one, as 
 in ver. 3, 5, 7. 
 
 9. What then? — what conclusion 
 shall we come to in regard to our con- 
 dition as Jews? Are we better — 
 than they, the Gentiles. Meyer and a 
 few others translate. Have ice any ex- 
 cuse or defense ? that is, to make before 
 a just judge. But this is not well sus- 
 tained, and is not followed by most 
 leading commentators. "The transla- 
 tion of the English revisers. Are xoe in 
 worse condition than they, is far re- 
 moved from the ordinary meaning of 
 the word" (BoiSE). Are we better f is 
 the most natural rendering, and one 
 which the context demands. No, in 
 no wise — not at all, an emphatic de- 
 
54 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. III. 
 
 proved both Jews and Gentiles, that 
 
 10 » they are all under sin ; as it is written, 
 a There is none righteous, no, not one: 
 
 11 there is none that understandeth, there 
 
 12 is none that seeketh after God. They 
 are all gone out of the way, they are 
 together become unprofitable ; there is 
 none that doeth good, no, not one. 
 
 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre ; with 
 their tongues they have used deceit ; 
 the poison of asps is under their lips : 
 
 14 whose mouth is full of cursing and 
 
 15 bitterness : •'their feet are swift to 
 lii shed blood : destruction and miser>' 
 
 17 are in their ways: and ^the way of 
 
 18 peace have they not known : there is 
 no fear of God before their eyes. 
 
 no wise ; for we before charged, that 
 both Jews and Greeks are all under 
 
 10 sin. As it is written, 
 
 I'here is none righteous, no, not one ; 
 
 11 There is none that understands, 
 There is none that seeks after God ; 
 
 12 They are all gone out of the way, 
 
 they are together become unprofit- 
 able ; 
 
 There is none that does good, there is 
 not so much as one ; 
 1:^ Their throat is an open sepulchre : 
 
 With their tongues thuy have used 
 deceit ; 
 
 The iK)ison of asps is under their 
 lips : 
 
 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and 
 
 bitterness ; 
 
 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood ; 
 
 16 Destruction and misery are in their 
 
 ways ; 
 
 17 And the way of peace they have not 
 
 known ; 
 
 18 There is no fear of God before their 
 
 eyes. 
 
 z Ver. 23 ; Gal. 3 : 22, 
 
 a Ps. 53 : 1 ; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 John 1 : 8-10. 
 
 b Prov. 1 : 16. 
 
 c Isa. 57 : 21. 
 
 nial. The Jews had the advantage of 
 the Gentiles in respect to privilege 
 (ver. 2) J but not ill regard to acceptance 
 with God. For we have before 
 proved, rather, for ice have before made 
 the eharge, in presenting the proof of 
 it, thathoth Jews (2 : 1-24) and Gen- 
 tiles (i:is-32) are all under sin- 
 under the power and slavery of sin 
 (6: 16; 7 : 24; Gal. 3: 22). They wcre as a 
 consequence exposed to condemnation. 
 In this great, essential respect both 
 Jews and Gentiles were alike. 
 
 10-18. The discussion brings the 
 apostle back to his position tliat all are 
 sinners. He had argued this from the 
 general degeneracy of the race and the 
 universal downward sinful tendency of 
 both Jew and Gentile. He now turns 
 to tlie Scripture proof that Jews as well 
 as Gentiles are under sin, and that in 
 this respect the former have no advan- 
 tage over the latter. The quotations 
 apply especially to the Jews (ver. 19) al- 
 though not exchisively. Tliey are quo- 
 ted freely, for the most part, from the 
 Septuagint version. As it is written. 
 Ver. 10 11, and 12 are from Ps, 14: 
 1-3, Tnere is here a general reference 
 to all men, showing the nvirersal .<?/»- 
 fuhiess and (•orru])tion of mankind. 
 None that understandeth. It is 
 the part of true wisdom to seek offer 
 God. In dej)arting from (Jod they have 
 all become unprofitable, useless. 
 
 ( Compare 1 : 28-31). The unlvcrsal prev- 
 alence of the sins of the tongue is pre- 
 sented in ver, 13, 14. The first two 
 clauses of ver, 13 are from Ps. 5 : 9, 
 the last clause from Ps. 140 : 3, Ver. 
 14 is from Ps. 10 : 7. Their throat 
 is an open sepulchre— st a nd i ng 
 ready to swallow up or to send forth its 
 corruptive influence. They have 
 used, they urreA\\(\.iXYensirig, Aeceit — 
 with habitual hypocrisy. The poison 
 of asps — a small and venomous serpent 
 whose bite is very fatal, representing 
 slandering, and backbiting, while per- 
 haps professing friendship. Full of 
 cursing — imprecations and malignant 
 utterances. Bitterness — hateful 
 speech. In ver, 15-17 are recounted 
 their wicked deeds, sins of violence. 
 The quotation is from Isa. 59 : 7, 8, 
 Swift, quick, to shed blood— com- 
 mitting murder on the slightest provo- 
 cation. They carry destruction, 
 ruin, and consequent misery wher- 
 ever they go. And in opposition to 
 this way which leads to Avretchcdness, 
 they have not known the way of 
 peace, which leads to peace, a course 
 of life promoting harmony. In ver, 18 
 is presented the su>nre of this universal 
 wickedness. Quoted from Ps, 36 : 1. 
 There is no fear, no reverence, of 
 C»od — no respect for his authority, none 
 which leads them to love and ohey 
 him, and would have preserved them 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 KOMANS 
 
 55 
 
 19 Now we know that what things so- 
 ever J the law saith, it saith to them 
 who are under the law : that « every 
 mouth may be stopped, and fall the 
 world may become guilty before God. 
 
 20 Therefore' g by the deeds of the law 
 there shall no flesh be justified in his 
 
 19 Now we know that whatever the law 
 says, it speaks to those under the law ; 
 that every mouth may be stopped, and 
 all the world may be subject to con- 
 
 20 demnation before God. Because by 
 works of law no flesh will be justified in 
 
 e 1 : 20 ; 2:1: Job 9 : 2-4 ; Ezek. 16 : 63 : 1 Cor. 1 : 29. 
 
 jr 9 : 31, 32 ; Acts 13 : 39 ; Gal. 3 : 10-13 ; Eph. 2 : 8, 9. 
 
 / Gal. 3 : 10, 22. 
 
 from their wicked conduct. (Compare 
 Ps. Ill : 10.) These quotations prove from 
 Scripture : ( 1 ) The universal sinful- 
 ness of the race. (2) That one may 
 be outwardly a Jew and yet a great 
 sinner. (3) That great numbers and 
 at times the nation as such have been 
 
 in that condition, (see ver. 15-17, and compare 
 
 isa. chap. 58 and 50. ) (4) The inevitable in- 
 ference follows, That the Jew as such 
 is not exempt from the penalty of God's 
 broken law. 
 
 19. In this and the next verse Paul 
 concludes his argument from the his- 
 tory of the race, from observation, from 
 human consciousness, and from Scrip- 
 ture, that all men are sinners without 
 excuse, justly exposed to the Divine 
 condemnation and therefore in need of 
 a righteousness from God. The conclu- 
 sion would readily be admitted in re- 
 spect to the Gentile ; but lest the Jew 
 might say that such passages, as above 
 quoted, are not applicable to him, Paul 
 in a single sentence shoAvs that they are 
 intended to apply to the Jews. Noav 
 we know that whatever the law 
 saith, it saith to them under the 
 law, or within the sphere of the law. 
 The laiv here includes the whole Old 
 Testament, which is evident from the 
 passages quoted. Such passages found 
 in their own law and addressed to 
 them must have reference to them. 
 That — in order that — one of the pur- 
 poses of the law, and the one applic- 
 able at this point. Every mouth 
 may be stopped — having nothing to 
 answer before God. It was the Divine 
 intention to take away every excuse 
 from Jew as well as Gentile. And all 
 the world may become guilty — 
 may be under indictment, or subject to 
 condemnation before God, to whom 
 satisfaction for sin is due. All the 
 world includes l)oth Jews and Gentiles. 
 
 20, Therefore — rather. Because, 
 giving the reason for what he had just 
 said in ver. 19, drawn from the whole 
 discussion thus far : Because none will 
 
 be justified on the ground of works* 
 By the deeds of the law — better, 
 by works of laio — by any w^orks, what- 
 ever they may be, prescribed by any 
 law, though the Mosaic law would be 
 chiefly in mind. Latv here includes 
 both the written law as quoted in ver. 
 10-18, and the law written on the con- 
 science (2:14,15). Everyman is under 
 the law in one or both of these re- 
 spects. There is no distinction implied 
 here between the ceremonial and moral 
 law. It is law as a whole. The Scrip- 
 tures make no such distinction. Neither 
 are ivorks here to l^e limited to those 
 done before regeneration, since " works 
 of law " include good works of every 
 kind, even of the greatest excellence. 
 Those that are the fruit of a regenerate 
 state are consequent upon justification, 
 because they are the evidences of a 
 living, saving, and justifying faith 
 (James 2 : 18-22). There shall no flesh 
 — with reference to our weakness, 
 frailty, and mortality — no mortal man 
 shall be justified — declared or ac- 
 counted righteous in his sight, being 
 such as God shall look upon as right- 
 eous. This is a partial quotation from 
 Ps. 143 : 2, " For in thy sight no one 
 living shall be justified." {Justijied, see 
 noteoni:i7.) There is no contradiction 
 here between Paul and James (2 : 22-25). 
 Paul treats of justification as the act of 
 God (8 : 22) and as God looks upon it ; 
 James treats of it as it is manifested and 
 evidenced to men by consequent works. 
 Paul looks at the ground of justification 
 which is not of works but through 
 faith ; James, at the result in the ex- 
 perience of the individual. James does 
 not combat a justification by a living 
 faith which shows itself by works, but 
 a nominal faith, Avhich being without 
 works is dead. To be justified by the 
 works of the law means more than obe- 
 dience to the law, for God looks upon 
 the heart (1 Sam. le : 7). Both heart and 
 life must from the beginning be per- 
 fectly conformed to the holy law of 
 
56 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. III. 
 
 sight : for ^ by the law is the knowledge 
 of sin. 
 
 TJie remedy. God 's righteousness freely given 
 to the believer in Christ, as to believers in 
 former times. 
 
 21 BUT now 'the righteousness of God 
 without the law is manifested, ''being 
 witnessed by the Law 'and the Proph- 
 
 22 ets; even the righteousness of God 
 
 his sight ; for through law is knowl- 
 
 21 edge of sin. But now, apart from law, 
 a righteousness of God has been mani- 
 fested, being witnessed by the law and 
 
 22 the prophets ; even a righteousness of 
 
 ft 7 : 7-9. 
 
 J 1 : 17 ; 10 : 3, 4. 
 
 k Gen. 15 : 6 ; John 5 : 46. 
 
 M : 2 ; Jcr. 23 : 5, 6 ; Dan. 9 : 24. 
 
 God. (See note on 2 : 13.) But Paul is nOt 
 
 speaking concerning the justification of 
 innocent beings like our first parents 
 before the fall, but of men as they 
 actually are, of sinners, as is evident 
 from what follows : For by, or through, 
 the law Cometh a full knowledge of 
 sin — one comes to know his true char- 
 acter and condition as a sinner by the 
 law. Its office and effect is to convince 
 of sin ; pardon, the spirit of obedience, 
 and consequent peace, it cannot give. 
 Paul could speak regarding this from 
 experience, for he says (7 : 7), "I had 
 not known sin except through law"; 
 and "the law has become our school- 
 master," or tutor, "unto Christ, that 
 we may be justified by faith " (Gai. 3 : 24). 
 And in 1 Tim. 1 : 8-10 he describes the 
 functions of the law : That its lawful 
 use is good, but that it exists not for 
 righteous men, but for sinners. Such 
 being the office of the laAv^ and its 
 effect upon fallen men, it is evident that 
 it cannot be a ground of their justifica- 
 tion. It rather condemns, and cuts off 
 all hope; for it is written, "Cursed is 
 every one that continues not in all the 
 things written in the book of the law, 
 
 to do them" (Gal.3:10). 
 
 21-31. Having shown that all men 
 are sinners and in need of God's right- 
 eousness, Paul proceeds to present the 
 
 WAY OF SALVATION THROUGH FAITH 
 
 IN Christ in the following respects : Its 
 nature, not of works but tlirough faith; 
 offered and adapted to all men alike ; 
 gratuitous. Its ground, the propitia- 
 tory sacrifice and redemption which is 
 in Jesus Christ. Its object, to enal>le a 
 righteous G(td to pardon and save sin- 
 ners. Its results, excludes boasting; 
 presents (iod exercising justifying 
 mercy to botli Jews and Gentiles; es- 
 tablishing, not subverting, the law. 
 
 21. But now, since man has no 
 righteousness of his own under law, 
 without the law, apart from law, 
 
 without any connection or dependence 
 on law, "whether Mosaic or natural, 
 there is now under the go.spel mani- 
 fested, fully and plainly made known, 
 (( righteousness of God. Of which 
 God is the Author, as in 1 : 17, 
 which is from him and which he 
 imparts. See note on 1 : 17, espe- 
 cially that (2) on "righteousness." 
 This righteousness was manifested in 
 and through Jesus Christ, Avho is " the 
 Lord our righteousness" (Jer. 23 : 6). 
 Being not only perfectly innocent (Jobn 
 
 8 : i^), butpOSitivelyholy (John7:18;7:26), 
 
 he was able by his voluntary and holy 
 obedience, both in living and in suffer- 
 ing even unto death, to meet all the 
 demands of God's holy law (Rom. 5: 19 ; 
 Phil. 2:8; Heb. 5:8). Activcly and pas- 
 sively, in character and life, he ex- 
 hibited all that moral excellence which 
 God and his law requires. His right- 
 eousness was spotless, perfect, and com- 
 plete (Heb. 9 : 14; 1 Peter 1 : 19 ; Rev. 5 : 6-14). 
 
 Being witnessed, or testified to, by 
 the law and the prophets — the Old 
 
 Testament Scriptures ( Gen. 3 : 15 ; Exod. 34 : 
 
 6, 7 ; Ps. 32 : 1, 2 ; 103 : 8, 9, 10 ; Isa. 53 : 5, 11 ; Jer. 
 
 31 : 34). See also the illustrations from 
 Abraham and David (4:6, 13). There 
 was also the continual testimony of the 
 expiatory sacrifices in the Okl Testa- 
 ment. It was therefore not a new doc- 
 trine, but one which had been gleaming 
 through the types and shadows of the 
 law, and the brief and indistinct utter- 
 ances of the prophets. Hence the 
 phrase, literally, has been manifested, 
 is eminently suitable. That which was 
 previously but dimly and partially seen 
 has now been made plain fully and com- 
 pletely in the gospel. 
 
 22. Even a righteousness of 
 God. In the preceding verse Paul 
 teaches that this righteouisiness is not 
 attained by works of law ; in this verse, 
 that it is attained through faith in 
 Christ. Its emphatic repetition joins it 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 roma:ns 
 
 57 
 
 which is ™ by faith of Jesus Christ unto 
 all and upon all them that believe : 
 
 23 (for 1 there is no difference: for "all 
 have sinned, and come short of the 
 
 24 glory of God;) being justitied freely 
 p by his grace i through the redemption 
 
 25 that is in Christ Jesus : whom God hath 
 
 God through faith in Jesus Christ, to 
 all that believe ; for there is no dis- 
 
 23 tinction ; for all have sinned, and fall 
 
 24 short of the glory of God; being justi- 
 fied freely by his grace, through the re- 
 
 25 demption that is in Christ Jesus ; whom 
 
 m Chap. 4 ; 5 : 1. n Gal. 3 : 28. o See refs. 1 Kings 8 : 46. p b : 16-19 ; Kph. 2:7-9; Titus 3 
 q Matt. 20 : 28 ; Col. 1 : 14 ; Heb. 9 : 12. 
 
 with and emphasizes faith. By, rather, 
 through faith in Jesus Christ. It is 
 through faith as the medium ; or faitli 
 may be regarded as the appropriating 
 organ through which the righteousness 
 is received. Through faith also we re- 
 ceive Christ and become united with 
 him; Christ becomes ours Avith his 
 atonement and righteousness. " Salva- 
 tion comes not because our faith saves 
 us, but because it links us to the Christ 
 who saves; and belie\'ing is the link. 
 There is no more merit in it than in the 
 beggar's stretching forth his hand to re- 
 ceive the offered purse, or the drown- 
 ing man's grasping the rope that is 
 thrown to him" (Steoxg's "Theol- 
 ogy/' P- 481;. Unto all and upon 
 all — extending to all and coming upon 
 all that believe. But some of the old- 
 est and best manuscripts read simply, 
 unto all that believe. A reason is given 
 for what he had just said : For there 
 is no difference or distinction in this 
 respect between Jews and Gentiles 
 (10 : 12), for they are all alike con- 
 demned, and the one has no moral su- 
 periority over the other, 
 
 23. Further reason for the above : 
 For all have sinned — more exactly, 
 For all sinned. A historic fact of the 
 past, including the first sin in the gar- 
 den and the sinful disposition and acts 
 flowing out of it. All are sinners. The 
 preceding arguments had shown this. 
 And come short, do come short con- 
 tinually, of the glory of God. 
 This is differently interpreted. Some 
 regard it as the glory Mhich belongs 
 to God and which he imparts to the 
 believer. Similar in construction to 
 " righteousness of God " (i : i7; 3 : 21). 
 Others suppose it to mean that all 
 are failing to receive the approbation 
 of God — the praise and honor which 
 
 he bestows (John 5:44; 12:43). But it 
 
 seems better to take it to mean in re- 
 spect to the glory of God — that glory 
 which is due to him : They all do fail 
 
 of glorifying God. (Compare! : 21.) " Bc- 
 
 cause, knowing God they glorified him 
 not as God." ALso the rebuke of Bel- 
 shazzar, "And the God in whose hand 
 thy breath is . . . hast thou not glori- 
 fied" (I>an. 5 : 25), 
 
 24. Being justified — declared 
 or accounted righteous — grammatically 
 connected with all (ver. 23), but by a well- 
 known usage referring back in thought 
 to ver. 22, to those who through faith 
 receive God's righteousness (ver. 22). 
 The statement of ver. 23, that all are sin- 
 ners and are failing continually of ren- 
 dering to God the glory that is his due, 
 makes the gratuitous justification of 
 this verse stand out the more promi- 
 nently. Freely — gratuitously. By or 
 through his grace adds greater in- 
 tensity to the expres.sion. They are 
 justified, as a free gift, without any 
 equivalent on their part in the exercise 
 of his grace toward the undeserving, 
 being merely an act of mercy. This is 
 a hard thing for men in their sins and 
 self-righteousness to accept. Through 
 the redemption that is in Christ 
 Jesus. JRedemjition is deliverance by 
 the payment of a ransom (Job 33 : 24; isa. 
 35: 10:1 Tim. 2: 6), and in the New Testa- 
 ment is applied to deliverance from the 
 guilt of sin (Eph. 1:7: Col. 1 : 14), from the 
 curse of the law (Gai. 3 : i3; 4 : 5), and 
 from the wrath of God (5:9; 1 Thess. 1 : 10 ; 
 5:9). It also includes deliverance from 
 the power, dominion, and consequences 
 
 of sin (Titus 2 : 14; 1 Peter 1 : 18), including 
 
 the redemption of the body (s : 23). This 
 redemption is said to be?» Jesus Christ, 
 or according to a better reading, in 
 Christ Jesus, in his person as the Mes- 
 siah — the redeeming act being per- 
 formed by him personally in what he 
 did and suffered. It is entirely in 
 Christ and in no other. All human 
 agency is excluded. Ju.stification is 
 through or by means of this redemption 
 in Christ Jesus. (See Andrew Ful- 
 ler's "Works," Vol. I., p. 276 ff. 
 Three Sermons on Justification. ) 
 
 25. miom God set forth for himself 
 
58 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. III. 
 
 set forth 'lobe a propitiation ^ through 
 faith ill his blood, to declare his right- 
 
 God set forth as a proxjitiatioii, through 
 faith, in his blood, for the exhibition of 
 
 r Lev. 16 : 15, 16 ; 1 John 2:2; 4 : 10. 
 
 8 John 6 : 53-58 ; Col. 1 : 20. 
 
 as it were into public view. The ex- 
 pression includes the idea that it was 
 his oimi, his own Son, he set forth, es- 
 pecially in his death, his crucifixion. 
 To be, or as, a propitiation, in- 
 volving the idea oi'dppeasing, expiating. 
 In the Septuagint (Kxod. 25 : 18, etc.) and in 
 Heb. 9 : 5, it is applied to the cover of 
 the ark of the covenant in the Holy of 
 Holies, which was sprinkled with the 
 blood of the expiatory victim on the 
 day of the atonement, signifying that 
 the life of the people, the loss of which 
 they had merited on account of their 
 sins, was offered to God in the blood as 
 the life of the victim, and that thus God 
 was appeased and their sins expiated. 
 Hence it was called the expiatory — the 
 lid of expiation, or as translated in our 
 version, the inercy seat, the place of 
 mercy. Some transfer this meaning to 
 this passage : That Christ, besprinkled 
 with his own blood, was truly that which 
 this lid of expiation typified, namely, 
 the Atoner and Mediator. Hodge ob- 
 jects to this meaning of the word, be- 
 cause " Christ is nowliere else called the 
 mercy seat," and because " it is common 
 to speak of the blood of a sacrifice, but 
 not of the blood of the mercy seat." 
 It may also be added that the mercy- 
 seat is hidden rather than set forth. 
 Otliers therefore with good reason take 
 the word to mean propitiatory sacrifice. 
 It is strictly an adjective, meaning 
 propitiatory, and implies some noun as 
 sacrifice or offering understood, the con- 
 nection suggesting the sense. Meyer 
 refers to the analogous terms used, 
 where offering is understood, as the 
 word pertaining to thanks used for 
 thank-offering, etc. Or if used as a 
 noun it would very naturally mean a 
 victim of expiation. The context sug- 
 gests the idea of an atoning sacrifice by 
 the words "in his blood" (uv. n . 11). 
 This view accords with the fact that the 
 Mosaic sacrifices were typical of Christ 
 
 (1 Cor. 5:7; Heb. 10 : I-IO), aiul that he WaS 
 
 styled by .John "the Laml) of God that 
 takes away the sin of the world " 
 (.loi.n 1 : 29), and that the Old Testament 
 prophecies foretold a suffering Messiah 
 who should make an atonement for the 
 
 sins of the world (l-^a. 53 : 4-12; nan. 9 : 24-26; 
 
 Zech. 13 : 1 ff.; Ps. 16 : 22, 40 ; Luke 24 : 26, 27, 46, etc.). 
 
 Christ also is expressly declared to be 
 a sacrifice and offering unto God for 
 a sweet-smelling savor (Eph. 5:2), and 
 he is also said to have offered himself 
 without spot or blemish unto God 
 (Heb. 9 : 14), TMs vicw is also Confirmed 
 by the use of its kindred words else- 
 where in the New Testament. Thus 
 the verb from which it is derived means 
 to appease, to j^i'opitiate. In Heb. 2 : 17 
 it is correctly translated in the Revised 
 and the Bible Union versions, to make 
 propitiation ; and in Luke 18 : 13, Be 
 merciful or he propitiated ; and in the 
 Septuagint it is used six times with the 
 same essential meaning. So also its 
 kindred noun derived from the above 
 verb, means an appeasing, a propitiat- 
 ing, and is used of an expiatory sacri- 
 fice in 2 Mace. 3 : 33 ; and of Christ as a 
 propitiation of our sins in 1 John 2:2; 
 4 : 10. Notice that while it is said that 
 Christ offered himself, that it was God 
 who gave and sent his Son (John 3 : le, n), 
 and the Son voluntarily obeyed (Heb. 
 10:5-8). And also that here Paul says 
 not offered, but whom God set forth, as 
 a propitiatory sacrifice. Through 
 faith — connected most naturally with 
 propitiation. Christ the propitiatory 
 sacrifice becomes such to the believer 
 through faith. In, or by, his blood — 
 by means of his blood, meaning his 
 life which he offered to God for the sins 
 
 of men (Oeut. 12 : 23; Heb. 9 : 22). 
 
 Observe here that there was some- 
 thing in God to be propitiated, and that 
 Christ by his sacrifice made the propi- 
 tiation. The holy wrath of God was 
 aroused against sin and the sinner 
 
 (l : 18; 5 : 9; Ps. 7 : 11 : Gal. 3 : 13), which WaS 
 
 removed by the death of Christ. The 
 Bible everywhere represents sin as 
 abominable in God's sight. There is a 
 holy displeasure of God superadded to 
 the penalties of the law (2 : 4, 5, 8, 9; 3:5; 
 
 Kph. 5:6; CoL 3:6:1 Thcss. 2 : 16). It is but 
 
 the natural outworkings of God's holi- 
 ness and justice against sin. Christ so 
 satisfies these as to deliver us from wrath 
 
 (Rom. 5 :9; 1 Thess. 1 : 10; 5 :9). It should 
 
 also be noted that it was not God offer- 
 ing up a propitiatory sacrifice to him- 
 self, but that it was the second Adam 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 EOMANS 
 
 59 
 
 eousness *for the remission of "sins 
 that are past, through the forbearance 
 26 of God ; to declare, / say, at this time 
 his righteousness : ^ that he might be 
 just, and the justiher of him which be- 
 lieveth in Jesus. 
 
 his righteousness, because of the pass- 
 ing over of the sins formerly commit- 
 26 ted in the forbearance of God ; for the 
 exhibition of his righteousness in this 
 present time, that he may be righteous, 
 and the justitier of him who believes 
 in Jesus. 
 
 ( Acts 13 : 38, 39. 
 
 M Acts 17 : 30 ; Heb. 9 : 15. 
 
 I Isa. 42 : 21. 
 
 representing the race (i Tim. 2 :5, 6; Phii. 
 
 2 : 7, 8; 1 Cor. 15 : 22, 45). 
 
 To declare— /or /Ae exhibition; that 
 is, in order to exhibit his righteous- 
 ness. His holiness, justice, liatred of 
 sin, and his infinite love are all exhib- 
 ited, as nowhere else, in the sacrificial 
 offering of his son; especially his "ju- 
 dicial righteousness in both its aspects, 
 of sin-condemning and sin-forgiving 
 righteousness ' ' ( SCH AFF ) . In order to 
 show that his righteousness was main- 
 tained while he remitted the penalty of 
 violated law. For the remission, 
 etc. The rest of this verse constitutes 
 one clause, and is better rendered : Be- 
 cause of the passing over (compare over- 
 looked (Acts 17 : 30) ; obscrvc also that the 
 w^ord does not mean remissioyi) of the 
 sins previously committed (before the 
 expiatory death of Christ) in the long- 
 suffering of God — while God in his 
 long-suffering forbore to inflict punish- 
 ment. For four thousand years God 
 had tolerated sin and sinners. (Comp. 
 Acts 14:16.) His liolincss and justice 
 w^ere in danger of being lost sight of, 
 and the conception of them obscured 
 (2:2; 2 Peter 3 : 3, 4). The Same coiisciencc 
 also that condemned the sin would con- 
 demn the judge who should remit the 
 penalty. There was a necessity there- 
 fore for a solemn manifestation of God's 
 righteousness as exhibited in the expia- 
 tory death of Christ. Of the benefits 
 which godly men of old derived from 
 looking forward to a coming Sa^aour 
 Paul is not now speaking. He is show- 
 ing the need of displaying God's right- 
 eousness. 
 
 26. Paul repeats for another purpose 
 a thought of tlie preceding verse. To 
 declare, I say, etc. P>etter, For the 
 exhibition of his righteousness at 
 this present time, in this critical period 
 of the world's history under the gospel. 
 At this presoit time is emphatic, and 
 contrasted with the passing over of sins 
 preWously committed (ver. 25). Then 
 there was a passing over and a forbeai'- 
 
 ance in punishment; now, a full for- 
 giveness through the atoning sacrifice, 
 which if rejected would bring swift de- 
 struction (.A.cts 13 : 40, 41). Exhibition of 
 his righteousness in the Divine character 
 — see on preceding verse. We must not 
 separate the justice and mercy of God ; 
 nor suppose that any of his attributes 
 are antagonistic. His holiness, justice, 
 mercy, and love, are all in perfect har- 
 mony, and all made conspicuous in the 
 suflTering and death of Christ. In this 
 sacrifice Christ was exhibited as well 
 pleasing and acceptable to God (John 
 10 : 17, 18) , as voluntarily making it on 
 his part (Heb. 10 : 5-7), as sustaining a 
 twofold relation to God and man (iTim. 
 2:5, 6; Phil. 2:6ff.), and both tlicsc rela- 
 tions were conspicuous in his life (JoUa 
 1 : 14)^ in his sufferings and death (Matt. 
 27 : 50-54)^ and in his resurrection (i:4: 
 
 4: 25; Acts 13 : 33)^ and Still COllSpicUOUS 
 in his exaltation (ActsS :31; PMI. 2 :9-ll: 
 
 Rev. 5:9-14). Tlius was God honored as 
 much as if his holy displeasure and the 
 penalty of his law had been visited on 
 the sinner himself. 
 
 The object or end in view of all this 
 ("whom God set forth as a propitia- 
 tion," etc.), is now stated: That he 
 might be just and the justifier of 
 him which believeth in Jesus. Or 
 more exactly, in order that he may him- 
 self be righteous (really and manifestly 
 so) and making him righteous who is of 
 faith in Jesus. A difficulty here is 
 that there is no single word in English 
 to render the word translated justify 
 corresponding Avith the word righteous. 
 " We have here the greatest paradox of 
 the gospel ; for in tlie law God is seen 
 just and condemning; in the gospel as 
 being himself just and justifying the 
 sinner" _ (Bengel). In tlie act of 
 justification the righteousness of Christ 
 ( ver. 21 ) is accouutcd to the believer, so 
 that he is pardoned and treated as if he 
 had never sinned. Through faith this 
 rigliteousness is accepted and the soul 
 becomes united with Christ (ver. 22), in- 
 
60 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. III. 
 
 27 y Where is boasting then ? It is ex- 
 cluded. By what law? Of works? 
 
 28 »Nay : but by the law of faith. There- 
 fore we conclude that a man is jasti- 
 tied by faith without the deeds of the 
 law. 
 
 29 Js he the God of the Jews only ? Is 
 he not also of the Gentiles? "Yes, of 
 
 30 the Gentiles also : seeing ^ it is one God 
 which shall justify the circumcision 
 by faith, and uncircumcision through 
 faith. 
 
 27 Where then is the glorying? It is 
 excluded. By what kind of law ? Of 
 works? Nay ; but by a law of faith. 
 
 28 For we reckon that a man is justified 
 
 29 by faith apart from works of law. Or 
 is God the God of Jews only? Is he 
 not also of Gentiles ? Yes, of Gentiles 
 
 30 also ; since God is one, who will justify 
 the circumcision by faith, and the un- 
 
 31 circumcision through faith. Do we 
 
 y 1 Cor. 1 : 29-31. z 9 : 32 ; Gal. 2 : 16. a 9 : 24-26 ; Mai. 1 : 11 ; Eph. 3:6. b Gal. 3 : 28 ; 5:6. 
 
 vol ving regeneration and adoption (8: 15- 
 18: 2 Cor. 5 : 17) and a partaking of the Di- 
 vine nature (2 Peter 1:4; Heb. 12 : 10). Jus- 
 tification includes both the forgiveness 
 of sins and restoration to the Divine 
 favor. But through faith, by virtue of 
 union with Christ, this righteousness 
 is received in growth in grace and sanc- 
 tification. Being made free from 
 
 sin," that is, justified, "ye have your 
 fruit unto holiness," that is, unto sanc- 
 
 tification (6 : 23 ; see on 1 : 17 and 3 : 24). This 
 
 passage (ver. 25, 26) is one of the richest 
 in doctrinal instruction in all Paul's 
 writings. Nowhere else is he, or any 
 other writer in the New Testament, .so 
 full or so explicit on the atoning efficacy 
 of Christ's death. Nowhere else is the 
 great question of the ages, which hu- 
 man wisdom never solved, so clearly 
 answered, "How can man be just with 
 God ? " (Job 9 : 2.) What consolation has 
 this brought to troubled and believing 
 hearts. On reading it," says Cow- 
 per, "I immediately received power to 
 believe. . . I saw the complete suf- 
 ficiency of the expiation which Christ 
 had wrought for my pardon and justifi- 
 cation. . . My eyes filled with tears, 
 transports choked my utterance. I 
 could only look up to heaven in silent 
 fear, overflowing with love and won- 
 der." 
 
 27. Paul now draws liis conclusions 
 in a number of spirited questions and 
 answers. Where is the boasting 
 then? that is, of the Jew (2:17; 3: 19. 
 
 See hclow on ver. 29). Where? It is not 
 
 to be found or seen, so confident is 
 Paul in the strength of his po.sition. 
 It is excluded. The gospel plan of 
 redemption leaves no ground of boast- 
 ing. How then is it exchided? How 
 can its spirit be suppressed ? By what 
 kind nf^ law ? By a law of works ? 
 one which demands works as a ground 
 of merit? Nay ; emphatically ; for that 
 
 would lead to self- righteousness. But 
 by a law of faith — a principle or 
 rule which requires faith. Only thus 
 will a person learn to glory in the 
 Lord and not in self (Kph. 2 :8, 9). But 
 Paul only discarded legal works; he 
 held as strongly as James to the works 
 which are evidences of a living faith, 
 the fruit in a Christian life ( Eph. 2 : 10 ; 
 
 Titus 3:8). 
 
 28. Therefore, in view of what 
 has just l>een said, and confirmatory of 
 it, w'e conclude, rather, ice reckon or 
 hold, that a man is justified, or ac- 
 
 counted righteous, by faith, apart from 
 tcorks of hnc, as a ground of accept- 
 ance witll God. (See ou ver. 20, 21.) 
 
 29. Is he the God, etc. Eather, 
 Or, if this statement (ver. 28) is doubted 
 or not admitted, is God the God of Jeics 
 only f "If righteousness comes through 
 works of law, as the Jews only had the 
 law, the absurd conclu.sion follows that 
 he was the God of the Jews only" 
 (Boise). Thus this verse and the next 
 strikingly confirm the statement in 
 ver. 28. Is he not also of Gentiles ? 
 The form of the question in the original 
 anticipates an affirmative answer. 
 Yes, of Gevtiles also. This authori- 
 tative as-sertion is founded on numer- 
 ous passages in the Old Testament (Gen. 
 
 12 : 3 ; Ps. 2 : 8 ; 82 : 8 ; Tsa. 49 : 5-7, etc.) . 
 
 30. The statement of this verse, 
 grounded on the unity of God, isclo.sely 
 connected with the preceding verse. 
 Seeing — sivce God is one, a doctrine 
 firmly held by the Jews. Hence he 
 must be God of l)oth Jews and Gen- 
 tiles, or the absurd conclusion would 
 follow that Gentiles had no God ! As 
 there is one God of all, so there is ])ut 
 one way of ju.stification for all. Who 
 icill justify the circumcision by, 
 or out of, faith, and the uncircum- 
 cision through the faith, tlie very 
 same faith as that l)y which the Jew is 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 KOMANS 
 
 61 
 
 31 Do we then "make void the law 
 
 through faith ? God forbid 
 establish the law. 
 
 yea, <» we 
 
 then make void law through faith 
 Far be it ! Yea, we establish law. 
 
 c Gal. 3 : 17-19. 
 
 d 7 : 7-14 ; 8 : 4. 
 
 justified, or accounted as righteous. 
 Most take by and through as equivalent 
 in meaning. By or out of may point 
 rather to faith as the source by which 
 Jews were justified and thus made truly 
 the .sons of Abraham (Gai.3:6, -), their 
 circumcision being but an outward sign 
 or seal of that faith (*:ii). Through 
 may point to faith as the means or me- 
 dium by which others received the ben- 
 efits of justification, independent of 
 any outward sign or any ancient cove- 
 nant. 
 
 31. This verse forms the conclusion 
 of what precedes, and a transition to 
 the discussion in the next chapter. An 
 objection would arise in the minds of 
 many, as doubtless it had in Paul's own 
 experience, that such a gratuitous jus- 
 tification by faith alone, would do away 
 with the ol)ligations of the law. Do 
 we then make void the law, make 
 it inoperative and useless, through 
 faith ? God forbid. Away the 
 thought ! Impossible ! It is not to be 
 once named. Yea, we establish 
 the law. But how? (1) God's dis- 
 pleasure against sin and his justice re- 
 ceive their highest manifestation on 
 Calvary and in the go.spel. (2) Through 
 the gospel a spirit of obedience to the 
 Divine will is produced in man, and 
 thus the law which represents the will 
 of God is established. (.3) Christ also 
 honored it and gave it a perfect obedi- 
 ence. He came not to destroy it, but 
 to fulfill it. (4) The law as illustrated 
 in Abraham {i-^), involved the same 
 principle of faith, and is therefore con- 
 firmed thereby. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. The advantages of belonging to the 
 church, or of living in a Christian com- 
 munity, are many, and the responsibility 
 is great (ver. 1 ; Deut. 4:7-9; Ps. 147 : 
 19, 20). 
 
 2. Since the Bible is such a boon to any 
 people, how imix)rtant to give it to all na- 
 tions (ver. 2 ; Ps. 119 : 97-iai ; Rev. 22 : 
 6, 7, 10). 
 
 3. God is faithful to his promises ; and 
 it is man's fault if he fails of its bless- 
 
 ! ings (ver. ?,, 4 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 11-1.3 ; 1 John 
 
 I 1:9). 
 
 ' 4. It is a mark of true piety to justify 
 
 j God rather than ourselves (ver. 4; Job 
 
 I 42 : 5, 6). 
 
 ry. That God makes the Avrath of man 
 to praise him does not lessen the guilt of 
 the sinner (ver. 5; Ps. 76:7-10; Prov. 
 
 I 9 : 12). 
 
 I 6. The final judgment will be impartial 
 
 I and founded in truth and righteousness 
 (ver. 6 ; Ps. 72 : 2 ; Rev. 19 : 2). 
 
 7. Sinners may comfort themselves by 
 false reasonings about God, but they can- 
 not thereby escape condemnation and 
 punishment (ver. 7 ; Exod. 34 : 7). 
 
 8. That practice cannot be good, nor 
 that doctrine true, whose tendency is im- 
 moral (ver. 8; Matt. 7:16-20; 1 Cor. 
 15 : 33). 
 
 9. Whatever advantages the people of 
 Christian countries may have over the 
 heathen, all are alike sinners (ver. 9, 23 ; 
 1 Kings 8 : 46). 
 
 10. Paul regarded the Old Testament as 
 the word of God and an ultimate stand- 
 ard of appeal (ver. 10-18; 2 Tim. 3 : 16). 
 
 11. The Bible's description of the hu- 
 man heart and life before Christ is equally 
 true at the present day (ver. 10-18 ; 2 
 Tim. 3 : 1, 2; 2 Peter 3 : 3). 
 
 12. The Bible teaches explicitly human 
 depra\'ity, involving the tongue, month, 
 
 I lips, feet, the entire body (ver. 10-18 ; 
 Jer. 17 : 9; James 3:6). 
 
 13. The law was intended neither to jus- 
 tify nor sanctify. It gives no hope of sal- 
 vation ; but only speaks condemnation to 
 the sinner (ver. 19, 20 ; Gal. 3 : 22). 
 
 14. Con\iction of sin and a feeling that if 
 we are saved it must be by other merit 
 and power than our own, are a needed 
 preparation for the reception of the gos- 
 pel (ver. 20; Gal. 3 : 23, 24). 
 
 15. The doctrine of salvation by grace 
 through faith is a doctrine of the Old Tes- 
 tament as well as the New (ver. 21 ; Hab. 
 2:4; Isa. 28 : 16; Zech. 4 : 7). 
 
 16. Christ has wrought out a perfect 
 righteousness by his obedience unto death, 
 
62 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. IV 
 
 4 WHAT shall we then say that * Abra- 
 ham our father, ^as pertaining to the 
 flesh, hath found ? 
 
 WHAT then shall we say that Abra- 
 ham, our forefather according to the 
 
 « Isa. 51 : 2 ; Matt. 3 : 9. 
 
 / Phil. 3 : 3, 4. 
 
 which is accounted to the believer in jus- 
 tification, and of which by a personal 
 union with Christ, the believer becomes 
 partaker in sanctilication (ver. 21, 22; 
 Gal. 2 : 16, 20 ; Phil. 1 : 11 ; Rev. 19 : 8). 
 
 17. The Bible teaches that all men are 
 sinners. Sin robs God of his glory, and 
 takes for self that which belongs to God 
 (ver. 23 ; 5 : 12 ; Mai. 1:6; Gal. 3 : 22). 
 
 18. Justification is an act of grace on 
 God's part, gratuitously exercised toward 
 men, and made available by means of the 
 ransom which Christ personally paid for 
 us (ver. 24; Gal. 4 : 4, 5). 
 
 19. All human agency is excluded in 
 justification. It is an act of God solely be- 
 cause of what Christ has done for us 
 (ver. 24-26; 8:33; Phil. 1:8, 9; Eph 
 2:8). 
 
 20. In the atonement Christ is set forth 
 as expiating sin and satisfying the justice 
 and holiness of God (ver. 25, 26; Heb. 
 9: 14). 
 
 21. The death of Christ displays and 
 vindicates the righteous character and 
 perfections of God, in his treatment of 
 sinners, both in the former dispensation 
 and in the present (ver. 2-5, 26). 
 
 22. Christ obeyed and suffered in our 
 stead in order that we might through him 
 be pardoned and saved (ver. 22-26 ; 4 : 25). 
 
 23. It was only as Christ was set forth 
 as a propitiation that God could be right- 
 eous in exercising justifying mercy (ver. 
 26; Matt. 26 : 39,42). 
 
 24. Both justification and sanctification 
 are of God. The former is God's gracious 
 act toward us ; the latter is what he gra- 
 ciovLsly does within us (ver. 22-26; John 
 17 : 17). 
 
 25. All the attributes of God were in 
 glorious harmony in ])roviding and ac- 
 complishing the great work of redemp- 
 tion (ver 22-26, 31 ; Ps. 10, 11). 
 
 26. Gospel jastification tends to humble 
 men and exalt God (ver. 27, 28; 1 Cor. 
 1 : 31). 
 
 27. God is the universal Father and all 
 men are brethren in the flesh (ver. 29: 
 Acts 17 :28, 29). 
 
 28. Justification by faith is without par- 
 tiality, and open to all (ver. 30; Mai. 1 : 
 11). 
 
 29. The law, in its spiritual character 
 and righteous requirements, abides, and 
 is in perfect harmony with the gospel 
 (ver. 31; Mark 12 : 28-34). 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 In this chapter we have the expand- 
 ing of the truth brought to view in 
 the last verse of the preceding chap- 
 ter. The law and the gospel are in per- 
 fect accord. The former is confirmed 
 by the latter. The doctrine of salva- 
 tion by grace through faith is the same 
 in both ; but it finds its highest devel- 
 opment in the gospel through Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 1-25. The doctrine of salva- 
 tion BY GRACE THROrGH JUSTIFICA- 
 TION BY FAITH ILLUSTRATED AND 
 CONFIRMED FROM THE OLD TESTA- 
 MENT. Abraham justified by faith 
 (ver. 1-5). David recognized a righteous- 
 ness apart from works (ver. 6-8). This 
 faith and this reckoned righteousness 
 of justification in Abraham preceded 
 circumcision (ver. 9-13). Circumcision a 
 sign and a seal of the righteousness of 
 Abraham's faith. Through the right- 
 eousness of faith also Abraham was the 
 heir of the world (ver. 13-22), which now 
 may also be ours. 
 
 1. Paul anticipates an objection which 
 would naturally arise in the mind of a 
 Jew, and which he had felt in his own 
 experience : If sucli a view be correct, 
 What shall we then say that 
 Abraham onr forefath er hath 
 found ? obtained at^to the flesh .?— as to 
 external observances afiecting the body 
 only, within the sphere of works, 
 such as circumcision, ablutions, fast- 
 ings, etc., on wliich the Jew laid so 
 much stress (G"'- e ■ i'-': p''"- ^ : *■ 5). Some 
 witli the Revised version read, our fore- 
 father according to the flesh hath found 
 —what benefit hath lie gained? Otliers 
 without sufficient reason omit hath 
 found, and translate, What then shali 
 we say of Abraham our forefather? 
 The general sense of these various read- 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 63 
 
 2 For if Abraham were justified by 
 works, he hath whereof to glory. But 
 
 3 not before God ; for what saith the 
 Scripture? s Abraham believed God, 
 and it was counted unto him for right- 
 
 4 eousness. Now •» to him that worketh 
 is the reward not reckoned of grace, 
 
 5 but of debt ; but ' to him that worketh 
 not, but belie veth on him that justifi- 
 eth the ungodly, ^ his faith is counted 
 for righteousness. 
 
 2 flesh, has found ? For if Abraham was 
 justified by works, he has ground of glo- 
 
 3 rying ; but not towards God. For what 
 says the Scripture ? And Abraham be- 
 lieved God, and it was reckoned to 
 
 4 him for righteousness. Now to him 
 that works, the reward is not reckoned 
 
 5 as of grace, but as of debt. But to him 
 that works not, but believes on him 
 who justifies the ungodly, his faith is 
 
 6 reckoned for righteousness. As also 
 
 gr Gal. 3:6; James 2 : 23. 
 
 A 11 : 6. 
 
 I Ver. 24 ; 3 : 22. 
 
 A; Ver. 3. 
 
 ings is nearly the same. The answer 
 implied to the question is, Nothing as 
 regards righteousness and justification. 
 To the Jew Abraham was the highest 
 authority ; and this question of the first 
 importance. 
 
 2. A negative answer to the preceding 
 question being implied, For introduces 
 tiie reason for this answer. This verse 
 and the next atford a good illustration 
 of Paul's brief elliptical style, which 
 makes the interpretation difficult. For 
 if Abraham was justified, or ac- 
 counted righteous, by works he hath 
 ground of glorying and of boasting — 
 with an evident allusion to 3 : 27. But 
 nothefore^ or toivard, God. Some in- 
 terpret : In that case he has occasion of 
 glorying, not toward God, but only to- 
 ward himself. Even then whatever 
 merit he may have in the sight of men, 
 he has no ground of boasting before an 
 infinitely holy God. But the most nat- 
 ural and satisfactory explanation seems 
 to be : For if Abraham was justified by 
 works, as the Jews commonly supposed, 
 he would have ground of boasting; 
 but he has no such ground before or 
 toward God ; and therefore he was not 
 justified by works ; for what saith the 
 Scripture, etc. This is the view of Cal- 
 vin and Hodge. 
 
 3. For introduces the proof of the 
 negative assertion implied above. For 
 what saith the Scripture in regard 
 to the ground of Abraham's justifica- 
 tion? Abraham believed God, 
 and it Avas counted, or reckoned, to 
 him for righteousness (Gai.3:6; 
 James 2: 23). Quotcd from Gcn 15 : 6, 
 from the Septuagint. Believed is era- 
 I)hatic, and thus Abraham's faith is dis- 
 tinguished from works, and merit on 
 his part is excluded. Abraham's faith 
 being reckoned to him for righteousness 
 implies that he was justified, or ac- 
 counted righteous and treated as such. 
 
 ( Compare 2 : 26 ; 9 : 8 ; 8 : 36. ) Abraham's 
 
 faith included both his filial trust in 
 God, and his belief in God's promise 
 (Gen. 15 : 5, 6). How stroug it was may 
 be learned from ver. 18 and from Gen. 
 12 : 1-4 and Heb. 11 : 8-10. At this 
 point it was only necessary to Paul's 
 argument to contrast faith and works ; 
 and to show that as the gospel makes 
 known a righteousness by faith apart 
 from works, so Abraham in like man- 
 ner obtained righteousness by faith 
 apart from works. From other parts 
 of Scripture we learn that Abraham's 
 faith in God rested on the Promised 
 Seed (Gal. 3:8), and the promises which 
 were seen from afar (Johns : 56; Heb. 
 11 : 13). See closing note on ver. 10. 
 
 4, 5. These two verses illustrate the 
 essential difference between a reward of 
 works, and a favor bestowed without 
 any equivalent in return. They illus- 
 trate and confirm ver. 3. Now to him 
 that worketh — for wages or hire. 
 This is the natural meaning, as shown 
 by the use of the word rew^ard, the 
 pay of a hireling. To such the pay is 
 not reckoned as a matter of grace or 
 favor, brit as of debt. But to him, 
 who like Abraham, ivorketh not, as a 
 hireling for pay, but renouncing all 
 claim to reward and merit, believeth 
 on him wAo justifieth, or accounts 
 the ungodly as righteous, to such a one, 
 his faith is reckoned for righteous- 
 ness, and necessarily gratuitous, (see 
 on ver. 3.) Then he is no longer regarded 
 as ungodly but reconciled (5 : lo), regen- 
 erated and adopted into God's family 
 (8:15. See on 3: 26). Faith is here pre- 
 sented as entirely separate from works, 
 and as opposed to all trust in works, 
 not as supplementing defective works 
 (11:6). The final statement of ver. 5 
 prepares the way for the argument in 
 the next verse. 
 
 6. David is quoted an authority 
 
(A 
 
 iiUMANS 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 6 Even a.s David also clescril)ctli the 
 blessedness of the man unto whom 
 God imputeth rij^hteousness ' without 
 
 7 works, mi/i/ui, Blessed are they whose 
 iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins 
 
 8 are covered. Blessed is the man to 
 whom the Lord will not iraimte sin. 
 
 9 ™ Cometh this blessedness then upon 
 the circumcision onli/, or upon the un- 
 circumcision also? "For we say that 
 faith was reckoned to Abraham for 
 righteousness. 
 
 10 How was it tlien reckoned ; when he 
 was in circumcision, or in uncircum- 
 
 David speaks of the happiness of the 
 man, t(j whom God reckons righteous- 
 ness, apart from works. 
 
 7 Happy they, whose iniquities have 
 
 been forgiven. 
 And whose sins have been covered ; 
 
 8 Happy the man to whom the Lord 
 
 will not reckon sin ! 
 
 9 Comes this happiness then on the cir- 
 cumcision, or also on the uncircumci- 
 sion ? For we say. Faith was reckoned 
 
 10 to Abraham for righteousness. How 
 then was it reckoned ? When he was 
 in circumcision, or in uncircumcision ? 
 
 i 3 : 20, 21, 27. 
 
 m 3 : 29, 30. 
 
 n Ver. 3. 
 
 among the Jews hardly second to Abra- 
 ham, and especially revered for his 
 Messianic relations a n d predictions 
 
 (Ps. 2 :2; Matt. 1: 1). Eveil SLfi David 
 
 describeth — t^peaks or a.s.sxvte. His 
 testimony is appealed to as a proof and 
 in elucidation of a righteousness apart 
 from works. Just as David speaks of 
 the blessedness of, or ujyon, the 
 man unto Avhoni God imputeth, 
 or /•«• /.one/ /*, righteousness without 
 works, aj}art from tvorks. The word 
 rendered blessedness occurs in the 
 New Testament only three times (here, 
 ver. 9, and Gal. 4: 15) J and mcans « decla- 
 ration of blessedytessor happiness. Thus 
 David utters a declaration of hajjpiness 
 upon the man. " Nearly equivalent to 
 saying, congratulates the man" etc. 
 (Boise). 
 
 7, 8. The quotation is from the 
 Septuagint (ps. 32:1,2). Blessed, or 
 Happy , they whose iniquities ?/yre 
 (and are) forgiven, and whose sins 
 irere (and are) covered completely. 
 This implies man's absolute need of for- 
 giveness, and that he could in nowise 
 demand justice at God's hands (.ioh9: 
 2.3). Blessed, or Happy, the man 
 to whom the Lord will in no irise 
 impute, rather, reckon, sin. This im- 
 plies that his only hope is in God's for- 
 oearing to l)ring him into judgment — 
 to account sin against him. The two 
 passages regarding; Abraham and David 
 in a measure supjtlcment each other. 
 Justification is the central point (vir. 5), 
 Gratuitously jx-rfonned through faith 
 and a reckoned righteousness are the 
 jxiints brought to view in the case of 
 Abraham. Tiie full and gracious for- 
 giveness of sins is made prominent in 
 the words of David. It is implied, and 
 so Paul affirms, that to such a one 
 
 righteousness is reckoned apart from 
 works (ver. 6). It lias been noted that 
 in the Hebrew of the quotation from 
 David there are three different words 
 used to express sin. Thus "sin is 
 viewed as a wrong against God (trans- 
 gression) which needs iohe forgiven, as 
 a loathsome thing (sin) which needs to 
 be covered, and as a crime (iniquity) 
 which needs to be avenged unless some 
 satisfaction is rendered to justice ; or 
 to express substantially the same dis- 
 tinctions more briefly, sin is repre- 
 sented as an offense against God's maj- 
 esty, his purity, and his justice" (A. 
 N. Aenold, "Am. Com."). (seePs. 32: 
 1,2.) 
 
 9. Paul proceeds to prove from Abra- 
 ham's case that circumcision is not a 
 necessary condition of that happy state 
 in which righteousness is reckoned to a 
 believer, implying his justification. 
 Having shown how Abraham was ac- 
 counted righteous (ver. 3-5), and given 
 the testimony of David to the same 
 effect, the question naturally arises: 
 Cometh this blessedness then 
 upon the circumcision only, or 
 upon the uncircumcision also? 
 This is not the language of a supposed 
 objector, but rather Paul's statement of 
 the point in question. No direct an- 
 swer is given, but it is implied : Upon 
 the circumcision also; for Ave say, 
 etc. On this blessedness. (See on ver. 6.) 
 For begins the discu.ssion, repeating 
 the Scripture statement of ver. 3 as a 
 fundamental starting point. In the 
 words, we say, Paul assumes the as- 
 sent of the reader to this position. 
 
 (Set- on ver. 3.) 
 
 10. How, under what circum- 
 stances, was it then reckoned? 
 when he was in circumcision. 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 65 
 
 cision? Not in circumcision, but in 
 
 11 uncircumcision. And oJie received the 
 sign of circumcision, Pa seal of ithe 
 righteousness of the faith which he had 
 yet being uncircumcised : that •• he 
 might be the father of all them that 
 believe, though they be not circum- 
 cised ; that righteousness might be im- 
 
 12 puted unto them also : and the father of 
 circumcision ^ to them who are not of 
 the circumcision only, but who also 
 walk in the steps of that faith of our 
 father Abraham, which he had being 
 yet uncircumcised. 
 
 Not in circumcision, but in uncircum- 
 
 11 cision. And he received the sign of 
 circumcision, a seal of the righteous- 
 ness of the faith which he had while 
 in uncircumcision ; that he might be 
 father of all that believe while in un- 
 circumcision, that the righteousness 
 
 12 might be reckoned to them also ; and 
 father of circumcision to those who 
 not only are of the circumcision, but 
 who also walk in the steps of the faith 
 of ovu" father Abraham, which he had 
 while in uncircvimcision. 
 
 Gen. 17 : 10, 11. p 2 Cor. 1 : 22 ; Eph. 1 : 13, 14. q Phil. 3:9. r Luke 19 : 9 ; Gal. 3 : 7. 
 
 9 : 6, 7. 
 
 or in uncircumcision? This was 
 a question of so great importance to 
 the Jew, that a direct question and a 
 positive answer are given. Not in 
 circumcision, but in uncircum- 
 cision. From a comparison of Gen. 
 15 : 6 ; 16:16; 17 : 13, it appears that 
 it was some months before the birth of 
 Ishmael that the faith of Abraham was 
 counted to him for righteousness, that 
 Abraham was eighty-six years old when 
 Ishmael Avas born, and ninety-nine 
 years old when he was circumcised. 
 Thus this great spiritual era in his life 
 occurred at least fourteen years before 
 his circumcision, clearly showing that 
 circumcision had nothing to do with it. 
 It should be noted that Gen. 15 : 6 does 
 not necessarily fix the time of his jus- 
 tification. It was then that it became 
 an assured and a revealed fact to him. 
 About ten years before this, when he left 
 his own country and came into the land 
 
 of Canaan (Gen. 12 :4; U: I8-2O; 16: s), he 
 
 believed God, and he should then be 
 regarded as justified. But it was not 
 till later that he came to know experi- 
 mentally and as a revealed fact a right- 
 eousness obtained through faith. 
 
 11. So far from this circumcision was 
 given ia consequence of it, and as a 
 seal in attestation of the righteousness 
 of faith which he had while in uncir- 
 cumcision. And, consequently^ he 
 received the sign, or token, of cir- 
 cumcision — a token of the covenant 
 formed with him as " the father of a 
 multitude of nations " ( Gen. 17 : 4-10) . A 
 seal — a stamp by which anything is 
 attested (icor. 9:2). Circumcision was 
 a seal, an outward token, attesting the 
 fact of the righteousness of faith 
 (faith having been reckoned to him 
 for righteousness) which he had 
 
 heing uncircumcised. Circumcis- 
 ion to him and to his descendants was 
 a sign of God's covenant made with 
 Abraham, but only to Abraham was it 
 a seal of the righteousness of his faith 
 exercised before his circumcision. It 
 was therefore to him what it could not 
 be to any of his descendants who were 
 circumcised when eight days old. 
 
 The argument is now complete in 
 Abraham's ca.se that he was accounted 
 righteous before he received circum- 
 cision. Now comes the application of 
 his case to this discussion. That he 
 might be the father — spiritually, a 
 conspicuous example to those exercis- 
 ing faith and a leader of the faithful. 
 The great doctrine of righteousness 
 through faith was the more fully re- 
 vealed to him, handed down from him, 
 and traced back to him. As father and 
 sons are animated by the same spirit to 
 a common faith, so a like spirit and a 
 righteousness apart from works char- 
 acterized Abraham and the faithftil 
 after him (Gai. 3 : 7 ; ps. 51 : 10, 16, 17), His 
 faith was accounted for righteousness 
 when he was uncircumcised, of which 
 fact circumcision became to him an 
 attesting seal in order that he might 
 be the father of all them that be- 
 lieve, though they be not cir- 
 cumcised, that the righteousness 
 might be im-puted,or reckoned, unto 
 them also. 
 
 12. The construction in this verse is 
 very difficult in the original. Its mean- 
 ing is brought out in the following trans- 
 lation : And father in relation to cir- 
 cumcision, to those toho not only are of 
 circumcision (having been circumcised), 
 hxit who also walk in the steps (after the 
 example) of the faith of our father, 
 Abraham, which he had when yet in 
 
66 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 13 For the promise that he should be the 
 their of the world, was not to Abra- 
 ham, or to his seed, "tlirough the law, 
 »but through the righteousness of 
 
 14 faith. For Jif they which are of the 
 law be heirs, " faith is made void, and 
 
 15 the promise made of none effect: be- 
 cause a the law worketh wrath: for 
 ^ where no law is, there is no transgres- 
 
 16 sion. Therefore it is of faith, that it 
 might be "hy grace; ''to the end the 
 promise might be sure to all the seed ; 
 
 13 For not through law was the promise 
 to Abraham, or to his seed, that he 
 should be heir of the world, but 
 
 14 through righteousness of faith. For if 
 they tliat are of law are heirs, faith is 
 made void, and the promise is made of 
 
 15 no effect. For the law works wrath ; 
 but where there is no law, neither is 
 
 16 there transgression. For this cause it 
 is of faith, that it may be according to 
 grace ; in order that the promise may 
 be sure to all the seed ; not to that only 
 
 t Gen. 12 : 1-3 ; 17 : 4, etc. ; Gal. 3 : 29. u Gal. 3 : 16-18. x Ver. 11. 
 « See 3 : 31. a 3 : 19, 20 ; 5 : 13, 20 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 56 ; 2 Cor. 3 : 7, 9. 6 5 
 
 d Gal. 3 : 22 ; Heb. 6 : 13-20. 
 
 y Gal. 2 : 21 ; 5 : 4. 
 13. c 3 : 24-26 ; 5 
 
 uncircumcision. In the preceding verse 
 Abraham is declared to be father of be- 
 lie\ang Gentiles; in this verse, father 
 of believing Jews ; and unbelieving 
 Jews are excluded from this relation. 
 So John the Baptist emphasized this 
 spiritual relationship: "Begin not to 
 say within yourselves, We have Abra- 
 ham for our father," etc. (Luke 3:8). Our 
 Saviour also: "If ye were Abraham's 
 children, ye would do the works of 
 Abraham" (John 8:39), The true chil- 
 dren of Abraham are not his natural 
 descendants, but those who have faith. 
 
 13. The great fact that Abraham was 
 father of believing Jews and Gentiles 
 is confirmed by another reason : The 
 promise to Abraham and his seed w^as 
 grounded on faith, not on works of law. 
 For the promise to Abraham and his 
 seed that he should be the heir of 
 the Avorld was not through law, de- 
 manding works and obedience, but 
 throtigh righteousness of faith, that 
 obtained by means of faith. The phrase 
 " heir of the world " is not used in the 
 promises to Abraham, but is a summary 
 
 oftheirimpOrt(Gen.l2:2,3; 13:14-17; 15:18; 
 17 : 8 ; 22 : 18 ; compare Ps. 89). They Centered 
 
 in the promise, " In thee shall all fami- 
 lies of the earth be blessed." It was only 
 in Christ, the seed of the promise (Gai. 
 3:16,17), that Abraham truly became 
 "the heir of the world" (8:i7; i Cor. 
 15 : 24). Compare also : " For all things 
 are yours . . . and ye are Christ's and 
 Christ is God's " (i Cor. s : 21-23). 
 
 14. For if they that are of latv, 
 especially those who depend on the 
 w^orks of the Mosaic law, are heirs, 
 faith is made void, rendered use- 
 less, and the promise made of 
 none effect (g.ii. 3 is). If the inher- 
 itance comes through obedience to law 
 
 then the faith ascribed to Abraham is 
 useless and the promise too is inopera- 
 tive and of no value, since the inherit- 
 ance might be claimed as due for serv- 
 ice, just as if no promise had been 
 made. What God promised as a gra- 
 tuity W'Ould be claimed as a reward. 
 
 15. Another reason given why the in- 
 heritance does not come by works of law. 
 Because the law worketh wrath, 
 is the occasion of God's wrath, and ex- 
 poses us to punishment as transgressors, 
 inasmuch as no one fully meets its 
 claims. If it therefore only aggravates 
 man's case, how then could it secure to 
 him the blessings of the inheritance? 
 For, rather, £nt where there is no law 
 neither is there transgression of any 
 specific law, hence no wrath and no 
 punishment. It is the law that gives 
 the knowledge of sin (3 : 20) and to sin its 
 condemning power. It must be outside 
 and independent of law that the prom- 
 ised inheritance can be secured. Paul 
 here is careful and guarded in the use 
 of the word transgression, which means 
 a violation of a specific law. There is 
 another word for sin in its broader and 
 deeper meaning (5 : i3), which has refer- 
 ence to wrong moral emotions and char- 
 acter, and to the underlying corrupt 
 moral nature. 
 
 16. Recurring to ver. 13, Paul applies 
 what he had just said. Therefore — 
 on account of this — such being the case 
 that the law works wrath and cannot 
 confer heirship, it, the inheritance, is 
 of faith, that it may be according to 
 grace — free, unmerited favor, not as a 
 debt, but as a gift. To the end, or 
 In order that the promise may be 
 sure to all the seed. Only in this 
 way could it be sure. Never could it" 
 be if dependent on imperfect, chang- 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 67 
 
 not to that ouly Avhich is of the law, 
 but to that also which is of the faith of 
 Abraham ; e who is the father of us all, 
 
 17 (as it is written, I have made thee a 
 father of many nations,) before him 
 whom he belie veth, even God, ^who 
 quickeueth the dead, and calleth those 
 s things which be not as though they 
 
 18 were. Who against hope believed in 
 hope, that he might become the father 
 of many nations, according to that 
 which was spoken. So shall thy seed 
 
 which is of the law, but to that also 
 which is of the faith of Abranam ; who 
 
 17 is the father of us all. (as it is written, 
 A father of many nations have I made 
 thee,) before God whom he believed, 
 who makes alive the dead, and calls 
 the things that are not as though they 
 
 18 were ; who against hope believed in 
 hope, to the end that he might become 
 father of many nations, according to 
 that which was spoken, So shall thy 
 
 e 9 : 8 ; Isa. 51 : 2. 
 
 / 8 : 11 ; Eph. 2 : 1-5. 
 
 ir 9 : 26 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 28 ; 1 Peter 2 : 10. 
 
 ing, sinful man ; but ever would it be, 
 if it rested on tlie faithful word of the 
 eternal and unchanging God. The seed 
 are the spiritual ones through faith 
 (ver. 13). All is emphatic, and ex- 
 panded in the next clause. The mean- 
 ing is : That the promise may be sure 
 to all the spiritual seed, not to that 
 seed only Avhich is of the law, (that 
 is, believing Jews), but to that seed 
 also which is of the faith of 
 Abraham (believing Gentiles (ver. i2)). 
 "Both the grace and the certainty of 
 the promise required that it should be 
 connected with faith alone. But this 
 implies that it is universal to all who 
 believe." Who is the father of us 
 all — who believe (Gai. 3 : 29). 
 
 17. As it is written — corroborating 
 what he had just said. This and the 
 quotation that follows are generally put 
 in a parenthesis. I have made thee 
 a father of many nations (Gen. 
 17 : 5 quoted from the Septuagint ver- 
 sion). The primary reference of this 
 promise appears to have been to his 
 natural descendants ; but all the prom- 
 ises to Abraham had also their spiritual 
 significance. They had their letter and 
 their spirit (2:28.29). Abraham w^as 
 the natural ancestor of the Edomites, 
 Ishmaelites, and many Arabian tribes, 
 as well as of the Israelites (Gen. 25 : 1-4) ; 
 l)ut spiritually of a numerous posterity 
 of believers from all nations (ver. 11). 
 The connection of thought makes the 
 reference here to the latter. The word 
 translated nations means also Gentiles, 
 which makes the quotation the more 
 striking. Before him Avhom he 
 believed, even God. This is a 
 very difficult phrase. The word trans- 
 lated before means strictly over against, 
 but according to a Hebrew idiom, he- 
 fore, in the sight of, and so it is com- 
 monly regarded. It can therefore be 
 
 rendered, Before God in whom he be- 
 lieved, meaning. He was father of many 
 nations, before or in the sight of God 
 in wiiom he believed. But another 
 explanation is worthy of notice, though 
 not without its difficulties. According 
 to an Aramean idiom, an example oc- 
 curring in Ezra 6 : 13, where tlie form 
 corresponds exactly with this phrase in 
 the Greek, it may be rendered, Because, 
 or according as he believed God. With 
 this translation there need be no paren- 
 thesis. A colon may be placed at the 
 end of ver. 16 and after " nations." 
 Who quickeneth the dead — with 
 reference to Abraham and Sarah (ver. 19 ; 
 Heb. 11 : 11. u. 19). God's almighty power 
 and his omniscience were the ground of 
 Abraham's faith. And calleth the 
 things that are not as though they 
 were — referring to unborn generations, 
 the descendants of Abraham and Sarah. 
 To God the future is as present; the 
 unborn as if existing. ]\Iany render. 
 And calleth into being the things that 
 are not, with reference to his omnipo- 
 tent, creative power. But the former 
 is the simpler and more natural expla- 
 nation (Acts 7:5). "The nations which 
 should spring, physically or spiritu- 
 ally, from him God spoke of as having 
 an existence, which word Abraham be- 
 lieved" (Alfoed). 
 
 18. Abraham is exhibited as a re- 
 markable example of faith. Who 
 against hope, and contra)^ to hope, 
 believed in hope, resting npon hope. 
 Contrary to all human grounds of rea- 
 soning he notwithstanding believed, 
 resting his hope on the ground of the 
 Divine promise. A good illustration of 
 
 what faith is. (Compare Heb. 11:1, 8-10.) 
 
 That he might, etc. His faith ex- 
 tending thus far, that he might or should 
 become father of many nations (see on ver. 
 17), according to that which ^vas 
 
68 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 19 be. And being not weak in faith, •> he 
 considered not liis own body now dead, 
 wlien lie was about an hundred years 
 old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's 
 
 20 womb : he staggered not at the promise 
 of God through unbelief; but was 
 strong in faith, giving glory to God ; 
 
 21 and being fully persuaded that, what 
 he had promised, Uie was able also to 
 
 22 perform. And therefore •'it was im- 
 puted to him for righteousness. 
 
 23 Now 'it was not written for his sake 
 
 24 alone, that it was imputed to him ; but 
 for us also, to whom it shall be im- 
 puted, if we believe on him that raised 
 
 19 seed be. And being not weakened in 
 faith, he considered his own body al- 
 ready dead, being about a hundred 
 years old, and the deadness of Sarah's 
 
 20 womb ; but in view of the promise of 
 God he wavered not through unbelief, 
 but was made strong in faith, giving 
 
 21 glory to God, and being fully assured, 
 that what he had promised he was able 
 
 22 also to perform, \\herefore also it was 
 reckoned to him for righteousness. 
 
 2o And it was not written for his sake 
 alone, that it was reckoned to him ; 
 
 24 but for ours also, to whom it will be 
 reckoned, if we believe on him who 
 raised Jesus our Lord from the dead : 
 
 A Gen. 17 : 17 ; 18 : 11-U ; Heb. 11 : 11, 12. i Luke 1 : 37, 45. 
 
 J 15 : 4 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 6, 11 ; 2 Tim. 3 : 16, 17. 
 
 k Vcr. 3, 6. 
 
 spoken, So, as the stars for multi- 
 tude, shall thy seed be (oeu. 15:5, 
 
 quoted from the Septuagiut ; Heb. 11 : 12 \ 
 
 19. And being not weak, but on 
 
 the contrary strong, in faith, he 
 considered not, he did not regard — 
 he made no account of his own body 
 now dead (figuratively), etc., but 
 against all human probabilities and all 
 human analogies, rested on God's prom- 
 ise. But the highest critical authori- 
 ties omit not after co7isidered , and trans- 
 late, he considered his oivn body now as 
 good as dead . . . but staggered not, etc. 
 Not being weak in faith he was well 
 aware of and considered well the impos- 
 sibilities as to nature, but as to the prom- 
 ise of God he wavered not through un- 
 belief. His foith was not shaken. This 
 reading and the interpretation growing 
 out of it accords well with ver. 18, 
 where Abraham is said to rest upon 
 hope in God, when no hope appeared 
 on the human side, and also with Gen. 
 17 : 17, one of the surprises in Abra- 
 ham's faith, but only a surprise, for he 
 showed his steadfast faith in his imme- 
 diate obedience in being circumcised 
 himself, and circumcising Ishmael and 
 all the males in his house. 
 
 20. He staggered not, etc. If 
 not is omitted after considered, in the 
 preceding verse, then translate, but as 
 to the promise of God, he wavered not 
 through nn belief, he did not look upon 
 it distrustfully, neither did he doubt 
 through lackof foith, butwaxed strong 
 in faith. So far from wavering he 
 increased in faith, giving glory to 
 God, doubtless in oral praise and ado- 
 ration, and in honoring his faithful- 
 ness and power by his conduct and life. 
 
 21. And being fully persuaded, 
 or assured, that what he had prom- 
 ised, he was able also to perform 
 
 — a general truth, applicable in our 
 day as well as in Abraham's or Paul's. 
 32. And therefore, etc., where- 
 fore also, on account of this faith, this 
 simple, unconditional confidence in 
 God and his promise, it was im- 
 puted, reckoned, to him for right- 
 eousness. Notice how emphasis is 
 put upon Abraham's strong fiiith, as il- 
 lustrated in ver. 13-21 ; and that an 
 important element in his faith was 
 " giving glory to God" (ver. 20). What- 
 ever merit there might be in it was 
 not on his part but belonged Avholly to 
 God, to whom he gave glory, since it 
 
 was his work in him ( Eph. 2:8; see further 
 on ver. 3). 
 
 23. Application of what has been 
 said regarding Abraham to Christians 
 — Now it Avas not Avritten, when it 
 was first recorded, for his sake alone 
 — its design was not merely to record a 
 historical fact and do honor to that il- 
 lustrious patriarch, that it "was im- 
 puted, accounted, to him, but rather 
 that he should be a type and pattern to 
 believers in every age. ( Comp. i Cor. 9 : lo ; 
 
 10 : 6, 11: Gal. 3: 8.) 
 
 24. But for us also — for our ben- 
 efit and profit, to whom it will be reck- 
 oned, if we believe on him Avho 
 raised up Jesus our Lord from 
 the dead. Faith in God is required 
 in us as well as in Abraham. This is 
 the parallel whicli Paul wislied here to 
 draw, lender tlie gospel to believe in 
 God is to believe in Christ, for Christ is 
 the way to God ; and to believe in 
 Christ is to believe in God, for Christ is 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 69 
 
 25 up Jesus our Lord from the dead; °> who I 25 who was delivered up for our tres- 
 was delivered for our offences, and I passes, and was raised for our justifica- 
 "was raised again for our justification. | tiou. 
 
 OT 5 : 6-8 ; 8 : 32 ; Isa. 53 : 5, 6, 10-12 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 21. 
 
 n 8 : 33, 34 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 17. 
 
 God manifested in the flesh (John i : i, ii ; 
 12 ; u, 45 ; 14 : 1, 6, 9) . Abraham too looked 
 forward to Christ (John s: 56). Notice 
 also the emphasis put upon Christ's 
 resurrection. It was the great de- 
 cisive evidence of his divine mission as 
 the Christ, the Saviour of the world 
 
 (10; 9; Acts 1 : 22 ; 4:33, etc-). It WaS the 
 
 greatest of miracles, and an exhibition of 
 Divine power here paralleled with that 
 inferior one in the birth of Isaac, And 
 the birth of Isaac was not stranger to 
 the Jew than the spiritual birth of Gen- 
 tiles through faith alone. 
 
 25. This verse contains the very 
 heart of the gospel. Who was de- 
 livered up unto death. Delivered up 
 by Judas (Matt. 26 : 48-5o) and by the Jew- 
 ish authorities (Matt. 27:2), by God's 
 fixed purpose and foreknowledge (Acts 
 2 : 23) and voluntarily by himself, acting 
 in accordance with the will of the 
 
 Father (John 10 : 17, is ; is : 11). FOF, 071 
 
 account of , our offenses, because we 
 had sinned and to make expiation for 
 
 sin ( Isa. 53 :5, 6; Heb. 9 : 28; 1 Peter 2 :24). The 
 
 word offenses, translated^ trespasses in 
 the Revised version, includes any 
 deviation from truth and upright- 
 ness. And was raised for our 
 justification, /or the sake of — to se- 
 cure our justification — the forgiveness 
 of sins and restoration to the Divine 
 favor, our being accounted as right- 
 eous and our acceptance with God. 
 The word here translated justifica- 
 tion occurs only here and in 5 : 18. 
 
 (See on 1 : 17 (4) ; also on 3 : 26.) But hoW 
 
 was Christ's resurrection necessary to 
 our justification? (1) A dead Christ 
 would have shown that sin and death 
 had been triumphant ; the living Christ 
 implies a victor who is able to save to 
 
 the uttermost ( l : ^ ; 7 : 24, 25 ; 8 : 34 ; 1 Cor. 
 
 15:55-57). (2) Christ' s atoning death 
 would have been in vain if he had not 
 risen to be a human and divine medi- 
 ator and intercessor ; to be also exalted 
 as a Prince and a Saviour to give repent- 
 ance and the remission of sins, and to 
 bestow the promised Holy Spirit ( i Cor. 
 
 15 : 17 ; Acts 2 : 33 ; 5 : 31 ; Heb. 7 : 25) . (3 ) Wc 
 
 need Christ as our life as well as our 
 death. We die to sin and self in him, 
 
 and we rise with him to newness of life 
 (6:3,4,7-11). (4) His great work as a 
 Redeemer was not complete without his 
 resurrection. He must rise to continue 
 his work personally before God in 
 heaven, and through the Holy Spirit 
 among men on earth (Heb. 9: 9-15, 23-26; 
 
 10 : 12-18). 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. The righteousness by faith was ex- 
 emplified in Abraham and David (ver. 
 1-8; Heb. 11 : 17, 32, 33). 
 
 2. God's method of saving sinners takes 
 away all boasting, even from the best of 
 men (ver. 2, 3 ; Eph. 2 : 8-10). 
 
 3. Justification by works and justifica- 
 tion by faith are diametrically opposed to 
 each other, and cannot be even partially 
 united (ver. 5, 6 ; 11 : 6). 
 
 4. Persons are justified as undeserving 
 and ungodly without any merit of their 
 own, but for what Christ has done for 
 them and is to them (ver. 5; 5:6; Phil. 
 3:9). 
 
 5. Saving faith is the same in all ages 
 and dispensations (ver. 5-8 ; Heb. 11 : 1, 
 5, 6, etc.). 
 
 6. True happine.ss comes only to those 
 to whom God reckons not sin but right- 
 eousness (ver. 6-8 ; 5 : 1, 2 ; 8 : 1, 5). 
 
 7. True happiness does not depend on 
 outward conditions or mere externals 
 (ver. 9-11; Matt. 5 : 3-11). 
 
 8. Justification, by which a righteous- 
 ness is accounted to us by faith, is a doc- 
 trine both of the Old and New Testament, 
 and is suited to all men (ver. 8, 9 ; Hab. 
 2:4; Isa. 53 :11). 
 
 9. The perversion of rites, ceremonies, 
 and means of grace, by regarding them as 
 meritorious, has been common under the 
 gospel as Avell as under the law (ver. 9-12 ; 
 Gal. 1:6: 3 : 2-4). 
 
 10. In God's covenants with his ancient 
 people, we should distinguish the letter 
 from the Spirit, the shadow from the sub- 
 stance (ver. 11, 12 ; Heb. 10 : 16; Gal. 4 : 
 21-27). 
 
 11. There appears to have been two 
 covenants made with Abraham, the one 
 
70 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 by which, as progenitor of the Messiah 
 and father of the faithful, he was con- 
 stituted heir of the world (ver. 13), the 
 other "the covenant of circumcision" 
 (Acts 7:8), which was to mark his natural 
 descendants and be a bond of a national 
 organization (ver. 11-13 ; Gen. 12 : 3 ; 15 : 
 5,6; 17 : 10-14; 22: 18). 
 
 12. Circumcision of the descendants of 
 Abraham in all ages attests his faith 
 which he exercised before he was circum- 
 cised (ver. 11 ; Gen. 15 : 5-18 ; ver. 17 ; 17 : 
 2-11). 
 
 13. Baptism did not take the place of cir- 
 cumcision. The latter was a national rite 
 for all the male descendants of Abraham ; 
 the former is a gospel rite for believers, 
 both male and female. Circumcision was 
 a seal of Abraham's faith alone (ver. 11) ; 
 baptism is not a seal but a symbol of the 
 inward change of those who are to receive 
 it (6 : 3, 4). If Paul and the other New 
 Testament writers had known of this re- 
 lation existing between circumcision and 
 baptism, how strange it is that they never 
 refer to it. It would have been most 
 natural at the apostolic conference (Acts 
 15), and at other times, for them to say: 
 Baptism takes the place of circumcision. 
 But they neither said nor hinted anything 
 of the kind, showing that the thought 
 never occurred to them (ver. 11, 12). 
 
 14. Spiritual service of the heart has 
 been required in all dispensations, and 
 has ever been essential to godliness (ver. 
 11-13 ; 1 Sam. 15 : 22 ; Micah 6:8; Heb. 
 11 :5). 
 
 15. AH true believers are of the seed of 
 Abraham, and are brethren, and with 
 Christ their Head are heirs of the wolrd 
 (ver. 11-13; Gal. 3 : 29). 
 
 16. God's people are not restricted by 
 national limits. The spiritual nature of 
 Christ's kingdom and of church-member- 
 ship are against all national, sacramental, 
 and hereditary theories of the church 
 (ver. 11-13 ; John 4 : 24 ; 18 : 36). 
 
 17. God has made no promises of salva- 
 tion on account of morality or mere forms 
 of religion. They afford no ground of 
 faith or of justification (ver. 14 ; 10 : 2-4 ; 
 2 Tim. 3 : 5). 
 
 18. There can be no ju-^^tification by the 
 law which works wrath. That which con- 
 demns cannot justify (ver. 15 ; 7 : 7-11). 
 
 19. It is the gratuitousness of salvation 
 ihxough. faith that renders it suited to all 
 men in all ages (ver. 16 ; 10 : 11-13). 
 
 20. Our faith should be strong, since we 
 have the promises of God backed by his 
 omnipotence, omnipresence, and all the 
 infinite resources of his being (ver. 17-21 ; 
 1: 16; Eph. 3 : 20). 
 
 21. Giving glory to God is an important 
 element in all true worship. Distrust of 
 God's power, wisdom, and goodness is the 
 highest dishonor we can cast on his name 
 (ver. 20 ; John 16 : 9 ; 1 John 5 : 10). 
 
 22. We should rest implicitly on the 
 promises of God. No obstacle in their 
 way should cause us to doubt their fulfill- 
 ment (ver. 21, 22 ; Isa. 40 : 8 ; 46 : 9, 10 ; 2 
 Cor. 1 : 20). 
 
 23. The Scriptures are for our instruc- 
 tion, that we might know the way to God 
 through Jesus Christ (ver. 23, 24 ; 2 Cor. 
 5 :19; Isa. 61: 10). 
 
 24. The resurrection of Christ was the 
 crowning miracle of the gospel, and the 
 mainspring of our hopes of salvation 
 (ver. 24 ; 2 Tim. 1 : 10 ; 1 Peter 1 : 3, 21 ; 1 
 Thess. 4 : 14; John 14 : 19). 
 
 25. The death and resurrection of Christ 
 are inseparably connected with man's 
 salvation. Without his death there could 
 have been no expiation of sin, and with- 
 out his resurrection no object of faith and 
 no justification (ver. 25; Acts 17:3; 
 20:21). 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Thus far the argument is complete. 
 The gospel is the power of God unto 
 salvation, for in it is revealed a right- 
 eousness of God which can be ob- 
 tained through faith. All men are sin- 
 ners and under condemnation, and need 
 this righteousness (i:i8-3:2o). It can 
 be obtained through grace, entirely in- 
 dependent of works of law, by faith 
 in Christ Jesus, avIio has redeemed us 
 and offered up himself as a propitiatory 
 sacrifice. Thus all the demands on the 
 part of God are satisfied, an<l his holy 
 and righteous character in his relations 
 and dealings with sinful men is so ex- 
 hibited l)efore all intelligent creatures, 
 that he can be righteous and accept as 
 righteous believers in Jesus. The doc- 
 trine of justification by faith is thus 
 ])roucht into view, on the one hand ex- 
 cluding all boasting, yet on the other 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 71 
 
 The results of justification to the believer, and 
 as to the race. 
 
 5 THEREFORE « being justified by 
 faith, we have p peace with God through 
 
 2 our Lord Jesus Christ : i by whom also 
 we have access by faith into this grace 
 wherein we stand, and ^ rejoice in hope 
 of the glory of God. 
 
 3 And not only so, but Mve glory in 
 
 5 BEING justified therefore by faith, 
 let us have peace with God through 
 
 2 our Lord Jesus Christ ; through whom 
 we have had our access also by faith 
 into this grace in which we stand, and 
 let us exult in hope of the glory of 
 
 3 God. And not only so, but let us exult 
 
 See refs. 1 : 17. p Isa. 32 : 17 ; John 16 : 33 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 18-20. q John 10 : 9 ; Eph. 3 : 12. 
 
 r 1 Peter 1 : 3-8. s 8 : 35-37 ; Matt. 5 : 11, 12 ; 2 Cor. 12 : 10. 
 
 establishing the law (3: 21-31). This 
 doctrine of salvation by grace, through 
 justification by faith, is further con- 
 firmed and illustrated from the Old 
 Testament Scriptures, showing that the 
 law and gospel in this respect are in 
 perfect accord, and that the former is 
 preparatory to the latter (4:1-25), In 
 this chapter Paul notices the results of 
 justification by faith first upon the in- 
 dividual (ver. 1-11), and second upon the 
 race parallel with the ruin through 
 Adam (ver. 12-21). 
 
 1-11. Justification by faith re- 
 sults IN PEACE with God, hope, 
 
 JOY IN AFFLICTIONS, AND ASSURANCE 
 OF SALVATION. 
 
 1. Therefore — in accordance with 
 what has been said in 3 : 21-4 : 25. 
 Being justified, or accounted right- 
 eous, by faith. The position of these 
 words is emphatic, and closely con- 
 nected with "justification" in 4:25. 
 Paul regards this doctrine as an es- 
 tablished fact, and the foundation of the 
 results of which he is about to speak. 
 The tense of the word translated being 
 justified is such in the original as to in- 
 dicate that it is not a progressive, but a 
 single and completed act in connection 
 with the exercise of faith. We have 
 peace. Most manuscripts read, Let 
 tcs have peace — retain, hold fast peace 
 
 (1:28; 1 Tim. 3 : 9 ; 2 Tim. 1:13). TMs is an 
 
 immediate and abiding result of justifi- 
 cation ; this they should have, and hold 
 fast to as a possession. So the American 
 revisers and the Improved Bible Union 
 version translate. Internal evidence 
 and the context, however, rather favor 
 the common reading, We have peace. 
 A statement of fact is more suitable to 
 the connection. Some ancient tran- 
 scriber could easily and inadvertently 
 have made the change, there being a 
 difference only of a single similar letter 
 with probably no difference in pronun- 
 
 ciation. Whichever form is used in the 
 text, the other reading should be put in 
 the margin. Peace Avith God — con- 
 scious of being reconciled to God, and 
 no longer conscious of enmity between 
 ourselves and God (2 Cor. 5 : 17-19). 
 Through our Lord Jesus Christ — 
 the one through whom this peace with 
 God is effected. Christ has died for our 
 sins, satisfied all of God's claims upon 
 us, removed his righteous displeasure, 
 and wrought out a righteousness for us, 
 and God for his sake has accepted us as 
 righteous. Conscious of the fact that 
 we are forgiven and restored to the 
 Divine favor, we are delivered from all 
 fear of Divine wrath, and through 
 Christ brought into loving union with 
 
 God (Matt. 11:28). 
 
 2. By whom also we have had 
 our access, or, admission, by means 
 of faith into this grace, this state 
 of gratuitous justification, wherein 
 we stand — have been and are stand- 
 ing (Eph. 2:18; 3:12). This takes us 
 back to our first admission, or as Meyer 
 translates our introduction, into this 
 gracious state within which we have 
 since been standing, enjoying friendly 
 relations and intercourse with God. 
 And rejoice, or glory. If we trans- 
 late in the preceding verse, Let us have 
 peace, then in this verse we must trans- 
 late. And let us rejoice. Either render- 
 ing is allowable. A triumphant, ex- 
 ultant joy is meant. In hope, or up- 
 on hope, of sharing the glory of God 
 — that glory which God will impart to 
 the believer in the future world (8:i8). 
 Three benefits are thus far specified in 
 connection with justification ; admission 
 into this gracious state, peace with God 
 (ver. 1), and the exultant hope of glory 
 hereafter. 
 
 3. And not only so, do we exult 
 in hope of glory, but ^xe glory — re- 
 joice exultingly — in tribulations, or 
 
72 
 
 KOMANS 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 tribulations also : knowing that tribula- 
 l tion worketh patience ; 'and patience, 
 experience; "and experience, hope: 
 5 ^ and hope maketh not ashamed : » be- 
 cause the love of God is shed abroad in 
 our hearts by the Holy Ghost whieli is 
 given unto us. 
 For J when we were yet without 
 strength, » in due time Christ died for 
 
 in afflictions also ; knowing that afflic- 
 
 4 tion works patience : and patience ap- 
 
 5 proval ; ana approval hope ; and hope 
 makes luit a>hamed ; because the love 
 of God has been poured forth in our 
 hearts, through the Holy Spirit which 
 Avas given to us. 
 
 6 For when we were yet weak, in due 
 season Christ died for the ungodly. 
 
 t 1 Peter 1 : 6, 7. u Lam. 3 ; 22-25. 
 
 X 8 : 14-17 : 2 Cor. 1 : 22 ; Gal. 4:6. y Isa. 1 
 
 f Isa. 49 : 23 ; Phil. 1 : 20 : 2 Tim. 1 : 12. 
 4, 5 ; Hosea 13 : 9 ; Eph. 2:1-5. z Gal. 4 : 4. 
 
 afflictions, also. If we adopt iu ver. 1 
 the reading, " Let us have peace," then 
 we must translate here, Let u.s glory, or 
 rejoice, lu our justitied state our rela- 
 tions are so changed to God that our 
 afflictions become proofs of his love and 
 matters of joy and thankfulness (8:i8; 
 Heb. 12 : 6). They develop Christian 
 graces, as the apostle goes on to show. 
 Knowing — because we know — that 
 tribulation, or affliction, Avorketh 
 patience — endurance, as a trait of 
 character and habit of mind. This is 
 exhibited in the Christian, developed 
 even in the greatest trials and sutfer- 
 ings (2 Cor. 8:2). Compare the words of 
 our Lord (Matt. 5 : 4, 10-12)^ and the ex- 
 perience of the ajWStleS (Acts 5 : 41; 2 Cor. 
 12 : 10, 11: 1 Peter 4 : 13. 14), 
 
 4. And patience, experience; 
 
 a7i approved or tried character (2 Cor. 
 2:9; Phil. 2:22). The Bible Union ver- 
 sion translates approval, a condition of 
 approval, with a consciousness of it 
 (Eph. 1 : 13). Patience works what? 
 That wliich is felted, tried, approved, in 
 the mind and character of the indi- 
 vidual ; hence a tried character, one 
 which has stood the test, and through 
 endurance has become hardened to 
 trials, and strong to meet and overcome 
 them. And experience, tried char- 
 acter, hope. To the Christian him- 
 self his own state of mind and character 
 produces fresh hope, and sustains and 
 develops hope, by the proof he has of 
 the truth and value of religion and of 
 
 God's approbation (James 1:3, 4. See on 
 hope in ver. 2). 
 
 5. And hope maketh not 
 ashamed — it does not put us to sliame 
 by ending in disjippointment (Ps. 22:5). 
 Because, intrmlucinga rea.son for the 
 foregoing statement. The ground of 
 this assurance of these developed })ene- 
 fits of afflictions, and especially of our 
 hope, is found not in our strengtli of 
 purpose or of character, but in God's 
 
 love to us ; and this is brought out in 
 what follows as far as ver. 11. Be- 
 cause the love of God — not our love 
 to God, but God's love to us, which 
 is shed abroad, rather, which has 
 been poured forth, as it were, in our 
 hearts by means of the Holy Spirit 
 
 ( John 16 ; 14 ; 1 Cor. 2 : 9, 10) , filling OUr hearts 
 
 with the blissful consciousness of his 
 favor and the enjoyment of his unpar- 
 alleled love. Which is given unto 
 us — rather, tchich tras giirn to ?<.«, re- 
 ferring to the Pentecostal outpouring of 
 the Spirit. The Christian has in him- 
 self the pledge that his hope shall be 
 realized in the manifestation of God's 
 love in his own heart, through the Holy 
 Spirit the Comforter given him as 
 promised in John 15:26. (Comp. Eph. 
 1 : 14. ) It should be noted, however, 
 that God's love does not exclude, but 
 rather produces, our love to him. The 
 two must exist together in the heart 
 
 (John 4 : 10, 19). 
 
 6. In this and the two following 
 verses, Paul shows the greatness and 
 the disinterestedness of God's love to 
 us from the circumstances under which 
 it was exercised. For, introduces the 
 proof of God's love to us in Christ. 
 For while tee icere still without 
 strength, .<;piritually helpless, entirely 
 unaV)le to free ourselves from sin and 
 its consequences, in due time, in the 
 proper and right season of tlie world's 
 history (Gai. 4:2, 4), Christ died for 
 the ungodly, in behalf of the impious, 
 those without reverence toward God. 
 IIow strikingly Paul presents the Di- 
 vine love toward us. God g-ave his Son 
 to die for us, when we were without 
 help in ourselves, and without any 
 claim on either his justice or goodness. 
 It was at tlie time appointed by Go<l, 
 when everything calhxl for it, and 
 ever^-thing in human history- was ripe 
 
 for it (H.h. 9 : 26; 1 P. t. r 1 : 20). "Wllile the 
 
 preposition in Greek translated For, 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 73 
 
 7 the ungodly. For scarcely for a right- 
 eous man will one die : yet perad ven- 
 ture for a good man " some would even 
 
 8 dare to die. But ^God commeadetii 
 his love toward us, in tliat, while Ave 
 were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 
 
 9 Much more then, being now justified 
 <:bv his blood, we shall be saved from 
 
 10 wrath through him. For if, when we 
 were enemies, '^ we were reconciled to 
 God bv the death of his Son : much 
 more, being reconciled, we shall be 
 saved « by his life. 
 
 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will 
 one die ; though, for the good man, 
 perhaps some one does even dare 
 
 8 to die. But God commends his own 
 love toward us, in that, while we were 
 
 9 yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much 
 more, therefore, being now justified 
 by his blood, shall we be saved from 
 
 10 the wiath through him. For if, being 
 enemies, we were reconciled to God 
 through the death of his Son ; much 
 more, being reconciled, shall we be 
 
 a See 16 : 4 ; 2 Sam. 23 : 14-17. h I John 3 : 16 ; 4 : 9, 10. c 3 : 25 ; Eph. 2 : 13. 
 d 2 Cor. 5 : 18, 19 ; Eph. 2 : 16 ; Col. 1 : 20, 21. e John 14 : 19 ; Col. 3 : 4. 
 
 or, in behalf of, does not fully express 
 the idea of substitution, yet it points 
 toward it. That Christ died in our 
 stead is taught by Paul (3 = 25; Eph. 5:2; 
 
 1 Tim. 2 : 6) and by John (l John 2:2:4: lO). 
 
 Jesus also taught that he gave himself 
 
 a substitute for us ( Matt. 20 : 28 ; M.irk 10 ; 45) . 
 
 The idea of substitution ajjpears also to 
 be involved in the next two verses. 
 
 7. For, introducing a noble human 
 example from which to illustrate the 
 infinite condescension and love of God. 
 For scarcely^ in behalf of, a right- 
 eous man, in the usual sense of a 
 strictly just or righteous person, will 
 one die : implying that much less 
 would he die for an ungodly man. 
 Yet peradventure; translate : 
 Though I grant in behalf of the good 
 man perhaps some one even dares to die. 
 The good man is here regarded as doing 
 more than the righteous man. The 
 latter does what the law or justice re- 
 quires; the former in addition does 
 deeds of kindness. The one calls forth 
 our respect ; the other our love. For 
 the one hardly would one die ; but per- 
 haps for the other earthly affection 
 would make the sacrifice. 
 
 8. Hut, introduces something un- 
 heard of, something divinely noble! 
 But God commerideth, proves and 
 makes conspicuous, now and for all 
 time, his oivn love, in contrast to hu- 
 man love, in that Avhile we were 
 yet sinners, in contrast to "a right- 
 eous man " and "the good man " (ver. 7), 
 Christ died for us, in our behalf. 
 Sinners in this verse is equivalent to 
 the ungodly and tho.se vithouf strength 
 (ver. 6). Yet "ungodly" is there used 
 more generally Avith reference to the 
 race, while the word " sinners " here has 
 a more personal and individual refer- 
 
 ence. Notice in this unequaled exhi- 
 bition of love how God and Christ are 
 united and yet distinct in doing each 
 his part. God's love Avas exhibited in 
 Christ's love, and Christ's death Avas 
 an exhibition of God's infinite sacrifice 
 on our behalf. 
 
 9. In this verse and the one follow- 
 ing Paul argues the certainty of the 
 final sah-ation of believers. Much 
 more then — much more probable is 
 it, and reasonable to expect, being 
 now — in contrast to the past Avhen Ave 
 Avere ungodly, justified, or accounted 
 righteous, by his blood, through the 
 merits of his atoning death (3 : 25; 4 : 25), 
 we shall be saved from the well- 
 knoAvn and deserved wrath to come 
 through him. If God's love was ex- 
 hibited toward us so Avonderfully Avhen 
 we Avere sinners, much more can Ave de- 
 pend on it Avhen Ave are reconciled and 
 accepted through Christ as righteous. 
 The v,'ord just ijied, as in ver. 1, denotes 
 an accomplished, not a progressive, 
 Avork. 
 
 10. The argument is repeated more 
 pointedly. For if, being enemies, 
 being actually such in ourselves and 
 necessarily regarded as sucli by God, 
 we were reconciled to God, our 
 enmity being overcome and his Avrath 
 removed by, or through, the death of 
 his Son (Eph. 2 : 1-6) ; much more 
 being reconciled, in this changed 
 condition and changed relation, we 
 shall be saved by, or in, his life, 
 while he lives and exerts his poAver and 
 love for our safety. ( Comp. Heb. 7 : 25.) The 
 Avord enemies may be taken to mean 
 either haters of God or the objects of 
 his displeasure. The former is the 
 more common meaning and the one 
 that Avould first suggest itself to the 
 
74 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 11 And not only so, but we also ^joy in 
 God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by 
 whom we have now received the atone- 
 ment [or, reconciliation e]. 
 
 / Isa. 61 : 10 ; Uab. 3 : 18. 
 
 11 saved by his life ; and not only so, but 
 also exulting in God through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, through whom we have 
 now received the reconciliation. 
 
 g 2 Cor. 5 : 18, 19. 
 
 mind. The death of Christ and the 
 amazing love exhibited thereby are the 
 great instruments in the hands of the 
 Spirit in overcoming and destroying 
 tills enmity (Joim 12 : 32). Yet the Di- 
 vine displeasure must also be included 
 since this was propitiated and removed 
 in the death 01 his Son (3:25). Both 
 ideas seem to unite; we were actual 
 enemies, having enmity against God 
 (8:7) and objects of the Divine dis- 
 pleasure (1:18. Comp. Eph. 2:14-16; Col. 1: 
 
 20,21). So also the words reconciled to 
 God, include, as it seems to me, both 
 God's changed relation to us and our 
 changed condition toward him. The 
 latter is included in our justiiication 
 (3:26). Both sides are beautifully ex- 
 hibited (2 Cor. 5 : 18-20. Coiup. 1 Cor. 7 : 11). 
 
 The argument of the apostle is com- 
 plete and irresistible. If being enemies 
 Divine love has secured justification, 
 much more now being friends it would 
 secure our final salvation. Christ died 
 to make an atonement and eflect our 
 reconciliation to God ; and now he lives 
 forever to shield us from all evil and to 
 consummate that for which he died. 
 Thus our final salvation is assured. 
 
 11. And more than this : we have tri- 
 umphant confidence in God. And not 
 only so — being reconciled to God, 
 huf aJw rejoicing or glorying in God, 
 in the assurance that our salvation is 
 certain. And this too becomes n pres- 
 ent fact to the Christian, exulfing in 
 God now, since we are reconciled to 
 him and his love is abiding in us (vor. 5). 
 And this joy can only come throiia:h 
 our Lord Jesus Christ throvgh 
 whom we have now, at the present 
 time, received the atonement — 
 rather, the recoi^rilidtiov, as a foretaste' 
 and pledge of our final salvation and 
 future glorification. The word atone- 
 mevt is found only here in the Now 
 Testament, and its theological mcnning 
 does not give the sense of the original 
 here. The Greek word means adjra^t- 
 rnent of a difference, reconciliation, and 
 is also found in 11 : 15 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 18, 19. 
 ( rr. 1 Cor. 7 : u. ) It was througli Christ that 
 the adjustment of difference or the recon- 
 
 ciliation was efiected on God's part, so 
 that the sinner could be restored to the 
 Divine favor. It is by faith that he ac- 
 cepts this adjustment on his part, and 
 through the Holy Spirit and the truth 
 he himself comes into a reconciled con- 
 dition. By a living union with Christ 
 the believer comes into a consciousness 
 of a reconciled God and of an assured 
 and glorious hope of eternal salvation 
 
 (8 : 11; Gal. 2 : 20 ; John 14 : 19). " EcCOncili- 
 
 ation may be \aewed from two sides : it 
 removes God's indignation against us 
 ^2 Cor. 5 : 19), and our alienation from God 
 
 (2 Cor. 5 : 20)" (BENGEL OU 3 : 24). 
 
 12-21. Results of saltation 
 theoi'gh jrstification by faith 
 rpon the race compared with 
 
 THE RT'IN THROUGH AdAM. The 
 
 former is shown to be the exact coun- 
 terpart of the latter, and as all who be- 
 lieved in the Old Testament admitted 
 the latter, so they could not object to 
 the principle involved in the former. 
 The course of thought is broken off 
 abruptly at the end of ver. 12 and is 
 not resumed till ver. 18. Ver. 13-17 
 are suggested bj^ the statement of ver. 
 12, and are somewhat parenthetic both 
 in thought and form. The leading 
 thought of ver, 12 is explained in 
 ver. 13, 14; and the go-spel doctrine 
 of salvation is incidentally illustrated 
 in ver. 15-17, by some points of dif- 
 ference in the resemblance between 
 Adam and Christ. In ver. 18 the 
 thought of ver. 12 is resumed in a 
 form somewhat affected by the thought 
 of the intervening verses, and for the 
 sake of presenting a complete analogy 
 Paul employs a universal form of ex- 
 pression, which he limits in ver. 19 in 
 order to adapt it to the real facts in the 
 case. To complete the view he notices 
 in vor. 20. 21 the design and efl^ect of 
 the law in relation to sin and grace. 
 Tliroughout this whole section the one 
 essential point of the analogy holds 
 perfectly that the condition of the many 
 depends on the act of the one. To put 
 it briefly, so also, as through Adam 
 came death, so through Christ comes 
 life. 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 75 
 
 12 Wherefore, as •> by one man sin en- 
 tered into the world, and i death by- 
 sin ; and so death passed upon all men, 
 
 13 for that ^all have sinned. For until 
 
 12 Therefore, as through one man sin 
 entered into the world, and death 
 through sin ; and so death passed imto 
 
 13 all men, for that all sinned ; for until 
 
 h Gen. 3 : 6. 
 
 i Gren. 2 : 17 ; James 1 : 15. 
 
 k See refs. 3 : 23. 
 
 12. Wherefore — on account of this 
 reconciliation (ver. n) ensuring triumph- 
 ant joy in the trials of life and tinal sal- 
 vation to the justified (ver. i-ii). As 
 if Paul had said, accordingly, then there 
 is an analogy between the loss of God's 
 favor through the sin of one and its re- 
 covery through the obedience of one. 
 As — naturally introduces a compari- 
 son ; but where do we find a so intro- 
 ducing the second member of the com- 
 parison? Some would find it virtually 
 in ver. 14, which speaks of Christ as 
 the antitype of Adam. But this con- 
 struction seems harsh and unnatural. 
 The corresponsive so does not seem to 
 appear till ver. 18, where Paul re- 
 sumes the main subject of his discourse. 
 As by, or through, one man sin 
 entered into the Avorld. Paul does 
 not mean to exclude Eve as a partaker 
 in the transgression, for Adam was the 
 head and representative of his family 
 
 ( 1 Cor. 11 : 8; Eph. 5 : 23). BcsidcS the WOrd 
 
 Adam, or man (Gen. 5:2), is applied to 
 both Adam and Eve, including the two 
 sexes, "And called their name Adam," 
 or man, "in the day when they were 
 created." The word sin is personified, 
 and action is attri1)uted to it. It en- 
 tered into the ivorld, implying a perma- 
 nent change and a new element intro- 
 duced into the world. This is confirmed 
 in the next verse by the expression, 
 "sin Avas in the world," which implies 
 a permanent state. It cannot therefore 
 mean a single act of transgression, that 
 one man committed a single act of sin ; 
 but rpther that sin entered into our 
 world as a ruling power or principle. 
 It is distinguished from "transgres- 
 sion" (ver. u) and "offense" or tres- 
 pass (ver. 15, 16, 17, 18, 20). And death 
 entered into the world, a ruling power 
 by, or through, sin. Comp. ver. 14, 
 " Death reigned from Adam to Moses." 
 The selection of this term was occa- 
 sioned by Gen. 2 : 17, " In the day that 
 thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely 
 die." In this passage and throughout 
 the Scriptures sin and death are re- 
 g;i rded as cause and effect ( Jer. 31 : 30 ; Rom. 
 
 6:16, 21, 24; 8:13; James 1:15; Rev. 2:11). 
 
 Thus death includes all the penal con- 
 sequences of sin, physical and spiritual 
 death ( i cor. is : 21, 56)." As the one is the 
 separation of soul and body, so the 
 other is separation of the soul from 
 God, and this continued and fixed for- 
 ever is eternal death, which is also 
 called the second death. The loss of 
 God's favor was the greatest and the 
 immediate result of sin (Gen. 3 : 7-13), al- 
 though the decree of physical death 
 was at once passed (Gen. 3: 19). Paul 
 evidently takes the temporal penalty 
 of physical death as the representative 
 of all and the ground of his reasoning 
 (ver. u). " Adam, if he had not sinned, 
 might have passed to higher forms of 
 life, but without a violent separation of 
 soul and body, without being 'un- 
 clothed,' but by being ' clothed upon ' 
 (2 Cor. 5:2-4), or ill the beautiful figure 
 of the rabbins, ' by a kiss of the Al- 
 mighty ' " (SCHAFF in Lange). 
 
 And so — And thus, in the way as 
 stated, death passed through unto all 
 men, none escaping his power. This 
 accords with what he had just stated, 
 "sin entered the world" and "death 
 entered by sin." The universality of 
 sin and death is here described. For 
 that — an old rendering, in whom, 
 that is, in Adam, is now generally given 
 up. It is now almost unanimously 
 agreed that it means, On the ground 
 that, because that. The rendering in 
 the Common version, For that, ex- 
 presses the true idea. Death extended 
 unto all men, on the ground that, or 
 for that all have sinned, rather, o/Z 
 sinned — a statement of a historical 
 fact, naturally referring to the one act 
 by which sin entered into the world. 
 Paul states a fact but does not stop to 
 explain it. "The question how the en- 
 tire race became involved in the conse- 
 quences of the one act of the one man, 
 is not discussed by the apostle. The 
 fact alone is affirmed. Godet well re- 
 marks : ' In the revelation given to the 
 apostle of the system of salvation, this 
 mysterious connection was supposed 
 biit not explained'" (J. R. Boise). 
 Almost numberless volumes have been 
 
76 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 the law sin was in the world : but ' sin 
 is not imputed when there is no law. 
 
 the law sin was in the world ; but sin is 
 not reckoned when there is no law. 
 
 2 4 : 15. 
 
 written in defense of various theories 
 explaining this question ; but whatever 
 defects there may be in theories, the 
 fact remains. Dr. A. H. Strong in his 
 " Theology " (P- 331 ) thus puts it : " In 
 connection with this problem a central 
 fact is announced in Scripture, which 
 we feel compelled to believe upon di- 
 vine testimony, even though every at- 
 tempted explanation should prove un- 
 satisfactory. That central fact, Avhich 
 constitutes the substance of the Scrip- 
 ture doctrine of original sin is simply 
 this : That the sin of Adam is the im- 
 mediate cause and ground of inborn de- 
 pra^aty, guilt, and condemnation to the 
 whole human race." In this passage 
 Paul presents Adam as the head of the 
 race, and appears plainly to teach that 
 the race sinned in him, and that he 
 acted for the race. The most natural 
 explanation seems to me to be, that the 
 race was germinallj^ included in Adam 
 
 as its natural head. ( See aUo ver. is ; l Cor. 15 : 
 22 ; Heb. 7 : 5, 10 ; Ps. 51 : 5.) Paul Certainly 
 
 does not teach that all have consciously 
 and personally sinned in Adam ; for 
 this is opposed to the Avhole passage, 
 which repeatedly says that oiie sin, not 
 numberless sins, is the cause of death 
 passing upon all men ; and also to ver. 
 13, 14 which treat of certain persons 
 sulfcring death, who did not commit 
 sin after the likeness of Adam's trans- 
 gression. Paul teaches tlie great fact 
 that through Adam both sin and death 
 became universal, the lot of all, adding 
 the last clause. For that all sinned, im- 
 plying a certain union of the race in 
 him, and showing that sin as well as 
 death is universal ; for the penalty 
 wliich is the effect could not extend 
 farther than the cause extended. With 
 this statement that the universal de- 
 pravity of the race is the consequence 
 of the sinful act of one, the way is pre- 
 pared for the parallel in ver. 18 and 
 throughout tlie passage. 
 
 13. The phrase "For that all 
 sinned," might suggest, as in 2 : 14, a 
 seeming paradox of sin in absence of 
 law. The apostle therefore breaks off 
 the regular course of thought to illus- 
 trate and confirm what he liad just 
 said. For until the law — the Mo- 
 
 saic law would be naturally understood, 
 and this agrees well with the period 
 mentioned in the next verse, from 
 Adam to Moses." Sin was in the 
 world — that introduced by Adam con- 
 tinued as a resident of the world (ver. 12). 
 But sin is not imputed. The verb 
 in Greek occurs nowhere else except in 
 an inscription. A verb almost identi- 
 cal, with the same derivation, is found in 
 Philem. 18, " put that to my account." 
 It means to reckon or set to one's ac- 
 count. But by whom is sin taken into 
 account? Augustine, Luther, Calvin, 
 and others, answer, by the sinner him- 
 self. Men did not reckon it against 
 themselves, they did not come to the 
 consciousness of it, for through the law 
 is the knowledge of sin (3 : 20 ; 7 : 9). But 
 this is foreign to the context and to the 
 argument of the whole section. Paul is 
 not treating of the inward sense of sin, 
 but rather of sin and its penalty. In- 
 consistent also with 2 : 15. Hence 
 Meyer, Alford, Hodge, Olshausen, and 
 others regard God as the one who here 
 does not take sin into account, with 
 reference to its punishment, when there 
 is no Jaw. This seems to be the mean- 
 ing required by the passage. But Al- 
 ford and a few others think they see a 
 modified sense of the verb, is not foi'vi- 
 ally, fully, or strictly reckoned by God, 
 that is, in the relative absence of law 
 sin is not held to its full accountabilitv. 
 In support of this Acts 17 : 30, " God's 
 overlooking the time of ignorance," and 
 Rom. 2 : 12 ; 3 : 25, are appealed to. 
 This meaning of the verb is possible, 
 but it is not best to found an interpreta- 
 tion of so important a passage on the 
 somewhat doubtful meaning of a word. 
 To return then to the beginning of the 
 verse Paul explains and confirms Avhat 
 he had just said by a fact. For until 
 the law sin teas in the irorld. This 
 every believer in the Old Testament 
 would acknowledge. The wickedness 
 of men before the flood (Gen. 6:5)^ of 
 Sodom (Gen. 18:20), and of the Canaan- 
 ites (Lev. 18:25), was a proof of this. 
 The apostle then states a common prin- 
 ciple of justice : Sin cannot be imputed 
 or reckoned against one and its penalty 
 inflicted, when there is no lau\ But it 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 77 
 
 14 Nevertheless "death reigned from 
 Adam to Moses, even over them that 
 had not sinned after the similitude 
 of Adam's transgression ; °who is the 
 
 15 figure of him that was to come. But 
 
 14 But yet death reigned from Adam un- 
 til Moses, even over those who sinned 
 not after the likeness of Adam's trans- 
 gression, who is a type of the Coming 
 
 TO Ver. 17, 21. 
 
 n 1 Cor. 15 : 21, 22, 45. 
 
 would easily occur to every one familiar 
 with the period between Adam and 
 Moses, that sin was during that time 
 reckoned or imiKited. Such examples 
 as the deluge, Sodom and Gomorrah, 
 Pharaoh, and the Canaanites,, prove 
 that God did bring the sins of men to a 
 terrible reckoning. But then against 
 what law ? Was it the law written in 
 men's hearts and consciences, referred 
 to in 2 : 14, 15 ? But the line of Paul's 
 parallelism and argument did not re- 
 quire him to notice this. (see next ver.) 
 
 14. Having stated a principle, with- 
 out applying it, Paul asserts another 
 fact. Nevertheless — But though this 
 principle is true and the Mosaic law 
 had not been given, yet death, the 
 very penalty inflicted on Adam, 
 reigned, held sway like a monarch, 
 from Adam to Moses, showing that 
 sin was reckoned and some law was 
 transgressed. Was it not the law Adam 
 transgressed ? We must restrict the 
 thought just as Paul restricts it and not 
 broaden its application. For while it is 
 evident that men between Adam and 
 Moses transgressed the law written in 
 their hearts and consciences (see last ver.), 
 yet it does not appear that Paul is 
 speaking of the penalty of that law 
 here. Death, the penalty of Adam's 
 8171, had come upon his descendants, 
 showing that in some way they had 
 broken that law, and the sin had been 
 reckoned against them. This appears 
 still more clearly in the next clause. 
 Even over them that had not 
 sinned, or, sinned not, after the 
 similitude, or, likeness of Adam's 
 transgression, that is, who sinned 
 not personally and consciously as Adam 
 did. The reference to the unwritten 
 law in the heart and conscience seems 
 to be entirely excluded here, not only 
 by Paul's logical reasoning, but also 
 from his assertion that All sinned 
 (ver. 12), which must include multitudes 
 of infants and idiots who did not sin in 
 their own persons, consciously breaking 
 some known law. The language used, 
 who sinned not after the likeness of 
 
 Adamrs transgression, describes exactly 
 such persons who were not in a state of 
 moral consciousness or who had not ar- 
 rived at that state. Paul does not 
 specify infants, because he wished to in- 
 clude others in much the same moral 
 condition ; and therefore he uses gen- 
 eral language. But if their sin was not 
 against the unwritten law, it must have 
 been against the P^den command ; if it 
 was not after the likeness of Adam's 
 transgression, then it was the same as 
 his. What other law or statute was 
 there besides these for which sin could 
 be reckoned? The conclusion seems 
 irresistible. All sinned in Adam. And 
 if true of the race till Moses, it would 
 be true for all time. Paul however 
 states facts, and in his brief arguments 
 leaves conclusions to be drawn by his 
 readers. He propounds no philosophi- 
 cal explanations. We may well be- 
 lieve that the race lay in the loins of 
 their great progenitor and shared in his 
 transgression (seeon ver. 12, end) ; that his 
 trespass when he fell was the trespass 
 of the race. There was a personal 
 union in him, just as we may believe 
 there is a vital connection with him, by 
 which the characteristics of Adam, 
 physically, mentally, and morally, 
 have descended to his posterity. Adam 
 being himself sinful and mortal could 
 beget only those who were such. 
 
 Who is the figure — rather, a type, 
 of him who was to come ; that is, 
 of Christ (Matt. 11:3). Adam was the 
 type or likeness of Christ by contrast. 
 
 (Seel Cor. 15:21,22.) But Abbott takcS 
 
 the phrase to mean tvho icas the type of 
 the future, that is, of the oncoming 
 race of man, in his fall, sin, and pun- 
 ishment. But the context and the 
 thought of the whole section rather re- 
 quire a reference to the Coining One, 
 the Christ. The comparison which be- 
 gan with ver. 12 is broken off abruptly 
 at the end of the verse. In ver. 15 it 
 is referred to as if well understood. It 
 Avas prominent in the apostle's mind, 
 and most naturally he indicates it here 
 in saying that Adam was the type of 
 
78 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 not as the olTeuce. so also is the free 
 gift. For if tlirough the offence of 
 one "many be dead, much more the 
 grace of God, and Pthe gift by grace, 
 Schick ii< by one man, Jesus Christ, hatli 
 
 16 abounded i unto many. And not as it 
 was by one that sinned, so is tlie gift : 
 for 'the judgment was by one to con- 
 demnation, but the free gift is ^oi 
 
 17 many offences unto justification. For 
 
 15 On . But not as tlie trespass, so also 
 is the gift ; for if by the trespass of the 
 one the many died,'much more did the 
 grace of God, and tlie gift by the grace 
 of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound 
 
 16 to the many. And not as through one 
 that sinned, is the gift ; for the judg- 
 ment came of one unto condemnation, 
 but the gift came of many trespasses 
 
 17 unto justification. For if by the tres- 
 
 o Ver. 12, 18. 
 
 p 6 : 23 ; 2 Cor. 9 : 15. q Matt. 20 : 28 ; 26 : 28.. 
 
 s Luke 7 : 47 ; 1 Cor. 6 : 10, 11. 
 
 r Gen. 3 : 6-19. 
 
 the coming One. The same thought is 
 brought out in 1 Cor. 15 : 45-47, where 
 the apostle contrasts the first and the sec- 
 ond Adam. As Adam was the head of 
 the human race, so Christ is the head 
 especially of his redeemed people. The 
 next verse seems to imply and demand 
 such a reference here. See Practical 
 Remark 15, at the end of the chapter. 
 
 15. Having referred to Adam and 
 Christ, each standing at the head of a 
 long line, as type and antitype, Paul 
 stops to state in this and the two follow- 
 ing verses some contrasts in these two 
 relations, in which that of the believer 
 to Christ is the more fully unfolded. 
 The language is remarkably concise, 
 its structure peculiar, and its meaning 
 somewhat obscure. But not as the 
 offence, or the trespass of Adam, in- 
 cluding also the idea of the conse- 
 quences of his sin. So also the free 
 gift of eternal life (John lo : 28), includ- 
 ing the idea of its consequences like- 
 wise. The meaning seems to be this : 
 There is a difference, however, between 
 the case of Adam, through whose tres- 
 pass all fell, and that]of Christ, through 
 whom the gift of eternal life is offered 
 to all. On offense see on 4 : 25. For 
 if through, rather, by, the oflence 
 of one many be dead, rather, the 
 many died. The conclusion is from the 
 less to the greater. Much more. 
 This may be, much more in degree did 
 grace abound, or much more logically, 
 that is, with stronger reason or probal)il- 
 ity. Either is appropriate, and each is 
 defended by eminent expositors. The 
 latter, however, accords with similar 
 language in ver. 9, 10, and 17, and 
 also commends it.self by its fitness and 
 propriety of thought : If the many suf- 
 fer from the fall of one, much more 
 rea.sonal)le and probable is it that the 
 many should be benefited by the grace 
 of God and the gift of one. " For God 
 
 far rather allows his goodness to pre- 
 vail than his severity. On this presup- 
 position the conclusion rests" (Meyer). 
 The grace of God, the source of the 
 gift, and the gift hy the grace of the 
 one man Jesus Christ. (See 2 Cor. 8 :9.) 
 " Grace is opposed to the offence; the 
 gift to they that are dead, and it is the 
 gift of life " ( Bengel). Abounded, 
 or did abound — richlj' extending unto 
 the many. This too was the echo of 
 his own experience (1 Tim. 1 : 13, 14). The 
 many regain more in Christ than the 
 many lost in Adam. The believer is 
 more than restored to the state in which 
 Adam originally was. How gloriously 
 does the grace and the gift by grace con- 
 trast in richness and greatness with the 
 offense. 
 
 16. Paul presents another contrast. 
 And not as through one that sinned 
 is the gift. The consequences in 
 Adam's case were occasioned by one sin ; 
 that in Clirist's case by many offenses 
 of individuals and the race. Only a 
 hint of the meaning is given in this first 
 clause, to be supplied from what fol- 
 lows. For the judgment, the judi- 
 cial sentence, came from one offense 
 unto condemnation. The one tres- 
 pass came to be the occasion of a sen- 
 tence of condemnation. But, on the 
 contrary, the free, or gracious, gift 
 came of many offences unto justi- 
 fication. In a certain sense it may 
 be said that the many trespasses were 
 the occasion of the justification — a gra- 
 cious sentence of acquittal. "Witliout 
 them there Mould have been no need of 
 it. They made it necessary. Thus the 
 contrast is briefly brought to view. On 
 the one hand one transgres.sion occa- 
 sions the condemnation, on the otiier 
 hand numerous transgressions occasion 
 and give the opportunity of their gra- 
 cious forgiveness. ( Comp. ver. 20. ) On 
 justification, see 1 : 17 (5). 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 79 
 
 if by one man's offence death reigned 
 by one ; much more they which re- 
 ceive abundance of grace and of the 
 gift of righteousness * shall reign in 
 
 18 life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore as 
 by the offence of one judgment came 
 upon all men to condemnation ; even 
 so by the righteousness of one the free 
 gift came "ui)on all men unto.justifica- 
 
 19 tion of life. For as by one man's dis- 
 obedience many were made sinners, 
 
 pass of the one, death reigned through 
 the one ; much more they who receive 
 the abundance of the grace, and of the 
 gift of righteousness, will reign in life 
 through the one, Jesus Christ. 
 
 18 So then, as through one trespass it 
 came to all men unto condemnation ; 
 so also through one righteous act it 
 came to all men unto justification of 
 
 19 life. For as through the disobedience of 
 the one man the many were constituted 
 
 t Matt. 25 : 31 ; Rev. 5 : 9, 10. 
 
 M John 12 : 32 ; 1 Tim. 2:4-6; Heb. 2 : 9. 
 
 17. For, to enlarge upon and con- 
 firm the contrasts just made in the two 
 preceding verses. For if by one 
 man's offence, rather, For if by 
 the trespass of the one death reigned 
 through the one. (Seever. 15.) Reigned 
 — held sway as a monarch (ver. 14). 
 Much more reasonable and probable 
 is it, that they who receive the 
 abundance of grace and of the 
 gift of righteousness, etc. The 
 righteousness is that wrought out 
 through the obedience of Jesus Christ 
 in his life and death, (seei : n (2).) 
 Both the grace of God and the right- 
 eousness of Christ are a free gift, and 
 both bestowed abundantly, resulting in 
 eternal life. Shall reign — will reign 
 in life through the one, Je^as Christ. 
 Notice how the apostle brings out the 
 full name of Jesus Christ as in holy ex- 
 ultation. "An air of rapturous tri- 
 umph pervades the closing part of this 
 verse" (Boise). The degradation of 
 sin and death is surpassed by the super- 
 abundance of righteousness and life. 
 
 18. The parallelism commenced in 
 ver. 12 is here resumed under a form 
 suggested by the preceding context. 
 Compare Gal. 2 : 6 for a similar style. 
 This verse and the next contain a con- 
 cise comparison of the results between 
 Adam and Christ. Therefore — Ac- 
 cordingly then, in view of what just 
 precedes and resuming the sentence 
 begun in ver. 12. As by the offence, 
 etc. A mere summary is given ; the 
 verbs are omitted ; the construction 
 is the most concise possible. Only 
 the words which are pointers and 
 to be kept in mind are given. To 
 complete the sense some words must 
 be supplied. The Revised version, 
 like our Common version, supplies 
 judgment came, and the free gift came. 
 The Improved Bible Union simply sup- 
 plies it came in each case. It was may 
 
 be supplied, as perhaps nearest the apos- 
 tle's thought. The verse may be ren- 
 dered : Accordingly then a^ through one 
 trespass it was unto all men unto con- 
 demnation, so also through one right- 
 eous act it was unto all men unto justifi- 
 cation of life. Notice that in the first 
 half of this verse the sin of all in 
 ver, 12 is carried over into the con- 
 demnation of all, as in ver. 16. The 
 one righteous act is a better rendering 
 than the righteousness of one. 
 (See on 1 : 17 (5).) Christ's meritorious 
 obedience, culminating in giving him- 
 self up to death, is presented as a 
 whole (Gal. 1:4; Phil. 2:8), and sct over 
 against Adam's disobedience. Justi- 
 fication. (See on 1 : 17 (4); also 4 : 25.) 
 
 Justification of life is that acquittal and 
 restoration to the Divine favor which 
 is connected with eternal life in its 
 present beginning and future results, 
 just as eternal death begins with and 
 results from condemnation. Unto all 
 men. The apostle gives universality to 
 both cases in order to make the analogy 
 perfect. It is also true that the death 
 of Christ had reference to all men. It 
 atoned for the sins of all men so far as 
 they sinned in Adam, and hence a full 
 satisfaction is made for all who die in 
 infancy ; and the atonement in refer- 
 ence to all mankind is such that the 
 provisions and offers of justification 
 are for all. In the next verse the 
 actual results of Christ's work is stated 
 and there Paul makes the necessary 
 limitation to many instead of all. 
 This change itself stands opposed to 
 the doctrine of universal salvation. 
 The change in form appears intentional, 
 and the limitation accords with Paul's 
 doctrine elsewhere. 
 
 19. For introduces the ground and 
 proof of the statement of the preceding 
 verse. This verse contains also the 
 summary of ver. 12-18. It includes 
 
80 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 * so by the obedience of one shall many 
 be made righteous. 
 
 20 Moreover j the law entered, that the 
 oflfeuce might abound. But Mvhere 
 sin abounded, grace did much more 
 
 21 abound : that as sin hath reigned unto 
 
 sinners, so also through the obedience 
 of the one will the many be consti- 
 
 20 tuted righteous. But the law came in 
 beside, that the trespass might abound. 
 But where sin abounded, grace super- 
 
 21 abounded; that as sin reigned in 
 
 z Isa. 53 : 10-12 ; Dan. 9 : 24 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 21. 
 
 z Sec 2 Chron. 33 : 9-13 ; 
 
 3/ 3 : 19, 20 ; John 15 : 22 ; Gal. 3 : 19-25. 
 Luk<.' 7 : 47 ; 28 : 39-43. 
 
 in the parallelism the real facts in their 
 exactness, the many, the natural de- 
 scendants of Adam, the many, the 
 spiritual descendants of Christ. I'he 
 many may mean the whole, the greater 
 part, or a large number, and which of 
 these it means in any given case must 
 be learned from the evident intention 
 of the writer and from the known facts 
 in the case. When we take into 
 account the half of the race that die 
 before the age of spiritual accountabil- 
 ity, and the vast multitude that will be 
 saved in the days of the millennial 
 glory, the many of the redeemed will 
 doubtless include the larger part of the 
 human race. J'he disobedience of the 
 one man, as in ver. 12, points to 
 Adam's sin. The obedience of the 
 one, like "the one righteous act" of 
 ver. 18, points to Christ's meritorious 
 obedience. Were made ^ or constitu- 
 ted, sinners . . . shall be made, 
 or constituted, righteous. By virtue 
 of their union with Adam the race be- 
 came sinners actually and personally 
 through his disobedience. So also by 
 virtue of a spiritual union with Christ 
 ihe redeemed will become virtually such 
 in their justification and actually and 
 personally such in their sanctification. 
 It is common for expositors to limit the 
 meaning of viU be constituted to being 
 accounted righteous and dealt with as 
 such. But Paul is speaking, in this 
 chapter, of the happy results of justifi- 
 cation, and it was perfectly natural that 
 he sliould go beyond the mere act of 
 justification itself. And as he is about 
 to treat of things pertaining to sancti- 
 fication in tlie next chapter, it was 
 natural that he should anticipate in 
 thought what was already filling his 
 mind. See also how his mind passes 
 on to the supera bounding grace of eter- 
 nal life in ver. 21. BoiSE, who prefers 
 to translate established instead of con- 
 stitute, says: "In the one case, the 
 certainty became determined in the 
 very beginning of the race ; in the 
 
 other, it will be determined at the very 
 end, when all the redeemed shall be 
 gathered in." 
 
 20, It was necessary to a full view 
 of the results of justification, in this 
 comparison of Adam and Christ, to no- 
 tice the design and eftect of the Mosaic 
 law and the position it held in the re- 
 ligious history of the race. This is the 
 point unfolded in this and the next 
 verse. Moreover, or rather. But laio 
 came in alongside of sin which was al- 
 ready in the world ("r. is). Law in the 
 original is emphatic but without the 
 article. It is evident from ver. 13, 14, 
 that the Mosaic law is meant, in which 
 law was revealed and enforced anew. 
 It corresponds also with Gal. 3 : 19, 
 where the law of Moses is plainly 
 meant. Sin was holding sway in the 
 world (ver. 13), but tlic law cauic in be- 
 side it incidentally and tributary to it. 
 That the otfence, or trespass, might 
 abound. Trespass here is a violafion 
 of a specific law, and may be referred 
 to Adam's first transgression, which 
 was the root of all the sins of the race, 
 or to the specific sins of the individuals 
 of the race. Trespass is the outward ex- 
 pression of sin (ver. 12) J the inward de- 
 praved principle (next clause). A de- 
 sign of the law is here given. The law is 
 primarily designed to be obeyed. But 
 in the plan of redemption of a fallen 
 race it had an additional necessaiy de- 
 sign, that the evils of our nature might 
 be manifested, be brought out and ex- 
 posed by their opposition to and viola- 
 tion of a specific law, which is holy, 
 
 righteous, and true (7 : 7-12; Oal. 3 :19: 
 
 Matt. 10 : 34, 33). But w h e r e sin 
 abounded, grace did much more 
 
 ahonnd, abou)ided over and above it. 
 An ultimate design or result of the law 
 is here brought into view. How grace 
 superaboundcd in Paul's own experi- 
 ence (1 Tim. 1 : 13, 14). Thus the law in 
 the purpose of God prepared the way 
 for Christ and for the reception of the 
 
 gospel (7 : 24, 25; Gal. 3 : 10. 24). 
 
[Ch. V. 
 
 EOMANS 
 
 81 
 
 death, even so might "grace reign 
 through righteousness unto eternal life 
 by Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 death, so also might grace reign 
 through righteousness unto eternal 
 life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 a John 1 : 16, 17; Titus 2 : 11. 
 
 21. The thought of the preceding 
 verse is continued, and sin and grace 
 are contrasted. That as sin, reigned 
 in death. Sin (ver. 12) is the real de- 
 stroyer of man, the real antagonist of 
 God's grace. Death is its result, its 
 wages (6:23). So also grace might 
 reign — hold sway, a conqueror, greater 
 and stronger than sin and death (cer. 
 13, u). Through, by means of right- 
 eousness, the righteousness revealed 
 in the gospel (1 ^ i')- Grace reigns not 
 only by accepting the believer as right- 
 eous, and restoring him to the Divine 
 favor, but also by maintaining in him 
 holiness of heart and conduct, and 
 leading him safely unto life eternal; 
 and all this is effected through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Notice how Paul 
 closes this wonderful parallel and his 
 wonderful experience {t:25) alike, 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord, with 
 whom the believer has a real, living, 
 and spiritual union. Notice also that 
 the last two verses of this chapter pre- 
 pare the way for the two following 
 chapters (6 : 1, 15; 7 : 7). 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. True peace with God can only come 
 to the sinner through justification by faith 
 in Jesus Christ (ver. 1 ; Eph. 2 : 14-16). 
 
 2. Future glory is the hope and joy of 
 God's believing people (ver. 2 ; 8 : 18). 
 
 3. Joy in afflictions is a privilege and a 
 precious boon of the child of God (ver. 
 3 ; 2 Cor. 4 : 17, 18). 
 
 4. The blessed results of a justified 
 state are inseparably linked together and 
 are developed from one another (ver. 1-5 ; 
 Gal. 5 :22, 23; 2 Peter 1 : 5). 
 
 5. In the present condition of our race 
 no character can become great without 
 suffering (ver. 3-5 ; 1 Peter 1:6; Heb. 2 : 
 9, 10). 
 
 6. The hope of the believer is like an 
 anchor ; that of the sinner like a spider's 
 web (ver. 5 ; Heb. 6 : 19 : Job 8 : 14). 
 
 7. The love of God pervading the heart 
 is an evidence of the presence of the 
 Holy Spirit and of acceptance with God 
 (ver. 5; 1 John 4 : 7-10). 
 
 8. It is the privilege of the believer to 
 be assured of his own salvation (ver. 6-8 ; 
 1 John 3 : 14 ; Eph. 3 : 18, 19). 
 
 9. The love of God lies at the foundation 
 of the plan of redemption, and of all our 
 hopes (ver. 7, 8 ; 8 : 34-39 ; 1 John 4 : 19). 
 
 10. Redemption is not through the 
 moral influence of Christ's example, 
 teachings, and life, but through his blood 
 (ver. 9 ; Heb. 9 : 22 ; Rev. 5 : 9). 
 
 11. The final perseverance of the saints, 
 resting on God's infinite grace and love, is 
 a doctrine of the Scriptures (ver. 9-11 ; 
 John 10 : 25, 29 ; Isa. 49 : 15). 
 
 12. How terrible is sin, that in and 
 through its one commission the whole 
 race became estranged from God (ver. 12 ; 
 3:10-18). 
 
 13. Death like a tyrant holds sway over 
 the bodies and souls of men, giving evi- 
 dence of the presence, power, and vm- 
 speakable evil of sin (ver. 13, 15 ; 8 : 6, 13 ; 
 James 1 : 15). 
 
 14. "While God will judge men impar- 
 tially, and ' render to every man accord- 
 ing to his works,' yet in respect to certain 
 general principles and conditions of our 
 being, he deals with his creature man as a 
 race, he regards humanity as a unit'' (A. 
 N. Arnold). (Ver. 12-17 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 22.) 
 
 15. Christ was head of the race in that 
 he created man in his own image and 
 after his likeness (Gen. 1 : 26 ; John 1 : 
 1-3 ; Col. 1 : 16) ; and thus the race bears 
 to him the relation of kinship (Acts 17 : 
 29 ; Heb. 2 : 11), he the head and they of 
 like nature with him. Most fittingly 
 therefore is Christ also the head of the re- 
 deemed, who, in their salvation, more 
 than overcomes their ruin in the fall 
 (ver. 14-16 ; 8 : 18, 23 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 55-57). 
 
 16. The parallelism of what Adam and 
 Christ have done for the race seems neces- 
 sarily to imply the salvation of infants 
 and of all who die before coming into a 
 state of moral accountability. No one, we 
 may well believe, will be held account- 
 able for the sin of Adam, until he has 
 made it his own by personal and actual 
 sinning (ver. 14-21 ; comp. Mark 10 : 14 ; 
 
82 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 Sanctijficaiio7i ; the believer made holy by his 
 
 union with Christ, who frees him from 
 
 the power of sin. 
 
 6 WHAT shall we say then ? »> Shall 
 
 we continue in sin, that grace may 
 
 2 abound? God forbid. How shall we, 
 
 that are "dead to sin, *ilive any 
 
 6 WHAT then shall we say ? Are we 
 
 to continue in sin, that grace may 
 
 2 abound ? Far be it ! How shall we, 
 
 who died to sin, live any longer 
 
 63:8; Gal. 5 : 13 ; 1 Peter 2 : 16. 
 
 c Col. 3 : 3 ; 1 Peter 2 : 24. 
 
 d 1 Peter 4 : 1-3. 
 
 Matt. 18 : 2 ; Deut. 1 : 39 ; Isa. 7 : 15, 16 : | 
 Jonah 4: 11; Heb. 5 : 13, 14). 
 
 17. Both sin and salvation are two great 
 fiicts in our world. All as they grow up 
 exhibit early sinful traits. The gospel j 
 saves and its offers are to all ; and who- | 
 ever perishes, perishes through his own 
 sin (ver. 15-19 ; Ps. 58 : 3 ; Rev. 22 : 17 ; 
 Ezek. 18 :4, 20). 
 
 18. The fact that all are sinners and 
 under condemnation, renders the work of 
 Christ and a complete salvation a neces- 
 sity (ver. 18, 19 ; Acts 4 : 12). 
 
 19. Every one should humbly accept the 
 fact that he is a sinner, and gratefully 
 embrace the means provided for his sal- 
 vation (ver. 18-20 ; 2 Cor. 6:2; Acts 2 : 40). 
 
 20. As the law had an important work 
 in the religious history of our sinful race, 
 so it has in the religious experience of 
 men in preparing them for the gospel 
 (ver. 20; 3 :20; Gal. 3 : 24). 
 
 21. The triumphs of grace over sin are 
 glorious. The gospel is more than suffi- 
 cient to repair the ruins of the fall, and 
 to raise the race to heaven. How eager 
 should we be to enjoy its blessings ! What 
 folly, what sin to neglect its provisions ! 
 (Ver. 21 ; 1 Peter 1 : 10-12 ; Heb. 2:3.) 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 In this chapter, and the two succeed- 
 ing ones, the apostle shows that the 
 doctrine of salvation through free justi- 
 fication by faith, so far from encoura- 
 ging sin, insures the believer's personal 
 holiness and final .salvation. The dis- 
 cussion, while growing out of the 
 doctrine of justification, is connected 
 largely with the doctrine of sanctifi- 
 cation. In this chapter, and as far 
 as 7:6, Paul shows that gratuitous 
 justification does not lead to sinful in- 
 dulgence ; for the believer is united by 
 faith with the ever-living Christ, with 
 whom he has died to sin and risen to a 
 new life, as illustrated in his baptism 
 
 ( ver. 1-14 ) ; and, being no longer under law 
 but under grace, he is no longer a serv- 
 ant of sin but a servant of righteous- 
 ness, and is constrained to loving 
 obedience (ver. 15-2:^). This new life and 
 its happy fruits are illustrated by a 
 well-known principle of Jewish law 
 
 (7:1-6). 
 
 1-23. The moeal influence of 
 THE doctrine of salvation through 
 
 gratuitous JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH 
 
 IN Christ. This doctrine does not 
 lessen the obligation or the incentives 
 to holy living : Ijecause the believer has 
 become dead to sin and has risen to a 
 new life (ver. i-u); and because freed 
 from the bondage of the law under which 
 he was a slave to sin, he is now under 
 grace with a spirit of obedience unto 
 righteousness (ver. 15-23). 
 
 1. Thus iixY Paul had been dealing 
 largely with the past ; now he turns to 
 the future. What — in view of what he 
 had said in 5 : 20, 21 — shall we say 
 then ? ( Comp. 3 : 5 ; 4 : 1.) Shall we say, 
 Let 'us continue in sin, or according 
 to another reading, Arc ice to continue 
 in sin that grace may abound ? 
 A common objection to justification l)y 
 faith apart from the works of the law, 
 which Paul must often have met, was 
 that it tended to immorality. This 
 objection would be suggested anew ]>y 
 the statement, "Where sin abounded, 
 grace superabounded " (5:20). This 
 had led some to charge them with say- 
 ing, "Let us do evil, that good may 
 come" (3:8). Some regard the ques- 
 tion here as the language of an objector. 
 This is not necessary. It is better to 
 regard it as one which Paul had met in 
 his own experience, and which he now 
 uses in expostulating with believers 
 against such an abuse of the doctrine. 
 Paul proceeds to show that it does not 
 encourage sin, nor weaken the incen- 
 tives to holiness. 
 
 2. God forbid. Peri.sh the thought ! 
 ( See on 3 : 4. ) He had already disclaimed 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 83 
 
 3 longer therein? Know ye not, that 
 « so many of us as were baptized into 
 Jesus Christ ^were baptized into his 
 
 4 death ? Therefore we are s buried with 
 him by baptism into death : that ^ like 
 as Christ was raised up from the 
 dead oy the glory of the Father, i even 
 so we also should walk in newness of 
 
 3 therein ? Or, are ye ignorant, that all 
 we who were baptized into Christ Je- 
 sus were baptized into his death? 
 
 ■i We were buried therefore with him 
 through the baptism into his death? 
 that as Christ was raised from the 
 dead through the glory of the Father, 
 so we also might walk in newness of 
 
 e 1 Cor. 12 : 13 ; Gal. 3 : 27. / Ver. 4, 5, 8 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 29 ; Gal. 2 : 20. g Col. 2 : 12, 13. 
 
 ft 8 : 11 ; 2 Cor. 13 : 4. t 7 : 6 ; 12 : 1, 2 ; Eph. 4 : 22-24. 
 
 it in 3 : 7, 8. How shall we that 
 are dead, rather, that died, to sin 
 live any longer therein ? The 
 
 absurdity of remaining in sin is most 
 strikingly shown. We having died to 
 sin and yet live therein ? Impossible ! 
 To have died to sin is to have utterly 
 renounced it and forsaken it, and to be 
 no longer under it as a ruling power. 
 (Comp. Gal. 2 : 19.) In justification the be- 
 liever also is separated from the guilt 
 
 of sin (ver. 7; 1 Peter 2: 24). Accepting 
 
 Christ as our Saviour and Lord, and 
 consecrating ourselves to him, is re- 
 nouncing allegiance to sin as our mas- 
 ter ; and by virtue of our union with 
 Christ, we are delivered from the domin- 
 ion of sin (ver. 8-11). Paul does not yet 
 refer to baptism, but to that spiritual 
 change that preceded baptism. Bap- 
 tism is a burial and has reference to 
 death, but death precedes burial. The 
 thought suggested by this question is 
 illustrated and enlarged upon in the 
 next nine verses. 
 
 3. Know ye not introduces an 
 expression of earnest remonstrance. 
 More exactly: Or, is it possible, that 
 you are ignorant of the significance of 
 your own baptism ? Surely you cannot 
 be ignorant of its lessons. That so 
 many of us, etc. — that all loe who 
 were baptized into Christ Jesus, into a 
 professed allegiance and subjection to 
 and fellowship with Christ (Gai. 3:27). 
 This was represented symbolically in 
 their baptism, and truly so if they were 
 what they professed. Were baptized 
 into his death — for sin; into a pro- 
 fessed conformity to his death, that as 
 he "put away sin by the sacrifice of 
 himself" (neb. 9 : 26), 'so we have died 
 to sin, and put it away, as it were, from 
 us. This we did symbolically and pro- 
 fessedly, and truly so if we had really 
 been regenerated. We should remem- 
 ber that in the apostolic age baptism 
 generally implied genuine conversion ; 
 
 yet there were exceptions, as in the case 
 of Simon Magus. Instead of into, 
 some eminent scholars prefer to render 
 unto, and it is so rendered in the mar- 
 gin of the Improved Bible Union ver- 
 sion. Thus baptized unto Christ means 
 with distinct and exclusive reference to 
 him as our Lord and Redeemer ; and 
 unto his death, means with especial 
 reference to his death as suflered for sin 
 and for the believing sinner. Symbolic- 
 ally "it is just as if, at that moment, 
 Christ sulfered, died, and were buried 
 for such a man, and as if such a man 
 suffered, died, and were buried with 
 Christ" (Bengel). (Gai. 2:19.) It is 
 evident from this passage that baptism is 
 an intelligent act on the part of the one 
 baptized and that he cannot be an un- 
 conscious infant ; and also that it does 
 not confer regeneration, since that is 
 symbolized by the act, and in the pre- 
 ceding verse it is implied as possessed 
 before the act. 
 
 4. The question of ver. 8 implies 
 that they admitted the significance of 
 their baptism. Therefore, it follows 
 in view of this, we are, rather, were, 
 buried with him, after the manner 
 of his literal burial by or through the 
 baptism into death, symbolically repre- 
 senting that we were spiritually dead 
 to sin. See on preceding verse. Burial 
 is a consequent and proof of death, and 
 it puts the dead out of sight. " Dead 
 and buried," as we say. (Comp.johnii:i7.) 
 There is a plain reference here to im- 
 mersion as the act in baptism. So 
 commentators generally. That like 
 as Christ was raised up from 
 the dead — in order that Christ in his 
 resurrection also might be our exam- 
 ple, so that ice also anight walk in 
 newness of life, in a newer, higher 
 course or manner of life. Christ was 
 raised by, or th rough, th^ glory of the 
 Father — that power which exhibits 
 God's glory (icor. e.u, 2 Cor. 13 : 4 ; Col. 
 
84 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 5 life. '' For if we have been planted 
 together in the likeness of his deatli, we 
 shall be also in tlie likeness of his resur- 
 
 6 rection : knowing this, that ' our old 
 man is crucified witli hitn, that ™the 
 body of sin might be destroyed, "that 
 henceforth we should not serve sin. 
 
 7 For " he that is dead is freed from sin. 
 
 5 life. For if we have become united 
 with the likeness of his death, we 
 shall be with that of his resurrection 
 
 6 also ; knowing this, that our old man 
 was crucified with him, that the body 
 of sin might be destroyed, in order 
 that we might no more be in bondage 
 
 7 to sin. For he that died has been jus- 
 
 k Col. 3 : 1-4. 
 
 I Gal. 5 : 24 ; Eph. 4 : 22 ; Col. 3 : 5, 9, 10. m 7 : 24 ; Col. 2 : 11. 
 
 M John 8 : 34-36. o Ver. 2 ; 1 Peter 4:1. 
 
 1:11). God was glorified in Christ's 
 resurrection (Johni7:i), It is the di- 
 vine purpose that we should die that 
 we might live, and so in our baptism 
 we profess what it symbolically repre- 
 sents — our death to sin and our resur- 
 rection to a new life. 
 
 5. For, in confirmation of what has 
 just been said, if we have been 
 planted — rather, if we have become 
 grown together, or united with the 
 likeness of his death. This like- 
 ness consists in being dead to sin, and 
 in having had our corruption and wick- 
 edness slain and buried, as it were, in 
 Christ's tomb. We shall also be 
 united with the likeness of his res- 
 urrection, which will be shown in a 
 new life consecrated to God. That the 
 reference is to a new spiritual life on 
 earth, and not to the future resurrection 
 of the body, is evident from ver. 4. 
 Two statements are made in tliis verse : 
 First, that we have become like Christ 
 in his death, further illustrated in 
 ver. 6 and 7. Second, so we shall 
 also be in his resurrection, further il- 
 lustrated in ver. 8-11. Botli of tliese 
 are put forth as true, it l)eing taken for 
 granted that they were genuine Chris- 
 tians. Schleiermacher has an eloquent 
 discourse on " Christ's Eesurrection a 
 Pattern of our New Life." See " Fish's 
 Masterpieces." Vol. I., p. 52.5. 
 
 G. KnoAvingthis — asserting a fact 
 of experimental knowledge. The old 
 man — tlie former self in our unre- 
 newed state, in distinction from the 
 new life, the renewed man (Coi.3:9, lO; 
 
 Eph. 4 : 22-24 ; 2 Cor. .5 : 17). TllC rcmnauts 
 
 and tendencies of the former are repre- 
 sented elsewhere as still continuing in 
 the believer, opposing the spirit and 
 temper of the renewed heart, and strug- 
 gling for the ascendency ('? : 17-20; 
 1 Cor. 9 ; 27: Gal. 5 : 17). Is — rather, was, 
 crucified with him (o«i 2 20). The 
 j)ain and shame of this mode of death 
 well represented the pangs and self- 
 
 abasement of Paul at his conversion 
 (1 Tim. 1 : 13), aiul thc figure of such a 
 death suggests how radical the change 
 at conversion is. The old impulses 
 and passions give way to new impulses 
 and desires (2 cor. 5 : 15-17). The body 
 of sin — sinful and ruled by sin, our 
 sinful nature (8 : is; Coi. 3:5), might be 
 destroyed, rendered inoperative and 
 powerless; that its power might be abol- 
 ished, done away, and as it were de- 
 stroyed, in order that ice might no longer 
 be in bondage to sin. Sin is personified 
 as a master to whom we had once given 
 willing service. ( Comp. Eph. 2 : 1-7.) 
 
 7. This verse is regarded as very 
 difiicult, arising from its conciseness 
 and axiomatic form. It may be more 
 literally rendered, For he that died 
 has been justified from sin. It is 
 plainly added, as confirmatory of what 
 the apostle had just said in ver. 6. Dr. 
 A. N. Arnold refers this to Christ, who 
 could be said to be justified from sin, 
 when, having died on account of sin, 
 he was raised to the right hand of God, 
 "separated from sinners" (Heb. 7:26). 
 This is true in a sense, but the reference 
 seems to be, both in the preceding verse 
 and at the beginning of the next verse, 
 to the believer's death to sin, and it 
 would naturally be the same in this. 
 The statement of the next verse. If tee 
 died with Christ, suggests a connection 
 here between the believer's death to sin 
 and Christ's death for sin. Enjoying 
 the fruit of his atoning death, he h jus- 
 tified, absolved, and separated from 
 sin, as a ruling force, and accounted 
 righteous. (Soeon 1 : n (3).) As sin 
 is personified as a master throughout 
 this passage (last verse), so here justi- 
 fied from sin suggests a deliverance 
 from the body of sin as a ruling power 
 (vir. 14). And inferentially we may say, 
 that as death changes the relation of a 
 slave to his master, making him a free 
 man, so the l)eliever's death t»» sin with 
 Christ so changes his relation to sin 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 85 
 
 8 Now P if Ave be dead with Christ, i we 
 believe that we shall also live with 
 
 9 him : knowing that ' Christ being 
 raised from the dead dieth no more ; 
 death hath no more dominion over 
 
 10 him. For in that he died, » he died 
 unto sin once : but in that he liveth, 
 
 11 t he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon 
 ye also yourselves to be dead indeed 
 unto sin, but '^ alive unto God through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 8 tified from sin. And if we died with 
 Christ, we believe that we shall also 
 
 9 live with him ; knowing that Christ, 
 being raised from the dead, dies no 
 more ; death has dominion over him 
 
 10 no more. For the death that he died, 
 he died to sin once for all ; but the life 
 
 11 that he lives, he lives to God. Thus 
 reckon ye also yourselves to be dead 
 to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 
 
 p Ver. 3-5 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 11, 12. 
 s Heb. 9 : 25-28, 
 
 q 2 Cor. 4 : 10-14. 
 t See refs. Luke 20 : 38. 
 
 r See refs. Ps. 16 : 9-11 ; Rev. 1 : 18. 
 u 2 Cor. 5 : 15 ; Gal. 2 : 19, 20. 
 
 that he is no longer its slave, but assured 
 of perpetual life (ver. 8, 9). 
 
 8. Now — rather, And, continuing 
 the same fact, if we died icith Christ, 
 and adding an additional thought, 
 growing out of it, we believe that 
 we also shall live with him. Be- 
 ing partakers of Christ's death, we are 
 sure that we shall live with him, par- 
 ticipate in his new and endless life both 
 here and hereafter ( ver. ii-is ; 8 : i , 2, lo ; Gai. 
 
 2 : 20; 2 Tim. 2 : 11, 12 ; 1 Thess. 4 : 17). WemUSt 
 
 not limit our idea of Christ's death to 
 
 his physical sufferings (Heb. 5 : 7-9; Matt. 
 27 :46). 
 
 9. Knowing — introducing the rea- 
 son for the statement of the last verse. 
 Since we know that Christ being 
 raised from the dead dieth no 
 more ; death hath no more do- 
 minion, rules over him no more. 
 Christ's obedience and death were vol- 
 untary. As connected with our race, 
 and as making satisfaction to Divine 
 holiness and justice, sin had dominion 
 
 over him ( Joha lO : is ; Matt. 20 : 28 ; Phil. 2 : 7 ff. ) . 
 
 His resurrection Avas a proof and a 
 proclamation that the power of death 
 was broken ( i : ^ ; i Cor. 15 : 55-57). 
 
 10. This verse explains and confirms 
 the preceding. For in that he died 
 — equivalent to For the death that he 
 died. He died unto sin — on account 
 of sin ; he l)ore the penalty of sin, 
 which is death. Having sufiered that 
 once for all, death has no more claim 
 
 upon him (Heb. 7 : 27; 9 : 12; comp. Heb. 10 : 
 
 io;ju(je3). It necds never to be re- 
 peated. He can henceforth live unto 
 God, enjoying his reward. But in 
 that he liveth — But the life that he 
 liveth, he liveth unto God. This 
 does not mean that, in a sense, he did not 
 live unto God while in this world, but 
 his life was one of voluntary obedience 
 to all the requirements of God, even 
 
 unto death for the sins of men. Hav- 
 ing fully satisfied the penal demands 
 on account of sin, he has only to live ; 
 and this life he lives to God, to glorify 
 him ( Joiiu 17 : 1, 2), in bringing many sons 
 to glory (Heb. 2:10), in putting all ene- 
 mies under his feet, establishing and 
 consummating his kingdom, which he 
 Avill finally deliver up to God and the 
 Father (i Cor. 15 : 24). 
 
 11. Application of the preceding 
 verse. Likewise, in like manner 
 with Christ, reckon ye also your- 
 selves to be dead to sin. Chris- 
 tians are dead to sin, not in the same 
 sense that Christ was. He died on ac- 
 count of sin and for sin (ver. 10), being 
 himself without sin (1 Peter 2 : 22); Chris- 
 tians die in renouncing and forsaking 
 sin, and in this change of relation to it, 
 through the death of Christ. Dying in 
 tlieir stead, they are partakers of the 
 benefits of his death. So tliat they are 
 to consider themselves not only dead to 
 sin, but alive to God, partakers of 
 
 Christ's life (Heb. a : 14; 2 Peter l: 4; 2 Tim. 
 
 1 : 10). And this is through, rather in 
 Jesus Christ, in felloAvship and 
 union with hira. Thus it is in Christ 
 that believers become dead to sin and 
 alive to God (8: i, 2; 2 Cor. 5 :i7). And 
 being thus united with Christ, he lives 
 in them (Gai. 2:20). Alford remarks 
 that in this chapter it is not Christ's 
 Mediatorship, but his Headship which 
 is made prominent. Our Lord — omit- 
 ted by best authorities. Thus far Paul 
 has shown that the believer's relation to 
 Christ, and the consequent change ef- 
 fected in him thereby, are diametrically 
 opposed to the idea of continuing in sin 
 that grace may abound ( ver. 1 ) . 
 
 Baptism as a Figure. We may 
 speak of baptism as a sign, an antitype, 
 an emblem, or a symbol. An emblem 
 is generally used as suggestive of some 
 
86 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 12 » Let not sin therefore reign in your 
 mortal body, J that ye should ()l)ey it in 
 
 13 the lusts "thereof ;' neither yield ye 
 your » members as instruments of un- 
 righteousness unto sin; but » yield 
 
 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your 
 mortal body, that ye should obey its 
 
 13 desires; nor present your members to 
 sin as weapons of unrighteousness ; 
 
 * Ps. 19 : 13 ; 119 : 133. y Gal. 5 : 16, 24 ; 1 Peter 2 : 11 ; 4 : 2, 3. 
 
 z 7 : 5, 23 ; 1 Cor. 6 : 15 ; Col. 3:5; James 4:1. a 12 : 1 ; 2 Chron. 30 : 8 ; 1 Peter 2 : 24. 
 
 natural fitness ; a symbol is generally 
 cliosen or agreed upon to represent 
 something moral or spiritual by the 
 figures or properties of natural things. 
 The two may unite in one. Thus tlie 
 bread and wine in the Lord's Supper 
 are appropriate emblems of our Lord's 
 body and blood, and his own chosen 
 symbols of his sufterings and death. So 
 the waters of baptism may be a fitting 
 emblem of purification from sin, an 
 emblematic washing away of sin, and 
 Paul's chosen symbol of the believer's 
 death and life to God. 
 
 But to be more particular. (1) Bap- 
 tism symbolizes the believer's union 
 with Christ (" baptized into Christ "), 
 the submerging of the whole man into 
 the Christly spirit of a new life ; and 
 thus united to the spiritual body of 
 Christ he has put on the garb of Christ 
 to wear it in the church of Christ 
 
 (Gal. 3 : 27 ; 1 Cor. 12 : 13). (2) It Symbol- 
 
 izes a burial with Christ — the believer's 
 consciousness of a spiritual death and 
 of a dying to all ungodliness, and of a 
 burial to a sinful life, and a rising with 
 Christ, a consciousness of the birth of a 
 new life, henceforth to be lived unto 
 God. (3) And growing out of this 
 reference to the death and the resurrec- 
 tion of Christy it symbolizes the believ- 
 er's resurrection and blissful immor- 
 tality. 
 
 Baptism may be conceived of as a 
 sign. As circumcision was a sign of a 
 natural connection with Abraham and 
 Israel, so baptism as an external rite is 
 a sign or token of an outward profession 
 of Christ and of connection with the 
 Cliristian church. It cannot however 
 be so truthfully spoken of as a seal. 
 Circumcision was a seal of Abraham's 
 faitli which he exercised before he was 
 circumcised, a ])ledge and an assurance 
 of the righteousness of faith (Rom. 4 : ii). 
 So believers are sealed with Holy 
 Spirit of promise, impressing the im- 
 age of Christ on the soul, and skiving an 
 assurance of an everlasting inheritance 
 
 (Kph. 1 14 ; 4 : 30. Comp. 2 Tim. 2 : 19). Bap- 
 
 tism is nowhere spoken of as a seal in 
 the New Testament. 
 
 As an antitype baptism is mentioned 
 in 1 Peter 3 : 21. An antitype is that 
 which corresponds to its type. Peter 
 speaks of baptism as the antitype 
 " after a true likeness," as the Revised 
 version paraphrases it, answering or 
 corresponding to the waters of the 
 deluge which prefigured it in the Old 
 Testament. Baptism symbolizes the 
 resurrection of Christ, the foundation 
 of the believer's hope, and, if truly 
 received, is more than the putting away 
 of the filth of the flesh ; it presup- 
 poses and symbolizes all that a good 
 conscience toward God requires, name- 
 ly, a soul renewed and consecrated to 
 him. 
 
 12. In this and the two following 
 verses the apostle enforces the practical 
 results of what he had just gone over. 
 Let not sill therefore, in view of 
 the fact that you are to account your- 
 selves as dead to sin (ver. ii), reign as a 
 king, in your mortal body, a body 
 subject to death and in which death is 
 at work. The efi'ects of sin and death 
 were so marked and obvious in the 
 body that Paul calls especial attention 
 to it. That ye should obey the 
 lusts, or de-Kires, thereof. The best 
 critical text omits it in. The idea is, 
 Let not sin, your former master, con- 
 tinue to reign in your body, that ye 
 should obey its inordinate and sinful 
 appetites. " The bodily ajipetitcs are 
 the fuel; sin is the fire" (Bengel). 
 Rather in your new life let sin be ban- 
 ished, and vour body be a temple of the 
 
 Holy Spirit (l Cor. 6 :'l9). 
 
 13. Neither yield your mem- 
 bers — the organs of the body, such as 
 the tongue, eye, hands, and feet, imply- 
 ing, however, the mental activities 
 working with them. The figure of sin, 
 as a king, is continued in this verse, 
 who is waging war against righteous- 
 ness, to whom is pre.sental the mem- 
 bers of the body as instruments, or 
 weapons, literally, heavy armor, of 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 87 
 
 yourselves unto God, as those that are 
 alive from the dead, and your mem- 
 bers as instruments of righteousness 
 
 14 unto God. For sin shall not have do- 
 minion over you : ^ for ye are not 
 under the law, but under grace. 
 
 15 What then? Shall we sin, because 
 we are not under the law, <=but under 
 grace ? 
 
 16 God forbid. Know ye not, that "^to 
 
 but present yourselves to God, as alive 
 from the dead, and your members to 
 
 14 God as weapons of righteousness. For 
 sin shall not have dominion over you ; 
 for ye are not under law, but under 
 grace. 
 
 15 What then? Are we to sin, because 
 we are not under law, but under 
 
 16 grace ? Far be it ! Know ye not, that 
 
 6 7 : 4-11 ; 8 : 2. 
 
 c Eph. 2 : 8-10. 
 
 d John 8 : 31. 
 
 righteousness. But yield, or pre- 
 sent, yourselves to God, as those 
 that are alive from the dead, as 
 
 having become dead with Christ to sin, 
 and living with him to God (Epu. 2 : 5, 6), 
 and your members as weapo7is, or 
 heavy armor of righteousness, to God. 
 (comp. 12 : 1 ; 13 : 12.) There is HO middle 
 ground in this service. Either sin or 
 righteousness rules the man. The be- 
 liever's service is also a voluntary serv- 
 ice — present yourselves. The different 
 tenses of the same verb is thus distin- 
 guished by Bartlett ("Christian 
 Scriptures ") : " Neither he ever present- 
 ing your members unto sin, . . but 
 once for all present yourselves unto 
 God," etc. An excellent exhortation 
 to inconstant Christians. 
 
 14. Paul presents the concluding 
 and crowning argument of this discus- 
 sion. Not only in view of what he had 
 already said, but also for the reason 
 about to be given, he asserts: For sin 
 shall not have dominion over 
 you, shall not have lordship over you ; 
 sin is no longer to be your master. 
 For ye are not v.nder law, through 
 which is a knowledge of sin (3 : 20), and 
 which even intensifies sin and causes 
 it to abound (o : 20), but ye are under 
 grace which reigns through righteous- 
 ness, not only in the justification of the 
 believer, but also in his sanctification 
 (5 : 21). They were not under a system 
 of law, but under a system of grace. 
 It sounds like a Christian axiom. Law 
 could only command, it could not effect 
 reconciliation, nor give the spirit obedi- 
 ence ; but grace through Jesus Christ 
 effects the one with God and gives the 
 other to man. Law had no power to 
 deliver the sinner from the mastery of 
 sin, but grace through a spiritual union 
 with Christ frees the believer from the 
 lordship of sin, and through motives 
 of love and hope ensures grateful and 
 cheerful obedience to God. The thought 
 
 in regard to law is developed in chapter 
 7 ; that in regard to grace in chapter 8. 
 This whole discussion was important in 
 developing the gospel in its relation to 
 the law and to meet needed instruction 
 both among Jewish and Gentile con- 
 verts. Paul wrote this Epistle at Cor- 
 inth. He saw there how improper 
 views had led into false liberties and 
 wicked indulgences (1 Cor. 5 : 1-6 : 20). It 
 was doubtless so elsewhere (Oai. 5:i3). 
 It was necessary to check such tenden- 
 cies, to define the Christian's relation 
 to the law, to sin, to grace, and to holi- 
 ness. 
 
 15. Paul proceeds to illustrate fur- 
 ther the relation to sin under law, and 
 to righteousness under grace, by the 
 case of master and servant. He had 
 shown that we cannot continue in sin, 
 because we are dead to Christ ; he now 
 proceeds to show that acts of sin are to 
 be avoided, because we cannot serve 
 two masters. What then are we to 
 conclude ? Paul sees that an inference, 
 directly opposite from what he was en- 
 forcing, might be drawn from the 
 statement he had just made. Shall 
 we, rather. Are we, to sin, commit 
 acts of transgression, because we 
 are not under law but under 
 grace ? This is more definite than to 
 continue in sin, in ver. 1. This he 
 repels at once, God forbid. Atvay 
 the thought! There has been a ten- 
 dency in every age to make the liberty 
 of the gospel a license to sin. " Such 
 has been the objection to the doctrines 
 of grace in all ages. And the fact that 
 this objection was made to Paul's 
 teachings, proves that his doctrine 
 is the same with that against which 
 the same objection is still urged " 
 (Hodge). 
 
 16. Know ye not — you surely 
 know. The question is in the form that 
 assumes an affirmative answer. That 
 to whom ye yield, or present, your- 
 
88 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 whom ye yield yourselves servants to 
 obey, his servants ye are to whom ye 
 obey ; whether of sin unto death, or of 
 
 17 obedience unto righteousness? But 
 God be thanked, that ye were the serv- 
 ants of sin, but ye have obeyed from 
 the heart <■ that form of doctrine which 
 
 18 was delivered you. Being then f made 
 free from sin, ye became the servants 
 
 19 of righteousness. I speak after the 
 manner of men, because ot the infirm- 
 ity of your flesh : for s as ye have 
 
 to whom ye present yourselves serv- 
 ants unto obedience, his servants ye 
 are whom ye obey ; whether of sin 
 unto death, or of obedience luito 
 
 17 righteousness? But thanks be to God, 
 that ye were servants of sin, but 
 obeyed from the heart that form of 
 teaching unto wliicli ye were deliv- 
 
 18 ered ; and being made free from sin, 
 
 19 became servants of righteousness. I 
 speak after the manner of men, be- 
 cause of the infirmity of your flesh 
 
 e 2 Tim. 1 : 13-16. 
 
 / See refs. John 8 : 32. 
 
 g Ver. 13, 17. 
 
 selves as bond-servants or slaves, to ' 
 obey, etc. Paul appeals to a general 
 and well-known fact. When any one 
 enters into service, he binds himself 
 to obedience to the one he serves. 
 Whether . . . or. It must be to 
 one, or to the other. He cannot serve 
 two masters at the same time (Matt. 6 : 24). 
 Unto death. The result of the serv- 
 ice of sin, not merely physical death, ' 
 but especially spiritual and eternal 
 death. So the service of God results in 
 righteousness, holy living, "the 
 fruits of holiness" (ver. 22), embracing 
 and ending in eternal life. Serving 
 sin implies the practice of sin ; so the 
 service of righteousness implies the 
 practice of righteousness. 
 
 17. Assuming the full assent of his 
 readers to what he had said, the apostle 
 exclaims in application to them, But 
 God be thanked that ye were the 
 servants of sin, once yet no longer. 
 Their servitude is viewed at a single 
 glance, as in the past. And at the 
 same glance he sees in glorious contrast 
 a changed life of obedience unto right- 
 eousness. That such a change had been 
 eflfected, and that too, upon the slaves 
 of sin by the grace of God, calls forth 
 his hearty thanksgiving. Their terri- 
 ble shivery made their deliverance and 
 the gift of God the more conspicuous. 
 But ye have obeyed, rather. But 
 ye obeyed or became obedient when ye 
 entered the state of grace ( ver. u), and be- 
 came servants of righteousness (ver. is). 
 And this obedience was willing, inward, 
 and spiritual, from the heart. 
 What they olieyed was that form of 
 doctrine wliich was delivered 
 you, rather, that form of teaching unto 
 which ye nrre delivered by God at your 
 conversion, and symbolically and pro- 
 fessedly at your baptism. The form of 
 teaching was that Christian faith and 
 
 practice which Paul had received and 
 taught. That form may be regarded, 
 with Wordsworth and some others, as 
 that mold of doctrine, or teaching, into 
 Avhich (like molten metal) ye were de- 
 livered, soft and ductile, yielding to 
 the burning efficacy of the truth taught 
 you. It was the model, the original 
 pattern, " the gospel of that pronounced 
 evangelical type, as distinct from Juda- 
 ism, which Paul always preached" 
 (Boise). 
 
 18. Closely connected with the pre- 
 ceding verse. And — continuing the 
 thought, being made free from 
 sin— delivered and set at liberty from 
 sin as a master, ye became servants 
 {bond-servants or slaves) to right- 
 eousness. Free yet slaves ! Yet in this 
 consisted their highest freedom (John 8: 
 
 36. Comp. 1 Cor. 7 : 22). Sucll SCrvicC bciug 
 
 hearty, willing, and elevating, it could 
 not be expected that they would return 
 to the master and the bondage from 
 which they had been emancipated. In 
 their new service they were enabled and 
 obliged to live a life of piety. 
 
 19. The apostle apologizes for using 
 such an illustration, especially for the 
 phrase bond-servants or slaves to right- 
 eousness. Slavery was terrible and well 
 understood at Eome. I speak after 
 the manner of men — as men usually 
 do, in an imperfect way, in order that 
 you may rightly contrast your present 
 condition with your past, because of 
 the infirmity'of your flesh. Some 
 regard this as an intellectual infirm- 
 ity ; others as a moral. Both seem to 
 be included. By ireakness of the flesh 
 Paul means, that they were yet carnal 
 and sensuous, and unaccustomed to 
 those spiritual views of divine subjects 
 which would render unnecessary such 
 illustrations drawn from earthly ob- 
 jects and relations. (Comp. 5 : 12-u : 1 cor. 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 89 
 
 yielded your members servants to un- 
 cleanness and to iniquity unto iniq- 
 uity ; even so now yield your members 
 servants to righteousness unto holi- 
 
 20 ness. For when ye were ^ the servants 
 of sin, ye were free from righteous- 
 
 21 ness. > What fruit had ye then in those 
 things whereof ye are now ashamed ? 
 for ^ the end of "those things is death. 
 
 22 But now ' being made free from sin, 
 and become servants to God, ™ye 
 have your fruit unto holiness, and the 
 
 23 end everlasting life. For "the wages 
 
 For as ye presented your members serv- 
 ants to uncleanness, and to iniquity 
 unto iniquity ; so now present your 
 members servants to righteousness 
 
 20 unto sanctification. For when ye Avere 
 servants of sin, ye were free as to right- 
 
 21 eousness. What fruit therefore had ye 
 then in those things of which ye are 
 now ashamed ? For the end of those 
 
 22 things is death. But now, being made 
 free from sin, and become servants to 
 God, ye have your fruit unto sanetifi- 
 
 23 cation, and the end eternal life. For 
 
 h John 8 : 34. i 7 : 5. 
 
 m Eph. 5:9; Phil. 1 : 11 ; Col 1 : 10, 
 
 kVer. 23; 1 : 32. lYer. U, 18. 
 
 n 5 : 12 I Gal. 6:7,8; James 1 : 15. 
 
 3:1.) He had used the word slave not 
 because the believer is really a slave, 
 but to make his meaning plain ; besides 
 through their low spiritual condition, 
 Christ's service might sometimes seem 
 hard to them — more of a task than a 
 privilege, performed more in the spirit 
 of servitude than of liberty. All this 
 thus far in ver. 19 is parenthetical. 
 Paul now returns to develop his mean- 
 ing as expressed in ver. 18, For, my 
 meaning is, that as ye presented your 
 members slaves to uncleanness — 
 lustful, vicious sins, especially against 
 one's self, and to iniquity — leading 
 into iniquity — sins of lawlessness, espe- 
 cially against God, so noiv present your 
 members slaves to righteousness, 
 leading unto sanctification. Sanctifica- 
 tion, here and in ver. 22, means the 
 elFect or result of consecration, holiness 
 of heart and life. He would have them 
 subject themselves as thoroughly to 
 righteousness as they had formerly to 
 wickedness. 
 
 20, In this verse to the end of the 
 chapter the apostle enforces the ex- 
 hortation of ver. 19, from the conse- 
 quences attending each kind of service. 
 For consider this fact that when ye 
 were the servants, or slaves, of sin, 
 ye Avere free so far as respects 
 righteousness — of j^our own will 
 and pleasure you acknowledged no al- 
 legiance to, no control of, righteous- 
 ness ; ye were free from any such rela- 
 tion to righteousness, as is represented 
 by the relation of slaves to their master. 
 
 21. What fruit therefore had ye 
 then in those things whereof ye 
 are now ashamed? What good did 
 your freedom do you ? The answer im- 
 plied is, None. You gained no advan- 
 tage, you received no moral good. You 
 
 now remember your service of sin with 
 shame, and it yielded only death. Some 
 end the question with then, thus, What 
 fruit therefore had ye at that time? The 
 answer is. Those things of which ye are 
 now ashamed. This seems the more 
 natural way of dividing the sentence. 
 It is simpler and the thought is clearer. 
 Fruit also is sometimes applied to that 
 
 which is evil (7 : 5; Matt.? : IT-20; 12 : 33). 
 
 For the end of those things is 
 death — spiritual and eternal death, in 
 contrast to eternal life (vor. 22), 
 
 22, But now— in contrast to your 
 former state — being made free from 
 sin as a master (see on ver. is), and be- 
 come servants, or slaves, (tlie same 
 figure continued) to God f ^■"- 1^), you 
 have your fruit unto holiness, or 
 sanctification, and the end ever- 
 lasting life — spiritual and eternal 
 life in contrast to death (ver. 21). No- 
 tice Paul deals with the present time 
 looking onward to the future and full 
 consummation. Ye are having your 
 fruit issuing into sanctifieation which 
 is thus a progressive work, and as an 
 end of all your fruit and fruitfulness, 
 eternal life. We enjoy the beginnings 
 of eternal life here (John 3 : 36: Heb. 12 : u)^ 
 and its fullness hereafter (1 John 3: 2), 
 " As when the soul is living in sin it is 
 not obedient to righteousness, so, when 
 it is living in righteousness it cannot 
 be obedient to sin. For the two are 
 contrary one to the other" (Abbott). 
 
 23. Paul restates what he had said 
 in the two preceding verses, and he does 
 it in such a way as to show the diifer- 
 ence in the tAvo kinds of service which 
 he had been contrasting. For, sum- 
 ming up and confirming what had been 
 said, the wages — the word in the 
 original signifies the pay of a soldier, 
 
90 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 of sin is death ; but » the gift of God is 
 eternal life through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. 
 
 the wages of sin is death ; but the gift 
 of God is eternal life, in Christ Jesus 
 our Lord. 
 
 o5 : 17, 21 ; see refs. John 3 : 14-17 ; 1 John 5 : 11, 12. 
 
 and also of a servant — the hire that sin 
 pays is death, sinritual and eternal. 
 But the gift of God — that which 
 God bestows is not viewed as wages, but 
 as a gratuitous favor, and that gift is 
 eternal life, life in its highest and 
 noblest sense, through, rather in, 
 Christ Jesus our Lord. Christ is 
 our life (Col. 3 : 3, 4), and we have eternal 
 life by virtue of our union with him. 
 Notice death is wages; life a gift. 
 The sinner earns the one ; the believer 
 receives the other. The service of sin 
 is indeed slavery and ever downward ; 
 the service of righteousness is ennobling 
 and ever upward, developing through 
 God's grace into the highest liberty and 
 the noblest form of creative existence. 
 No wonder that Paul apologizes (ver. 19) 
 for applying the idea of slavery to such 
 a service. In his entire self-surrender 
 to God, and in his devotedness to right- 
 eousness, the Christian was indeed as a 
 slave, but in this very devotion and in 
 this very relation he Avas to find his 
 truest freedom, his highest exaltation, 
 and the enjoyment of the crowning gift 
 of God's favor. Notice al.so that the 
 apostle ends this chapter the same as 
 chap. 5. Whether he is ti*acing the 
 results of justification or sanctification, 
 he ends wfth Christ and the eternal life 
 which comes through him. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. We have in this chapter an antidote 
 to antinomianism (ver. 2, 11, 12, 18, 22). 
 
 2. Any doctrine or system that encour- 
 ages sin is not of God (ver. 1,2; Gal. 5 : 
 13, 16, 21; 6: 7). 
 
 3. It is a contradiction to profess to be a 
 Christian and to live a life of sin (ver. 2, 
 3; 2 Cor. 6: 1.V17). 
 
 1. Baptism is an intelligent act, a pro- 
 fession of Christ, a putting on of Christ 
 (ver. 3; Gal. 3 : 27). 
 
 .5. Baptism is a burial in water and a 
 symbolical burial of the old man with 
 Chri.st (ver. 4; Col. 2 : 12). 
 
 6. Baptism is a resurrection from its 
 watery grave, and a symbolical resurrec- 
 tion of the new man with Christ (ver. 5, 6 ; 
 Acts 2 : 37, 38 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 1-4). Having ref- 
 
 erence to Christ's resurrection it, through 
 him, implies the believer's resurrection (1 
 Cor. 15 : 23, 29). 
 
 7. Our union with Christ is the source 
 and the assurance of a life of holiness 
 ( ver. 5-7 ; John 15 : 1-10) . 
 
 8. In our fallen state life comes through 
 death (ver. 6-8; John 12 : 24). 
 
 9. Soul crucifixion attending repentance 
 marks, in the experience of Christians, 
 the beginning of their life with Christ 
 (ver. 6 ; Acts 2 : 37, 38 ; 2 Cor. 7 : 11). 
 
 10. " To be in Christ is the source of the 
 Christian's life ; to be like Christ is the 
 sum of his excellence ; to be with Christ 
 is the fullness of his joy " (Hodge). (Ver. 
 5-11 ; Col. 3 : 3, 4 ; 1 John 3 : 2.) 
 
 11. Christ has broken the power of sin 
 and through him the Christian, though 
 still weak and imperfect, is no longer 
 under its dominion (ver. 9, 10 ; 7 : 25 ; 
 Rev. 1 : 18; 1 Cor. 15 : 57). 
 
 12. Faith in Christ is the means of both 
 our justification and our sanctification 
 (ver. 11, 22, 23 ; Heb. 11 : 5, 6). 
 
 13. The Christian should guard against 
 the sins of the body as well as of the soul 
 (ver. 12; 1 Cor. 6 : 13 ; 9:27). 
 
 14. We should devote every member of 
 the body— hands, feet, tongue, and eyes — 
 to Christ and his service (ver. 13 ; 12 : 1). 
 
 15. The Christian is not under a legal 
 system which brings only condemnation, 
 but under a system of grace which brings 
 justification, holiness, and the gift of God, 
 eternal life (ver. 14, 15, 23; 8 : 3, 4; Acts 
 13 : 39). 
 
 16. They who hold that under grace the 
 moral law is of no obligation pervert 
 both the law and the gospel (ver. 15 ; 8 : 
 4; 13:8-10; Gal. 5 : 14). 
 
 17. Every one is a servant either of sin 
 or of righteousness. There" can be no 
 middle ground (ver. 16; Luke 16 : 13 ; 
 Josh. 24 : 15). 
 
 18. Sin makes an infraction upon every 
 law of our being. Its service is therefore 
 slavery and its end death (ver. 17 : 19-21 ; 
 I<:ph. 2 : 2, 3). 
 
 19. The service of righteousness accords 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 EOMANS 
 
 91 
 
 Sanctiflcation ; the believer no longer under 
 
 the Law which cannot save, illustrated 
 
 by experience. 
 
 7 KNOW ye not, brethren, (for I speak 
 Pto them that know the law,) how 
 that the law hath dominion over a 
 2 man as long as he liveth? For ithe 
 woman which hath an husband is 
 bound by the law to her husband so 
 long as he liveth ; but if the husband 
 be dead, she is loosed from the law of 
 
 7 OR, are ye ignorant, brethren (for I 
 am speaking to men who know law), 
 that the law has dominion over the 
 2 man for so long time as he lives ? For 
 the married woman is bound by law 
 to the living husband ; but if the* hus- 
 band dies, she is loosed from the law 
 
 p2 : 17. 18. 
 
 q Gen. 2 : 23, 24 ; 1 Cor. 7 : 39. 
 
 with our physical, mental, and spiritual 
 constitution, and secures our highest 
 good ; and thus, though service, it is con- 
 nected with our highest freedom. But it 
 must be " from the heart " (ver. 17 ; 8 : 14- 
 16; Gal. 5: 13, 16). 
 
 20. All thanks and praise to God if, once 
 the servants of sin, we are now the serv- 
 ants of God (ver. 17 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 12, 17 ; 1 
 Cor. 15 : 10). 
 
 21. In illustrating and enforcing doc- 
 trine and practice we must often take into 
 account the mental and spiritual weak- 
 ness of men (ver. 19 ; 1 Cor. 3:1-3; 1 Peter 
 2:2; John 16 : 12). 
 
 22. We should expect the Christian to 
 remember with shame the sinful fruits of 
 his life in impenitence (ver. 21 ; Eph. 5 : 
 12; ITim. 1: 13). 
 
 23. Under the law sinners work for wages 
 and they get what they earn. Under the 
 gospel the Christian's service is a conse- 
 cration ; salvation is through grace, and 
 eternal life, the gracious gift of God (ver. 
 22, 23 ; 4 : 4 ; 8 : 13, 14 ; Eph. 2 : 8-10). 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 This chapter continues the discussion 
 of the preceding chapter ; and first il- 
 lustrates (ver. 1-6) the believer's changed 
 relation from law to grace by the law 
 of marriage. He is thus devoted to 
 Christ's spiritual service. Incidental 
 questions then arise (ver. 7, i3)^ regard- 
 ing the law, which he answers and il- 
 lustrates from his own experience, both 
 in his unregenerate and regenerate 
 state, showing that sin was the great 
 troubler of his heart, and that the evil 
 is not in the law but in man's corrupt 
 nature : that the law is alike powerless 
 both for man's justification and sancti- 
 fication, and that deliverance can come 
 only through Jesus Christ (ver. 7-25). 
 
 1-6. The believee's condition, 
 not under law but under grace, illus- 
 trated BY A familiar PRINCIPLE 
 OF THE LAW OF MARRIAGE. The be- 
 liever is made dead to law that he may 
 be united to Christ. 
 
 1. KnoAV ye not — or, areye ignorant 
 — an expression of earnest expostula- 
 tion, as in 6 : 3, in support of the state- 
 ment in 6:14. The latter part of chap. 
 6 is parenthetical. Having answered 
 the objection, " Are we to sin because 
 we are not under law, but under grace " 
 (6 : 15) , Paul now returns to the thought, 
 "Sin shall not have dominion over 
 you, for ye are not under law, but under 
 grace" (6:u). It was a principle fa- 
 miliar to both Jew and Gentile, that 
 death dissolves all legal ties. Or, if 
 you are disposed to doubt that you are 
 released from the law, am I to suppose 
 you are ignorant, etc. Brethren and 
 7»?/ brethren (ver. 4), addressed to the 
 whole church, Jew and Gentile. For 
 I speak to them that know, or are 
 acquainted ivith, law. The principle 
 he is about to state was a general legal 
 principle, recognized both by Roman 
 and Jewish laAv, but especially by the 
 latter ; and so the law^, with undoubt- 
 ed reference to the ^losaic law, hath 
 dominion over the man, the human 
 being, male or female, for so long a 
 time as he liveth. 
 
 2. Having stated the general prin- 
 ciple, he now illustrated it by a simple 
 case. For, in confirmation and illus- 
 tration, the woman that hath an 
 husband, rather, is subject to a hus- 
 band, that is, a married woman, is 
 bound by law to the living husband, 
 while he lives (1 Cor. 7 : 39). But if the 
 husband die, she is loosed, pitt be- 
 yond the operation of the la'W binding 
 her to her husband. She is no longer 
 under the influence of that law, or in 
 
92 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 3 her husband. So then ^if^ while her 
 husband liveth, she be married to 
 another man, she shall be called an 
 adulteress : but if her husband be 
 dead, she is free from that law ; so that 
 she is no adulteress, though she be 
 married to another man. 
 
 4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are 
 become * dead to the law by the body 
 of Christ : ' that ye should be married 
 to another, even to him who is raised 
 from the dead, that we should " bring 
 
 5 forth fruit unto God. For when we 
 were » in the flesh, the motions of sins, 
 y which were by the law, ^did Avork in 
 our members » to bring forth fruit unto 
 
 3 of the husband. So then if, while the 
 husband is living, she is married to 
 another man, she shall be called an 
 adulteress; but if the husband dies, 
 she is free from the law, so that she is 
 no adulteress, though she is married to 
 another man. 
 
 4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also 
 were made dead to the law through 
 the body of Christ, that ye might be 
 married to another, to him who was 
 raised from the dead, in order that we 
 
 5 might bear fruit to God. For when we 
 were in the flesh, the passions of sins, 
 which were through the law, wrought 
 in our members to bear fruit unto 
 
 r Matt. 5 : 32. « 8 : 2 ; Gal. 2 : 19, 20 ; Eph. 2 : 15 ; Col. 2 : U ; 1 Peter 2 : 24. 
 M See refs. 6 : 22. a: 8 : 5-8 ; Eph. 2:3. y 3 : 20 ; 5 : 20. 
 
 a 6 : 21, 23 ; James 1 : 15. 
 
 ( 2 Cor. 11 : 2 ; Eph. 5 : 22-32. 
 x Ver. 8-13 ; 6 : 13. 
 
 any way affected by it. The principle 
 is, that the relation is dissolved by the 
 death of either party. But as believers 
 are the bride of Christ, and are so rep- 
 resented elsewhere, their relation to the 
 law and to Christ, is more aptly repre- 
 sented here by that of the wife to her 
 
 hu.sband (Eph. 5 : 23, 24; John 3 : 29 ; Rev. 2 : 
 2,9). 
 
 3. So then, in view of what I have 
 just said, if while the husband liv- 
 eth she be married to another 
 
 man she shall receive the name of an 
 adulteress. But if the husband 
 die, she is free from the law, relat- 
 ing to husband and wife, that she may 
 tiot he an adulteress, etc. Paul now 
 has stated the principle and given a 
 particular illustration. In the appli- 
 cation he uses the single fact, that 
 death dissolves legal ties. As death 
 dissolves the relation between husband 
 and wife, so the believer's death in 
 Christ dissolves his relation to the law, 
 to which he was subject as the wife to 
 her hus})and, till death dissolved the 
 connection (vcr. 4-6). In our application 
 we must beware and not go beyond 
 Paul. In so doing we may draw analo- 
 gies that Paul never intended. 
 
 4, Therefore, my brethren, ye 
 also, as in the case of the wife from 
 her husband (vor. 2, 3), vrre made dead 
 to the law, released from it by death, 
 through the body of Christ. It was 
 in his body that he suffered the penalty 
 
 of sin ( Col. 1 : 21, 22 ; 1 Peter 2 : 24 ; Kph. 2 : 15 ; 
 
 Heb. 10: 10). Evcn tlic mental sufferings 
 of our Lord were connected with, and 
 outwardly manifested through his bod- 
 
 ily sufferings (Luke 22 : 44; Matt. 27 : 46). 
 
 That ye should — expresses the design 
 and end in view. In order that ye 
 might be married to another, than the 
 law, to him who was raised from 
 the dead. They had become dead to 
 the law through the death of Christ in 
 order that they might be united to 
 Christ under a new bond of love and 
 obedience, expressed under the figure 
 of marriage ( Eph. 5 : 23, 32. comp. 6 : 4, 9, 10) . 
 And all of this, dead to the law and 
 married to Christ, was for this purpose, 
 that we might bring forth fruit unto 
 God. Notice the apostle includes him- 
 self. Fruit is the natural result, it is 
 God's design (Johni5 : 2-h). Our union 
 with Christ is an assurance that we 
 will not present ourselves to sin, but 
 will bring forth fruit to God. See Gal. 
 5 : 22, 23 for the kind of fruit. It does 
 not appear to have been Paul's design 
 to represent "fruit" here under the 
 figure of offspring. 
 
 5. In this, and the following verse, 
 Paul confirms what he had just said, 
 contrasting and stating more fullj' the 
 difference lietween their present and 
 former relation. He had hinted at it in 
 the last clause of 6 : 14; and in the 
 rest of this chapter he discusses it more 
 fully. For Avhen we were in the 
 flesh, in our natural, unrenewed state 
 (.ioiin3:6), slavcs to siii and rebellious 
 against God's will, the motions, the 
 passions of sins, that is, the sinful pas- 
 sions, Avhich were excited by the 
 holy restraints and requirements of 
 the law, did work in our mem- 
 bers (6: 13) that we should hring forth 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 93 
 
 6 death. But now we are delivered from 
 the law, b that being dead wherein 
 we were held ; that we !<hould serve 
 "=in newness of spirit, and not m the 
 oldness of the letter. 
 
 6 death. But now we have been loosed 
 from the law, having died to that in 
 which we were held ; so that we serve 
 in newness of the Spirit, and not in 
 oldness of the letter. 
 
 6 Ver. 4:6:2. 
 
 c 6 : 4 ; 2 Cor. 3 : 6. 
 
 fruit unto death. This is enlarged 
 upon in ver. 7-11. See Gal. d : 19, 20, 
 for the fruits of the flesh. These lead 
 on to, and terminate in, eternal death. 
 
 6. But noAV, in our new relation 
 under grace, we are delivered, 
 loosed or freed (ver. 2), from the law, 
 as a ground of acceptance with God. 
 We are not bound to it in any waj^ as a 
 means and ground of justification. 
 Paul of course cannot mean that we 
 are loosed from the requirements of the 
 law, so far as they are not done away in 
 Christ, for he had said that the gospel 
 establishes the law ( 3 : 31, which see) . 
 That being dead, rather, having 
 died to that, tliat is, to the law in 
 which we Avere held, firmly bound 
 as by a legal and marriage obligation, 
 (comp. Gal. 3 : 23.) It is uot the law that 
 is dead to us, but we have died to the 
 law "through the body of Christ" 
 (ver. 4, which see). That, etc, ratlicr, So 
 that we serve God, giving him a hab- 
 itual service as faithful and as binding 
 as that of a bond-servant, in the new- i 
 ness of the spirit and not in the 
 oldness of the letter. Some take 
 spirit for the Holy Spirit ; but it is 
 better to regard the phraseology as 
 Hebraistic, meaning a new and spiritual 
 service in distinction from a literal and 
 legal service. They now served God 
 from the free prompting of a new spir- 
 itual life, and not in the servile observ- 
 ance of the letter. That which was an 
 outward requirement in the dead letter 
 of the law has now become the living 
 law of the spirit of the believer. 
 
 ( Comp. 2 Cor. 3 : 6. ) Paul liaS thuS shoWU 
 
 that salvation through faith tends to 
 holy living ; that freed from the bond- 
 age of the law under which he was 
 continually sinning, he is free to serve 
 God in a new life. 
 
 7-25. It is not the faflt of the 
 law that it cannot secure the 
 conversion and sanctification of 
 THE SINNER. The evil is in man, in 
 the opposition of his carnal heart to 
 the requirements of the divine law 
 which is holy, just, and good. 
 
 Ever since the days of Augustine it 
 has been discussed whether Paul here 
 speaks of his own experience, and if 
 so, whether he refers to his regenerate 
 or unregenerate state. As he speaks 
 in the first person the presumjition 
 is that he speaks of himself. He 
 often in the Epistles refers to his 
 own experience ( 9 : i ; lo : i : i cor. 9 : 26. 27 ; 
 
 2 Cor. 12:1-10: Phil. 3:4-14, etc.), TMs is 
 
 generally admitted; and also that he 
 presents his case here as a representa- 
 tive one, as he does sometimes else- 
 where (1 Cor. 13 1 11). Paul appears to 
 have regarded himself "an example of 
 them who should thereafter believe on 
 him (Jesus Christ) unto eternal life" 
 (1 Tim. 1 : 16). As far as ver. 14 he 
 speaks in the past tense, and it is very 
 generally admitted that he refers to his 
 unregenerate state. But in regard to 
 the rest of the chapter there is not so 
 general an agreement. From ver. 14 
 however he speaks in the present tense, 
 and the presumption is that he speaks 
 of his present state as a Christian. 
 This is confirmed by the fact that the 
 experience presented (ver. 7-25) is progres- 
 sive. At fir.st he is "deceived" and 
 " slain " by the law, yet " the law was 
 holy" (ver. 11). Then he was brought 
 to " consent to the law that it was good " 
 (ver. 16) ; and finally he says, " I delight 
 in the law of God after the inward 
 man" (ver. 22). How natural to refer 
 these expressions to his own experience, 
 now in his unregenerate and now in 
 his regenerate state. In the one 
 the law is rebelled against ; in the 
 other it is approved and delighted in. 
 So also the two natures implied, ac- 
 cording to scriptural analogy, point to 
 the Christian. Paul nowhere repre- 
 sents the unregenerate as possessing 
 two natures as here described. But 
 he does so represent the Christian in 
 Gal. ,5 : 17, " For the flesh lusteth against 
 the Spirit, and the Spirit against the 
 flesh ; and these are contrary one to the 
 other, so that ye may not do the things 
 that ye would." Moreover, some of the 
 expressions seem only applicable to 
 
94 ROMANS [Ch. VII. 
 
 7 What shall we say then ? Is the law 
 sin? 
 God forbid. Nay, ^ I had not known 
 
 7 What then shall we say ? Is the law 
 sin? Far be it! But I should not 
 
 rf 3 : 20. 
 
 Christian experience. For example: 
 "I delight in the law of God after the 
 inward man" (ver. 22); "with the 
 mind I myself serve the law of God" 
 (vcr. 25), But the Bible nowhere repre- 
 sents the sinner as serving that law 
 which Paul says is spiritual. On the 
 contrary, it represents him as dead in 
 trespasses and sins, receiving not the 
 tilings of the Spirit, neither knowing 
 them, for they are spiritually discerned. 
 lie is blind and dead and cannot him- 
 self perceive, much less approve and 
 delight in, the things of the Spirit. 
 
 The context and the course of argu- 
 ment appear to demand the above view. 
 Paul had asserted that the Christian is 
 not under law but under grace (6:i*), 
 which he illustrates and enforces in 
 such a manner that the incidental ques- 
 tion arises, "Is the law sin?" From 
 ver. 7 to the end of the chapter Paul 
 answers by showing that the evil was 
 not in the law but in man's corrupt na- 
 ture. And in doing this how natural 
 for Paul to refer both to his unregener- 
 ate and his regenerate state, showing 
 that not only formerly, but also at pres- 
 ent, sin was the great troubler of his 
 heart. Indeed, without this reference 
 the argument Avould have been incom- 
 plete. For, as the gospel is not the 
 cause of sin in the Christian's heart, so 
 the law is not the cause of sin in the 
 sinner's heart. Some have supposed 
 that the context demands that this 
 whole passage should refer to the un- 
 regenerate. Their principal arguments 
 are founded on a siipjyosed cnitithesis 
 between the seventh and eighth chap- 
 ters. And to show that there is such 
 an antithesis they presuppose that 
 an unrenewed man speaks throughout 
 the seventh chajjtcr, wliich is the point 
 to be proved. Thus they reason in a 
 circle. But as we have already shown, 
 ver. 14-25 appear to describe a strug- 
 gle often experienced in the Christian. 
 It presents him in relation to the law 
 in connection with an evil heart, l)ut 
 in the eighth chapter it views him 
 from a ditierent basis, under grace, witli 
 the same heart indeed, but justitied, and 
 going on in sanctifieation. 
 
 And finally this view of the passage 
 accords with Christian experience. 
 The Christian has a conflict which he 
 did not experience in his unrenewed 
 state. Then indeed he had a contest at 
 times, but he yielded to the wrong with 
 his whole heart. His conscience was 
 perverted and his reason led him astray. 
 He api)roved of sin and therefore did 
 it. But now when he does the same 
 things he approves not. A struggle 
 such as he never knew in his former 
 state takes place between the old and 
 new man. So long as a single sin re- 
 mains he struggles against it. The 
 more he learns of himself the more 
 does he see how deep the roots and 
 how strong the remnants of sin are in 
 his heart. And though he may have 
 grown in grace many years he discov- 
 ers such dregs of sin in himself and 
 experiences such fresh conflicts that he 
 cries out, " O wretched man that I am." 
 Yet he sees victory at hand and ex- 
 claims, "I thank God, through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord." For an opposite 
 view, see Dr. A. C. Kendriek, on "The 
 Moral Conflict of Humanity" (Ameri- 
 can Baptist Publication Society, 1894), 
 and for a similar view see Dr. W. N. 
 Clarke on Romans 7 : 7-25 in "Baptist 
 Quarterly," October, 1875, p. 385 fl. 
 
 7. If the sentiment of ver. 5 and 
 6 be true, that to be under the law was 
 not productive of a life of holiness 
 (5: 20), that it was necessary to change 
 one's relation to God from under law to 
 under grace, in order to bring forth 
 fruit to God, the devout but uninstruct- 
 ed Jew might exclaim : What shall 
 we say then? Shall we say. Is the 
 law sin? Are law and sin in a cer- 
 tain sense convertible terms, so much 
 so that the former cannot exist without 
 the latter being in some way the cause 
 of it? Is the law immoral in its ten- 
 dency and sin-producing? To this the 
 apostle gives an emplintic denial — God 
 forbid. Let such a thing not be once 
 thought of! He then proceeds to show, 
 by the actual eflect of tlie law upon 
 himself, both before and after conver- 
 sion, that it is only indirectly the 
 occasion of sin; that its nature and 
 
Oh. VII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 95 
 
 sin, but by the law : for I had not 
 known lust, except the law had said, 
 
 8 «Thou shalt not covet. But ^sin, tak- 
 ing occasion by the commandment, 
 g wrought in me all manner of con- 
 cupiscence. For ^ without the law sin 
 
 9 was dead. For I was alive without the 
 law once : but when the command- 
 ment came, >sin revived, and I died : 
 
 10 and the commandment, ^ which was 
 ordained to life, I found to be unto 
 
 have known sin, unless through law ; 
 for I should not know coveting, if the 
 law did not say. Thou shalt not covet. 
 
 8 But sin, finding occasion through the 
 commandment, wrought in me all 
 manner of coveting. For apart from 
 
 9 law, sin is dead. And I was alive 
 apart from law once ; but when the 
 commandment came, sin revived, 
 
 10 and I died. And the commandment 
 which was unto life, that I found to be 
 
 e See refs. Exod. 20 : 17. / Ver. 13, 17 ; 5 : 20. 
 i Ver. 8, 21-23. 
 
 g James 1 : 14, 15. ft 4 : 15 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 56. 
 
 k See refs. Luke 18 : 5. 
 
 influence are holy and good, and that 
 the evil is in us. In this verse he says 
 it was the law that taught him what sin 
 is. Nay, rather, But, I had not 
 known sin, except through the law ; 
 for I had not known lust, evil 
 desire or coveting, except tlie law had 
 said. Thou shalt not covet (Exod. 
 20 : 17). He would not have known sin 
 as sin, nor regarded it as such, except 
 through the law. For example, it was 
 the law that showed him the sin of 
 coveting, both as a matter of judg- 
 ment and of experience (next verse). 
 
 8. But sin. Notice that sin here 
 is more than an isolated transgression. 
 It is personified, and means the de- 
 pravect principle or tendency in man's 
 moral nature. It also includes to a 
 greater or less extent a sense of guilt, 
 and the painful consciousness of wrong. 
 But sin, the evil principle within me, 
 taking, or finding, occasion through 
 the commandment, which forbade 
 the natural but wrong desire, defining 
 its character, showing that to be sinful 
 which otherwise might have been 
 regarded as natural and innocent, 
 w^rought in me all manner of 
 concupiscence, of evil desire or 
 coveting. What this evil principle 
 had prompted me to do without regard- 
 ing it as wrong, now, when enlight- 
 ened by the commandment, it still 
 prompts me to do, with the knowl- 
 edge that it is sinful. And this ex- 
 tended to all evil desires of every kind. 
 The commandment only forbade ; it did 
 not give power to refrain. For apart 
 from ^ law, sin is dead. Where 
 there is no law to fix and define particu- 
 lar acts of transgression, and hence no 
 intentional violation of law and right, 
 sin is dead, dormant and has no life, so 
 to speak ; there is no sense of sin and of 
 guilt. The ey\\ in the heart is com- 
 
 paratively inactive, until excited by 
 the law's restraints. It is natural for 
 the evil heart to strive for what is for- 
 bidden, and to desire what is denied 
 
 (Prov. 9:17. Comp. 1 Cor. 15 : 56). What is 
 
 true of the written law, is true also of 
 the inner law of man's moral natui'e. 
 
 (See 2 : 14, 15.) 
 
 9. The last clause of the preceding 
 verse Paul corroborates from his own 
 experience. For, rather. And, I Avas 
 alive — ivas living, having a sense of 
 personal rectitude and a feeling of secu- 
 rity, peaceful and self-satisfied, with- 
 out, or apart from, the law once, 
 before the law with its spiritual and 
 heart - searching requirements came 
 home to my conscience. He cannot 
 mean that he was not under the law or 
 ignorant of it, for he knew it from 
 childhood , but that he was insensible to 
 its spirituality and to the extent of its 
 requirements. Once is general and in- 
 definite, and refers to the period before 
 conversion, and may include both the 
 innocent period of childhood and also 
 that of his Pharisaic self-righteous- 
 ness and blindness to the law. But 
 when the commandment — some 
 particular requirement, like that men- 
 tioned in ver. 7 — came, vividly and 
 powerfully to my consciousness and 
 conscience, sin revived — sprang into 
 life, being no longer dead — and I 
 died, I lost my personal sense of recti- 
 tude and feeling of security, and under 
 a sense of sin I was conscious of guilt 
 and exposure to Divine wrath. He 
 found the law exceeding broad and far 
 too strict for him. And this may have 
 occurred repeatedly, as in the experi- 
 ence of most unconverted persons. 
 
 10. And the commandment 
 which w^as ordained to life, 
 rather, ivhich was unto life, designed 
 originally for it and leading to it. The 
 
96 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 11 death. For isin, taking occasion by i 
 the commandment, "• deceived me, and 
 
 12 by it slew mc. Wherefore •> the law U 
 holy, and the commandment holy, and 
 just, and good. 
 
 13 » Was then that which is good made 
 death unto me ? i 
 
 God forbid. But sin, that it might 
 appear sin, working deatli in me by : 
 that which is good ; that sin by the I 
 commandment miglit become exceed- i 
 
 11 unto death. For sin. finding occasion 
 through the commandment deceived 
 
 12 me, and tlirough it slew me. So that 
 the law is holy, and the command- 
 ment holy and righteous and good. 
 
 13 Did then that which is good become 
 death to me ? Far be it ! But sin, that 
 it might be shown to be sin, by work- 
 ing death to me through that which is 
 good ; that sin through the command- 
 ment might become exceedingly sin- 
 
 l Vlt. 8, 13. 
 
 m Eph. 4 : 22 ; Ht-b. 3 : 13. 
 
 n Ver. 14 ; Ps. 19 : 7-9 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 8. 
 
 o Ver. 7. 
 
 law was given that man might know 
 (iod's will, and doing it enjoy his 
 favor. A perfect life and perfect obe- 
 dience would have insured life and 
 well-being (Luke lO: 28). I found to 
 be unto death — leading into death, 
 into a conscious loss of God's favor and 
 of self-righteous peace and security, in- 
 to a conviction of sin and of exposure 
 to the Divine wrath. 
 
 11. The apostle explains how in his 
 experience he found the commandment 
 to be unto death. For sin taking, or 
 finding, occasion throngJi the com- 
 mandment — as in ver. 8 (which 
 see). Deceived and seduced me. 
 Sin, personified under the figure of an 
 enemy, used the commandment as a 
 basis and means of temptation, as the 
 serpent did to Eve (Gen. 3 : 1, 4, 5), and as 
 Satan did to Christ (Matt. 4:6) and thus 
 lured him on from the rignt way to 
 destruction (2Cor. ii:3). And by it 
 slew me — destroyed his false security 
 and his sense of rectitude, as in ver. 9. 
 Thus the effect of the law upon his 
 conscience was to di.sclose his actual 
 condition, and cut ofi^the hope of God's 
 favor, without providing a remedy. He 
 saw himself a lo.st sinner under the 
 condemnation of God's holy law. 
 
 12. From these facts in Paul's ex- 
 perience, l)y which he showed that the 
 law brought sin to view in its true char- 
 acter (v(-r. 8) and aroused his conscience 
 to a sen.se of sin and guilt (ver. 9-11), it 
 follows that the law is not to blame, 
 that it is not sin, nor the colleague of 
 sin, but the very opposite, ^there- 
 fore, or, ,So that, the law, as a whole, 
 is holy in its own nature and as a 
 revelation denianding holiness, and 
 the comm;indment, any particulai- 
 command in the law is holy, being of 
 the same in nature as the law itself, 
 and just, righteous, in its claims 
 and sanctions, and in its relation both 
 
 [ to God and men, and good, .salutary 
 
 I and beneficial in its aims and tenden- 
 ' cies. 
 
 13. The statement that the com- 
 mandment was good might appear in- 
 consistent with the statement in ver. 
 10, that he had found the command- 
 ment to be unto death. Paul therefore 
 resumes the thought and anticipates an 
 objection. Was then that which was 
 good made death to me, or. Did it then 
 become death to me? Was it the direct 
 and immediate cause of this death of 
 which I speak ? This he most emphatic- 
 ally denies. Let it not be thought of! 
 But sin became death unto me, that 
 it might appear sin, and be shown 
 to be sin, by working out death to me 
 through that Avhich is good ; that 
 sin through the commandmeni, 
 which in its nature, aims, and tendencj- 
 is good, might become exceeding, 
 or beyond measure, sinful. The com- 
 mandment furnished the ground or oc- 
 casion for the inward depravity to 
 manifest itself, and to show outwardly 
 its malignant character, by making 
 such base use of that which is good and 
 bringing forth such disastrous results. 
 The law gave the knowledge of sin 
 (3 : 20), defined transgression (4 : 15), and 
 brought wrath and condemnation. Thus 
 the law led on to death ; but it was 
 sin that caused the death, and thus in 
 the light of the good, in opi)osition to 
 the good, and in the perversion of the 
 good, it showed its true nature and 
 real character as sm, pre-eminently sin- 
 ful. 
 
 14. There is manifestly a change in 
 this verse in point of view. The change 
 to the present tense is surely not acci- 
 dental, nor merely rhetorical ; nor is it 
 to ho explained merely by the vividness 
 of Paul's c()nce])tion. The most natu- 
 ral reason is that he includes his present 
 state as a Christian. His vividness 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 97 
 
 14 ing sinful. For we know that Pthe 
 law is spiritual : but I am carnal, i sold 
 
 15 under sin. For that which I do I 
 allow not : for >" what I would, that do 
 
 16 I not ; but what I hate, that do I. If 
 then I do that which I would not, I 
 consent unto the law that it is good. 
 
 14 ful. For we know that the law is spir- 
 itual ; but I am carnal, sold under sin. 
 
 15 For what I perform, I know not; for 
 not what I wish, that do I practice ; 
 
 16 but what I hate, that I do. But if 
 what I wish not, that I do, I consent to 
 
 p Matt. 5 : 22, 28 ; Heb. 4 : 12. 
 
 q Ver. 23 ; 1 Kings 21 : 20, 25 ; 2 Kings 17 : 17. 
 
 r Gal. 5 : 17. 
 
 would naturally increase as he pro- 
 gressed from past to present experience. 
 The train of thought in ver. 14-16 ac- 
 cords with such a transition to his re- 
 newed state. The sentiment in this 
 verse can be applied, though not in the 
 same degree, to both the renewed and 
 unrenewed man, and appears to be so 
 expressed as not to exclude either. This 
 was perfectly natural in such a transi- 
 tion. While it is true that the natural 
 man sins against his better judgment 
 and conscience, it is true in a higher 
 sense of the renewed man, and it is evi- 
 dent from what follows that the apos- 
 tle's mind was fixed more directly on the 
 latter ( ver. is, 22, 25 ) . See discussion at the 
 beginning of this section. For intro- 
 duces the reasons why the results stated 
 in the preceding verse necessarily take 
 place, namely, That the law and its 
 subjects are different in their natures ; 
 the requirements of the former do not 
 accord with the nature of the latter, 
 hence a conflict. For we, as Chris- 
 tians, know that the law is spirit- 
 ual in its quality, nature, and charac- 
 ter, being a transcript of God's holy 
 will, requiring spiritual service and 
 spiritual purity. But I am carnal, 
 fleshly, living in the flesh, being more 
 or less under its influence, having 
 fleshly appetites and passions to con- 
 tend against, and to lead me astray. 
 Paul here points to his human nature 
 apart from divine grace. That he could 
 thus refer to himself as a Christian is 
 evident, for he addresses the Corinthi- 
 ans "as carnal, as babes in Christ" 
 (1 Cor. 3:1), There are two adjectives 
 in Greek, derived from the noun mean- 
 ing flesh, differing in form only by a 
 single letter and by the position of the 
 accent, the one referring more to flesh 
 as the material, fleshy (2Cor. 3:3)^ the 
 other to the qniAiW, fleshly (1 Cor. 9 : 11). 
 The former, according to most manu- 
 scripts, is used here and in 1 Cor, 3:1, 
 and 2 Cor. 3:3; the latter in 15 : 27 ; 
 1 Cor. 3 : 3 ; 9 : 11 ; 2 Cor. 1 : 12 ; 10 : 4 ; 
 
 Heb. 7 : 16, and 1 Peter 2 : 11. In later 
 Greek the forms were often confounded 
 and there appears to have been some 
 confusion in their use, so that the dif- 
 ference in their meaning was not always 
 marked. Thus in 1 Cor. 3 : 1 the first 
 is applied to the Corinthian Christians, 
 and immediately in ver. 3 the second 
 is twice applied to them in about the 
 same sense. "There is," says Peof. 
 Boise, "no important distinction be- 
 tween them. See Liddell and Scott." 
 Sold under sin, having been sold un- 
 der sin in his past state, the result of 
 the bondage still continuing. Notice 
 how applicable this is to the renewed 
 man, for it may denote unwilling bond- 
 age; and every Christian is more or 
 less an unwilling servant to sin, while 
 the unrenewed man is its willing slave. 
 Paul's terrible conflicts with the re- 
 mains of sin in his o^m heart makes 
 him use strong language. 
 
 15. Paul confirms and explains what 
 he had just said, continuing the figure 
 of one in bondage, " sold under sin." 
 For that Avhich I do, or perform in 
 action, I alloAV not — rather, I know 
 not, I do it unknowingly, like a slave 
 who acts blindly at the bidding of an- 
 other — the act is unintelligent, and my 
 soul does not recognize it as really its 
 own. For Avhat I would, etc. — 
 rather. For not ivhat Itcish do I p7'ac- 
 tise, the practice of my life by no means 
 comes up to my desire ; but what I 
 hate, that do I — I find that I am do- 
 ing acts that I hate. All this is the 
 evidence of the power of sin in me. 
 Many Christians have found these words 
 descriptive of their inward conflicts. 
 The struggle is between the better self, 
 the renewed nature and the lower na- 
 ture, the remains of sin, as appears 
 from what folloAVS (ver. 17 ff). 
 
 16. Paul clinches the argument and 
 exculpates the law. If then I do 
 that w^hich I would not, or, which I 
 ivish not, I consent to the laAV that 
 it is good — my unwillingness to do 
 
98 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. \IL 
 
 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, 
 
 18 'but sin that dwelletli in me. For I 
 Icnowthat <in me (that is, in my flesh,) 
 dwelletli no good thing : for "to will is 
 I)resent with me ; but hoiv to perform 
 
 19 that wnieli is good I tind not. For the 
 good that I would, I do not: but the 
 evil which I would not, that I do. 
 
 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no 
 more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth 
 
 17 the law that it is good. Now tlien, it 
 is no longer I that perform it, but the 
 
 18 sin that dwells in me. For I know 
 that there dwells not in me, that is, 
 in my flesh, any good ; for to wish is 
 l)re!>eut with me; but to perform that 
 
 19 wliich is good is not. For the good 
 that I wish, I do not ; but the evil that 
 
 20 I wish not, that I practice. But if 
 what I wish not, that I do, it is no 
 
 t See refs. Gen. 6:5; Ps. 51 : 5 ; Isa. 64 : 6. 
 
 « Ver. 15, 25. 
 
 wrong bears witness to the excellence 
 of the law. It is a recognition and a 
 confession that the law is right. It 
 also indicates that there is a better na- 
 ture in me, distinct from and in conflict 
 with the old nature of sin which dwells 
 in me (ver. i7j. 
 
 17. In this and the three following 
 verses, the aj)ostle shows that it is the 
 influence of indwelling sin which pre- 
 vents his perfect obedience to God's 
 law. Now then, or, But note, as 
 things now are, suggestive of the fact 
 that there was a time when there was 
 not this inward struggle, it is no 
 more I that do it — better, it is no 
 longer I that perform it, my true and 
 better self is not the prime mover, but 
 sin that dwelleth in me. The 
 word translated do, or perform, means 
 to work out, and expresses here tlie 
 primary efiicient cause. Indwelling 
 sin, the old man, is the primary cause 
 of disobedience, and this the apostle 
 proceeds to illustrate in ver. 18, 19. 
 
 18. For I know, by experience, 
 that in me, that is, in my flesh, in 
 my lower carnal nature, dwelleth, 
 referring to the language of the pre- 
 ceding verse, no good thing. This 
 shows tliat Paul recognized in himself 
 both a higher spiritual, and a loAver 
 carnal nature. He further explains : 
 For to will, better, toteish, is pres- 
 ent with me, but how to per- 
 form, etc., rather, but to perform that 
 which is good is not present with me. I 
 find not — should be omitted, accord- 
 ing to the best authorities. The verb 
 to will is found seven times in this 
 section, and is translated, would ex- 
 cept here. It may be rendered inll or 
 wish. Its contrast to / hate (ver. i5) in- 
 dicates that its meaning partakes large- 
 ly of the emotions, the desires, hence 
 to wish. " This is not the full deterwi- 
 nation of the will, the standing with 
 the bow drawn and the arrow aimed. 
 
 but rather the inclination of the will — 
 the taking up the bow and pointing at 
 the mark " (Alfoed). 
 
 19. Explains the preceding clause. 
 For the good that I wish, I do 
 not, / am not doing, but the evil 
 which I do not wish, that I practise. 
 This is popular language of every-day 
 life, intended to be understood by the 
 common mind. The apostle does not 
 say that he ever did any particular act 
 which his will opposed at the moment 
 of doing it. This would be impossible 
 in any one. He is rather looking at 
 the habit and currents of his life, his 
 desires for the good which he failed to 
 attain on account of the inroads of evil. 
 And what was this good ? Was it not 
 conformitj" to the Divine will, perfect 
 obedience to the divine law? Every 
 failure would lead him to say, " The 
 good I wish, I do not." On the other 
 hand, any departure from this perfect 
 standard, any wandering of the aftec- 
 tions from God, any conformity to the 
 world, would lead him to say, "The 
 evil I wish not, that I practise," 
 " What I hate that do I." The Chris- 
 tian is more or less liable to such ex- 
 periences. Bunyan thus expresses him- 
 self: " The evil that dwells in me is so 
 universal, that as sure as there is any 
 motion to what is good, so sure is evil 
 present with us. Desires come warm 
 with the Spirit and grace of God in us, 
 but as warm waters running through 
 cold pipes, or as clear water running 
 through dirty conveyances, so our de- 
 sires are chilled and defiled by the cor- 
 ruptions of the fle.sh " (Condensed from 
 " Devotional Works," pp. 210-215). 
 
 20. A conclusion drawn from the 
 two preceding ver.ses, thereby restating 
 and confirming what ho had said in 
 ver. 19. For the good that I wish, 
 I do not; but the evil I wisli not, 
 that I practise. There has been an 
 advance in thought since ver. 17. The 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 99 
 
 21 ill me. I find then a law, that, when 
 I would do good, evil is present with 
 
 22 me. For I ^delight in the law of God 
 
 23 after y the inward man : but '■ I see an- 
 other law in *my members, warring 
 against the law of my mind, and 
 '"bringing me into captivity to the law 
 
 24 of sin w^hich is in my members. =0 
 
 more I that perform it, but the sin that 
 
 21 dwells in me. 1 hud then the law, 
 that, when I wish to do good, evil is 
 
 22 present with me. For I delight in the 
 
 23 law of God after the inward man. But 
 I see a different law in my members, 
 warring against the law of my mind, 
 and bringing me into captivity to the 
 law of sin which is in my members 
 
 a: Ps. 1 : 2 ; 19 : 7-11 ; 119 : 97-104. 
 o6 : 13, 19. 
 
 y 2 Cor. 4 : 16 ; Eph. 3 : 16. zS:2; Gal. 5 : 17. 
 
 6 Ver. 14. c 1 Kings 8 : 38. 
 
 apostle makes it clearer, that it is the 
 higher and better self that wishes the 
 good, and that it is the lower self in 
 which sin rules. And so the way is 
 prepared for the important conclusion 
 in the next verse. 
 
 21. General conclusion of ver. 17- 
 20. I find then the law under which 
 I stand, this law of my being, that 
 when I ivish to do good, evil is 
 present with me. Some suppose 
 the law of Moses to be meant. But 
 most expositors take law in the sense 
 of principle, which is the most natural 
 and simplest interpretation. Paul found 
 himself subjected to this law of his 
 being — that opposite principles or ele- 
 ments were co-existing in him, and con- 
 tending for the mastery. This is true 
 in a certain sense of the unconverted 
 who sin against their reason and con- 
 science, but it is true in a higher de- 
 gree of the Christian. That this is its 
 reference is evident from the next 
 verse. 
 
 22. Confirming and explaining what 
 he had just said. For I delight, or 
 take pleasure, in the la\v of God, 
 that law which is from God and of 
 which he is the author, after, or ac- 
 cording to, the inward man. Notice 
 that delight is a stronger Avord than con- 
 sent in ver. 16. It expresses the pleasure 
 that the renewed soul takes in God's 
 commandments. Thus the psalmist ex- 
 claimed, " Oh, how love I thy law ! I 
 will delight myself in thy statutes" 
 ( Ps. 119 : 16, 97 ) . This emotiou of pleasure 
 is very difierent from that feeling of 
 dread of the law in the unrenewed 
 heart, which sometimes arouses a con- 
 flict. Imvard man is a Pauline phrase, 
 found besides here in 2 Cor. 4 : 16 and 
 F^ph. 3 : 16, in both of which the Chris- 
 tian is spoken of in reference to his in- 
 telligent moral nature, acted upon, re- 
 newed, and strengthened by the Holy 
 Spirit. And in this verse the imvard 
 
 man must be in a renewed state in 
 order to delight in the law" of God. 
 Moreover, inward man is in opposition 
 to members in the next verse, which 
 appears to have the same application as 
 " flesh " in ver. 18, which means his 
 lower, carnal nature, and therefore in- 
 ward man naturally refers to his 
 higher or moral nature as renewed. 
 ( Comp. 1 Peter 3:4.) See also uext verse on 
 mind. 
 
 23. Bu*, alas! I see another and 
 different laAV in my members (ver. 5: 
 6 : 13) warring against the law of 
 my mind. Members are properly the 
 limbs and organs of the body, but since 
 moral actions cannot be ascribed to the 
 material members of the l^ody the word 
 takes a figurative sense like "flesh," 
 meaning the lower, unsanctified pro- 
 pensities of our natures. It is used in 
 opposition to imvard man of the last 
 verse and of mind in tliis verse. The 
 laiv i)i my members is the la\v of sin 
 Avhich is in my members, the prin- 
 ciple of evil (ver. 21) which still has a 
 seat and exercises power in the tenden- 
 cies and remaining corruptions of 
 my nature. The knv of my mind is 
 the opposite of "the law in my mem- 
 bers," and refers not to the law of God 
 but rather to that principle (ver. 21) that 
 has its seat, and exercises control in the 
 mind, in delighting in and serving the 
 law of God (ver. 22, 25), In opposition 
 to "my members" my mind — strictly 
 my reason or understanding — has a 
 wider reference to the inward man 
 (ver. 22). According to Eph. 4 : 2.3 the 
 mind is subject to the renewing of the 
 Holy Spirit. In ver. 25 it is opposed 
 to " the flesh," the lower sinful propen- 
 sities. The manifest reference there- 
 fore is to the renewed or sanctified na- 
 ture. The Christian goes against the 
 dictates of his enlightened reason and 
 conscience when he yields to the lower 
 sinful propensities. Pagan and Pla- 
 
100 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 wretched man that I am ! Who shall 
 deliver me from <ithe body of this 
 25 death? ^I thank God through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. fSo tlien with the 
 mind I myself serve the law of God ; 
 but with the flesh the law of sin. 
 
 24 Wretched man that I am I Who will 
 deliver me from the body of this 
 
 25 death? Thanks be to God, through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord ! So then I my- 
 self with the mind serve the law of 
 God, but with the flesh the law of sin. 
 
 d6:6. 
 
 e Matt. 1 : 21 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 57 ; 2 Cor. 12 : 9, 10. 
 
 /Gal. 5 : 17-24. 
 
 tonic ideas of the inner and outer man 
 should be guarded against. Plato re- 
 garded tlie l)ody as the corrupt part of 
 man, and the intellect and reason as the 
 purer and nobler part, the latter ob- 
 structed, corrupted, and debased by the 
 former. But tlie Scriptures place the 
 seat of evil in the moral nature, by 
 which the understanding and reason 
 are perverted and misled. The mind 
 is defiled and needs renewing ; and by 
 a depraved will the members of the 
 body are used as instruments of un- 
 righteousness. Bringing me, in the 
 act of bringing my real self, into cap- 
 tivity, though not ultimately, and only 
 partially successful. The verl) in the 
 original is very strong, taking captive 
 by the spear, forcibly and against one's 
 will. And this captivity would have 
 been complete and final except for the 
 victory through Christ (ver. 25). Note 
 the three laws, " law of God," "law of 
 sin," and "law of my mind." 
 
 24. The apostle reaches the climax of 
 this terrible experience. It is the agoniz- 
 ing cry of what he then felt, longing 
 for complete deliverance from a bond- 
 age which he hated. O wretched 
 man that I am ! me, miserable 
 man ! Who shall deliver me from 
 the body of this death? "the body 
 of sin" (6:6), with its passions of sin 
 l)ringing forth fruit unto death (ver. 5) — 
 this state of sin leading to death, which 
 is the wages of sin (6 : 23). This is the 
 earnest and ever-present longing of the 
 spiritually minded soul for deliverance 
 from the power of sin. The higlier the 
 attainment the more terrible is tlie pres- 
 ence of any influence of sin. This ac- 
 cords with Paul's experience and lan- 
 guage regarding liiniself. Before his 
 conversion, in the light of tlie letter of 
 the law he was " blameless " (Pim. 3:6); 
 in A. D. 58, with over twenty years' 
 growth as a Christian, he views himself 
 " the least of the apostles, not fit to be 
 called an apostle" (icor. i5:9); in a. 
 I). 63, with his increased spiritual 
 knowledge, he styles himself " less than 
 
 the least of all saints " (Kph. 3:8); and 
 in A. D. 65, nearer the goal of final 
 victory, he is in his own estimation 
 "the chief of sinners" (1 Tim. 1 : 15). 
 Some have likened the body of this 
 death to the dead carcass which was 
 sometimes tied to criminals to drag 
 around wherever they went. This is 
 better as an illustration than an inter- 
 pretation. 
 
 25. But his exclamation was not a 
 wail of despair, but rather of agony, in 
 view of sin, and its remaining power 
 within him, and of longing for deliver- 
 ance of which he was assured through 
 faith. I thank God, rather, accord- 
 ing to the best reading, thanks to God, I 
 have deliverance through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. A joyous outburst 
 of thanksgiving for the deliverance as- 
 sured him and already partially ex- 
 perienced through Christ. Paul is not 
 representing the Christian life as merely 
 a conflict. He is showing that the evil 
 is not in the law but in the lieart. 
 Though he has a struggle he is under 
 grace (6:ii). As he advances in the 
 divine life the power of sin within him 
 grows less, though he may have deeper 
 views of himself. He may generally 
 overcome, but when he yields to its 
 power he has new evidence of the 
 strength of sin in his heart, which re- 
 quires so much grace to overcome it, and 
 he cries out: "Wretched me! AVho 
 shall deliver me?" But he sees vic- 
 tory at hand and exclaims, "Through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord!" So then, 
 summing up the whole passage es- 
 pecially from ver. 14, with the 
 mind, renewed by the spirit (ver. 2.'^), I 
 myself, that whicli really constitutes 
 me, serve the law of God, sliowing 
 that it is holy and good ; but Avith 
 the flesh, my lower, corrupt, unsanc- 
 tified nature (^e^. is), the laAV of sin, 
 showing tliat the evil in mc is the cause 
 of the trouble. Thus the questions are 
 answered: "Is tlie law sin?" (ver. 7) 
 and "Did then tliat which was good 
 become death to me?" (ver. 13.) The 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 101 
 
 answer to both is, No. It is the evil in 
 me that is sin and germinates sin, and 
 leads on to death. Notice that^ mind 
 and flesh are placed in opposition to 
 each other, representing the new and 
 old man. Since the law is spiritual 
 and its requirements are not met by 
 one that is carnal (ver. u), nor with the 
 flesh ( this verse) , it follows that the mind 
 which serves the law of God is spiritual 
 and renewed. We see also the position 
 of these two natures : The higher, spir- 
 itual nature on the one hand, and the 
 hiwer, carnal nature, with its appetites 
 and passions, on the other. And also 
 that the renewed nature is the stronger. 
 For Paul, before his conversion, was 
 under the entire control of the tlesh; 
 but now as a Christian he serves God 
 in spite of his flesh, overcoming its op- 
 position and crucifying its affections 
 and lusts. See next chapter. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. The marriage contract is for life. 
 That which Is ratified by God, can be an- 
 nulled only according to his word (ver. 1. 
 2 ; Matt. 19 : 6-9 ; 1 Cor. 7 : 15). 
 
 2. To be under grace does not imply 
 liberty to sin, for that would entail 
 slavery to sin ; but rather deliverance 
 from the law, as a covenant of works and 
 a ground of justification (ver. 1-6; 6: 
 12-14). 
 
 3. The Christian is bound and subject 
 to Christ in a living and inseparable 
 union, symbolized by the marriage rela- 
 tion (ver. 2-6; 8:35-39). 
 
 4. Sin is active and dominant in our 
 unregenerate state, and its fruit is death 
 (ver. 5; 6:20). 
 
 5. Through faith we are united to 
 Christ, and its fruit is a life unto God 
 (ver. 4-6; 6 : 22, 23). 
 
 6. The freedom of the Christian is in 
 his filial spirit and his prevailing desire 
 to obey God (ver. 6 ; 8 : 2-4). 
 
 7. The law serves an important purpose 
 in the salvation of men, in enlightening 
 and educating the conscience ^ver. 7, 8 ; 
 Ps. 19 : 7, 8). 
 
 8. The law of God should be faithfully 
 preached, for while it cannot save, it pre- 
 pares the way for salvation (ver. 8 ; 2 Cor. 
 5 : 11 ; Gal. 3 : 24). 
 
 9. A correct view of tlie spirituality and 
 extent of the law is necessary to a right 
 
 knowledge of the nature and jxjwer of 
 sin (ver. 9-11, 14; Matt. 5 : 22, 28). 
 
 10. Con\action of sin is an essential 
 part of an experience from death unto 
 life (ver. 9-11 ; John 16 : 9 ; Acts 2 : 37 ; 1 
 Cor. 14 : 24, 25). 
 
 11. Paul's religion was rooted in an ex- 
 perience. Our religion should be experi- 
 mental (ver. 11, 13 ; Acts 22 and 26 ; Gal. 
 1 : 15, 16; Eph. 2 : 4, 5). 
 
 12. The more we truly know ourselves, 
 the more are we convinced of the purity 
 of God's law ; and the holier we are, the 
 clearer are our views of its requirements 
 (ver. 12, 16; 2 Peter 3 : 18). 
 
 13. The heinousness of sin is seen in its 
 opposition to holiness, and to a holy law 
 (ver. 8, 11, 13). 
 
 14. The law is spiritual, demanding 
 spiritual service, which the carnal heart, 
 from its own nature, is unable to give 
 (ver. 14; 8:7, 8). 
 
 15. The regenerate heart sins not will- 
 ingly nor knowingly (ver. 14, 15 ; John 5 : 
 18). 
 
 16. It is an evidence of the new nature 
 that it hates sin, and approves and de- 
 lights in the law of God (ver. 16, 22 ; 2 
 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15). 
 
 17. There are two principles in the 
 Christian— the higher and the lower— the 
 new and the old man (ver. 17, 18, 21, 22, 
 23; Gal. 5: 17). 
 
 18. The religious life is necessarily a 
 conflict. Religion is aggressive, and it 
 must struggle against sin, so long as it 
 remains (ver. 19-24 ; Gal. 5 : 17 ; 2 Cor, 
 6 : 14). 
 
 19. The new nature in the Christian is 
 the higher and the stronger. It is that 
 which makes the man, and generally 
 rules the Christian (ver. 20, 22, 25 ; 1 Cor. 
 9:27; Eph. 4: 20-24). 
 
 20. Learn the cause of religious declen- 
 sion — not keeping up the conflict (ver. 16- 
 21; ICor. 10 : 12 ; Rev. 2 : 4). 
 
 21. Paul's experience affords no apology 
 for sin. It is rather a self-condemnation 
 on account of sin, and a longing to be 
 freed from its power (ver. 14, 24). 
 
 22. Learn the deep depravity of the 
 human heart. " In me, that is, in my 
 flesh, dwelleth no good thing " (ver. 18, 
 21-24; Jer. 17: 9). 
 
 23. Paul could not save himself, nei- 
 
102 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 Sanctification ; the salvation of the believer in 
 Christ, present, complete and eternal. 
 
 8 THERE is therefore now eno con- 
 demnation to them which are •> in 
 Christ Jesus, who 'walk not after 
 2 the flesh, but after the Spirit. For 
 ^ the law of ' the Spirit of life in Christ 
 
 8 THERE is therefore now no con- 
 demnation to those who are in Christ 
 
 2 Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of 
 life in Christ Jesus set me free from 
 
 g John 3 : 18, 36 ; 5 : 24. h John 15 : 4 ; Phil. 3:9. i Gal. 5 : 16, 19-25. * 6 : 18, 22 ; John 8 : 36. 
 
 I Ver. 10, 11 ; John 7 : 38, 39 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 45 ; 2 Cor. 3 : 6. 
 
 ther could his good resolutions save him 
 (ver. 14, 18, 24). 
 
 24. The Christian's salvation and vic- 
 tory over sin are only through Jesus 
 Christ (ver. 25 ; 8 : 37 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 57). 
 
 25. The Christian finds his greatest 
 enemy in his own heart (ver. 23-25). 
 
 26. If the Christian must meet such 
 conflicts, how helpless the sinner (ver. 24, 
 25; 1 Peter 4: 18). 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Paul had presented the Christian 
 with the remains of sin in his heart, in 
 rehition to the law ; he now proceeds to 
 view him in relation to grace, free from 
 condemnation, a spiritual child of God, 
 whose Spirit dwells within him, produc- 
 ing and maintaining both purity of 
 life and right aflections toward God 
 ( ver. 1-17 ). True, all God's children suffer 
 here, yet these sufferings are not in- 
 consistent with their sonship. Hav- 
 ing suffered with Christ they shall 
 be glorified with him. Thus their suf- 
 ferings will be outweighed by the glory 
 that will result from them ; and so 
 work for their good, according to the 
 will and the high purpose of God 
 (ver. 17-30). The final issue is thus as- 
 sured. God is for us, and nothing can 
 break that bond, of his own will and 
 love, between him and us (ver. 31-39). 
 The apostle treats here of sanctification 
 in the believer, but as inseparably con- 
 nected with his justification. The chap- 
 ter really presents the results of the 
 apostle's discussion thus far. 
 
 1-17. No CONDEMNATION NOW 
 
 RESTS ON THE BELIEVER. Christ has 
 delivered us from the law of sin and 
 death, and brought us into the new 
 relationship of s])i ritual children to 
 God. What the law could not do, (Jod 
 has accomplished by Christ, under the 
 guidance of the Spirit in us (ver. 3-8). 
 Believers are not in the flesh, but in the 
 Spirit ; and the Spirit of Christ is a 
 
 Spirit of life, which ends in a glorious 
 resurrection of the body (ver. 9-11). ^Xe 
 are therefore not debtors to live accord- 
 ing to the flesh, but led by the Spirit we 
 are sons of God and sure of the glory to 
 come. Having received the spirit of 
 sonship, we have become heirs of God 
 and joint-heirs with Christ (ver. 12-17). 
 
 1. There is therefore — in view of 
 the whole discussion thus far, espe- 
 cially 5 : 1 to 7 : 6, and of the deliverance 
 through Jesus Christ (7:25). The dis- 
 cussion in 7 : 7-25 is however somewhat 
 incidental, and complete in itself, and 
 ends with the assertion that the struggle 
 of the soul still exists. The eighth 
 chapter does not suppose the struggle 
 ended, but rather its continuance with 
 faith and hope, led on and invigorated 
 by the Holy Spirit. It is a life con- 
 flict, but a successful one (1 cor. 9 : 26, 27; 
 
 Phil. 3 : 10-16 : 2 Tim. 4 : 7, 8) . NOW — Ulldcr 
 
 the gospel. No — emphatic. From the 
 very nature of the ease there can be no 
 condemnation, it is not to be thought 
 of. Condemnation — condemnatory 
 sentence or judgment resulting from 
 sin ; suggested by 5 : 16, 18, where the 
 word here used, is only found else- 
 where in the New Testament. In 
 Christ Jesus — in fellowship witli him 
 
 (6 : 11 : 12 : 5: 2 Cor. 5 : 17. Coinp. Eph. 5 : 30). 
 
 The phrase expresses our relation to 
 God, which relation the apostle devel- 
 ops in the next seven verses. Such 
 shall not come into condemnation, 
 but are pas.sed from death unto life " 
 
 (John 5: 24. Coiiip. ver. 34) . MllO AValk 
 
 . • . Spirit. This sentence l)el(>ngs to 
 ver. 4, and is omitted here by the best 
 text, 
 
 2. For — introduces the reason of 
 the foregoing statement. For the law 
 of the Spirit, the rule and princijile by 
 which the Spirit works, ])ro(lucing holy 
 love and obedience. Of the .Spirit — 
 the Holy Spirit, who is the giver of 
 spiritual and eternal life (John 7 : 39; i 
 
 Peter 1:2; Kom.5: 18). The Holy Spirit ap" 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 108 
 
 Jesus hath made me free from the law 
 
 3 of sin and death. For ™ what the law 
 could not do, in that " it was weak 
 through the flesh, God sending his 
 own Son "in the likeness of sinful 
 flesh, and p for sin, i condemned sin in 
 
 4 the flesh: rfhat the righteousness of 
 the law might be fulfilled in us, who 
 walk not after the flesh, but after the 
 Spirit. 
 
 3 the law of sin and death. For— what 
 the law could not do, in that it was 
 weak through the flesh — God, sending 
 his own Sou in the likeness of sinful 
 flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the 
 
 4 flesh ; that the requirement of the law 
 might be fulfilled in us, who walk not 
 according to the flesh, but according 
 
 TO 3 : 20 ; Gal. 3 : 21 ; Heb. 7 : 18, 19. n 7 : 5-11. 
 
 2 1 Peter 4:1,2. 
 
 o Phil. 2:7; Heb. 2 : 17. 
 r Col. 1 I 22; Jude 2-4. 
 
 p Heb. 10 : 1-14. 
 
 pears to be meant, as it is the reference 
 and meaning of the word generally 
 throughout the whole chapter. In 
 Christ Jesus — the believer's union 
 and relation to him. (seeon ver. i.) Hath 
 made me free — set me free, referring 
 to a definite past time, when he was 
 justified and accepted in Christ. The 
 same thought as expressed in 7 : 4-6. 
 From the laAV of sin and death — 
 the outer law of works, whether it is 
 the Mosaic law or any code of morality 
 and ceremony on which a person de- 
 pends. Anj^ such law leads to sin and 
 death, and is incapable of producing 
 holiness of heart and life (2 Cor. 3:6: Gai. 
 2 : 19, 20) . Paul looks back to his justifi- 
 cation when he was delivered from the 
 condemning power of the law because 
 Christ had satisfied all its claims, and 
 at the same time he views the working 
 of the Spirit who dwells in us. Both 
 justification and sanctification are es- 
 sential to salvation (ver. 4). 
 
 3. For — introduces another consider- 
 ation, expressed in this verse and the 
 next, in support of the statement in 
 ver. 1. It is thus confirmatory of the 
 preceding verse. What the laAV 
 could not do — it could not render 
 satisfaction for sin and free man from 
 
 its guilt and power (Acts 13 : 39 ; Gal. 3 : 21 ; 
 
 Heb. 7:18, 19). In that it was weak 
 through the flesh. The fault was 
 not in the law, which was holy, right- 
 eous, and good (7: 12), but in man's 
 sinful nature (T : 7-13). God sending 
 his own Son — recognizing the pre- 
 existence of Christ. In the Jikeness 
 of sinful flesh — not in our flesh of 
 sin, but in its likeness, liable to all its 
 needs and infirmities, and tempted in 
 all points as we are, though in him was 
 
 no sin (Heb. 4: 15; 1 Peter 2 : 22 ; Phil. 2 : 7), 
 
 And for sin, or, on aecount of sin — a 
 general but emphatic idea. It was on 
 account of sin that God sent liis Son in 
 
 order that he might expiate it and de- 
 stroy it. He was manifested to take 
 away sins, and destroy the works of the 
 devil (iJohn3:5, 8). Condemned sin 
 in the flesh — in the very nature which 
 he had assumed : in our nature he suf- 
 fered the penalty of sin (7:4; Heb. 2 : lO; 
 
 1 Peter 2 : 24) and kept tlic law perfectly 
 
 (1 Peter 2 : 22 ; Heb. 7 : 26), exhibiting the 
 
 righteousness of the law and its adapta- 
 bility to men. Thus he condemned sin, 
 decided against it, and did judgment 
 upon it, exposing and condemning its 
 malignity, breaking its power, and pro- 
 curing its overthrow. Thus also he did 
 what the law could not do — subduing 
 sin in us by the indwelling Spirit and 
 fulfilling the law in those that believe 
 (next verse). 
 
 4. The object of all this. That 
 the righteousness — the things ac- 
 counted right — that is, the requirements, 
 the righteous precepts of the law. 
 
 (See on 1 : 17 (5); 2:26.) Might be ful- 
 filled in us — that these requirements 
 of the law might be met and performed 
 in us who walk, etc. Not only is 
 Christ's righteousness accounted to us 
 in justification, but it results in a life 
 of faith and obedience through the 
 Spirit in our sanctification (Heb. s : 10-12). 
 Who walk not — those ivalking not ac- 
 cording to the flesh, but according to the 
 Spirit — according to his dictates, fol- 
 lowing him as a guide. The idea is not 
 absolute perfection, for this is not at- 
 tainable in our present state (1 John 1 : 8), 
 but so far as they do walk. (Comp. 1 John 
 5 : 18.) " Whosoever is born of God sin- 
 neth not," that is, so far as he is born 
 of God, since nothing unholy can pro- 
 ceed from God. So of the renewed 
 man, so far as he is spiritually minded, 
 his aims and services are in complete 
 obedience to the di^nne law. This ac- 
 cords also with the conflict described in 
 7 : 7-25. It is because the Christian is 
 
104 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 5 For ' they that are after the flesh do 
 mind the things of the flesh ; but they 
 that are after the Spirit » the things of 
 
 G the Spirit. For " to be carnally minded 
 is deutli ; but to be spiritually minded 
 
 7 is life and peace. Because " the carnal 
 mind is enmity against God : for it is not 
 suliject to the law of God, * neither in- 
 
 8 deed can be. So then they that are in 
 the flesh cannot please God. 
 
 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in 
 the Spirit, if so be that J the Spirit of 
 
 5 to the Spirit. For they that are ac- 
 cording to the flesh mind the things of 
 the flesli ; but they that are according 
 to the Spirit, the tilings of the Spirit. 
 
 6 For the mind of the flesh is death ; 
 but tlie mind of the Spirit is life and 
 
 7 peace. Because the mind of the flesh 
 is enmity against God ; for it does not 
 subject itself to the law of God, 
 
 8 neither indeed can it ; and they that 
 are in the flesh can not please God. 
 
 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in 
 the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God 
 
 s John 3 : 6 ; 1 Cor. 2 : U. t Gal. 5 : 22, 25. u Ver. 13 ; 6 : 21, 23 ; Eph. 5 : 3-5. 
 
 V 1 : 28-30 ; James 4 : 4 ; 1 John 2 : 15, 16. x 1 Cor. 2 : 14. y 1 Cor. 3 : 16. 
 
 walking according to the Spirit that the 
 conflict occurs. If he did not thus 
 walk there would be no conflict, but 
 the law of sin in his members would 
 have full control. 
 
 5. Development and confirmation 
 of the preceding clause. For they 
 that are after the flesh — presenting 
 the state of those " who walk after the 
 flesh." Do mind the things of the 
 flesh — are carnally minded. Earthly 
 things are the objects of their choice, 
 and with them they are fully occupied 
 and engrossed. They that are after 
 the Spirit — in a state of regeneration, 
 who have the presence of the Holy 
 Spirit, and are under his influence. 
 Paul knows of but two classes among 
 men. The things of the Spirit — 
 are spiritually minded, guided by the 
 Spirit, and loving spiritual things (Coi. 
 
 3:2; Phil. .T : 19, 20: Rom. 12 : Ifi). 
 
 6, For — explanatory, introducing a 
 radical difference between ])eing car- 
 nally minded and spiritually minded, 
 and thereby making it evident that 
 only the latter is not sul)ject to con- 
 demnation. To be carnally minded 
 — or, I'/ir mind of the Jiesh, the thought 
 and purposes of the soul devoted to 
 earthly things, and under their control. 
 The words are descriptive of the unre- 
 newed state of man, estranged from 
 God. Such a state is death, aliena- 
 tion from God, and leading on to eternal 
 death. Death never means annihila- 
 tion in Scripture. To be spiritnally 
 minded — or. The mind of the Spirit — 
 the thoughts, purposes, and afl'ections 
 imbued with the Spirit, and under his 
 control. Descriptive of the renewed 
 state. Such a state is life, in the en- 
 joyment of God's favor, in fellowship 
 witli him, and leading on in eternal 
 
 life. Connected also with religious 
 peace, which is an evidence of a justi- 
 fied state (5:1). 
 
 7. Because — introduces the rea- 
 son of the preceding assertion. The 
 carnal mind, or the mind of the 
 flesh — the natural unrenewed state, the 
 same as in the preceding verse. Is 
 enmity against God — is opposed to 
 the Divine will, and in its very nature 
 is at war with the Divine nature, which 
 is holiness and love. Sin and holiness, 
 hatred and love, are diametrically op- 
 posed. For it is not subject — or 
 better, for it does not subject itself to the 
 law of God; it persists in disobedience 
 and rebellion. Neither indeed can 
 be — better. Neither indeed can it sub- 
 mit itself. It is incapable of so doing, 
 for that would involve a change of its 
 own nature, and it cannot cliange itself. 
 In its own nature it is the very opposite 
 of that required by the law. 
 
 8. The result stated as a matter of 
 fact in the experience of individuals. 
 So then they — rather. And they that 
 are in the flesh cannot please 
 God. Closely connected with the pre- 
 ceding verse. Walking after the flesh 
 and pleasing God cannot exist at the 
 same time in the same person. Thus 
 we are brought to the inference that 
 only those in Christ can please God, 
 and therefore are under no condemna- 
 tion, which is the general sentiment of 
 the whole passage. 
 
 9. But ye, the disciples of Christ, 
 are not in the flej^h — in an unre- 
 newed state, as just described (ver. 8), 
 but in the Spirit, in that renewed 
 state in which the Holy Spirit is the 
 ruling influence. Such "walk after 
 the Spirit" (vtr. 4). If so be — pro- 
 vided that. Paul's hinguage is assuring 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 105 
 
 God dwell in you. Now if any man 
 have not ^ the Spirit of Christ, he is none 
 
 10 of his. And if Christ he »in j'ou, the 
 body is dead because of sin ; ^ but the 
 spirit is life ^ because of righteousness. 
 
 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up 
 Jesus from the dead dwell in j'ou, ^ he 
 that raised up Christ from the dead 
 shall also quicken your mortal bodies 
 by his Spirit that 'dwelleth in you. 
 
 12 « Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, 
 not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 
 
 13 For fif ye live after the flesh, ye shall 
 die : but if ye through the Spirit do 
 
 dwells in you. And if any one has 
 not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of 
 
 10 his. And if Christ is in you, the body 
 is dead because of sin ; but the Spirit 
 
 11 is life because of righteousness. And 
 if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus 
 from the dead dwells in you, he who 
 raised Christ from the dead will make 
 alive your mortal bodies also, because 
 of his' Spirit that dwells in you. 
 
 12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, not 
 to the flesh, to live according to the 
 
 13 flesh. For if ye are living according 
 to the flesh, ye are going to die ; but if 
 
 z Gal. 4:6; Phil. 1 : 19. a 2 Cor. 13 : 5 ; Eph. 3 : 17 ; Col. 1 : 27. 6 John 11 : 25, 26. c Phil. 3 : 9. 
 d 6 : 4, 5 ; John 14 : 19 ; 1 Cor. 6 : 14. e 6 : 2-15 ; 1 Cor. 6 : 19, 20^; 1 Peter 4:2,3. / Ver. 6 ; Gal. 6 : 8. 
 
 and consoling, yet suggestive of such 
 doubt and inquiry as to lead to self- 
 examination (1 Cor. 13 : 5; Heb. 6:9), The 
 Spirit of God — the Holy Spirit, 
 dwell in you — denoting his habitual 
 presence and influence (icor. 3:i6j. 
 Now if any man have not — is des- 
 titute of the Spirit of Christ, the 
 Holy Spirit, of his indwelling presence 
 and influence, he is none of his — he 
 has no connection with Christ and no 
 part in these consoling views. " The 
 Spirit of God" and "the Spirit of 
 Christ" are the same (Gai. 4:6; i Peter 
 1 : 11). Christ possessed the Spirit with- 
 out measure (John 3 : 34 ; Acts 10 : 38) ; aiid 
 
 he imparts it to his people (John 15 : 26; 
 
 16 : 7 ; Luke 24 : 49 ; Eph. 3 : 16). 
 
 10, And if Christ is in you, as a 
 matter of fact, through the Spirit, as 
 just stated in the preceding verse. The 
 body is indeed dead, mortal, subject 
 to death, because of sin. The be- 
 liever is still in a measure subject to 
 sin (v : 17-25), and therefore to its pen- 
 alty so far as the body is concerned. 
 But the Spirit — permeating the hu- 
 man spirit, or the human spirit per- 
 meated by the Holy Spirit. The prin- 
 ciple thus divinely planted has no con- 
 nection with sin, and hence has no taint 
 of death, but has life, not only in 
 promise but in reality, " living unto 
 God." Because of righteous- 
 ness — the implanted righteousness of 
 sanctification which carries life along 
 with it ( 6 : 22, 23) . Justification through 
 the righteousness of Christ however is 
 implied. 
 
 11. A further result of the indwell- 
 ing Spirit of Christ. The effect on the 
 soul in the last verse ; on the body in 
 this. But if, as a matter of ilict, the 
 
 Spirit of him, God the Father (6:4; 
 Heb. 13:20), that raiscd up Jesus, 
 personally, from the dead dwell in 
 you, he that raised up Christ, the 
 
 Head of his people and as a first-fruits 
 of them that have fallen asleep (i Cor. 
 15:20), shall also quicken, or make 
 alive, your mortal bodies, subject to 
 death, through — rather, because of, 
 the Spirit that dwelleth in you; 
 gives the reason, the indwelling Spirit. 
 The body having become the temple of 
 the Holy Spirit is precious in the sight 
 of God (1 Cor. 6 : 19). The natural refer- 
 ence here is to the resurrection of the 
 body (2 Cor. 4:14). The same verb, 
 quicken, is used with the same reference 
 in 1 Cor. 15 : 22. It is broader than 
 raised up, and thus may include the 
 change eflected in those that remain at 
 our Lord's coming (i Cor. is :5i). Thus 
 the death of the body is but for a sea- 
 son. 
 
 12. From the preceding views the 
 apostle draws practical admonitions 
 and encouragements. Therefore, 
 brethren, we are debtors, we are 
 under obligation, not to the flesh, to 
 which we owe nothing, and from which 
 we have sufiered much. But rather to 
 the Spirit to live after the Spirit. AVe 
 are under no obligation to the laAv of 
 the flesh ; another law, that of the 
 Spirit, is now the ruling principle, 
 which demands absolute obedience. 
 
 13. Enforces the foregoing state- 
 ment, non-compliance results in death. 
 For if ye are living according to the 
 flesh ye are going to die. The result is 
 impending and sure (James i : i5). But 
 if ye through the Spirit, who pro- 
 duces in you spiritual aifections and ex- 
 ercises of the mind, do mortify the 
 
106 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 g mortify the deeds of the body, ye 
 shall live. 
 
 14 For »> as many as are led by the Spirit 
 of God, 'they" are the sons of God. 
 
 15 For ye have not received the spirit of 
 bondage again ''to fear; but ye have 
 received the ' Spirit of adoption, 
 
 16 whereby we cry, ™ Abba, Father. ° The 
 Spirit itself beareth witness with our 
 spirit, that we are the children of God : 
 
 17 and if children, then <> heirs ; p heirs of 
 
 by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds 
 
 14 of the body, yew-ill live. For as many 
 as are led by the Spirit of God, these 
 
 15 are sons of God. For ye did not re- 
 ceive a spirit of bondage again unto 
 fear ; but ye received a spirit of adop- 
 tion, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 
 
 10 The Spirit himself testifies with our 
 
 spirit, that we are children of God ; 
 
 17 and if children, also heirs : heirs of 
 
 g 1 Cor. 9 : 27 ; Gal. 5 : 24 ; Col. 3 : 5-8. ft Ver. 5, 9 ; Gal. 5 : 18. i 1 John 3:1,2. . 
 k 2 Tim. 1:7:1 John 4 : 18. I Gal. 4 : 5-7. m Mark 14 : 36. n 2 Cor. 1 : 22 ; 5:5. 
 
 o Acts 26 : 18 ; 1 Peter 1:4. p Gal. i : 7. 
 
 deeds of the body, do hahitnaUy 
 pat to death the jyractices of the hodt/, 
 ye shall live. The end already be- 
 gun is certain of completion. The 
 struggle taught in chap. 7 is going on 
 toward ultimate victory (12 : 2 ; Coi. 3 : 5-10 ; 
 
 Gal. 5 : 16). 
 
 14. Confirms the assertion just 
 made, "Ye shall live," by the fact that 
 they are sons of God. For as many 
 as are led by the Spirit of God, 
 
 as intimated in the preceding verse ( Gai. 
 5:18,22-24), they are the sons of 
 God ; they partake of his nature and 
 shall live. Neither God nor his sons 
 can die. Concerning sons of God, see 
 2 Cor. 6 : 16-18 ; Gal. 3 : 26 ; Matt. 5 : 
 9, 45 ; Phil. 2 : 15 ; 1 John 3:1-3. This 
 sonship is proved and explained in the 
 two following verses. 
 
 15. For, to show that ye are the 
 sons'of Gods, ye have not received — 
 rather, ye did not receive, when ye be- 
 came Christians, the spirit of bond- 
 age — of servitude, slavery — tending 
 again unto fear. Such was not the 
 spirit and temper of your minds w-hich 
 ye received in connection with the Holy 
 Spirit. But ye have received a 
 spirit of adoption, or sonshij) — that 
 spirit and temper of mind connected 
 with sonship, Avhereby we cry, 
 Abba, Father. The word adoption 
 or sonsfiip is the same as that in Gal. 
 4:5; Eph. 1 : 5. It is used only by 
 Paul in the New Testament, who never 
 applies it to sonship by birth, but al- 
 ways to adopted sonship. The figure 
 is l)orrowed not from Jewish, but from 
 Roman law, which recognized a fully 
 adopted sonship. There is a clear dis- 
 tinction made in the New Testament 
 l)etween "the sons," or " the children 
 of God," in a religious and spiritual 
 sense, and "the ofispring" of God (Aots 
 
 17 : 28) in the natural. One is not 
 evolved from the other. One is by na- 
 ture; the other by grace and through 
 the Spirit. (See Bib. Sac, July, 1895, 
 pp. 439^57.) Becoming the sons of 
 God through the Spirit of God, they 
 have the spirit of children, so that with 
 afiection, reverence, and confidence 
 they call him Abba, the Aramaic 
 word for Father, which was one ex- 
 pressing a high degree of love and con- 
 fidence, and used from early childhood. 
 It was tlie word employed by our Lord 
 in Gethsemane (Mark 14 : 36), and seems 
 to have passed into general use among 
 Christians. As applied to God it was 
 equivalent to " Heavenly Father." 
 "The knowledge of the Father as our 
 Father, because the Father of the Son, 
 is among the greatest of the treasures 
 of grace" (II. C. G. Moule). Thus 
 the first proof given of vsonship is from 
 Christian consciousness (1 John 3 : 19-24). 
 
 16. A second proof of our sonship 
 from the testimony of the Holy Spirit 
 witnessing with ours. Both proofs are 
 connected with Christian experience. 
 The Spirit himself beareth wit- 
 ness, or testifies, with our Spirit, 
 which also witnesseth in our own con- 
 sciousness, that Ave are the chil- 
 dren, a more tender word than sons, 
 of God. Paul recognizes the Ht>ly 
 Spirit and our spirit as distinct. The 
 testimony of our spirit is verified by 
 that of the Holy Spirit. We are con- 
 scious that we love the Father, and 
 that we have fellowship with the Son, 
 and we are also conscious of the love 
 of God shed abroad by the Spirit in 
 
 our hearts (5 : 5: 1 Johnl :3; 3 : U; 4: IS; 
 5:7). 
 
 17. Hence being God's children they 
 are sure of the glory to come. Ii 
 children, as you are in fact (John 1 : 12), 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 107 
 
 God, and joint heirs with Clirist; <iif 
 so be that we suffer with him, that we 
 may be also glorihed together. 
 
 18 For I reckon that >■ the sufferings of 
 this present time are not wortiiy to be 
 compared with the glory which shall 
 
 19 be revealed in us. For the earnest ex- 
 pectation of the creature ^ waiteth for 
 
 God, and joint heirs with Christ; if 
 indeed we suffer with him, that we 
 may also be glorified with him. 
 
 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this 
 present time are of no account, in com- 
 parison with the glory which is going 
 
 19 to be revealed for us. For the earnest 
 longing of the creation is waiting for 
 
 q Phil. 1 : 29 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 10-12 ; Rev. 3 : 21. r Acts 20 : 24 ; 2 Cor. 4 : 17, 18 ; 1 Peter 1 : 6, 7 ; 4 : 13. 
 
 s 1 Cor. 1:7; Gal. 5 : 5. 
 
 then, as a matter of course, heirs, 
 a figure borrowed from the human re- 
 lation ; heirs of God to a glorious 
 inheritance by virtue of adoption and 
 birth into the family of God ( Gai. 4:4-7: 
 
 Matt. 25 : 34; Acts 20 : 32 ; 1 Peter 1:4); joillt 
 
 heirs, felloiv-heirs, with Christ, who 
 by union with him becomes our divine 
 and human Elder Brother (ver. 29) and 
 we participants in his glory (Johu 17 : 
 22,24). If so be that, if indeed, sug- 
 gesting self-examination (ver. 9), Ave 
 suffer with him — suffer as he suliered 
 in inward and outward conflict with 
 sin, Satan, and the world (Heb. 12 : 3), and 
 suffering for his sake and the gospel. 
 If we are one with him in di^^ne rela- 
 tionship we must be sharers in his suf- 
 ferings, in order that we may he also 
 glorified ir?7/i him. The one is a nec- 
 essary antecedent, the needful prepara- 
 tion; the other the necessary conse- 
 quent, the obvious result (1 Peter 1 : 5-7). 
 An inheritance of suiFering here and of 
 
 glory hereafter ( Mark 10 : 29, 30 : Rom. 4 : 13, 14 ; 
 Rev. 3 : 21 ; 22 : 5 ) . The State of Culopt 10 n in- 
 
 volves three things : (1) Freedom from 
 the law as a ground of justification ; (2) 
 enjoyment of the spirit of son ship ; 
 (3) heirship, a right to a future inheri- 
 tance. Of this they have foretastes 
 here, in the spiritual freedom, in spir- 
 itual-mindedness, and in spiritual vic- 
 tories. 
 
 18-39. Grounds of encoueage- 
 ment in the midst of suffering. 
 Future glory far outweighs all present 
 suffering (ver. 18-25); the Holy Spirit 
 helps us (ver. 26, 27) ; all tilings work for 
 good to them that love God according 
 to his purpose (ver. 28-30) ; the final issue 
 is assured. God is for us and nothing 
 can break the bond between us and 
 
 him (ver. 31-39). 
 
 18. The first ground of encourage- 
 ment. The reference to suffering and 
 glory, in the last verse, suggests the 
 train of thousht that follows. For — 
 
 to confirm what has been said and to 
 encourage in the midst of sufferings. 
 I reckon that the sufferings of 
 this present time, and Paul well 
 knew by experience what these suffer- 
 ings meant (2 Cor. 7:5; 11 ; 23-28), are not 
 worthy to be compared, are insig- 
 nificant and of no account in compari- 
 son with the glory which shall be 
 revealed in us, literally, into us. It 
 is not a glory that merely passes before 
 us, or is exercised toward us, but which 
 enters in and is wrought within us, of 
 which we are the recipients and the 
 
 subjects ( 2 Cor. 3 : 18 ; Col. 3 : 4 ; 1 John 3:2). 
 
 It is evident also from the next verse 
 that we are to be the subjects of this 
 glory. The present time has the idea of 
 brevity — this brief, passing, limited 
 time. Dr. A. Carson has an eloquent 
 sermon on this verse. See " Fish's Mas- 
 terpieces," Vol. I., p. 594 ff". 
 
 19. The meaning of this and the four 
 verses that follow has been discussed 
 for ages. The chief difficulty is in the 
 word translated creature and creation 
 ( ver. 22 ) . Derived from a verb meaning to 
 create, the word denotes primarily the act 
 of creating. In the New Testament it is 
 used in this sense only in Rom. 1 : 20. 
 Its secondary and common meaning is 
 the thing created, the citation. In or- 
 dinary use it has about the same lati- 
 tude as the word creation, and thus 
 may be mentally limited by the nature 
 of the action ascribed to it or exerted 
 on it. For example, in Mark 16 : 15, 
 " Preach the gospel to every creature," 
 or the lohole creation, the word is evi- 
 dently limited to rational or human be- 
 ings on earth, no others being the ob- 
 jects of such action. So also it is lim- 
 ited to any created thing in ver. 39 and 
 
 1 : 25 ; also Heb. 4 : 13. In Gal. 6 : 15 ; 
 
 2 Cor. 5 : 17, neiv creation or creature is 
 evidently limited by the connection and 
 the adjective neiv to the regenerate man 
 in Christ Jesus. In Mark 10 : 6 ; 13 : 
 
108 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 the 'manifestation of the sons of God. 
 
 20 For "the creature was made subject to 
 vanity, not willingly, but by reason of 
 him who hath subjected the same in 
 
 21 hope ; because the creature itself also 
 shall be delivered from the bondage of 
 corruption into the glorious liberty of 
 
 the revelation of the sons of God. 
 
 20 For the creation was made subject to 
 vanity, not by its own will, but be- 
 cause of him who made it subject, in 
 
 21 hope that the creation itself also will 
 be set free from the bondage of corrup- 
 tion into the freedom of the glory of 
 
 (Mai. 3 : 17, 18; 1 John 3 : 2. 
 
 u Gen. 3 : 19. 
 
 19 ; 2 Peter 3:4; Rev. 3 : 14, the ref- 
 erence is plainly to the sum or aggre- 
 gate of created things (comp. Heb. 9 : ii) 
 not of this building" or creation, not 
 this kind of created things, not of this 
 material creation. In the general sense 
 of creation it appears to be used in this 
 passage. But is the word at all re- 
 stricted in meaning by its connection 
 with the words and thoughts of the 
 passage ? And if so, to what extent ? 
 I answer, the word creation cannot here 
 include Christians, the converted; for 
 they, "the sons of God" are here dis- 
 tinguished from the creation ( so also in ver. 
 22,23), the creation is waiting for their 
 manifestation. Neither does it appear 
 to include mankind ; for man was not 
 subjected unwillingly to vanity (Gen. 3 : 
 1-7) ; and mankind outside of believers 
 cannot be said to be looking with earnest 
 longing for the resurrection and its con- 
 sequent glories, which are included in 
 " the manifestation of the sous of God " ; 
 neither can it be said of humanity as 
 a whole that it shall participate in 
 this glorious deliverance. The word 
 creation therefore seems to he limited 
 here to the inanimate and irrational 
 creation and quite equivalent to our 
 word nature. As irrational animals 
 were involved in the curse we need not 
 suppose them to be excluded here. ( Comp. 
 isa.ii:i-9.) Only so far, however, as 
 the general resurrection and the reno- 
 vation of our earth may exclude them 
 
 (2Pctor3 : 10-16; 1 Cor. 15; 1 Thcss. 4 : 13-18). By 
 
 a bold and animated personification, as 
 in Old Testament prophecies, Paul in- 
 troduces universal nature as waiting 
 and longing for the full deliverance and 
 glorv of the sons of God. See Dr. A. 
 C. Kendrick, "Moral Conflict of Hu- 
 manity," American Baptist Publica- 
 tion Society, 1804; Dr. Arnold "Bap- 
 tist Quarterly," 18G7, p. 143 fl. For 
 introduces the proof of the greatness 
 and certainty of the future glorifica- 
 tion which he had just contrasted with 
 the brief and insignificant suficrings 
 
 here (ver. is). For creatioyi or nature 
 with earnest and persistent expectation 
 tcaits for the manifestation, or 
 revelation, of the sons of God — 
 patiently waiting and longing for 
 those glorious events, that renovation 
 which shall attend and attest the re- 
 vealing of the sons of God (ver. is, 19 j^ 
 when it shall be freed from the curse of 
 the fall (Gen. 3: 17,18). Eamcst expec- 
 tation — a peculiar word with an em- 
 phatic meaning. Nature is represented 
 as stretching forth her neck in strained at- 
 tention, as it were, to some distant por- 
 tion of the heavens from which deliv- 
 erance was to come. In regard to this 
 manifestation see 1 John 3:2; and of 
 the renovation, see 2 Peter 3 : 12, 13 ; 
 Bev. 21 : 1, fF. 
 
 20, 21. The reason of this longing. 
 For the creature, nature or creation, 
 was made subject to vanity, im- 
 perfection and frailty, not willingly, 
 not of its own choice, but of the vill of 
 him who made it subject, that is, of God, 
 w^ho subjected it for the wisest ends and 
 his own glory. Through man's sin the 
 earth was cursed for his sake ( Gen. s : n), 
 and unable to realize the ends for which 
 it was created. In regard to vanity com- 
 pare Ps. 39 : 5, 6. In hope. This should 
 be separated from the preceding by a 
 comma, and joined to ver. 21, In hope 
 that even nature ■?7se//, emphatically in- 
 dicating a descent from a higher and 
 nobler to a lower order of beings. 
 Shall be delivered, ?<'77Z be set free, 
 from the bondage, tlie servitude, oi 
 corruption, connected with and re- 
 sulting from the vanity to which it was 
 subjected. So far as nature is concerned 
 the corruption is a physical imperfec- 
 tion and detriment; some change for 
 the worse came upon man's abode wlien 
 he fell (Gen. 3 : 17-19), and nature sufiered 
 and still suffers from the consequences 
 of the fiill and of sin. Into the glo- 
 rious liberty — pregnant with mean- 
 ing: and brought into the freedom of 
 the glory of the children of God. 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 109 
 
 22 the children of God. For we know 22 the children of God. For we know- 
 
 that the whole creation groaneth and 
 travaileth in pain together until now : 
 
 23 and not only they, but ourselves also, 
 which have ^the firstfruits of the 
 Spirit, y even we ourselves groan with- 
 in ourselves, waiting for the adoption, 
 to wit, the * redemption of our body. 
 
 24 For we are saved " by hope : but hope 
 
 tliat the wliole creation groans and 
 travails in pain together until now. 
 
 23 And not only so, but ourselves also, 
 though we have the tirst-fruits of the 
 Spirit, even we ourselves groan within 
 ourselves, Availing for the adoption, 
 the redemption of our body. 
 
 24 For by hope we were saved ; but hope 
 
 X 2 Cor. 5 : 5. 
 
 y 2 Cor. 5 : 2-4. 
 
 z Luke 21 : 28 ; Eph. 4 : 30. 
 
 a Heb. 6 : 18, 19. 
 
 Creation or nature shall share in the 
 freedom connected with and involved 
 in the glory of the saints, but in a way 
 adapted to its character, that is being 
 physically restored to its primeval 
 beauty and excellence. ( comp. isa. 65 : n- 
 
 25 ; Ezek. 34 : 25-27 ; Matt. 19 : 28 ; Acts 3 : 21 ; 2 Peter 
 
 3 : 13.) We may believe that in the be- 
 ginning God adapted every other being 
 and event of our world to man's char- 
 acter and condition, as foreknown, thus 
 making man a central figure in our 
 world and producing harmony in all 
 his works. See Hitchcock's "Religion 
 and Geology," pp. 104-111. 
 
 22. And this is a truthful representa- 
 tion, For we know, from universal 
 experience, that the whole crea- 
 tion, or all nature, groaneth to- 
 gether in all its parts and travaileth 
 in pain together, as it were, in 
 childbirth, until now, from the be- 
 ginning up to this time. A vivid and 
 strong personification of the suffering 
 and distress connected with the curse 
 from man's sin. (Compare similar pic- 
 torial language in the Old Testament.) 
 "For this shall the earth mourn" 
 (Jer.4:28); ** Howl, ye ships of Tar- 
 shish" (Isa. 23:1); "The land mourn- 
 eth and languisheth, Lebanon is 
 ashamed and withereth away " (isa. 33 : 9) ; 
 "The voice of thy brother's blood 
 crieth unto me from the ground " 
 (Gen. 4: 10); " How doth the city sit 
 solitary that was full of people ! . . . 
 She weepeth sore in the night, and 
 her tears are on her cheek "( Lamen. 
 1 : 1, 2). The pangs here, however, are 
 not of despair and death but of hope 
 and life. 
 
 23. And not only they, rather. 
 And not only so, does the whole crea- 
 tion groan together, etc., but our- 
 selves also, who are believers, 
 though we have the firstfruits of 
 the Spirit which we have received, an 
 earnest and pledge of heavenly bliss 
 
 (2Cor.i:22)^ cvcu we oursclves (re- 
 peated for emphasis) groan within 
 
 ourselves (7:14-24; ICor. 9:27. Comp.Jusus 
 groaning, John 11 : 33, 38), waiting patiently 
 
 and with expectation for the adop- 
 tion, or sonsMp, the Spirit of which we 
 have received (ver. is)^ but the full con- 
 summation and recognition of which do 
 not yet appear (iJohn3:2), the re- 
 demption, or ransoming, of our 
 body from the curse and bondage of sin, 
 and a transformation into a glorious 
 body like that of the risen Christ (Phii. 3 : 
 21 ; 2 Cor. 5:2), As Paul is Speaking of bod- 
 ily sufferings largely, so he directs at- 
 tention to the redemption of the body. 
 Without the glorified body redemption 
 would not be complete, and in that 
 body it becomes complete. And so a 
 glorified body is necessary to the full 
 realization of sonship. On first fruits 
 see Deiit. 26 : 1-11 ; 1 Cor. 1.5 : 20. First- 
 fruits were the fir.st handful from the 
 fields, which was a foretoken and a 
 pledge of the whole. So the reception of 
 the Spirit by believers is a token and a 
 pledge of its fuller and more perfect 
 enjoyment hereafter ( Eph. i : i3, u). Thus 
 ver. 22, 23 illustrate and expand tlie 
 thought of ver. 20, 21, especially the 
 hojie that creation shall be delivered 
 and this hope extended to the children 
 of God. The glory for the future de- 
 liverance is advanced, not only by the 
 prophetic birth-pangs of the whole crea- 
 tion, but also by the agonizing longings 
 of those who have received the first- 
 fruits and foretastes of the Spirit. 
 
 24. The apostle has presented hope 
 connected with suffering nature and 
 with sighing and agonizing believers. 
 Hence he continues : For, introducing 
 the reason of this expectancy, we 
 are, rather, were, saved, at the time 
 of exercising faith in conversion, by, 
 or in, hope. By means of hope as an 
 extended faith, or, in the hope which 
 we exercised in view of the final and 
 
110 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. Vlll. 
 
 that is seen is not hope : for what a 
 man seeth, wliy doth he yet hope for? 
 
 25 But if we hope for tliat we see not, 
 then do we with patience wait for it. 
 
 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our 
 infirmities : for *> we know not wliat we 
 should pray for as we ought : but the 
 Spirit itself maketh intercession for 
 us with groanings which cannot be 
 
 27 uttered. And '^he that searcheth tlie 
 hearts knoweth what is the mind of 
 the Spirit, because he maketli inter- 
 cession for the saints according to the 
 mill of God. 
 
 seen is not hope : for what one sees, 
 
 25 wliy does he also lujpe for ? But if we 
 hope for what we do not see, we wait 
 
 26 for it witli patience. And in like man- 
 ner the Spirit also helps our weak- 
 ness ; for we know not what to pray 
 for as we ought ; but the Spirit himself 
 makes intercession for us witn groan- 
 
 27 ings which cannot be uttered. And 
 he who searches the hearts knows 
 what is the mind of the Spirit, be- 
 cause he makes intercession for the 
 saints according to the will of God. 
 
 b Matt. 20 : 22 ; James i : 3. 
 
 c See refs. 1 Chron. 28 : 9 ; Acts 1 : 24 ; 1 Thess. 2 : 4. 
 
 glorious salvation ( l Peter l : 5 ; Titus 1:2; 
 
 Rom. 12 : 12) , Botli of thcsB idcas are sug- 
 gested. Our salvation was not an im- 
 mediate, but a prospective one. Paul 
 distinguishes between hope and faith 
 (1 Cor. 13 : 13), and everywhere empha- 
 sizes salvation by faith. " Inasmuch 
 as the object of salvation is both rela- 
 tively present and also relatively future, 
 hope is produced from faith and iiidis- 
 solul)ly linked with it ; for faith appre- 
 hends the object, in so far as it is 
 present ; hope, in so far as it is still fu- 
 ture" (Philtppi), But hope that is 
 seen — realized in having its object 
 present and thus seen, is not hope, it 
 ceases to be hope, it is sight ; for it is 
 evident that a man cannot hope for 
 that which he sees and enjoys. 
 
 25. The thought of the preceding 
 verse is applied to the subject in hand : 
 patient waiting for our full salvation. 
 But if we o?'e hoping for what we do 
 not see, then do we with patience, 
 with constancy, and through j)(ttience, 
 in steadfastness AA^ait for it and ex- 
 peiiing it, the adoption and the re- 
 demption of our body being included in 
 our full salvation (ver. 23). 
 
 26. In this and the next verse Paul 
 presents a second ground of encourage- 
 ment in the midst of sufferings : the 
 Holy Spirit helps us. Likewise — iyi 
 like manner. As in our earnest long- 
 ing for deliverance hope helped us 
 with patience and in expectancy of 
 future glory, so in like manner the 
 Holy Spirit helps our infirmities, 
 rather, our infirmity or weakness (2 Cor. 
 i-J : 10) ; he shares a part irifh us, help- 
 ing us to bear, in our infirmity, our 
 load of suffering ; and this he does in 
 guiding and assisting us in prayer with 
 groanings unutterable. The reference 
 is manifestly to the Holy Spirit, as else- 
 
 where in this chapter. For, to show 
 how the Spirit helps us, we know 
 not what Ave should pray for as 
 Ave ought — our inability to know ?/'/«</ 
 and how to pray, is one example of our 
 weakness (2 Cor. 12 : 7-9), and the Spirit's 
 aid in prayer is one of the principal 
 ways in which he helps us bear the 
 groanings within while we wait (ver. 23). 
 But in this weakness the Spirit hiui- 
 self maketh intercession, by awak- 
 ening desires and longing in our own 
 spirits which are proper and according 
 to the will of God. Christ calls the 
 Holy Spirit another Comforter, or Ad- 
 vocate (John 14 : 16, 26 ; 16 : 13), who WOUld 
 
 teach them and guide them. So the 
 Spirit, as an advocate to his client, may 
 prompt and counsel as to our petitions. 
 And these intercessions for us, are 
 AA^ith groanings Avhich cannot be 
 uttered — exciting desires and longings 
 of soul too vast to be uttered in human 
 language, but only in the groanings, 
 the unutterable language of the human 
 
 heart (Eph.3 :20; 6:18). 
 
 27. But though these longings, 
 which are originated and excited by the 
 Spirit, cannot be expressed, yet they 
 are known to him that searcheth, or 
 scans, human hearts (i ^^ani. i6:7: .icr. 
 
 17 :9, 10: Heb. 4: 13), and he kUOAVCth, 
 
 he understands and regards with ap- 
 proval, AA'hat is the mind of the 
 Spirit, those aspirations and longings 
 which are produced by the Spirit; he 
 understands their intent and meaning. 
 Because he, the Spirit, maketh 
 intercession for the saints, rather 
 onutting the article, /o/'.w/»/.s-, thus des- 
 ignating the renewed chnracter of the 
 persons in whose hearts he carries on 
 his intercessions. And he does this 
 according to the AA^ill of God, 
 literally, according to God, in agree- 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 111 
 
 28 And we know that <i all things work 
 together for good to them that love 
 God, to them who are « the called f ac- 
 
 29 cording to his purpose. For whom s he 
 did foreknow, i* he also did predesti- 
 nate i to be conformed to the image of 
 his Son, ^ that he might be the first- 
 
 30 born among many brethren. More- 
 over whom he did predestinate, them 
 he also i called: and whom he called, 
 them he also ^ justified : and Avhom he 
 justified, them he also "glorified. 
 
 28 And we know that all things work to- 
 gether for good to those who love God, 
 to those who are called according to 
 
 29 his purpose. Because whom he fore- 
 knew, he also predestined to be con- 
 formed to the image of his Son, that he 
 might be the first born among many 
 
 30 brethren. And whom he predestined, 
 them he also called ; and whom he 
 called, them he also justified ; and 
 whom he justified, them he also glori- 
 fied. 
 
 d Gen. 50 : 20 ; Heb. 12 : 6-11 ; 1 Peter : 7, 11. e See refs. 1 : 6, 7. / 9 : 11, '23, 24 ; Eph. 1 : 11 ; 2 Tim. 1 : 9. 
 
 g Jer. 1 : 5 ; 1 Peter 1:2. ft Eph. 1 : 4-6, 11. i 1 John 3:2. k Col. 6 : 15-18 ; Heb. 1 : 5, 6 : Rev. 1 : 5. 
 
 I Heb. 9 : 15 ; 1 Peter 2:9. m 3 : 22-26 ; 1 Cor. 6 : 11. w John 17 : 22, 24 ; Heb. 10 : 14 ; 1 Peter 5 : 10. 
 
 ment with his will ; and this affords 
 the reason of the preceding assertion. 
 Such unuttered prayers will meet God's 
 approval and be answered (i John o-.u). 
 28. A third encouragement amid 
 trials (ver. 28-30). All things working 
 together for good to God's children. 
 And, in addition to all I have said, 
 Ave know, having the assurance of 
 faith and of the Spirit in our hearts, in 
 our Christian consciousness, that all 
 things, in the widest sense, includ- 
 ing afflictions, trials, and persecutions 
 (ver. 38), woik together, uniting and 
 conspiring to one end, for good, pres- 
 ent and future, until the time of tlieir 
 glorification (ver. 3o), to them that 
 love God, a designation of God's 
 
 children (l Cor. 2:9; Eph. 6: 24),inwliose 
 
 hearts the love of God has been poured 
 forth (5 : 5), to them Avho are the 
 called according to his purpose, 
 
 the divine side, as love was the human 
 side. God's childi*en are effectually 
 called by the word (James i : i8) and the 
 Holy Spirit (i Thess. i : 5), begotten and 
 made partakers of divine grace (Gai. 
 
 1 : 15; Heb. 6:4), called tO be SailltS (1:6, 
 
 7; Rev. 17 : 14), according to his purpose 
 as set forth in the following verses. As 
 God is the greatest, wisest, and best, his 
 purpose must be that which he " pur- 
 posed in himself," "according to his 
 good pleasure" (u : 34; Eph. 1 : 9, 11. 
 
 Comp. 2 Tim. 1:9; Rom. 9 : U). Some WOUld 
 
 translate the last clause. Since they are 
 the called according to his purpose. 
 The other rendering is the usual and 
 preferable one. 
 
 39. For — assigns the grounds of 
 the statement just made. For whom 
 he did foreknow — as such, as the ob- 
 jects of his purposed grace. The appli- 
 cation of the word must be thus 
 
 restricted, else there would be no dis- 
 tinction in their case, for, of course, he 
 foreknew all men. He also did 
 predestinate, pre-determined, fore- 
 ordained (comp. Eph. 1 : 4), to be Con- 
 formed to the image of his Son — 
 their complete salvation, their glorious 
 destiny, assured by his own unchange- 
 able purpose (1 Peter 1:2; 2 Cor. 2 :18). Con- 
 formity to Chri.st is the chief thing here 
 in the apostle's thought. That he 
 might be the first-born, j)rior in 
 time and in dignity, in all things pre- 
 eminent (Col. 1 : 15, 18; Heb. 1 : 6 ; Rev. 1:5), 
 
 among many brethren, a number- 
 less company (Rev. i: 4-9), joint heirs 
 with him (ver. 17) and partakers of his 
 glory and heavenly kingdom (John 17 : 
 22-24). The purpose and calling of God 
 make it certain that the object of 
 Christ's life, death, and resurrection 
 Avill be attained. 
 
 30, Moreover, or Yl?if/, whom he 
 did predestinate, as above, them 
 he also called by his word and ac- 
 companying Spirit (see on ver. 28) effect- 
 ing regeneration ; and whom he 
 called them he also justified, 
 acquitted them of all guilt and accepted 
 them as righteous (3 : 26) ; and Avhom 
 he justified them he also glori- 
 fied — the consummated salvation of 
 soul and body in heaven. In this 
 chain of past tenses Paul views the 
 whole process in its final complete- 
 ness. His point of view is final glory. 
 The five links of this golden chain are 
 the divine acts connected with our sal- 
 vation. The human acts, such as faith, 
 turning, and other exerci-ses in repent- 
 ance, conversion, and the exercise of 
 holiness, are accordingly omitted. The 
 links are consecutive, and from the first 
 all the rest follow with certainty. 
 
112 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. Vlll. 
 
 31 What shall we then say to those 
 things? "If God be for us,' whu C(in be 
 
 32 against us? Pile that spared not iiis 
 own Son, but delivered him up for us 
 all, 1 how shall he not with him also 
 
 33 freely give us all things? Who shall 
 lay anything to the charge of God's 
 
 34 elect? f /n.s God that justiHeth. Who 
 is he that condemneth ? ^ It is Christ 
 that died, yea rather, that is risen 
 again, ' who is even at the right hand 
 of Ciod, " who also maketh Intercession 
 for us. 
 
 31 What then shall we say to these 
 things? If (iod is for us, who is 
 
 32 against us? He who spared not his 
 own yon, but delivered him up for us 
 all, how will he not also with him 
 
 33 freely give us all things ? ^^'ho will lay 
 anything to the charge of God's elect? 
 
 34 (;od is he that justifies ; who is he that 
 condemns? Christ is he that died, yea 
 rather, was raised, who is also at the 
 right hand of God, who also intercedes 
 
 o Num. 14 : 9 ; Ps. 118 : 6. p 5 : 6-10. q 1 Cor. 3 : 21-23. r 3 : 26 ; Isa. 50 : 8, 9. 
 t Mark 16 : 19 ; Col. 3:1; Heb. 12 : 2. u See refs. Isa. 53 : 12. 
 
 r 4 : 25 ; 14 : 9. 
 
 31. What God does for us (ver. 29, 30), 
 Paul eloquently shows in the remainder 
 of this chapter. Nothing, according 
 to this, can prevent the ultimate glori- 
 fication and salvation of God's chil- 
 dren. For first, against all opposi- 
 tion, God's gift of his Son is a pledge 
 that he will bestow all that is essen- 
 tial to our well-being (ver. 31, 32) ; sec- 
 ond, the coiLsequent impossibility of 
 any charge whatever being made 
 available against God's chosen ones 
 (ver. 33, 34) ; or third, of anything being 
 able to separate us from God's love as 
 manifested in Christ. This is one of 
 those passages of Paul in wliich elo- 
 quence finds its climax in the force, 
 beauty, and sublimity of its thought 
 and language. What shall we then 
 say to these things — in view of tlie 
 things that God does for us, just enu- 
 merated in ver. 29, 30? And what 
 shall we infer? If God is for ns, who 
 is against us? — implying that all 
 opposition is comparatively as nothing. 
 
 (C«imp. 2 Kings 6 : 16, 17 ; Heb. 13 : 6.) 
 
 32. The reason for believing that 
 God is for us and will do all things in 
 our l)ehalf. Hurehj he that spared 
 not his own Son — his own in the 
 
 highest and mysterious sense (John i : i8; 
 
 3 : 16 ; Col. 1 : 15 ; Heb. 1 : 2, 3) ; who did not 
 
 spare him from all the humiliation and 
 anguish of liis incarnation and sufier- 
 ings, but delivered him up unto 
 sutl'erings and death in behalf of us 
 
 all (Isa. 53:5, 10; Matt. 26:38. 39), SO that 
 
 every believer has his share in liim, 
 how shall he not (it cannot be other- 
 wise) with him also freely, gra- 
 cious/y, give us all things, that are 
 needful for our safety and complete .sal- 
 vation? With Christ and because of 
 Christ all else connected with our sal- 
 
 vation will come. The argument is 
 from the greater to the less. Since God 
 has done the greater, he wall not leave 
 the less undone. (Comp. 5 :9, lo. ) Also 
 "All things are yours," etc. (icor. 3: 
 21-23). 
 
 33. Exultantly we may ask. Who 
 shall lay anything to the charge 
 of — ivho u'ill bring any charge against 
 — God's elect, against tho.se whom 
 God has chosen ? It is God, he is the 
 one, that justifieth, that acquits from 
 all guilt and accounts them rigliteous 
 (3 : 26). All charges therefore must fall 
 to the ground before his ultimate and 
 righteous tribunal ; and no accuser can 
 stand before him. 
 
 34. Who is he that condemn- 
 eth — who can and who (\areii(^ive judg- 
 ment against? It is Christ that 
 died for us (5:8), thus atoning for our 
 sins and removing all condemnation, 
 yea, rather that icas raised, proving 
 the divine eflicacy of his death (see 
 on " raised for our justification," 4 : 25), 
 who is a/so at the right hand of 
 God, exalted as a Prince and a Sav- 
 iour (Acts 5 : 31; Heb. 1:3; Rtv. 5 : 6-9). 
 
 " This is the only direct reference to 
 the ascension in tliis Papistic; but wliat 
 a pregnant reference!" (Moi'LE.) 
 \^'ho also maketh intercession 
 for us — like an advocate undertaking 
 tlie management of our ca.se and i)lead- 
 ing our cau.se, presenting as it were liis 
 mediatorial and atoning work, wliich 
 secures our pardon and the continued 
 supplies of divine grace (Heb. 4 : 14-16; 
 
 7 : 25; 9 : 24: lJohn2:l). Compare llOW 
 
 Jesus prayed for Peter, "that thy faith 
 
 fail not'' (I.uke 22:31,32. See on ver 26). 
 
 Many with Augustine, Alford, and 
 others, prefer tlie interrogative form 
 throughout the whole passage (ver. 31-35), 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 113 
 
 35 ' Who shall separate us from the love 
 of Christ? 7 shall tribulation, or dis- 
 tress, or persecution, or famine, or 
 
 36 nakedness, or peril, or sword ? As it is 
 written, ^For thy sake we are killed 
 all the day long ; we are accounted 
 
 37 as sheep for the slaughter. » Nay, 
 in all these things we are more than 
 conquerors through him that loved us. 
 
 38 For I am persuaded, •> that neither 
 death, nor life, nor angels, nor «prin- 
 
 35 for us. Who will separate us from the 
 love of Christ? Will tribulation, or 
 distress, or persecution, or famine, or 
 
 36 nakedness, or peril, or sword ? As it is 
 written, 
 
 For thy sake we are killed all the 
 
 day long ; 
 We were accounted as sheep for 
 
 slaughter. 
 
 37 Nay, in all these things we are more 
 than conquerors through him who 
 
 38 loved us. For I am persuaded, that 
 neither death nor life, nor angels nor 
 
 X John 10 : 28. y Luke 21 : 12-19. 
 
 a 1 Cor. 15 : 54-57 ; 2 Cor. 2 : 14 ; 12 : 9, 10. 6 14 
 
 z 1 Cor. 4:9; 15 : 30, 31 ; 2 Cor. 4 : 11. . 
 
 c Eph. 6 : 11, 12 ; Col. 2 : 15 ; 1 Peter 3 : 22. 
 
 which the Greek allows with the same 
 essential meaning, and in ver. 33 and 34 
 punctuate thus : Who shall lay any- 
 thing to the charge of God's elect? 
 Shall God, he who justifieth? Who is 
 he that condemneth ? Is it Christ, he 
 who died, yea rather, was raised, who 
 is also at the right hand of God, who 
 also intercedes for us ? " The questions 
 imply their own answers. The major- 
 ity of critics, however, punctuate as in 
 the English version. 
 
 35. Finally, in view of God's love 
 in Christ, exhibited in what Christ has 
 done and is doing for us, Paul reaches 
 the climax, and triumphantly asks. 
 Who shall separate us from the 
 love of Christ? — that is, Christ's 
 love for us, not ours for him (2 Cor. 5 : u ; 
 Eph. 3:19). Compare on "the love of 
 God " (5:5). Our love, however, grows 
 out of Christ's love, and is inseparably 
 connected with God's love in Christ, 
 shed abroad in our hearts (5:5). Us 
 is somewhat emphatic — us, for whom 
 Christ died and intercedes. Shall 
 tribulation, or distress, or per- 
 secution, etc. — any, or all of these 
 things, which he and other Christians 
 were suffering from their adversaries, 
 the world, the flesh, and the devil ? (2 cor. 
 
 11 : 23-27 ; 2 Tim. 3 : 10-12.) TheSC at times 
 
 might arouse fear, or cause despond- 
 ency, or, joining hands with weak 
 faith, tempt them to think that God 
 was forsaking them, but they could 
 not separate tliem from the strong hold 
 
 of Christ's love (John 10 : 28, 29). 
 
 36. As it is written (ps. 44:22)^ 
 quoted from the Septuagint version, 
 and suggested by the last word sword, 
 in the preceding verse. For thy sake 
 we are killed all the day long— at 
 all times of the day we are liable to be 
 
 put to death, and at all hours it occurs 
 to one or another ; we are account- 
 ed as sheep for the slaughter, 
 
 rather, for slaughter, destined for it and 
 regarded as suitable for it by their ad- 
 versaries. Paul quotes this as true of 
 saints of all ages, applicable to those of 
 his day as well as to those of Old Testa- 
 ment times. (Comp. Heb. 11 : 35-38.) We 
 
 suffer as they suffered, and their sufier- 
 ings were a foreshadowing of ours. 
 
 37. But or Nay, so far from being 
 overcome and separated from Christ's 
 love, in all these things, sufferings, 
 persecutions, and deaths, enumerated 
 in ver. 35, 36, we are more than 
 conquerors, we gain triumphant and 
 surpassing victories, through him 
 that loved us, through Christ 
 (ver. 35, 39)^ who is thus stylcd in Rev. 
 1:5. (Comp. Gal. 2: 20.) In thcsc Very 
 things in which we may appear to be 
 vanquished we come forth with a 
 stronger faith and a more ardent love 
 here, and a larger capacity for enjoying 
 the eternal weight of glory hereafter 
 
 (2 Cor. 4 : 16-18). 
 
 38. Paul confirms what he had 
 said, of being more than victorious, by 
 an enthusiastic expression of his assured 
 convictions: For I am persuaded, 
 
 having full assurance (comp. same word in 
 
 14:14; 15:14), that neither death 
 
 nor life — two states or conditions 
 which must confront every individual, 
 the one, the last enemy, with its terrors, 
 the other with its charms or sufferings, 
 but both must yield to the power of 
 
 Christ (14 : 8, 9 ; Phil. 1 : 21-23 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 26), 
 
 Nor angels, nor principalities — 
 
 superhuman beings and dominions in 
 general, including both good and bad 
 (Eph. 3 : 10 ; Col. 1 : 16). In Eph. 6 : 12 Paul 
 refers to the conflict against principali- 
 
 H 
 
114 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 cipalities, nor powers, nor things pres- 
 39 ent, nor things to come, nor height, 
 nor depth, nor any other creature, 
 d shall be able to separate us from the 
 love of God, which is in Christ Jesus 
 our Lord. 
 
 principalities, nor things present nor 
 39 things to come, nor powers, nor height 
 nor depth, nor any other created thing, 
 will be able to separate us from the 
 love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our 
 Lord. 
 
 d John 10 : 28-30. 
 
 ties, etc., and in Eph. 1 : 21 to Christ 
 as above all these, and in Col. 2 : 15 as 
 despoiling and triumphing over them. 
 Nor powers. If this word is placed 
 here, it naturally refers to superhuman 
 powers in the same sphere as angels. 
 But the best critical authorities place 
 it at the end of the verse after " things 
 to come," where it must be used of 
 powers in the widest sense, forces of 
 every description. Nor things pres- 
 ent, nor things to come — events of 
 all time, present and future. None of 
 these shall separate us. Christ is the 
 first and the last, who is and is to come 
 (Rev. 1 : 8, 17, 18) and will Bvcr be present 
 to deliver. 
 
 39. Nor height, nor depth— no 
 extent of space will be great enough to 
 separate us. No matter how high 
 Christ may be above us, nor how low we 
 may be beneath him, he still embraces 
 
 us in his love. (Comp.Ps. 139 : 7-10 ; Eph. 
 
 4:8-10.) Nor any Other creature, or 
 
 created thing, including all else that 
 has been created, shall in any future 
 time be able to separate us, all or 
 any of us who are truly his, from the 
 love of God, of the Almighty and 
 Unchangeable One, which is in 
 and through Christ Jesus our Lord 
 
 (Eph. 1 :6: Heb. 13 :8). NoticC that tMs 
 
 " love of God in Christ " is styled "the 
 love of Christ," in ver. 35, the love of 
 God to us in Christ, indicating the 
 divinity of Christ and the union of the 
 Father and the Son in their love for us 
 (John 3 : 16; Gal. 2 : 20). " What a Com- 
 mentary is this whole passage on ver. 
 28 " (Meyer). " What did Cicero ever 
 say more eloquent?" (Erasmus.) 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. The sinner finds only condemnation 
 out of Christ ; but in Christ, united with 
 him by faith and in fellowship with him 
 through the Spirit, he finds pardon, peace, 
 and safety (ver. 1, 34 ; 5:1; John 3 : 17). 
 
 2. The Holy Spirit is life-giving and 
 through Christ gives true freedom from 
 
 the controlling influences of sin and 
 death (ver. 2 : Gal. 3:3; 4 : 6, 7). 
 
 3. The atonement is the product of Di- 
 vine love, and its necessity is seen in the 
 evils of sin, and in the demands of God's 
 justice and holiness (ver. 3; John 3 : 16; 
 Heb. 9 : 22, 23). 
 
 4. The Christian life is opposed to a life 
 of self-gratification, and is characterized 
 by devotedness to God and by loving obe- 
 dience to him (ver. 4 ; Gal. 5 : 22-26). 
 
 .5. The bent of one's thoughts, affections, 
 and pursuits is a true index and decisive 
 test of character (ver. 5 ; Matt 7 : 16-20). 
 
 6. Sin and misery, holiness and happi- 
 ness, are necessarily and inseparably con- 
 nected (ver. 6 ; Matt. 6 : 22-24). 
 
 7. Submission of the soul to God is an 
 evidence of regeneration (ver. 7 ; James 
 4 : 4-7). 
 
 8. A change of heart is necessary to 
 pleasing God (ver. 8 ; John 3 : 3). 
 
 9. One may know that he is a Christian 
 by the indwelling of the Spirit (ver. 9; 
 1 Cor. 6 : 18-20). 
 
 10. How carefully should we keep our 
 bodies from defilement, since they are 
 temples of the Holy Spirit (ver. 9, 10; 1 
 Cor. 3 : 16, 17). 
 
 11. Though the body is still mortal and 
 suffering from the effects of sin, yet the 
 redemptive work of Christ extends to the 
 bodies as well as to the souls of believers 
 (ver. 10, 11, 23; John 11 : 23-26; Phil. 
 3:21). 
 
 12. By his indwelling Spirit, God deliv- 
 ers believers from the controlling power 
 of the old nature, and obligates them to 
 live for him (ver. 12 ; 12 : 1, 2). 
 
 13. We must either put our sins to death, 
 or they will put us to death eternally. 
 We cannot be saved in our sins (ver. 13 ; 
 Luke 16: 13; Gal. 6 : 8). 
 
 14. A sure sign of divine sonship, "led 
 by the Spirit of God " (ver. 14 ; 2 Cor. 6 : 
 16, 17; Matt. 5:9). 
 
 Irt. A spirit of fear and servitude is un- 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 115 
 
 Christian. A filial spirit is the true spirit 
 of religion, and is begotten only by the 
 Holy Spirit (ver. 15 ; Gal. 4 : 6 ; John 1 : 12). 
 
 16. The Christian has the evidence of 
 his sonship, in his own experience, by 
 the testimony of the Spirit (ver. 16 ; Gal. 
 4 :6). 
 
 17. Christ, a son and heir by nature ; 
 believers, by adoption. To what an inheri- 
 tance ! Finite suffering ! Infinite glory ! 
 (ver. 17; 1 Peter 1:4). 
 
 18. The sufferings and trials of Chris- 
 tians are as nothing in both duration and 
 degree to the future glory of their son- 
 ship (ver. 18 ; Col. 1 : 27 ; 2 Cor. 4 : 17). 
 
 19. Man stands at the head of creation. 
 His fall was creation's curse : his restora- 
 tion to the glory of sonship, creation's 
 blessing (ver. 19 ; Gen. 3 : 17 ; Rev. 22 : 3). 
 
 20. God had a benevolent design in sub- 
 jecting creation to suffering, decay, and 
 death (ver. 20, 21; Acts 2 : 26). See 
 Hitchcock's "Religion of Geology," p. 
 85, ff. 
 
 21. Creation is to be freed from its 
 present state of degradation, and made 
 partaker, according to its nature, of the 
 glories connected with God's children 
 (ver. 21 ; Acts 3 : 21 ; Matt. 19 : 28). 
 
 22. How infinitely great the future glory 
 of believers if the whole creation from 
 the beginning groans and longs for its 
 manifestation (ver. 22; Rev. 12 : 6, 16). 
 
 23. The children of God will not find 
 the full satisfaction of their earnest long- 
 ings till they have attained the full glories 
 of their sonship in the resurrection state 
 (ver. 23 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 54-57). 
 
 24. Inasmuch as the Christian life is a 
 growth, and sanctification progressive, 
 hope holds an important place as a sup- 
 port and solace (ver. 24 ; Heb. 6 : 18, 19). 
 
 25. Hope and patience go together and 
 help the believer waiting for the full en- 
 joyment of his sonship (ver. 25 ; 5 : 4, 5 ; 
 Heb. 6 : 11, 12). 
 
 26. We should ever recognize the office 
 of the Spirit as our Advocate, and seek 
 and gratefully acknowledge his help (ver. 
 26 ; Luke 11 : 13 ; Eph. 4 : 30). 
 
 27. Whatever prayer the Spirit incites, 
 is according to God's will, and will be an- 
 swered. He therefore is the safest who 
 yields himself up most entirely to the 
 Spirit (ver. 27 ; 1 John 5 : 14). 
 
 1 28. The facts of the believers loving 
 
 I God and God's purpose regarding them, 
 
 should be a solace in trials, since all 
 
 events are under his control for their 
 
 good (ver. 28 : Heb. 12 : 11 ; Ps. 119 : 67, 71 ). 
 
 29. Foreknowledge and decrees may be 
 regarded as co-existent in the Divine 
 mind (1 Peter 1:2). A Christlike spirit 
 and life are a sure evidence that we are 
 the subjects of God's gracious purpose 
 (ver. 29 ; Eph. 1 : 4 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 49). 
 
 30. Man's free agency and God's sover- 
 eign pm-pose unite in human salvation 
 (ver. 29, 30 ; John 6 : 44 : 5 : 40 ; Rev. 22 : 
 17). None will be saved but those who 
 love God and follow after holiness (ver. 
 28, 29; Heb. 12:10, 14). 
 
 31. The perseverance of the saints is as- 
 sured, since there is an inseparable con- 
 nection between predestination and final 
 glorification (ver. 30; Phil. 1:6). 
 
 32. With God for us we are in the major- 
 ity and stronger than all the universe be- 
 sides (ver. 31; Ps. 118 : 6). 
 
 33. God's infinite friendship and love 
 for us have been tested and assured by 
 his highest possible gift (ver. 32 ; 1 John 
 4 : 9, 10). 
 
 34. God's people are his chosen and jus- 
 tified ones. It is absurd to suppose that 
 he would ever desert them (ver. 33 ; Heb. 
 13 : 5, 6). 
 
 35. Christ came not to condemn, but to 
 save. His death, resurrection, exaltation, 
 and intercession, all assure the salvation 
 of believers (ver. 34 ; Eph. 1 : 20-23 ; John 
 3 : 17). 
 
 36. Our love results from Christ's love 
 (John 4 : 19), and as nothing can destroy 
 his love toward us, so nothing will de- 
 stroy our love toward him (ver. 35, 38, 39 ; 
 Jer. 31 : 3). 
 
 37. Scripture, history, and experience, 
 all testify that God's people must expect 
 opposition and persecution from a wicked 
 world (ver. 37 ; 2 Tim. 3 : 12). 
 
 38. How triumphant our victory through 
 Christ! His enemies are already a con- 
 quered foe. Tribulations become a means 
 of blessing and glory (ver. 37 ; 1 Peter 4 : 
 13 ; James 1 : 2). 
 
 39. The present and eternal safety of) 
 the Christian is as sure as the love of God, 
 the merit, power, and love of Christ can 
 make it (ver. 31-39; John 10 : 28, 29). 
 
116 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 Vindication of God's dealings with Jews and 
 Gentiles. 
 
 9 <^ I SAY the truth in Christ, I lie not, 
 fmy conscience also bearing me wit- 
 
 2 ness in the Holy Ghost, that I have 
 great heaviness "and continual sorrow 
 
 3 in my heart. For k I could wish that 
 
 9 I SAY the truth in Christ, 1 lie not, 
 my conscience also testifying with me 
 
 2 in the Holy Spirit, that" I have great 
 grief and unceasing anguish in my 
 
 3 heart. For I could wish to be myself 
 
 e Gal. 1 : 20 ; 1 Tim. 2 : 7. 
 
 /John 13 : 19-21. 
 
 g Exod. 32 : 32 ; 2 Sam. 18 : 33. 
 
 40. What an honor to be a Christian! 
 Plow grateful should we be for the love of 
 God in Christ Jesus ! What obligations it 
 ])uts upon us ! Woe to us if we love not 
 m return ! (ver. 31-39 ; 1 Cor. 16 : 22). , 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Paul now proceeds to consider the 
 problem arising from the fact that 
 a greater part of the Jews rejected Chris- 
 tianity. He had shown that salvation 
 was only tlirough faitli in Clirist. He 
 had answered the objection, common to 
 all ages, that such a doctrine tended to 
 immorality, and had shown that on the 
 contrary it insured holiness and final 
 salvation. But still it would be ob- 
 jected from a Jewish standpoint that 
 this doctrine involved unfaithfulness in 
 God to the Jewish people. This was a 
 living question peculiar to that age. 
 Paul was constantly meeting it, and he 
 had gone througli it in his own experi- 
 ence, and under Divine guidance had 
 wrought out an answer. This he pre- 
 sents in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh 
 chapters. 
 
 In this chapter he vindicates the jus- 
 tice of God in passing over the unl)e- 
 lieving Jews and extending the gospel 
 to the Gentiles. First of all he ex- 
 pres.ses his deep sorrow for his own 
 people and his earnest desire for their 
 welfare (vor. i-s). But the promise of 
 God had not failed, for mere natural 
 descent from Abraham did not consti- 
 tute a right to the promise ( vcr. 6-i3), l)ut 
 the riglit depended entirely on the free 
 favor and choice of God, with wlioin 
 there is no unrigliteousness (vir. u-is). 
 In tliis he exercised his unquestionable 
 right and prerogative as the Creator in 
 sucli a manner as to display his justice 
 and his mercy (ver. m-21), wliieli wasal.so 
 according to prophecy ( ver. 2.5-2!)), without 
 interfering with the free exerci.se of faith 
 or unbelief on tlie part of either Jew or 
 Gentile (ver. 30-33), In this discussion 
 I'aul accepts the absolute righteous- 
 
 ness of God as unquestionable, and 
 the Old Testament Scriptures as of su- 
 preme authority. 
 
 1-5. Paul expresses his deep 
 sorrow for his own people and 
 his earnest desire for their wel- 
 FARE, especially in view of their great 
 privileges. As a Jew he would natur- 
 ally do this for he had specially desired 
 to preach the gospel to them (acis 9 : 28, 
 29: 22 : 19, 2o) ; as an apostlc to the Gen- 
 tiles he would be equally desirous of 
 assuring them, notwithstanding this, 
 of his deep interest and love for them. 
 As he was also about to speak of mat- 
 ters especially distasteful to the Jews, 
 such as God's passing over Israel and 
 the calling of Gentiles, he was moved 
 to use the strongest language in speak- 
 ing of his deep concern for them. 
 
 1. What a contrast to the exultant 
 strains at the end of the last chapter! 
 But to Paul, in tliat high state of tri- 
 umphant joy, the condition of unbe- 
 lieving Israel would, in contrast, seem 
 the more deplorable. As it burst afresh 
 on his mind he could not but speak in 
 language most intense. I say the 
 truth in Christ, with a solemn sense 
 of my union with Christ, as a believer 
 in him, and in a manner becoming 
 that relation. Though a Chri.stian he 
 would assure them that he had lost 
 none of his interest in his own people. 
 I lie not, my conscience also 
 bearing me witness, or te.'^tij'i/i)ig 
 in'f/i me -in the Holy Spirit, imbued and 
 enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The 
 consciousness of the Spirit's presence 
 and power increased confidence in the 
 testimony of conscience. Such strong 
 language was needful in view of the 
 doctrine of the chapter which follows, 
 and because as an apo.stle to the CJen- 
 tiles the Jews niignt think he liad 
 quite forgotten them. 
 
 2. That I have great heaviness, 
 or gnef, and continued sorrow, or 
 unccasi^ig pain, in my heart, a liv- 
 ing and abiding sorrow in my inmost 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 117 
 
 myself were accursed from Christ for 
 my brethren, my kiusmen according to 
 
 4 the flesh : who are Israelites ; ^ to 
 whom pertaineth the adoption, and ' the 
 glory, and ^ the covenants, and i the 
 giving of the law, and ^the service oj 
 
 5 God, and " the promises ; whose are 
 the fathers ; and ^of whom as concern- 
 ing the flesh Christ came, p who is over 
 all, God q blessed for ever. Amen. 
 
 accursed from Christ for my brethren, 
 my kinsmen according to the flesh ; 
 
 4 who are Israelites ; whose is the adop- 
 tion, and the glory, and the covenants, 
 and the giving of the law, and the ser- 
 
 5 vice, and the promises ; whose are the 
 fathers, and of whom as to the flesh 
 is the Christ, who is over all, God 
 blessed forever. Amen. 
 
 h Exod. 4 : 22 ; Deut. 14 : 1. i Exod. 29 : 43 ; 1 Sam. 4 : 21, 22. 
 
 k Gen. 15 : 18 ; Exod. 24 : 7, 8 ; Eph. 2 : 12 ; Heb. 8 : 8-10. I Exod. 20. m Heb. 9 : 1, 10. 
 
 n Luke 1 : 54, 55, 69-75. o Luke 3 ; 23. p 10 : 12 ; Jer. 23 : 6 ; John 1 : 1-3. q 2 Cor. 11 : 31. 
 
 being, in view of what has happened 
 and will happen to my people. 
 
 3. For I could wish, even now 
 if such a thing were possible and hence 
 proper, but in the very nature of the 
 case inadmissible ! that myself were 
 accursed from Christ, an anathenia, 
 devoted to ruin by a solemn curse /;'o//* 
 Christ, for, in behalf of, my breth- 
 ren, my kinsmen according to 
 the flesh, if -such a thing could ac- 
 complish their salvation. I could for 
 their sakes be willing to be treated as 
 Christ was — Ijearing, as an object ac- 
 cursed, the sins of my people. Com- 
 pare the same sentiment expressed by 
 
 Moses (Exod. 32 : 32). It WOuld 1)6 UCCCS- 
 
 sary for any one to enter into the ex- 
 perience and the very Christlike heart 
 of the apostle in order to appreciate 
 the full meaning of his language. (Comp. 
 1 John 3 : 16. ) Anathema means, i)roperly, 
 anything consecrated to God, a votive 
 offering. But anji;hing thus devoted 
 could not be redeemed, and if an ani- 
 mal, must be slain (Lev. 27 : 28, 29) ; and 
 therefore applied to a person or thing 
 
 doomed to destruction (Josh. 6 : 17; 7 : 12), 
 
 and hence in the New Testament a 
 curse, devoted to ruin, to the direst 
 woes. This is the meaning of the word 
 wherever used by Paul ( 1 Cor. 12:3,- le : 22 : 
 
 Gal. 1 : 3, 9 , see also Acts. 23 : U). Instead of 
 
 / could Irish (above) some translate, 1 
 was ivishi)ig, describing an actual state 
 of his mind at some former time. 
 But this is less to be preferred. Most 
 adopt the common rendering of our 
 English text. See the same construc- 
 tion in Gal. 4 : 20 and Acts 25 : 22 in 
 the Greek, and their translation in the 
 Revised version. 
 
 4. Who are Israelites— their 
 most sacred, honorable, and distin- 
 guished name (ii .• i; John i :47). See 
 Gen. 32 : 28 when the name Israel was 
 
 given to Jacob. Note the six preroga- 
 tives which are now mentioned as pe* 
 culiar to them as a people and greatly 
 to their advantage. To whom, etc.; 
 better, tvhose is the adoption or the son- 
 s/i ip, that is as a nation taken into a 
 near and peculiar relationship ( Exod. 4 : 
 22; Deut. 14 : 1 ; Hosea 11 : 1, 8), a grand priv- 
 ilege, but not so great as the personal 
 sonship of believers in Christ (8 lo). 
 And the glory — doubtless referring 
 to the symbol of God's presence as 
 manifested in the cloud in the wilder- 
 ness, over the tabernacle, and at times 
 on the mercy seat of the ark (Exod. is : 21 ; 
 
 24 : 16; 40 : 34; Lev. 16 : 2). And the COVe- 
 
 nants made with the patriarchs (Gen. 
 
 15 : 18 : 17 : 2, 4. 7-11 : 26 ; 24 ; 28 : 13-15. See also 
 Exod. 24:7, 8: 31:16; 34:28; Ps. 89:28, 34). 
 
 And the giving of the law on 
 
 Mount Sinai (Exod. chap. 19-23). Compare 
 how Moses and Nehemiah dwell upon 
 the excellencies of the law (Deut. 4:8; 
 Neh. 9:13, 14). And the service of 
 God (omit of God, not being in the 
 original), the religious' service, the en- 
 tire system of ritual and ceremonial 
 service ordained through Moses and 
 performed in the tabernacle and the 
 temple (Heb.9:i). And the promises 
 — especially those relating to the Mes- 
 
 .Siah ( John 4 : 22 ; Matt. 1 : l). 
 
 5. Whose are the fathers (n : 28), 
 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the fathers 
 
 of the nation (Exod. 3 :15; 4 : 5; Acts3 : 13; 
 
 7 : 32). And of whom as concern- 
 ing the flesh, as to his human nature 
 and descent, Christ came, the most 
 important distinction of the Jewi.sh 
 people. The language implies that 
 Christ had also a higher nature. (Comp. 
 1:3,4.) Who is over all, Jew and 
 Gentile, God blessed forever — re- 
 ferring most naturally to Christ and 
 affirming his supreme divinity. This 
 accords with what is taught concerning 
 
118 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 6 f Not as thoui?h the word of God hath 
 taken none effect. For » they are not 
 all Israel, -which are of Israel : 
 
 7 • neither, because they are the seed of 
 Abraham, are they all children : but. 
 In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 
 
 8 That is, " They which are the children 
 of the tiesh, these are not the children 
 of God : but the children of the prom- 
 
 9 ise »are counted for the seed. For 
 this u the word of promise. At this 
 time will I come, and Sarah shall have 
 a son. 
 
 6 But not as though the word of God 
 has failed. For not all they are Is- 
 
 7 rael, who are of Israel ; neither, be- 
 cause they are Abraham's seed, are 
 they all children ; but, in Isaac shall 
 
 8 thy seed be called. That is, not they 
 who are the children of the flesh are 
 children of God : but the children of 
 
 9 the promise are reckoned as seed. For 
 ' the word of promise is this. At this sea- 
 son I will come, and Sarah shall have a 
 
 r3:3; 11:1,2. s 2 : 28, 29. t Luke 3 : 8 : Phil. 3 : 3. w Gal. 4 : 22-31. x Gal. 3 : 26-29. 
 
 Chri.st in John 1 : 1, 18 ; 20 : 28. (Comp. 
 
 Acts 20 : 28 ; Titus 2 : 13, aud John 12 : 41, with Isa. 
 
 6:5.) Some however put a period after 
 flesh, and make this an independent sen- 
 tence, a doxology, 3Iay God who is over 
 ail be blessed, or praised forever. A 
 strong objection to this is that who, 
 coming immediately after Christ as to 
 the flesh, naturally refers to Christ, and 
 that a change of subject from Christ to 
 God is improbable. Besides, the posi- 
 tion of the word blessed in the original 
 should be placed at the beginning of 
 the sentence, as a doxology, but it is 
 placed in the middle where it would 
 naturally be in describing Christ. 
 Others place a period after over all, re- 
 ferring to the providential oversight of 
 Christ, and make a sentence and dox- 
 ology of the clause. Blessed be God 
 forever. But in the original the word 
 God comes first and without the article 
 which is right in a descriptive sentence, 
 but in a doxology God should have the 
 article and blessed should come first. 
 To regard either of the above as an in- 
 dependent doxology, is abrupt, and so 
 far unnatural. It was however most 
 natural after referring to the human 
 nature of Christ, as to the flesh, to 
 speak of his divinity. Most scholars, 
 both ancient and modern, adopt this 
 view. That such language having so 
 much of the character of the doxology 
 should refer to Christ, accords with 
 2 Peter 3:18; Rev. 1 : G ; 5 : 13. ( Comp. 
 
 2 Tim. 4 : 18; 1 Peter 4: n.) AmCll. (See on 
 1:2.5.) 
 
 6-13. NOTWITHST.\NDING ISRAEL'S 
 UNBELIEF, THE PROMISE OF GOD HAS 
 NOT FAILED. 
 
 6. Paul's sad lament over Israel im- 
 plied that the great mass of his people 
 were foiling of .•salvation. Jijit while 
 this was the case it was not as though 
 
 it were a fact — that the Av^ord of God 
 had taken none eflfect, had failed. 
 He did not mean to say or imply that 
 the promise made to Abraham, regard- 
 ing his seed being bles.sed and a bless- 
 ing, had come to nought. For, to ex- 
 plain, they are not all true Israel, 
 Avhich are descended from Israel. 
 There is a spiritual in distinction from 
 a literal, national Israel. Notice Paul's 
 argument in Gal. 3 : 7-29. Compare 
 our Saviour's words, John 8 : 39, "If ye 
 were children of Abraham, ye would do 
 the works of Abraham." 
 
 7. Neither, to illu.strate, because 
 they are the seed, the natural de- 
 scendants, of Abraham, are they 
 all children in the sense contemplated 
 in the promise, but God limited his 
 promise, leaving out Ishmael and his 
 descendants, saying. In Isaac shall 
 thy seed be called, or reckoned 
 as heirs (Gen. 21 : 12). Paul thus shows 
 that a promise such as God gave to 
 Abraham which apparently included 
 all his descendants (Gen. n : 7), might be 
 limited as in the cases of Ishmael and 
 
 Isaac (Gen. 17 : 20-23), 
 
 8. That is, explaining and apply- 
 ing the quotation, 77 is not the chil- 
 dren of the flesh, the mere natural 
 descendants, that are the children of 
 God, but the children of promise 
 are counted, or reckoned as seed — 
 those defined by .special promise are re- 
 garded as the genuine posterity in ques- 
 tion. 
 
 9. For, to confirm what he had .said 
 about "the children of promise," this 
 is the word of promise, as fol- 
 lows : At this time, or season of 
 the year, will I come and Sarah 
 shall have a son, and hence this 
 was the son of promise. This is quoted 
 (Gen. 18:10) aluiost literally from the 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 119 
 
 10 And not only this ; but when Rebecca 
 also had conceived by one, even by our 
 
 11 father Isaac ; for the children being not 
 yet born, neither having done any 
 good or evil, (y that the purpose of God 
 according to election might stand, ^ not 
 of works, but of him that calleth ;) 
 
 12 it was said unto her. The elder shall 
 
 13 serve the younger. As it is written, 
 Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I 
 hated. 
 
 10 son. And not only so ; but Avhen Re- 
 becca also had conceived by one, our 
 
 11 father Isaac (for they being not yet 
 born, nor naving done anything good 
 or evil, that the purpose of God ac- 
 cording to election might stand, not of 
 
 12 works, but of him who calls), it was 
 said to her, the elder shall serve the 
 
 13 younger. Even as it is written, 
 
 Jacob I loved, 
 But Esau I hated. 
 
 y i-.n; 8: 28-30. 
 
 « 11 : 6 ; Eph. 2 : 9. 
 
 Hebrew, varying slightly from the Sep- 
 tuagint. Its only bearing on the argu- 
 ment is to show tliat the son in M'hose 
 line the seed should be reckoned, was 
 called by a specific promise. The 
 promise was limited to Sarah's son. 
 Hagar's son was also Abraham's seed, 
 but not a son of promise. 
 
 10. And not only this, rather, 
 And not only so, as in tlie example just 
 cited, illustrating how God called and 
 limited his people even among the de- 
 scendants of Abraham ; but, in a more 
 marked example, when Rebecca 
 had conceived by one, by one and 
 the same person, even our father 
 Isaac. Isaac and Islimael had only 
 one parent in common ; but Isaac 
 and Esau had both in common. Both 
 the latter though treated so diiferently 
 were of the one and same father, even 
 Isaac, in wliose line the seed of Abra- 
 ham was to be reckoned, showing that 
 not all the seed of even Isaac was the 
 true Israel. The original is very con- 
 cise, both in this and the next verse. 
 
 11. The whole of this verse may be 
 regarded as in a parenthesis. The 
 choice of Isaac had been made known 
 after the birth and childhood of Ish- 
 mael (Oen. n : is, 19), but the choice of 
 Jacob rather than Esau was declared 
 before they were born. For the chil- 
 dren, the twins, being not yet born, 
 neither having done any good or 
 evil, in order that the purpose, the 
 predetermination, of God, accord- 
 ing to election, a choice or selection 
 in the Divine mind, might stand, re- 
 main permanently, not of works but 
 of him that calleth. The reasons 
 of this choice lay wholly in the Divine 
 mind and not in the works or charac- 
 ters of those chosen. It was "accord- 
 ing to the good pleasure of his will" 
 (Eph. 1 : 5). The purpose here has not a 
 special reference to the election to eter- 
 
 nal salvation, but to the choice of Jacob 
 with his descendants as his chosen 
 people. The account in Genesis (25 : 23) 
 and the quotation in the thirteenth 
 verse of this chapter, show that the de- 
 scendants from the two brothers were 
 especially intended, and that thus the 
 choice affected all their posterity. Paul 
 is treating of God's choice or election 
 in its widest and most absolute respects. 
 
 12. It was said unto her, The 
 elder shall serve the younger- 
 quoted from the Septuagint from Gen. 
 25 : 23. In this verse two nations" 
 and "two peoples" are spoken of, and 
 it is added, "One people will be 
 stronger than the other people; and 
 the elder will serve the younger." In 
 the personal history of these two broth- 
 ers, Esau's privileges, interest, and 
 birthright, were subjected to Jacob. In 
 the history of their descendants it was 
 frequently literally fulfilled. Thus 
 David subdued the Edomites (2Sam. 
 8 : 14) , and subsequent conquests are 
 
 mentioned (2 Kings 8:21; U : 7; 22, etc.). 
 
 Finally they were conquered by John 
 Hyrcanus and incorporated into the 
 Jewish nation ("Jos. Antiq." XIII., 
 9,1). 
 
 13. And with this accords the word 
 of the prophet : As it is written, in 
 Mai. 1 : 23 ; Jacob have, etc. — rather, 
 Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. Paul 
 is very concise, but his readers were 
 doubtless fiimiliarwith the prophecy of 
 ]Malachi and the history of P^sau. More 
 fully the passage reads : ' ' Jacob I loved ; 
 but Esau I hated and made his moun- 
 tains a desolation, and gave his heritage 
 to the jackals of the wilderness." Paul 
 appears to quote this to show that the 
 Divine purpose quoted in ver. 12 had 
 actually been carried out. Some, how- 
 ever, refer the words to God's original 
 purpose respecting the brothers, giving 
 Jacob the preference, allotting to him a 
 
120 
 
 KOMANS 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 11 What shall we say then? »7s there 
 unrighteousness with God? God for- 
 
 15 bid. For lie saith to Moses, I will 
 have mercy on whom I will have 
 mercy, and* I will have compassion on 
 
 16 whoni I will have compassion. So 
 then '• it is not of him that willeth, nor 
 of him that runneth, but of God that 
 
 17 showeth mercy. For the Scripture 
 saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this 
 same purpose have I raised thee up, 
 
 14 What then shall we say ? Is there un- 
 righteousness with God? Far be it! 
 
 15 For he says to Moses, I will have 
 mercy on whomsoever I have mercy, 
 and 1 will have compassion on whom- 
 
 IG soever I have compassion. So then 
 it is not of him who nills, nor of 
 him who runs, but of (iod who has 
 
 17 mercy. For the Scripture says to 
 Pharaoh, For this very purpose did I 
 raise thee up, that 1 m'ight show forth 
 
 a See refs. Gen. 18 : 25. 
 
 b Johu 1 : 12, 13 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 26-31 ; Heb. 12 : 17 
 
 goodly land, and barren mountains to 
 Esau. Thus he treated one with ten- 
 derness and affection, and the other with 
 severity. The word hate when used in 
 contrast to love sometimes means not 
 positive hatred, but less love, or the 
 
 absence of love. (See Gen. 29 : 30, 33.) But 
 
 there is really no need of this explana- 
 tion here, since Malachi (i = *) says, 
 "The people against whom the Lord 
 hath indignation forever. ' ' God's indig- 
 nation does not partake of the unholy, 
 passionate anger of man, but of righteous 
 opposition to sin. Thus far Paul has 
 shown that the right to be the children 
 of promise depends not on mere natural 
 descent from Abraham, nor upon any 
 works of our own, but absolutely upon 
 the good pleasure and free favor of 
 God. 
 
 14-18. Paul proceeds to show that 
 so far from there being any injustice in 
 God's dealings with men, according to 
 his own purpose, that these deal- 
 ings WERE DESIGNED FOR WISE AND 
 MERCiFiL ENDS. Tliis is illustrated by 
 the case of Pharaoh. 
 
 14, What shall we say then ? 
 What shall we infer? Is there un- 
 righteousness w^ith God. Away 
 the thouyht. The question is gen- 
 eral, referring not merely to the case 
 of Jacob and Esau, but to the gen- 
 eral principle of God's government 
 which it ilhustrated. The Jew, the 
 ( 'liristian, and every believer in the Old 
 Testament, would alike liold that God 
 is supremely righteous (I's. 92 : 15). 
 
 15. I'or — to confirm and illustrate 
 tlie negative answer which he had just 
 given ill the preceding verse. He 
 saith to Moses, whose name would 
 add emphasis, and whose writings were 
 to be received as of unquestioned au- 
 thority. To Paul God's word was 
 final. The quotation is from Exod. 3.'} : 
 19, in the words of the Septuagint ver- 
 
 sion. More exactly translated : I Will 
 have mercy on whom / have mercy 
 and I will have compassion on 
 whom I have conqmssion. In this, 
 God declares that he has the absolute 
 right of choice in the exercise of his 
 mercy and compassion. Both mercy 
 and compassion have reference to the 
 exercise of sympathy and favor toward 
 the miserable and wretched, but the 
 latter is the stronger term, a bewailing 
 sympathy, suited to exclamation and 
 tears. Read the whole account in Exod. 
 33 : 17-23 and 34 : 5-10. Notice that in 
 this verse God is speaking of the exer- 
 cise of his mercy. He is perfectly free 
 from obligation to any one in choosing 
 the objects of his mercy. 
 
 16, So then it is evident from the 
 declaration of God himself that it is 
 not of him that willeth (John 1 : 13), 
 nor of him that runneth, it is not 
 of any act of the human Mill however 
 strong, nor of any personal effort how- 
 ever great (the figure is derived from 
 the race), but of God that showeth 
 mercy. God's mercy and grace are 
 prominent in the apostle's mind. (Comp. 
 Phil. 2:13.) Euiiiiing in the footrace 
 Mas a favorite figure Mith Paul (1 cor. 9 : 
 
 24-26 ; Gal. 2 : 2 ; 5 : 7 ; Phil. 2 : 16) , 
 
 17, In this verse the apostle in- 
 stances the case of Pharaoh, upon 
 whom, according to the principle of 
 ver. 1.5, God did not exercise mercy, 
 but left him to his omii Micked Mays, 
 and gave him up to hardness of heart. 
 The Scripture — that is, God through 
 the Scripture, recognizing God as its 
 author. (Comp. Gai. 3 : 8, 22.) Pharaoh, 
 in the very time of Moses, and a promi- 
 nent representative case. The quota- 
 tion is from Exod. 9 : 16, folloM'ing the 
 Septuagint, except in the first cjause. 
 Kven for this same purpose, for 
 this very end in vicir, I raised thee 
 up. The exact meaning is much dis- 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 121 
 
 that I might show my power in thee, 
 and that my name might be declared 
 18 throughout "all the earth. Therefore 
 hath he mercy on whom he will have 
 mercy, and whom he will « he hard- 
 eneth. 
 
 my power in thee, and that my name 
 
 might be announced in all the earth. 
 
 IS So then, on whom he will he has 
 
 mercy, and whom he will he hardens. 
 
 c See refs. Exod. 4 : 21. 
 
 puted. The Hebrew is: " I made thee 
 to stand," which the Septuagint trans- 
 lates," Thou wast preserved," or " main- 
 tained." Since God said this after the 
 sixth plague, he may mean that Phar- 
 aoh had been kept in his position as an 
 illustrious man and king thus far. But 
 this hardly comes up to the full mean- 
 ing of the Hebrew. Some translate the 
 Greek as given by Paul, roused thce^ up 
 — that is, to resistance, referring to the 
 effect of God's dealings upon the heart 
 of the wicked monarch. It is said that 
 Paul draws from ver. 17 what he says 
 in ver. 18, and therefore rouse thee up 
 in its efiect must be nearly synonymous 
 with hardeneth. It is an objection to 
 this interpretation that it is too far re- 
 moved from the natural meaning of the 
 Hebrew, made thee to stand. The more 
 natural meaning of the Greek is, / 
 raised thee up, either, brought thee into 
 existence, or raised thee up to a public 
 position as a king, or including both 
 ideas. This latter, however, seems too 
 strong for the Hebrew. The general 
 idea, " I have raised thee up as a man, | 
 and a king to thy present position, j 
 seems better to accord with all the ! 
 circumstances of the case. Almost to 
 the same effect. Dr. Arnold ("Am. 
 Com."), extending this idea a little, 
 says : " ' I have given thee thy place in 
 history ', as the verb is used in Matt. 11 : 
 11 ; 24 : 11 : John 7 : 52, etc. This gen- 
 eral sense alone suits the context and 
 the apostle's argument." That I 
 might show forth my power in 
 thee, in thy overthrow, and that my 
 name, in consequence of my righteous 
 judgments upon thee, might be de- 
 clared, pi(5/?sAc(Z abroad in all the 
 earth, through all time and unto most 
 distant places. This was in accordance 
 with his own will, but for wise and 
 beneficent ends. Thereby his name was 
 glorified and his holy and righteous 
 character was made known. 
 
 18. Therefore — a conclusion from 
 the last verse and also from ver. 14-17, 
 hath he mercy on whom he will, 
 
 and whom he will he hardeneth. 
 
 In the Mosaic account the two sides of 
 this hardening are presented : (1) Pha- 
 raoh's agency in producing it (exoci. s : 
 15,32; 9 :34); (2) God's agcucy in effect- 
 ing it (Exod. 4 : 21 ; 7:3; 9 : 12 ; 10 : 20, 27 ; 
 
 11 : 10). Everywhere in the New Testa- 
 ment the word translated harden is 
 used in a moral sense to render obsti- 
 nate or stubborn in impenitence (Acts 19 : 
 
 9; Heb. 3 : 13, etc.). But iu what SCUSC is 
 
 it said that God hardened Pharaoh's 
 heart ? ( 1 ) God is said sometimes to do 
 that which he permits. Thus God is 
 said to have moved David to number 
 Israel (2 sam. 24 : 1), when he permitted 
 Satan to move David to do it (ichron. 
 21 : 1); (2) God gives over men to their 
 own ways, to hardness and impenitence 
 of heart (1 : 24, 28 ; 2 Thess. 2 : 11) ; (3) God 
 is said to do that which indirectly and 
 incidentally results from his agency. 
 Thus in Isa. 6 : 10 the prophet is com- 
 manded to make the heart of this people 
 fat and their ears heavy, etc., which 
 would be the indirect and incidental 
 result of his preaching. It is possible 
 that the last two may have been united 
 in Pharaoh's case. He was not obliged 
 to sin ; but in the judgments upon him 
 for his cruelty and impiety, he appears 
 like one given over to a delusion, and 
 w^hat would have influenced aright a 
 well-constituted mind, led him to 
 greater wickedness, God exercised to- 
 ward him great forbearance (ver. 22) ^ 
 but this only helped him forward in 
 
 his wicked course. (Comp. 2 : 2, 4; 2Peter 
 
 3 : 4, 9, 15, 16. ) If any one thinks that the 
 language demands more than the above, 
 then it is possible that in his case God 
 took away supernaturally his fear of 
 consequences, and thus he was left free 
 to act out his own evil inclinations 
 without restraint or dread of punish- 
 ment. The moral character of his ac- 
 tions would not be changed, and the 
 strong expression and Pharaoh's blind- 
 ness to consequences, are both account- 
 ed for. " Whatever difiiculty there 
 lies in the assertion, that God hardeneth 
 
122 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why 
 doth he yet hnd fault ? For <i who 
 
 hath resisted his will ? 
 
 20 Nay but, O man, i^who art thou that 
 repliest against God ? *■ Shall the thing 
 formed say to him that formed it, Why 
 
 21 hast thou made me thus ? Hath not the 
 e potter power over the clay, of the same 
 lump to make •> one vessel unto honour, 
 
 22 and another unto dishonour ? What if 
 
 19 Thou wilt say then to me, Why then 
 does he still lind fault? For who re- 
 
 20 sists his will? Kay but, O man, who 
 art thou tliat repliest against God? 
 fcfhall the thing formed say to him who 
 formed it. Why ditlst thou make me 
 
 21 thus? Has not the potter a right over 
 the clay, out of the same lump to 
 make one part a vessel unto honor. 
 
 22 and another unto dishonor? And 
 
 d Job 23 : 13 ; Dan. 4 : 35. 
 
 e Job 33 : 13 ; 36 : 23. / See refs. Isa. 64 :8. 
 h Jer. 22 : 28 ; Acts 9 : 15 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 20. 
 
 g Prov. 16 : 4 ; Jer. 18 : 6. 
 
 whom he will, lies also in the daily 
 course of his providence, in which we 
 see this hardening process going on in 
 the case of the prosperous ungodly 
 man" (Alford). 
 19-29. Man not competent to 
 
 CALL in question GOD'S DEALINGS. 
 
 God's eight and" prerogative as 
 Creator exercised in such a man- 
 ner AS TO display his JUSTICE AND 
 HIS MERCY. And THIS ACCORDS 
 WITH PROPHECY. 
 
 19. In view of the statement of 
 ver. 18, Paul presents an objection 
 which he must have met in his own ex- 
 perience and which has been common 
 with the unrenewed in every age. 
 Thou wilt say then unto me, 
 from the low plane of human reason, 
 Why doth he sti/l find fault, and 
 blame me as responsible, when he con- 
 trols all things according to his own 
 will ? The question implies that there 
 is no reason for finding fault. For 
 Avho hath resisted, n'ho irithstands 
 his will or purpose f The Jew was 
 accustomed to regard all Jews elect, 
 and all non-Jews substantially non- 
 elect and reprobate. The idea that the 
 Jews were largely passed over and that 
 the true Israel was largely from among 
 Gentiles aroused his rebellious nature 
 against God, and even the Cliristian 
 Jew found it difficult to adju.st his 
 thoughts and emotions to the idea of 
 God's supreme and absolute right to 
 select Gentiles ratlier than Jews as mem- 
 bers of his kingdom. It often must 
 have produced a severe struggle, and 
 aroused tlie old nature. 
 
 20. Nay— If7/o then art thou, for- 
 sooth — an expression of some .severity 
 and rebuke, iind perhaps of contempt. 
 O man, O htnnan heinq, weak, insig- 
 nificant, and ignorant, that thou re- 
 pliest a§^ainst (^od, acting like a 
 judge, questioning, tlisputing with him. 
 
 the All Wise, the Almighty, and the 
 Holy One. Unbecoming, incapable, 
 and arrogant. ( Comp. Job 38 : i, 2 ; 40 : 1-5 ; 
 42:1-6.) Shall the thing formed, or 
 molded, say to him that formed, or 
 molded it, Why didst thou make me 
 thus? The language .of Isa. 29 : 16 
 and 45 : 9 used in part. The form of 
 the question demands a negative 
 answer — By no means — Not to a human 
 molder, much less to the Di\4ne Molder. 
 The very thought is absurd. The con- 
 ception here is not so much the creat- 
 ing as the forming, shaping, arranging, 
 and adjusting, that already created. 
 It is however the Creator who is doing 
 this. The creature is not in the posi- 
 tion to judge his Maker, or question his 
 wisdom or his right to do as he pleases. 
 21. Hath not the potter power, 
 or a right, to decide over the clay of 
 the same lump, or moss, mixed with 
 water and kneaded, to make one 
 vessel unto honor, to be put to that 
 use, and another unto dishonor, 
 for an ignoble use. ( Comp. 2 Tim. 2 : 20 ; 
 1 Cor. 12:23.) Thcrc sceius a free refer- 
 ence to Jer. 18 : 4-6. Such familiar al- 
 lusions and comparisons from the Old 
 Testament would come with special 
 force to believing Jewish readers. In 
 the application of this question to our 
 race, the lump would represent the 
 mass of sinful men, who had no claim 
 to be made vessels unto honor. The 
 main thought, here, however, is, that 
 God, the Maker, has the absolute right 
 to act his own ])lcasure in the formation 
 and government of his creatures. And 
 accordingly, while he does not make 
 them evil, he nuiy exercise sovereign 
 grace, as their Creator, in choosing 
 some from among sinful men for a 
 nolder use, while he may employ others 
 (litlen'utly ; but in either case he is 
 under no obligation to give account to 
 anv of his creatures. 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 123 
 
 God, willing to show his wrath, and to 
 make his power known, 'endured with 
 much longsuffering the vessels of 
 
 23 wrath ^ fitted to destruction ; and that 
 he might make known i the riches of 
 his glory on the vessels x)f mercy, 
 which he had "^ afore prepared unto 
 
 24 glory, even us, ° whom he hath called, 
 o not of the Jews only, but also p of the 
 Gentiles? 
 
 what if God, willing to show forth his 
 wrath, and to make known his power, 
 endured in much long-suffering ves- 
 
 23 sels of wrath fitted for perdition ; and 
 that he might make known the riches 
 of his glory on vessels of mercy, 
 which he before prepared for glory ; 
 
 24 whom he also called, even us, not 
 from Jews only, but also from Gentiles ? 
 
 i Num. 14 : 11, 18 ; 1 Peter 3 : 20. kl Peter 2:8; Jude 4. 12:4; Col. 1 : 27. ml Thess. 5 : 9. 
 n 8 : 28-30 ; 1 Cor. 1:9. o Eph. 2 : 11-18. p Ps. 22 : 27. 
 
 22. Having rebuked the spirit of 
 the objector in ver. 19, and shown the 
 right of the maker in forming the 
 thing made, the apostle now proceeds 
 to apply the principle to God in his 
 prerogative as Creator, in forming and 
 governing all things. And what will 
 any created being have to say, if God 
 willing, choosing to show forth his 
 wrath and to make known his 
 power, that ivhich was possible on his 
 part, that is, to exhibit his displeasure 
 against sin and his power to punish it, 
 endured with much long-suffer- 
 ing vessels of wrath fitted for 
 destruction, ready to enter into utter 
 ruin (Phil. 3 : 19). Notice, (1) Tliat 
 while the right of God as Creator and 
 Judge is absolute, he exercises this 
 right with long- suffering. (2) That 
 the rvill and the poiver to maintain 
 right are two grand essentials of a 
 moral government. (3) That the long- 
 suffering and the displeasure are both 
 exercised toward vessels of wrath, those 
 already connected with the Divine 
 wrath and fallen under it. (4) It is 
 not said of the vessels of wrath, as of 
 those of mercy, that they were " afore 
 prepared" (ver. 23), but merely ,^/;^ecZ, 
 that is, prepared by obstinate persever- 
 ance in unbelief for destruction or per- 
 dition. Some take the verb in the 
 middle voice and translate fitting them- 
 selves for destruction. But the mean- 
 ing is essentially the same in either 
 rendering. It could hardly be said 
 tliat God endures with much long-suf- 
 fering what he himself has prepared. 
 The reader might be reminded of the 
 case of Pharaoh (ver. 17), but the imme- 
 diate reference was to the unbelieving 
 Jews. 
 
 23. And that he might. Some- 
 thing needs to be mentally supplied, 
 such as, "What if he did this?" or 
 " What if hie endured ? " in order that 
 
 he might make known the riches, 
 
 etc. The idea of the patience of God 
 seems connected with both the vessels 
 of wrath and of mercy. "The instant 
 destruction of the vessels of ivrath (in 
 this case the unbelieving Jews) would 
 have been perfectly just; but God en- 
 dured them with long-suffering (thus 
 tempering his justice with kindness) 
 both the aim and the result of this 
 being the more striking display (by 
 the contrast) of the greatness of his 
 grace toward the vessels of mercy" 
 (Winer's Gram., p. 570). The 
 riches, or tvealth, of his glory, of 
 his goodness, grace, mercy, wisdom, and 
 power, displayed and bestowed upon 
 vessels of /m^/ti/ (Eph. i:6). " Of mercy 
 (ver. 15, 16, 18, 25)^ wMch assumes the for- 
 mer misery of the vessels " (Bengel). 
 Which he had afore, or ivhich he 
 before prepared for glory, by the di- 
 vine process given in 8 : 29, 30, and 
 according to the arrangements of his 
 providence and grace. In thus pre- 
 senting God as acting according to his 
 own will, it is nowhere implied that he 
 acts arbitrarily and without reasons. 
 Read Jer. 18 : 1-12 as a sidelight upon 
 this passage. 
 
 24. A continuation and expansion 
 of the last part of the preceding verse. 
 Even us, etc. — better, IFAom — "the 
 vessels of mercy," he also called, even 
 us, not from Jeivs only but also from 
 Gentiles. The two classes are kept 
 prominent here and throughout the 
 Epistle — Jews and Gentiles; and also 
 God's plans and dealings with them, 
 especially in this and the two following 
 chapters. The Jews are being passed 
 over, and the Gentiles are being called ; 
 but the heirs of promise, the vessels of 
 mercy, are not confined to national 
 lines. The object of God's long-suffer- 
 ing now appears. He might have cast 
 off the unbelieving Jews forever, but 
 
124 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 25 As he saith also in Osee, 1 1 will call 
 them my people, which were not my 
 people ; and lier beloved, which was 
 
 26 not beloved. And it shall come to pass, 
 that in the place where it was said unto 
 them. Ye are not my people ; there 
 shall they be called the children of the 
 living G()d. 
 
 27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, 
 Though the number of the children of 
 Israel be as the sand of the sea, ^ a 
 
 28 remnant shall be saved : for he will 
 tinish the work, and cut it short in 
 righteousness : because a short work 
 wull the Lord make upon the earth. 
 
 29 And as Esaias said before, Except the 
 
 25 As he says also, in Hasea, 
 
 I will "call that my people, which 
 was not my people ; 
 
 And her beloved, who was not be- 
 loved. 
 
 26 And it shall be, that in the place 
 where it was said to them, Ye are not 
 my people, there Avill they be called, 
 
 27 Sons of the living God. And Isaiah 
 cries concerning Israel, 
 
 If the number of the sons of Israel 
 
 be as the sand of the sea, 
 It is the remnant that will be saved ; 
 
 28 For the Lord will do a work on the 
 
 earth, 
 Finishing it and cutting it short. 
 
 29 And as Isaiah has said before, 
 
 q 1 Peter 2 : 10. 
 
 he spared them that the subjects of his 
 grace might be brought to the acknowl- 
 edgment of the truth through the ap- 
 pointed means. ( Comp. 2 Peter 3:9.) 
 
 25. That God has exercised his own 
 divine and absolute right of choice is 
 shown by quotations from the Old Tes- 
 tament: (1) In regard to Gentiles (ver. 
 25.26). (2) In regard to Israel (ver. 27- 
 29). As he saith also in Osee — 
 the Greek for the Hebrew Hosea. 
 The apostle gives the general sense, not 
 the form of the Hebrew (Hosca 2 : 23), I 
 will call, the one, my people which 
 was not my people ; and her be- 
 loved, tcho was not beloved. The 
 primary reference is to the bringing 
 back of the ten apostate tribes to alle- 
 giance to God. But the words illus- 
 trate a principle, and thus have a wider 
 application. God's receiving Gentile 
 sinners is in accordance with what he 
 had in the past declared to be his mode 
 of procedure. Compare the same text 
 quoted in 1 Peter 2 : 10, which is an 
 important parallel passage. 
 
 26. Another quotation to the same 
 effect from Hosea 1 : 10, given almost 
 exactly from the Septuagint. And 
 it shall be, that in the place — 
 whether in the temple, in Palestine, or 
 wherever it may be — where it was 
 said unto them, etc. By analogy 
 and imy)lication Gentiles are included 
 in this Old Testament prophecy. ( Comp. 
 
 Eph. 2 : 11, 19-22.) 
 
 27. Esaias also, etc. Rather, 
 And Isaiah crieth aloud concerning 
 Israel. Paul proceeds to confirm 
 wliat he had said and implied in ver. 
 24, in regard to the Jews. Wliile they 
 would be largely pas.sed over, some 
 
 would be saved. The quotation is from 
 Isa. 10 : 22, 23, nearly as in the Septua- 
 gint, giving the general sense of the 
 passage, which is peculiarly difficult in 
 the Hebrew. Though — better, If— 
 the number of the children of 
 Israel be as the sand of the sea, 
 it is the remnant only that shall be 
 saved. The apostle does not say, nor 
 does he mean, that these words, pri- 
 marily referred to the particular case 
 he had in hand, but he uses them to 
 illustrate a principle, which if appli- 
 cable in one case would be applicable 
 in this analogous case. Shall be 
 saved — in Hebrew shall return. The 
 return is to God by repentance (is»- 
 i0:2i)j which results in salvation (Acta 
 
 2:37). 
 
 28. The quotation is continued, de- 
 claring that what was predicted would 
 be certainly and speedily executed. 
 For he will finish the work, etc. 
 The readings of manuscripts vary much 
 here. The most approved is : The 
 Lord n'ill execute his ivord upon the 
 earth, finishing if and emitting it short. 
 He would bring the work to which his 
 word referred to an end, and hasten it 
 to a conclusion. Paul brings out the 
 point of the Hebrew sufficiently and 
 fairly for his purpose. The Lord will 
 execute summary judgments on Israel, 
 leaving only a remnant saved through 
 mercy. So a remnant will now be 
 saved through the same mercy. 
 
 29. A further confirmation from 
 prophecy regarding the remnant only 
 that shoidd be saved. And, the small 
 number of Jewi.sh believers fulfills 
 another prediction, as Isaiah said 
 before, earlier than the one just 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 125 
 
 Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, 
 we had been as Sodoma, and been 
 made like unto Gomorrah. 
 
 The Jews rejected for unbelief; faith indis- 
 pensable to salvation. 
 
 30 WHAT shall we say then? ^That 
 the Gentiles, which followed not after 
 righteousness, have attained to right- 
 eousness, "even the righteousness 
 
 31 which is of faith : but Israel, ^ which 
 followed after the law of righteous- 
 ness, hath not attained to the law of 
 
 32 righteousness. Wherefore? y Because 
 they sought it not by faith, but as it were 
 by the works of the law. For *they 
 
 If the Lord of Sabaoth had not left 
 
 us a seed. 
 We should have become as Sodom, 
 And been made like to Gomorrah. 
 
 30 What then shall we say ? That Gen- 
 tiles, who were not following after 
 righteousness, obtained righteousnass, 
 but righteousness which is of faith ; 
 
 31 but Israel, following after a law of 
 righteousness, did not arrive at [such] 
 
 32 a law. Wherefore? Because [they 
 sought it] not by faith, but as if it were 
 by works of law. They stumbled 
 
 « Isa. 13 : 19 ; Jer. 50 : 40. « 1 : 18-32 : 10 : 20. m 1 : 17 ; Phil. 3:9. 1 10 : 2 ; 11 : 7. 
 y 4 : 16 ; 10 : 3. z Luke 2 : 34 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 23. 
 
 quoted. This is from Isa. 1 : 9, and 
 quoted exactly from the Septuagiiit. 
 Except the Lord of Sabaoth {of 
 Hosts, or Armies, as often in the Old 
 Testament) had left us a seed (the 
 Hebrew equivalent is, "a small rem- 
 nant"), we had become as Sodom, 
 and had been made like unto Go- 
 morrah. The prophet describes the 
 temporal calamity then endured by the 
 people, which would have resulted in 
 their total destruction had it not been 
 for God's sparing mercy. They were 
 indeed representatives and types of the 
 spiritual future. The fact that tliey 
 were Jews did not then save them, 
 neither would it now. Notice through 
 all the argument of this chapter how 
 the mercy, long-suifering, and patient 
 endurance of God are kept prominent 
 
 (ver. 6. 15, 16, 18, 22, 24, 25, etc.). Had itnot 
 
 been for Divine love, all, both Jews and 
 Gentiles, would have been lost, 
 
 30-33. Conclusion of the discussion 
 of the chapter. The passing over of 
 Israel, though comprehended in 
 THE Divine purpose, was through 
 their own fault. How Gentiles at- 
 tained unto righteousness. The reason 
 of Israel's failure. 
 
 30. What shall we say then to 
 this ? What conclusion shall we draw 
 from this argument? The result was 
 not such as either Jew or Gentile would 
 have expected. But Paul answers in 
 the light of the whole preceding discus- 
 sion, and of the righteousness through 
 faith which he had developed. We say 
 then. That the Gentiles, better, 
 That Gentiles, that portion of them 
 that had believed on Christ, vho fol- 
 lowed not after righteousness, 
 
 I having no revelation to hold up this 
 
 [ object for their attainment, obtained 
 
 I righteousness, not of works as man 
 might expect, but righteous7iess which 
 is of faith, the true righteousness. 
 The figure of the race-course and ob- 
 taining the prize is used. Gentiles, 
 though they ran not after righteousness, 
 yet obtained righteousness at the goal 
 of the race-course, but not of works, or 
 
 ] merits of their own, but through faith, 
 
 i as a result from faith. 
 
 I 31. But Israel, the greater part 
 of the nation, tvho followed after a 
 law^ of _ righteousness, this being 
 
 1 their object in observing the Mosaic 
 law, and its perfect observance would 
 have secured righteousness (Luke lo : 28), 
 did not arrive at that /aw, or at such a 
 lau\ They did not attain their object, 
 the law did not prove to be a law of 
 righteousness to them ; they did not at- 
 tain to that principle of holy life which 
 would insure their acceptance with 
 God. The last righteousness is not 
 found in the best manuscripts ; but it is 
 clearly understood. 
 
 32. Wherefore this failure on Is- 
 rael's part ? This was the special ques- 
 tion that now needed solving. He had 
 suggested the answer regarding Gen- 
 tiles. God had called them (ver. 23, 24), 
 and they had attained it through faith 
 (ver. 31). But why did Israel fail, when 
 Gentiles succeeded? Because they 
 sought it not by faith, but as it 
 were, better, biit as being from works 
 of law, as though righteousness were to 
 be attained in that way. " 'As ' suggests 
 that such a pursuit was only a vain 
 imagination" (BoiSE). According to 
 many critics, of the law should be 
 
126 
 
 ROJVIANS 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 33 stumbled at that stumblingstone ; as 
 it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a 
 8tumblinj,^stone and rock of offence : 
 and a whosoever believeth on him shall 
 not be ashamed. 
 
 33 against the stone of stumbling ; as it 
 is written, Beliold, I lay in Zion a 
 stone of stumbling, and a rock of of- 
 fense ; and he that believes on him 
 shall not be put to shame. 
 
 omitted. In either case the meaning 
 is tlie same. Tlie word law, if omitted, 
 is implied, and there is much manu- 
 script authority for it. For, is omit- 
 ted by the best authorities. The 
 thought however is implied. They 
 stumbled at that stumbling- 
 stone, better, against the stone of 
 stumhiing, the well-known stone, fore- 
 told in the next verse. 
 
 33. This is a composite quotation, 
 uniting two passages from Isaiah (28 : le ; 
 8 : 14) and follows closely the Hebrew\ 
 The Jews referred both quotations to 
 the Messiah. The former declares, Be- 
 hold I lay in Zion " a stone, a tried 
 stone, a precious corner stone of a sure 
 foundation." Instead of these words 
 in quotation marks, Paul substitutes 
 from the latter passage, a stone of 
 stumbling and a rock of offense, which 
 evidently referred to the Messiah. Com- 
 pare the same passages, quoted in 
 1 Peter 2 : 6, 8. See also Simeon's allu- 
 sion to Isa. 8 : 14, 15, in speaking of 
 Jesus as " set for the falling and rising 
 of many in Israel" (i-uko2:34). Such 
 references in ancient prophecy were 
 often made in times of calamity to the 
 Messiah as an encouragement to his 
 people. They showed that God had 
 purposes which ensured their safety. 
 They implied that many woidd stumble 
 and be oifended at the Messiah, and 
 perish ; but that those who believed on 
 him should not be put to shame, but 
 would realize all their hopes. Shall 
 not be ashamed — from the Septua- 
 gint. The Hebrew is "shall not make 
 haste," that is, shall not flee in terror. 
 This yields a secondary meaning, shall 
 have no reason for fear or shame, shall 
 not be confounded. Thus while Paul 
 gives the reason of Israel's failing so 
 largely of the l>enetits of the Messiah, 
 he indicates that it was their own fault. 
 " He came to his own and his own re- 
 ceived him not " (J"iin i : n). 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. Christian experience has to do Avith 
 the innermost depths of the heart, and is 
 
 attested by conscience and the Spirit ( ver. 
 1 ; Acts 23 : 1 ; 8 : 10, 2G). 
 
 2. The extremes of joy and sorrow often 
 meet in the Christian's soul (ver. 2 ; 8 : 38, 
 39; 2 Cor. 2 : 2-4, 12-14). 
 
 3. It is a distinguishing mark of soul- 
 winners that they are deeply concerned 
 and often heavily burdened for the sal- 
 vation of sinners (ver, 1-3 ; Phil. 3 : 18 ; 
 Gal. 4 : 19). 
 
 4. It is natural and right that we should 
 be anxious for the salvation of our kin- 
 dred (ver. 3, 4 ; 10 : 1 ; Esther 8:6). 
 
 5. Our external relations to the people 
 of God may prove our ruin (ver. 4, 5 ; 10 : 
 2,3). 
 
 6. Christ is the God-man who is over all, 
 blessed forever (ver. 5 ; 1 : 3, 4 ; Matt. 28 : 
 18; Johnl : 1, 18). 
 
 7. God knows no failure in his promises 
 or his purposes (ver. 6 ; 2 Peter 3:9; Isa. 
 55 : 11). 
 
 8. No external circumstances such as 
 pious parents, church ordinances and 
 privileges, can make us true children of 
 God (ver. 6-8, 4. 15 ; 3 : 9-18 ; Luke 3:8). 
 
 9. They only who are born of the Spirit 
 are the children of promise, and hence 
 the true children of God (ver. 6-9 ; John 
 1 : 13). 
 
 10. " Though children prior to birth do 
 neither good nor evil, yet they may be 
 naturally depraved. They neither hun- 
 ger nor thirst, yet are hunger and thirst 
 natural appetites. They exercise neither 
 love nor anger, yet these are natural pas- 
 sions. They know probably neither joy 
 nor sorrow, yet these are natural emo- 
 tions " (HoDGE). (Ver. 9-11 ; Gen. 6:5; 
 8 : 21 ; Jer. 17 : 9 ; Ps. 51 : 3-5 ; 58 : 3, 4). 
 
 11. God had a plan in making all 
 things, a purpose in arranging all events, 
 and an election or selection of his people 
 (ver. 11-13 ; Heb. 3 : 4 ; 1 Thess. 1:4; Eph. 
 3: 11). 
 
 12. Election is according to the fore- 
 knowledge of God. As we cannot con- 
 ceive a time when the Allwise God had 
 not decreed, nor when he did not fore- 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 127 
 
 know, we must conclude that his decrees 
 and foreknowledge were coexistent and 
 coeternal (ver. 11-13 ; 8 : 29 ; 1 Peter 1:2). 
 
 13. The thought that there can be any 
 unrighteousness in God is repugnant to 
 a rightly constituted mind and cannot for 
 a moment be entertained. He is the im- 
 mutable standard of right and truth (ver. 
 4; 3 :6; Gen. 18:25). 
 
 14. Scriptural election is unconditional 
 but beneficent, according to God's own 
 good and absolute pleasure. Men are 
 elected to salvation but not to perdition 
 (ver. 14-16 ; Eph. 1 : 11, 12 ; 1 Tim. 2:4.) 
 
 15. God is in no sense the author of sin. 
 The wicked are their own destroyers. If 
 left to their own wicked course they have 
 no right to complain (ver. 17-20; Rev. 15 : 
 4; Hoseal3 : 9). 
 
 16. God's glory, the manifestation of 
 his perfections, is the greatest and highest 
 end of all things (ver. 17, 22, 23 ; Rev. 4 : 
 11). 
 
 17. " It is not optional with God whether 
 he shall be wise, or great, or just, or true, 
 or holy ; but it is optional with him 
 whether he shall show mercy to sinners 
 or leave them to perish in their sins. How 
 appropriate then the publican's prayer, 
 ' God be merciful to me, a sinner ' " (Pen- 
 dleton) . (Ver. 17-20 ; Matt. 20 : 15 ; 2 Tim. 
 2: 13; Luke 18: 13). 
 
 18. God's sovereignty and man's free 
 agency must both be accepted as the 
 teaching of Scripture. We must believe 
 that they are in complete harmony. The 
 free moral agency of men and human re- 
 sponsibility appear to be not only a matter 
 of fact but also a divine decree (ver. 19- 
 24 ; Ps. 110 : 3 ; Ezek. 18:4, 20-32). 
 
 19. It is because man is ignorant and 
 depraved that he finds fault with his 
 Maker (ver. 19 ; Job 42 ; 3-6). 
 
 20. The doctrine of election appears as 
 a fact and a principle of the divine gov- 
 ernment in the case of Israel (ver. 12-18, 
 27-29; 11 : 7). 
 
 21. In election Grod is but carrying out 
 his own inherent right as Creator and 
 Former of all things and Ruler of the 
 universe (ver. 19-24 ; Dan. 4 : 35). 
 
 22. God may also exercise a personal 
 election in the choice of individuals to 
 eternal life (ver. 24, 27, 29 ; 8 : 28-30 ; Acts 
 13:48). 
 
 23. Men as fallen intelligent beings are 
 considered as objects of election (ver. 21 ; 
 Eph. 2:10). 
 
 24. Opposition to the doctrine of elec- 
 tion shows a want of confidence in God 
 as the moral governor of the universe (ver. 
 19-21 ; Ps. 94 : 10). 
 
 25. How wonderful the patience of God 
 toward sinners, and how surprising their 
 abuse of it (ver. 22 ; 2:2-4; 1 Peter 3 : 9, 
 15; 2 Peter 2: 1-3). 
 
 26. God has his own wise and good rea- 
 sons, which if known would explain 
 why some are saved and some are lost, the 
 ground of the condemnation of sinners 
 being always in themselves (ver. 2.5-33 ; 
 John 3 : 18, 19). 
 
 27. In the doctrine of election we catch 
 a glimpse of God's plan of working, of 
 the secret things that belong to him ; but 
 in other things revealed we see plainly 
 our duty (ver. 30 ; Dent. 29 : 29). 
 
 28. The doctrine of election should pro- 
 duce humility, submission, confidence, 
 peace, and diligence (ver. 22-33; Ps. 115 : 
 1 ; 2 Peter 1 : 10 ; Phil. 2 : 12, 13). 
 
 29. The doctrine of election should be 
 preached only in love and in great ten- 
 derness (ver. i, 2, 22, 29 ; 10 : 1 ; 11 : 20, 21 ; 
 Luke 19 : 41, 42). See " Homiletic Uses of 
 the Doctrine of Election," Bibliotheca Sa- 
 cra, Jan., 1893, pp. 79-92. 
 
 30. Salvation does not come to men ar- 
 bitrarily but is obtained through faith, or 
 lost through unbelief (ver. 30-32 ; Mark 
 16 : 16). 
 
 31. Error and self-righteousness often 
 prove a greater hindrance to salvation 
 than vice or crime (ver. 30-32 ; Matt. 21 : 
 31). 
 
 32. Christ becomes to every man under 
 the gospel either a sure foundation or a 
 stone of stumbling (ver. 33 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 23, 
 24; 2 Cor. 2: 16). 
 
 33. The Christian will never be disap- 
 pointed or brought to shame through 
 Christ (ver. 33 ; 7 : 25 ; 8 : 37). 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 In this chapter Paul views Israel as 
 unsaved through misguided zeal and ig- 
 norance, though the gospel is adapted 
 and designed for all, and should be 
 preached to all. In chap. 9 the passing 
 over Israel is viewed from the Divine 
 
128 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 10 BRETHREN, »> my heart's desire and 
 prayer to God for Israel is, that they 
 
 2 might Ije saved. For I bear them 
 record ^that they have a zeal of God, 
 <i but not according to knowledge. 
 
 3 For they being ignorant of « God's 
 righteousness, and going about to es- 
 tablish their own f righteousness, have 
 not submitted themselves unto the 
 
 4 righteousness of God. For s Christ is 
 
 10 BRETHREN, my heart's desire and 
 
 prayer to God on their behalf, is that 
 
 •_> tliey may be saved. For I testify for 
 
 them, that they have a zeal for God, 
 
 3 but not according to knowledge. For 
 being ignorant of the righteousness of 
 God, and seeking to establish their 
 own, they did not subject themselves 
 
 4 to the righteousness of God. For 
 
 6 9:1-3; 1 Cor. 9 : 20-22. c 9 : 31 ; John 16 : 2 ; Acts 22 : 3 ; Gal. 1 : 14. 
 
 d 1 Tim. 1 : 13. e 1 : 17 ; 9 : 30. / Luke 16 : 15 ; Phil. 3:9; Rev. 3 : 17, 18. 
 
 g 3 : 25-31 ; Matt. 5 : 17 ; Acts 13 : 38, 39 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 30 ; Gal. 3 : 24 ; Heb. 9 : 7-14. 
 
 side ; ill chap. 10, from the human side. 
 In the former, Paul more especially 
 views his kindred as lost, witli a rem- 
 nant saved ; in this, as savable, from 
 the salvation side, thougli as a people 
 rebellious. In both chapters God is 
 just, faithful, and righteous, and the 
 guilt of Israel entirely their own. In 
 both the exteu.sion of the gospel to Gen- 
 tiles is shown to be according to proph- 
 ecy. 
 
 1-4. Jews savable, yet rxsAYED. 
 The keasoxs given. 
 
 1. Brethren — both Jews and Gen- 
 tiles of the church at Rome. There- 
 fore he speaks of Israel in the third in- 
 stead of the second per.son. My heart's 
 desire, longing preference indeed, im- 
 plying some thought to be supplied. It 
 would indeed l)e the joy and preference 
 of my heart, though I know it is other- 
 wise ordered. The obstacles to their 
 salvation are brought out in the two fol- 
 lowing verses. And prayer to God 
 for Israel — rather, according to the 
 best text, for f hem is (that is, for Israel, 
 9 : 31), that they might be saved — 
 hii'VuUj, for their salvation. Their sal- 
 vation would fill his heart with delight, 
 and for this he prayed. "While he knew 
 that they were rebellious and God had 
 otherwi.se directed, he did not regard 
 their case as hopeless. In order to un- 
 derstand Paul fully in this verse and 
 9 : 1-3, we must put ourselves back in 
 liis place. The Jews considered them- 
 .selves superior to all other nations in 
 matters of religion, and the idea that 
 Gentiles were as good as they, and could 
 be saved as well, was exceedingly re- 
 pugnant to their feelings. The apostle 
 knew this dislike, and he wished toim- 
 I)ress his brethren with his inten.«ie de- 
 sire and love for them. Compare Acts 
 '22 : 21, 22, describing a scene a few 
 months later. 
 
 2. In this and the next verses Paul 
 gives reasons for his afiectionate long- 
 ings for their salvation, and Avhy they 
 did not attain it. For I bear them 
 record, J testify for them, as one who 
 knows by intimate acquaintance and 
 also by experience, that they have 
 a zeal of God — better, /or God — but 
 not according to knowledge, to 
 full knowledge of God and his plan of 
 salvation. Their knowledge was not 
 in proportion to their zeal. Like him- 
 self once, they acted " ignorantly in 
 
 unbelief" ( l Tim. l : is ; Acts 13 : 27) . But 
 
 ignorance under the full light of the 
 gospel, and their own Scriptures, was a 
 crime ; and thus their misdirected zeal 
 was sinful. 
 
 3. For, thus acting not according to 
 a full and proper knowledge, they 
 being ignorant of God's right- 
 eousness, of which he is the author, 
 and which he reveals and imparts ( 3 : 21) , 
 and going about, or, seeking, to es- 
 tablish their own righteousness 
 — to found a righteousness by their own 
 acts — have not submitted — better, 
 did not subject themselves, to the right- 
 eousness of God, and thus did not 
 accept in submission and faith the 
 righteousness which he has ofiered, and 
 which avails before him. The second 
 righteousness in this verse is omitted by 
 the best authorities. Seeking to estab- 
 lish their own, they withheld from God 
 his due, and rejected his ottered right- 
 eousness. That their misguided zeal 
 and ignorance might be removed was 
 doubtless the apostle's earnest prayer. 
 
 4. For introduces an important dec- 
 laration, and an explanation of their 
 failure in not subjecting themselves to 
 the righteousness of God. Literally, 
 For the end of the law is Christ into 
 righteousness, leading into righteous- 
 ness, as a means of attaining right- 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 KOMANS 
 
 129 
 
 the end of the law for righteousness to 
 every one that believeth. 
 
 For Moses describeth the righteous- 
 ness wliich is of the law, "That the 
 man which doeth those things shall 
 
 Christ is the end of law for righteous- 
 ness, to every one that believes. 
 
 5 For Moses" writes that the man who 
 has done the righteousuesj; which is of 
 
 6 the law, shall live in it. But the right- 
 
 h iseh. 9 : 29 ; Ezek. 20 : 11. 
 
 eousness to every one that believeth. In- 
 stead of seeking to establish their own, 
 they ought, therefore, to have accepted 
 God's righteousness. But how is Christ 
 the end of the law? According to 
 some he is the end or termination of the 
 law as a system or means of obtaining 
 righteousness, so that every believer 
 may be justified as such by faith apart 
 from legal obedience (6 : u ; i ■.i,&: Gai. 3 : 
 11-12). According to others, Christ is 
 the end or aim of the law — its ai?n. being 
 the coming and work of Christ, who 
 alone is able to secure righteousness for 
 us. The aim of the law was to make 
 men righteous, and this alone is accom- 
 plished in Christ. Or the aim of the 
 law as a schoolmaster was to lead to 
 
 Christ ( Gal. 3 : 23, 24 ; comp. 1 Peter 1:9:1 Tim. 
 
 1:5). Others, that he is the end, the 
 fiUfiller of the law, having perfectly 
 obeyed its moral precepts in his life, 
 and fulfilled its tj^pes and sacrifices in 
 his death and resurrection. And thus 
 he wrought out a righteousness which 
 is accounted reckoned to the believer. 
 The word laiv is here emphatic, and the 
 scope of the passage is very broad, and 
 much of all pertaining to the above 
 views may be included. Christ is the 
 consummation of the law, including 
 necessarily the aim or scope of the law 
 which terminates as a covenant of works 
 in him. He accomplishes for the be- 
 liever that which the law, if perfectly 
 obeyed, would have secured, namely, 
 acceptance with God and consequent 
 holiness. This accords well not only 
 with \vhat precedes, but with the com- 
 parison which follows in ver. 5-10. The 
 apostle thus prepares the way also for 
 showing that Christ should be preached 
 To every one that believeth. It 
 was very offensive to the self-righteous 
 Jew to tiiink that the Gentile whom he 
 despised should stand on the same level 
 with himself. His heart revolted at the 
 thought of salvation through faith on 
 the same terms to all (ver. 12). 
 
 5-13. The gospel is adapted 
 and designed for all. 
 
 5. Confirmatory of the truth stated 
 
 in ver. 4, Paul introduces a comparison 
 between the righteousness of the law 
 and the righteousness of faith. For 
 Moses describeth, or writeth, etc. 
 According to the best Greek text, For 
 Jloses writeth that the man who has done 
 the righteousness which is of the law 
 shall live iyi it, in that righteousness as 
 a basis or sphere of life. (Comp. 6:2; 
 Col. 3:7.) He that obeys the law's de- 
 mands shall live, enjoy God's favor, on 
 the ground of perfect obedience. ' ' This 
 do and thou shalt live" (Luke 10 : 28). 
 But this very standard brought con- 
 demnation ; for no one can keep the law 
 (chap. 1-3). Even one transgression 
 broke the law, and condemnation en- 
 sued ( Gal. 3 : 10-12) . The Quotation is from 
 Lev. 18 : 5. Shall live— not in the 
 lower sense of a prosperous life in the 
 land of promise, but in the higher sense 
 of eternal life, the favor of God and 
 eternal happiness. " Jewish interpre- 
 ters themselves included in it (life) more 
 than mere earthly felicity in Canaan, 
 and extended their view to a better life 
 hereafter" (Alfoed). It should be 
 noted that Paul attributes Leviticus to 
 Moses as its author. 
 
 6, 7, 8. Paul contrasts the right- 
 eousness which is of faith with the 
 righteousness which is of the law, using 
 Dent. 30 : 11-14, quoted freely, with a 
 running commentary upon it, and ap- 
 plying it to Christ who is the end of the 
 law, and to the gospel to which the law 
 was preparatory. Paul does not mean 
 to say that Moses applied the words as 
 he applies them here. But Moses was 
 speaking of future departures of Israel 
 from God and his law, and of future 
 returns to him. And he afiirms that 
 this commandment which he gives them 
 is not far off", but near them and easily 
 to be ascertained. They were to turn 
 to the Lord with all their heart and all 
 their soul (Deut. 30 : 10). In this they 
 would exercise repentance and faith. 
 The righteous under the old dispensa- 
 tion lived by faith (Heb. 11), and faith 
 was accounted for righteousness (4:9). 
 The prominent thing in Lev. 18 : 5 
 
130 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 6 live by them. > But the righteousness 
 which is of faith spcaketh on this 
 wise, Say not iu thiuc heart, Who shall 
 ascend int<j heaven? (that is, to bring 
 
 7 Christ down from above :) or, \Vho shall 
 descend into the deep? (that is, to 
 bring up Christ again Irom the dead.) 
 
 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh 
 thee, eixn iu thy mouth, and in thy 
 heart : that is, ^ the word of laith, 
 
 9 which we preach ; that ' if thou shalt 
 confess with thy mouth the Lord Je- 
 sus, and shalt believe in thine heart 
 that God hath raised him from the 
 
 10 dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the 
 
 eousness which is of faith says thus, 
 Say not in thy heart, \N ho shall ascend 
 into heaven? (that is, to bring Clirist 
 
 7 down ,) or, who shall descend into the 
 abyss? (that is, to bring up Christ from 
 
 8 the dead.) But what says it? The word 
 is near thee, in tliy mouth, and in thy 
 heart ; that is, the "word of faith, whiefi 
 
 9 we preaeli ; because, if thou confess 
 with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and be- 
 lieve in thy heart that God raised him 
 from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 
 
 1 3 : 22, 23. A; 1 Tim. 4 : 6 ; 1 Peter 1 : 23, 25. 
 
 I Matt. 10 . 32, 33 ; Luke 12 : 8 ; Phil. 2 : 9-11. 
 
 is doing the statutes of the law; the 
 prominent thing in this passage is tuni- 
 ing with all the heart, loving the Lord, 
 and obeying his voice (oeut. 30: lo, 20)^ 
 w hich imply faith iu God. In the for- 
 mer, immediate action in keeping the 
 law is demanded ; iu the latter, a future 
 return to God is spoken of. Tlie one 
 especially demanded works ; the latter 
 faith and obedience. This passage is 
 therefore not only appropriate as the 
 language of faith, but is also fittingly 
 so used by Paul. If it could be thus 
 used of heart service under the law, 
 much more under the gospel. If true 
 of the shadow, much more of the sub- 
 stance. If true of the spiritual re- 
 quirements of the law, much more of 
 the spiritual service of him who is the 
 end of the hiw. 
 
 But the righteousness which is 
 of faith, wliich comes from and is 
 obtained by faith, speaketh on this 
 wise — speaks thus. Moses naturally 
 represents the law (Johui:i7); so the 
 apostle does not present him as speak- 
 ing, but the righteousness of faith, per- 
 sonified, speaks: Say not in thy 
 heart, Who shall ascend into 
 heaven — as if it were an impossible 
 thing, and far otf. That is, applying 
 the words to tlie present case and argu- 
 ment, to brin§r Christ down, as if 
 the Messiali had not yet come, and in 
 order to be saved he must be brought 
 down and be personally present. Or, 
 who shall descend into the deep 
 — theahi/ss. Tlie Hebrew has, "Who 
 shall go over the sea" (oout. 30: 13). 
 Both Paul and Moses took the sea, or 
 the great deep, as the antithesis of 
 heaven, but Paul here gives the idea 
 instead of the exact word. The abyss — 
 
 the bottomless depths — the common 
 realm of the dead. That is, to bring 
 up Christ from the dead (omitting 
 again), as though his resurrection was 
 impossible, op had not taken place. 
 The caution is against unbelief in re- 
 gard to the two main points of faith: 
 (1) That Christ had come; (2) that he 
 had died and risen. The strength of 
 the unbelief, whether mingled with 
 anxiety and perplexity or not, would 
 depend on the sjn ritual condition of 
 the interrogator. The one merely con- 
 vinced of sin intellectually would ask 
 these questions diflerently from one 
 deeply convicted of sin. 
 
 But what saith it ? the righteous- 
 ness which is of faith? The word, 
 the message with the terms of the cove- 
 nant from God is nigh thee, clo.se to 
 thee, in thy mouth, ready to be pro- 
 fessed and proclaimed, and in thy 
 heart, ready to be accepted, remem- 
 bered, and practised. That is, to 
 apply it under the gospel dispensation, 
 the word of faith, the mes.«!age which 
 points to faith in Christ, ever holding 
 it up as necessary to salvation, which 
 we preach, 
 
 9, That, introducing a fuller state- 
 ment of the preceding sentence, the 
 substance of what was preached. But 
 most recent interpreters tran.slate, Be- 
 cause, giving the reason for and con- 
 firming the preceding application of 
 the Mosaic saying to the preaching of 
 the gospel. Because if thou shalt 
 confess, or more exactly, if thou con- 
 fess irith thy month Jesus as Lord, in 
 submission owning him as your supreme 
 Lord and Master (1 Cor. 12 :"3; Matt. 10 : 32), 
 and hefierc in thy heart, not a mere in- 
 tellectual assent and belief, but a deeply 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 131 
 
 heart man °' belie veth unto righteous- 
 ness , aud with the mouth confession 
 is made unto salvation. 
 
 11 For tlie Scripture saith, « Whosoever 
 believeth on him sliail not be ashamed. 
 
 12 For otliere is no difference between 
 the Jew and the Greek : for the same 
 Lord over all Pis rich unto all that call 
 
 13 upon him. For whosoever shall call 
 upon the name of the Lord shall be 
 saved. 
 
 10 For with tlie heart man believes unto 
 rigliteousness ; and with the mouth 
 confession is made unto salvation. 
 
 11 For the Scripture says, whoever be- 
 lieves on him shall not be put to 
 
 12 shame. For there is no distinction be- 
 tween Jew and Greek ; for the same 
 one is Lord of all, rich toward all that 
 
 13 call on him ; for every one who calls 
 on the name of the Lord will be saved. 
 
 m Gal. 2 : 16 ; Phil. 3 ; 9. n 9 : 33 ; Jer. 17 : 7. oi . 22, 29, .30 ; Acts 15 : 9 ; Gal. 3 : 28. p Epli. 1 : 7 ; 2 : 4, 7. 
 
 fixed, cordial, loving faith, that God 
 raised him from the dead, thou 
 shalt be saved, from death and 
 have eternal life (4 : 24, 25; 5 : i , i xhess. 
 1 : 10 ; Heb. 13 : 20). Notice that moKfh and 
 heart are in the same order as in the 
 preceding verse ; that whoever confessed 
 Jesus as Lord would have no need 
 to say, " Who shall ascend," etc. 
 (ver. 6), nor would he who believed in 
 the heart have need to ask, " Who shall 
 descend ? " etc. Also thtxt shall be saved 
 corresponds with shall live (ver. 5), 
 though embracing a fuller meaning. 
 Thus the order in this verse was fixed 
 by the order which precedes. Notice 
 that Paul has taken a step in advance 
 of ver. 4, namely, that faith in the 
 risen Christ and confession of his name 
 are sufficient for salvation. 
 
 10, The statement of the preceding 
 verse is explained by what occurs in 
 actual experience. The apostle now 
 naturally puts faith and confession in 
 the order in which they take place. 
 For with the heart man be- 
 lieveth, or For with the heart faith is 
 exercised, unto righteousness, un- 
 to the attainment of righteousness in 
 justification. But this is not enough. 
 Faith must be followed by confession, 
 without which it is but a dead faith. 
 And with the mouth confession 
 is made unto salvation, unto its 
 complete attainment. As faith mani- 
 fests itself in confession and a life of 
 obedience, so true confession implies 
 faith. The two mutually act on each 
 other. The process goes on. Faith is 
 exercised unto righteoasness not only 
 in justification, but also in sanctifica- 
 tion (Gal. 2:20), and confession is exer- 
 cised unto a complete salvation in tlie 
 development of a full Christian life 
 and a perfect Christian manhood. Thus 
 " the end of your faith " is " the salva- 
 tion of your souls " ( l Peter 1 ; 9). 
 
 11. For, in confirmation of this 
 glorious result of faith and its conse- 
 quent confession, the Scripture saith 
 
 ( Isa. 28 : 16. quotLd already iu 9 : 33) ^ WhOSO- 
 
 ever believeth on him shall not 
 be ashamed — shall not be put to 
 shame — but shall attain the salvation 
 promised and which they expected (5:5. 
 See ou 9: 33). Botli the Hebrew and the 
 Septiiagint read, He that believeth, etc. 
 This the apostle broadens into, Every 
 one, or, ]Vhoever believeth, ihi^wmxiiY^ixX 
 application being in accord with the 
 present state of his argument. This he 
 sustains in the next verse. Here and 
 through the rest of the argument faith 
 only is mentioned, but the confession 
 of Christ as Lord was a necessary con- 
 sequent of faith, and needed no further 
 separate mention. Notice that the 
 apostle passes here in his quotations 
 from Moses to the prophets, who also 
 taught the salvation of believers and 
 the rejection of unbelievers, whether 
 Jews or Gentiles (ver. i3, 19-21). 
 
 12. For — used to confirm the " Who- 
 soever" of ver. 11. Every one, I say, 
 For there is no difference, or dis- 
 tinction, made respecting those who 
 have faith, between Jew and Greek 
 (1 : 16) ; for the same is Lord of all, 
 rich unto all that call upon him. 
 Lord refers naturally to Christ (ver. 9, 
 13, 16). ^ And all the passages quoted re- 
 fer primarily to the time of the Mes- 
 siah. Hich — his tvealth abounds to ac- 
 cept and pardon (isa. 55 : 1-7), toirard 
 all, however numerous the suppliants 
 (Rev. 22:17). Further in regard to the 
 Lordship of Christ, see 14 : 9 ; Acts 10 : 
 
 36; Phil. 2 : 11. (See also on 9: 5.) 
 
 13. To confirm and emphasize the 
 '' all " in ver. 12, Paul quotes (from the 
 Septiiagint) Joel 2 : 32 : For who- 
 soever — literally. For every one who- 
 ever, shall call upon the name of 
 the Lord shall be saved. The same 
 
132 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 14 How then shall they call on him in 
 whom they have not believed ? And 
 how shall they believe in him of whom 
 they have not heard? And how shall 
 
 15 they hear i without a preacher ? And 
 how shall they preacn, r except they 
 be sent? As it is written, » How beau- 
 tiful are the feet of them that preach 
 the gospel of peace, and bring glad 
 
 16 tidings of good things. But 'they 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 How then are they to call on him in 
 Avhom they believed not? And how 
 are they to believe m him of whom they 
 heard not ? And how are they to hear 
 without a preacher? And how are 
 they to preach, unless they are sent 
 forth ? As it is written. 
 
 How beautiful are the feet of those 
 who bring glad tidings of good 
 things ! 
 
 But they did not all obey the glad 
 
 q Titus 1 : 3. 
 
 r Matt. 28 : 18-20 ; 2 Cor. 5 >18-20. 
 
 « Nahuni 1 : 15. 
 
 t John 12 : 37 ; Heb. 4 : 2. 
 
 passage was quoted more fully at Pen- 
 tecost (Acts 2 : 21)^ and refers to Messianic 
 times. The name of the Lord applies 
 to Christ, and includes all that his 
 name imports — Redeemer, Saviour, 
 Lord, and final Judge. The Hebrew 
 in Joel is "the name of Jehovah." 
 Its application to Christ in this verse, 
 which is also demanded by the next 
 verse, distinctly marks the divinity of 
 our Lord. Shall call implies faith 
 (next verse), and a recognition and ac- 
 knowledgment of Christ as a Saviour ex- 
 alted to give repentance and the for- 
 giveness of sins (Acts 5 : 31). 
 
 14-21. The gospel SHorLD be 
 PREACHED TO ALL. The heathen must 
 be evangelized. Missionary intima- 
 tions in the Old Testament. 
 
 14. If the prophets foretold salvation 
 to all, Jews and Gentiles, who should 
 turn to the Messiah, then there was need 
 of preachers and missionaries. ^ Here we 
 have an argument for evangelizing the 
 heathen against Pharisaic jealousy and 
 exclusivenes.s. If then this is the case, 
 as just stated, with Jews and Gentiles 
 (ver. 13), How thcii shall they call 
 on him in Avhoni they have not 
 believed? Calling on the name of 
 the Lord supposes faitli in the message. 
 Such calling as resulted in salvation 
 supposed saving faith (ver. 4-10), But 
 salvation was only to those belie%nng ; 
 and hence the language is equally ap- 
 plicable to unbelieving Jews and Gen- 
 tiles. If the Jews, for example, be- 
 lieve not on the Messiah when he 
 comes, as was foretold (ver. le), then how 
 shall they call upon him and be saved? 
 And how shall they believe in him 
 of whom they have not heard, or 
 of whom they heard not. Thus faith 
 pre-supposes liearing, and hearing a 
 preacher. The language is api)licable 
 to both Jews and Gentiles, especially to 
 the latter. Without this universal pro- 
 
 clamation of the gospel, God's design 
 to extend universally the gospel could 
 not be accomplished. 
 
 15. And now shall they preach 
 except they be sent forth by the 
 Lord and the churches (Acts 13 : 2, 3). If 
 they failed to do this through indiflfer- 
 ence or through prejudice or jealousy, 
 how then could the predicted evangeli- 
 zation take place ? As it is written — 
 showing God's design to have such mes- 
 sengers, and the glad welcome given to 
 their message. The quotation is a free 
 rendering of Isa. 52 : 7, and has pri- 
 mary reference to the return of the 
 people from captivity, which return 
 was typical of a more glorious one of 
 the true Israel under the gospel. How 
 beautiful the feet — the very foot- 
 steps bearing them on over mountain 
 and vale in their divine mission — of 
 them that preach the glad tidings 
 
 of peace (0: l; 8:6: Eph. 2 : 14, 15, 17; 4:3; 
 
 6:15), and bring glad tidings of 
 good things, the rich saving blessings 
 of salvation. The words preach the 
 gospel of peace and, are not found 
 in some of the oldest and best manu- 
 scripts and are omitted by some of the 
 best latest critics. Preachers called of 
 God and directed by the Spirit must be 
 sent forth so that Jews and Gentiles 
 might hear and be vsaved, or be without 
 excuse if thev believed not (ver. ic-is). 
 Comp. Isa. 52': 10 : "The Lord hath laid 
 bare his holy arm in the ej^es of all 
 nations ; and all the ends of the earth 
 shall see the salvation of our God." 
 Paul uses the plural them for the He- 
 brew singular him. The one rej)resents 
 a class ; the other, individuals of that 
 class. 
 
 16. But while the glad tidings were 
 joyfully welcomed by niany, they were 
 rejected also, especially by a large por- 
 tion of Israel. It might be urged as an 
 objection, that the messengers and mes- 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 133 
 
 have not all obeyed the gospel. For 
 Esaias saith, "Lord, Avho hath be- 
 
 17 lieved our report ? So then ^ faith 
 Cometh by hearing, and hearing by the 
 word of God. 
 
 18 But I say, Have they not heard? 
 Yes verily, y their sound went into all 
 the earth, « and their words unto the 
 
 19 ends of the world. But I say. Did not 
 Israel know? First Moses saith, »! 
 
 tidings. For Isaiah says, Lord, who 
 
 17 believed our report? So then faith 
 comes of hearing, and hearing through 
 
 18 the word of Christ. But I say, did 
 they not hear? Yes, verily ; 
 
 Their sound went out into all the 
 
 earth. 
 And their words to the ends of the 
 
 world. 
 
 19 But I say, did Israel not know ? First 
 Moses says, 
 
 M John 12 : 38. x Ver. 14 ; 1 Thess. 2 : 13. 
 
 z See 1 Kings 18 : 10 ; Matt. 4 : 8. 
 
 y Matt. 2-t : 14 ; 28 : 19 ; Col. 1 : 6, 23. 
 all : 11. 
 
 sage had only partially succeeded. But 
 this is what was foretold. But, though 
 thus proclaimed, they have not — 
 rather, they did not all obey the glad 
 tidings — this preaching of the gospel 
 viewed as ideally past. And this ac- 
 cords with the words of the prophet, 
 For Esaias saith, ^Mio believed our 
 report ? A question suggesting a 
 negative answer, implying a very gen- 
 eral unbelief, as exhibited by the Jews. 
 The question is from Isa. 53 : 1, accord- 
 ing to the Septuagint. Report — liter- 
 ally, the things heard, which were to be 
 believed, resulting in salvation, or dis- 
 believed, resulting in inexcusable con- 
 demnation^ 
 
 17. An immediate conclusion from 
 the preceding verse, and also of the 
 argument from ver. 14. Accordingly 
 then faith cometh by hearing, as 
 a result of hearing. The things heard 
 (ver. 16) were regarded by the prophet as 
 the appointed means for believing 
 ("Who hath believed?"). Hence 
 hearing precedes faith, and the right 
 kind of hearing results in faith. And 
 hearing comes by, or through, the 
 word of God, or according to many 
 authorities, the ivord of Christ, that 
 which has been spoken of God, or of 
 Christ. The meaning is essentially the 
 same. It is implied that the revealed 
 message must be proclaimed in order 
 to hearing. The several links of the 
 evangelizing chain of ver. 14 and 15 
 are necessary. The gospel should be 
 preached even though many reject it, 
 both to Jews and Gentiles. 
 
 18. But I say. Have they, or bet- 
 ter, did they not heart this universal 
 message. Has the word of God been 
 proclaimed, and the revelation of Christ 
 made known, and yet not heard ? By 
 no means. Yes, verily, to use the 
 language of the psalmist (ps. i9:4) in 
 
 reference to the heavens which declare 
 the glory of God, their sound, the 
 
 proclamation of these messengers, 
 went into all the earth, and their 
 words unto the ends of the Avorld, 
 
 the inhabited ivorld. It was natural for 
 Paul, as often now with preachers, to 
 clothe his thoughts with the words of 
 Scripture. And most appropriately too, 
 for Paul saw in the universal revelation 
 in the natural Avorld an illustration and 
 type of the world-wide message of the 
 gospel. All revelation of God, whether 
 natural or revealed, came through 
 Christ (John 1:9). A certain uniformity 
 and analogy prevails in God's words 
 and works. The universal voice of the 
 one was the prelude of the universal 
 voice of the other. It had become a 
 fact too in Paul's day. Not only was 
 the gospel proclaimed to both Jews and 
 Gentiles, but starting from Pentecost 
 it had gone witli the converts to their 
 homes in every nation under heaven " 
 (Acts 2: 5). The apo.stles, the disciples 
 " scattered abroad " (Acts 8:5), mission- 
 aries and evangelists, had penetrated 
 the uttermost parts of the earth (i5 : i9; 
 
 James 1:1; Col. 1 : 23 ; 1 Peter 1:1; 5 : 13). The 
 
 quotation is from the Septuagint. The 
 Hebrew line is used of a string of a 
 musical instrument and thence a sound, 
 " Their sound," etc. 
 
 19. But I say, perhaps anticipat- 
 ing a possible objection. Did not Is- 
 rael know? Is it possible that Israel 
 was ignorant of this, the preaching of 
 the gospel to botli Jews and Gentiles ? 
 Was he ignorant of the purposes of 
 God in respect to the reception of the 
 gospel by the Gentiles, and their own 
 unbelief? No, it was not possible, for 
 first, in order of time and of a line of 
 like predictions and warnings, Moses 
 saith (Deut. 32 :2i), in reference to the 
 extension of the gospel to the Gentiles, 
 
13-t 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 will provoke you to jealousy by them 
 that are no people, and by a foolish iia- 
 
 20 tion I will anger you. But Esaias is 
 very bold, and saith, ^i was found of 
 them that sought me not ; 1 was made 
 manifest unto them that asked not 
 
 21 after me. But to Israel he saith, All 
 day long T have stretched forth my 
 hands unto a disobedient and gainsay- 
 ing people. 
 
 I will provoke you to jealousy by 
 those who are no people. 
 
 By a nation without understanding 
 I will provoke you to anger. 
 
 20 But Isaiah is very bold, and says, 
 
 I was found by those who sought me 
 
 not; 
 I became manifest to those who asked 
 
 not after me. 
 
 21 But as to Israel he says, 
 
 All the day long, I spread out my 
 
 hands 
 To a disobedient and gainsaying 
 
 people. 
 
 I will provoke you to jealousy by 
 them that are no people in the 
 
 eyes of Israel, despised by them, and 
 by a foolish nation, one without 
 understanding, unenlightened. I will 
 anger you, or provoke you to anger. 
 Their jealousy and anger would be 
 aroused in seeing their privileges and 
 blessing transferred to nations whom 
 they had regarded as degraded and fool- 
 ish. How striking the meaning and 
 fulfillment of these words to Paul's 
 mind as he saw the prejudice and oppo- 
 sition of the Jews to Gentile Christi- 
 anity and to himself as an apostle to 
 the Gentiles. The quotation is from 
 the Septuagint of Deut. 32 : 21. But 
 from this the Jews might have known 
 that if they forsook God he would trans- 
 fer their pri\ileges to others. 
 
 20. But Esaias is very bold and 
 more decisive than Moses, and saith 
 in regard to the Gentiles, I was 
 found of them that sought me 
 not, I was made manifest unto 
 them that asked not after me. 
 This is from Isa. 65 : 1, quoted from the 
 Septuagint, the two clauses being in- 
 verted by the apostle, perliaps to em- 
 phasize I have found." This verse 
 runs parallel with 9 : 30. The closing 
 words of Isaiah 05 : 1, " Unto a nation 
 that was not called V)y my name," 
 plainly shows that tlic rcfi'rence is to 
 Gentiles. And so Paul understood it 
 and used it. 
 
 21. But God, through Isaiah, to 
 Israel, saith, immediately after in 
 the same chapter (n... 65 2). All day 
 long (pomp. jir. 7 : 13) I havc stretchod 
 forth my hands, in tlie attitude of 
 earnest entreaty, unto a disobe- 
 dient and gainsaying, or contra- 
 dicting, people. Quoted from the Sep- 
 
 tuagint. The Hebrew has "a rebellious 
 people." Free agency and human re- 
 s'ponsibility are here recognized. The 
 apostle is very brief and his argument 
 is somewhat obscure, quoting Scripture 
 without comment and allowing it to 
 speak for itself. His general design is 
 plain. The Jews knew, or ought to 
 have known, from Moses and the 
 prophets, that the gospel was to be ex- 
 tended to the Gentiles, and therefore 
 should be preached to them. They had 
 also been fully warned of their own re- 
 bellion and unbelief. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. So long as there is any hope for the 
 salvation of a sinner, we should labor 
 and pray for him (ver. 1 ; Gen. 18 : 23-32). 
 
 2. Zeal may be productive of great good 
 or great evil. It should be tested in the 
 light of God's truth (ver. 2 ; Acts 26 : 9-11, 
 20, 22, 23). 
 
 3. Ignorance under the gospel may be 
 a palliation, but not an excuse for reject- 
 ing it (ver. 3 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 13 ; Luke 23 : 34 ; 
 
 2 Peter 3 :5). 
 
 4. There is no greater hindrance to sal- 
 vation than self-righteousness. Without 
 renouncing it, the sinner cannot submit 
 himself to the righteousness of God (ver. 
 
 3 ; Luke 18 : 11-13 ; Phil. 3 : 3-11). 
 
 5. The law system 'as a covenant of 
 works is ended in Christ (ver. 4 ; Gal 3 : 
 21,22; Heb. 8: 13; 12:24). 
 
 6. "The law says, 'Do this and live'; 
 the gospel says, ' Live, and do this ' " 
 (Pendleton). The spiritual life through 
 faith in Christ is the source of all right 
 doing (ver. 5-8 ; John 5 : 24 ; Gal. 5 : 22-25). 
 
 7. Palvatiou by works is as impracti- 
 cable for a sinner as ascending int<i 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 135 
 
 The rejection of the Jews neither total nor 
 
 final; their future recovery life to the 
 
 world. 
 
 11 I SAY then, «Hath God cast away 
 his people ? 
 
 11 I SAY then, did God cast away his 
 people ? Far be it ! For I also am an 
 
 c 1 Sam. 12 : 22 ; Jer. 31 : 37 ; Amos 9 : 8. 
 
 heaven, or descending into the abyss 
 (ver. 6, 7; 3:20; 11 : 6). 
 
 8. The terms of salvation are so simple, 
 plain, and easy, that no one need perish 
 (ver. 8. 9 ; Isa. 35 : 8 ; Rev. 22 : 17). 
 
 9. Professing religion is as much a duty 
 as believing (ver. 9; Mark 16 : 16; Acts 
 2:38; Luke 12 : 8, 9). 
 
 10. Saving faith is more than an intel- 
 lectual assent. It is a moral exercise of 
 the soul in which the will, the affections, 
 and the conscience unite (ver. 9, 10 ; Heb. 
 11:1). 
 
 11. The resurrection of Christ is a fun- 
 damental fact and doctrine in the Chris- 
 tian system. Faith in a risen Saviour 
 cannot end in disappointment, nor in any- 
 thing short of complete salvation (ver. 
 9, 11 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 20, 57 ; 1 Peter 1 : 5). 
 
 12. Paul's argument for preaching the 
 gospel to all : (1) Christ has put an end to 
 the Old Testament economy, and to the 
 peculiar privileges of the Jews, which are 
 accessible to all who believe (ver. 4) ; 
 (2) faith in Christ and confession of his 
 name are alone sufficient for salvation 
 (ver. 9) ; (3) that this declaration is uni- 
 versal — all are included (ver. 11). 
 
 13. Christianity is in its nature a uni- 
 versal religion, adapted to every nation 
 and to every age ; to the savage as well as 
 to the most highly civilized (ver. 12, 13 ; 
 John 4 : 21-24 ; Acts 10 : 34, 35). 
 
 14. Paul's missionary argument. The 
 invitation and assurances of the gospel 
 extend to all (ver. 13), but calling implies 
 believing, and believing hearing, and 
 hearing preaching, and preaching mis- 
 sionaries or preachers sent to all (ver. 14, 
 15; Mark 16: 15). 
 
 15. It is the duty of Christians to send 
 missionaries to the heathen and to the 
 spiritually destitute everywhere. "Hoav 
 can they preach, except they be sent" 
 (ver. 15; Matt. 28 : 19, 20). 
 
 16. Missionaries of the gospel are 
 heaven-sent, honored of God, bearing glad 
 tidings productive of salvation, and they 
 
 should receive encouragement and a glad 
 welcome (ver. 15 ; 15 : 29 ; 1 Thess. 1:5). 
 
 17. The fact that only a few may be- 
 lieve does not alter the duty of preach- 
 ing. All should have an opportunity, 
 since they cannot believe unless they 
 hear (ver. 16, 17). 
 
 18. The missionary activities of the 
 apostolic age should stimulate Christians 
 to a like work in every age (ver. 18 ; 1:8; 
 1 Thess. 1:8; Phil, 4 : 15-18). 
 
 19. The seeds of New Testament doc- 
 trine are found in the Old (ver. 19-21 ; 
 Heb. 10:1). 
 
 20. God often takes away blessings from 
 the highly favored, who abuse his mer- 
 cies, and bestows them ujKDn those less 
 favored (ver. 19, 20; Matt. 21 : 43). 
 
 21. The forbearance of God toward sin- 
 ful men is truly marvelous, but the day 
 of reckoning approaches (ver. 21 ; 2:4, 
 10 ; Prov. 1 : 24-26). 
 
 22. God will withhold his favors from 
 those peoples and nations that continue 
 disobedient and rebellious. God judges 
 nations in this world, individuals in the 
 next (ver. 21 ; Gen. 15 : 14). 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 In this chapter Paul discusses God's 
 plan in passing over the larger part of 
 Israel. This passing over is not total 
 (ver. 1-10), nor is it designed to be final ; 
 but in the meantime it gives occasion for 
 the call of the Gentiles (ver. ii-ie) who are 
 warned not to be high-minded but to 
 exercise humility, reverence, and grat- 
 itude (ver. 17-24). It is howcvcr apart 
 of God's purpose and plan, resulting in 
 the ultimate gathering in of the Jews 
 with the Gentiles (ver. 25-32), in all 
 which God's infinite wisdom is glori- 
 ously displayed (ver. ss-se). 
 
 1-10. God HAS NOT WHOLLY PASSED 
 OVER HIS PEOPLE. It is not SO now, 
 nor has it ever been so in the past. A 
 remnant has been and is being saved. 
 
 1. God has not absolutely cast away 
 his people. A false conclusion might 
 
136 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 God forbid. For <* I also am an Is- 
 raelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the 
 
 2 tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast 
 away his people which • he foreknew. 
 Wot ye not what the Scripture saith of 
 Elias? how he maketh intercession to 
 
 3 God against Israel, saying, ^Lord, they 
 have killed thy prophets, and digged 
 down thine altars ; and I am left alone, 
 
 4 and they seek my life. But what saith 
 the answer of God unto him ? I have 
 
 Israelite, from the seed of Abraham, 
 
 2 of the tribe of Benjamin. God did not 
 cast away his people that he foreknew. 
 Or know Ve not what the Scripture says 
 in Elijah ; how he intercedes with God 
 
 3 against Israel, saying, Lord, they have 
 killed thy prophets, have digged down 
 thine alt'ars, and I am left alone, and 
 
 4 they seek my life. But what says the 
 answer of God to him? I have left to 
 
 d 9 : 3 ; Acts 22 : 3 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 22 ; Phil. 3 : 5. 
 
 e 8 : 29 ; Acts 15 : 18. 
 
 /I Kings 19 : 10-18. 
 
 he drawn from the passages quoted in 
 10 : 19-21, which the apostle voices in 
 his own language. Hath God, rather, 
 Did God cast off h is oicn people f imply- 
 ing the impossibility of such a thing. 
 The form of the question in the original 
 calls for a negative answer ; he repels 
 the thought; God forbid, No, by no 
 means ! My own case proves that God 
 has not cast off his people as such. 
 For I also am not only a believer in 
 the Messiah, but an Israelite of 
 the tribe of Benjamin, one of the 
 two royal tribes of Israel (i Sam. lo : 20, 21), 
 and both tribes long known as the chief 
 representatives of Israel. Paul appears 
 to have regarded himself as a represent- 
 ative believer, and so he seems to have 
 classed himself here (1 Tim. 1 : 13-16; pmi. 
 3:4-6). He was a true representative of 
 the remnant saved (vcr. 5). Admitting 
 the supposition, it would exclude the 
 ■writer himself from God's kingdom. 
 From this particular reference to him- 
 self it has been inferred that a larger 
 part of the church of Rome was of 
 Gentile origin. Some interpret For I 
 also, etc., as containing the ground for 
 God forbid. For I also, as a true 
 Israelite, cannot admit that the nation 
 is excluded. The other, the more com- 
 mon view is, however, the more nat- 
 ural. 
 
 2. God hath, rather, God did not 
 cast axvay his oum people whom he fore- 
 knew and decided upon as such. God 
 could not change his original plfin 
 formed from eternity with infinite 
 knowledge (comp. Ps. 94 : 14), which seems 
 to be quoted here. Paul may mean 
 either Israel as a nation, whom God 
 had foreknown and chosen to be en- 
 trusted with the oracles of truth (s : i. 2), 
 or the true Israel whom he had fore- 
 known and chosen as the " Israel of 
 God" (2:28.29:9:6). The formcr is 
 held by most modern interpreters ; the 
 
 latter by the older expositors. Either 
 construction is grammaticallj' possible. 
 The latter, however, seems to be more 
 natural and more in accord with what 
 immediately follows (ver. 3, 4, 5), and 
 with Paul's general teaching through- 
 out the Epistle, that the people of 
 God are not the natural but the spirit- 
 ual children of Abraham (i : u-is). God's 
 true people have alwas been believers 
 (Heb. 11). Literal Israel is indeed be- 
 loved for the father's sake (ver. 23) ; but 
 none are true children but such as are 
 Abraham's seed by faith (9 : 7, 8; Gai. 3 : 7, 
 
 8, 9, 29; see also our Saviour's words, John 8 : 39 j. 
 
 Or M ot, or knoiv, ye not Avhat the 
 Scripture saith of Elias? literally, 
 in Elijah, that is, in the narrative of 
 Elijah's life. The ancients used names 
 of persons or things for designating pas- 
 sages to which thev wished to refer. 
 Compare Luke 20 : 37 and :Mark 12 : 26, 
 at the hush. How he intercedes with 
 God, for himself and in l)ehalf of the 
 true worship of God, against Israel. 
 Paul introduces an analogous case to 
 show that God had not rciccted Israel. 
 3, 4. Paul refers to 1 Kings 19 : 10- 
 18, and quotes very briefly, assuming 
 his readers to be familiar with this in- 
 cident in the life of Elijah. Ver. 3 
 differs slightly from the Septuagint of 
 1 Kings 19 : 10 ; ver. 4 is from 1 Kings 
 19 : 18, and varies from the Septuagint, 
 but accords with the sense of the He- 
 brew, though not in form. The an- 
 swer of God, the dirine response. 
 Seven thousand men — their wives 
 and children are to be added. In num- 
 bering the people men were chiefly 
 reckoned. Baal — a Phoenician god, 
 prol)ably representing the sun, though 
 some suppose it to represent the planet 
 Jupiter. "Baal, here in the feminine, 
 image understood, the image of Baal, 
 used contemptuously and opposed to 
 men" (Bengel). But elsewhere Baal 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 137 
 
 reserved to myself seven thousand 
 men, who have not bowed the knee to 
 
 5 the image of Baal. sEven so then at 
 this present time also there is a rem- 
 nant according to ^ the election of 
 
 6 grace. And 'if by grace, then is it no 
 more of works : otherwise grace is 
 no more grace. But if it be of works, 
 then is it no more grace : otherwise 
 work is no more work. 
 
 7 What then? ''Israel hath not ob- 
 tained that which he seeketh for. 
 But the election hath obtained it, and 
 
 8 the rest Avere ' blinded ; according as 
 it is written, m God hath given them 
 the spirit of slumber, » eyes that they 
 should not see, and ears that they 
 
 9 should not hear ; p unto this day. And 
 
 myself seven thousand men, who have 
 
 5 not bowed the knee to Baal. Even so 
 then, at this present time also, there is 
 a remnant according to the election of 
 
 6 grace. And if by grace, it is no longer 
 of Avorks ; otherwise the grace becomes 
 no longer grace. But if of works, it is 
 no longer grace ; otherwise the work is 
 no longer work. 
 
 7 AYhatthen? \Yhat Israel seeks, that 
 he obtained not ; but the election ob- 
 tained it, and the rest were hardened. 
 
 8 As it is written, God gave them a i^pirit 
 of stupor, eyes that they should not 
 see, and ears that they should not 
 
 9 hear, unto this very day. And David 
 says, 
 
 Sr 9 : 27 ; Isa. 6 : 13. ft 9 : 11 ; Eph. 1 : 5. 
 
 I See Isa. 6 : 10 ; Mark 6 : 52 ; John 12 : 40 ; 2 Cor. 3 : 14. 
 n Isa. 6:9; Jer. 5 : 21 ; Matt. 13 : 14. 
 
 1 4 : 4, 5 
 
 fc9: 31, 32; 10 : 3. 
 
 m Isa. 29 : 10. 
 p 2 Cor. 3 : 14, 15. 
 
 is used sometimes in the masculine and 
 sometimes in the feminine. The sug- 
 gestion has been made that Baal is 
 viewed as having two sexes and com- 
 bining the mental characteristics of 
 both. I have reserved, /A«ve left. 
 From this verb is derived the noun 
 translated remnant in the next verse. 
 
 5. Even so then, reasoning analog- 
 ically from this fact in Old Testament 
 history, at this present time also, 
 of general unbelief of Israel, there is 
 a remnant which at times was very 
 numerous (Acts 6:7; 21 : 20), according 
 to the election of grace, that di- 
 vine choice, grounded not on merit but 
 on grace as an act of favor to the unde- 
 serving (9 : 11). This remnant was the 
 salt of the nation now as in the past 
 (Isa. 1:9; Rom. 9 : 27). We are therefore 
 no more to expect that the present pass- 
 ing over of Israel is to be total than 
 was the one just cited. 
 
 6. Paul pauses in his argument to 
 emphasize the election of grace," de- 
 fining it negatively. And thus he op- 
 poses the Jewish idea of justification 
 by keeping the law. And if this rem- 
 nant has been elected or chosen by 
 grace, by a diA^ine gracious choice, 
 then it is no more of works ; oth- 
 erwise grace is no more grace, 
 since in that case the grace, the divine 
 favor thus exercised ceases to be grace. 
 This verse ends here according to many 
 ancient manuscripts. There is how- 
 ever much authority for retaining the 
 remaining words in the text. But if 
 the election be grounded upon works. 
 
 then is it no more grace, of divine 
 favor; since in that case, of grace, the 
 ivork ceases to be work. Salvation 
 through the divine favor and salvation 
 by man's works are directly opposed to 
 each other. There can be no compro- 
 mise. The two principles are mutually 
 destructive (i :*). 
 
 7. What then is our conclusion? 
 The apostle answers : Israel as a na- 
 tion or people (9 = 6) obtained not that 
 righteousness as a ground of acceptance 
 before God, which he seeketh for 
 in a wrong way (lo : s) ; hut the 
 election, those elected, the elect ob- 
 tained it. Compare 4 : 9, where ''the 
 circumcision" means the circumcised. 
 And the rest were blinded — rather, 
 were hardened in their impenitence ; 
 dullness and insensibility took posses- 
 sion of their understanding and hearts 
 (2 Cor. 3 : 14, 15). Israel as a people are 
 \newed in two parts, the chosen rem- 
 nant forming the true Israel, and the 
 rest, self-righteous and hardened, form- 
 ing the mass of literal Israel. 
 
 8. And this Paul .says is as it is 
 written. Moses and Isaiah had writ- 
 ten concerning the unbelief of Israel, 
 and their abandonment by God to the 
 insensibility of their own hearts. Two 
 passages are combined (isa. 29 : lO; oeut. 
 29 : 4) and freely quoted according to the 
 
 sense. (Comp. isa. 6 : 9, 10; Matt. 13 : 14.) God 
 
 gave them, in righteous judgment, a 
 spirit of stupor, which renders their 
 souls torpid and insensible, so that they 
 are not affected by the offers of salva- 
 tion made them through the Messiah. 
 
138 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 David saith, Let their tal)le be made a 
 snare, and a trap, and a stumbling- 
 block, and a recompense unto them : 
 
 10 let their eyes be darkened, that they 
 may not see, and bow down their 
 back alway. 
 
 11 I say then. Have they stumbled that 
 they should fall ? 
 
 God forbid : but rather i through 
 their fall salvation is come unto the 
 
 Let their table be made a snare, and 
 a trap, 
 
 And a stumbling-block, and a recom- 
 pense to them ; 
 
 10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they 
 
 may not see. 
 
 And bow thou down their back 
 always. 
 
 11 I say then, did they stumble in order 
 thatthey might fall? Far be it! But 
 by their trespass salvation is come to 
 
 q Acts 13 : 42, 46, 47 ; 18 : 6 ; 22 : 18, 21. 
 
 Unto this day is a part of the quota- 
 tion, and denotes a continuance of this 
 condition. There should be no paren- 
 thesis in this verse. Thus it is shown 
 that this condition of Israel is nothing 
 new, that God has ever dealt in this 
 way with his rebellious people, and 
 that this continues to this very day. 
 This was especially the case of Israel 
 then. 
 
 9,10, And to the same effect David 
 says (Ps. 69 : 22). The quotation varies 
 but little from the Septuagiut. The 
 natural inference is that David is 
 quoted as the author of the psalm ; but 
 some regard the word David used as 
 the title of the whole collection of the 
 Psalms. "The question of authorship 
 does not affect the question of the propri- 
 ety of the phrase, David so if h : but when 
 it is so likely that David did write the 
 psalm, inventing theories to prove that 
 he did not seems to be useless ingenu- 
 ity" (M. R. Riddle, in Ztt^^grc). The 
 sixty-ninth P.salm seems to be full of 
 the Messiah, and is quoted in Matt. 27 : 
 34 ; John 2 : 17 ; Acts 1 : 20. This pas- 
 sage appears to have typical reference 
 to him. The quotation is applicable 
 here, whether the psalm be regarded as 
 Messianic or not. Let their table, 
 where they sit feasting and suspecting 
 no evil, be made, turned into, a 
 snare and a trap, and a stum- 
 blingblock, and so let their prosper- 
 ity be turned into a recompense 
 unto them. Paul freely quotes and 
 develops the idea of requital. Aiid do 
 thou bow down their back alway 
 in tlie servile condition of slavery and 
 of bearing burdens. We must boar in 
 mind that tliis comes upon them as a 
 retribution, a punishment of sin. The 
 point of the quotation is the judicial 
 turning of blessings into curses, and vis- 
 iting the enemies of the Messiah with 
 blindness, servility, and impotence of 
 
 soul, thus setting forth the desert and 
 doom of obstinate unbelievers. Some 
 shrink from such imprecations, but 
 they are not the expressions of human 
 anger, malignant seltishness, or of per- 
 sonal grievance, but of a wholesome 
 and righteous abhorrence of evil, and a 
 deep sense of its desert. They were the 
 utterances of a soul in full sympathy 
 with God's righteous government, and 
 speaking under the guidance of his 
 Spirit and in his name, in reference to 
 those who had grossly violated his holy 
 laws. 
 
 11-24. Nor does God design 
 their final rejection, but 
 rather as an occasion for call- 
 ING THE Gentiles. Israel's restora- 
 tio)i is desirable for its influence, and 
 X>rohahle from the nature of the case. 
 
 11. I say then — calling attention 
 to a false conclusion which some might 
 draw, and guarding against it. Have 
 they stumbled— rather, Did they 
 stumble, when as a nation they rejected 
 the Messiah in order that they might 
 fall absolutely and finally, as a judg- 
 ment upon them, and never be won 
 back to Christ ? This may be asked of 
 the nation i^-^'^), or of the rest who 
 were hardened, the representatives of 
 the nation ( ver. 7 ) . It is said they stum- 
 bled with reference to 9 : 32, though a 
 different word is used, but both words 
 refer to their rejection of Christ, (comp. 
 1 Cor. 1 : 23 ; Gal. 5 : II. ) The fall resulting 
 from the stumbling implies ruin, de- 
 struction. The stu7t)bling denotes a 
 temporary lapse; the fall, final, absolute 
 ruin. Paul admits the former, but de- 
 nies the latter. God forbid, i^ar//'om 
 if. The word that, in order that, in- 
 troduced a false purpose, but at the 
 same time suggested that there might 
 be some other purpose. But rather 
 through their fai\,ofl'cnse or trespass, 
 as the word is rendered in 5 : 15-17, 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 139 
 
 Gentiles, rfor tx) provoke them to jeal- 
 
 12 ousy. Now if tlie fall of them he ^ the 
 riches of the world, and the diminish- 
 ing of them the riches of the Gentiles ; 
 
 13 how much more * their fulness ! For I 
 speak to j^ou Gentiles, inasmuch as " I 
 am the apostle of the Gentiles, I mag- 
 
 the Gentiles, to provoke them to 
 
 12 rivalry. Now if their trespass is the 
 riches of the world, and their diminu- 
 tion the riches of the Gentiles, how 
 
 13 much more their fullness? But I am 
 speaking to you the Gentiles. Inas- 
 much, then as I am an apostle of the 
 
 r Ver. 14 ; 10 : 19. s Ver. 15. t Isa. 11 : 11-16 ; Micah 4:1,2; 5:7. 
 
 w 15 : 16 ; Acts 9 : 15 ; 13 : 2 ; Gal. 2 : 2, 7-9 ; Eph. 3 : 8 ; 1 Tim. 2 : 7. 
 
 18, 20, literally their falling aside. The 
 idea is a temporary not final falling 
 aside into unbelief and rejecting Christ. 
 By it an occasion occurred, so that sal- 
 vation (which was "of the JeAvs," 
 (John 4: 22)) is come uuto the Gen- 
 tiles (Acts 28: 28) foT tO pFOVOke 
 
 them, the Jews, to jealousy, or 
 
 rivalry — excite them to emulation to 
 recover the blessings they had lost (Phii. 
 1 : 15-18). Thus the unbelief of the 
 Jews benefited the Gentiles, in immedi- 
 ate offers of the gospel to them ( Acts is : 6), 
 and also in depriving the Jews of the 
 power of insisting that Gentiles should 
 come under the Mosaic law, "The 
 salvation of Gentiles was indeed always 
 in the Divine purpose : but Jewish un- 
 belief was the occasion which that 
 purpose took for its actual develop- 
 ment " (MOULE). (Matt. 21 : 43; 22 : 9; Acts 
 13 : 46; 15 : 16, 17.) 
 
 13. In this argument Paul has in 
 mind the future restoration of Israel. 
 If their stumbling and rejection were 
 the occasion of so much good, how much 
 more good must result from their resto- 
 ration (ver. 12, 15) ? ]Vow if their fall, 
 trespass, falling aside into unbelief, be 
 the riches of the \vorld, in salva- 
 tion to the Gentiles, bringing to them 
 "the unsearchable riches of Christ" 
 (Eph. 3:8); and the diminishing of 
 them, their reduction to an inferior 
 spiritual state or condition through un- 
 belief, the riches of the Gentiles, 
 how much more their fulness, 
 their restoration to all the blessings of 
 Christ's kingdom and to the full enjoy- 
 ment of tliem ! How much more will 
 this result in the spiritual riches of the 
 world and of the Gentiles ! The word 
 translated diminishing means a less- 
 ening, a being made less, hence a induc- 
 tion, to an inferior state or condition. 
 It is found elsewhere only in 1 Cor. 6 : 7, 
 and in Isa. 31 : 8 (Septuagint). It is 
 here opposed to fullness, the filling of 
 them which is spoken of the restora- 
 tion of the Jews to the blessings of the 
 
 kingdom of God. Notice that the 
 words them, them, and their refer 
 to the Jews as a people or nation. Some 
 find the idea of numbers in the words 
 diminishing and fulness, thus : If their 
 reduction as God's people to a small 
 number is the riches of the Gentiles, 
 how much more their increase to the 
 full numTyer. I prefer, however, the 
 former interpretation, as it accords bet- 
 ter with the spiritual idea of Jewish 
 condition implied in ver. 15 and in the 
 whole context. 
 
 13. For — according to the most ap- 
 proved reading, But, I speak, or say, 
 this to you the Gentiles, referring 
 to the thought in the two preceding 
 verses. He now and throughout the 
 rest of the chapter addresses the Gen- 
 tile converts as distinct from the Jew- 
 ish believers in the church at Rome. 
 He speaks of the Jews in the third 
 person and treats the Gentiles as a 
 body to be benefited. He thus showed 
 both' his devotion to his Gentile apos- 
 tleship, and his earnest desire for 
 the spiritual welfare of his own kin- 
 dred. It has also been inferred from 
 this that the main body of Roman 
 Christians were Gentiles. There was 
 in Paul's day a great gulf of prejudice 
 between Jews and Gentiles. This 
 would naturally show itself in churches 
 composed of both classes. The apostle 
 had endeavored to lessen this prejudice 
 arnong his Jewish brethren. He now 
 strives to overcome it among Gentile 
 believers. The Jews had been a chan- 
 nel and occasion of blessing to them ; 
 and their debtors they were. (comp. 
 15 : 27). Compare Acts 16 : 20-22, where 
 we get a glimpse of the Roman con- 
 tempt for the Jews. 
 
 Inasmuch as — giving his reason 
 for personally addressing them, I am 
 an apostle of the Gentiles (is : 12-19; 
 
 Acts 9 : 15; Gal. 2 : 7, 8 ; Eph. 3 :8 ; 1 Thess. 1 : 14-16). 
 
 A self-consciousness of his noble mis- 
 sion here finds expression. I magnify 
 mine office, or glorify my ministry, 
 
140 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 14 nify mine office : if by any means I 
 may provoke to emulation them which 
 are my flesh, and might save some of 
 
 15 them. For if ^the casting away of 
 them he the reconciling of the world, 
 what shall the receiving of them he, but 
 
 16 life from the dead ? For if y the first- 
 fruit he holy, the lump is also holy : 
 
 14 Gentiles, I glorify my ministry ; if by 
 any means I may provoke to rivalry 
 
 15 my flesh, and savesome of them. For if 
 the casting away of them is the recon- 
 ciling of the world, what shall the re- 
 ceiving of them be, but life from the 
 
 16 dead? And if the first-fruit is holy, so 
 is the mass ; and if the root is holy, so 
 
 X Ver. 11, 12. 
 
 y Num. 15 : 18-21. 
 
 making the most of it, and exerting 
 myself to the utmost for its succes.s, 
 thereby moving my kindred to emula- 
 tion (ver. 14), He hoped through the 
 Gentiles to reach the Jews, and that 
 the prosperity of the work among the 
 former would arouse the latter to atten- 
 tion and inquiry, 
 
 14, If by any means I may pro- 
 voke to emulation, or rivalry (the 
 same word as used in ver. 11) my 
 flesh, my kindred, and might save 
 some of them, implying that he did 
 not expect to save a large number of 
 them through his own ministry. The}" 
 were mostly too prejudiced against him. 
 too blinded to see the truth, and too 
 self-righteous to feel their needof a Sav- 
 iour (2 Cor. 3 : 15, 16). But the saving of 
 some was worthy of the highest efforts 
 of his ministry (i Cor. 9 : 22). He would 
 overcome prejudices on the part of both 
 Jew and Gentile, and break down the 
 middle wall of partition that separated 
 them and make them one in Christ 
 
 (Gal. 3: 28; Eph. 2 : 14-lS). Ill tllCSC SOme hc 
 
 saw a pledge and lirst-fruits of the com- 
 ing glorious harvest. 
 
 15. Returning from the digression in 
 the last two verses the apostle passes to 
 the topic of ver. 11, 12. For — con- 
 firms what he had already said and 
 introduces a reason for his deep interest 
 in tlie salvation of Israel. If the 
 castin^r away of them, a different 
 word from tliat used in ver. 1, 2, with 
 a different reference. It is opposed to 
 " tlio receiving of them," and implies 
 that tlie casting away was not final, and 
 that it was to be followed by a restora- 
 tion. Be, proves to be, the occasion 
 of reconciling the Avorld, the Gen- 
 tiles composing the main part of the 
 world. Tlie circumstances attending tlie 
 casting away of Israel, their unbelief, the 
 crucifixion of Christ and their rejec- 
 tion of the gospel, resulted in provid- 
 ing the world's reconciliation and in 
 the enjoyment of it by the vast com- 
 
 pany of Gentile believers (Eph. 2 : 11-17). 
 If this is so, Avhat shall the receiv- 
 ing of them be but life from the 
 
 dead, that is, like it in its effects upon 
 others. Their reception into the king- 
 dom will be attended with a revival of 
 true religion so vast and wonderful that 
 it will be like a translation from death 
 to life. It will usher in the latter day 
 glory. Some early and late expositors 
 suppose life from the dead to mean the 
 resurrection at the end of the world. 
 But this is not the ordinary use of life 
 in the New Testament. The connec- 
 tion also appears to demand a reference 
 to the spiritual blessings conferred upon 
 the Gentiles through the Jews. These 
 would be so worldwide and so glorious 
 as to form a fitting climax to the recon- 
 ciling of the world just spoken of. 
 
 16. The apostle has already implied 
 the restoration of Israel, and that for 
 its effects upon the world it would be 
 desirable. He now treats it as probable 
 in the nature of the case. For, rather. 
 And, if the first fruit be holy, set 
 apart, consecrated to God, the lump, or 
 mass, is also holy. The first-fruit 
 here means, not the first gathered fruit 
 of the field in their natural state 
 (Lev. 23 : lo), but a portiou of this when 
 prepared for use, for example a cake of 
 the dough first prepared (Num. 15:20). 
 The oflering of this was an acknowl- 
 edgment that tlie whole belonged right- 
 fully to God, and was consecrated to 
 him, and was to lie used and enjoyed as 
 such. And this Paul uses to illustrate 
 the restoration of Israel implied in the 
 preceding verse, and as a reason for ex- 
 pecting it. If the first-fruit is holy, if 
 the first body of Jewish believers are 
 holy, consecrated to God as they evi- 
 dently are and constituting the true Is- 
 rael (^'^r. 2), then we may look upon 
 their consecration as in eftect implying 
 tlie consecration of all, and their con- 
 version as an earnest of the great spir- 
 itual harvest and conversion of Israel. 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 141 
 
 and if the root be holy, so are the 
 branches. 
 
 17 And if some of the branches be 
 broken off, »and thou, being a wild 
 olive tree, wert graffed in among them, 
 and with them partakest of the root 
 
 18 and fatness of the olive tree, boast not 
 against the branches. But if thou 
 boast, thou bearest not the root, but 
 
 17 are the branches. And if some of the 
 branches were broken off, and thou, 
 being a wild olive-branch, wast grafted 
 in among them, and became a par- 
 taker with them of the root of the fat- 
 
 18 ness of the olive-tree ; exult not over 
 the branches But if thou gloriest, it 
 is not thou that bearest the root, but 
 
 z Eph. 2 : 11-13 ; 3 : 6. 
 
 And so also in regard to the patriarchs 
 who were consecrated and dear to God. 
 If the root be holy, if the fathers of 
 the nation were separated and conse- 
 crated to peculiar privileges and bless- 
 ings, so are the branches, so their 
 descendants may be likewise regarded 
 in the Divine purpose, and in the end 
 may be expected to be so. Holy is used 
 in the Old Testament sense of conse- 
 cration, being set apart to God and to 
 ■» his purposes. It was said of Israel, that 
 they were holy to the Lord, implying 
 that there ought to be an inward corre- 
 sponding holiness, but not affirming or 
 implying that this was actually the 
 case. By this figure the apostle means 
 that the branches sustain the same rela- 
 tion as the root, that the fathers of Is- 
 rael and their descendants both sustain 
 the same peculiar relation to God, 
 namely, consecrated to him as his pecu- 
 liar people. Many suppose both " first- 
 fruits" and "root" to refer to the 
 fathers. But to me it seems more prob- 
 able that the second emblem means 
 something different from the first. It 
 seems natural after implying the res- 
 toration and conversion of Israel in 
 ver. 15, to speak of the first converts, so 
 aptly represented by "first-fruits," as 
 an earnest of the conversion of all. 
 And it was equally natural then to for- 
 tify that argument by the fact that Is- 
 rael had from the fathers downward 
 been set apart to God as a peculiar 
 people. 
 
 17. Paul continues to use the figure 
 of root and branches to illustrate the 
 true relation of Jewish and Gentile 
 converts to each other, and to give 
 words of caution to the latter. If 
 some of the branches be broken 
 off, that is, some of the Jews through 
 their rejection of Christ. The branches 
 not broken off would then of course 
 represent those Jewish converts who 
 were of the true Israel, and were occu- 
 pying their original position in relation 
 
 to the blessings to be received from the 
 Messiah's kingdom. And thou, a 
 Gentile, being a wild olive branch 
 wert graifed {grafted) in among 
 them that remained, and with them 
 partakest of the root and fat- 
 ness, that is, of the fatness of the 
 root, participating in the blessing of 
 the divine kingdom, etc. The wild 
 olive must not be considered as barren. 
 Its fruit is not so rich and abundant as 
 that of the cultivated tree, and has a 
 sharp acid taste. The grafting has refer- 
 ence not to the common effects of graft- 
 ing. It is " contrary to nature " (ver. 24) 
 and the effects are inverted. It rather 
 refers to a participation of blessing, 
 and a community of privilege. The 
 Gentile converts had by divine grace 
 been transferred to a position they did 
 not originally hold, and through Christ 
 hg^ been made partakers of the divine 
 kingdom and members of the true Is- 
 rael. ( Comp. Eph. 2 : 11-13. ) 
 
 18. Continuation of the sentence. 
 And since thou art a wild branch on an 
 originally nobler stock. Boast not 
 against the branches, or Glory not 
 over the branches — over those broken 
 off, the unbelieving Jews. But if 
 thou art tempted to glory, remember 
 that thou bearest not the root, 
 but the root thee, that thou art not 
 first in dignity and place, that the Jews 
 had the priority in the divine arrange- 
 ment and in the blessings pertaining to 
 the Messiah and his kingdom. Com- 
 pare "To the Jew first and also to the 
 Greek " (i = le) ; our Lord's words, " Go 
 not into a way of the Gentiles, . . . 
 but go rather to the lost sheep of the 
 house of Israel " (Matt, lo : 5, 6) ; and 
 Paul's words, "It was necessary that 
 the word of God should first be spoken 
 to you," etc. (.^ctsia :46). Notice that 
 those broken ojf through unbelief though 
 of the literal Israel were not of the true 
 Israel (9 : 6). And also that believ- 
 ing Gentiles were admitted as a part of 
 
142 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 19 the root thee. Thou Avilt say then, The 
 branches were broken off, » that I 
 
 20 might be graffed in. Well ; ^ because 
 of unbelief they were broken off, and 
 thou standest by faith. ^Be not high- 
 
 21 minded, but ^ fear : for if God •■ spared 
 not the natural branches, take heed lest 
 he also spare not thee. 
 
 22 Behold therefore the goodness and 
 severity of God : on them which fell, 
 severity ; but toward thee, goodness, 
 fif thou continue in his goodness: 
 otherwise sthou also shalt be cutoff. 
 
 2:5 And they also, ^ if they abide not in 
 
 unbelief, shall be graffed in : for God 
 
 24 is able to graff them in again. For if 
 
 19 the root thee. Thou wilt say then, 
 branches were broken off, that I might 
 
 20 be grafted in. Well ; by their unbe- 
 lief they were broken off, and thou 
 standest by thy belief. Be not high- 
 
 21 minded, but fear: for if God spared 
 not the natural branches, neither will 
 he spare thee. 
 
 22 Behold then God's kindness and se- 
 verity ; toward those who fell, sever- 
 ity ; but toward thee, God's kindness, 
 if thou continue in his kindness ; other- 
 wise, thou also shalt be cut off. And 
 
 23 they also, if they continue not in 
 their unbelief, shall be grafted in ; for 
 God is able to graft them in again. 
 
 a Ver. 11, 12, 17. 5 Acts 13 : 46, 47. c 1 Cor. 4:7. d Prov. 28: U; Phil. 2 : 12. 
 e Ver. 17, 19 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 1-12. / Heb. 3 : 14 ; 10 : 23, 38. g John 15 : 2. ft 2 Cor. 3 : 16. 
 
 the true Israel (ver. 20), A distinction 
 should be made between the theocracy 
 which answers to Israel, as a people, 
 under the government of God ; true 
 Israel, answering to the divine king- 
 dom, or kingdom of God ; and the 
 church, the professed discipleship of 
 Jesus, Of the latter Paul is not here 
 speaking. 
 
 19. Thou wilt say then, or 
 therefore, in order to meet my reasoning 
 and suggest some ground at least for 
 glorifying. Branches were broken 
 off in order that I might be graffed 
 {grafted) in, as though some prefer- 
 ence were shown you over the Jew. 
 The should be omitted. The pronoun 
 I is emphatic, indicative of a boasting 
 spirit. 
 
 20. Well, very good, I admit that 
 there was a preference, but it was not 
 on account of any personal merit in 
 you, and is therefore no ground of 
 boasting. Because of unbelief, or 
 their disbelief, they were broken 
 off, and thou standest by faith — 
 rather, by thy faith, or belief. Thou 
 standest in thy present relation as a 
 branch grafted into the good olive. Paul 
 is here viewing the human side merely. 
 Be not high-minded, haughty, with 
 a spirit of l)oasting, but fear, exercise 
 a reverential and humble spirit, lest 
 through sins and unbelief thou forfeit 
 the blessings and privileges to wliich 
 thou hast been raised. 
 
 21. For if God spared not the 
 natural branches — those of literal 
 Lsrael in distinction from those grafted 
 in — take heed lest in any way he 
 also spare not thee. According to 
 the Greek text most generally approved, 
 
 omit take heed lest, and translate, 
 Neither will he spare thee, if thou fall 
 into unbelief. There is indeed less rea- 
 son to expect the forbearance of God 
 toward the Gentiles who had thus been 
 made partakers of blessings and privi- 
 leges, if they misused them, than to- 
 ward his own people who were beloved 
 for their fathers' sake. 
 
 22. In view of what I have just said 
 (ver. 20, 21), Behold therefore the 
 goodness, the kindness (2:^)^ and 
 severity of God , with the idea of 
 stern sharpness and strictness. On 
 them which fell, being broken oft' 
 through unbelief, severity; but to- 
 ward thee, grafted in among the 
 branches of the olive, God's goodness 
 if thou continue, or abide, by faith 
 in that goodness — in that state into 
 which his goodness has brought thee. 
 Grace produces perseverance by nour- 
 ishing and maintaining faith (1 Peter 
 1:5); it uses all gospel means, and 
 among these means are warnings 
 
 against apostasy ( Heb. 6:4-9; Jude 17-23 ) . 
 
 otherwise, since in that case, if thou 
 abide not in that goodness, thou also 
 shalt be cut off. 
 
 23. The apostle again takes up the 
 fitness and propriety of the restoration 
 of Israel. And they also, the 
 broken-ofF olive branches, the Jews, 
 if they abide, or continue, not still 
 in unbelief shall be graffed 
 {grafted), as well as tlie branches from 
 the wild olive tree. For God is able 
 to graff {graft) them in again. 
 Every Jewish convert was a witness of 
 the truth of this statement. Paul is 
 treating now with individual Jews and 
 Gentiles, as branches grafted or re- 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 143 
 
 thou wert cut out of the olive tree 
 which is wild by nature, and wert 
 graffed contrary to nature into a good 
 olive tree : how much more shall these, 
 which be the natural branches, be 
 graffed into their own olive tree ! 
 
 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye 
 should be ignorant of this mystery, 
 lest ye should be wise in your own con- 
 ceits, that i blindness in part is hap- 
 pened to Israel, ^ until the fulness of 
 
 26 the Gentiles be come in. And so i all 
 Israel shall be saved : as it is written, 
 
 24 For if thou wast cut out of that which 
 is by nature a wild olive-tree and wast 
 grafted contrary to nature into a good 
 olive-tree ; how much more shall 
 these, who are the natural branches, 
 be grafted into their own olive-tree ? 
 
 25 For I do not wish you, brethren, to 
 be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be 
 wise in your own conceits, that hard- 
 ness has come upon Israel in part, 
 until the fullness of the Gentiles come 
 
 26 in. And so all Israel will be saved ; 
 
 i 2 Cor. 3 : 14-16. 
 
 k Luke 21 : 2i. 
 
 I Isa. 45 : 17 ; Jer. 30 : 17-22. 
 
 grafted through faith into the good 
 olive tree. 
 
 24. For if thou • . . wild by 
 
 nature. (see on ver. 17.) W c r t 
 
 graffed {grafted) contrary to na- 
 ture into a good olive tree. The 
 
 superior is generally grafted into the 
 inferior stock. But here the case is re- 
 versed ; the poorer is grafted into the 
 better, with excellent results. "The 
 wild olive tree, whose fruit is larger 
 and more meaty, but whose oil is less 
 valuable and used only for ointments, 
 has the curious quality that, when 
 grafted on a cultivated tree it bears ex- 
 cellent fruit, which is just the reverse 
 of the general effect of grafting " 
 (Schaff-Herzog). How much 
 more shall these that he the 
 natural branches, the unbelieving 
 Jews, be graffed {grafted) into their 
 own olive tree, which is theirs by 
 nature. Israel was God's peculiar peo- 
 ple, distinguished for ages by tokens of 
 his regard, and still beloved for the 
 fathers' sake. But Gentiles who had 
 no such titles and tokens of his favor 
 have obtained it ; much more may Jews 
 regain it. The restoration of Israel is a 
 more probable event, judging from 
 God's dealings in the past, than was the 
 introduction of Gentiles into the true 
 Israel. 
 
 25-32. The eestoration of Is- 
 rael ACCORDING TO GOD'S WORD AND 
 PURPOSES. The ultimate gathering in 
 of Jews and Gentiles. 
 
 25. Leaving the figure of the olive 
 tree, Paul now speaks in plain lan- 
 guage, and enlarges upon a great future 
 restoration. For, confirmatory of the 
 brighter future suggested by ver. 24, I 
 would not, / do not wish yon, breth- 
 ren, to be ignorant, a common way 
 with Paul in calling attention to some- 
 
 thing important ( l : is ; l Cor. lO : l ; 12 : l ; 2 
 Cor. 1 : 8 ; 1 Thess. 4 : 13) , of thiS Uiy StCry , 
 
 according to New Testament usage, a 
 secret or hidden thing of God, not gen- 
 erally understood, and generally known 
 only by revelation (i Cor. is : 51 ; comp. Rom. 
 16 : 25 ; 1 Cor. 4:1). Why he wislicd them 
 to know this mystery : Lest ye 
 should be Avise, or in order that ye 
 may not be wise, in your own 
 conceits — in your own estimation, 
 and think too highly of yourselves be- 
 cause of the preference given you. He 
 would check pride in Gentile Christians. 
 They must not be wise above, or con- 
 trary, to what was written, nor suppose 
 they understood better than Jews the 
 plans of God's grace. The mystery was, 
 That blindness — rather, hardness 
 (ver. 7), in part is happened, or come 
 upon, Israel, a large part of the na- 
 tion, some in every age having accepted 
 Christ, until the fulness, the full 
 number, the multitudes, of the Gen- 
 tiles be come in, or (omitting be), 
 come in to the Messiah's kingdom and 
 the enjoyment of his salvation, (comp. 
 Rev. 7:9.) See vcr. 15, where it is inti- 
 mated that the conversion of Israel 
 would result in great crowning spiritual 
 blessings to the world, which necessar- 
 ily includes the Gentiles. So it is not 
 necessary to explain this verse to mean 
 the entire gathering of the Gentiles 
 into the kingdom before the restoration 
 of Israel. 
 
 26. And so, or thiis, in the arrange- 
 ment of God's grace, the hardness of 
 Israel having ended with the coming in 
 of the fullness of the Gentiles, all Is- 
 rael as a people shall be saved 
 through faith in Christ (ver. 23). It is 
 most natural to refer this to the ftiture, 
 and to literal, rather than spiritual, Is- 
 rael, when the great body of Israel 
 
144 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 There shall come out of 8ion the De- 
 liverer, and shall turn away ungodll- 
 
 27 ness from Jacob : '" for this is my cove- 
 nant unto them, " when I shall take 
 
 28 away their sins. As concerning the 
 gospel, they are enemies for your sakes : 
 but as touching the election, they are 
 
 29 "beloved for the fathers' sakes. P'or 
 the gifts and calling of God are Pwith- 
 
 "0 out repentance. For as ye <i in times 
 
 as it is written, there will come out of 
 Zion the Deliverer ; he will turn away 
 
 27 ungodliness from Jacob; and this is 
 the covenant from me unto tnem, 
 
 28 when I shall take away their sins. As 
 concerning the gospel, they are ene- 
 mies for your sake ; but as concerning 
 the election, they are beloved for the 
 
 29 fathers' sake. For the gifts and the 
 calling of God are not repented of. 
 
 w Jer. 31 : 31-37. n Kzek. 36 : 25-29. o Deut. 9 : 5 ; 10 : 15. p See refs. Num. 23 : 19. ql Peter 2 : 10. 
 
 then living will be brought to the 
 acknowledgment of the truth. The 
 context and the course of argument 
 both require these. As it is written. 
 The quotation is freely given from 
 memorj^, gathered from Isa. 59 : 20, 21 ; 
 27 : 9, and perhaps Ps. 14 : 7. It was 
 not necessary for the apostle to quote 
 carefully, for the coming of a Deliverer 
 was all that Avas essential to his argu- 
 ment. There shall come out of 
 Zion (comp. Ph. 14:7), coiiccived as the 
 capital of the theocracy, from the seed 
 of David, the Deliverer (spoken of 
 tlie Messiah), which might be referred 
 to either his first or second coming. It 
 seems however more natural, and it ac- 
 cords better with the next verse, to re- 
 gard the reference here to the second 
 coming, in connection with which tills 
 great work will be consummated. 
 And, rather, heivill, turn away un- 
 godliness from Jacob, as a people 
 or nation. lie would overcome their 
 unbelief and rebellion, and they would 
 forsake their ungodly deeds and accept 
 him as their deliverer from coming 
 wrath (2 Thess. 1:9). The quotation speaks 
 of his coming in general terms, but 
 Paul manifestly views the future re- 
 sults in the conversion of Israel to 
 Christianity. There are present indi- 
 cations that the fulfillment of tlie ' 
 apostle's predictions may be near at 
 hand. The gospel is being preached 
 to, and converts gathered from, all 
 nations. A widespread religious and 
 spiritual awakening is occurring among 
 the Jews ; and a general tendency 
 among them to return to their own 
 land. Local ("liristian missions also 
 are established in their behalf. (See on 
 
 Acts 3 : 21.) 
 
 27. Continues the quotation (is a. 
 59:21): For this is my covenant, 
 
 or, the covenant granted from me to 
 them. The apostle gives only the first 
 
 words of a well-known promise, often 
 repeated and familiar to his readers, 
 containing the gracious results of par- 
 don, peace, and renewal to Israel. For 
 the fuller terms of God's gracious cove- 
 nant see Jer. 31 : 31-34, and Heb. 8 : 
 8-12 ; 10 : 16, 17. This refers back- 
 ward to the promised work of the Mes- 
 siah in the preceding verse, and for- 
 ward to its accomplishment, when 
 I shall take away their sins (isa. 
 2T : 9), pardon them and restore them to 
 the Divine favor. (Comp. isa. 4:4.) This 
 forgiveness is included in the covenant. 
 
 28. Summing up and confirming 
 the thought just brought to view. As 
 concerning the gospel, as unbe- 
 lievers and rejecters of it, they are 
 enemies, treated with strictness and 
 given over to hardness for your 
 sakes, in fiivor of you, so that you 
 may be brought into the Messiah's 
 kingdom and enjoy its fiivor and privi- 
 leges. But as touching, or, as con- 
 cerning, the election, God's choice of 
 them as a people, they are beloved, 
 and still within his gracious pur- 
 poses, for the fathers' sake, the 
 patriarchs of the nation (Deut. 7 : 8 ; 9 : 5 : 
 10 : 15). Some refer the election to " the 
 remnant" (vcr. 5), and enemies to "the 
 rest" of ver. 8. It accords better, how- 
 ever, with the context to regard them 
 both as referring to Israel, as a people 
 or nation. 
 
 29. This verse confirms the last 
 clause of the i)receding ver.se. For 
 the gracious gifts and calling of 
 God — his purpo.se and act in calling — 
 are without repentance, the same 
 word as in 2 Cor. 7 : 10, and here very 
 emphatic. Paul means to put it very 
 strongly, that God's purposes are im- 
 mutable. God has not repented of the 
 covenant and promises made to Abra- 
 ham, Isaac, and Jacob, and so Israel. 
 though passed over for a time, is still 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 145 
 
 past have not believed God, j-et have 
 now obtained mercy >■ through their 
 
 31 unbelief ; even so have these also now 
 not believed, that through your mercy 
 
 32 they also may obtain mercy. For ^ God 
 hath concluded them all in unbelief, 
 that he might have mercy upon all. 
 
 30 For just as ye in times past disobeyed 
 God, but have now obtained mercy by 
 
 31 their disobedience ; so have these also 
 now disobeyed, that by the mercy 
 shown to you they also may now ob- 
 
 32 tain mercy. For God shut up all unto 
 disobedience, that he might have 
 mercy on all. 
 
 r Ver. 11-19. 
 
 s3 : 9; Gal. 3 : 22. 
 
 within the purposes of Divine love (Num. 
 
 25 : 19; 1 Sam. 15 : 29 ; Phil. 1:6; Heb. 13 : 8 ; 2 
 Tim. 2 : 13). 
 
 30, 31. In these verses the apostle 
 illustrates and confirms the statement 
 of ver. 29. For as ye — Gentiles — in 
 times past have not believed, 
 omit have and translate, disobeyed 
 God. (comp. 1 : 18-32.) Yet havc now 
 obtained mercy through their 
 unbelief, their disobedience, that is, 
 of Israel — the Jews. Through this dis- 
 obedience Christ was crucified and be- 
 came a propitiation for our sins, and it 
 became also the occasion of preaching 
 the gospel to the Gentiles. So have 
 these — Israel, the Jews — also now 
 not believed, or )iow disobeyed, that 
 through your mercy, better, that 
 through mercy shown to yoic by God in 
 the gospel they also may obtain 
 mercy, being influenced thereby and 
 excited to emulation. ( see on ver. u, is. ) 
 The emphatic idea in these two verses 
 is mercy. Jewish unbelief and conse- 
 quent disobedience was the occasion of 
 mercy to the Gentiles ; and this mercy 
 to the Gentiles will be the occasion of, 
 and will result in, the Jews obtaining 
 mercy. Thus the seeming rejection of 
 Israel will be only for a time, and 
 God's immutable purposes of mercy 
 toward them will ultimately have a 
 fulfillment. 
 
 33. The Divine plan in a nutshell ; 
 consummated in the world's redemp- 
 tion. For God shut up all, Jews and 
 Gentiles, in unbelief, or disobedience, 
 the Gentiles in the past, the Jews at 
 present, that he might have mercy 
 on all, in bringing the multitude.s of 
 both Gentiles and Jews ultimately into 
 his kingdom. Concluded, or shut 
 up, so as to be helpless — without means 
 
 of escape. (Comp. G.i1. 3:22; Rom. 3 : 19.) 
 
 All are indeed put on the same footing — 
 that of mercy — and for all mercy is pro- 
 vided, and offered to all, on condition 
 of acceptance by faith. But this does 
 not appear to have been all that was in 
 
 the apostle's mind, which drew forth 
 his acclamation of praise. He saw, in 
 the future Israel's restoration and con- 
 version, with the Gentile fullness, 
 bringing the whole world to Christ. 
 He beheld God's plan in treating both 
 Jews and Gentiles alike, with like glo- 
 rious results, when the whole race liv- 
 ing at the time would be redeemed to 
 God. Surely such a view was enough 
 to call forth his highest admiration and 
 his unspeakable praise. 
 
 Israel's Restoration. There ap- 
 pear to be unfulfilled prophecies con- 
 cerning Judah and Israel, such as Joel 
 3 : 1-21 ; Amos 9 : 8-15. Paul saw the 
 fulfillment of such prophecies in the 
 conversion and restoration of Israel. 
 Much has been written upon this subject, 
 some spiritualizing these prophecies, 
 and others taking them with extreme 
 literalness. Perhaps their true and in- 
 tended meaning lies between the two. 
 There never has been a time since apos- 
 tolic days when there was so much to 
 indicate their near fulfillment as now. 
 A wonderful awakening is going on 
 among the Jewish people, a national 
 and a spiritual. This extends to all 
 parts of the world. There is the Zion- 
 ist movement toward spiritual truth 
 and the Promised Land. Already there 
 are said to be twenty-nine Jewish 
 colonies in Palestine, and it is estimated 
 that there are not less than one hun- 
 dred thousand Jews there. And the 
 Anglo-Saxon race — whether we regard 
 it as more largely representing spirit- 
 ual Israel than any other, or, with 
 some, as the actual continuance of 
 the ten lost tribes of Israel — this race 
 is the great propagator of Christian- 
 ity, the great Christian missionary 
 race of the world. The conversion 
 of the Israelitish people will be the 
 climax of triumphant Christianity, 
 and will add a stimulus and force to 
 missionary enterprises unprecedented 
 in history. In regard to the Jew and 
 Christianity, it may be added, that it 
 
 K 
 
146 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 33 O the depth of the riches both of the 
 wisdom and knowledge of God ! ' How 
 uusearehablu are his judgments, and 
 
 34 his ways past finding out ! " For who 
 hath known the mind of the Lord? 
 Or who hath been his counsellor? 
 
 35 Or ^ who hath first given to him, and it 
 shall be recomijensed unto him again? 
 
 36 For y of him, and through him, and to 
 
 o3 Oh, the depth of the riches, both of 
 the wisdom and the knowledge of God ! 
 How unsearchable are his judgments, 
 
 34 and his ways past tracing out ! For, 
 
 Who knew the mind of the Lord ? 
 Or who became his counselor? 
 
 35 Or who first gave to him, and it shall 
 
 36 be given back to him agr.in ? For 
 from him, and through him, and for 
 
 t Ps. 36 : 6 ; 92 : 5. 
 
 M Job 15 ; 8 ; 1 Cor. 2 : 16. x Job 35 : 7 ; 11 : 11. 
 
 1 Chron. 29 : 11, 12; Col. 1 : 16. 
 
 should not be demanded that he render 
 himself less a Jew, but that he accept 
 Jesus as his Messiah, the promised 
 One of Israel. This is plainly in har- 
 mony with the fifteenth chapter of tlie 
 Acts. 
 
 33-35. Exclamations of won- 
 der AT THIS SUBLIME MYSTERY, 
 AND ASCRIPTIONS OF PRAISE TO THE 
 
 Author and Ruler of all. This 
 naturally concludes the discussion in 
 the ninth, tenth, and eleventh chapters. 
 It is also a fitting conclusion to the 
 whole doctrinal discussion of. tlie Epis- 
 tle which ends here. Compare the ex- 
 ultant endings of chapters seven and 
 eight. 
 
 33. With this lofty and wide range 
 of view of God's mysterious plan in- 
 volving the glorious results of redemp- 
 tion, the apostle gives vent to his 
 emotions in expression of adniirati<m 
 and praise. O the depth, as of the 
 great deep, hidden and beyond man's 
 scrutiny fi Cor. 2 : lO; ps. 36 : 6), of the 
 riches, inexhaustible abundance, a 
 word frequently used by Paul of God's 
 goodness, grace, and glory (2:4:9:23; 
 
 10:12; Eph. 1:7,8: 2:7; 3:8,16; Col. 1 : 27 ; 
 
 2 : 2), both of the wisdom, in plan- 
 ning, arranging, and carrying out all 
 his purposes, and knowledge, in 
 
 knowing all things from the beginning. 
 " AVhere knowledge and wi.sdom are 
 used together, the former seems to be 
 knowledge regarded by itself, the latter 
 wi.sdom as exhibited in action (icnr. 12:8: 
 Col. 2:3). . . Knowledge applies chief- 
 ly to the apprehension of truths, wis- 
 dom superadds the power of reasoning 
 about them and tracing their relations " 
 (Thayer, " N. T. Lex." ). M eyer re- 
 gards wisdom, the more general term, 
 " ruling everything in the best way for 
 the best end." Knowfedge, the more 
 special term, of all relations, means, 
 and methods. A large number of 
 scholars translate, O depth of riches 
 
 and of ivisdovi and of knowledge of 
 (Jod ! HoAV unsearchable, even 
 to the inspired vision of the apostle, 
 are his judgments, the purposes 
 and decisions of wisdom, especially in 
 chastisement and punishment (ps. 97 : 2) ; 
 and his ways, his methods of pro- 
 cedure in carrying out his plans, bring- 
 ing good out of evil, and causing all 
 things to redound to his glory, past 
 finding out — beyond human ability 
 to trace from the beginning to the end 
 
 (Eph. 3:8: Job 9 : 10). His WayS SO knOUll 
 
 to him, so nvknoicn to us. 
 
 34. The apostle uses the words of 
 Isaiah (40: is), quoted from the Septua- 
 gint, as suited to his thought and con- 
 firmatory of it. For who knew the 
 mind of the Lord in the beginning 
 of creation, who had knowledge of what 
 he Avould do, or Avho became his 
 counsellor, who had wisdom to enter 
 into his methods and advise him about 
 carrying out his plans ? (Comp. i Cor. 2 : 16 ; 
 
 Jer. 23 : 18.) 
 
 35. In this verse Paul uses language 
 from Job 41 : 11 (comp. Job. 35 : 7), accord- 
 ing to the Hebrew. Or who first 
 gave to him and it shall be recom- 
 j)ensed to him again? This ques- 
 tion naturally refers to his riches 
 (ver. 33). Xo ouc has cvcr, or can ever, 
 lay him under obligation. He is the 
 giver, not the receiver — rich unto all 
 that call upon him (lo : 12). 
 
 36. " An emphatic negative answer 
 {no one) is implied in the foregoing 
 questions; and For, because, intro- 
 duces a conclusive reason for this em- 
 pJiatic negation" (BoiSE). For of 
 him, as the Creator and source of all 
 things, and through him, or by 
 means of him, sustaining, overruling, 
 and governing — the channel of all 
 blessings — and to him, the final 
 cause and end, are all things. He is 
 the source, the instrumentality, and the 
 end of all created things. (Comp. coi. 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 147 
 
 him, are all things : ' to whom he glory 
 for ever. Amen. 
 
 him, are all things; to him be the 
 glory forever. Amen. 
 
 z Gal. 1 : 5 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 17 ; Heb. 13 : 21 ; 1 Peter 5 : 11 ; Eev. 1 : 6. 
 
 1 : 16.) Alford, following Origen, finds 
 here an implied reference to the attri- 
 butes of God manifested in three persons 
 of the Godhead. To whom be glory 
 forever, through all the periods and 
 developments of the future. Amen. 
 (Sctoni : 25. ) " Paul iu chapter nine 
 had been sailing, as it were, on a strait ; 
 he is now on the ocean" (Bengel).' 
 "Never was a survey taken more vast 
 of the Divine plan in the history of the 
 world" (GODET). 
 
 Preaching — Doctrinal, Ex- 
 perimental, AND Practical. Paul 
 grounded his preaching and teaching 
 in doctrine. This is exemplified in all 
 his Epistles to the churches, in which 
 he first unfolds doctrine and then en- 
 forces practice. He also wrote and 
 spoke from a deep experience. The 
 present generation would do well to take 
 lessons from him. Since the great re- 
 vival movement of 1858 doctrinal 
 preaching has declined and ethical and 
 practical instruction has largely tiiken 
 its place. Converts have greatly mul- 
 tiplied, but without the corresponding 
 increase of knowledge in the Scriptures 
 and of the truth. As might be expected 
 there has been a great lack of doctrinal 
 knowledge among church-members gen- 
 erally. Sunday-school teachers have 
 often shrunk from the thought of giving 
 doctrinal instruction. Many therefore 
 have grown up with superficial views 
 and weak convictions. Tliere needs to 
 be a return to doctrinal study and ex- 
 perience. Doctrines not only need to 
 be learned from the Scriptures, but also 
 verified in personal experience. The 
 result will be men and women of deep 
 religious convictions. Knowing Christ 
 and knowing his doctrine they will 
 speak from the heart, and hence to the 
 heart. They will be eminently doc- 
 trinal and eminently practical. They 
 will be in touch with Christ and in 
 touch with their fellow-men. Their in- 
 fluence will be felt among all classes, 
 and in all the walks of life, upon the 
 intellectual, social, and political, as 
 well as upon the religious world. 
 Practical Remarks. 
 1. God is ever faithful to his promises 
 
 1 and to his people (ver. 1 ; Heb. 11 : 13 ; 
 1 Peter 4 : 19 ; 2 Peter 3 : 4-10). 
 
 2. Paul was a remarkable example of 
 salvation by grace, of God's faithfulness 
 to Israel, and of his mercy toward Gen- 
 tiles (ver. 1, 6 : 1 Tim. 1 : 12-16). 
 
 3. The salvation of God's true people is 
 safe and assured in his hands (ver. 2; 
 John 10 : 28, 29). 
 
 4. The best of saints sometimes give 
 way to despondency and unbelief. Chris- 
 tians should not be pessimists (ver. 3, 4 ; 
 Ps. 42 : 5, 11. 
 
 5. God has so exercised his gracious 
 election that no age of the world will be 
 without a remnant of his people (ver. 5 ; 
 Isa. 62: 1, 3). 
 
 6. Salvation by grace excludes the idea 
 of merit founded on works. The sinner 
 is utterly unworthy and helpless (ver. 6 ; 
 4:4; Eph. 2 : 8, 9). 
 
 7. The right seeking of salvation is in 
 harmony with God's electing grace, and 
 implies submitting to God's righteousness 
 (ver. 7; 10:3; 9 :16). 
 
 8. When people are left by God to them- 
 selves, their spiritual powers become per- 
 manently darkened and their blessings 
 turn into curses (ver. 8-10 ; Acts 28 : 26, 27 ; 
 
 2 Cor. 4 : 4). 
 
 9. Even the means of grace and gospel 
 privileges become malevolent to those 
 who persistently reject God (ver. 9, 10 ; 
 Acts 7 :51; 2 Cor. 2 : 16). 
 
 10. Individuals and peoples sink down 
 into the most wretched moral and spirit- 
 ual slavery by departing from God (ver. 
 10; 6: 16). 
 
 11. In God's dealing Avith the Jews we 
 have an illustration of how he brings good 
 out of evil, and makes even sin result in 
 the race's welfare, and in his own glory 
 (Ps. 76 : 10). The barrier between Jew 
 and Gentile was broken down. The 
 destruction of Jerusalem, of the temple, 
 and of the ceremonial rites, took away 
 barriers to the propagation of the true 
 spiritual worship of the gospel (ver. 11 ; 
 John! : 18-24). 
 
 12. The conversion of Israel would 
 greatly facilitate the conversion of the 
 
148 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 world. Scattered everywhere they would 
 become a band of most efficient mission- 
 aries among all nations. Even their con- 
 version would, like a miracle, impress the 
 world. It may be the design of God that 
 they should be the last as well as the first 
 missionaries (ver. 12, 15). 
 
 13. The mutual relation into which 
 the gospel brings Jews and Gentiles 
 should lead them to banish all feelings of 
 hatred or contempt, to pray and put forth 
 efforts for each other's salvation, and to 
 unite in bringing the world to Christ 
 (ver. 13-lG). 
 
 14. We should ponder well our debt to 
 God's ancient people, both in civil and 
 religious matters. Salvation is of the 
 Jews (John 4 : 22). Through them the 
 Saviour and Christianity have come to 
 us. "The germs of popular government 
 are all to be found in the elements of the 
 Hebraic commonwealth under Moses : 
 popular suffrage ; government organized 
 into three departments— the legislative, 
 the executive, and the judicial ; two great 
 representative assemblies— a house of 
 deputies and a senate ; a system of laws 
 independent of, not emanating from, the 
 will of a single despot: provisions of 
 mercy mitigating the severity of absolute 
 justice, and forbidding the cruelty of per- 
 sonal revenge; . . . liberty, law, order, 
 the revelation of a personal God, the in- 
 carnation of a spiritual righteousness, a 
 divinely inspired ethics, and the world's 
 Redeemer, the source and the inspiration 
 of all redemptive influences are all in- 
 cluded in our debt to Judaism " (Lyman 
 Abbott). (Ver. 16-18. See " Wines' Laws 
 of the Ancient Hebrews.") 
 
 1">. The Jewish theocracy and the 
 church are not the same. The former in- 
 cluded all Israel by natural birth, the lat- 
 ter is made up only of those who have 
 exercised personal faith. The one was 
 national, the other included many local 
 organizations (ver. 11-16, 32). 
 
 16. Infant baptism finds no place in this 
 chapter. The church is not here dis- 
 cussed as an organization. The theocracy 
 and the kingdom of God are rather 
 brought into view (ver. 16-18). 
 
 17. The Gentile has no reason of boast- 
 ing over the Jew. There is no special 
 covenant pledging restoration to default- 
 
 j ing Gentiles. God would not probably 
 I bear so long with them as he did with 
 j Israel (ver. 18-24). 
 
 18. There is a tendency among those 
 enjoying high privileges to be high- 
 minded and to despise others less favored 
 
 I (ver. 18, 19 ; Luke 18 : 9-11, 19). 
 
 19. The exercise of true faith is produc- 
 tive of humility, and watchfulness, and 
 
 I of the use of means resulting in perse- 
 1 verance and final salvation (ver. 20, 21 ; 
 { 1 John 5: 4; 1 Cor. 15 : 57). 
 
 20. We get a one-sided view of God if 
 we lose sight of either his goodness or his 
 justice (ver. 22, 23). 
 
 21. Faith and unbelief have been the 
 two great deciding exercises in the relig- 
 ious experiences of men in all ages (ver. 
 23, 24; Heb. 11). 
 
 22. In this world God deals with nations, 
 churches, and communities (ver. 14, 24 ; 
 Gen. 15 : 14 ; Jer. 51 : 20, 21 ; Rev. 2 : 16). 
 
 23. The existence of sin in the world 
 and the use God makes of it in his plans 
 of grace and redemption are divine mys- 
 teries (ver. 25). 
 
 24. The conversion of Israel is foretold, 
 but its details are not made known. 
 Whether it is to precede, or follow our 
 Lord's second coming, or whether they 
 are to return to their own land and be 
 converted there, Paul does not definitely 
 say. Such questions should be treated 
 cautiously, and their settlement left to 
 their fulfillment (ver. 26, 27). 
 
 25. The promises of God to Israel en- 
 courage missionary labors among them 
 (ver. 26-29). 
 
 26. Everj' effort made for the conversion 
 of the Gentile world is sometliing done to- 
 ward the conversion of Israel (ver. 26-31). 
 
 27. All of God's designs of mercy will 
 most surely be carried out. God will not 
 forsake his people. No opposition can 
 thwart his purpose to save them (ver. 29 ; 
 Ps. 89 : 35, 36 ; Titus 1:2; Heb. 6 : IS : 
 James 1 :17). 
 
 28. Peoples and communities bear cer- 
 tain spiritual relatioTis to one another. 
 These should not be ignored, but if possi- 
 ble discovered and used for the advance- 
 ment of Christ's cause (ver. 29, 30). 
 
 29. All men are sinners, and on a level 
 before God, and can be saved only 
 through his mercy (ver. 32). 
 
Ch. XII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 149 
 
 Practical and ethical lessons. 
 
 12 I BESEECH you therefore, brethren, 
 by the mercies of God, that ye " present 
 your bodies ^a living sacrifice, "holy, 
 acceptable unto God, ivhich is your 
 2 reasonable service. And <i be not con- 
 formed to this world : but ^ be ye trans- 
 formed f by the renewing of your mind. 
 
 12 I BESEECH you therefore, brethren, 
 through the mercies of God, to present 
 your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, 
 well pleasing to God, which is your 
 2 rational service. And be not con-- 
 formed to this age, but be transfigured 
 by the renewing of your mind, that ye 
 
 o6 : 13; 1 Cor. 6 : 13, 19, 20. 6 Heb. 13 : 15, 16. c See refs. Lev. 1 : 3. 
 
 d 2 Cor. 6 : 14-17 ; James 1 : 27 ; 4 : 4 ; 2 Peter 2 : 20 ; 1 John 2 : 15-17. e 2 Cor. 5 : 17. 
 
 / John 3:3-7; Eph. 4 : 22-24 ; Col. 3:10. 
 
 30. We may hope from God's word for 
 the time when the whole world will be 
 converted to Christ (ver. 32 ; Isa. 11 : 9 ; 
 Hab. 2: 14; Rev. 20:4). 
 
 31. Since God is infinitely wise, just, and 
 good, it becomes us to be humble and 
 submissive to his will (ver. 33-36). 
 
 32. God is the Creator and Owner of all 
 things. The universe evinces his power, 
 wisdom, goodness, and glory (ver. 33-36; 
 Ps. 19: 1,6). 
 
 33. Still greater wisdom and glory are 
 displayed in his moral government and 
 in his word (ver. 33-36 ; Ps. 19 : 7-14). 
 
 34. The wisdom, knowledge, and ways 
 of God, will furnish themes of contem- 
 plation and of praise through all eter- 
 nity (ver. 33-36). 
 
 35. God alone is absolutely great (ver. 
 35 ; Ps. 50 : 1-3, 12 ; 86 : 10 ; Rev. 4 : 11). 
 
 36. All truth tends to exalt God, and to 
 present him as all and in all. All true 
 religion comes from him, and to him 
 ascribes all the glory (ver. 36 ; Rev. 7 : 10- 
 12). 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 "With the preceding chapter closes the 
 doctrinal portion of the Epistle. With 
 this chapter begins the practical por- 
 tion, consisting of various precepts, ad- 
 monitions, concluding remarks, mes- 
 sages, salutations, and benedictions. In 
 this chapter Paul first enforces self-con- 
 secration (ver. 1,2)^ and a sober, impar- 
 tial judgment of self in the use of tlie 
 spiritual gifts bestowed (rer. 3-8). He 
 then exhorts to social duties, growing 
 out of unfeigned love to one another as 
 Christians (ver. 9-13)^ and to the world 
 
 (ver. 14-21). 
 
 1-8. Self-consecration to God 
 and the eight use of spiritual 
 gifts connected with an impar- 
 tial judgment of self. 
 
 1. Paul says. Therefore, with es- 
 pecial reference to the closing thoughts 
 of the preceding chapter, and also with 
 a general reference to the mercies of 
 God, exhibited through the whole pre- 
 ceding doctrinal discussion. The Greek 
 word for beseech cannot be exactly- 
 translated into English. It includes 
 here the idea of entreaty and exhorta- 
 tion, / entreat and exhort. Mercies, 
 the emotions of tenderness and pity, the 
 compassionate dealings of God, which 
 are unfolded in chapters 3-8. The word 
 is also used in 2 Cor. 1:3; Phil. 2:1; 
 Col. 3 : 12 ; Heb. 10 : 28. No motive 
 could be stronger. That ye present 
 your bodies— too little thought of 
 that they should be temples of the Holy 
 Spirit ( 1 Cor. 6 : 19 ) . A living sacrifice 
 — as animals before the altar, so present 
 your bodies before God. God wishes not 
 the dead bodies of irrational animals, 
 but the living bodies of his true worship- 
 ers (Ps. 51 : 15-17), as a thank olFering. 
 (comp. Lev. 3 : 1 ff.) Holy — free from de- 
 fect and impurity. Acceptable, or 
 well-pleasing, unto God, which is 
 your reasonable, or rational, serv- 
 ice. Service is properly religious serv- 
 ice, opposed to a mere external cere- 
 monial service (Heb. 12 : 28. Comp. Phil. 
 
 4:18.). As an expression of gratitude 
 Paul would have them consecrate their 
 powers and energies to God, not merely 
 the soul, but the soul acting through 
 the body, the hands, feet, eyes, tongue, 
 and brain. The body, once polluted by 
 sin, and a slave to sin (1 : 24; 6 : 12) 
 
 3. This consecration must extend to 
 the soul and to the life. And be not 
 conformed to this world, or fash- 
 ioned according to this age, to the prin- 
 ciples and practices of evil connected 
 with this period of sin and death (2 Cor. 
 
 4:4; Gal. 1 : 4 ; Eph. 2:2); but be yB 
 
 transformed — changed informdiS to 
 
150 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 that ye may e prove what is that Rood, 
 and acceptable, and perfect will of 
 God. 
 
 For I say, •> through the grace given 
 unto me, to every man that is among 
 you, inot to think of himself more 
 highly than he ought to think ; but to 
 think soberly, according as God hath 
 dealt '' to every man the measure of 
 faith. For as we have many members 
 in one body, and all members have not 
 the same office ; so ^ we, beinri many, 
 are one body in Christ, and everj^ one 
 members one of another. 
 
 may discern what is the will of God, 
 the good and well pleasing and i)erfect. 
 
 3 For I say, through the grace that was 
 given me, to every one that is among 
 you, not to think of himself more 
 highly than he ought to think ; but so 
 to think as to think soberly, according 
 as God divided to each one a measure 
 
 4 of faith. For even as we have many 
 members in one body, and all the mem- 
 
 5 bers have not the s'arae office ; so we, 
 the many, are one body in Christ, and 
 severally members one of another; 
 
 g Eph. 5 : 10. 
 
 h See refs. 1:5. i 1 Cor. 4 : 7 ; 1 Peter 5 : 5. 
 
 1 1 Cor. 10 : 17 ; 12 : 12-30; Eph. 4 : 16, 25. 
 
 k 1 Cor. 12 : 7-11. 
 
 your moral character, "by, or through, 
 the reneAving by the Holy Spirit, 
 of your miud, to the end that ye 
 may prove, or test and so discern, 
 what is that good, rather, what is 
 the will of God, namely, that which 
 is good and well pleasing to him, and 
 perfect. The word conform has an idea 
 of being external and transient. Com- 
 pare the same word in 1 Peter 1 : 14. 
 The word transform refers to that which 
 is real and permanent, and expresses a 
 deep, abiding change. It is used in 2 
 Cor. 3 : 18 ; Phil. 2:6, 8. .The mind 
 strictly means ^/?g thinking pourrs, the 
 intelligence, but here also includes in a 
 popular sense other powers of the soul, 
 such as affections and purposes, all of 
 which are renewed (2 Cor. 5 : 17 ; Gai. 6 : 15). 
 Compare the fuller phrase in Eph. 4 : 
 23. The renewing began in regenera- 
 tion and continued in their sanctifica- 
 tion and growth in grace (2 Cor. 4 : 16 : 
 Eph. 3:19), What is the will of God 
 needs to be spiritually tZ/scernecZ (icor. 
 2 : 11) ; hence tlie need of the renewing 
 of the mind (comp. john7:i7) in order to 
 discern it. 
 
 3. This consecration must be carried 
 out humbly in the diligent use of such 
 gifts as God has ])estowcd on each one. 
 For, in regard to this self-consecration, 
 I say and exhort through the grace 
 given me, qualifying me as an in- 
 spired apostle (Eph. "3 : 2. 7 ; Gal. 2 : 9 ; 1 Cor. 
 3:10; Rom. 1 : 5: If) : 15), tO CVery One 
 
 among you, whctlier a Jewish or a 
 Gentile believer, not to think of 
 himself more highly than he 
 ought to think, etc. There is a play 
 on words here which is difficult to ex- 
 press in another language. Alford 
 presents it thus: "!Not to be high- 
 
 minded, above that which he ought to 
 be minded, but to be so minded as to be 
 sober-minded." They were to recog- 
 nize the gifts of others as well as their 
 own, and that whatever gifts they had 
 they owed to the grace of God (ver. 6). 
 Excessive self-depreciation is also im- 
 pliedly condemned. According as 
 God has dealt, or in proportion as 
 God has imparted to each one a measure 
 of faith — of dependent trust in Christ 
 and confiding expectation. By faith 
 we receive the workings of the Spirit, 
 and the measure of our faith determines 
 our capacity for all spiritual gifts and 
 attainments. (Comp. Ei,h. 2 : 7, 8.) To 
 think soberly involves true humility, 
 a right and healthful view of ourselves 
 and of our relation to others. Among 
 you, as a community of Christians. 
 The exhortation is to members of the 
 church. 
 
 4. For introduces an illustration of 
 the human body with its members, 
 or limbs, each having its office, 
 function, or business, which the apostle 
 uses to enforce the exhortation of the 
 preceding verse. This is one of Paul's 
 favorite illustrations. It is given most 
 fully in 1 Cor. 12 : 12-30. In Eph. 4 : 4- 
 16 ; 5 : 23-30, Christ is presented as the 
 
 lifegiA-ing head. (See also 1 Cor. 10 : 17 ; Eph. 
 1 : 23; Col. 1 : 18, 24 ; 2 : 19 ; 3 : 15.) HcrC the 
 
 connection of believers with each other, 
 in a living union with Chri.';t, is brought 
 to view, and their different positions 
 and functions. 
 
 5. So we, Avho are many, are 
 one body in Christ, who is our 
 bond of union by virtue of our union 
 with him (8:i)/and every one, i«r 
 rather, and individnalh/, members 
 one of another. Through this union 
 
Ch. XII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 151 
 
 6 Having then gifts differing according 
 to the grace that is given to us, whetli- 
 er prophecy, let us prophesy according 
 
 7 to the proportion of faitli ; or ™ minis- 
 
 8 try, let usivaii on our ministering ; or he 
 that teacheth, on teacliing ; or lie tliat 
 exliorteth, on exhortation. "^He that 
 giveth, let him do it with simplicity ; 
 " he that ruleth, with diligence ; he 
 that showeth mercy, Pwith cheerful- 
 
 6 and having gifts differing according to 
 the grace that is given to us, whether 
 prophecy, let it be according to the pro- 
 
 7 portion of our faith ; or service, in the 
 service; or he that teaches, in the 
 
 8 teaching ; or he that exhorts, in the 
 exhortation ; he that imparts, in sim- 
 plicity ; he that leads, in diligence ; he 
 that shows mercy, in cheerfulness. 
 
 m Acts 6 : i. 
 
 n Matt. 6 : 1-4, 22. 
 
 o Acts 20 : 28; Heb. 13 : 7. 
 
 p 2 Cor. 9 : 7. 
 
 they are new creatures (2 Cor. 5 : 17) and 
 related to each other. As a living body 
 in Christ they are to use their differing 
 gifts for the good of all (ver. 6-8). They 
 must not regard themselves as standing 
 alone, but as related to each other, and 
 as members one of another they are to 
 discharge their individual functions 
 
 (U:7,8). 
 
 6. Having then gifts diflfering 
 
 in kind and degree, common or miracu- 
 lous, according to the grace that 
 is given to us (Matt. 25 : 14-30). It 
 seems evident from the gifts mentioned 
 in this and the two following verses, 
 that Paul is not here limiting his di- 
 rections to miraculous gifts. Whether 
 miraculous or common, they were gra- 
 cious gifts from the same Spirit. For 
 the apostle's full discussion on spiritual 
 gifts, see 1 Cor. chap. 12, 13, 14. The 
 language here is very concise and ellip- 
 tical. Whether prophecy, let us 
 prophesy according to the pro- 
 portion of faith, of that trust in 
 Christ which lays hold of and re- 
 ceives the blessings of the Spirit. The 
 phrase is substantially the same in 
 meaning as "measure of faith" in 
 ver. 3. Prophecy is the utterance of 
 divine truth under the influence or 
 inspiration of the Spirit. It is not con- 
 fined to foretelling. He who has the 
 gift of prophecy must exercise it within 
 his own sphere in harmony with a 
 sound, sober judgment (ver. 3). The 
 truth he utters must be in accordance 
 with the teachings of the Spirit, and in 
 proportion to his faith which receives 
 the divine influence (2Cor. 4:i3). Notice 
 that the reference in this passage is not 
 to church officers, but to the spiritual 
 gifts and qualifications of the members. 
 
 (Cornp. on Acts 13 : 1 ; also 1 Cor. 12 : 4-11.) 
 
 7,^ Or if we have the spiritual quali- 
 fication or gift of ministry, literally, 
 of service, let us wait on and continue 
 in the service. Ministry means any 
 
 service in the church. In 11 : 13 it 
 means apostolic service. In 15 : 31 it 
 is the service in bringing the money col- 
 lected for the needy saints at Jeru- 
 salem. It here appears to be something 
 different from " prophecy " and " teach- 
 ing," but it is put in the important 
 place between them. It would seem to 
 be an active practical service, such as 
 the young men performed at the death 
 of Ananias and Sapphira (Actss :6, lo), 
 or as the alms distributers in Acts 6 : 
 1-4 ; or the deacons in 1 Tim. 3 : 10, 11. 
 Or he that teacheth, who has the 
 gift and qualification for that work, let 
 him continue in teaching, and be de- 
 voted to it. In Acts 13 : 1, prophets 
 and teachers are mentioned as two dis- 
 tinct classes of workers. Teachers are 
 also spoken of as in 1 Cor. 12 : 28, 29, 
 and Eph. 4 : 11. It does not appear 
 that they were officers in the church, 
 but workers, their name indicating 
 their work. They may have been ex- 
 positors of the Scriptures and of apos- 
 tolic preaching. Their special work 
 was that of instruction. 
 
 8. Or he that exhorteth, having 
 also qualifications for entreating and 
 consoling (ver. i), such as earnestness, 
 unction, and an impressive voice, let 
 him continue in the exhortation in that 
 department of work. Exhortation is 
 addressed more to the feelings ; teach- 
 ing to the understanding. More general 
 directions now follow. He that giv- 
 eth, having the means and the 
 heart to distribute to the needy, let 
 him do it with simplicity, without 
 self-seeking, in openness of heart, the 
 true spirit of liberality (2'cor. 8 : 2; 9 : 11, 
 13 ; James 1 : 5). Noticc that Paul spcaks 
 of the grace of giving (2 cor. 8: i, 7), 
 He that ruleth, that presides over 
 others, as a leader in the church, among 
 the deacons, or in the family, let him 
 do it with diligence, with earnest 
 and careful attention to dutv. He 
 
152 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 9 ness : i let love be without dissimula- 
 tion. Abhor that which is evil ; cleave 
 to that which is good. 
 
 10 •■ Be kindly atfectioued one to another 
 with brotherly love; ^iu honour pre- 
 
 11 ferring one another; tnot slothful in 
 business ; fervent in spirit ; " serving 
 
 12 the Lord : » rejoicing in hope ; J patient 
 in tribulation ; '■ continuing instant in 
 
 13 prayer: "distributing to the necessity 
 of saints; •> given to hospitality. 
 
 9 Let love be unfeigned. Abhor that 
 which is evil ; cleave to that which is 
 
 10 good. In brotherly love, be tenderly 
 att'ectionate one to another ; in honor 
 
 11 preferring one another; in diligence 
 not slothful ; in spirit fervent ; serving 
 
 12 the Lord ; in hope rejoicing ; in afflic- 
 tion enduring ; in prayer persevering ; 
 
 13 communicating to the'neeessities of the 
 
 14 saints; given to hospitality. Bless 
 
 q 1 Peter 1 : 22 ; 1 John 3 : 18. 
 
 r John 13 : 34, 35. 
 
 s Phil. 2 : 3 ; 1 Peter 5:5. (2 Thess 3 : 10, 11. 
 
 M 1 Cor. 10 : 31. x 5 : 2 , 
 
 Luke 10 : 20. y 5 
 
 3, 4 ; Luke 21 : 19. z See refs. Luke 18 : 1. 
 
 a\ Cor. 16: 1, 2. 
 
 
 6 See refs. Gen. 18 : 2 ; 1 Tim. 3 : 2. 
 
 that showeth mercy in acts of kind- 
 ness and charity, succoring the afflicted 
 and bringing lielp to the Avretched, let 
 him do it in cheerfulness, (comp. 
 
 2 Cor. 9:7.) 
 
 9-21. Unfeigned love and duties 
 growing out therefeom to one 
 another as christians, and to 
 the avorld. 
 
 9. The apostle passes from a whole- 
 some estimate of one's self, which leads 
 to a proper use of one's gifts, to the ex- 
 ercise of Christian love, which will lead 
 them into lines of right action toward 
 all. Let love, toward both Christians 
 and others, be without dissimula- 
 tion, xinfeigned, without hj'pocrisy. 
 This love is emphasized elsewhere 
 
 (2 Cor. 6:6:1 Tim. 1 :5; 1 Peter 1 : 22). Tllis 
 
 is followed in the Greek by participles, 
 ahhorrivg, cJ earing , etc., to the end of 
 ver. 13. True Christian love joins 
 itself in abhorring evil, whatever is 
 hurtful and injurious, and in cleaving 
 to the good, whatever is beneficial. It 
 thus prepares the way for all the Chris- 
 tian exercises and works which are 
 named in the following verses. ( Comp. 
 Ps. 97 : 10.) Abhor — a strong word, 
 having a horror of. Q\e.2L.\e— joining 
 one's self steadfastly to and laboring 
 for that which is good. 
 
 10. As /o brotherly love (i Peter i: 
 2J: 8 8; 2Petcri : 7) bc kindly affcc- 
 tioned one to another, as belonging 
 to one family and to one spiritual 
 brotherhood. This tenderly loving is 
 a word used in expressing family af- 
 fection, chiefly of parents and chil- 
 dren. In honour, as to honor, due 
 from each to each and to all, prefer- 
 ring one another (Phll. 2:3; l Peter 
 
 5:6). The word iri\iis\ntcd preferring 
 is found only here in the New Testa- 
 ment. Many understand it to mean 
 
 going before as a leader, setting an ex- 
 ample of deference or of mutual es- 
 teem. We should be forward in the 
 manifestation of respect for others. 
 
 11. Not slothful in business, 
 rather, m diligence, in performing 
 Christian duty, in accomplishing, pro- 
 moting, and striving after whatever 
 you may have to do, he not remiss, 
 
 (Comp. Eccl. 9 : 10.) FcrVCUt, ZCaloUS 
 
 for what is good, in spirit, in the 
 
 human spirit, renewed and animated 
 by the Holy Spirit. (Comp. Acts is : 25.) 
 Serving the Lord — having his glory 
 in view and with a sense of obligation 
 to liim. We have thus in this verse a 
 reference to all the outward manifesta- 
 tions of the Christian life, to its in- 
 ward promptings, and to its high pur- 
 pose. Some ancient authorities read, 
 serving the occasion or opportunity with 
 moral discretion. But this reading is 
 not well sustained. 
 
 12. Rejoicing in hope, as the 
 ground of rejoicing. ( Comp. 5 : 2 ; 1 Peter 
 1: 3-9.) Patient and enduring in the 
 midst of tribulation, or a^(c^/o>j (5:3; 
 8:35); be Steadfast wlicn in a state or 
 condition of trial. Continuing in- 
 stant, rather, be persevering, in prayer, 
 both in its individual exercise (Matt. 6:6) 
 and in union with others ( Acts i: 14; 
 12:12). "Pray without ceasing" (ixhess. 
 5:n). Give constant attention to 
 prayer (Acts 2: 42; e : 4; Coi. 4:2), 
 
 13. Distributing to, or s/<«W»(/?7j, 
 the necessity, or icants, of the 
 saints ; so make tlieir wants your 
 own as to relieve them. (Comp. 15 : 27; 
 
 H.b. 13 : 16; Gal. 2 : 10; 6 : 6), GiVCU tO, Or 
 
 pursuing, hospitality, practise it ear- 
 nestly (Hcb. 13:2). These exhortations 
 were especially pertinent in those days 
 of persecution, when many suffered 
 loss of their goods and were driven 
 
Ch. XII. ] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 153 
 
 14 « Bless them which persecute you: ' 
 bless, and curse not. ' 
 
 15 d Rejoice with them that do rejoice, 1 
 
 16 and eweep with them that weep. ^ Be ' 
 of the same mind one toward another. 
 
 K Mind not high things, but ^ conde- 
 scend to men of low estate. Be not ' 
 wise in your own conceits. 
 
 17 ^ Recompense to no man evil for evil. 
 J Provide things honest in the sight of 
 
 18 all men. If it be possible, as much as 
 
 those who persecute you ; bless, and 
 
 15 curse not. Rejoice with those who re- 
 
 16 joice ; weep with tliose who weep. Be 
 of the same mind one toward another. 
 Set not your mind on high things, 
 but be carried away with lowly. Be- 
 come not wise in your own conceits. 
 
 17 Recompense to no one evil for evil. 
 Provide things honorable in the sight 
 
 18 of all men. If it be possible, as far as 
 
 c See refs. Matt. 5 : U. 
 g Matt. 18 : 1-4. 
 
 d 1 Cor. 12 : 26. 
 h Job 31 : 13-16. 
 
 e See refs. Job 2 : 11. /See refs. Acts 4 : 32. 
 
 : Matt. 5 : 39. j See refs. 2 Cor. 8 : 21. 
 
 from home ; and of missionary labor, 
 when apostles, evangelists, and others, 
 were traveling everywhere preaching 
 the word. 
 
 14. Treatment of persecutors. Bless 
 them. Be in the habit of blessing 
 them that persecute you. Let this 
 he your habitual spirit and practice. 
 Compare our Lord's precept (Luke 6 : 28) 
 and his example (Luke 23 : 34). The per- 
 secution under Nero occurred six years 
 later, but Christians were exposed to 
 persecutions privately in various ways, 
 and more or less publicly (2 Tim. 3 : 12). 
 Bless, and curse uot, invoke God's 
 blessing, but do not invoke his curse 
 on any one. Some suppose that Paul 
 did not practise his own precept in 
 Acts 23 : 3. But we may regard Paul 
 there speaking as an insi)ired man and 
 uttering words prophetic of Ananias' 
 
 doom. ( See on Acts 23 : 3. ) 
 
 15. Exercise a sympathizing spirit. 
 Rejoice tvith those rejoicing, and 
 weep laith those loeeping. The carry- 
 ing out of the law of love toAvard all. 
 " Verse li defines the proper conduct in 
 relation to personal antipathy; verse 
 15, the proper conduct in relation to 
 personal sympathy" (Lange). Com- 
 pare John the Baptist's joy (John 3 : 29). 
 and our Saviour's sympathy with the 
 sisters of Lazarus (johuii:35). Paul 
 carried out his own precept ( 2 Cor. 2:2-4; 
 
 Phil. 1:4: 2 : 17, 18). 
 
 16. The temper of mind Christians 
 should exercise. Be of the same 
 
 mind, be alike in thinking the same 
 thing one tOAvard another, not set- 
 ting your mind, etc. This "character- 
 izes the loving harmony, when each in 
 respect to his neighbor has one and the 
 same thought and endeavor. Com- 
 pare generally 1.5 : 5 ; Phil. 2 : 2 ; 4 : 2 ; 
 2 Cor. 13 : 11'' (Meyer). Mind uot 
 high things. This needs to be sepa- 
 
 rated only by a comma from the pre- 
 ceding (so AVestcott and Hort) : not 
 setting your mind on, or aiming at 
 high things. Be not ambitious in 
 self-seeking and for personal and social 
 positions. But condescend to men 
 of low estate, rather, but be carried 
 away with the lowly, have an absorbing 
 interest in men or things that are lowly. 
 The neuter seems to be demanded by 
 the contrast, high things ; but the mas- 
 culine is not here inapt, and it is argued 
 that in no other case in the New Testa- 
 ment is this adjective, rendered lowly, 
 used of things. But whether used in 
 the masculine or neuter, the general 
 meaning is the same. Christ yielded 
 himself to lowly things and conditions 
 of life for our salvation, and associated 
 with publicans and sinners in order 
 that he might save them. ( Comp. i Tim. 
 6:1-7.) Be not wise in your ow^n 
 conceits (n : 25), in your own estima- 
 tion, in your own eyes. This accords 
 well with what precedes. Observance 
 of tliis precept will help the observing 
 of those which precede and follow. 
 
 17. Recompense to no man, ren- 
 der back to no one, whether a Christian 
 or not, evil for evil. The law of retali- 
 ation is forbidden by Christian prin- 
 ciple ( Matt. 5 : 39, 43-48 : 1 Thess. 5 : 15 ; 1 Peter 
 
 3:9). Provide things honest, 
 
 rather, take thought for things honor- 
 able and becoming in the sight of 
 all men, fair and right both in reality 
 and appearance. This seems to be 
 quoted from the Septuagint of Prov. 
 3 : 4. Honest in the Bible always means 
 honorable, and is opposed to unbecom- 
 ing. Our lives should be becoming our 
 professions, and such as to recommend 
 us as Christians. ( Comp. Matt. 5 : 14-16.) 
 
 18. Live peaceably on your part. 
 If it be possible, and often it will 
 be difficult and sometimes impossible 
 
154 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 licth in you, live peaceably with all 
 
 19 men. Dearly beloved, •'avenge not 
 yourselves, biit rather 'give place unto 
 wrath : for it is written. Vengeance is 
 mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 
 
 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed 
 him ; if he thirst, give him drink : for 
 in so doing thou shalt heap coals of 
 
 21 fire on his head. " Be not overcome of 
 evil, but overcome evil with good. 
 
 depends on you, be at peace with all 
 
 19 men. Avenge not yourselves, beloved, 
 but give place to the wrath [of God]. 
 For it is written. To me belongs ven- 
 geance ; I will recompense, saith the 
 
 20 Lord. But, 
 
 If thine enemy hungers, feed him ; 
 If he thirsts, give him drink. 
 For, in doing this, 
 Thou wilt heap coals of fire on his 
 head. 
 
 21 Be not overcome by evil, but overcome 
 evil with good. 
 
 A; See refs. Lev. 19 : 18. 
 
 I Matt. 5 : 39. 
 
 m Luke 6 : 27-30. 
 
 with imperfect and wicked people, as 
 much as lieth in you, or as much as 
 depends on you, live peaceably with 
 
 all men. Have a peaceable disposi- 
 tion, and do and endure for the sake of 
 peace, so that if it be broken it will be 
 by others rather than by yourselves. 
 (Comp. Matt. 5 : 39-41.) Universal peace, 
 however, cannot be attained where sin 
 exists. Besides, duty will at times re- 
 quire us to oppose or expose wrong- 
 doing, which will naturally arouse op- 
 position. 
 
 19. But at all events the Christian 
 must not avenge himself, but leave that 
 to God, who is holy, and whose right 
 and business it is. Dearly beloved. 
 An expression of beautiful tenderness, 
 and of persuasive appeal. " The voice 
 of love entreats to walk in love." 
 Avenge not yourselves — do not 
 exact justice to yourselves, do not 
 undertake to vindicate yourselves and 
 exact punishment. (Comp. Matt. 5 : 39.) 
 Paul illustrates this precept in 1 Cor. 
 5 : 7, and Peter in 1 Peter 2 : 20-23. 
 But rather give place unto 
 wrath, rather, the wrath, that is of 
 God. Not the wrath of the enemy, 
 which they are not to return, nor their 
 own wrath, which they are to restrain, 
 but the wrath of God, which accords 
 with the Scripture immediately quoted. 
 Vengeance is mine ; I will repay, 
 saith the Lord. Quoted freelv from 
 the Septuagint of Deut. 32 : 35.' It is 
 also quoted in Ileb. 10 : 30. Mine and 
 / are emphatic. It is not the gratifica- 
 tion of revenge, but the execution of 
 deserved punishment, tliat is meant. 
 
 20. Therefore, in view of the pre- 
 ceding principles, if thine enemy 
 hunger, feed him ; kindly and atten- 
 tively ( 1 <"or. IS 3). This verse is quoted 
 from Prov. 25 : 21, 22. For in so 
 
 doing thou shalt heap coals of 
 fire on his head. The figure ap- 
 pears to be that of melting metals by 
 covering them with burning charcoal. 
 The idea is not the anticipated pleasure 
 of producing pain and shame, which 
 would be revenge and contrary to what 
 precedes and follows ; but that deeds of 
 kindness and love, would tend to melt 
 and subdue the heart into repentance, 
 while they would be the most effectual 
 rebuke of the wrong (Luke 6 : 27-36). 
 
 21. Be thou not overcome with 
 evil, by retaliating and avenging thy- 
 self and by harboring an angry spirit, 
 but overcome evil with good, by 
 the spirit and deeds of kindness and 
 love, as suggested in the preceding 
 verse. In 1878 a little Christian com- 
 munity in China was severely used by 
 a petty ofiicial, who some time after 
 was sentenced to severe punishment. 
 But one of his former victims inter- 
 posed and procured his pardon ; and 
 thus their enemv was turned into a 
 grateful friend (A. E. Moule, "Story 
 of the Chehkiang Mission "). 
 
 Paul's Ethics. In this chapter Paul 
 bases moral duty and obligation on the 
 mercies of God as a motive, and tlie 
 will of God as a standard. But in his 
 address upon ^Mars' Hill (Acts n : 24-29), 
 he goes back of these and begins with 
 the nature of God, and our relation to 
 him as his offspring — the Author and 
 Sustainer of our being. Thus the 
 ultimate ground of our moral obliga- 
 tion must be found in the nature of God, 
 from wliich nature our connnon nature 
 has been derived, and to wliich nature, 
 as expre.«5sed in the Divine will, we 
 should be conformed. And this is rea- 
 sonal)le, and accords with our rational, 
 spiritual being and with our relations 
 
Ch. XIIL] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 155 
 
 to God and our fellow-men. Inasmuch 
 as God is holy our service should be 
 holy, and every exercise of love and 
 right should be in accordance with 
 God's holiness. This can only be done 
 in a renewed nature, and toward this 
 every Christian should aim. Practi- ; 
 cally we are not to avenge evil, but i 
 overcome it with good. Vengeance we [ 
 are to leave with God, and civil pun- 
 ishment to civil government. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. Doctrine and practice should go hand 
 in hand. We should make the former the 
 foundation for the latter (ver. 1 ; Eph. 4 : 
 1; Col. 3 : 1). 
 
 2. Christian doctrine should be verified 
 in Christian experience. It will thus be- 
 come productive of holiness in heart and 
 life (ver. 1, 2 ; John 17 : 17 ; Col. 2 : 6, 7). 
 
 3. The mercies of God as manifested in 
 Jesus Christ, are the strongest motives 
 for consecration and Christian living 
 (ver. 1, 2 ; Phil. 2 : 1, 2, 12 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 14). 
 
 4. The Christian spirit of consecration 
 is directly opposed to conformity to the 
 world (ver. 2 ; James 4:4; Gal. 5 : 16). 
 
 5. Christian brethren, having different 
 gifts, abilities, and stations, should es- 
 pecially guard against self-conceit and 
 ambition on the one hand, and discontent 
 and envy on the other (ver. 3, 4 ; 15 : 1 ; 
 1 Peter 2: 1, 5). 
 
 6. The beauty of Christian brotherhood 
 can only be fully manifested by each 
 being in his place and doing his appro- 
 priate work (ver. 4, 5 ; Eph. 4 : 1, 3, 25, 32 ; 
 ICor. 14:33). 
 
 7. We owe it to Christ, as members 
 of his spiritual body, to cultivate our 
 gifts and discharge the duties of our 
 calling for the glory of God and the 
 good of others (ver. 6-8 ; Phil. 3 : 13-16 ; 
 ICor. 6 :20). 
 
 8. " Real honor consists in doing what 
 God calls us to do, and not in the posses- 
 sion of high offices or great talents. No 
 man's usefulness is increased by going 
 out of his sphere" (Hodge). (Ver. 6-8; 
 1 Sam. 2 : 30 ; John 12 : 26.) 
 
 9. Love is the fulfilling of the law and 
 lies at the foundation of Christian prac- 
 tice (ver. 9, 10 ; 13 : 10 ; 1 John 4 : 7, 8). 
 
 10. There are different kinds of love. 
 Christians, as members of a spiritual 
 
 family, exercise for one another a love 
 which is marked by a spiritual, brotherly 
 affection (ver. 10 ; 1 John 4 : 7, 11, 12). 
 
 11. Laziness and indifference are in- 
 compatible with the Lord's service (ver. 
 11 ; Matt. 25 : 26 ; Heb. 6 : 12). 
 
 12. We need to be instant in prayer, 
 since God is the source of our joy, pa- 
 tience, and every grace (ver. 12 ; 1 Thess. 
 
 1 :2, 3; 2 Thess. 1 : 11, 12). 
 
 13. Christian charity and hospitality 
 should be exercised by us, as the stewards 
 of God, especially toward the household 
 of faith (ver. 13 ; 1 John 3 : 17 ; Gal 6 : 10). 
 - 14. The perfection of Christian love is 
 
 exhibited in its exercise toward an 
 enemy, and is of God (ver. 14 ; 5:8; 
 Matt. 5:44, 45). 
 
 15. Christian sympathy, ennobling and 
 perfecting human sympathy, shares the 
 joys and sorrows of others without re- 
 spect of persons (ver. 15 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 14, 15). 
 
 16. A proper estimate of ovu-selves and 
 of others will cure pride and self-conceit, 
 and stimulate effort among the humble 
 and lowly (ver. 16 ; Phil. 2 : 5, 14-17 ; Rom. 
 14:10, 19). 
 
 17. A spirit of retaliation is ignoble and 
 brutish, much less is it Christian (ver. 17 ; 
 James 4 : 1, 4). 
 
 18. Abstaining from doing evil is but 
 a part of external duty. The Christian 
 religion demands that which is becoming 
 and honorable and peaceful (ver. 17, 18 ; 
 
 2 Cor. 8 : 21; 1 Peter 2 : 12). 
 
 19. Judgment and vengeance are pre- 
 rogatives of God and are not to be exer- 
 cised by men, except as he has, for the 
 good of society and for his glory, given 
 them authority (ver. 19 ; 13 : 1, 3 ; Matt. 
 18 : 17). 
 
 20. Nothing is so powerful as goodness 
 and love, and nothing is more effective 
 in subduing enemies and overcoming 
 opposition (ver. 20; 2:4). 
 
 21. The surest way of not being over- 
 come by evil, is to overcome it by good. 
 This is true of individuals, of churches, 
 and of Christianity in the conversion of 
 the world (ver. 21 ; John 12 ; 32). 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 In this chapter Paul continues to en- 
 large upon Christian practice. Pass- 
 
156 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XIII. 
 
 13 LET every soul " be subject unto the 
 higher pt)wers. For » there is no power 
 but of God : the powers that be are or- 
 
 2 dained of God. Whosoever therefore 
 resisteth the power, resisteth the ordi- 
 nance of God : and they that resist shall 
 
 3 receive to themselves damnation. For 
 p rulers are not a terror to good works, 
 but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be 
 afraid of the power? Do that which 
 is good, and thou shalt have praise of 
 
 4 the same : for <i he is the minister of 
 God to thee for good. But if thou do 
 that which is evil, be afraid ; for he 
 
 13 LET every soul submit himself to 
 the authorities that are over him. For 
 there is no authority but from God ; 
 and those that are have been appointed 
 
 2 by God. So that he that sets himself 
 against the authority, resists the ordi- 
 nance of God ; and they that resist 
 will receive to themselves condemna- 
 
 3 tion. For rulers are not a terror to the 
 good work, but to the evil. And dost 
 thou wish not to fear the authority? 
 Do that which is good, and thou wilt 
 
 4 have praise from him ; for he is God's 
 minister to thee for good. But if thou 
 
 n Deut. 17 : 12 ; Titus 3 : 1 ; 1 Peter 2 : 13-17. 
 p Deut. 25 : 1. 
 
 o See refs. Prov. 8 : 15, 16 ; Dan. 4 : 32 ; John 19 : 11. 
 q 2 Chron. 19 : 6. 
 
 ing naturally from God, the Supreme 
 Ruler and Judge, to civil governments, 
 as ordained of God, he enforced subjec- 
 tion to rightful authority {'^^^- i-s) ; and 
 a faithful attention to civil duties as 
 carrying out the great law of love ( ver. 
 6-10) ; and as a motive for this and an 
 entire consecration he presents the brev- 
 ity of human life and the approach of 
 final salvation (ver. 11-14). 
 
 1. Let every soul — every man (2 :9), 
 be subject, be in the habit of sub- 
 mitting himself to the higher pow- 
 ers, to the authorities that are over him. 
 Peter gives a similar injunction (1 Pfter 
 2:13,14). "Wrong views on this may 
 have existed among Roman Christians 
 at that time. The turbulent Jewish 
 spirit may have had an influence upon 
 them. Paul insists that every one 
 should subinit himself freely of his 
 own accord. And his advice had its 
 designed effect. Under the influence 
 of such precepts, the early church won 
 the moral victory over the Roman 
 empire and heathendom. Tlius it over- 
 came evil with good. For there is 
 no power, better, no authority, but 
 of God : a statement of a general 
 principle, tliat God is the source 'of the 
 office and functions of government. 
 The powers that be. And those au- 
 thorities that exist have been ordained 
 or appointed by God. That human 
 government is of Divine appointment 
 IS here applied to existing governments. 
 It is implied that God is supreme and 
 his authority is above all. But a higher 
 law is not here under consideration 
 (Acts* : 19, 20) ; nor tlie right to change 
 the structure or the rulers of govern- 
 ment. Civil authority is subordinate 
 under God, and in connection with the 
 
 preceding chapter, it is implied that 
 the civil is distinct from the spiritual. 
 There is no ground here for a State 
 church, or for a government's interfer- 
 ing in spiritual matters. 
 
 2. Whosoever, therefore — as a 
 conclusion from the preceding state- 
 ment, resisteth, or setteth himself 
 against the authority (the same verb 
 used in James 5:6), resisteth (a 
 different verb from the preceding) the 
 ordinance of God. Lawful author- 
 ity is meant, that which accords with 
 the standard of right. Shall receive 
 to themselves damnation, rather, 
 condemnation. Not eternal damnation, 
 but temporal punishment which magis- 
 trates execute under the appointment 
 of God. 
 
 3. For in confirmation of what I 
 have said, rulers, as a class, are not 
 an occasion of terror to the good tcork 
 (according to the best Greek text), 
 but to the evil work. The good and 
 the evil work are personified. Paul is 
 making a general statement. Rulers 
 were designed to be such and generally 
 were such. Wilt thou then, rather, 
 And trouhJst thou hare no fear of 
 thr authority? Do habitually that 
 which is good, and thou shalt 
 have praise of the same, the one 
 exercising the authority. This again 
 is a general principle generally true. 
 Fully carried out it would give us a 
 model government. Paul has in mind 
 a standard, an ideal government. Tho- 
 luck finds here an evidence that this 
 Epistle was written before the Nero- 
 nian persecution, 
 
 4. For he is the minister, or a 
 servant, of God to thee for good— 
 this is the end in view, hence you may 
 
Ch. XIII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 157 
 
 beareth not the sword in vain : for he is 
 the minister of God, ^a revenger to 
 execute wrath upon liim that doetli evil. 
 
 5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, 
 not only for wrath, but also for scon- 
 science' sake. 
 
 6 For, for this cause 'pay ye tribute also : 
 for they are God's ministers, "attend- 
 ing- continually upon this very thing. 
 
 7 * Render therefore to all their dues ; 
 tribute to whom tribute is due ; custom 
 to whom custom ; y fear to whom fear ; 
 ^ honour to whom honour. 
 
 8 » Owe no man anything, but to love 
 one another: for" ^'he that loveth 
 
 9 another hath fulfilled the law. For 
 this. Thou shalt not commit adultery, 
 Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not 
 
 do that which is evil, fear, for he bears 
 not the sword in vain ; for he is God's 
 minister, an avenger for w'rath to him 
 
 5 that does evil. Wherefore it is neces- 
 sary to submit yourselves, not only be- 
 cause of the wrath, but also because of 
 conscience. 
 
 6 For, on this account ye pay tribute 
 also ; for they are God's' ministers, at- 
 tending continually to this very thing. 
 
 7 Render to all their dues ; tribute to 
 whom tribute is due ; custom to whom 
 custom ; fear to whom fear ; honor to 
 
 8 whom honor. Owe no one anything, but 
 to love one another ; for he' that loves 
 
 9 another has fulfilled the law. For 
 this, Thou shalt not commit adultery. 
 Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not 
 
 )• 12 : 19. si Peter 2 
 
 : 13. t See Matt. 17 : 24-27. u See 1 Sam. 7 : 16. x Luke 20 : 25. 
 
 yLev. 19 : 3; Prov. 24 : 21. 
 
 z Exod. 20 : 12 ; Lev. 19 : 32 ; 1 Tim. 6:1. a Deut. 24 : 14, 15 ; Prov. 3 : 27, 28. 
 
 
 h Matt. 22 : 39, 40 ; Col. 3 : 14 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 5. 
 
 expect praise for practising the good. 
 But if you are an evil-doer, be afraid ; 
 for he beareth not the sword in 
 vain. The figure may have been sug- 
 gested by the fact that the Csesars wore 
 a sword or dagger as an emblem of im- 
 perial power. For he is the minis- 
 ter, or a servant, of God, an avenger 
 for wu-ath, for punishment upon him 
 that doeth, practiseth, evil. The 
 bearing of the sword betokens the right 
 to execute capital punishments, and in 
 connection with the Avrath, betokens 
 all lesser punishments. 
 
 5. Wherefore, in view of the rul- 
 er's authority under God, and his offi- 
 cial powder to execute w^hatever sen- 
 tence he may impose, ye must needs 
 be subject, rather, it is necessary to 
 submit yourselves, to civil authority, not 
 only because of the wrath, which in 
 case of crime will issue in punishment, 
 but also for conscience' sake, as 
 a Christian man with an enlightened 
 conscience avIio, in the divine order of 
 things, recognizes his obligations to 
 civil authority. (Comp. i Peter 2 .- 13-15.) 
 Yet when a ruler transcends his office 
 and enjoins a direct violation of God's 
 command, he becomes himself a vio- 
 lator of God's law, and the Christian 
 can say, " We ought to obey God rather 
 than man " (Acts 5 •. 29). 
 
 6. Paul now" passes to the enforce- 
 ment of civil duties growing out of the 
 principles just stated. For on this 
 account pay ye tribute also — toll or 
 taxes. Thia is declarative and in illus- 
 tration of what he had said. The com- 
 
 mand is in the next verse. For they 
 are God's ministers (not tjie word 
 used in ver. 4, but servants of a public 
 and sacred character as representing 
 God), attending continually to 
 this very thing. This is their busi- 
 ness and duty. 
 
 7. Render therefore to all their 
 dues. This refers to all magistrates; 
 for of these he is speaking, and to such 
 the rest of the verse evidently refers. 
 Tribute, or tax, on person or property, 
 to whom tribute is due ; custom, 
 or duty, on merchandise; fear, as to 
 an avenger of wrong ; honour, as to 
 rightful authority. Compare our Lord's 
 reply to the Herodians, which presents 
 the divine as well as the human side : 
 " Render to Csesar the things that are 
 Ciesar's, and to God the things that are 
 
 God's" (Matt. 22:21). 
 
 8. Love is inculcated, a motive, and 
 an essential element in Christian prac- 
 tice. Owe no man anything, 
 whether it be a financial debt or any 
 other obligation. See that your dues 
 (preceding ver.se) and other obligations 
 are promptly met. Avoid being un- 
 necessarily in a state of debt (Prov. 3 : 
 27,28). But, or except, to love one 
 another, which is an ever-continuing 
 and increasing obligation, and wliieh 
 therefore requires perpetual payment; 
 and in the very nature of things can 
 never be paid off. Paul has Christian 
 love especially in view: "Love one 
 another" (1 Thess. 4 : 9). For he that 
 loveth another, his neighbor, hath 
 fulfilled the law of Moses. Paul is 
 
158 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XIII. 
 
 steal. Thou shalt not bear false wit- 
 ness, Thou shalt not covet : and if there 
 be any other commandment, it is 
 brietly comprehended in this saying, 
 namely, «Thou sluilt love thy u'eigh- 
 
 10 hour as thyself. ''Love worketh no ill 
 to his neighbour : therefore love is the 
 fulfilling of the law. 
 
 11 And that «■ knowing the time, that 
 now it is high time ^to wake out of 
 sleep : ? for now is our salvation nearer 
 
 12 than when we believed. The night is 
 far spent, ■• the day is at hand : i let us 
 therefore cast off the works of dark- 
 ness, and ^ let us put on the armor of 
 
 steal, Thou shalt not covet; and if 
 there is any other commandment, it is 
 summed up in this word, namely. Thou 
 shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 
 
 10 Love works no ill to one's neighbor; 
 therefore love is the fulfillment of the 
 
 11 law. And this, knowing the sea.son, 
 that it is high time already for you to 
 be awaked out of sleep ; for now is our 
 salvation nearer than when we be- 
 
 12 lieved. The night is far advanced, 
 the day is at hand. Let us therefore 
 put off the works of darkness, and let 
 
 c See refs. Mark 12 : 31. 
 h Heb. 10 : 25. 
 
 d 1 Cor. 13 : i-7. e 1 Thess. 5 : 1-3. /I Cor. 15 : 34. 
 t Eph. 5 : 11 ; 6 : 11-18 ; 1 Thess. 5:5-7; 1 John 1 : 5-7. 
 
 g See refs. Luke 21 : 28. 
 k\ Thess. 5 : 8. 
 
 stating a principle, according to which 
 
 all should aim to live. (Comp. in Gal. 5 : 
 13, 11; see also Matt. 22 : 37-40.) He is Speak- 
 ing only of the second table of the law ; 
 but one must keep the first in order 
 to fully keep the second. He w ho truly 
 and fully loves his neighbor must truly 
 
 love God also (l John 4 : 7, 8, 20, 21 ). 
 
 9. The apostle proceeds to show how 
 love to one's neighbor fulfills the law. 
 If there be any other command- 
 ment, equivalent to "Every other 
 commandment." The ninth, "Thou 
 shalt not bear false witness," is omitted 
 in the best manuscripts. Tlie positive 
 love of thy neighbor as thyself 
 would insure the observing of all these 
 negative requirements. These and all 
 we owe to our neighbor is briefly com- 
 prehended, is summed up in this 
 saying. Selfishness will be excluded 
 and all sinful partiality (James 2 : s). 
 
 10. Love worketh no ill to 
 his neighbour ; it will thus avoid 
 the acts which the law forbids. Love 
 is personified here, also in 1 Cor. 13 : 
 4-8, where its influence, in endurance, 
 thought, and deed, is strikingly por- 
 trayed. Love therefore, is the fulfill- 
 ing, rather, the fulfillment of the Jair, 
 it is ()l)edience to the law as an accom- 
 plished fact. Compare hath fn/fiJ/ed 
 the lair (ver. «) — ])y its very nature love 
 has satisfied its demands. 
 
 11. The apostle uses the shortness of 
 time as a motive. And that, rather, 
 And this do, referring to ver. 8 and 
 what follows. Knowing the time, 
 the season, fixed and limited, a con- 
 sideration of which will show you that 
 already it is time for you to be awaked 
 out of sleep — to be aroused from 
 
 stupor, inactivity, and forgetfulness. 
 For now is our salvation, or, For 
 
 salvation is nearer to us, than when 
 we believed — eternity is nearer, with 
 its full salvation. A comparison of 
 such passages as 1 Thess. 4 : 17 ; b : ^; 
 1 Cor. 15 : 51 ; Heb. 9 : 28, naturally 
 leads to the conclusion that Paul must 
 have had some reference, at least, to 
 the second coming of Christ. The time 
 of our Lord's return, whether near or 
 remote, was unknown (Mark 13 : 32 )j but 
 the certainty was assured (Acts i: 11); 
 it was a strong motive in apostolic days 
 
 (Matt. 24 : 42 ; 25 : 13; Rev. 3:3; 16 : 15). But 
 
 whether this earthly life should end 
 with death or with Christ's return, in 
 either case salvation (1 : le) was nearer, 
 12. Changing the figure, it is no 
 longer the season, but the night. The 
 night of imperfection, trial, and spirit- 
 ual darkness is far spent — is far 
 advanced ; the dawn is approaching. 
 The day of complete deliverance and 
 salvation is at hand. To Paul's 
 faith that day, whether it should begin 
 with his departing and being with 
 Christ (Phil. 1:21-23), or with Christ's 
 second coming (Heb. 9:28), was near. 
 Let us therefore cast off, or ])ut 
 off, the works of darkness, as one 
 puts off his night garments. The refer- 
 ence is to the deeds of moral darkness, 
 the besetting and other sins against 
 which theCliristian has to contend (Heb. 
 
 12 : 1:2 Cor. 6: 14; Kph. 6 : 12). Aud being 
 
 robed as for the day, let us put on 
 the armor, or weapons, 01 light, 
 such as the liglit demands and is be- 
 coming to it. The Christian life is a 
 warfare ; he needs tlierefore to be 
 clothed with the armor of spiritual 
 
Ch. XIII.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 159 
 
 13 light. 1 Let us walk honestly, as in the 
 day ; " not in rioting and drunkenness, 
 "not in chambering and wantonness, 
 
 14 not in strife and envying. But p put 
 ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and <i make 
 not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the 
 lusts thereof. 
 
 13 us put on the weapons of light. Let 
 us walk becomingly, as in the day ; 
 not in reveling and drunkenness, not 
 in lewdness and wantonness, not in 
 
 14 strife and jealousy ; but put on the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and make not pro- 
 vision for the flesh, to fulfill its de- 
 sires. 
 
 1 1 Peter 2 : 12. m Luke 21 : 34. n 1 Cor. 6:9. o James 3 : 14-16. p Gal. 3 : 27. q Gal. 5 : 16, 17. 
 
 light — faith, love, hope, truth, right- 
 eousness, peace, and the graces of the 
 
 Spirit (1 Thess.S -.8; 2 Cor. 6 : 7; Eph. 6 : 11-16). 
 
 13. Let us walk honestly — be- 
 comingly — as in the day, with the 
 light about us, as the children of light 
 ( 1 John 1:7); doing the deeds of the day, 
 and such as shall bear the scrutiny of 
 the light. Things not becoming are to 
 be avoided, such as rioting — reveling, 
 and carousing (i Peter 4: 3). Drunk- 
 enness — drunken spells (Gai.5:2i). 
 Chambering — licentiousindulgences. 
 Wantonness — shameful and inde- 
 cent words and acts, and unchaste 
 conduct toward others. Strife and 
 envying, or jealousy. Sins of temper, 
 classed with lusts of the flesh (oai. 5 : 20). 
 This list of sinful acts and indulgences 
 suggests what may have been the moral 
 degradation of these Roman believers 
 before their conversion and also of the 
 moral corruption to which they were 
 exposed (Eph. 2 : 2, 3). This and the fol- 
 lowing verse formed the turning point 
 in the conversion of Augustine. 
 
 14. But, on the contrary, put ye 
 on, as a garment and as an armor 
 (ver. 12), the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 breathe as it were his spirit, live as it 
 were his life, be Christlike. Be so 
 possessed with the mind of Christ as to 
 resemble him, and reproduce as it were 
 the life of Christ. (Comp. Gai. 3 : 27; Eph. 
 4 : 24; Col. 3 : 10.) Lovc is the motive 
 (ver. 10), and Christ the pattern. And 
 make no provision, by way of fore- 
 thought for the flesh, the seat of sin- 
 ful passions and lusts, tvith a view of 
 gratifying its evil desires. Or, which 
 amounts to substantially the same : in- 
 dulge not the desires of your own cor- 
 rupt human nature (6:12, 19 ; 1 Cor. 9: 
 
 J5-27). 
 
 Chkistian ethics of the State. 
 There are three institutions which may 
 be said to be of Divine origin : the 
 family, the State, and the Church. They 
 
 may exist together, but each has its 
 own sphere and functions ; each is in- 
 dependent, but each should work in 
 harmony witli the other two. The 
 great principles of Christ's kingdom 
 include the fundamental principles 
 underlying the well-regulated family 
 and the well-governed State, such as 
 love to one's neighbor and the com- 
 mands of the Decalogue relating to our 
 fellow-men. Paul therefore recognizes 
 the true basis of the State to be the will 
 and law of God. The Christian and 
 the gospel may and should exert a 
 moral influence upon the State for its 
 good. Since we find ourselves within 
 the State and under its government, it 
 is our duty to help support it, obey its 
 laws, and defend it even unto death if 
 need be. If it enacts wrong-doing, we 
 should strive to change it if possible ; 
 but if we cannot we can submissively 
 sutFer the penalty, choosing to obey God 
 rather then men. Government may so 
 persist in wrong-doing as to pervert its 
 very nature and object, making resist- 
 ance and revolution ju.stifiable. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. Civil authority is of Divine origin, 
 but forms of government are human. 
 Loyalty to God involves loyalty to law 
 (ver. 1; Matt. 23:2, 3). 
 
 2. Nihilism is destructive of authority, 
 and hence opposed to the ordinance of 
 God. A bad government is better than 
 anarchy (ver. 2). 
 
 3. Civil authority is distinct from re- 
 ligious authority. Neither has a right to 
 control the other (ver. 1-7 ; Matt. 22 : 21). 
 
 4. The design of civil government is not 
 for the ruler, but for the good of the ruled 
 (ver. 3; Acts 23 : 3). 
 
 5. The principles of the gospel tend to 
 rectify human government and to make 
 both tyranny and anarchy impossible 
 (ver. 1-7; Matt. 7 : 12). 
 
 6. There is a right of revolution. Set- 
 
160 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XIV. 
 
 Concerning conscientious differeiices of 
 opinion and practice. 
 
 14 HIM that '■is weak in the faith re- 
 ceive ye, but not to doubtful disputa- 
 
 14 HIM that is weak in the faith re- 
 ceive; not for decisions of disputes. 
 
 j15 : 1,7. 
 
 ting one's self against law and govern- 
 ment, and trying to improve and change 
 them, are two essentially different things. 
 The one is anarchy, the other revolution. 
 The Christian may not engage in the 
 former, but there may be circumstances 
 in which he may support the latter (ver. 
 1-6). 
 
 7. There is a law higher than govern- 
 ment. The Christian may for conscience' 
 sake obey the former, and hence endure 
 the penalty of the latter (ver. 1-6; Acts 
 4 : 19 ; 5 : 29 ; Dan. 3 : 16-18 ; 6 : 10). 
 
 8. The Christian may take advantage 
 of existing authority and law (ver. 1, 5; 
 Acts 22 :25; 25: 11). 
 
 9. Government and nations are account- 
 able to God, and will be judged by God 
 (ver. 1-7). 
 
 10. Obligations and debts to government 
 are as sacred as those to individuals (ver. 
 6-8). 
 
 11. It is the duty of Christians to be 
 watchful against debt ; to be industrious 
 and to practise frugality in order to avoid 
 it (ver. 8; 1 Thess. 4 : n, 12 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 9 : 
 Eph. 4 : 28). 
 
 12. Love is most comprehensive and has 
 to do with every form of moral obligation 
 (ver. 8-10). 
 
 1?>. A deep conviction of the reality and 
 nearness of eternity will prompt an up- 
 right life and an entire consecration to 
 Christ's service (ver. 11-14; Acts 17:30, 
 31; 1 Thess. 4 : 16, 17). 
 
 14. The nearness of final salvation 
 should fill the Christian with joy and 
 hope, and arouse him to activity, and 
 nerve him for meeting the trials of life 
 (ver. 11,12). 
 
 l.=i. While Christians " puton Christ " in 
 their baptismal confession (Gal. 3 : 27), 
 they should put him on daily by exhibit- 
 ing his spirit, character, and life (ver. 14). 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 In this cliaptcr Paul passes to tlie 
 treatment that weak and over-scrupu- 
 
 lous brethren should receive from their 
 stronger but equally conscientious 
 brethren. It would seem that a special 
 application in regard to such was 
 needed in the church at Rome. There 
 were tendencies toward asceticism about 
 which there were honest ditierences of 
 opinion. They should exercise mutual 
 forbearance and not judge one another 
 (ver. 1-12). The strong should not put 
 a means of stumbling in the way of the 
 weak (ver. 13-18), but rather exercise self- 
 denial for their sake (ver. 19-23). 
 
 1-12. The coNDrcT to be exer- 
 cised TOWARD WEAK AND OVER- 
 SCRUPULOUS BRETHREN. Mutual for- 
 bearance and the exercise of the law of 
 love in regard to conscientious differ- 
 ences of opinion and practice. It does 
 not seem that these views had gone so 
 far as to affect their doctrines, as in 
 Galatia, where there were Judaizing 
 teachers (Gai. i:7). Their case seems 
 similar to that of the Corinthians, who 
 were conscientiously troubled about 
 meats offered to idols (1 Cor. 8 : i-i3; 10 : 
 25-33) ; fearing to eat meat or drink 
 wine bought in the open market, lest 
 they had been polluted by having been 
 offered to idols, or by coming into con- 
 tact with the unclean, they confined 
 themselves to a vegetable diet, of the 
 purity of which they were assured. 
 
 1. But him that is weak — a con- 
 trast from the exhortation of 13 : 14. 
 But — while "making no provision for 
 the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof" 
 (13 : u) — in regard to those who go to an 
 extreme in over-sensitiveness and in 
 avoiding everything that seems to them 
 to minister to the corruptions of the 
 flesh. Weak in the faith in Christ, so 
 that things indifferent and really not 
 binding on tlie conscience trouble liira. 
 Compare ver. 14, Avhere Paul, strong in 
 tlie faith, rises above such matters. 
 Receive ye to yourselves, into fellow- 
 ship — the present tense. Receive him 
 not only as a new believer, but con- 
 tinue to take him to your hearts and 
 treat liim as a brotlicr Christian, But 
 with this caution : not to doubtful 
 
Ch. XIV.] 
 
 KOMANS 
 
 161 
 
 2 tions. For one believeth that he » may 
 eat all things . another, who is weak, 
 
 3 eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth 
 despise him that eateth not : and * let 
 not him which eateth not judge him 
 that eateth : for God hath received 
 
 4 him. "Who art thou that judgest 
 another man's servant? To his own 
 master he stand eth or falleth. Yea, 
 » he shall be hold en up ; for God is able 
 to make him stand. 
 
 5 y One man esteemeth one day above 
 another : another esteemeth every day 
 
 2 One believes that he may eat all 
 things ; but he that is weak eats herbs. 
 
 3 Let not him that eats despise him that 
 eats not ; and let not him that eats not 
 judge him that eats ; for God received 
 
 4 him. Who art thou that judgest 
 another's servant ? To his own lord he 
 stands or falls. But he shall be made 
 to stand ; for the Lord is able to make 
 him stand. 
 
 5 One man esteems one day above 
 another; another esteems every day 
 
 s Titus 1 : 15. (1 Cor. 10 : 29, 30 : Col. 2 ; 16. 
 
 X See refs. 8 : 31-39 ; 1 Peter 1 : 6. 
 
 u Matt. 7:1,2; Luke 12 : 14. 
 J Gal. 4:9,10. 
 
 disputations, rather, not for the pur- 
 pose of deciding or passing judgment 
 on opinions, as to which is the most 
 correct. The word disputations, or 
 opinions, is the same as used in 1 : 21, 
 and there translated imaginations, and 
 means thoughts, inward reasonings, 
 speculations. The injunction is here 
 made general, but as applied to the 
 weak brother personally, it naturally 
 refers to the thoughts and opinions that 
 trouble him, in other words, to his 
 scruples. Hence they were to receive 
 him, but not for the purpose of discuss- 
 ing and passing judgment upon his 
 scruples and such matters. He was 
 not to decide upon things in dispute. 
 
 3. The apostle specifies two extremes. 
 For one, who is strong, believeth, 
 or, has faith, according to which he 
 may eat all things without any con- 
 scientious scruples. He has faith to 
 rise above all ceremonial observances 
 of the law, and to see that his justifica- 
 tion or condemnation does not depend 
 on Mosaic rites. Another, Avho is 
 weak in the faith, cannot rest so fully 
 on Christ for his justification and com- 
 plete salvation as to divest himself of 
 anxiety and scruples regarding meats 
 that are unclean. And so to escape 
 all contamination he eateth herbs. 
 This is his simplest solution of the 
 question regarding clean and unclean 
 animals, and also of meat defiled by 
 idol sacrifices, or polluted in any other 
 way. 
 
 3. But let not the strong despise the 
 weak ; nor the weak judge and con- 
 demn the strong. For God hath, 
 rather, did receive, him at his conver- 
 sion. This is true of either of the 
 above parties ; but it here applies 
 especially to the strong, according to 
 
 the next verse. This is a reason for 
 forbearance and charitableness of judg- 
 ment. 
 
 4. Who art thou, weak one, that 
 judgest another man's servant? 
 household servant, or domestic. This 
 word for servant is also found in Acts 
 10 : 7 ; Luke 16 : 13 ; 1 Peter 2 : 18. 
 The word judge here carries along with 
 it the idea of censure and severity, and 
 does not forbid the proper expressions 
 of opinion on the subject. Paul does 
 this in ver. 14. To his own Mas- 
 ter, the Lord Je^us Chnst, he stand- 
 eth or falleth. To him alone is he 
 amenable. Yea, rather. But, instead 
 of falling, he shall be holden up 
 — made to stand, and established 
 through faith. For God, according 
 to the best text. For the Lord, Christ, 
 is able, is powerful, to make him 
 stand. He supports the believer, and 
 he who is strong in the faith will be 
 supported and delivered in every hour 
 of temptation. As a result also he will 
 stand at the judgment day. 
 
 5. Two opposites again are presented. 
 One who is weak esteemeth one 
 day above another — distinguishing 
 between days, and regarding one holier 
 than another. Another who is strong 
 esteemeth every day alike — he 
 judges every day as good, and as a 
 consecrated man (12 : i, j) he regards 
 his whole time and life devoted to the 
 Lord. As the apostle, both before and 
 after this reference to days, is speaking 
 of food and drink, it is natural to re- 
 gard the reference here to be prin- 
 cipally to feasts and fasts under the 
 law. These were the feasts of the Pass- 
 over, the Pentecost, the Tabernacle, the 
 Trumpet, the Dedication, and Purim ; 
 the fasts on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 
 
162 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Cii. XIV 
 
 alike. » Lot every man be fully per- 
 
 6 suaded in his own mind. He that ro- 
 gardeth the day, regardeth it unto the 
 Lord ; and he "that regardeth not tiie 
 day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. 
 He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for 
 »he giveth God thanks; and he that 
 eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, 
 
 7 and giveth God thanks. For ^ none of 
 us liveth to himself, and no man dieth 
 
 8 to himself. For whether we live, we 
 live unto the Lord ; and whether we 
 die, we die unto the Lord: « whether 
 we live therefore, or die, we are the 
 
 9 Lord's. For "^to this end Christ both 
 died, and rose, and revived, that he 
 might be « Lord both of the dead and 
 living. 
 
 alike. Let each one be fully pcr- 
 
 6 suaded in his own mind. He tliat re- 
 gards the day, regard.^ it to the Lord ; 
 and he that eats, eats to the Lord, for 
 he gives thanks to God ; and he that 
 eats not, to the Lord he eats not, and 
 
 7 gives thanks to God. For no one of us 
 lives to himself, and no one dies to 
 
 8 himself. For if we live, we live to the 
 Lord ; and if we die, we die to the 
 Lord ; whether we live therefore, or 
 
 9 die, we are the Lord's. For to this end 
 Christ died, and lived, that he might 
 
 10 be Lord of both dead and living. But 
 
 jr Ver. 23 ; 1 John 3 : 19-21. 
 6 2 Cor. 5 : 14, 15 ; Phil. 1 : 20-24 ; 1 Peter 4 : 2. 
 
 a 1 Cor. 10 : 30, 31 ; 1 Tim. 4 : 3-5. 
 c 1 Cor. 3 : 21-23. d 2 Cor. 5 : 15. 
 
 e Acts 10 : 36. 
 
 16:29-31), in the fourth, fifth, seventh, 
 and tenth months (Zach. 8:i9), and on 
 Monday and Thursday of each week 
 (Luke 18: 12), Besides the weekly Sab- 
 bath there were seven days oi holy 
 convocation : the first and last days of 
 the Passover festival, the first day of 
 the feast of Tabernacles, and the day 
 following the feast, the day of Pente- 
 cost, the day of Atonement, and the 
 feast of Trumpets. As to how far this 
 verse may apply to the Sabbath, I 
 "would say : Only in so far as it was an 
 institution under the law. It does not 
 touch the original rest-day of creation, 
 one rest-day in seven (Ccn. 2:3), nor the 
 Lord's Day under the Christian dis- 
 pensation (Gal. 4 : 10; Col. 2:16), The 
 
 whole passage seems to indicate that 
 reference is had to Jewish believers 
 with Essenic and ascetic tendencies, 
 and to Gentile and other believers who 
 had come out into a fuller liberty of 
 the gospel (Gai. 5:iff.). Let every 
 man be fully persuaded, or a55?<;rf?, 
 in his own mind. Let him not act 
 again.^t his own conscience, and re- 
 member that he is accountable to the 
 Lord. 
 
 6. The true Cliristian position stated. 
 He that regardeth the day as 
 sacred, to be religiously observed, re- 
 gardeth it as due unto the Lord 
 Christ (ver. 9) to whom he feels respon- 
 sible. And he that regardeth not 
 the day, to the Lord he doth not 
 re^rard it. These words should be 
 omitted, as they are not in the best 
 manuscripts. And he that eateth, 
 etc. Both the eater of all kinds of 
 
 food and the eater of herbs recognize 
 their obligations to Christ for all their 
 blessings, and have his glory in view 
 (1 Cor. 10:31), and give God* thanks. 
 Both practise a spirit of devotion and 
 thanksgiving. This would seem to in- 
 dicate that the practice of giving thanks 
 at meals was universal among early 
 Christians. 
 
 7. For in confirmation of the thought, 
 to the Lord (twice in ver. 6), it may be 
 said that none of us liveth to him- 
 self, and no man dieth to him- 
 self._ As Christians, self is subordinate 
 both in life and in death, and Christ is 
 uppermost as Lord. Both the eater 
 and the abstainer are servants of Christ. 
 
 8. This verse carries out the thought 
 of the preceding. For whether we 
 live or die, we live or die unto the 
 Lord. We are his by virtue of our 
 union with him, and by being " bought 
 with a price" (i Cor. 6:20; T:23). Christ 
 owns us both in life and death. 
 Whether we live therefore, or 
 die, we are the Lord's. Both in 
 life and death, here and hereafter, we 
 belong to the Lord, and are to be de- 
 voted to him. Compare Paul's con- 
 fession in Acts 28 : 23 and his ideal of 
 Christian living in Phil. 1 : 21 ; Gal. 
 2:20. 
 
 9. For to this end, namely, that 
 he mijiht be Lord both of the dead 
 and the livinj; — of both classes, not 
 to be separated, but together equally his 
 — Christ both died, and rose, and 
 revived, rather, according to the best 
 tcxt^ Christ died atui lived, that is, rose 
 from the dead. It was necessary for 
 
Ch. XIV.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 163 
 
 10 But why dost thou judge thy brother ? 
 Or why dost thou set at nought thy 
 brother? For 'we shall all stand be- 
 ll fore the judgment seat of Christ. For 
 it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, 
 every knee shall bow to me, and every 
 12 tongue shall confess to God. So then 
 8 every one of us shall give account of 
 himself to God. 
 
 Let us not therefore judge one 
 another any more: but judge this 
 rather, that *> no man put a stumbling- 
 block or an occasion to fall in his 
 
 13 
 
 thou, why dost thou judge thy brother? 
 Or thou also, why dost thou despise thy 
 brother ? For we shall all stand before 
 
 11 the judgment-seat of God. For it is 
 written. As I live, says the Lord, to me 
 every knee shall bow, and every 
 
 12 tongue shall confess to God. So then, 
 each one of us will give account con- 
 cerning himself to God. 
 
 13 Let us therefore no longer judge one 
 another; but judge this rather, not to 
 put a stumbling-block, or an occasion 
 
 /Eccl. 12 : 14 ; Matt. 25 : 31, 32 ; Acts 10 : 42. g Matt. 12 : 36. U Lev. 19 : 14 ; see refs. Matt. 18 : 6, 7. 
 
 Christ both to die and to rise again in 
 order to become Lord ( P^n. 2 : s-ii ) . By 
 his death and his resurrection life he 
 effected the purchase, and demonstrated 
 his ownership of his followers ; and 
 thus showed that he was Lord both of 
 their earthly and heavenly life. These 
 matters of meat and drink therefore 
 should not separate them, and one 
 should not either despise or condemn 
 the other. 
 
 10. Thou, in the first two clauses 
 is very emphatic, in contrast to Lord 
 in the preceding verse. The first clause 
 is addressed to the %veak one ; the 
 second to the strong one. But thou, 
 weak one, why dost thou judge 
 thy brother, who is strong in faith 
 and in the liberty of the gospel ? Or 
 thou also, strong one, lohy dost thou set 
 at nought, or despise, thy brother, 
 weak and perplexed as he is with his 
 conscientious scruples? For we shall 
 all, both weak and strong, stand 
 before the judgment seat of 
 Christ, or of God, according to the 
 most approved text. In 2 Cor. 5 : 10 
 it is called " the judgment seat of 
 Christ." (Comp. Matt 25:31.) That God 
 will judge men by Jesus Christ is evi- 
 dent from 2 : 16 ; Acts 10 : 42 ; 17 : 31 ; 
 John 5 : 22. In view of the judgment, 
 how unbecoming for Christian brethren 
 to be judging and despising one an- 
 other 
 
 11. The apostle confirms the pre- 
 ceding statement by Isa. 45 : 2.3. It is 
 freely quoted and somewhat abbrevi- 
 ated. Compare the same in Phil. 2 : 10, 
 11, where it is especially applied to 
 Christ. As I live, saith the Lord— 
 a most solemn divine declaration, 
 equivalent to swearing by himself — 
 every knee shall bow to me, and 
 every tongue shall confess to 
 
 God, or according to some, shall give 
 praise to God, but the latter meaning 
 includes the idea of confession, and the 
 confession contains an element of praise 
 for Jesus as Lord, because he saves 
 his people from their sins (Phii. 2:H. 
 
 Comp. Rev. 5 : 9, 10). 
 
 12. This verse sums up in a brief 
 sentence the thought of the two pre- 
 ceding verses. So then every one 
 of us, be he weak or strong, shall 
 give account of himself, not of 
 another, to God. The emphasis here 
 is on each one of us. The judgment 
 will be personal and individual ; it will 
 be to God, not to man. Brethren 
 should therefore not assume the office 
 of judge one of another. The thought 
 is carried out in what follows, with 
 reference to the duty of the strong to 
 the weak. 
 
 13-23. The STRONG SHOULD AVOID 
 GIVING OFFENSE TO, BUT EATHER 
 EXERCISE SELF-SACRIFICE FOE, THE 
 WEAK. 
 
 13. Since therefore our brother is 
 not our servant, but Christ's, and we 
 both act in devotion to him, and all 
 questions will be finally settled at the 
 bar of God, let us no longer continue 
 <o judge one another, (comp. Matt, 
 7:1.) Paul now passes to admonish the 
 strong through the rest of this chapter. 
 From this we may infer that they were 
 the larger party in the Roman church. 
 But judge this rather, be this your 
 determination, that no man put a 
 stumblin g-b lock, that against 
 which one stumbles and falls into sin, 
 or an occasion, as a trap by which 
 to fall into sin,m a brother's way. 
 The two words " stumbling-block " and 
 " an occasion of offense " are similar in 
 meaning, and together give emphasis 
 to the thought (as also in 9 : 33). 
 
164 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XIV. 
 
 14 brother's way. I know, and am per- 
 suaded by the Lord Jesus, ' that there is 
 nothing unclean of itself : but ^ to him 
 that esteemeth anything to be unclean, 
 
 15 to him it is unclean. But if thy brother 
 be grieved with thy meat, now walkest 
 thou not 'charitably. ™ Destroy not 
 him with thy meat, for whom Christ 
 
 16 died. Let not then your good be evil 
 
 17 spoken of. ° For the kingdom of God 
 ° is not meat and drink ; but righteous- 
 ness, and peace, and joy in the Holy 
 
 14 to fall, in a brother's way. I know, 
 and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, 
 that nothing is defiled of itself ; but to 
 him that accounts anything to be de- 
 
 15 filed, to him it is detiled. But if be- 
 cause of food thy brother is aggrieved, 
 thou no longer walkest in accordance 
 with love. Do not by thy food destroy 
 
 16 him for whom Christ died. Let not 
 
 17 then your good he evil spoken of. For 
 the kingdom of God is not food and 
 drink ; but righteousness, and peace. 
 
 i Ver. 20 ; Acts 10 : 15, 28. k 1 Cor. 8 : 7, 10. 
 
 n See refa. Matt. 3 : 2. 
 
 n3 : 10; Gal. 5: 13, 
 1 Cor. 8 : 8. 
 
 m 1 Cor. 8 : 11. 
 
 The former is the more general word, 
 representing a larger obstacle ; the lat- 
 ter the more specific — as a trap or trap- 
 stick — representing a smaller and more 
 hidden obstacle. The former partakes 
 more of the outward act ; the latter more 
 
 of the thought. ( Comp. l Cor. 8 : 1 ff. ) 
 
 14. An important statement in which 
 Paul places himself in agreement with 
 the strong, and thus prepares the way 
 for enforcing his admonition. I know, 
 and am persuaded by, rather, in, 
 the Lord Jesus, in living union and 
 fellowship with him, having therefore 
 the mind of Christ, and an assurance 
 of the truth of what I am about to 
 utter. A strong expression of his com- 
 plete knowledge and assurance of the 
 fact. An authoritative utterance. That 
 nothing is unclean of itself, 
 morally and religiously profane through 
 its own nature. Paul regarded the Old 
 Testament laws regarding food as no 
 longer binding, since the Mosaic econ- 
 omy had come to an end in Christ (lo : 4 ; 
 
 Col. 2 : 16 ff.; Acts 10 : 15. 16; Matt. 5 : 17). But 
 
 to him that esteemeth, or account- 
 eth, anything to be unclean, to 
 him it is unclean, in his mind and 
 feelings, and to his conscience. Con- 
 science is not to be violated, but re- 
 spected and followed. If it is wrong 
 then it should be instructed and en- 
 lightened ; but never should it be nidely 
 dealt with. A person's convictions 
 must be respected. 
 
 15. But or For. Internal evidence 
 rather favors 6?</:; external, /or. Grant- 
 ing what I have said, if thy brother 
 be grieved — put to pain, and his con- 
 science hurt because of meat, or food, 
 thou no longer walkest charitably, 
 according to love, Tliey would trans- 
 gress the rule of Christian love which 
 he had laid down in 12 : 9, 10 ; 13 : 8. 
 
 Meat in the Common version does not 
 mean/^sA alone. Here it means food 
 in general, including flesh. Destroy 
 not him, do not begin the destruc- 
 tion of one w^ith thy meat, or food, 
 for whom Christ died, the deepest 
 and strongest of motives for Christian 
 tenderness and love. Thy food — sug- 
 gestive of a selfish spirit and act. 
 Destroy is in the present tense, and 
 points to the beginning, not the accom- 
 plishment of the act. The violation of 
 conscience and regarding iniquity in 
 the heart (ps. 66:i8), if continued in, 
 would result in destruction. ( Comp. i 
 
 Cor. 8 : 11.) 
 
 16. therefore, in conclusion, let not 
 your good, as Christians, including 
 your liberty " in the kingdom of God " 
 (ver. 17), which is good in itself, and 
 which you mean for good (i Cor. lo : 29, 30)^ 
 be evil spoken of— he blasphemed, 
 slandered, both among yourselves and 
 without, by being the occasion of cen- 
 sures and wrangling, of injured con- 
 sciences, of violated love, of the falling 
 away of some weak ones, and the 
 lowering of the Christian life among 
 
 all. (Comp. 1 Peter 2 : 12-16.) 
 
 17. For, as a reason for this exhor- 
 tation (ver. 16), the kingdom of God 
 
 — his reign in the hearts and lives of 
 
 the redeemed ( Luke 17 : 21 ; see note on Matt. 
 
 3 2), is not meat {food ) and drink 
 — does not consist in eating and drink- 
 ing of this or that, or in abstaining 
 from tliem. This is not its vital ele- 
 ment ; it is not the nature of true 
 religion under the gospel. But it con- 
 sists in righteousness, in our rela- 
 tions to God and men as required in 
 justification and sanctification, and 
 peace, with God and one another, 
 and joy in the Holy Ghost, of 
 which he is the Author. On the use 
 
Ch. XIV.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 165 
 
 18 Ghost. For he that in these things 18 
 serveth Christ pis acceptable to God, 
 <i and approved of men. 
 
 19 '•Let us therefore follow after the 19 
 things which make for peace, and 
 things wherewith ^one may edify 20 
 
 20 another. tFor meat destroy not the 
 work of God. "All things indeed are 
 pure ; '' but it is evil for that man who 
 
 21 eateth with offence. It is good neither 21 
 to eat ^ flesh, nor to drink wine, nor 
 any thing y whereby thy brother stum- 
 
 and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he that 
 in these things serves Christ, is well 
 pleasing to God and approved by men. 
 So then, let us pursue the things 
 which make for peace, and things by 
 which one may build up another. Do 
 not, for the sake of food destroy the 
 work of God. All things indeed are 
 clean ; but it is evil for that man who 
 by eating makes another stumble. It 
 is' good neither to eat flesh, nor to 
 drink wine, nor anything whereby thy 
 
 p 12 : 1, 2 ; Acts 10 : 35. q2 Cor. 4:2; James 2 : 18-26. r 12 : 18. s 15 : 2. t Ver. 15. 
 M Matt. 15 : 11 ; Acts 10 : 15. i; 1 Cor. 8 : 9-12. x 15 : 1, 2 ; 1 Cor. 8 : 13. j/ Ver. 13. 
 
 here of kingdom of God, see 1 Cor. 4 : 
 20; Col. 1 : 20. "The essence of the 
 kingdom of God is not to be found in 
 questions about eating and drinking" 
 (Thayer's " N. T. Lex." ). Inasmuch 
 as Paul in this Epistle has treated of 
 righteousness and peace in relation to 
 justification and sanctification, it seems 
 best to extend the reference to both 
 here. Holy Spirit qualifies joy. \i is 
 possible to connect it also with right- 
 eousness and peace, as the latter cer- 
 tainly are connected with the Spirit in 
 the work of God in the soul (s ■. i-5). 
 
 18. For, in confirmation of the state- 
 ment just made, he that in these 
 things — righteousness, peace, and joy 
 — serveth Christ, a servant notwith- 
 standing his Christian liberty. Instead 
 of these things most of the best manu- 
 scripts have ill this or herein, which 
 may refer to the Holy Spirit (rer. it), or 
 more probably to the whole idea of the 
 preceding passage, and thus is sub- 
 stantially equivalent to the other read- 
 ing. Acceptable to God, well 
 pleasing to him, and approved of 
 men, like gold tried and standing 
 the test. The Christian in spirit and 
 daily living should commend himself 
 to the consciences of his fellow-men, 
 both of believers and of the world ( i Cor. 
 8 : 8; 2 Cor. 4 : 2). True rcligioii may be 
 unpopular among men, but in the long 
 run it will be acknowledged as true and 
 real. 
 
 19. Paul draws a conclusion from the 
 last few verses. So then, instead of 
 exciting strife and debate in this mat- 
 ter, let us follow, or pursue, the 
 things of peace — adopt peaceable 
 measures and a course of conduct that 
 tends to peace; and, avoiding that 
 which will make others stumble and 
 fall, let us pursue the things where- 
 
 vrith one may edify, or build tip, 
 another — the things of mutual tip- 
 building in the Christian life. Let us 
 strive to strengthen one another in his 
 faith in Christ and in his participation 
 in righteousness, peace, and joy in the 
 Holy Spirit (ver. it). On edify com- 
 pare 15 : 2 ; 1 Cor. 14 : 4, 12, 26. 
 
 20. Paul exhorts the opposite of up- 
 building, keeping the figure in mind 
 (ver. 19). For meat, or food, about 
 the eating of which there may be a 
 question, or a conscientious scruple, 
 destroy not — pull not dozen — the 
 Avork of God, which he has built up 
 in the heart, character, and life. On 
 destroy compare Acts 6 : 14; 2 Cor. 
 5:1; Gal. 2 : 18. The apostle now 
 briefly reaffirms and applies his state- 
 ment in ver. 14. All things— all 
 food, in regard to eating and abstain- 
 ing — indeed are pure, or clean, hut, 
 though it be pure, it is evil, or sinful 
 to him eating with otfence. Liter- 
 ally, by means of a stumbling-block. 
 Through the example of the stronger 
 he is induced to eat, and so he suifers 
 the condemnation of conscience (ver. 23). 
 Of course, the strong will also injure 
 himself by such a course of action, 
 but that is not the special point here. 
 
 21. The apostle lays down a_ most 
 important practical precept, applicable 
 to all such cases. He has shown that 
 eating with ofiense is evil to the weak 
 one ; now he affirms in contrast that it 
 is good and noble for the strong one to 
 abstain from eating flesh or drinking 
 wine or from anything whereby 
 thy brother stumbleth, or is 
 off'ended, or weakened (ver. is). It is 
 right and noble for the strong brother 
 to forego his liberty and exercise self- 
 denial rather than do injury to a weak 
 one. "Not the principle of liberty, 
 
166 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XIV. 
 
 bleth, or is offended, or is made weak. 
 
 22 Hast thou faith ? Have it to thyself 
 before God. » Happv is he that con- 
 demneth not himself in tliat thing 
 
 23 which he alloweth. And ^he that 
 doubteth is damned if he eat, because 
 he eateth not of faith : for ^ whatsoever 
 is not of faith is sin. 
 
 brother stumbles, or is made to offend, 
 
 22 or is weak. Hast thou faith ? Have it 
 to thyself before God. Happy is he 
 that judges not himself in that which 
 
 23 he approves. And he that doubts is 
 condemned if he eat, because it is not 
 of faith ; and all that is not of faith is 
 sin. 
 
 z\ John 3 : 21. 
 
 a 1 Cor. 8 : 7. 
 
 6 Titus 1 : 15. 
 
 but its application might be positively 
 mischievous, and the practical breach 
 of the theory might be its truest 
 'honor' " (MouLE). Iii 1 Cor. 8 : 12, 13 
 the apostle puts the case still stronger, 
 as a "sin against Christ." Compare 
 our Lord's words in Matt. 5 : 29, 30 ; 
 Luke 17 : 1, 2. The Revised version 
 ends the verse with stumbleth. But 
 the Improved Bible Union version, on 
 good manuscript authority, retains the 
 words that follow, or is made to offend 
 or is weak. 
 
 22. The apostle applies the principle 
 of the chapter to the strong. Thou, 
 emphatic, and addressed to the strong 
 one. Hast thou faith? such con- 
 fidence and assurance in Christ, as to 
 be above the petty annoyances and 
 scruples about food and days and cere- 
 monial restrictions ? Have it to thy- 
 self before God — keep it to thyself 
 personally and in thy private life be- 
 fore God, but do not make a display of 
 it before men, to the injury of the weak. 
 Hapi>y is he who acts consistently, 
 and condemneth, or judgeth not 
 himself in that thing which he 
 alloweth, rather, in that which he 
 approves. Happy he who has such 
 faith, resulting in such full knowledge 
 and persuasion (ver. i*), as to have no 
 scruples and no self-condemnation in 
 regard to what he approves. (Comp. 
 
 Paul in 1 Cor. 6 : 12.) 
 
 23. The principle applied to the 
 weak. And, or But, he that doubt- 
 eth — wavers as to whether he sliould 
 eat or not — is damned, rather is con- 
 demned, both by conscience and (iod, 
 because he eateth not of faith, 
 in such confidence in Christ and such 
 apprehension of him as to overcome all 
 scruples. Literally, out of faith, as 
 the result of faith. Paul clinches wliat 
 he says by adding a general Christian 
 axiom: For, rather, yl/u/, whatso- 
 ever is not of faith — not growing 
 out of faitli and connected with faith — 
 is sin. Faith is necessary to pleasing 
 
 God (Heb. 11:6). Faith is fundamental 
 in Christian character (2 Peter i: 5). It 
 is essential to Christian living (Gai. 
 2 : 20). "In every moral act there are 
 two important elements to be con- 
 sidered : the act itself, and the state of 
 the actor's conscience. In order to be 
 wholly right, it must be right in both 
 of these respects ; but in order to be 
 wrong, it need be faulty in only one of 
 them" (Am. Commentary). Hence 
 in regard to conscience it may be said : 
 "To do what it approves may not 
 always be right, but to do what it ques- 
 tions is always wrong." Many give 
 faith here the meaning of belief or con- 
 viction. But it seems to me better to 
 take the word in its ordinary meaning 
 of trust in Christ (ver. 1). A clear and 
 growing faith naturally tends to right 
 conceptions of Christian liberty in re- 
 gard to questions of conscience and 
 practice. 
 
 In many manuscripts, mostly later 
 ones, the final doxology (le : 25-27), 
 occurs at the end of this chapter. 
 " The cause of its insertion here," says 
 Wescqxt and Hort, " cannot be 
 known with certainty." Some suppose 
 that this chapter ended a church lesson 
 for public reading, and the doxology 
 was added as a suitable close. While 
 appropriate here, except that the apos- 
 tle continues the discussion of the sub- 
 ject of the section in the next chapter, 
 the weighty grandeur of the doxology 
 seems more fatting at the close of the 
 Epistle. The genuineness of the two 
 chapters that follow is generallj' ad- 
 mitted. 
 
 Casuistry and the kingdom of 
 God. There is difficulty in deciding 
 the right and wrong of certain human 
 actions, such as cases of conscience, 
 and of duty in doubtful emergencies. 
 Casuistical questions are answered by 
 our Lord (Matt. 22 : n ; Luke u : 3), and by 
 Paul in tliis cliapterand in the seventh 
 and eighth of First Corinthians. But 
 
Ch. XIV.] 
 
 KOMANS 
 
 167 
 
 neither they, nor any of the New Testa- 
 ment writers attempt to lay down any 
 code of laws for the endless diversities 
 of such cases of human conduct. Yet 
 they furnish principles and knowledge 
 by which every one may decide with 
 approximate accuracy what ought, or 
 what ought not, to be done in cases as 
 they may arise. It is implied that the 
 moral character of actions is in the in- 
 dividual — in his motive, or rather, in 
 his purpose, for his purpose implies 
 a choice between what appears to him 
 
 to be right or wrong ( 14 : 14 ; l Cor. 8:4; 
 
 10 : 19-22). But not eveiytliing that ap- 
 pears to be lawful and right is expedi- 
 ent. Regard must be had to the rights 
 and scruples of others ; neither making 
 light of them, nor by word or example 
 leading them to transgress their con- 
 scientious convictions. We may and 
 should clearly present the truth and 
 exercise the law of love toward our 
 weak brother. 
 
 The simple and general principles of 
 casuistry, as presented in the New 
 Testament, are in marked contrast to 
 the subtlety and hair-splitting distinc- 
 tions which have been developed in the 
 auricular confessions of the Roman 
 Catholic Church and the subterfuges 
 of the Jesuits. Paul plainly intimates 
 that the essence of the kingdom of 
 God is not in mere ritualistic observ- 
 ances — as, e.g., eating and drinking; 
 but in righteousness — that conformity 
 of the soul to the Divine will which is 
 produced by the Holy Spirit, and in 
 that peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 
 which are opposed to a censorious 
 judging or ignoring a brother's weak- 
 nesses. 
 
 It is also implied in the three pre- 
 ceding chapters that the kingdom of 
 God has to do with all the affairs of 
 this life, and that it should exert a 
 healthful influence on the family, 
 society, the State, and the world. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. Faith tends to bind us to God and to 
 our brethren. A weak faith therefore 
 should be respected and fostered, and not 
 rudely dealt with and despised (ver. 1-3 ; 
 15: 7; Heb. 11 : 1-3). 
 
 2. True piety can exist with low views 
 of gospel truths, and even with absurd 
 scruples arising from prejudices and 
 
 wrong education (ver. 1-3 ; 1 Cor. 3 : 13- 
 15). 
 
 3. Brethren weak in the faith are to be 
 welcomed into fellowship, but not made 
 teachers and leaders (ver. 1-3 ; 1 Tim. 2 : 
 6; 5: 22; Titus 1 : 9). 
 
 4. A contemptuous spirit on the one 
 hand, and a censorious spirit on the other, 
 toward Christian brethren, are alike un- 
 becoming the gospel (ver. 3, 4; Matt. 
 7 : 1). 
 
 5. The Christian should be a man of 
 decided convictions, and should seek 
 after clear views of duty (ver. 5, 6 ; James 
 1 :6, 7). 
 
 6. The Christian should guard against 
 austerity and an over-sensitive conscience 
 on the one hand, and on the other 
 against license and the loosening of moral 
 obligations (ver. 2-6 ; 3:8; Matt. 23 : 4, 
 23-26). 
 
 7. A man cannot separate himself from 
 the race, neither can he isolate his own 
 influence. No one therefore should seek 
 to live for himself alone (ver. 7, 8 ; Amos 
 6:1,6; ICor. 13:4, 8). 
 
 8. The fact that Christians living or 
 dying are the Lord's should ever influence 
 their conduct toward Grod and one an- 
 other (ver. 7, 8 ; 2 Peter 3 : 11 ; 1 Peter 4 : 
 1. 11). 
 
 9. Since Christ exercises universal do- 
 minion over both the dead and living, 
 our lives should be devoted to him, and 
 death but a portal to a higher service 
 (ver. 9 ; Matt. 28 : 18 ; Gal. 6 : 10 ; Rev. 14 : 
 4,5). 
 
 10. The thought that we must all alike 
 be tried at the judgment, should temper 
 our spirit and regulate our conduct to- 
 ward others, especially toward our breth- 
 ren (ver. 10-12 ; Eccl. 12 : 14 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 9, 
 10). 
 
 11. Christ must be divine, since we are 
 to live to him, and he is Lord both of the 
 dead and the living, and the judgment 
 seat of God is the judgment seat of Christ 
 (ver. 8-12 ; John 5 : 22-27 ; 2 Tim. 4:1). 
 
 12. If any have the ability or the pro- 
 pensity of passing judgment on others, 
 let him use that ability for their good 
 (ver. 13; 1 Peter 2 : 11, 12). 
 
 13. We should stand fast in gospel lib- 
 erty, keeping our conscience subject 
 only to God and the truth, and should 
 
168 ROMANS 
 
 5 [Ch. XV. 
 
 13 WE "then that are strong ought to | 15 
 
 NOW we, the strong, ought to bear 
 
 c Gal. 6 : 2. 
 
 not yield it to bondage to human opinion 
 (ver. 13; Gal. 5 : 1). 
 
 14. True gospel liberty does not give one 
 the right to commit either an act wrong 
 in itself, or one which may lead another 
 into wrong-doing (ver. 14, 15; 1 Cor. 10 • 
 24-31 ; Phil. 2:4). 
 
 15. Between things universally admitted 
 as right and wrong, and things divinely 
 commanded and divinely forbidden, there 
 are many things, the doing or not doing 
 of which must be decided by the individ- 
 ual conscience (ver. 13-23 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 25, 
 27; Heb. 13 : 18). 
 
 16. In these debatable questions the 
 motive of the act, its environment, and 
 its influence on others must be considered 
 (ver. 14-18 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 33 ; 2 Cor. 1 : 12). 
 
 17. For the decision of these questions, 
 conscience needs to be educated and en- 
 lightened by the Spirit (ver. 14-18 ; Heb. 
 9: 14; 10:12-17). 
 
 18. The exercise of Christian liberty in 
 debatable matters, should be united with 
 the service of love. While opposing the 
 form or the appearance of evil, we should 
 not violate the law of love (ver. 15, 16 ; 1 
 Thess. 5 : 22 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 19 ; 1 Cor. 8 : 11). 
 
 19. True religion consists not in mere 
 external observances, nor in conscien- 
 tious scruples, but in the graces of the 
 Spirit, the services of love, and obedience 
 to Christ (ver. 17, 18 ; 1 Cor. 8:8; Col. 2 : 
 16, 17). 
 
 20. Moral character pertains to the 
 agent and to his motives, rather than to 
 acts in themselves. Nothing in the lower 
 creation is really religiously unclean or 
 profane. Neither is one day in itself more 
 sacred than another (ver. 5, 14, 20 ; Gen. 
 1 : 31 ; Gal. 4 : 10 ; 1 Cor. 7 : 31 ; 10 : 19). 
 
 21. Christian liberty should be exercised 
 for the good, not for the destruction of 
 others. Total abstinence finds a firm 
 foundation here (ver. 19, 21 ; Gal. 5 : 13). 
 
 22. A thing may be lawful but not ex- 
 pedient. What is considered innocent, 
 may be the means of great evil (ver. 15, 
 16, 20, 21 ; 1 Cor. 6 : 12 ; 10 : 23). 
 
 23. It is our duty to exercise self-denial 
 for the good of others, and avoid doing 
 that which may occasion evil to our fel- 
 
 low-men. Here comes in the principle of 
 total abstinence in our modern temper- 
 ance movement (ver. 18, 21 ; 1 Cor. 8 : 13). 
 24. Faith as a guide in the matters of 
 conscience. We should avoid doing that 
 about which we have doubts, nor should 
 we lead others to violate their conscien- 
 tious scruples. Rather we should try to 
 educate and enlighten conscience in re- 
 gard to right principles and right doing 
 (ver. 22, 23; 1 Cor. 8 : 11, 12). 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 This chapter continues the discussion 
 of the last, enforced by the example of 
 Christ (ver. 1-13), after which the apostle 
 concludes the whole discussion. He 
 then expresses his confidence in his 
 Roman brethren and refers to his call- 
 ing and extensive labors among the 
 Gentiles (ver. 14-21). He also mentions 
 his expected visit to Jerusalem, and 
 thence to Rome and Spain (ver. 22-29 )j 
 and asks their prayers for a prosperous 
 journey and closes with a benediction 
 
 (ver. 30, 31). 
 
 This, and the next chapter, hav^e been 
 supposed, by some later critics, to have 
 been written originally by Paul for 
 others than Roman Christians, or per- 
 haps added later to the Epistle. This, 
 however, is not sustained by manu- 
 script authority, and the great majority 
 of scholars have held that they are 
 genuine and stand in the place where 
 they belong. The connection of thought 
 between the last chapter and this, and 
 through these chapters to the end of 
 the Epistle, is so natural that the peru- 
 sal of them will satisfy the general 
 reader that they are in the right posi- 
 tion, and that they are not mere acci- 
 dental additions. 
 
 1-13. Discussion of the preced- 
 ing CHAPTER CONTINUED AND EN- 
 FORCED BY THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST. 
 
 The first four verses are addressed to 
 the strong, followed by an exhortation 
 for mutual Christlike conduct be- 
 tween .Jewish and Gentile believers. 
 
 1. There appears to be a natural con- 
 nection between this and the preceding 
 chapter. We then, or, Now ve, that 
 are strong, or ubfe, firm in faith ami 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 169 
 
 bear the ^ infirmities of ttie weak, and 
 
 2 not to please ourselves. ^Let every 
 one of us please his neighbour for his 
 
 3 good to edification, f For even Christ 
 pleased not himself ; but, as it is writ- 
 ten, The reproaches of them that re- 
 
 4 proached thee fell on me. s For what- 
 soever things were written aforetime 
 were written for our learning, that we 
 through patience ^ and comfort of the 
 Scriptures might have hope. 
 
 5 J Now the Gk)d of patience ^ and con- 
 solation grant you 'to be likeminded 
 one toward another ™ according to 
 
 the infirmities of the weak, and not to 
 
 2 please ourselves. Let each one of us 
 please his neighbor, for his good, toup- 
 
 3 building. For Christ also pleased not 
 himself ; but, as it is written, The re- 
 proaches of those who reproached 
 
 4 thee, fell on me. For whatever things 
 were written in former times were 
 written for our instruction, that we 
 through patience and through consola- 
 tion of the Scriptures may have hope. 
 
 5 And the God of patience and consola- 
 tion grant you to be of the same mind 
 one with another, according to Christ 
 
 d U : 1, 21 ; Isa. 35 : 3, 4 ; 1 Cor. 9 : 22 ; Gal. 6:2. e 14 : 19 ; 1 Cor. 9 : 19, 22 ; 10 : 24, 33 ; Phil. 2 : 4, 5. 
 
 /Matt. 26 : 38, 39. ^ 4 : 23, 24 ; 1 Cor. 9 : 9, 19. A Ps. 94 : 19 ; 119 : 81 ; Heb. 6 : 10-19. 
 
 i Exod. 34 : 6. fc 2 Cor. 1 : 3, 4 ; 7 : 6. 1 12 : 16. m Eph. 5 : 2. 
 
 convictions. Notice that Paul includes 
 himself among the strong, as in 14 : 14. 
 Ought — Ave owe it to Christ and our 
 weak brethren, (comp. i-.u.) In 14 : 1 
 Paul exhorts ; here he speaks of the 
 matter as duty and obligation. To 
 bear, as a burden patiently (Rev. 2 : 2, 3), 
 the infirmities, or iveaknesses, of 
 mind, connected with error and scruples 
 of conscience, and an undeveloped 
 faith ; of the weak, or ^^e unable, of 
 those not well able to bear their own 
 burden (Gal. 6: 2). And not to please 
 ourselves, not seeking our own grati- 
 fication of innocent appetites and de- 
 sires. In other words, we are to exer- 
 cise a self-denying love (1 cor. 10 : 33). 
 
 2. On the contrary, let every one 
 of us please his neighbour, what- 
 ever brother he comes in contact with, 
 for his good, having his real spirit- 
 ual welfare in view, to edification, 
 to upbuilding him in his Christian 
 character and life (i4:i9). Paul here 
 defines the right way of seeking to 
 please others. Otherwise would be 
 wrong, which he elsewhere condemns 
 (Gal. 1:10). Compare a worldly and 
 evil pleasing of others in Mark 6 : 22. 
 
 3. For, introducing the strongest 
 of reasons, the example of Christ, 
 even, or also, Christ pleased not 
 
 himself (Luke 22 :42; John 4 : 34), but in llis 
 
 suiFering for sinners "delighted to do 
 the will of him who sent him." Paul 
 in this Epistle has dwelt on Christ as a 
 sacrifice; now he presents him as an 
 example, which he often does else- 
 where (l Cor. 11 : 1 ; 2 Cor. 8:9; Phil. 2:5, 6 ; 
 
 Heb. 12 : 2, 3). But, SO far from pleasing 
 himself, as it is written. The quo- 
 tation is from Ps. 69 : 9 (the Septua- 
 
 gint), which is evidently Messianic in 
 its character, the psalmist writing as a 
 type of Christ. The reproaches of 
 them that reproached thee, which 
 wicked men cast upon God, fell on 
 me, thus proving his unselfishness in 
 doing his Father's will and in seeking 
 
 to save men ( Matt. 20 : 23 ; John 4 : 34 ). 
 
 4. For introduces a reason for the 
 above quotation and a statement of a 
 general principle, that the Old Testa- 
 ment Scriptures were intended for the 
 instruction of Christian believers. For 
 whatsoever things were Avritten 
 aforetime, all before this time, 
 namely the whole Old Testament, ivere 
 written for our learning — for our 
 instruction and upbuilding (2 Tim. 3: 
 15-17), i)i order that we through 
 patience and through comfort of 
 the Scriptures — patience and com- 
 fort produced by the study of Scrip- 
 ture — might, or may, have hope of 
 glory and eternal life. On patience or 
 endurance see 5 : 3. From the example, 
 as foretold and fulfilled in our Saviour 
 (ver. 3) we may derive comfort and be 
 helped to endure unto the end (1 Peter 
 
 2 : 19-21), 
 
 5. Now, rather. And, introducing a 
 wish, growing out of what precedes : 
 And may the God of patience and 
 consolation, or comfort, just spoken 
 of, of which he is the Author, grant 
 you to be like-minded, o/^/ie some 
 viind among one another, not so much 
 in unity of opinions as in the harmony 
 of feeling, according to Christ 
 Jesus — according to his spirit, ex- 
 ample, and teachings. Just in propor- 
 tion as the believer receives from God 
 patience, comfort, and hope in the 
 
170 
 
 KOMANS 
 
 [Ch. XV. 
 
 6 Christ Jesus : that ye may " with one 
 mind and one mouth glorify God, even 
 
 the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 7 Wlierefore p receive ye one another, i as 
 Christ also received 'us, to tlie glory of 
 God. 
 
 8 Now I say that » Jesus Christ was a 
 minister of the circumcision for the 
 truth of God, Ho confirm the promises 
 
 9 made unto the fathers: and «that the 
 Gentiles might glorify God for his 
 mercy ; as it is written, 'For this cause 
 
 1 will confess to thee among the Gen- 
 
 6 Jesxis ; that with one accord ye may 
 with one mouth glorify the God anS 
 Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 7 Wherefore receive one another, as 
 Christ also received you, to the glory 
 
 8 of God. For I say that Christ has been 
 made a minister of the circumcision, 
 in behalf of God's truth, that he 
 might confirm the promises made to 
 
 9 the fathers ; and that the Gentiles 
 might glorify God for his mercy ; as it 
 is written, 
 
 For this cause I will confess to thee 
 
 among Gentiles, 
 And will sing to thy name. 
 
 ji Zcph. 3:9; Acts 4 : 24, 32. o John 20 : 17. p 14 : 1-3. g 5 : 2 ; Luke 15 : 2 ; John 6 : 37 ; 13 : 34. 
 r9 : 4, 5 ; Matt. 15 : 21 ; John 1 : 11. s Micah 7 : 20 ; Luke 1 : 54, 55 ; 2 Cor. 1 : 20. «9 : 23, 24 ; John 10 : 16. 
 
 study of the Scriptures, will he be 
 raised above petty controversies and 
 unchristian, unfraternal conduct (Coi. 
 
 1:3-8). 
 
 6. Continuation of the preceding 
 thought, That ye may, etc. That 
 with one mind, with unanimity of 
 spirit, ye may with one mouth, a one- 
 ness of outward utterance, glorify 
 God even the Father, better, the 
 God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, A two-fold idea is brought 
 to view, namely, he whom Jesus, the 
 Christ, served, and to whom he held 
 the relation of Son, ( Comp. Eph. i : s ; 
 1 Peter 1:3.) Tlirough Christ the be- 
 liever enjoys this two-fold relation to 
 
 God and Father (John 20 : n ; Heb. 1 : 8, 9). 
 
 The great end of God's people is to 
 
 glorify him ; and all of his gifts and 
 lessings tend to fit them for this end 
 
 (11 : 33-36). 
 
 7. In order that the wish expressed 
 in the last two verses might be fulfilled 
 in his brethren at Rome, Paul exhorts 
 them, both strong and weak : Where- 
 fore receive ye one another to 
 yourselves — take one another to your 
 hearts in friendship and intercourse 
 ( H : 1). " Do not wait one for the other, 
 but each be ready to take the initiative 
 steps" (BoLSE). As Christ also 
 received to himself us, or you (abet- 
 ter reading of the text) into his friend- 
 ship and love (1* : 3). Those who were 
 sinners and estranged from him Christ 
 received, took to himself as brethren, to 
 the glory of God, in order that God 
 might be glorified (Kph. i:6). Paul is 
 addressing both Jewish and Gentile be- 
 lievers, as is evident from the next two 
 verses. 
 
 8. Now, rather. For, according to 
 the best text, introducing a reason and 
 explanation of the preceding exhorta- 
 tion. Ver. 8 is addressed with special 
 reference to Jewish believers ; ver. 9 
 with special reference to Gentile. For 
 I say— /or, to explain, / mean — that 
 Christ (Jesus is omitted by the best 
 texts) was, rather, has become, a 
 minister, or servant, of the cir- 
 cumcision. Christ came and lived 
 as a Jew, submitted to the law and 
 was obedient to the law, and confined 
 his ministry to the Jewish people (Matt. 
 15 : 24; 10:5, 6). The cxprcssion "min- 
 ister of the circumcision," is only 
 found here, and Alford suggests that 
 it is used * ' to humble the pride of the 
 strong, the Gentile Christians, by exalt- 
 ing God's covenant people to their true 
 dignity." For, or in behalf of God's 
 truth, that it might be fulfilled, and 
 thus confirm the promises made unto 
 the fathers (2 Cor. 1 : 20; oai. 3 : 14). It had 
 been foretold that the Messiah should 
 descend froniAbraham, through Judah 
 
 and David ( Gen. 12 : 3 ; Micah 5:2; Ps. 89 : 
 35,36), 
 
 9. Continuing the sentence, And 
 that the Gentiles might glorify 
 God for his mercy so wonderfully 
 exercised toward them. The promises 
 had been given to Israel and through 
 Israel the blessings of the promises had 
 come upon Gentiles. The one had cove- 
 nants, and the truthfulness of God was 
 pledged in their behalf; the others were 
 " strangers from the covenants of prom- 
 ise " (Eph. 2 : 12) , and in a sense were pecu- 
 liarly the objects of mercy. Yet in the 
 divine arrangement all were objects of 
 mercy ( n = ''^I* As it is Avritten. In 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 171 
 
 10 tiles, and sing unto thy name. And 
 again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, 
 
 11 with his people. And again, Praise 
 the Lord, all ye Gentiles ; and laud 
 
 12 him, all ye people. And again, Esaias 
 saith, There shall be a "root of Jesse, 
 and he that shall rise to reign over the 
 Gentiles ; in him shall the Gentiles 
 trust. 
 
 13 Now the Grod of hope fill you with all 
 »joy and peace in believing, Jthat ye 
 may abound in hope, through the 
 power of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 Personal notices, relating to the apostle and 
 his ministry. 
 
 14 And » I myself also am persuaded of 
 you, my brethren, that ye also are 
 a full of goodness, filled Avith all knowl- 
 edge, able also to admonish one 
 
 10 And again he says, 
 
 Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. 
 
 11 And again, 
 
 Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles ; 
 And let all the peoples extol him. 
 
 12 And again, Isaiah says, 
 
 There shall be the root of Jesse, 
 And he who rises up to rule over Gen- 
 tiles ; 
 On him will Gentiles hope. 
 
 13 Now the God of hope fill you with all 
 joy and peace in believing, that ye 
 may abound in hope, in the power of 
 the Holy Spirit. 
 
 14 And I myself also am persuaded of 
 you, my brethren, that ye yourselves 
 also are full of goodness,'filled with all 
 knowledge, able to admonish one an- 
 
 ti Rev. 5 : 5 ; 22 : 16. x 14 : 17 ; John 14 : 1 ; 2 Thess. 2 : 16, 17. 2/ 5 : 4, 5 ; Heb. 6 : 11. 
 
 z 2 Peter 1 : 12 ; 1 John 2 : 21. a Phil. 1 : 11 ; Col. 1 : 8-10. 
 
 this and the three follomng verses Paul 
 quotes from the Law, the Psalms, and 
 the Prophets (Luke 24: 44). The one in 
 this verse is from Ps. 18 : 49, cited from 
 the Septuagiut. David is viewed as a 
 type of Christ, who praises God for the 
 Gentiles who are saved through him. 
 
 10-12. The quotations are cited quite 
 exactly from the Septuagint. Tlie first 
 is from Deut. 32 : 43. Again he, or 
 if, the Scripture, saith. The Gentile 
 nations are proplietically presented as 
 participating in the joys of the cove- 
 nant people of Israel. The quotation in 
 ver. 11 is from Ps. 117 : 1, and is a pro- 
 phetic intimation of Gentiles joining 
 with Israel in praising God for his 
 mercy manifested in the gospel. The 
 quotations tlius far are general. In 
 ver. 12 a more particular reference is 
 made to Christ as the spiritual King 
 and hope of Gentiles, quoted from Isa, 
 11 : 10. A root — sprout, the shoot, the 
 descendant of Jesse, the father of Da- 
 vid. Ill him — resting upon him loill 
 Gentiles trust, ratlier, hope. Faith 
 is implied, hope is expressed. Exer- 
 cised by them who before liad no hope 
 (Eph. 2:12). All of these passages con- 
 firm the statement of ver. 9, that Gen- 
 tiles shall unite with Israel in glorify- 
 ing God for his mercy through the Mes- 
 siah. 
 
 13. Having proved the statement of 
 ver. 9 by Scripture, Paul closes the 
 paragraph with a benediction. Seizing 
 upon the last word, hope, of the pre- 
 ceding quotation, he says : Now the 
 
 God of hope, a name especially fit- 
 ting to God and appropriate in address- 
 ing Gentiles at Rome. " For Hope had 
 been a false divinity, whose temple at 
 Rome, Livy, Book XXI., says, was 
 struck with lightning, and again in Book 
 XXiy., was consumed" (Bengel). 
 God is the Author of hope — the hope 
 of glory and of eternal life. In be- 
 lieving — the condition and state in 
 whieli are all joy and peace, 
 connected with and springing out of 
 hope. Through, rather, In the in- 
 dwelling and inworking power of 
 the Holy Ghost — Spirit, (comp. 
 5 : 1-5. ) This verse is a fitting close of 
 the hortatory and practical part of the 
 Epistle. Notice how faith, hope, joy, 
 and peace, are all united. What fol- 
 lows is devoted to personal and inci- 
 dental matters. 
 
 14-33. Concluding and per- 
 sonal TOPICS. See opening paragraph 
 of this chapter. 
 
 14. Paul's confidence in his Roman 
 brethren similar to that expressed in 
 the introduction of this Epistle (1 : 8-12). 
 In an emphatic manner he expresses 
 his assured conviction concerning them: 
 And I myself also, as well as those 
 who have reported your faith (1 = s), am 
 persuaded of you. This appears to 
 be addressed to them as a body. That 
 ye yourselves also, independently of 
 my exhortations and instructions, are 
 full of goodness, excellent quali- 
 ties (Kph. 5 : 9; 2 Thess. 1 : ll), filled With 
 
 all knowledge, which all together 
 
172 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XV. 
 
 15 another. Nevertheless, brethren, I 
 have written the more boldly unto you 
 in some sort, ^as putting you in mind, 
 « because of the grace that is given to 
 
 16 me of God, that ** I should be the min- 
 ister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, 
 ministering the gospel of God ; that 
 the e offering up of the Gentiles might 
 be acceptable, being sanctified by the 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 other also. But I Avrite the more boldly 
 to you, in part as putting you in mind, 
 because of the grace that was given to 
 me by God, that I should be a minister 
 of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, min- 
 istering in the gospel of God, that the 
 offering up of the Gentiles may become 
 acceptable, being sanctified by the 
 
 b 2 Peter 1 : 2-15. 
 
 cl : 5. 
 
 d 11 : 13. 
 
 e Isa. 66 : 20 ; 1 Peter 2 : 5. 
 
 are very necessary qualifications for 
 being able also to admonish one 
 another. This is not mere compli- 
 mentary language. The whole Epistle 
 shows that he was writing to Christians 
 of spiritual strength and maturity. 
 
 15. His freedom in writing them was 
 a discharge of his duty as an apostle to 
 the Gentiles (ver. 15-21), and a compensa- 
 tion for his inability to visit them (ver. 
 22-24). Nevertheless, But I have 
 written, literally, I wrote. So the 
 time of the writing would be in the 
 past to them when they came to read 
 the letter. In some sort, or measure, 
 that is, somewhat boldly. Others un- 
 derstand, in part, in certain portions 
 of the Epistle, as in 6 : 17-21 ; 9 : 19, 
 20; 11 : 19-21, etc.^ But Godet and 
 some others very naturally join it with 
 the verb that follows : In part, or 
 partly, as putting you in mind, 
 because of the grace that is 
 given to me of God, the divine 
 favor in making him an apostle (i:5: 
 Eph. 3:2-8), ])eing the motive and ground 
 of authority in calling these things to 
 remembrance. 
 
 16. Continuing the sentence, That 
 I should be the, rather, a minister, 
 a public servant or attendant, of Jesus 
 Christ to the Gentiles. This was 
 the purpose or aim of God's grace given 
 him (ver. 15), that he should be an apos- 
 tle to the Gentiles. The word trans- 
 lated minister was originally used of a 
 public officer at Athens, who adminis- 
 tered his ofiice at his own expense. In 
 the New Testament it is applied to 
 magistrates (Rom. 13 : e), to angels (Heb. 
 1 : T), to Christ as High Priest and Serv- 
 ant of the heavenly sanctuary (Hch. 
 8:2). In Phil. 2 : 25 it is applied to 
 Epaphroditus, an attendant and min- 
 ister to the apostle's wants. Paul here 
 appropriately applies it to himself as 
 one of the apostles who were attendants 
 of .Tesus Christ himself (Mark 3 : u), and 
 publicly " busied for him in holy 
 
 things." The verb from which it is de- 
 rived occurs in ver. 27 and in Acts 13 : 
 2, on which see note. Both noun and 
 verb are noble words, applied to ofiicial 
 and public services. Christ is here 
 viewed as the Head and Ruler of his 
 people, who appointed Paul as an apos- 
 tle to the Gentiles. Ministering in 
 religious services in sacred things, or 
 after the manner of a priest, the gos- 
 pel of God. This ministering con- 
 sisted of preaching and in agonizing 
 efforts and prayers for the salvation of 
 souls (9:1-3; 10 : i). The vcrb means to 
 be busied about sacred things, and 
 when used of a priest, means to per- 
 form sacred rites. It is found only 
 here in the New Testament. In 4 Mac. 
 7:8, it is used of those who defend the 
 sanctity of the law by undergoing a vio- 
 lent death. So here we may conceive of 
 Paul ministering in sacrifice the gospel, 
 by undergoing great trials in preaching 
 the gospel, "in stripes above measure, 
 in deaths oft" (2 Cor. ii : 23-27). It ap- 
 pears evident that the word here is used 
 figuratively. For Paul no more speaks 
 of himself as a priest literally than he 
 does of the Gentiles as a literal offering. 
 (See below.) That the offering up 
 of the Gentiles, the Gentile con- 
 verts to God, might be acceptable, 
 because they were being sanctified, 
 or made holy, by the Holy Ghost — 
 Spirit. Compare 2 Cor. 11 : 2, where 
 there is a similar idea under the figure 
 of presenting them as a betrothed bride, 
 a pure virgin to Christ. This is the 
 only passage in the New Testament 
 where a word which may imply a 
 priestly character or action is used of 
 a preacher of the gospel. It is used 
 here of Paul as an apostle to the Gen- 
 tiles, and wholly in a figurative sense. 
 Had Paul laid claim to sacerdotal func- 
 tions, it is very unlikely that he would 
 have been silent regarding it in the rest 
 of his writings. He was not silent re- 
 specting his apostleship (1 Cor. 9 : 1 ). His 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 EOMANS 
 
 173 
 
 17 Holy Ghost, f I have therefore whereof 
 I may glory through Jesus Christ Bin 
 those things which pertain to God. 
 
 18 *> For I will not dare to speak of any of 
 those things > which Christ hath not 
 wrought by me, ^ to make the Gentiles 
 
 19 obedient, by word and deed, • through 
 mighty signs and wonders, by the 
 poAver of the Spirit of God ; so that 
 from Jerusalem, and round about unto 
 Illyricum, " I have fully preached the 
 
 20 gospel of Christ. Yea, so have I strived 
 to preach the gospel, not where Christ 
 
 17 Holy Spirit. I have therefore my 
 glorying in Christ Jesus, as to things 
 
 18 pertaining to God. For I will ventiu-e 
 to speak only of those things which 
 Christ wrought through me, to bring 
 the Gentiles to obedience, by word and 
 
 19 work, in the powder of signs and won- 
 • ders, in the power of the Holy Spirit; 
 
 so that from Jerusalem, and around as 
 far as Illyricum, I have fully preached 
 
 20 the gospel of Christ ; yea, making it 
 my aim so to preach the gospel, not 
 
 / 2 Cor. 3:4-6; 11 : 16-30. g Heb. 5:1. A 2 Cor. 10 : 13-18. i Acts 21 : 19 ; Gal. 2:8. A: 1 : 5 ; 16 : 26. 
 I Acts 14 : 8-12 ; 15 : 12 ; 19 : 11, 12 ; 2 Cor. 12 : 12. m Acts 20 : 20 ; 2 Tim. 4 : 17. 
 
 silence is an argument against regard- 
 ing the Christian ministry as a priest- 
 hood. Christ is presented as our High 
 Priest in Heb. 3:1, etc. All mediating 
 priests are taken away in the gospel. 
 All believers are a holy priesthood unto 
 
 God (lPeter2 :5; Rev. 1 :6), and all havC 
 
 free access to the throne of grace 
 through Jesus Christ. Paul and the 
 humblest believer stand on a level here. 
 
 17, I have therefore, in view of 
 the above statement, my glorying, that 
 which really belongs to me, in Christ 
 Jesus, in him and him alone (see ver. is) ; 
 in those things which pertain to 
 God, in my services as an apostle and 
 minister of Christ. He owed it to 
 Christ rather than to himself, that he was 
 permitted to glory in these matters, 
 pertaining to his commission (ver. 15, 16), 
 labors, and successes (ver. is, 19). 
 
 18. For, introduces his justification, 
 in this and the three following verses, of 
 the statement concerning his glorying 
 in Christ (ver. 17). For I will not 
 dare to speak, . . which Christ 
 hath not wrought through me. Some 
 put the emphasis on through me, in 
 distinction from what Christ had 
 wrought through others. It is better, 
 however, to place it on which Christ 
 hath not icrought. I will not dare to 
 mention anything I have done; my 
 appeal is only to what Christ has 
 wrought through me in the conversion 
 of the Gentiles. There is a transition 
 from negative to the positive, but I 
 would appeal to what Christ has done 
 through me, hy w^ord, the preaching 
 of the gospel, and deed, by his life, 
 but especially by his miracles. ( See next 
 verse.) Paul enjoyed miraculous gifts 
 and wrought miracles ( 1 Cor. 14 : is ; 2 Cor. 
 12 : 12). 
 
 19. The sentence is continued. 
 Through mighty signs and won- 
 ders, rather. In the power of signs 
 and wonders, miracles and supernatural 
 
 works of all kinds ( Johu 4 : 48: Acts 15 : 12)^ 
 
 referring especially to Christ w^orking 
 thi-ough Paul by deed (ver. is). Jn 
 power of the Spirit of God, or 
 better, of the Holy Spirit, in the con- 
 version of men, referring more espe- 
 cially to Christ working through Paul 
 by loord, with reference also to deed 
 (ver. is). Miracles had their place and 
 were used by the Holy Spirit, but it 
 Avas the preaching of the gospel which 
 especially resulted in the conversion of 
 the Gentiles (Acts 19 : s-12, 17-20). So that 
 from Jerusalem, the ecclesiastical 
 center and capital of Judaism, and 
 round about, in the regions around, 
 as far as Illyricum , a pro"sdnce north- 
 west of Macedonia, eleven hundred 
 miles northwest from Jerusalem, I have 
 fully preached the gospel of 
 Christ, literally, / have fulfilled the 
 gospel by fully preaching it. Compare 
 " to fulfill the word of God," fully ex- 
 hibiting it, in Col. 1 : 25. From Acts 
 20 : 2 it appears that Paul traversed the 
 regions of Macedonia, which bordered 
 on Illyricum, shortly before completing 
 this Epistle. Several years later Titus 
 had gone to Dalmatia (2Tim. 4: 10), a 
 part of the Roman province of Illyri- 
 cum, which makes it not unlikely that 
 Paul had labored there either before 
 this, or after his first imprisonment. 
 See Clark's " Harmonic Arrangement 
 of the Acts," pp. 228, 229, 23-1. 
 
 20 - 21. The sentence continues. 
 Yea, so have I strived, literally, 
 so making it a point of honor, being 
 ambitious, to preach the gospel, 
 not where Christ was named, 
 
174 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XV. 
 
 was named, "lest I should build upon 
 
 21 another man's foundation : but as it is 
 written, To whom he was not spoken 
 of, they shall see : and they that have 
 not heard shall understand. 
 
 22 For which cause also » I have been 
 much hindered from coming to you. 
 
 23 But now having no more place in these 
 parts, and p having a great desire these 
 
 24 many years to come unto you ; when- 
 soever! take my journey into Spain, I 
 will come to you ; for I trust to see you 
 in my journey, i and to be brought on 
 my way thitherward by you, if first 
 I be somewhat tilled witli your corn- 
 
 where Christ was named, that I might 
 not build upon another's foundation ; 
 
 21 but as it is written. 
 
 They to whom nothing was an- 
 nounced concerning him shall see, 
 
 And they that have not heard shall 
 understand. 
 
 22 For which cause also, these many 
 times, I was hindered from coming to 
 
 23 you. But now having no longer a 
 place in these regions, and having a 
 longing these many years to come to 
 
 24 you, Avhenever I go to Spain ;— for I 
 hope in passing through to see 5'ou, 
 and to be sent forward thither by you, 
 if first I have been satisfied in a meas- 
 ure with yovir company 
 
 n See 1 Cor. 3 : 9-15 ; 2 Cor. 10 : 13, 15, 16. 
 
 o 1 : 13 ; 1 Thess. 2 : 17, 18. 
 q Acts 15 : 3. 
 
 p Ver. 32 ; 1 : 11-13 ; Acts 19 : 21. 
 
 where he had been made known, lest 
 I should build upon another 
 man's foundation, (comp. i cor. 3 : 10.) 
 The field was so vast that there was 
 room for all ; he would avoid need- 
 less collisions and discords; and be- 
 sides he had adopted the spirit of 
 Isa. 52 : 15 as his rule, which predicted 
 that the gospel should be preached to 
 those who never heard it. As it is 
 written. Cited exactly from the Sep- 
 tuagint. To whom he was not 
 spoken of, etc. The prophet is speak- 
 ing of the servant of Jehovah, the 
 Messiah, who is for the first time an- 
 nounced to kings and nations. 
 
 22. Paul now speaks of his future 
 plans. For which cause also, be- 
 cause of the incessant and extensive 
 lahors described above, I have been 
 much hindered, better, / was fur 
 the most part, or these many times, 
 hindered from coming to you. 
 There had doubtless been other hin- 
 drances which he does not name. He 
 ^ives the main hindrance. This verse 
 IS similar to 1 : 13, on which see notes. 
 About six years before this writing 
 Paul had met Aquila at Corinth, who 
 had come from Rome (a. d. 52, Acts is : 2)^ 
 from whom he doubtless learned much 
 about the Roman Christians ; and about 
 a year before this (a. d. 57), at Ephesus, 
 it is definitely stated that it was his pur- 
 pose to visit Rome (Acts 19 -. 21). 
 
 23. But now, having no more, 
 rather, no longer place, or oppor- 
 tunity (Acts 25: 16), hi these regions, be- 
 tween Jerusalem and Illyricum. Hav- 
 ing preached the gospel throughout 
 these regions and planted churches at 
 
 central points, from which evangelists 
 could go forth, he felt that his work as 
 a pioneer missionary was accomplished. 
 He Avished to go where Christ had not 
 been made known. Having a great 
 desire, an aflectionate Io7iging, these 
 many years, since he met Aquila at 
 Corinth (see on ver. 22) , and perhaps before 
 that time, to come unto you. See 
 further, note on 1 : 11. 
 
 24. The sentence continues. When- 
 soever I take my journey into 
 Spain — to the far West. The Spanish 
 peninsula was also called Hispania, 
 but more commonly by the Greeks, 
 Iberia. According to the highest crit- 
 ical authorities, the words, I will 
 come to you, should be omitted. 
 This verse is variously punctuated. 
 That of the Improved Bil)le Union ver- 
 sion is preferalde, which places a comma 
 after ver. 23, a semicolon and a dash 
 after Spain, and a period and a dash at 
 the end of ver. 24. The words begin- 
 ning with for, in this verse, and end- 
 ing with the ver.se, are explanatory, 
 and somewhat parenthetical. To see 
 you in my journey — in passing 
 through — his stay would be short, as 
 " Christ had already been named " at 
 Rome (ver. 20). To be brought on 
 my Avay, etc., to be sent fonrard 
 thither by you. It was common to 
 escort persons on their way (Acts 15 : 3; 
 1 Cor. 16 : 6), Somc of the Roman breth- 
 ren might also go with liim into Spain 
 (Acts 15: 22). Somewhat filled, in a 
 measure satisjied, ' ' a delicate expression 
 ini])lying that he could not be satisfied 
 in full with their company" (Boise). 
 
 ( Comp. 1:12, and note. ) 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 175 
 
 25 pany. But now 'I go unto Jerusalem, 
 
 26 to minister unto the saints. For ^it 
 hath pleased them of Macedonia and 
 Achaia to make a certain contribution 
 for the poor saints which are at Jeru- 
 
 27 salem. It hath pleased them verily; 
 and their debtors they are. For if the 
 Gentiles have been made partakers of 
 their spiritual things, * their duty is 
 
 25 But now I am going to Jerusalem to 
 
 26 minister to the saints. For Macedonia 
 and Achaia thought it good to make 
 some contribution for the poor among 
 
 27 the saints who are in Jeru^^alem. For 
 they thought it good ; and their debtors 
 are they. For if the Gentiles have 
 shared in their spiritual things, they 
 
 r Acts 19 : 21 ; 20 : 22 ; 24 : 17. 
 
 s Acts 11 : 27-30 ; 1 Cor. 16 : 1, 2 ; 2 Cor. 8 : 1-6 ; 9 : 2, 12. 
 1 1 Cor. 9 : 11 ; Gal. 6 : 6. 
 
 There need be no difficulty between 
 Paul's principle of not building on 
 another's foundation and his desire 
 to visit Rome. For (1) it does not ap- 
 pear that the church at Rome had been 
 planted by any of the apostles, or any 
 one preacher. (2) Paul could fittingly 
 visit them as an apostle to the Gen- 
 tiles. (3) There were a number of 
 his converts and acquaintances there 
 (16:3-15). (4) Rome could be visited 
 on his way to Spain. (5) When he 
 did visit them he applied his principle 
 at once by calling Jews who had not 
 been evangelized, and afterward preach- 
 ing to such as came to him. In the 
 large city of Rome there was abun- 
 dance of room. (See the Introduction 
 to Romans. ) 
 
 It has been much discussed whether 
 Paul ever carried out this plan. It 
 is probable that he was liberated from 
 his first imprisonment, after which he 
 visited Spain and the far west. So 
 Clement in his first letter to the 
 Corinthians (chap. 5), and other early 
 writers. See Clark's "Harmonic 
 Arrangement of the Acts," pp. 260, 
 261. An inscription found in Spain, 
 of Nero's time, commemorates the rid- 
 dance of the province of " robbers and of 
 those who sought to instil a new super- 
 stition into mankind " (Mr. Lewin, 
 "Life," etc., Vol. II., p. 363, note). 
 This probably refers to Christianity, 
 and perhaps to the results of Paul's 
 labors. 
 
 25. This should begin a new para- 
 graph. Paul states his present plan 
 and work, which must be accomplished 
 before he could visit Rome on his way 
 to Spain (ver. 25-28). But although I 
 am expecting to visit you, no^v I go, 
 rather, noiv I am going to Jerusalem. 
 He was really on his way from Ephesus 
 through Macedonia and Greece, now 
 temporarily at Corinth (Acts 20 : 1-3). To 
 minister, or ministering, to the 
 
 saints — carrying collections from the 
 churches for their relief (Acts 21:17). 
 Ministering is a present participle (the 
 same verb as in Acts 6:2), and may 
 include the gathering, the carrying, 
 and the presenting of the collections 
 to the saints (i:T). Paul and Barna- 
 bas had, A. D. 44, performed a similar ser- 
 vice (Acts 11 : 29, 30; 12 : 25). In reference 
 to this present ministering, in addition 
 to the above references, see 1 Cor. 16 : 
 3, 4; 2 Cor. 8:1-4; 9 : 1,2. A com- 
 parison of these strikingly illustrates 
 the truthfulness of the sacred docu- 
 ments. (See "Har. Arrange. Acts," 
 pp. 118, 119, 240,241.) 
 
 36, For, to explain, it hath 
 pleased, it seemed good to them of 
 Macedonia, at Philippi, Thessalo- 
 nica, etc., and Achaia — Greece (Acts 
 20:2), to make a certain contri- 
 bution for, or sharing with, the 
 poor of the saints at Jerusalem. 
 It is implied that all were not poor. 
 They had suifered persecutions ( Acts s : 1 ; 
 12 : 1), and doubtless thereby many had 
 been impoverished. It is also implied 
 that the community of goods had ceased 
 at the church at Jerusalem. Contribu- 
 tion — with the ground idea of sharing 
 or participating with those receiving ; 
 translated communion, it is applied to 
 the Lord's Supper (icor. io:i6), in ref- 
 erence to Christians partaking symbol- 
 ically of the body and blood of Christ. 
 It is a beautiful thought that in con- 
 tributing to otliers we are sharing with 
 them our blessings. It is thus a par- 
 ticipation. (See next verse.) 
 
 27. It hath pleased — It seemed 
 good to them — an exact repetition of the 
 first words of ver. 26. And their 
 debtors they are, they otve it to 
 them, it is their (Zti^y. (comp. i:u.) Jeru- 
 salem was the mother church ; and An- 
 tioch, which sent forth Paul and others 
 to the heathen, received her first preach- 
 ers from Jerusalem (Acts 11 : 19-22). It 
 
176 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XV. 
 
 also to minister unto them in carnal 
 
 28 things. When therefore 1 liave per- 
 formed this, and have sealed to tnem 
 "this fruit, I will come by you into 
 
 29 Spain. » And I am sure that, Avhen I 
 come unto you, I shall come in the 
 fulness of the blessing of the gospel of 
 Christ. 
 
 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the 
 Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and j for the 
 love of the Spirit, ^ that ye strive to- 
 gether with me in your prayers to God 
 for me ; * that I may be delivered from 
 them that do not believe in Judsea; 
 
 30 
 
 31 
 
 ought also to minister to them in car- 
 
 28 nal things. When therefore I have 
 performed this, and have sealed to 
 them this fruit, I will go on by you to 
 
 29 Spain. And I know that, when I come 
 to you, I shall come in the fullness of 
 the blessing of Christ. 
 
 30 And I beseech you, brethren, by our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of 
 the Spii'it, to strive together with me 
 
 31 in your prayer to God for me ; that I 
 may be delivered from the unbelieving 
 
 wPhil. 4 : 17. 
 
 X 1 : 11, 12 ; Eph. 1:3. y Phil. 2:1. z2 Cor. 1 : 11 ; Eph. 6 : 19, 20 ; 1 Theas. 5 : 25. 
 o Acts 21 : 27-31 ; 23 : 12 ; 1 Thess. 2 : 15, 16 ; 2 Thess. 3 : 2. 
 
 was through the Jewish believers that 
 Gentiles received the gospel ( Acts lo : 
 35-48), For if the Gentiles have 
 been made partakers of, or shared 
 in (the kindred verb of the noun con- 
 tribution, ver. 26), their spiritual 
 blessings, their duty is also, they 
 owe it to minister — to do service (the 
 kindred verb of the noun minister, 
 in ver. 16), to them in carnal, 
 or fleshly, things. Paul regards the 
 making of contribution as a religious, 
 sacred service. The two reasons for 
 performing this service are given : their 
 good pleasure, including gratitude 
 (ver. 26), their duty as debtors (ver. 27). 
 
 Tliese contributions were a bond of 
 sympathy between the Jewish and 
 Gentile churches, and tended to the 
 unity of the churches, both of those 
 giving and those receiving. The same 
 is true with our independent Baptist 
 churches to-day. The great missionary 
 enterprises tend to unify them in faith 
 and doctrine. Co-operation in Chris- 
 tian work produces a bond of brotherly 
 sympathy, better than that of a hier- 
 archy. 
 
 28. 11(1 ring performed therefore 
 this journey to Jerusalem and this 
 service to the saints there, and sealed 
 — authoritatively attesting and securing 
 to them this fruit — the proceeds of 
 the collections made in the churches ; 
 an expression of their love. The word 
 sealed has an unusual use, meaning 
 an authoritative assurance that the 
 money was theirs, sealing or confirming 
 their ownership. Fruit refers directly 
 to the gathered collections, and perhaps 
 indirectly to the love and faith that 
 prompted the gifts. I will come by 
 you, or I will go on through your city, 
 
 into Spain, making a passing visit 
 at Rome. 
 
 29. And I am sure. And I know, 
 from past experience in other churches 
 (2 Cor. 1 : 15), from my deep convictions 
 and confidence in God. The words, of 
 the gospel, should be omitted, not 
 being found in the best manuscripts. 
 I tvill come in the fulness of the 
 blessing of Christ (Eph. 3 : 19), fur- 
 nished with and wholly full of the 
 blessings which he abundantly imparts. 
 (See 1:11.) This was fulfilled in the 
 apostle's case, though very difierently 
 from what he expected (Acts28 : 15, le, 
 30,31). His ministry at Rome was at- 
 tended with abundant blessing to both 
 saints and sinners (Phii. 1 : 12-u ; 4 : 22). 
 The Epistles to the Ephesians, the 
 Colossians, the Philippians, and Phile- 
 mon, written at Rome, attest how fully 
 he was enjoying the blessing of Christ. 
 They who argue that this chapter was 
 composed in the second century can 
 find no foundation here. 
 
 30. Paul entreats their prayers for 
 himself, by two strong motives : For, 
 or by, our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 through what he has done for us, 
 and for, or by, the love of the 
 Spirit, of which he is the Autlior, and 
 which as the Comforter he exercises 
 toward us f John 14 : 1&-18), and sheds 
 abroad in our hearts (5 :5; Gai. 5: 22). 
 That ye strive together — agonize, 
 struggle intensely Avith me in your 
 prayers, (comp. coi. 4 : 12.) "Paul is 
 the only apostle who asks the prayers 
 of believers for himself" (Bengel). 
 
 (.Sec 2 Cor. 1 : 11 ; Phil. 1 : 19 ; Col. 4 : 3, 4 ; Eph. 
 6 : 19 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 25 ; J Thess. 3:1; Philem. 22 ; 
 Hcb. 13 : 18.) 
 
 31. He had forebodings of dangers 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 177 
 
 and that my service which I have for 
 Jerusalem may be accepted of the 
 
 32 saints ; ^ that I may come unto you 
 with joy <=by the will of God, and may 
 
 33 with you be <i refreshed. Now ^the 
 God of peace 6e with you all. Amen. 
 
 in Judaea, and that my ministry for 
 Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the 
 
 32 saints ; that I may come in joy to you 
 through the will of God, and may with 
 
 33 you be refreshed. And the Gk)d of 
 peace be with you all. Amen. 
 
 6 1 : 10. c Acts 18 : 21. d 2 Cor. 7 : 13 ; 2 Tim. 1 : 16 ; Philem. 7 : 20. 
 
 ! 16 : 20 ; 1 Cor. 14 : 33 ; 2 Cor. 13 : 11 ; Phil. 4 : 9 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 23 : 2 Thess. 3 : 16 ; Heb. 13 : 20. 
 
 from Jewish unbelievers. He there- 
 fore wishes their prayers for his de- 
 liverance from them. He knew that 
 in every city bonds and afflictions 
 awaited him (Acts 20 : 22). Prayers were 
 answered, though differently from the 
 way in which he expected (Acts 21 : 31, 32 ; 
 
 23 : 12-24 ; 25 : 2-5, 12 ; 27 : l) . Hc alsO dc- 
 
 sired their prayers, that his service, 
 or ministry (ver. 25), the benefactions, 
 for Jerusalem may be accepted 
 of the saints — may prove acceptable 
 to them. Paul was convscious of the 
 prejudice borne by Jewish Christians 
 against him ( Acts 21 : 20, 21 ), and doubt- 
 less also to some extent against Gentile 
 Christians, and he feared that the gifts 
 he bore might not be well received 
 at Jerusalem. 
 
 32. Further objects of prayer. That 
 I may come unto you. By what 
 a remarkable journey he came to them 
 is told us in the twenty-seventh and 
 twenty-eighth chapters of the Acts. 
 With, or in, Soy, He came to them 
 in the joy of great deliverances from 
 dangers, of special favors from God 
 and men ( Acts 27 : 25, 34-36, 44 ; 28 : 5, 6, 8-10, 
 14-16; Phil. 1:12,18). By the wiU of 
 God, as willed in answer to your 
 prayers. And may with you be re- 
 freshed — may have restful refresh- 
 ment by mutual holy intercourse, a 
 beautiful figure of the restful influence 
 arising from their interchange of views, 
 experiences, and prayers. The same 
 word is used in 1 Cor. 16 : 18 ; 2 Cor. 
 7:13. (Comp. 1 : 12.) How much oppor- 
 tunity Paul had for this during his 
 two years' imprisonment at Rome 
 
 (Acts 28 : 16, 17, 30, 31 ). 
 
 33. Having besought their prayers, 
 Paul craves a benediction upon them. 
 Now, or And the God of peace, 
 
 the Author of peace, of reconciliation 
 (5:1), and of inward concord and out- 
 ward quiet, be with you all. In 
 those troublous times, and in view of 
 dangers which were threatening and 
 anxieties naturally arising therefrom. 
 
 this was a becoming prayer. It would 
 heal all differences between Jewish and 
 Gentile Christians. Amen — so may it 
 
 be fulfilled (l : 25; 9 : 5; ll : 36; 16 : 27). 
 
 This appears like an end of the Epis- 
 tle, and especially of the last four 
 chapters. It is not necessary to sup- 
 pose that Paul wrote this letter in a 
 week or a month. He may have writ- 
 ten different portions of it at different 
 intervals, while he was expecting to re- 
 turn to Jerusalem and then go to Rome. 
 The next chapter, however, appears to 
 have been penned just before sending it 
 by Phebe of Cenchrsea (i6 : i, 2). 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. Pleasing ourselves should always be 
 subordinate to helping our brethren (ver. 
 1; ICor. 9: 19,22; Phil. 2 : 4). 
 
 2. Our object in pleasing others should 
 be their highest good and the glory of 
 God (ver. 2 ; 14 : 12 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 24). 
 
 3. Christ is our example in seeking not 
 his own comfort, but the will of God and 
 our eternal good (ver. 3 ; John 17 : 5 ; 
 Phil. 2:6-8; Heb. 10 : 4-10). 
 
 4. The Scriptures are intended for the 
 instruction, guidance, comfort, and hope 
 of Christians in all ages (ver. 4; John 
 5:39; 2 Tim. 3 : 15). 
 
 5. If all Christians should imitate the 
 example and spirit of Christ, and obey 
 his word, there would be no divisions 
 among them (ver. 5, 6 ; John 17 : 21-23). 
 
 6. " The character and conduct of Jesus 
 Christ are at once the most perfect model 
 of excellence and the most persuasive 
 motive to obedience " (Hodge). (Ver. 5, 
 6 ; John 13 : 15 ; 1 Peter 2 : 21.) 
 
 7. Concord and harmony among Chris- 
 tians are for (Jod's glory, but contention 
 among them dishonors him (ver. 7 ; Eph. 
 1:4-6; Isa. 58 : 4, 5). 
 
 8. It was necessary that the Messiah 
 should be connected with some one race 
 of man, and fittingly with God's chosen 
 people (ver. 8 ; Heb. 2 : 14-17). 
 
 M 
 
178 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XVI. 
 
 9. It is the duty of all, and especially ' 
 of Gentiles, to glorify God for his mercy : 
 as exhibited in our salvation (ver. 6, 9 ; | 
 11 : 32, 33). 
 
 10. The Scriptures are standards of 
 appeal in doctrine and practice (ver. 
 10-12; 2 Tim. 3: 16). 
 
 11. The salvation of Gentiles was no 
 afterthought of God, but was accord- 
 ing to his purpose from the beginning 
 (ver. 10-12; Eph. 3 : 6-9). 
 
 12. There is no distinction between Jews 
 and Gentiles in the terms and privileges 
 of salvation (ver. 10-13 ; 10 : 12, 13). 
 
 13. The Christian's hope is anchored 
 in God and can never fail him (ver. 13 ; 
 5:5; Heb. 6:19). 
 
 14. We should always exercise a kind 
 and conciliatory spirit in admonition and 
 instruction (ver. 14; 2 Tim. 2 : 24-26; 
 Titus 3:2). 
 
 15. While we should not flatter others, 
 we should commend them as far as we 
 honestly can, in order to encourage them 
 and prompt them to activity (ver. 14, 15 ; 
 16 : 19 ; 2 Peter 1 : 12 ; Rev. 2 : 2, 3). 
 
 16. The ministry is a sacred calling 
 and its converts are the offerings of a 
 spiritual harvest to God (ver. 16 ; 1 Thess. 
 2 : 19). 
 
 17. While the Christian minister may 
 rejoice in his successes, he should remem- 
 ber that they are through Christ's power 
 and for Christ's glory (ver. 17; 2 Cor. 
 10:17; 12:9,10). 
 
 18. Christ works as really and as effec- 
 tually through the words and lives of his 
 ministers now, as he did once through 
 the supernatural gifts of the apostles 
 (ver. 18, 19; 1 Cor. 2:2-4). 
 
 19. The Christian minister should 
 preach a full gospel (ver. 19 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 
 25-28; Acts 20:26,27). 
 
 20. Every one has his gift. Some are 
 fitted to plant churches ; some to build 
 them up and comfort them ; some to 
 erect houses of worship (ver. 20 ; Acts 
 4 : 30 ; 11 : 24 ; 2 Cor. 10 : 13-16). 
 
 21. We should exercise great care lest 
 we build improperly on another man's 
 foundation. One plants and another 
 waters, but God gives the increase (ver. 
 20. 21 ; John 4 : 35-38 ; 1 Cor. 3 : 6-8). 
 
 22. It is the highest honor to preach 
 and plant churches in new fields, but still 
 
 any work in church building is honorable 
 (ver. 20-22 ; 1 Cor. 12 : 29, 30). 
 
 23. We should always be seeking new 
 opportunities for doing good (ver. 23, 24; 
 Gal. 6 : 10). 
 
 24. There is no satiety in true Chris- 
 tian fellowship. " We cannot see enough 
 of those we love" (Boise). (Ver. 24; 
 1 Cor. 16 : 17, 18.) 
 
 25. To minister to the necessity of the 
 saints is a work worthy of an apostle 
 (ver. 25; Gal. 2 :10). 
 
 26. The rich and poor should prove a 
 mutual blessing in the development of 
 Christian graces (ver. 26 ; 2 Cor. 8 : 12- 
 15, 19). 
 
 27.' Christian benevolence is a partici- 
 pation with others, rather than a con- 
 tribution to others, and thereby we dis- 
 charge a debt to the Lord and to one 
 another (ver. 27 ; 2 Cor. 9 : 12-14). 
 
 28. The public religious contribution 
 is of the nature of worship offered 
 through others to Christ (ver. 27, 28 ; 2 
 Cor. 8 : 1-8 ; 1 John 3 : 17). 
 
 29. Wherever we go we should take 
 Christ with us, and the full blessing of 
 the gospel for others (ver. 29), 
 
 SO. Prayer is a spiritual wrestling with 
 God, and this should be especially exer- 
 cised for the Christian minister (ver. 30 ; 
 Gen. 32 : 24). 
 
 31. The prejudice of men should not 
 hinder us from doing them good (ver. 31). 
 
 32. In all our prayers, labors, and 
 journeys, it should be our supreme desire 
 that the will of God be done (ver. 32 ; 
 James 4 : 14, 15). 
 
 33. What greater blessing is there than 
 the enjoyment of peace with God and 
 man ? (Ver. 33 ; John 14 : 27.) 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 This chapter contains the final con- 
 clusion of the Epistle. Phcebe is com- 
 mended (ver. 1, 2), followed by greetings 
 (ver. 3-16), wamings against false teach- 
 ers and against divisions (ver. 17-20) ; 
 greetings from the apostle's compan- 
 ions (ver. 21-23), and the concluding dox- 
 ology (ver. 24-27). In this chapter we 
 get a view of Paul as a personal friend. 
 
 1, I introduce and commend unto 
 you Phoebe (meaning bright, ra- 
 diant), our sister in Christ, yours as 
 
Ch. XVI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 179 
 
 Salutations; warning against those who 
 cause divisions ; praise to God. 
 
 16 I COMMEND unto j^ou Phoebe four 
 sister, which is a servant of the church 
 
 2 which is ate Cenchrea : ^ that ye receive 
 her in the Lord, as becometh saints, 
 and tliat ye assist her in whatsoever 
 business she hath need of you : for she 
 hath been a succourer of many, and of 
 myself also. 
 
 3 Greet ' Priscilla and Aquila my help- 
 
 16 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, 
 who is a servant of the church which is 
 2 at Cenchrsea ; that ye receive her in 
 the Lord in a way worthy of saints, 
 and assist her in whatever matter she 
 may have need of you ; for she herself 
 also has been a helper of many, and of 
 myself. 
 
 3 Salute Prisca and Aquila, my fellow- 
 
 /Matt. 12 : 50. g Acts 18 : 18. h Phil. 2 : 29 ; 3 John : 5, 
 
 t Acts 18 : 2, 3, 18, 26 ; 2 Tim. 4 : 19. 
 
 well as mine, being also a servant, 
 a deaconess, of the church which is 
 at Cenchrea, or Cenchrsea, the east- 
 ern harbor of Corinth on the Saronic 
 gulf, about eight or nine miles east of 
 the city. From this place Paul sailed 
 to Ephesus (Acts 18: 18), It still retains 
 its name among the educated. It seems 
 that Phoebe went to Rome in connection 
 with this Epistle, and she is generally i 
 regarded as the bearer of it. Nothing 
 is known of her outside of this passage. 
 Phoebe was a servant of the church in 
 more than in a menial sense; she was evi- 
 dently a consecrated helper, or wliat may 
 be termed a deaconess, as the word was 
 officially used in the second century. 
 Some suppose that 1 Tim. 3:11 refers to 
 this class of persons. Priscilla (ver. s), 
 Mary (ver. e), Tryphena, Tryphosa, and 
 Persis (ver. 12) , probably belonged to 
 the same class. About fifty years later, 
 Pliny in his letter to Trajan speaks of 
 deaconesses in the Bythinian churches. 
 They were especially needed in Greek 
 and Oriental churches, where the sexes 
 were rigidly separated. They were 
 chosen from pious women, chiefly 
 widows, and they devoted themselves, 
 among their own sex, to self-denying 
 labors and charity. Tli6y were found 
 at Constantinople at the end of the 
 twelfth century. Their total disappear- 
 ance was, "to a large extent, due to 
 the State's having assumed the care of 
 the poor and the sick, as also to the 
 gradual introduction of infant baptism, 
 and the administration of the rite by 
 sprinkling, which made the assistance 
 of women unnecessary" (Heezog). 
 
 2, I commend Phoebe (previous 
 verse), in order that ye receive her 
 in the Lord, as a fellow-Christian, 
 both she and you being in Christ and 
 bearing the same relation to him, as 
 becometh saints — in a way worthy 
 
 of saints, with that loving and delicate 
 attention which Christians should exer- 
 cise toward each other, and especially 
 toward a Christian sister. And that 
 ye assist, literally, stand by her, in 
 whatsoever business she may have 
 need of you. What her business 
 was is unknown. It may have con- 
 cerned property, or perhaps business 
 pertaining to her work as a deaconess. 
 She would doubtless need their help, as 
 seems evident from what follows. For 
 she herself hath been a suc- 
 courer, a protectress and helper, of 
 many, and of myself. Omit also. 
 The word translated succourer is an 
 honorable one, and seems to be used 
 with reference to her official work in 
 caring for the affiiirs of the poor, the 
 sick, and strangers, especially of her 
 own sex._ She may have been a helper 
 of Paul in sickness, and also a protect- 
 ress in danger. Possibly at this very 
 time, when he was about to sail for 
 Syria, she may have protected him 
 against a plot laid against him by the 
 
 Jews (Acts 20 : 3). 
 
 3. Greet, or salute, Priscilla, or 
 
 rather, according to the best text, 
 Prisca, the former a diminutive of the 
 latter, a Latin name, meaning ancient, 
 a similar variation in form being not 
 uncommon among Romans. And 
 Aquila, a Latin name, meaning eagle. 
 These two eminent Christians were 
 Jews, born in Pontus, and about A. D. 
 52 exiled from Rome, when they came 
 to Corinth and were there with Paul 
 eighteen or more months (Acts 18:2, 3, 
 11. 18) ;^ after which they went to Ephe- 
 sus with^ Paul, probably starting a 
 tent-making business, thus providing 
 a home and preparing the way for Paul 
 when he returned on his third mission- 
 ary journey to labor there (Acts 18 : is, 26 ; 
 1 Cor. 16 : 19 ) . At the date of sending this 
 
180 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XVI. 
 
 ers in Christ Jesus : Who have for my 
 life laid down their own necks : unto 
 whom not only I give thanks, but also 
 all the churches of the Gentiles. Like- 
 wise greet ^ the church that is in tlieir 
 hovise. 
 
 Salute my well beloved Epenetus, 
 who is ' the firstfruits of Achaia unto 
 Christ. Greet Mary, who bestowed 
 mucli labour on us. Salute Andronicus 
 and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow 
 prisoners, who are of note among the 
 apostles, who also were >" in Christ be- 
 fore me. 
 
 4 workers in Christ Jesus, who for my 
 life laid down their own necks ; to 
 whom not only I give thanks, but also 
 
 5 all the churches of the Gentiles ; and 
 salute the church that is in their 
 house. 
 
 Salute Epenetus, my beloved, who is 
 the first-fruits of Asia unto Christ. 
 
 6 Salute Mary-, who bestowed much labor 
 
 7 on j'ou. Salute Andronicus and Ju- 
 nias, my kinsmen, and my fellow- 
 prisoners, who are of note among the 
 apostles, who were in Christ even be- 
 
 k Matt. 18 : 20 ; 1 Cor. 16 : 19 ; Col. 4 : 15 ; Philem. 2. 
 
 m Gal. 1 : 22 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 17 ; 1 John 5 : 20. 
 
 1 1 Cor. 16 : 15. 
 
 Epistle (a. d. 58), they were again at 
 Rome, having probably left Ephesus 
 about the time that Paul left (Acts 20 : i). 
 They probably went to Rome expecting 
 Paul to follow them in due time. Later, 
 at the close of Paul's life, they appear 
 to have been at Ephesus again (2 Tim. 
 4:19). Prisca's name stands first, im- 
 plying that she was the leading and 
 stronger character of the two. (Comp. 
 
 notes on Acts 18 : 2, 26.) Paul StylcS them 
 
 my helpers, or feUoiv-icorkers, in 
 Christ Jesus. They were indeed 
 fellow- workers at tent-making (Ats 
 18 : 3), but here tlie reference is to tlieir 
 religious work and co-operation in the 
 Lord. It is not unlikely that Prisca 
 acted as a deaconess. 
 
 4. Who (omit have) for my life 
 laid down their own necks. The 
 figure is that of presenting the neck 
 to the executioner's axe. It is un- 
 known when it was that Aquila and his 
 wife risked their lives for Paul. It 
 might have been at Corinth under the 
 opposition and persecution of the Jews 
 
 (Acts 18 : 6, 12 ; 2 Cor. 1 : 8-10 ), or at the great 
 
 tumult at Ephesus ( Acts 19 : 23, 28-31 ) . But 
 whenever it was, Paul gives thanks to 
 them, as did all the churches of the 
 Gentiles, to whom Paul was an apos- 
 tle, for being spared to them. 
 
 5. Likewise ^XQCi, or And salute, 
 the church — the congregation or the 
 wef^r»<7 at their house. They had had 
 a congregation at their house at Ephe- 
 sus (1 Cor. 16: 19). Their business may 
 have been such as to necessitate a large 
 building, in which was a large room 
 suitable for religious gatherings. There 
 were doubtless several such meeting- 
 places and gatherings at Rome (ver. 
 u, 15). See Col. 4 : 15 and Philem. 2 for 
 
 allusion to churches or congrega- 
 tions in private houses. See note 
 on ver. 14, and also on Acts 20 : 17, 
 and at end of that chapter. Salute 
 my well-heloved Epenetus, or, 
 Epcenetus, my beloved, probably one 
 of Paul's own converts, Avho is 
 the firstfruits, one of the first con- 
 verts, of Achaia (Greece), rather, 
 according to the best text, of Asia, the 
 Roman province of that name, of 
 which Ephesus was the capital, unto 
 Christ,having been brought into union 
 and a saving relation with him. (Comp. 
 1 Cor. 16 : 15.) Epcnctus is a Greek name, 
 meaning approved, praised. Nothing 
 more is known of him. 
 
 6. Greet, salute, Mary, the only 
 Hebrew name in this chapter, who 
 bestowed much labour, wearisome 
 effort and toil amid trials and perhaps 
 dangers, on us, rather, according to 
 the best text, on you. She had been an 
 important helper. Nothing more is 
 known of her. 
 
 7. Salute Andronicus (a Greek 
 name, meaning a man of victory), and 
 Junia (the feminine of a celebrated 
 Latin name). Junia was probably the 
 wife or sister of Andronicus. Many 
 read Jinnas, masculine, but it is im- 
 possible from the text to decide. Some 
 infer from what follows that this per- 
 son was a man. My kinsmen, niost 
 naturally, referring to blood-relations, 
 (coiup. Art's 23 : 16.) My fcllow-prisou- 
 ers — when and where is not known. 
 The same word is found in Col. 4 : 10; 
 PJiilein. 23. Paul himself says that he 
 had been "in prisons more abun- 
 dantly" (2 Cor. 11 : 23), AVho arC Of 
 
 note, or distinguished among the apos- 
 tles. This phrase is somewhat ambig- 
 
Ch. XVI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 181 
 
 8 Greet Amplias, my beloved iu the 
 
 9 Lord. Salute Urbane, our helper in 
 
 10 Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. Salute 
 Apelles, approved in Christ. Salute 
 them which are of Aristobulus' house- 
 hold. 
 
 11 Salute Herodion, my kinsman. Greet 
 them that be of the household of Nar- 
 
 12 cissus, which are in the Lord. Salute 
 Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in 
 the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, 
 which laboured much in the Lord. 
 
 8 fore me. Salute Ampliatus, my be- 
 
 9 loved in the Lord. Salute Urbanus, 
 our fellow - worker iu Christ, and 
 
 10 Stachys my beloved. Salute Apelles, 
 the approved in Christ. Salute those 
 who are of the household of Aristobulus. 
 
 11 Salute Herodian my kinsman. Salute 
 those of the household of Narcissus 
 
 12 who are in the Lord. Salute Tryphaena 
 and Tryphosa who labor in the Lord. 
 Salute Persis the beloved who labored 
 
 13 much in the Lord. Salute Rufus, the 
 
 uous. It is held by some to mean, 
 noted as apostles, taking the word 
 apostles in the wider sense of messen- 
 ger, or missionary. It is more natural, 
 however, and freer from difficulties to 
 take it as meaning, held in high repute 
 by the apostles. The word apostles 
 thus retains its usual restricted New 
 Testament sense. They were early 
 disciples in Christ, having become 
 Christians before me, and were well 
 known and honored by the apostolic 
 body. 
 
 8. Greet, or salute, Amplias, or 
 according to the best reading, Amplia- 
 tus (a Latin name, meaning enlarge- 
 ment) ; the former is an abbreviation of 
 the latter. Paul held him in high es- 
 teem as a Christian brother, for he 
 speaks of him as my beloved in the 
 Lord, in Christian fellowship. 
 
 9. Salute Urbane, better Urhanus 
 (a Latin name, meaning pertaining to 
 the city, polished, genteel), our 
 helper, or felloxo-worker ,^ a preacher or 
 perhaps a deacon. Our includes both 
 the writer and those to whom the Epis- 
 tle is addressed. He appears to have 
 been a spiritual helper to Paul in the 
 past and at that time of the Roman 
 brethren. And Stachys " (a Greek 
 name, meaning a growing ear of grain) , 
 my beloved, one dear to him person- 
 ally. 
 
 10. Salute Apelles (a Greek 
 name, meaning one removed or sepa- 
 rated, and often borne by freedmen), 
 approved in Christ — one who had 
 been tried, tested, and found true as a 
 Christian. In trials and sufferings he 
 had probal)ly shown steadfastness in 
 faith. Salute them which are of 
 Aristobulus (a Greek name, mean- 
 ing best counseling). These were the 
 Christians of his family or establish- 
 ment—slaves, freedmen, and others. 
 As he is not included, it might be in- 
 ferred that he was not a Christian, or 
 
 not living. (Comp. pwi. 4 : 22.) But no 
 such inference can be drawn, for Paul 
 speaks twice in the same way of Ste- 
 phanas ( 1 Cor. 1 : 16 ; 16 : 15) ^ yet from 1 Cor. 
 
 16 : 17 we learn that Stephanas was 
 with Paul at Ephesus. It is possible 
 that Aristobulus was with Paul at Cor- 
 inth when he wrote this. Some would 
 identify him with Arwystli, a man of 
 Italy and one of the earliest mission- 
 aries to Britain, mentioned in the Welsh 
 Genealogies of the Saints of Britain 
 (Bibliotheca Sacra, 1875, pp. 656, 657). 
 
 11. Salute Herodion (a Greek 
 name, meaning sprung from a hero), 
 my kinsman, or relative. Greet, 
 or salute, them that be of the 
 household of Narcissus (a Greek 
 name, a daffodil), who are in the 
 Lord, those who are Christians. See 
 on ver. 10. There was a noted Nar- 
 cissus, a freedman of the Emperor 
 Claudius, but he had been put to death 
 two or three years before this was writ- 
 ten. His household may have been 
 still continuing. Another of the same 
 name has been mentioned as an asso- 
 ciate and a bad favorite of Nero. But 
 as the name was common at Rome, in- 
 ferences are mere guesses. 
 
 12. Salute Tryphena and Try- 
 phosa (Greek names, luxurious, both 
 from the same root), who labour in 
 the Lord — now doing religious work. 
 They were very likely deaconesses. 
 Salute the beloved Persis (a 
 Greek name, a Persian woman, just as 
 Lydia denotes a Lydian (Actsie : i4)), 
 who laboured much, at some pre- 
 vious time, in the Lord, perhaps also 
 as a deaconess. Paul's great delicacy 
 has frequently been noted in saying 
 ^'the beloved" instead of ^^my be- 
 loved," as in ver. 8. Perhaps Persis 
 was an aged believer, whose days of 
 active toil were past. 
 
 13. Salute Rufus (a Latin name, 
 red), the chosen, the elect, the choice 
 
182 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XVI. 
 
 13 Salute " Rufus, » chosen in the Lord, 
 
 14 and his mother and mine. Salute 
 Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patro- 
 bai?, Hermes, and the brethren which 
 
 15 are with them. Salute Philologus, and 
 Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and 
 Olympas, and all the saints which are 
 with them. 
 
 16 p Salute one another with an holy 
 kiss. The churches of Christ salute 
 you. 
 
 elect in the Lord, and his mother and 
 
 14 mine. Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, 
 Hermes, Patrobas, ' Hermas, and the 
 
 15 brethren who are with them. Salute 
 Philologus, and Julia, Nereus and his 
 sister, and Olympas, and all the saints 
 
 16 who are with them. Salute one 
 another with a holy kiss. All the 
 churches of Christ salute you. 
 
 n Mark 15 : 21. 
 
 o 2 John 1. 
 
 p 2 Cor. 13 : 12 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 26 ; 1 Peter 5 : 14. 
 
 one in the Lord — a pre-eminent Chris- 
 tian ; and his mother, naturally, 
 and mine, by her motherly care for 
 me. (Comp. John 19 : 27.) Rufus lias gen- 
 erally been regarded as the one men- 
 tioned in Mark 15 : 21, the son of Simon 
 the Cy rensean , whom the Jews com pelled 
 to bear the cross of Jesus (Luke 23: 26). 
 He seems to have been well known, and 
 if Mark wrote his Gospel at Rome it 
 was natural that he should describe 
 him. Yet all this is uncertain, as 
 Rufus was a common name, and Mark 
 and Paul may have had in mind difler- 
 ent individuals. 
 
 14. Another list of i)ersons having 
 Greek names. Asyncritus {incom- 
 parable), Phlegon {burning), Pat- 
 robas {paternal), Hermas, Her- 
 mes (different forms of the name of 
 the Greek god of speech, called by the 
 Romans Mercurius). These persons 
 are unknown beyond their names. The 
 legends of the Romish church make 
 most of the persons named in this 
 chapter bishops or martyrs, but no re- 
 liance can be placed on these traditions. 
 It should be noted that early Christian 
 converts had no scruple in retaining 
 their names, even though they were that 
 of a heathen deity. And the breth- 
 ren that are with them, probably 
 forming a Christian assembly, church, 
 or out-station. See on ver. 5. Origen 
 and Eusebius supposed that Hermas 
 was the author of the work entitled, 
 "The Shepherd of Hermas," but that 
 work is now regarded as belonging to 
 the last half of the second century. 
 
 15. Salute Philologus (Greek 
 name, lover of the vord), and Julia 
 (Greek name, doiruy), perhaps tliewife 
 of Philologus. Some suppose the hitter 
 name should be Julias, masculine, as in 
 thecaseof Junia (vcr. 7). Nereus (two 
 syllables, a Greek name of a minor 
 sea god, whose rule was thought to be on 
 
 the Mediterranean; see on ver. 14), 
 and his sister, a Christian woman of 
 some note, though her name may have 
 have been unknown to Paul. Nothing 
 more is certainly known of Nereus. 
 And Olympas (a Greek name, dtvell- 
 ing on Olympas), a Christian man, 
 perhaps of the household of Philol- 
 ogus. And all the saints which are 
 with them, forming another church, 
 assembly, or out-station. Whether there 
 were several separate churches at 
 Rome at this time, or one church with 
 several meeting- places, we are not told. 
 It should be noted that this Epistle is 
 not addressed to the church at Rome, 
 but to the saints in Rome (i : '). Neither 
 is the church at Rome mentioned in the 
 New Testament. It seems natural to 
 infer that as there was one church at 
 Jerusalem, at Antioch, and at Ephesus, 
 with their plurality of elders, and va- 
 rious meeting-places, so it was at 
 Rome. 
 
 16. Having completed his saluta- 
 tions, the apostle exhorts them to fol- 
 low his example with mutual, loving 
 greetings. AVith a holy kiss (i Cor. 
 16:20, etc.). The Oriental salutation by 
 means of a kiss was common then and 
 still continues in the East. It is here 
 styled holy as a religious act, an ex- 
 pression of chaste, godly affection and 
 of Christian fellow.ship. Compare the 
 "kiss of love" (iPeter5:u). The 
 churches of Christ, in and around 
 Corinth, where he had made known 
 his intention of visiting Rome, salute 
 you. 
 
 The number of persons to whom 
 Paul sends salutations in a city he had 
 never visited is remarkable, but not 
 surprising. Rome was tlien the center 
 of tlie world, where peoples from all 
 countries met, and fnun whence jour- 
 neys were taten to all parts of the 
 Roman Empire. He had been a preacher 
 
Ch. XVI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 183 
 
 17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark 
 them 1 which cause divisions and 
 offences contrary to the doctrine which 
 ye have learned ; and ^ avoid them. 
 
 18 For they that are such serve not our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, but ^ their own 
 belly ; and * by good words and fair 
 speeches deceive the hearts of the sim- 
 
 19 pie. For "your obedience is come 
 abroad unto all )nen. I am glad there- 
 fore on your behalf : but yet I would 
 have you ^wise unto that which is 
 
 20 good, and simple concerning evil. And 
 
 17 Now I beseech you, brethren, to 
 mark those who are causing divisions 
 and occasions of stumbling, contrary ' 
 to the teaching which ye learned ; 
 
 18 and turn away from them. For they 
 that are such serve not our Lord 
 Christ, but their own belly; and 
 through their kind and smooth speech 
 deceive the hearts of the guileless. 
 
 19 For your obedience is come abroad 
 unto all men. I rejoice therefore over 
 you ; but I wish you to be wise as to 
 that which is good, and simple as to 
 
 q Acts 15 : 1, 5, 24 ; 2 Thess. 3 : 6, 14, 15 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 3-5 ; 2 John 10, 11. r 2 Tim. 3:5; Titus 3 : 10. 
 
 s Isa. 56 : 10-12 ; Phil. 3 : 19 ; 2 Peter 2 : 10-15. t 2 Tim. 3:6; Titus 1 : 10 ; 2 Peter 2 : 3. 
 
 M 1 : 8 ; 1 Thess. 1 : 8, 9. x Matt. 10 : 16. 
 
 over twenty years and a recognized 
 missionaiy to the heathen for thirteen 
 years throughout Cyprus, Asia Minor, 
 Macedonia, and Greece. Some of these 
 persons were relatives, others converts, 
 and others noted fellow-laborers. Paul 
 had strong social and religious attach- 
 ments and made strong friends (Acts 27: 
 43; 28 : 10, 14, 15, 16). Tlic uumber of 
 women named should be noted, indicat- 
 ing their position and importance in 
 the early churches, 
 
 17. This and the three following 
 verses contain a warning against false 
 teachers and divisions. Paul entreats 
 his Roman brethren to mark carefully, 
 keep an eye upon, them which cause, 
 or are making, the divisions and 
 offences, or occasions of stumbling, 
 contrary to the doctTine, the teach- 
 ing, ivhich ye learned. This false 
 teaching is referred to as well known, 
 but as the warning is so brief, it may be 
 inferred that it had not made much 
 progress, or even no progress, at Rome. 
 Dr. Lightfoot on Phil. 3 : 18 thinks 
 that the false teachers here were not 
 Judaizers, but their opposites, Antino- 
 mians, the rejecters of all law, and be- 
 longing to the same party addressed in 
 6 : 1-23. But as the Ejpistles to the 
 Galatians, the Corinthians, and the 
 Romans were written in the same 
 period, it is natural to suppose that the 
 reference in them all is to the same 
 class of false teachers, namely, Judai- 
 zers. He was meeting this opposition 
 everywhere. At the same time he may 
 have found both at Corinth and Ephe- 
 sus a type of Antinomianism, afterward 
 developed among some Gnostics, who 
 held that the acts of the body were in- 
 different to the soul. Instead of having 
 
 any private discussion or public con- 
 troversy with such false teachers, Paul 
 exhorts to avoid them, to be turning 
 aivay from them — the present tense, de- 
 noting that they should be in the habit 
 of so doing. A wise, effective, and 
 peaceable way (2 Tim. 3 : 5 ; 2 John 10), 
 
 18. For introduces a confirmation of 
 the preceding exhortation by giving 
 three characteristics of these false teach- 
 ers: they do not serve our Lord 
 Christ (omit Jesus, according to the 
 best text); they serve their own 
 lower appetites and their selfish in- 
 dulgences ; and by their good words 
 and fair speeches, by kind lan- 
 guage, affecting goodness and piety, 
 and plausible words, to make their 
 teaching appear reasonable, they 
 deceive the hearts of the sim- 
 ple, the innocent and the guileless, 
 who are distrusting no one, and them- 
 selves unconscious of any bad inten- 
 tions. 
 
 19. Paul feels that he can exhort his 
 Roman brethren with full confidence 
 that they would act accordingly. For 
 your ohedience is — has — come 
 abroad unto all men. This was 
 obedience to Christ and to the teachings 
 of the gospel (1 : 5, 8). I am glad, or 
 rejoice, therefore on your behalf, 
 or upon you, as the foundation of my 
 rejoicing. But although I know of 
 your obedience and rejoice over you, 
 I would have you Avise unto that 
 which is good, in respect to it, and 
 simple, or guileless as to that tvhich is 
 evil, being untainted and having noth- 
 ing to do with it. He thus very deli- 
 cately explains his words of caution 
 and warning. This looks as if he was 
 warning them against false teachings 
 
184 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XVI. 
 
 J the God of peace » shall bruise Satau 
 under your feet shortly. 
 
 » The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ 
 be with you. Amen. 
 
 21 bximotheus my workfellow, and 
 « Lucius, and ^Jason, and eSosipater, 
 my kinsmen, salute you. 
 
 22 I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, sa- 
 lute you in the Lord. 
 
 23 'Gains mine host, and of the whole 
 church, saluteth you. sErastus the 
 chamberlain of the city saluteth you, 
 and Quartus a brother. 
 
 20 that which is evil. And the God of 
 peace will bruise Satan under your feet 
 speedily. The grace of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ be with you. 
 
 21 Timothy, my fellow-worker, salutes 
 you, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosi- 
 
 22 pater, my kinsmen. I, Tertius, who 
 write the letter, salute you in the Lord. 
 
 23 Gains my host, and of the whole 
 church, salutes you. Erastus the treas- 
 urer of the city salutes you. And 
 Quartus the brother. 
 
 y 15 : 53. z Gen. 3 : 15. a 2 Cor. 13 : 1^; Phil. 4 : 23 ; Rev. 22 : 21. h See refs. Acts 16 : 1. c Acts 13 : 1. 
 d Acts 17 : 5. e Acts 20 : 4, Sopater. / 1 Cor. 1 : 14 ; 3 John 1-6. g See refs. Acts 19 : 22. 
 
 with which they had not come into 
 actual conflict. 
 
 20. Paul's exhortation and expres- 
 sion of confidence is followed by an 
 assurance of their safety and victory. 
 And the God of peace (see on is : 33), 
 the very opposite of divisions and occa- 
 sions of stumblings (ver. 17), shall 
 bruise, or trample, as a conqueror, 
 Satan under your feet, with refer- 
 ence to the first promise of a Saviour 
 ( Gen. 3:15). Sataii is the great aclversa ry 
 of Christ and his people, the author of 
 error and strife. Shortly — quickly 
 
 (Luke 18 : 8 ; Rev. 22 : 6) . The God of peaCC 
 
 will give you speedily a complete vic- 
 tory over these that trouble you. (Comp. 
 13 : 11, 12.) In the meantime the grace 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ be with 
 you, in and for the strife. Amen — 
 not found in the best manuscripts, and 
 should be omitted. Again Paul ap- 
 pears to end his letter, but he adds 
 salutations from his companions in 
 Corinth and a doxology. But this was 
 often Paul's manner (Phii. 4 : 20, 24 ; 2 Thess. 
 
 3 : 16, 18 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 16, 21 ; 2 Tim. 4 : 18, 22) . 
 
 21. Timotheus, or, Timothy (a 
 
 Greek name, honor of God), my fel- 
 low-worker, as an evangelist and 
 fellow-missionary ( Acts le : 1-3 ; is : 5 ; 20 : 4 ; 
 Phil. 2: 19-22). His name appears in all 
 of Paul's Epistles and to the Hebrews, 
 except Ephesians and Titus. Lucius 
 (a Latin name, luminous), not the same 
 name as Luke, possil)ly the prophet and 
 teacher in the church at Antioch (Acts 
 
 13 : 1, on which .sec note). JaSOU (a Greek 
 
 name, he that cures), possibly the host 
 of Paul at Thes.salonica (Actsn :5, 6). 
 And Sosipater (a Greek name, saver 
 of a father) , possibly the same as Sopa- 
 ter of Berea (Acts 20:4). But thef^e 
 names were common, and the three are 
 
 styled by Paul my kinsmen, or 
 
 relatives. Doubtless all of these men- 
 tioned in this verse were known to 
 many in Rome. Compare on ver. 16. 
 
 22. I Tertius (Latin imme, third), 
 Avho wrote this epistle, as Paul's 
 amanuensis, salute you in the 
 Lord, as one in union with Christ as a 
 Christian. He doubtless knew person- 
 ally some of them at Rome. Paul may 
 have employed an amanuensis on ac- 
 count of the weakness of his eyes ( Gai. 
 4 : 15). In his earlier Epistles, at least, 
 it was his custom to write a few words 
 at the close with his own hand (2ThLS9. 
 
 3 : 17; Gal. 6: 11. See also 1 Cor. 16 : 21 ; Col. 4 : 18). 
 
 23. Gains (a Latin name, lord, the 
 same as Caius), a very common name. 
 There was Gains of Macedonia (Acts 
 19 : 29), of Derbe (Acts 20 : 4), and 3 John 
 1. This one was Paul's host at Cor- 
 inth and of the whole church ; 
 his hospitality was exercised toward 
 them all, his house open to them and 
 to all guests of the church, and with- 
 out doubt the same Gaius as that of 1 
 Cor. 1 : 14. Erastus (a Greek name, 
 beloved), the chamberlain, rather, 
 the treasurer, of the city of Corinth. 
 This indicates where this letter was 
 written. Erastus must have been of 
 some social standing and political in- 
 fluence. But few such converts are 
 recorded in apostolic history (Acts is : i2; 
 17:4,34), "Not many wise after the 
 flesh, mighty, or noble," were called 
 (1 Cor. 1 : 26). Erastus, of Acts 19 : 22, an 
 assistant of Paul, was probably another, 
 but perhaps the same as the one men- 
 tioned in 2 Tim. 4 : 20. Quartus 
 1 Latin name, fourth), a, or rather, 
 tl>e, brother in Christ and well known, 
 doubtless, to some in Rome, either per- 
 sonally or by reputation. Nothing 
 
Ch. XVI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 185 
 
 24 The grace of o\ir Lord Jesus Christ 
 be with you all. Amen. 
 
 25 Now Jito him that is of power to 
 stablish you according to my gospel, 
 and the preaching of Jesus Christ, > ac- 
 cording to the revelation of the mys- 
 tery, which was kept secret since the 
 
 26 world began, but ''now is made mani- 
 fest, land by the Scriptures of the 
 prophets, ™ according to the command- 
 ment of the everlasting God, made 
 known to all nations ^ for the obedience 
 
 27 of faith— to "God only wise, be glory 
 through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen. 
 
 Written to the Romans from Corin- 
 thus, and sent by Phoebe servant 
 of the church at Cenchrea. 
 
 25 Now to him who is able to establish 
 you, according to my gospel and the 
 ipreaching of Jesus Christ, according 
 to the revelation of the mystery kept 
 
 26 in silence during eternal ages but now 
 made manifest, and through prophetic 
 Scriptures, according to the command- 
 ment of the eternal God, made known 
 to all nations for obedience to the 
 
 27 faith, to God only wise, through Jesus 
 Christ, to whom be the glory forever. 
 Amen. 
 
 h 2 Thes3. 3:3; Jude 24. 
 k Eph. 1 : 9 ; 2 Tim. 1 : 10 ; 1 Peter 1 : 20. 
 ?il5 : 18. 
 
 i Eph. 3 : 3-5, 9 ; Col. 1 : 26, 27. 
 J 1 : 2 ; 3 : 21. m Matt. 28 : 19 ; Acts 13 : 47. 
 
 1 Tim. 1 : 17 ; Jude 25. 
 
 more is known of him. Perhaps both 
 he and Tertius (ver. 22) were Romans. 
 
 24. The grace, etc. A repetition 
 of ver. 20. It is omitted by the oldest 
 manuscripts, but some ancient docu- 
 ments omit ver. 20 and retain this verse. 
 It has been suggested by Alford and 
 others that the amanuensis wrote as 
 far as this, and that Paul penned the 
 fer^dd doxology that follows with his 
 own hand. 
 
 25. This doxology is rapturous and 
 sublime; its position at the end of 
 the Epistle is natural ; its structure 
 is irregular, indicating struggling 
 thoughts and emotions; its thought 
 and style are Pauline, (comp. 1 Tim. 
 6:15,16.). It is a brief and beautiful 
 summary of the essential teachings of 
 the Epistle, and a general ascription of 
 praise for the redemption detailed 
 therein. Jude's (ver. 24, 25) doxology 
 may be an imitation of this. Now to 
 him that is of power, or icho is able, 
 to stablish you, amid oppositions 
 and erroneous doctrines (6 : i; 9 : 14, l9; 
 l4 : i; 16: 17)^ according to my gos- 
 pel, which I preach (see on 2 :i6), and 
 the preaching of Jesus Christ, 
 the great theme of gospel preaching 
 and the only ground and hope of salva- 
 tion, which gospel and preaching are 
 according to the revelation of the 
 mystery — salvation by faith to Jew 
 and Gentile alike, as brought out in 
 this Epistle (comp. Eph. 3 : 3-9), which 
 was kept secret since the w^orld 
 began, or during eternal ages. Paul 
 had received his commission from 
 
 Christ and had been taught by revela- 
 tion ( Gal. 1 : 1, 11, 12). The divine mani- 
 festation of salvation in the cross of 
 Christ and its proclamation to all na- 
 tions were new. The incarnation and 
 its results formed new. manifestations 
 of Divine wisdom and love, even to 
 
 angels (Eph. 3 : lO; 1 Peter 1 : 12). 
 
 26. The sentence continues. But 
 now is made manifest, or made 
 plain, this mystery now made plain to 
 the saints (coi. i : 26), and by means of, 
 or through, the Scriptures of the 
 prophets — the prophetic writings 
 which foretold Christ and contained 
 the germs of the gospel. Wherever the 
 apostle went he took as his text the 
 Old Testament Scriptures ( Acts 13 : 17 ff. ; 
 26:22,23). Accordiug to the com- 
 mandment of the everlasting, 
 rather, the eternal, God, whose will is 
 that the gospel should be preached to 
 every creature (Matt. 28:i9; Mark I6: 15), 
 and who commands all to repent (Acts 
 17 : 30) . And this glorious mystery, this 
 secret counsel of God, the dying and 
 risen Christ, "the end of the law for 
 righteousness to every one that believ- 
 eth" (10:4), is made known to all 
 nations, especially the Gentiles, for 
 the purpose of producing and obtaining 
 obedience to the faith and which 
 
 accompanies faith. ( see note on 1 : 5.) 
 
 27, To God only wise, who is 
 
 absolutely the only wise Being, and 
 whose supreme wisdom to man is re- 
 vealed in the gospel through Jesus 
 Christ, the Mediator and channel of 
 our thanks and praise. This is" con- 
 
186 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 [Ch. XVI. 
 
 nected with the beginning of ver. 25, 
 thus: "Now to him who is able," etc. 
 . . "to God only wise, through Jesus 
 Christ," etc. Be glory, rather, to 
 whom — that is, to God — he the glory, 
 which belongs to him, which is mani- 
 fested in the gospel, and in the salvation 
 of men, and which will be his for 
 ever. Amen — so it is and so let it be. 
 
 ( See on 1 : 25. ) 
 
 The subscription. This does not 
 belong to the Epistle, but is no doubt 
 true to fact. The subscriptions to 
 Paul's Epistles are of later date and 
 are said to have been the work of 
 Euthalius, a bishop of the fifth cen- 
 tury. They are of no historical au- 
 thority, and some of them are incon- 
 sistent with the contents of the Epis- 
 tles. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. The only female oflBce in the church 
 mentioned in the New Testament is that 
 of deaconess. Woman Is spoken of as a 
 "helper" and a "fellow-worker," but 
 her official work in the church is diaconal 
 rather than ministerial (ver. 1, 3, 6, 12). 
 
 2. We should appreciate, welcome, and 
 utilize the influence and ability of Chris- 
 tian women in church and Christian work 
 (ver. 2) . 
 
 3. Christian women may be largely use- 
 ful in Sunday-school, family, and private 
 instruction. Priscilla, in connection with 
 her husband, instructed Apollos (ver. 3; 
 Acts 18: 26; 2 Tim. 1 : 4, 5). 
 
 4. We, as individuals, and all the 
 churches of God, have reasons for thank- 
 fulness for the martyrs of the past, and 
 the dangers and sufferings of those 
 through whom the gospel is enjoyed by 
 us (ver. 4; Rev. 7: 13, 14). 
 
 .5. Our love to Christ and for our breth- 
 ren should make us willing to imperil our 
 lives for his sake and in their behalf 
 (ver. 4; 1 John 3 : 16). 
 
 6. Neither numbers nor a house of wor- 
 ship are essential to constitute a church. 
 It may be small and meet in a private 
 dwelling, yet be efficient (ver. 5, 14, 15). 
 
 7. Both individual and family religion 
 should be cultivated. The Christian's 
 home sliould be consecrated to Christ as 
 much as if there were a church at his 
 hoiLse (ver. .5, 10, 11, 14, 1.5). 
 
 8. From this list of names we learn 
 
 much of Paul's personal and private life. 
 His social regard, his Christian affection, 
 and his influence over others. Twenty- 
 six salutations to persons in a church he 
 had never visited (ver. 3-16). 
 
 9. Whatever criticisms have been made 
 upon Paul's views of women elsewhere, 
 we learn from this chapter his high esti- 
 mate of Christian womanhood (ver. 3, 6, 
 12; 2 Tim. 1:4, 5). 
 
 10. True religion does not ignore nor 
 lessen natural affection, but rather en- 
 nobles, purifies, and utilizes it for God 
 (ver. 7, 11). 
 
 11. Fellow-suffering and fellow-work, 
 especially for Christ, tend to endear us to 
 one another and to tighten the bonds of 
 love (ver. 3, 7; Col. 4 : 10). 
 
 12. True religion binds the hearts of 
 those who embrace it together as one 
 family in tender ties and mutual in- 
 terests (ver. 13 ; Matt. 12 : 47-50 ; John 19 : 
 26, 27). 
 
 13. The undying memory of so many 
 mentioned by Paul is a type of the eter- 
 nal blessing of those whose names are 
 written in the Lamb's book of life (ver. 
 3-16). 
 
 14. In the Apostle Paul we have a strik- 
 ing example of a personal and individual 
 worker. He lived in touch with men, 
 knew them by name, cared, watched 
 over, and prayed for them (ver. 1-16 ; 
 Acts 17: 17; 18 : 5-11, etc.). 
 
 15. We catch glimpses of the early con- 
 stitution of the Christian churches. 
 Their government was simple and con- 
 gregational. There was no sign of a hier- 
 archy at Rome in Paul's day (ver. 1-16). 
 
 16. Peter could not have been at Rome 
 when Paul sent this Epistle. His name 
 does not appear among the salutations. 
 Paul surely would have greeted him had 
 he been there (ver. 1-16). 
 
 17. Christian customs may change 
 while the reality remains. We may not 
 give the "kiss of peace" or the "holy 
 kiss," but the underlying affection should 
 find expression in forms consistent with 
 the usages of our times (ver. 16). 
 
 18. Those who attempt to make divi- 
 sions in churches and cause offenses to 
 brethren are commonly actuated by some 
 evil or ambitious motive (ver. 17, 18- 
 Acts 15 : 1-24 ; 1 Cor. 3:3; Gal. 5 : 19, 20). 
 
Ch. XVI.] 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 187 
 
 19. False teachers in the church are 
 generally selfish, plausible, and deceit- 
 ful (ver. 18, 19). 
 
 20. The best course with false teachers 
 and false doctrines is to have nothing to 
 do with them (ver. 17, 18 ; 2 John 10). 
 
 21. Obedience to Christ is an evidence 
 of love and of a true faith (ver. 19, 26). 
 
 22. God is the author of peace and the 
 gospel— a dispensation of peace (ver. 19, 
 20; Matt. 10: 16). 
 
 23. Satan is the author of error and 
 confusion, but he is a conquered foe 
 and cannot prevail against those who 
 
 contend in God's strength (ver. 20 ; Matt. 
 16 : 18). 
 
 24. The gospel and the preaching of 
 Jesus Christ is the stability of Christians 
 and of churches (ver. 25 ; Heb. 1:1-3; 
 Isa. 33 : 6; 1 Tim. 3 : 15, 16). 
 
 25. The gospel brings to us the mystery 
 of godliness which God has revealed for 
 our faith and obedience ; it should be 
 preached to all nations (ver. 26 ; 1 Tim. 
 3 : 16; Eph. 6 : 19). 
 
 26. Our approach to God, whether in 
 prayer or praise, should be through Jesus 
 Christ (ver. 27; 11 : 33-36). 
 
 PAUL'S GOSPEL AND JOHN'S. 
 
 There is a tendency among some to 
 magnify the differences between Paul 
 and John, and even to represent the 
 teachings of these two apostles as an- 
 tagonistic. Both, however, were taught 
 by the Lord (Gai. i : i, 12 ; i John 1 : 1, 3), and 
 both were guided by the Spirit. On the 
 divine side they were chosen to repre- 
 sent and enforce respectively certain 
 special doctrines of the great system of 
 gospel truth. On the human side their 
 differences may be traced first to their 
 different mental endowments and men- 
 tal conceptions. John centers on fewer 
 points, and conceives of truth more 
 absolutely. Paul is' more systematic, 
 and conceives of truth more in its rela- 
 tion to other truths. 
 
 But secondly, their writings were 
 largely called forth by heretical teach- 
 ings which led to the discussion of cer- 
 tain doctrines, and affected the manner 
 of their presentation. Thus the Ju- 
 daizers and legalists led Paul to treat 
 of the great doctrine of justification by 
 faith. Disorders in the church at Cor- 
 inth led to his discussion of church 
 order, the gifts of the Spirit, and the 
 doctrine of the resurrection. The teach- 
 ing of a false philosophy and Oriental 
 mysticism occasioned the Epistles of his 
 imprisonment, and led to a fuller ex- 
 hibition of the majesty and glory of 
 Christ, and of the church as the body 
 of Christ. So also of John. Some who 
 ignored the humanity of Christ, and 
 others his divinity, and still others who 
 
 would allow sinful indulgence and im- 
 morality, led John to dwell upon Christ 
 as the Word, God manifest in the flesh, 
 and to insist on fellowship with God 
 and consequent purity of heart and life. 
 Paul's later Epistles are connecting 
 links with those of John. 
 
 Paul emphasizes faith, and John love, 
 but the former held love to be the great- 
 est of graces, and the latter shows his 
 high estimate of faith by its frequent 
 mention. Paul, while presenting the 
 incarnation and the humiliation of 
 Christ, makes prominent the resurrec- 
 tion, and views Christ as the exalted 
 and living Saviour. John views them 
 as the eternal word, incarnated, and 
 now glorified through death and the 
 resurrection. Paul dwells upon the 
 atoning death of Christ; John, upon 
 Christ as the Lamb of God, who is a 
 propitiation for our sins. Both Paul 
 and John divide the human race into 
 tAvo classes, the righteous and the 
 wicked. Both \aew the Fatherhood of 
 God, as related to Christ and believers. 
 Both teach the divine dignity of Christ, 
 as the Son of God, the God-man ; the 
 importance and work of the Holy 
 Spirit, the new birth, and eternal life. 
 There appears no contradiction between 
 the two, John is the complement of 
 Paul. His writings are the culmina- 
 tion of the divine revelation regarding 
 salvation to man. Without either Paul 
 or John revelation would be incom- 
 plete. 
 
PAUL'S FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 
 
 Sahdation and thanksgiving. 
 
 1 PAUL, a called to be an apostle of 
 Jesus Christ ^ through the will of God, 
 2 and " Sosthenes, our brother, unto <* the 
 church of God which is at Corinth, ^to 
 them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, 
 ^called to be saints, with all that in 
 every place scall upon the name of 
 
 1 PAUL, called to be an apostle of 
 Jesus Christ through the will of God, 
 2 and Sosthenes our brother, to the 
 church of God which is in Corinth, 
 those who are sanctified in Christ 
 Jesus, called to be saints, with all that 
 call on the name of our Lord Jesus 
 
 a Rom. 1:1; Gal. 1:1. b Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:1. c Acts 18 : 17. 
 
 e Ver. 30 ; 6 : 9-11 ; John 17 : 19 ; Jude 1. / Rom. 1 : 7 ; 2 Tim. 1 : 9. 
 
 d Acts 18 : 8-11. 
 g Acts 9 : 14, 21. 
 
 Title. In the earliest manuscripts it 
 is simply First to the Corinthians. 
 The fuller title, added later, is a truth- 
 ful designation and an abbreviation of 
 the first two verses of the Epistle. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Paul begins with, an introduction 
 (ver. 1-9) and proceeds at once to notice 
 the party spirit existing in the church 
 at Corinth, which he endeavors to cor- 
 rect (ver. 10-31). 
 
 1-9. Introduction. As a commis- 
 sioned apostle Paul salutes the church 
 at Corinth, and expresses his thanksgiv- 
 ing for the mercies given them, and 
 his hope for their steadfastness unto the 
 end. 
 
 1. Paul called to be an apostle, 
 rather, a called apostle. See note on 
 Rom. 1 : 1. Paul emphasizes his high 
 and divine call in view of the fact that 
 there were those who disputed it 
 (9:1-12). In the two Epistles to the 
 Thessalonians, before opposition to his 
 apostleship became prominent, this 
 clause is not found, but the Epistles 
 written after generally begin in a 
 manner similar to this (Rom. i : i; 2 Cor. 
 2:1, etc.). He was called not through 
 the will of man, but through the 
 will of God. Notice how this thought 
 is variously expressed in Gal. 1 : 1 ; 1 
 Tim. 1 : 1 ; 2 Tim. 1:2; Titus 1 : 1. 
 His opposers might say that he was not 
 called, as the Twelve were, by Christ 
 himself; but it is such a call he claims 
 
 (Acts 26 : 16-18; Gal. 1 : 1, 12). He aSSOCiatCS 
 
 with himself Sosthenes our 
 
 brother, one of the Christian brother- 
 hood. Concerning him we know noth- 
 ing further. He appears to have been 
 well known in Corinth. He may have 
 been the ruler of the synagogue men- 
 tioned in Acts 18 : 17, who had become 
 a convert and perhaps a minister. He 
 could second what Paul writes. Paul 
 very likely employed him as his aman- 
 uensis. 
 
 2. Unto the church of God, be- 
 longing to God (Acts 20 : 28) ; not to any 
 party or human leader. At Corinth. 
 See introduction, p. xv. The local 
 church embraced all the professed be- 
 lievers at Corinth, though, doubtless, 
 being unable to meet in one place, they 
 had several meeting- places. The church 
 consisted of converted people, them 
 that are sanctified, consecrated and 
 expiated for, in Christ Jesus — in 
 union with him and by means of the 
 atonement he had made. Called to be 
 saints — divinely called. See note on 
 Rom. 1:7. As Paul was a called apos- 
 tle (ver. i), so they were called saiiits. 
 The word church means called out, and 
 a church appropriately consists of 
 saints called out from the world and 
 consecrated to a life of holiness. The 
 term saint is usually applied in the 
 New Testament to believers and pop- 
 ularly applied to all professed be- 
 lievers. With all that call, etc.; 
 equivalent to. As are all who call upon 
 
 189 
 
190 
 
 I. CORl>s' 
 
 Jesus Christ our Lord, •» both theirs and 
 
 3 ours : * Grace be unto you, and peace, 
 from God our Father, and from tlie 
 Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 4 k I thank my God always on your be- 
 half, for the grace of God which is 
 
 5 given you by Jesus Christ ; that in 
 every thing ye are enriched by him, 
 >in a'll utterance, and inaW knowledge ; 
 
 6 even as ■" the testimony of Christ was 
 
 7 confirmed in you : so that ° ye come be- 
 hind in no gift ; <> waiting for the com- 
 ing [revelation?] of our Lord Jesus 
 
 ANS 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 Jhrist in every place, theirs and ours : 
 
 3 Grace to you, and peace, from God 
 our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 4 I thank my God always on your be- 
 half, for the grace of G<ki which was 
 
 5 given you in Christ Jesus ; that in 
 everything ye were made rich in him, 
 
 6 in all speech and all knowledge ; even 
 as the testimony of Christ was con- 
 
 7 firmed in you ; so that ye fall short 
 in no gift, waiting for the'revelation of 
 
 h Rom. 10 : 12 ; Eph. 4:5. » Rom. 1:7; Eph. 1:2. k Rom. 1:8. J 12 : 8, 10 ; Rom. 15 : 4 ; 2 Cor. 8 : 7. 
 
 TO 2 : 1, 2 ; Mark 16 : 20. »» 2 Cor. 12 : 13. o Phil. 3 : 20 ; Titus 2 : 13 ; Heb. 10 : 36, 37. 
 
 p Luke 17 : 30 ; Col. 3 : 4. 
 
 the name, etc. Sanctification and saint- 
 ship are extended to all believers. 
 They were sanctified and called to be 
 saints with the discipleship in every 
 place. The calling upon the name 
 of Jesus Christ indicates the gen- 
 eral practice of praying to Christ. (Comp. 
 
 Acts 7 : 59 ; 9 : 14 ; Rom. 10 : 13. ) The WOrds 
 
 in every place, in the best text fol- 
 low our Lord Jesus Christ. Both 
 theirs and ours. Ours refers to Paul 
 and the Corinthians; theirs to all 
 others. Some would refer it to place — 
 their locality and ours. But it seems 
 better to refer it to Christ — their Lord 
 and ours. He is Lord of all believers, 
 not of any party. 
 
 3. Grace be unto you, etc. The 
 same as in Rom. 1 : 7, on which see 
 note. Peace of God in the soul 
 would naturally lead to peace among 
 themselves. Its mention seems sig- 
 nificant in view of their party strifes. 
 This ends the salutation. 
 
 4. In this and the three verses that 
 follow Paul expresses his thanksgiving 
 in their behalf. I thank my God; 
 the same in Rora. 1 : 8, on which see 
 note. Paul commonly began his Epis- 
 tles with thanksgiving ( Phil. i : 3 ; Col. l : 3 ; 
 1 Thess. 1 : 2 ; 2 Thess. 1:3). SometimeS he 
 
 says, " Blessed be God " (2 Cor. 1 : 3; Eph. 
 1:3). Always on your behalf. 
 There were many tilings in general 
 among the Corinthians which were the 
 source of con.stant thankfulness, not- 
 withstanding their party strifes and 
 imperfections. For the grace, or 
 favor, of Ciod which is, rather, ?w.s, 
 given you in Christ Jesus, l)y vir- 
 tue of your union with him. The 
 effect of this grace is described in tlie 
 next verse. Grace is properly in 
 
 God : the gifts of grace in us, given by 
 that grace " (Alford). It is deserv- 
 ing of special notice that notwith- 
 standing his severe censures in both of 
 his Epistles to the Corinthians, Paul 
 bestows on them so much praise. But 
 this praise was largely confined to 
 gifts, such as knowledge and wisdom, 
 which could be enjoyed by many 
 notwithstanding the low morality of 
 some of the church. It was also the 
 manner of the apostle to begin his 
 Epistles with words of commendation. 
 That to the Galatians is the only ex- 
 ception. 
 
 5. That, as a result of divine grace, 
 in everything, pertaining to your 
 Christian life, ye are, rather, were, at 
 your conversion and baptism enriched 
 by, rather, in, him, in union with 
 Christ and by means of that union, 
 in all utterance, or speech, preach- 
 ing, prophesying, and speaking with 
 tongues (14:26), and in all knowl- 
 edge, the apprehension of truth, the 
 discerning of spirits, and the under- 
 standing and interpretation of tongues. 
 
 6. Even as the testimony of— 
 concerning — Christ, tli rough the 
 preaching of the gospel by Paul and 
 his associates, Avas confirmed in 
 you, taking deep root and firmly fixed 
 in your souls. 
 
 7. Tlie result of being well grounded 
 in the history and doctrine of Christ. 
 So that ye come behind, ox fall 
 short, in no gift, in no spiritual gift, 
 ordinary and miraculous (ver. 5;2Cor. 
 8:7). Waiting, with believing and 
 hopeful expectation, for the coming, 
 rattier, the revelation, of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, when he will be re- 
 vealed at his second coming (2 Thess. 1 : 7; 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 I. CORII^THIANS 
 
 191 
 
 8 Christ : i who shall also confirm you 
 unto the end, >■ that ye may he blameless 
 in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 9 3 God is faithful, by whom ye were 
 called unto » the fellowship of his Son 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 The dissensions at Corinth described 
 and rebuked. 
 
 10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the 
 name of our Lord Jesus Christ, >ithat 
 ye all speak the same thing, and that 
 there be no divisions among you ; but 
 
 8 our Lord Jesus Christ ; who will also 
 confirm you unto the end, unaccused 
 in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 9 God is faithful, through whom ye were 
 called into the fellowship of his Son, 
 Jesus Christ our Lord 
 
 10 But I beseech you, brethren, through 
 the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 that ye all speak the same thing, and 
 that there be no divisions among you ; 
 
 q Phil. 1 : 6 ; 1 Thess. 3 : 13 ; Jude 24, 25. r Col. 1 : 22 ; 1 Thess. 5 ; 23 ; 2 Peter 3 : 14. 
 
 s 10 : 13 ; 2 Thess. 3:3; Heb. 10 : 23. t John 15 : 1-9 ; Gal. 2 : 20 ; Phil. 3 : 10 ; 1 Peter 4 : 13 ; 1 John 1 : 3. 
 
 M Rom. 12 : 16 ; 2 Cor. 13 : 11. 
 
 1 Peter 1:7; Titus 2 : 13; 2 Tim. 4 : 8). The 
 
 early Christians were looking for the 
 speedy return of their Lord (i Thess. 4: 
 
 13-18; Phil. 3 : 20, etc.). 
 
 8. In this and the verse following 
 Paul expresses his confidence in their 
 continued steadfastness and final salva- 
 tion. Who ivill also confirm you 
 unto the end. As Christ in his 
 doctrines and life was deeply and 
 firmly grounded in their convictions, 
 so would he also deeply fix and estab- 
 lish them unto the end. Many make 
 %vho refer to God (vcr. 4)^ but that is too 
 remote ; it naturally refers to Christ, 
 who fills the thoughts of Paul. In the 
 first nine verses he repeats the name of 
 Christ nine times. It is entirely un- 
 necessary to refer it to God, "either on 
 account of the Lord Jesus Christ at the 
 end of this verse, or of God is faithful 
 immediately following; for what is 
 here asserted of God, the calling into 
 the felloivshix> of Jesus Christ, is at the 
 same time a calling to being confirmed 
 through Christ, which can take place 
 only in the fellowship of Christ" 
 (Winer, "N. T. Grammar"). Unto 
 the end — not merely to the end of 
 life, but of this dispensation, unto the 
 second coming of Christ. Blame- 
 less, unaccused, free from reproach 
 and sanctified unto holiness, in the 
 day of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 when he shall come to judgment (coi. i : 
 
 28; Matt. 25 : 31 ff.). 
 
 9. The ground of this confidence 
 respecting the saints at Corinth — the 
 faithfulness of God. God is faith- 
 ful in performing all that the calling 
 
 of his people includes ( lO : 13 ; l Thess. 5 : 24 ; 
 
 2 Thess. 3:3), By whom ye were 
 
 called ; implying promises and bless- 
 
 ing of grace and salvation. Unto, 
 rather, into, the fellowship, or par- 
 ticipation. This word is variously ren- 
 dered communion (10:16)^ fellowship 
 
 (Gal. 2:9), distriblltiou (2 Cor. 9 : 13). Its 
 
 usual meaning appears to be a sharing 
 together, a joint participatio7i of any- 
 thing. See on Rom. 15 : 26. It here 
 refers to fellowship or participation in 
 the blessings and dignity of Christ as 
 the Son of God, joint-heirs with Christ 
 (Rom. 8 : 17), no longer servants, but sons 
 of God (Gal. 4:7), to be glorified with 
 
 him ( Rom. 8 : 21, 30 ; 2 Thess. 2 : 14 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 12 ; 
 1 John 3:2). 
 
 1 : 10-4 : 21. Paul notices the 
 paety spieit and divisions in the 
 COEINTHIAN chuech; defends his 
 method of teaching and the gospel he 
 preached, and makes a pointed and 
 affectionate application. 
 
 10-12. Enteeats them to lay 
 aside all divisions. exhoets 
 
 them TO UNITY. 
 
 10. Now, rather, ^«^, in contrast to 
 the things he had just commended, I 
 beseech you, brethren — earnestness 
 and tenderness united — by the name 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, by all 
 that great and holy name implies, their 
 Lord and Master and his, in whom they 
 were one, and from whom came love 
 and peace. Notice how emphatic he 
 had made this name by frequent repe- 
 tition — the tenth time since he began 
 this Epistle. That ye all speak the 
 same thin§; — that you agree in your 
 utterances, for you are speaking differ- 
 ent things (ver. 12), and that there be 
 no divisions, or schisms, literally 
 rents, internal dissensions, arising from 
 party spirit among you. But that 
 ye be perfectly joined together — 
 
192 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 that ye be perfectly joined together ] 
 in the same mind and in the same 
 
 11 judgment. For it hath been declared 
 unto me of you, my brethren, by them 
 which are of the house of Chloe, that 
 
 12 there are contentions among you. Now 
 this I say, " that every one of you saith, 
 I am of "Paul ; and I'of " Apo'llos ; and 
 I of * Cephas ; and I of Christ. 
 
 13 Is Christ divided ? Was Paul cruci- 
 fied for you ? Or were ye baptized in 
 
 but that ye be made complete in the 
 same mind, and in the same judg- 
 
 11 ment. For it has been made manifest 
 to me concerning you, my brethren, 
 by tliose of the house of Chloe, that 
 
 12 there are contentions among you. And 
 I mean this, that each of you says, I 
 am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and'l of 
 
 13 Cephas, and I of Christ. Is Christ 
 divided ? Was Paul crucified for you ? 
 Or were ye baptized into the name of 
 
 V 3 : 4-6 ; 4:6. 
 
 w Acts 18 : 24 ; 19 : 1. 
 
 X John 1 : 42. 
 
 iitfed together, like that which had been 
 broken or rent, and thus made complete 
 in the same mind, perfectly united 
 in feelings (Rom. i5 : 5), and in the 
 same judgment, in opi)iions (t:49). 
 He would have them free from all party 
 feelings and purposes and party strifes, 
 11. Reason of the preceding exhorta- 
 tion. For it hath been declared, 
 or, it ivas made knoivn to me, on a recent 
 occasion. Again he uses the endearing 
 appellation, my brethren. Paul 
 rises above kindred, race, or nation. 
 Whoever had a spiritual, personal in- 
 terest in Christ, be he Jew or Gentile^ 
 he was his brother (Mark 3 : 33-35). Oi 
 the house of Chloe ; whether serv- 
 ants, children, or other kindred, we 
 are not told. Chloe must have been a 
 woman well known in Corinth, but 
 whether a resident of Corinth or of 
 Ephesus is unknown. That there 
 are contentions — strifes, ivrayiglings 
 — among you, bringing into view 
 the evil character and marked mani- 
 festations of the divisions among them 
 (ver. 10). 
 
 12.. Now this I say, what I mean is 
 this, that every one, or each one of 
 yoiL is saying. Party spirit, like a con- 
 tagion, was infecting the whole church. 
 Saith, boastingly, I am of Paul, 
 he is my leader. The parties are 
 named historically as they arose in the 
 church. Paul was the planter of the 
 church. Apollos came later and watered 
 (1 Cor. 3:6). The followcrs of Paul 
 would represent the faith party, hold- 
 ing to Paul's teachings and opposing 
 Judaizing tendencies in the cliurch, 
 I of Apollos, doubtless representing 
 doctrines closely allied to those of 
 Paul, with a rhetorical molding and 
 tinged with Alexandrine philosophy. 
 The frequent allusions to human learn- 
 ing and wisdom in this and the next 
 chapters agree well with the party of 
 
 the learned Apollos. Some regard 
 Apollos as the author of the Epistle to 
 the Hebrews. See Acts 18 : 24-28 and 
 notes. Apollos was an Alexandrine 
 Jew, learned, eloquent, mighty in the 
 Scriptures, and instructed more fully 
 by Aquila and Priscilla, and on terms 
 of friendship with Paul (16: 12 and note; 
 Titus 3: 13). I of Cephas, Aramean 
 for Peter (John 1:42). This probably 
 represented the Judaizing and Pharisaic 
 party which opposed Paul and ques- 
 tioned Paul's authority as an apostle. 
 Peter had not been at Corinth, but 
 they preferred him as the apostle of 
 the circumcision (9 : 5; Gal. 2 : 7). I of 
 Christ. Representing those who dis- 
 claimed human leaders and professed 
 to follow the sayings and teachings of 
 Christ, but interpreting them to suit 
 themselves (2 Cor. 10 : 7). They very 
 likely claimed large liberty, perhaps 
 included those of Sadducean "tendencies, 
 who questioned a future bodily resur- 
 rection and held to a rationalized 
 Christianity. They appear to be re- 
 ferred to as bitter opponents of the 
 apostle in 2 Cor. 10 : 7 ; 11 : 13, 23, and 
 as claiming for themselves certain apos- 
 tolic authority. Their leaders, at least, 
 appear to have been Jews, wlio prob- 
 ably had seen the Lord in the flesh (9 : 1 ; 
 
 2 Cor. 11 : 22-25). 
 
 13-17. Paul shows the absurd- 
 ity OF such divisions and dis- 
 claims THE leadership OF THE 
 
 Christian system. 
 
 13. Is Christ divided ? Some 
 translate, Christ is divided. The inter- 
 rogative form is to be preferred. But 
 either way the thought is monstrous 
 and absurd. Is Christ divided, into 
 whom the whole church has been bap- 
 tized (Gal. 3: 27), and wliosc body the 
 church is (Eph. 1 : 23) ? W a s Pa u 1 
 crucified for you? Did he suffer 
 for you and become your Redeemer, 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 193 
 
 14 the name of Paul ? I thank God that 
 I baptized none of you, but yCrispus 
 
 15 and » Gains ; lest any should say that 
 
 16 I had baptized in mine own name. 
 And I baptized also tne household 
 of » Stephanas: besides I know not 
 whether I baptized any other. 
 
 Paul's manner of preaching defended. 
 
 17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, 
 but to preach the gospel : ^ not with 
 wisdom of words, lest the cross of 
 Christ should be made of none effect. 
 
 14 Paul? I give thanks that I baptized 
 no one of you, but Crispus and Gaius ; 
 
 15 lest any one should say that ye were 
 
 16 baptized into my name. And I baptized 
 also the household of Stephanas ; be- 
 sides, I know not whether I baptized 
 
 17 any other. For Christ did not send 
 me to baptize, but to preach the gospel ; 
 not in wisdom of speech, lest the cross 
 of Christ should be made of no effect. 
 
 y Acts 18 : 8. 
 
 2 Rom. 16 : 23 ; 3 John : 1. 
 
 a 16 : 15, 17. 
 
 6 2 : 1, 4, 13 ; 2 Cor. 10 : 10. 
 
 your Saviour? Or were you bap- 
 tized in the name, rather, into, or 
 unto, the name of Paul? Into the 
 recognition and profession of the name 
 of Paul as one of dignity and divine 
 authority ? Were ye thus baptized into 
 union with and dependence on him? 
 Surely not ! Such questions would re- 
 ceive nothing but a negative answer. 
 Paul wisely begins with himself and 
 with those who would use his name in 
 an improper way. 
 
 14. Under these circumstances, and 
 as results have turned out, I thank 
 God, or according to some of the old- 
 est manuscripts, I give thanks that I 
 baptized none of you but Cris- 
 pus, the ruler of the synagogue (Acts 
 18:8), and Gaius, "mine host and 
 
 of the whole church " (Rom. 16 : 23, on which 
 
 see note). Thesc Paul seems to have 
 baptized from special reasons of friend- 
 ship. The rite was performed at Cor- 
 inth at first doubtless by Silas and Tim- 
 othy, Paul's attendants (Acts is : 5). 
 
 15. Lest any of my opposers 
 should say that I had baptized, 
 rather, according to the best critical 
 authorities, that ye ivere baptized info 
 my name. Paul anticipates any slanders 
 that might arise and removes them. 
 He had in no sense gathered a party. 
 
 16. While writing, Paul recalls that 
 he had also baptized the household 
 of Stephanas, perhaps reminded of 
 it by his presence. He is mentioned in 
 16 : 15, 17, and his house is spoken 
 of as "the firstfruits of Achaia and 
 that they have addicted themselves to 
 the ministry of the saints," implying 
 that they were adults, or at least that 
 there were no infants among them. 
 The household consisted of inmates of 
 the family, children and servants, and 
 in this case Stephanas himself is in- 
 
 cluded. Paul guards his statement 
 against any possible error by adding, 
 I know not whether I baptized 
 any other. The baptism of believing 
 households is not unusual among Bap- 
 tists and in missionary fields. 
 
 17. Paul explains why he did not 
 baptize. This verse forms a transition 
 to what follows. For Christ sent 
 me not to baptize, when he com- 
 misioned me as an apostle (Acts 26 : le-is). 
 This was not his special work. He 
 does not undervalue baptism, but as 
 Jesus baptized not, but his disciples 
 (John 4:2), SO Pctcr and Paul, and prob- 
 ably the other apostles, left baptism to 
 their assistants, unless there were 
 special reasons why they should ad- 
 minister the ordinance (Acts 10 : 48). 
 But to preach the gospel ; which 
 was his great work as an apostle and a 
 missionary, to announce the glad tid- 
 ings, to evangelize. To lead men to 
 Christ was the first and most important 
 thing, and prepare them for baptism. 
 W^hen churches were formed, the elders 
 or pastors, the oflicers or even members 
 of the local church, could attend to bap- 
 tizing. Not with, rather, in, "wisdom 
 of words — of speech (ver. 5), or dis- 
 course such as teachers give. Not 
 merely the eloquent expression, nor 
 the rhetorical form, but the subject- 
 matter of the discourse is especially 
 meant, the philosophic speculations. 
 Paul used great plainness and simplic- 
 ity of speech (2 Cor. 3 : 12), and doubtless 
 diflfered from Apollos in this respect 
 (3-. 4). This his opposers used to his 
 disadvantage (2 Cor. 10 : 10). Lest the 
 cross of Christ, the doctrine of the 
 crucified Christ, of an atoning Saviour, 
 should be made of none effect, 
 should be lost sight of and deprived of 
 its eftect through such an array of wis- 
 
 N 
 
194 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 18 For «th(,> preachiner of the cross is to 
 them tluit perish '' foolishness ; but un- 
 to us <• uiiieh are saved it is the f power 
 of God. 
 
 19 For it is written, el will destroy the 
 wisdom of the wise, and will bring to 
 nothing the understanding of the pru- 
 
 20 dent. Where is the wise? where is 
 the scribe? where is the disputer of 
 this world ? •> Hath not God made fool- 
 
 21 ish the wisdom of this world? ^For 
 after that in the wisdom of God the 
 world by wisdom knew not God, it 
 
 18 For the word of the cross is to those 
 who are perishing, foolishness; but 
 to us who are being saved, it is the 
 
 19 power of God. For it is written, 
 
 I will destroy the wisdom of the 
 
 wise. 
 And will reject the discernment of 
 
 the discerning. 
 
 20 Where is the wise? Where is the 
 scribe ? Where is the disputer of this 
 age? Did not God make foolish the 
 
 21 wisdom of the world ? For since, in the 
 wisdom of God, the world through its 
 wisdom knew not God, God was 
 
 c2 :2; Gal. 6:12-U. d Ver. 21, 23 ; 2 : U ; Acts 17 : 18. e 15 : 2. / Ver. 24 ; Rom. 1 : 16. 
 
 g 3 : 19-21 ; Job 5 : 12, 13. h 2 Sam. 17 : 14 ; Job 12 : 17, 20, 24 ; Rom. 1 : 22. 
 
 i Luke 10 : 21 ; Rom. 1 : 20-22, 28. 
 
 dom and speculation. Paul presents 
 Christ as the Head over all, and him- 
 self but under him, commissioned to 
 preach the doctrine of the cross. Christ, 
 not he, Paul, was the center of the 
 Christian system. 
 
 Paul's reference to the cross of Christ 
 leads him to dwell upon the subject and 
 the method of his preaching from this 
 point to the end of the next chapter. 
 
 18-25. The preaching of the 
 cross abasing to human pride, 
 but the power and wisdom of 
 God to the humble and believ- 
 ing. The SIMPLICITY of the gos- 
 pel. Human and Divine wis- 
 dom. 
 
 18. For, to explain what has just 
 been stated, the preaching, literally, 
 the word, the discourse or doctrine of 
 the cross (see on ver. 17), is indeed 
 to them that perish, better, that are 
 perishing, foolishness ; it appears as 
 folly to them who are guided by human 
 wisdom, and through unbelief are on 
 the way to perdition. Bnt nnto us 
 which — who — are saved, better, are 
 being saved, who, through faith in the 
 crucified and ri.sen Christ, are in the 
 way of salvation, it is the poAver of 
 God, tlie manifestation of God's power, 
 perceived by the understanding and 
 felt and experienced in tlie soul. Com- 
 pare note on Rom. 1 : 16. Notice the 
 idea of salvation is here presented as 
 still going on. The representation is 
 common to the apostle (Phii. 2; 12; Rom. 
 1.3 ; 11 ; 2 Tim. 3 : 15). So also the destruc- 
 tion of the sinner is represented as 
 progressing and incomplete (2 0or. 2:i5; 
 
 19. The thought just presented is 
 confirmed by Scripture, quoted freely 
 
 from the Septuagint version of Isa. 
 29 : 14. For that the word, the doc- 
 trine of the cross, is "the power of 
 God" (ver. 18), and that it must not be 
 preached in " the wisdom of words " 
 (ver. 17), is evidcut also from what is 
 written, I will destroy the wis- 
 dom of the wise, the worldly wise, 
 regarded by themselves and by others 
 as wise. And will bring to noth- 
 ing, tvill set aside, or reject, the un- 
 derstanding — the prudetice~of the 
 prudent, those who have insight and 
 are sagacious and discreet in worldly 
 matters and among men, ( Comp. Matt, ii : 
 
 25; 15 : 8, 9.) 
 
 20. In confirmation Paul utters a 
 triumphant appeal and challenge to 
 fiicts as they exist. Repetition and the 
 interrogative form gives vividness and 
 rhetorical force. The preaching of the 
 cross had, according to the Scripture 
 quoted (ver. 19), brought to nought, as it 
 were, all other wisdom. Where is 
 the Avise? in general, but especially 
 applicable to Grecian philosophers. 
 The scribe? regarded as wise among 
 the Jews. The disputer of this 
 world? the learned disputant of 
 schools and sects of this present evil 
 world (oai. 1:4). Hath not God, 
 rather, Did vof God make, foolish the 
 wisdom of this, rather, the world? 
 when the doctrine of the cross and salva- 
 tion thereby was proclaimed ? Compare 
 .Tames, who contrasts earthly wisdom 
 with that which comes from above (James 
 
 3 : 15-17). 
 
 21. Theapo.stle provesand illustrates 
 the statement that God made fooli.sh the 
 wisdom of this world. For after 
 that, etc., rather, For since in the 
 Avisdom of God the \vor\A through 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 195 
 
 pleased God by the foolishne&s of 
 preaching to save them that believe. 
 
 22 For the J Jews require a sign, and ^the 
 
 23 Greeks seek after wisdom : but we 
 preach Christ crucified, ' unto the Jews 
 a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks 
 
 24 foolishness ; but unto them which are 
 called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ 
 ™the power of God, and ^the wisdom 
 
 25 of God. Because "the foolishness of 
 God is wiser than men ; and the weak- 
 ness of God is stronger than men. 
 
 pleased through the foolishness of 
 preaching to save those who believe ; 
 
 22 since both Jews ask for signs, and 
 
 23 Greeks seek after wisdom, but we 
 preach Christ crucified, to Jews a 
 stumblingblock, and to Gentiles fool- 
 
 24 ishness, but to those who are the called, 
 both Jews and Greeks, Christ the ptower 
 
 25 of God, and the wisdom of God. Be- 
 cause the foolishness of God is wiser 
 than men ; and the weakness of God 
 is stronger than men. 
 
 J Matt. 12 : 38, 39; 16 : 1. 
 m Ver. 18. 
 
 A; Acts 17 : 18-21. I See refs. Isa. 8 : li, 15. and Matt. 11 : 6. 
 
 n Prov. 8 : 1, 22-30 ; Col. 2:3. o Ver. 27-29. 
 
 its wisdom knew not God, did not 
 
 learn to know him. This may mean 
 either, since in God's wisdom he per- 
 mitted human wisdom to show its in- 
 ability to attain a saving knowledge of 
 him ; or, since amid the display of 
 God's wisdom, as exhibited in creation 
 and the light of nature, human wisdom 
 failed seemingly to recognize him. 
 The former is the more natural, and 
 the one naturally to suggest itself to 
 the reader; the latter accords with 
 Paul's teachings in Rom. 1 : 19, 20, and 
 Acts 17 : 27. And this is still the prac- 
 tical result of mere liuman wisdom. 
 But this teaching of Paul may be com- 
 bined witli the first view : God, in his 
 wisdom and his wise arrangements, 
 permitted men through their wisdom to 
 exhibit their failure and inability there- 
 by to gain a saving knowledge of him, 
 from the works of creation and the 
 light he had given them. Since this 
 was the case it pleased God, in his 
 mercy, by, rather, through the so-called 
 foolishness of the preaching, the 
 well-known preaching of the cross 
 (ver. 18), to save them that believe. 
 The doctrine of a crucified and risen 
 Saviour seemed foolishness to human 
 wisdom (Acts 17 : 32) ; it required no high 
 intellectual gift, no learning, no special 
 ability, but simple faith in Christ. It 
 was humbling to human pride and con- 
 trary to the speculations and the phi- 
 losophy of tlie Avorldly Avise. 
 
 22. Paul still further shows how 
 God made foolish the wisdom of the 
 world (ver. 20). FoF the JeAVS, bet- 
 ter, ^?if? sn?r(" Jeics, require a sign, 
 rather, according to the best reading, 
 the plural, mgns, miracles, probably 
 some portents from heaven (^fatt. 12 : 38; 
 16 : 1) , to substantiate the word preached, 
 as of divine authority. And Greeks, 
 
 representing the Gentiles (ver. 24), the 
 nations not Jews (Rom. i:i6), seek 
 after wisdom, not external, but in- 
 ternal evidence, subtle speculations and 
 depths of philosopliy. Both Jews and 
 Greeks made false demands, but differ- 
 ing according to their standards of truth 
 and wisdom. 
 
 23. But we, in contrast to Jews 
 and Greeks, and to what they desire, 
 preach Christ crucified, to Jews a 
 stumblingblock (isa. 8: u), an 
 offense, a hindrance to belief. A Mes- 
 siah who Avas crucified Avas so opposed 
 to their idea of a temporal Messiah, 
 that they stumbled over his doctrine 
 and rejected him. And unto the 
 Greeks, rather, according to best 
 text, to Gentiles, foolishness — to 
 those seeking the guidance of human 
 wisdom and philosophy, sahation 
 through faith in one crucified seemed 
 
 an absurdity ( Lute 23 : 36-40 ; Acts 26 : 24) . 
 
 24. But, in opposition to both 
 classes just named, to them, person- 
 ally, who are called of God through 
 his Spirit and Avord (ver. 2), both JcAVS 
 and Greeks, the offers and blessings 
 of the gospel knoAA- no distinction of 
 race and nation, Christ the power 
 of God, and the wisdom of God, 
 as he is revealed to the soul, a Saviour 
 from sin. They see salvation through 
 a crucified Redeemer, such as only 
 Divine wisdom could dcA^se, and Di- 
 vine power accomplish ( Rom. 8 : 3, 4 ; Eph. 
 3 : 10-12 ) . 
 
 25. A reason given to substantiate 
 the statement just made. Because 
 the foolishness of God, compara- 
 tiA'ely so, the least manifestation of his 
 wisdom, is Aviser than men — than 
 their Avisdom ; and the weakness 
 of God, the smallest manifestation of 
 his power, is stronger than men— 
 
196 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 26 For ye see your calling. l>rethren, 
 how that p not many wise men after 
 the fle.sh, <inot many mighty, not many 
 
 27 noble, are called: but «■ God hath chosen 
 the foolish things of the world to con- 
 found the wise ; and God hath chosen 
 
 26 For see your calling, brethren, that 
 not many are wise after the flesh, not 
 
 27 many mighty, not many noble; but 
 the foolish things of the world God 
 chose that he might put to shame the 
 
 p Matt. 11 : 25 ; John 7 : 48. 
 
 q James 2 : 5. 
 
 r Ps. 8 : 2 ; Acts 4 : 13-21. 
 
 than their power. For God's wisdom, 
 see Eom. 11 : 33 ; Ps. 139 : 6 ; Isa. 40 : 
 28 ; God's power, Exod. 8 : 19 ; Job 9 : 
 4-10; 26 : 14; Ps. 9 : 8, etc. Paul 
 seems not to be here referring to the 
 greatness or sxnallness of the wisdom 
 and power exhibited in the doctrines 
 of the cross, but rather stating a fact 
 which all reasonable persons must 
 admit. And if so, it confirms and ex- 
 plains how it is that what appears folly 
 and weakness in the gospel's way of 
 salvation is really God's power and 
 wisdom, greater than any of man's 
 devising. The common explanation, 
 however, of the foolishness and wisdom 
 of God, is to take them as so called and 
 so regarded by men — as what seem to 
 men to have these qualities. This 
 agrees well with the context, but I pre- 
 fer the former view, as agreeing better 
 with what follows. 
 
 D.\NGERS FROM THE SCIENTIFIC 
 
 SPIRIT. True science is " the handmaid 
 of religion." Each has its sphere. The 
 perversion of either may render them 
 antagonistic. AVhen rightly understood 
 and rightly cultivated they must be 
 helpful to each other. We live in a 
 scientific age. Wonderful advance- 
 ment has been made in the discovery 
 and confirmation of trutli, and thus re- 
 ligion owes a debt to science ; but no 
 less is science indebted to religion from 
 the stimulus and guidance it has re- 
 ceived therefrom. j 
 Yet science has its dangers. With ' 
 its laboratories filled and fostered with i 
 a spirit of discovery, and its lecture 
 rooms resounding with discussions of 
 new theories of life and novel methods 
 of reform, there is danger of drifting 
 from the safe mooring of revealed re- 
 ligious truth. Flushed with successful ; 
 investigation and intoxicated, as it 
 were, with the inquiring spirit of the [ 
 age, there is danger of harboring con- 
 tempt for the past and undervaluing ' 
 truth because it is old. There is danger : 
 of being too credulous of speedy im- 
 provements, too hopeful of discovering ; 
 
 new panaceas, too ready to endorse 
 whatever is new. With too limited a 
 view and too great intentness on one 
 line of study, there is danger of one's 
 contracting a narrow, censorious spirit, 
 and of becoming a radical of the radi- 
 cals, an unsafe leader, even in social, 
 moral, or political reform. And bor- 
 dering on scientific bigotry there is 
 danger of descending into a mental and 
 moral degeneracy, and of leading men 
 from, rather than to God and the truth. 
 The Bible and the gospel are necessary 
 for the even balancing of truth. Science, 
 sanctified by religion, is needful for 
 investigating the vast domain of God. 
 
 26-31. This characteristic of 
 the gospel illustrated in the 
 Corinthian converts. The whole 
 section (ver. 17-25), as well as yer. 25, 
 finds an illustration and confirmation 
 in these verses. 
 
 _ 26. For ye see, rather an impera- 
 tive appeal. For sec, your calliug of 
 God (ver. 2, 21), brethren, how that 
 not many ore wise after the flesh, 
 noted for human wisdom in distinction 
 from the Divine wisdom in the Chris- 
 tian, which proceeds from the Holy 
 Spirit. Not many mighty, of the 
 world, such as statesmen and warriors, 
 those powerful in authority. Not 
 many nohle, in rank, of distin- 
 guished descent. Corinth was noted for 
 its nobility, its high-born families. 
 "The majority of the first Christians 
 were slaves and illiterate men, and the 
 whole lii story of the growth of the 
 church is substantially a progres.sive 
 triumph of the unlearned over the 
 learned, the lowly over the great, until 
 the emperor himself laid his crown at 
 the foot of the cross" (Olshafsen). 
 
 27. Turning from the negative to the 
 positive side, the apostle pushes his 
 illustration to its utmost limit, Bnt 
 God hath chosen, or more exactly, 
 God chose, the foolish things of the 
 Avorld, which were so accounted, to 
 confound, better, that he might prd to 
 shame, the wise after the flesh (ver. 26), 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 197 
 
 the weak things of the world to con- 
 found the things which are miglity ; 
 
 28 and base things of the world, and 
 things whicli are despised, liath God 
 chosen, yea, and things which are not, 
 Ho bring to nought things that are: 
 
 29 » that no flesh shovild glory in his pres- 
 
 30 ence. But of him are ye "in Christ 
 Jesus, who of God is made unto us 
 "wisdom, and » righteousness, and 
 
 31 y sanctification, and '^redemption: that, 
 according as it is written, aHe that 
 glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 
 
 wise ; and the weak things of the 
 world God chose that he might put to 
 
 28 shame the things which are strong ; and 
 the base things of the world, and the 
 things which are despised, God chose, 
 and the things which are not, that he 
 might bring to nought things that are ; 
 
 29 that no flesh should glory before God. 
 
 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who 
 from God was made wisdom to us, 
 both righteousness and sanctification, 
 
 31 and redemption ; that, as it is written. 
 He that glories, let him glory in the 
 Lord. 
 
 8 Ps. 37 : 35, 36 ; Isa. 2 : 11. t Jer. 9 : 23 ; Rom. 3 : 27. u Rom. 8 : 1. 
 
 U) Isa. 11 : 2 ; Eph. 1 : 17, 18 ; Col. 2:2,3. x Isa. 45 : 24, 25 ; Rom. 4 : 25 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 21 ; Phil. 3 : 9. 
 
 y John 17 : 19 ; Acts 26 : 18 ; Eph. 5 : 26. ^ 15 : 54-57 ; Rev. 5:9. a 2 Cor. 10 : 17. 
 
 by accomplishing that which they not- 
 ably failed to accomplish. They were 
 thus disgraced, as it were, and put to 
 shame. And to the same effect. And 
 . . , the weak things oi the 
 world, that he might put to shame the 
 mighty, or the strong of the world 
 (ver. 26). To human eyes God chose 
 the feeblest instrumentalities. See 6 : 
 9-11 for the character of some of the 
 Corinthians before conversion. 
 
 28. And base things, of base 
 birth or origin, those who among men 
 are held of no account (James 2:5), and 
 things which are despised, des- 
 picable ill the world's estimation, did 
 God choose, and things that are 
 not, which are as good, comparatively, 
 as nothing, to hring to nought 
 things that are — regarded of great 
 account among men. And, before 
 things which are not, is omitted by some 
 authorities, making only two instead of 
 three classes in this verse. It seems, 
 however, better to retain it, as above. 
 
 29. The reason for God's thus call- 
 ing men. That no flesh, no man 
 (Acts 2: 17), should glory in his 
 presence ; according to the best manu- 
 scripts, before God. All ground of 
 boasting or of self-glorification is taken 
 away. " We may glory not before him 
 but 771 him" (Bexgel). The Corin- 
 thian brethren might well infer that 
 they must not glory in party leaders. 
 
 30. The ground and source of true 
 wisdom and all excellence. Not of the 
 world, with its wisdom and power, but 
 of him, the source of your spiritual 
 life (Rom. 11:36), are ye in Christ 
 Jesus, in union with him, Avho from 
 God — Christ is the gift of God to men 
 (John 3 : 16) — was made, or became, un- 
 
 to us wisdom. " i^?-om the Father, 
 through the Son, believers have their 
 existence, not merely as regards their 
 creation, but especially as regards their 
 new creation, of whose several stages 
 Christ is the essential representative" 
 (Olshausen). Both by what Christ 
 produces in us by the Spirit, and by his 
 doctrine, life, death, and resurrection, 
 he became irisdom, not by human re- 
 search, righteousness, not by works of 
 the law, sanctification or holiness, not 
 by human merit and a legal morality, 
 and redemption, not by paying the ran- 
 som ourselves. Some regard these terms 
 as co-ordinate, as in our Common ver- 
 sion. Others regard tvisdom as the 
 leading term and the other terms sub- 
 ordinate and explanatory. The latter is 
 favored by the more exact ti-anslation, 
 was made unto us icisdom, both right- 
 eousness and sanctification and redemp- 
 tion ; and by the stress Paul lays upon 
 wisdom throughout the chapter. Ac- 
 cording to this view these are the things 
 in which Christ becomes to us wisdom, 
 displaying infinite superiority over all 
 human wisdom. Both righteous- 
 ness and sanctification — closely 
 united, as if designating two sides of the 
 same work. Righteousness, the result 
 of our being regenerated and justified 
 through faith (Rom. i : 17 ; 3 : 21-24). Sanc- 
 tification, in union with whom we grow 
 in holiness — the new life grows on to 
 perfection (Rom. 6 : e-s). Redemption, 
 Christ having paid the price of our 
 deliverance from the captivity of sin. 
 The term here appears to emtjrace the 
 final and entire deliverance of the body, 
 as well as the soul from all the conse- 
 quences of sin (Rom. 8 : 23). 
 
 31. And this is in accordance with, 
 
198 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 and in fulfillment of Scripture. As it 
 is written, quoting freely from Jer. 
 9 : 23, 24, He that glorieth, let 
 him glory in the Lord, not in him- 
 self, nor in any human leader, how- 
 ever illustrious. The whole work of 
 salvation is of God, and the Corinthians 
 are thus shown that their party spirit is 
 opposed to the gospel. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. Christians are called both into Christ's 
 kingdom and to Christ's work (ver. 1, 
 2 ; 9 : 16 ; Rom. 12 : 6-8 ; John 17 : 18). 
 
 2. A New Testament church is com- 
 posed of converted people who have been 
 baptized upon a profession of their faith 
 in Christ (ver. 2, 13-16 ; Acts 2 : 41 ; 10 : 47, 
 48). 
 
 3. True Christians everywhere have a 
 spiritual union with Christ, and through 
 him with one another (ver. 2, 3 ; John 17 : 
 21-23). 
 
 4. Both the Father and the Son are 
 sources of peace and grace ; but only 
 through the Son are they manifested to 
 men (ver. 3, 4 ; Col. 1 : 19 ; 2 : 9, 10). 
 
 5. Commend all you can first, and 
 rebuke afterward (ver. 5-10 ; Rev. 2 : 2, 
 3, 13, 14). 
 
 6. If we must reprove, we should do it 
 in a spirit that is glad to concede all that 
 can be rightly demanded, and to com- 
 mend all that is deserved (ver. 4-7; 2 
 Tim. 4:2). 
 
 7. A submissive waiting for, an earnest 
 desire for, and a confident expectation of, 
 our Lord's return is an evidence of true 
 piety (ver. 7 ; Titus 2 : 13 ; 2 Peter 3 : 12 ; 
 Heb. 9 : 28). 
 
 8. It is God's design to keep his people 
 in the path of holiness unto the end 
 (ver. 8, 9 ; 1 Thess. 4:3: Rom. 8 : 29). 
 
 9. Christians participate with Christ in 
 spirit and heirship, in .suffering and in 
 glory (ver. 9 ; Rom. 8 : 9 ; 1 Peter 4 : 13 ; 
 Rev. 3 :21). 
 
 10. Christian unity can be truly realized 
 only by oneness in Christ, in his Spirit and 
 in the truth (ver. 10 ; John 17 : 19-22 ; Eph. 
 4 : 4, 5). 
 
 11. Discord and divisions in churches ! 
 mar their moral beauty and weaken 
 their efficiency (ver. 11-13 ; 3 : 3, 4). | 
 
 12. Many who caase divisions exalt j 
 human leaders above Christ, or exalt I 
 
 Christ for selfish ends (ver. 12 ; Rev. 2, 9, 
 14, 20). 
 
 13. Many are devoted to the preacher 
 rather than to Christ, and join the pastor 
 rather than the church (ver. 12, 13 ; Rom. 
 1 : 25). 
 
 14. The true gospel minister shrinks 
 from taking away the least glory from 
 Christ (ver. 13-15 ; Gal. 6 : 14). 
 
 15. Baptism is so important that it 
 is implied that all the Corinthian be- 
 lievers had been baptized (ver. 13-16). 
 
 16. Yet the reception of Christ by 
 faith is more important than baptism, 
 and preaching the gospel than baptizing 
 (ver. 14-17). 
 
 17. Baptism is to be usually performed 
 by the pastor and officers of the local 
 church (ver. 14-17). 
 
 18. The object of gospel preaching is 
 not to teach philosophy or to display 
 learning, but to present Christ in his 
 character and work for the salvation of 
 men (ver. 17-20; 2: 1, 5). 
 
 19. The humbling doctrines of the 
 gospel are distasteful to the wise men of 
 the world, and their power is such 
 as to confound and perplex them (ver. 
 18, 19 ; Mark 10 : 15 ; Acts 8 : 13). 
 
 20. The plan of salvation is not what 
 human wisdom would have devised. It 
 is evidently not of man (ver. 18-21 ; John 
 1:11, 17; 3: 11, 12). 
 
 21. In every age it has been true that 
 the world through its wisdom failed to 
 know God. Conceited human wisdom 
 leads away from, rather than to God 
 (ver. 21 ; 3 : 19 ; Gen. 6:5; 11 : 4 ; Rom. 
 1 : 22, 23). 
 
 22. We are to preach not what men de- 
 sire, but what they need (ver. 24 ; Acts 20 : 
 20, 21). 
 
 23. A morbid desire for miracles and a 
 conceit of wisdom both unfit men for the 
 reception of the gospel (ver. 22, 23 ; Matt. 
 16 : 1 ; Acts 17 : 18). 
 
 24. The preaching of the cross can se- 
 cure what no other teaching or preaching 
 can secure— the conversion and salva- 
 tion of men (ver. 24; John 3 : 14, 15 ; 1 
 Peter 1 : 23). 
 
 25. How great the power and wisdom 
 of God, if his feeblest efforts surpass the 
 wisest and mightiest efforts of men (ver. 
 25; Isa. 55 : 8, 9). 
 
Ch. IL] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 199 
 
 2 AND I, brethren, when I came to 
 you, •'came not with excellency of 
 speech or of wisdom, declaring unto 
 
 2 you "the testimony of God. For I de- 
 termined not to know any thing among 
 you, d save Jesus Christ, and him cruci- 
 
 3 fied. And ^i was with you ^in weak- 
 ness, and in fear, and in much trem- 
 
 2 AND I, when I came to you, breth- 
 ren, came not according to excellency 
 of word or of wisdom, proclaiming to 
 
 2 you the testimony of God. For I deter- 
 mined not to know anything among 
 you, but Jesus Christ, and him cruci- 
 
 3 fied. And I was with you in weak- 
 ness and in fear and in much trem- 
 
 6 1 : 17 ; 2 Cor. 10 : 10. 
 
 c 1 : 6 ; Acts 20 : 20-27. 
 / 2 Cor. 4:7; 10 
 
 dGal.6 : 14; Phil. 3 : 8-10. 
 1, 10 ; Gal. 4 : 13. 
 
 e Acts 18 : 1, 6-17. 
 
 26. The great mass of true believers 
 may ever be found among the humble 
 in life (ver. 26-28 ; Matt. 11 : 5 ; Luke 4 : 
 18). 
 
 27. Men of rank and wealth are sur- 
 rounded with peculiar temptations, which 
 too generally keep them from accepting 
 the gospel (ver. 26-28 ; Mark 10 : 24 ; 1 
 Tim. 6:9). 
 
 28. God shames the pride of men by 
 choosing the weak and the lowly (ver. 
 26-29; James 2 : 5). 
 
 29. All men are on a level before 
 God ; all must become willing to give 
 the entire glory of salvation to him 
 (ver. 29 ; Rom. 10 : 4, 12, 13 ; Luke 18 : 14 ; 
 Phil. 2 : 10, 11). 
 
 30. Christ is to the believer the source 
 of Divine wisdom, of perfect righteous- 
 ness, of true holiness, and of complete 
 deliverance from all the effects of sin 
 (ver. 30; Col. 2:3; Rom. 3 : 25, 26 ; Eph. 
 4:20-23; Col. 2 : 10). 
 
 31. A disposition to humble ourselves 
 and exalt God is an evidence of true 
 piety (ver. 31 ; Ps. 115 : 1). 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Paul describes how he had preached 
 Christ only in great simplicity (ver. 1-5) ; 
 yet the gospel contained the truest wis- 
 dom (ver. 6-9) ; was rcvcalcd by the 
 Spirit (ver. 10-13) ; and must be spirit- 
 ually discerned and received (ver. 14-16). 
 
 1-5. Paul peeached not him- 
 self BUT Christ ceucified. He 
 did not use words of worldly wisdom. 
 
 1. In view of what he had already 
 said in the preceding chapter, Paul 
 proceeds to justify his manner of preach- 
 ing. And I, emphatic, returning to 
 what he had said in 1 : 17, 23, with a 
 view of showing that he had acted ac- 
 cordingly. Not with excellency of 
 speech, the distinguished eloquence 
 of the orator; or of wisdom, of the 
 philosopher. Declaring, or announ- 
 
 cing at once upon his coming. Note 
 the three words for preaching, bearing 
 glad tidings (i^i^), heralding, publicly 
 proclaiming (i:^3), and here announ- 
 cing the message. The testimony of 
 God, concerning God, regarding Chi-ist 
 as God's gift for the sins of the world, 
 for the salvation of men. ( Comp. i : e ; 
 15:15.) The testimony of God and of 
 Christ agree, and are substantially the 
 
 same (John 3:34; 8:18). SomC of the 
 
 oldest manuscripts have mystery, the 
 secret counsel of God, instead of testi- 
 mony. Internal evidence favors the 
 latter. It seems quite probable that 
 the former crept in as a marginal gloss 
 from ver. 7. 
 
 2. And this conduct was the result 
 of a settled purpose. For I deter- 
 mined not to know anything, the 
 sum and substance of my knowledge, 
 among you, banishing everything 
 else from my thoughts and teaching, 
 save Jesus Christ, in his person 
 and life, the risen and ascended Christ, 
 the living Christ, and him crucified, 
 as the one who was crucified, having 
 sulFered this shameful death for our 
 sins. Thus he began by preaching the 
 simple doctrine of salvation through 
 the dying yet living Christ. Notice 
 that he does not say to know about 
 Christ, but to knotv Jesus Christ, the 
 Saviour Messiah. ChrivSt filled his con- 
 sciousness, in living union with his 
 soul, and he held up Christ as a living, 
 glorious reality. 
 
 3. In the preceding verse Paul de- 
 scribes his theme, in this verse the 
 preacher, and in the next his preach- 
 ing. And I, emphatic. His theme 
 had been the humbling doctrine of the 
 cross and he, the preacher, also con- 
 scious of his own weakness. I n 
 weakness, in fear and in much 
 trembling. He had no self-con- 
 fidence, but rather a sense of insufii- 
 ciency and unworthiness for so great a 
 work, and self-mistrust and anxiety 
 
200 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 4 bliiig. And my speech and my preach- 
 ing kitcw not with enticing words of 
 man's wisdom, •> but in demonstration 
 
 5 of the Spirit and of power : that your 
 faith should not stand in the wisdom 
 of men, but ' in the power of God. 
 
 6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among 
 them that are ^ perfect : yet not ' the 
 wLsdom of this world, nor of the 
 princes of this world, ™that come to 
 
 7 nought : but we speak the wisdom of 
 
 4 bling. And my word and my preach- 
 ing was not in persuasive words of wis- 
 dom, but in demonstration of the 
 
 5 Spirit and of power; tlaat your faith 
 might not be in tlie wisdom of men, 
 but in the power of God. 
 
 6 But we speak wisdom among the 
 perfect ; yet a wisdom not of this age, 
 nor of the rulers of this age, who are 
 
 7 coming to naught. But we speak 
 
 ff 1 : 17 ; 2 Peter 1 : 16. h Zech. 4:6; Rom. 15 : 19 ; 1 Thess. 1:5. t 2 Cor. 4 : 7 ; 6 : 7. 
 k See refs. Matt. 5 : 48 ; Eph. 4 : 13 ; Phil. 3 : 15 ; Heb. 5 : 14 ; 6 : 12. 11: 18-20 ; 3 : 19 ; 2 Cor.l : 12. 
 
 »n 1 : 28. 
 
 (2 Cor. 2 : 16). And the Lord encouraged 
 him in a night vision (Actsis :9, lo). 
 Doubtless his bodily infirmity, to which 
 he often alludes, contributed to his 
 sense of weakness ( Gai. 4 : 13 ; 2 cor. 12 : 7 ; 
 11 : 30). I was with you at my com- 
 ing (ver. 1), and continued to be with 
 you (vcr. 4) in this conscious state of 
 weakness. 
 
 4. And also my speech, my con- 
 versation in private and my preach- 
 ing in public was not in enticing 
 words, persuasive arguments of wis- 
 dom, such as philosoi^hers and the 
 learned of the world were accustomed 
 to use. Man's should be omitted, ac- 
 cording to the highest authorities. It 
 was in demonstration, the eviden- 
 cing manifestation of the Holy Spirit 
 and divine power. The word trans- 
 lated demonstration occurs only here in 
 the New Testament and means a show- 
 ing faith, and then a proof. It seems to 
 refer here to the evidence or proof 
 which the Spirit produced, working in 
 and through the apostle upon the hearts 
 of his hearers, showing that it was 
 God's own truth (1 Thess. 1:5), and con- 
 victing of sin (1 John 3:5-8; Titus 3:5), 
 
 and becoming the power of God unto 
 
 salvation (Rom. l : 16 ; John 15 : 3 ; James 1 : 18 ; 
 1 Pfter 1 : 23). 
 
 5. The result and Divine purpose of 
 this. That yonr faith in Christ and 
 in his gospel might not stand, he based, 
 in the Avisdom, the philosophy and 
 reasonings, of men, but in the 
 power of God accompanying the 
 word preached, (f'ee on i : 24. ) 
 
 6-16. The gospel contains the 
 true wisdom, revealed by the 
 Spirit, and only spiritually dis- 
 cerned. 
 
 6. Howbeit— but though we speak 
 tlius depreciatingly of worldly wi.'sdom, 
 
 we, as preachers of the gospel, do 
 speak Avisdom among them that 
 are perfect, full-grown, matured, in 
 contrast to babes in 3:1. The word 
 perfect does not here mean absolute 
 perfection; it is applied to mature 
 Christians, to those who are adults in 
 the Christian life (u : 20: Eph. 4 : 13 ; Heb. 
 5:14). The apostle also meets the ob- 
 jection that might arise that he ignored 
 all wisdom. God certainly had given 
 man the faculties for receiving wisdom ; 
 and the Old Testament, especially Prov- 
 erbs, chapters 8 and 9, had spoken of 
 wisdom. He explains himself; he 
 speaks wisdom, but not a wisdom of 
 this Avorld, such as argumentation, 
 earthly reasoning, and disputations; 
 nor of the princes of this world, 
 the mighty and noble (1^26), espe- 
 cially 7'ulers of the world (Acts 4 : 27 ; see on 
 
 vcr. 8) ; but of a higher order, of a 
 nobler kind. That come to nought 
 — who are coming to nothing (1 : 28) , as to 
 their plans, wisdom, pomp, and splen- 
 dor (is-1- 1*). 
 
 7. What this wisdom is. Notice that 
 the apostle uses the words declaring 
 (ver. 1) and preaching (ver. 4), referring 
 to his early public proclamation of the 
 gospel at Corinth ; but here and in ver. 
 6 and 13 he uses the work speak--<o 
 speak one^s mind, disclose — referring 
 probably to later and more private in- 
 struction. " The primary meaning of 
 the work to speak — to utter one's self 
 — enables us easily to understand its 
 very frequent use in the sacred writers 
 to denote the utterances by which 
 God indicates or gives proof of his 
 mind and will, whether immediately or 
 through the instrumentality of his mes- 
 sengers and heralds " (Thayer'S N. T. 
 Lex.). But we speak, or disclose, 
 the wisdom of God, or God's u^'s 
 
 I 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 201 
 
 God in a mystery, even the hidden tvis- 
 dom, n which God ordained before the 
 
 8 world unto our glory : <> which none of 
 the princes of this world knew: for 
 p had they known it, they would not 
 
 9 have crucified the Lord of glory. But 
 as it is written, Eye hath not seen, 
 nor ear heard, neither have entered 
 into the heart of man, the things 
 which God hath prepared for them 
 
 10 that love him. But iGod hath re- 
 vealed them unto us ^ by his Spirit : for 
 
 God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden 
 wisdom which Grod predestined be- 
 
 8 fore the ages to our glory ; which no 
 one of the rulers of this age knows ; 
 for had they known it, they would not 
 
 9 have crucified the Lord of glory ; but 
 (as it is written). 
 
 Things which eye saw not, and ear 
 
 heard not. 
 And that entered not into man's 
 
 heart. 
 Whatsoever things God prepared for 
 
 those who love him ; 
 10 but to us God revealed them through 
 
 n See refs. Rom. 16 : 25, 26. o Matt. 11 : 25 ; Acts 13 : 27. p Acts 3 : 17. 
 
 q Matt. 11 : 25-27 ; 13 : 11 ; 16 : 17 ; Eph. 3:5. r See refs. John 14 : 26. 
 
 dom {God is emphatic), in, or as, a 
 mystery, even the hidden wis- 
 dom which God ordained, or /ore- 
 ordained, before the world unto, 
 or for, our glory. Jlystery is some- 
 thing hidden or secret, and among the 
 Greeks was used to denote those rites 
 which were confided only to the in- 
 itiated, and were kept secret from the 
 outside world. It here means God's 
 secret purpose in providing salvation 
 for man, which was once hidden, but 
 now revealed (i : i ; Eph. 3 : 3-5 ,- Rom. I6 : 25 ; 
 Col. 1:26). It was hidden from angels 
 as well as from men (1 Peter 1 : 12). This 
 plan of redemption was in God's mind 
 before the world, or the ages, from 
 
 eternity (Acts 2:23,- Eph. 3:9; Rev. 13:8). 
 
 And all this /or our glory, the spirit- 
 ual splendor of his people, in contrast 
 to the rulers of this world, who will be 
 brought to nothingness (ver. 6). 
 
 8. Which, wi.sdom, none, betterj 
 no one, of the princes, or rulers, oi 
 this world knew, or has knoivn. 
 The Jewish leaders, Herod and Pontius 
 Pilate, were the representatives of this 
 world's rulers (Acts 4 : 26, 27), And their 
 ignorance is evident, for had they 
 know^n it they would not have 
 crucified the Lord of glory (Acts 
 3 : 17 ; Luke 23 : 34), ^vlio is the beginning* 
 and end of this divine wisdom. Notice 
 the striking contrast between the shame- 
 ful death upon the cross and the Lord, 
 
 the possessor ^d giver (James 2 :l). 
 
 There seems to be an allusion to our 
 glory (ver. 7), and the epithet may be 
 translated^ the Lord of that glory of 
 which he is the embodiment and source 
 
 (John 17 : 1-5, 22). 
 
 9. This is closely connected with 
 what precedes, and should be only sepa- 
 
 rated from ver. 8 by a semicolon. It 
 may be translated : hut {as it is written ) 
 things lohich eye saxv not and ear heard 
 not, and ichich entered not into the 
 heart of man, namely, the things which 
 God prepared for them that love him. 
 There has been much discussion whence 
 these words are taken. They appear to 
 be a free quotation from Isa. 64 : 4, 
 combining with it truth taught in other 
 portions of the Old Testament. Some 
 would refer to such passages as Isa. 
 52 : 15 ; 65 : 16, 17. Or we may regard 
 the apostle as expanding and explain- 
 ing the first three clauses by the last 
 clause. This wisdom consisted not 
 only of things unseen and unheard, 
 but also inconceivable, the things, he 
 adds, which God prepared for them 
 that love him. This does not refer to 
 the future happiness of the redeemed, 
 but to the wisdom which was revealed : 
 by the Spirit and taught by the apos- • 
 ties (ver. 10). In Heb. 6 : 1, 2, we have 
 named the elements of the doctrines of 
 Christ, such as faith toward God, etc. 
 (Comp. Heb. 5 : 12.) Bcyoiid the simple 
 and fundamental truths which would 
 be first preached to men were the deep 
 things of God (ver. lo), the great doc- 
 trines which Paul discusses in his 
 Epistles to the Komans, Galatians, 
 Philippians, Ephesians, and Colos- 
 
 Sians (Rom. 3: 21-26; 11 : 33-36; Phil. 2:5-12, 
 etc.). 
 
 10. In this and the two following 
 verses Paul speaks of the revelation of 
 this wisdom. But God hath re- 
 vealed — removed the veil, disclosed, 
 that which was before unknown. 
 Them, the things spoken of in ver. 
 9 ; unto us, Paul and his fellow-apos- 
 tles and teachers (ver. 6, 12, 13). By, 
 
202 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. IL 
 
 the Spirit » seareheth all things, yea, 
 
 11 the deep things of God. For what 
 man kuoweth the things of a man, 
 ♦save the spirit of man which is in 
 him? "even so the things of God 
 knoweth no man, but the Spirit of 
 God. 
 
 12 Now we have received, not the spirit 
 of the world, but 'the spirit whien is 
 of God ; y that we might know the 
 things that are » freely given to us of 
 
 13 God. a Which things also we speak, 
 not in the words which man's wisdom 
 teacheth, but which the Holv Ghost 
 teacheth ; comparing spiritual things 
 
 the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all 
 
 11 things, even the depths of God. For 
 who among men knows the things of 
 the man, but the spirit of the man, 
 which is in him ? So also the things of 
 God no one knows, but the Spirit of 
 
 12 God. And we received, not the spirit 
 of the world, but the spirit whicn is 
 from God ; that we might know the 
 things that were freely given to us by 
 
 13 God. Which things also we speak, not 
 in words taught by human wisdom, 
 but in those taught by the Spirit; 
 combining spiritual things with spirit- 
 ual. 
 
 s See refs. 1 Chron. 28 : 9. t Prov. 14 : 10 ; 20 : 27. u Rom. 11 : 33, 34. x Rom. 8 : 15, 16. 
 
 y John 16 : 14, 15 ; 1 John 2 : 20, 27. z Rom. 3 : 24 ; 8 : 32. a See refs. ver. 4. 
 
 through, his, rather, the, Spirit, the 
 preferable text. The reason and proof 
 of this given as far as ver. 12. For 
 the Spirit searcheth, examining in- 
 to, implying accurate knowledge (Rom. 8 : 
 27; Rev.2 :23), alJ thiugs, yca the 
 deep things, or, even the depths of 
 God, his being, attributes, his coun- 
 sels, and infinite fullness (Rom. ii:33). 
 Notice that the Holy Spirit is spoken 
 of in this and the next verse as distinct 
 from God the Father. 
 
 11. The knowledge of God concern- 
 ing himself is illustrated analogically 
 by man's knowledge concerning him- 
 self. Since man was made in the im- 
 age of God, the analogy holds good, 
 though man being finite, the knowl- 
 edge in God's case is infinitely more 
 complete. For what man, etc., 
 rather, For who among men knotveth 
 the things of a man, his inner 
 self, his thoughts and plans, save 
 the spirit of man which is in 
 him. No .stranger can search into the 
 depths of another's soul ; only the man 
 himself can do this. Even so the 
 things of God knoweth no one 
 but the Spirit of God, who alone 
 stands in such a relation as to know 
 what is in the Divine mind (Jobii:7; 
 isa. 40 : 28). The Only point which Paul 
 here brings out and illustrates is that 
 tlie Spirit of God alone can reveal 
 the things of God. Hence the analogy 
 should not be carried further. (Comp. 
 
 Matt. 11 : 27 ; John 14 : 26 ; 16 : 13. ) 
 
 12. Note the argument : And we 
 liave the Spirit (this vtrsc), and the 
 Spirit knowetli all things (vor. lo, ii), 
 therefore are tliese tilings revealed to 
 us (ver. 10). Now We havc received, 
 
 rather, and we received, when we be- 
 came disciples. Not the spirit of 
 the world, "the spirit that now 
 worketh in the children of disobe- 
 dience " (Eph. 2:2), the god of tliis world 
 
 (2 Cor. 4:4; John 12 : 31 ; 8 : 44 ; see James 3 : 15), 
 
 But the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, 
 which is of, rather, from God (John 
 15 : 26). The design of this reception of 
 the Spirit was that we might know 
 the things that are freely given 
 to us of, rather, by God. These 
 gifts of his grace are the treasures of 
 wisdom and glory revealed in the gospel 
 
 ( ver. 9. Comp. Rom. 8 : 24-26 ; Eph. 2 : 4-10). 
 
 13. Which things, freely given us 
 by God (ver. \-i)^we also speak, not in 
 the words, the arguments and rhe- 
 torical fonnfi, taught by humamoisdom, 
 but in those taught by the Spirit. Holy 
 is omitted by the best critical author- 
 ities. Comparing spiritual things 
 with spiritual. These words have 
 been variously explained. Some: Com- 
 paring spiritual things, just as in sec- 
 ular matters we compare secular with 
 secular. Others: Interpreting or ex- 
 2)laining (the word is so used in the 
 Septuagint, Gen. 40 : 8, 16, 22 ; 41 : 12, 
 15; Dan. 5:12) spiritual things in 
 spiritual wordSj or to spiritual men, 
 that is, conveying spiritual truths in 
 suitable words. But others more ex- 
 actly translate, Combining spiritual 
 things with spiritual, that is, with 
 spiritual words, as taught by the Spirit, 
 Thus adapting the discourse to the 
 subject, putting together things that 
 agree and belong together side by side, 
 spiritual with spiritual, in speaking of 
 the things freely given us by God. 
 Seeking to convey spiritual truths by 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 203 
 
 14 with spiritual. ^ But the natural man 
 = receiveth not the things of the Spirit 
 of Grod : ^ for they are foolishness unto 
 him: ^neithercanhe know them, because 
 
 15 they are spiritually discerned. ^But 
 he that is spiritual ^ judgeth all things, 
 yet he himself is judged of no man. 
 
 16 ^YoT Avho hath known the mind of 
 the Lord, that he may instruct him ? 
 'But we have the mind of Christ. 
 
 14 But a natural man receives not the 
 things of the Spirit of God, for they 
 are foolishness to him ; and he can 
 not know them, because they are 
 
 15 spiritually judged. But he tliat is 
 spiritual judges all things ; but he him- 
 
 16 self is judged by no one. For who has 
 known the mind of the Lord, that he 
 should instruct him ? But we have the 
 mind of Christ. 
 
 b Matt. 16 : 23 ; Jude 19. c John 3 : 3-6. d 1 : 18, 23. e Johu 6 : 44, 45 ; Acts 17 : 18 ; Eom. 8 : 5-8. 
 
 / 3 : 1 ; 14 : 37. g Prov. 28 : 5 ; John 7 : 17 ; 1 John 4:1. A See refs. Job 15 : 8. 
 
 I John 15 : 15; Gal. 1 : 12. 
 
 words of human wisdom would be in- 
 congruous. 
 
 14. But every one has not the ca- 
 pacity for receiving these spiritual 
 truths. But the natural man, in 
 his physical, natural state, under the 
 control of his corrupt, sensuous, and 
 animal nature, opposed to his spiritual 
 man, which has been regenerated by the 
 
 Holy Spirit (Jude 19 : James 3 : 15). Paul 
 
 presupposes the three-fold division of 
 man into body, soul, and spirit (1 Theas. 
 
 5 :23; Heb. 4:12). ThC thiugS Of the 
 
 Spirit of God . . . are foolish- 
 ness, appearing as folly (i: is), to 
 him, and he cannot know them, not 
 being able to understand them be- 
 cause they are spiritually dis- 
 cerned, ox judged of (ver. 15; 4 : 3, 4). 
 
 It is only as we have the Spirit of God 
 that we can estimate and determine the 
 blessedness of divine things. We must 
 have the spiritual capacity. 
 
 15. But he that is spiritual, the 
 spiritual man, who is under the con- 
 trol and enlightenment of God's Spirit 
 (14:37; Gal. 6:1), judgeth all things, 
 examines and determines concerning 
 the things of God (ver. 12, is), and all 
 things necessary to salvation (1 xhess. 
 5:21). But he himself is judged 
 hy no one who is not spiritual. This is 
 evidently the meaning; the privilege 
 and ability of judging is given to the 
 spiritual in this verse, and in 14 : 29 ; 
 1 John 4:1. He occupies a higher 
 position than the natural man, and in 
 his spiritual exercises is beyond the 
 scrutiny of the natural, unrenewed 
 man. Paul often exercised his spirit- 
 ual judgment in his estimate of per- 
 sons and things (chap. 7, 8; I6 : 1, 2; Gal. 2 : 
 14-16; Acts 13 : 9, etc.). 
 
 16. Proof of the foregoing by Scrii)- 
 ture, quoted from the Septuagint of 
 Isa. 40 : 13. For who hath known 
 
 the mind of the Lord, the thoughts, 
 purposes, and disposition of the Lord, 
 that he may instruct him? But 
 we, the spiritual, have the mind of 
 Christ, which is here made identical 
 with the mind of the Lord. As no one 
 can know and instruct God, so the 
 natural man cannot know and exer- 
 cise judgment upon us who are spirit- 
 ual and possessed of the thoughts and 
 disposition of Christ. " The possession 
 of this mind of Christ renders him 
 who has it a mystery to him who has it 
 not. The workings of his soul, thus 
 enlightened by a higher power, are in- 
 scrutable to those who are destitute of 
 spiritual vision" (J. J. Lias). 
 
 Peactical Remarks. 
 
 1. Ministers of the gospel should faith- 
 fully speak God's bidding in language 
 plain, simple, and intelligible to all (ver. 
 1 ; Jonah 3:2; Jer. 1 : 17 ; 23 : 28 ; Acts 
 5 : 20). 
 
 2. The Chri.stian minister should knoxo 
 Christ, and live by faith in a crucified 
 and risen Saviour (ver. 2; Gal. 2 : 20; 
 Rom. 15 : 29). 
 
 3. The great purpose of the gospel 
 preacher should be to present Christ cru- 
 cified. The incarnation and the resurrec- 
 tion and all doctrine and teaching should 
 bear relation to the great doctrine of the 
 atonement (ver. 2 ; Rom. 3 : 23-26 ; Phil. 
 2 : ^13). 
 
 4. The preaching of the cross, as Paul 
 preached it, is the only kind of preaching 
 that will be truly successful (ver. 1-4 ; 1 : 
 23, 24; Johns : 14 ; 12:32). 
 
 5. Feeling our own insufficiency, we 
 trust Christ the more and accomplish 
 most for him (ver. 3-5 ; 2 Cor. 12 : 9, 10). 
 
 6. The gospel gives evidence to its di- 
 vine origin and power in the conversion 
 
204 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. III. 
 
 Correction of party spint ; Paul's ministry 
 exhibited and defended. 
 
 3 AND I, brethren, could not speak 
 unto you as unto ''spiritual, but as un- 
 to 1 carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 
 
 3 AND I, brethren, was not able to 
 speak to you as spiritual, but as carnal, 
 
 A2 : 15; Gal. 6 : 1. 
 
 I Ver. 3, 4 ; 2 : 14. 
 
 of sinners and in the building up of 
 Christians in heart and life (ver. 4, 5 ; 1 
 Thess. 1:5). 
 
 7. The Christian has in his own ex- 
 perience the proof that the gospel is of 
 God and not of man (ver. 5 ; John 4 : 41 ; 
 9 : 25, 38). 
 
 8. The gospel reveals true and divine 
 wisdom, and the more mature the Chris- 
 tian, the greater his power to receive it. 
 The more he grows in grace, the greater 
 his knowledge of the truth (ver. 6; Phil. 
 3 : 13-16; 2 Peter 3 : 18). 
 
 9. God has designed the gospel to re- 
 dound to the final glory of believers (ver. 
 7; 2 Tim. 1 : 10; Rom. 2 : 7). 
 
 10. Unconscious sins may bring ujxjn 
 ourselves and others interminable evils. 
 Yet ignorance is no excuse, since suflB- 
 cient light has been given (ver. 8 ; John 5 : 
 36; 10:35; Luke 16: 31). 
 
 11. Christians have spiritual views dif- 
 ferent from others— of God, of Christ, 
 of truth and salvation, of heaven and 
 eternity (ver. 9, 10 ; John 14 : 26 ; 16 : 12- 
 14). 
 
 12. The Holy Spirit is a Divine Person. 
 So also we read of Christ "the Lord of 
 glory" (ver. 8), and of the "Father of 
 glory" (Eph. 1:17), and the "Spirit of 
 glory" (1 Peter 4 : 14), pointing to their 
 equal divinity (ver. 10-12). 
 
 13. Through the Spirit the Christian 
 may know of God, thus enjoy the illu- 
 mination of the Spirit and know his 
 gracious puryMises toward him, and be 
 as.sured of his oAvn salvation. Conse- 
 quently his spirit is different from that of 
 the world (ver. 12 ; John 15 : 16). 
 
 14. Paul was in.spired, and under the 
 influence of the Spirit spoke the inspired 
 truth of God. Inspiration is the guid- 
 ance of the Holy Spirit in communicating 
 divine revelation (ver. 13 ; 7 : 10, 12 ; 11 : 
 23: Gal. 1 : 1). 
 
 15. Men by nature are blind to the 
 spirituality of the gospel and to the beau- 
 ties of religion, and need enlightenment 
 
 and regeneration by the Holy Spirit (ver. 
 14 ; Rom. 8:6-8; Rev. 3 : 17). 
 
 16. The truly spiritual man should live 
 above the world, yet in the world, and 
 interested in the duties and work of 
 every-day life (ver. 5 ; John 17 : 15-18). 
 
 17. Our spiritual exercises should be in 
 accordance with the mind and teaching 
 of Christ, and regulated by his written 
 word (ver. 16; 14 : 33, 40). 
 
 18. We should pray for the 'Spirit, that 
 he may enable us to see and receive the 
 truth. We need the illumination of the 
 Spirit to understand revelation aright 
 (ver. 6-16 ; Ps. 119 : 18 ; John 16 : 13). 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Paul returns to the partyism in the 
 Corinthian church and applies what 
 he had said, showing that they were 
 carnally minded (ver. 1-4) ; and that 
 Christian teachers are but servants and 
 workers with God, who alone gives the 
 increase (ver. 5-9) ; that he himself had 
 laid Christ as the foundation among 
 them and others had l)uilded thereon 
 (ver. 10, 11); and that each man's work 
 would be tested at the judgment (ver. 
 12-15). Reminding them that they are 
 the temple of God, he warns them of 
 their danger and responsibility (ver. 
 16,17), and exhorts them to renounce 
 their false wisdom, and to willingly 
 lose everything, and not glory in men, 
 so that in Christ they may be wise and 
 gain all things (ver. 18-23). 
 
 1-4. Party spirit and divisions 
 prove that the corinthians are 
 carnal-minded. 
 
 1. What I have said was exemplified 
 in your case, and accordingly I, 
 brethren, tvas not able to speak un- 
 to you, when I was with you, as un- 
 to spiritual — regenerate, under the 
 control and enlightenment of the Holy 
 Spirit — such persons as were referred to 
 in 2 : 15 ; but as carnal — as men of 
 flesh, influenced by animal appetites 
 and a corrupt human nature, rather 
 than by the Spirit of God. On the 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 205 
 
 2 I have fed you with " milk, and not 
 with meat : " for hitherto ye were not 
 able to bear it, neither yet now are ye 
 
 3 able ; for ye are yet carnal. For 
 9 whereas there is among you envying, 
 and strife, and divisions, are ye not 
 
 4 carnal, and walk as men ? For while 
 one saith, p I am of Paul ; and another, 
 I am of Apollos ; are ye not carnal ? 
 
 5 Who then is Paul, "and who is Apol- 
 los, but 1 ministers by whom ye 
 believed, reven as the Lord gave to 
 
 6 every man? « i have planted, « Apollos 
 watered ; " but God gave the increase. 
 
 7 So then ^ neither is he that plauteth 
 any thing, neither he that watereth ; 
 
 8 but Grod that giveth the increase. Now 
 
 2 as babes in Christ. I fed you with 
 milk, and not with solid food : for ye 
 were not yet able to bear it ; nay, not 
 
 3 even now "are ye able ; for ye are yet 
 carnal. For whereas there is among 
 you envying and strife, are ye not 
 carnal, and do ye not walk as men? 
 
 4 For whenever one says, I am of Paul ; 
 and another, I am of Apollos ; are ye 
 
 5 not men ? What then is Apollos ? and 
 what is Paul ? Servants through whom 
 ye believed, and that as the Lord gave 
 
 6 to each one. I planted, Apollos 
 
 7 watered ; but God made it grow. So 
 then neither is he that plants any- 
 thing, nor he that waters ; but God 
 
 8 who makes it grow. And he that plants 
 
 m Heb. 5 : 12-14. n John 16 : 12. o 11 : 18 ; Gal. 5 : 20, 21 ; James 3 : 16. p 1 : 12. g 2 Cor. 3:3,6. 
 
 r 12 : 4-11, 28 ; Rom. 12:3-6; 1 Peter 4 : 10, 11. s 4 : 14, 15 ; 9 : 1 ; Acts 18 : 4, 8, 11. 
 
 t Acts 18 : 24, 27 ; 19 : 1. « 15 : 10. i 2 Cor. 3:5; 12 : 11. 
 
 meaning and use of carnal, see note on 
 Rom, 7 : 14. It is not meant that they 
 were really unregenerate, for Paul 
 adds, as unto babes in Christ. 
 
 He could not preach the divine wisdom 
 in its fullness to them (2 : e, lo), for they 
 were not prepared to receive it ( ver. 2. 
 
 Comp. Heb. 5 : 11-15). 
 
 2. I have fed, rather, //ecZ you, 
 when at Corinth, with milk, the 
 
 simple elementary truths of the gospel. 
 Not with meat, or solid food, the 
 more difficult doctrines and higher 
 views of the spiritual life (2:6,7). 
 Compare the higher flights in the Epis- 
 tle to the Ephesians in contrast to the 
 lower subjects principally dealt with in 
 this Epistle. Such lofty views of 
 spiritual thought they were not yet 
 able to receive. 
 
 3. For ye are yet carnal— :^&s^/i/, 
 exhibiting the influence of animal 
 appetites and a corrupt human nature. 
 The idea is not that the natural animal 
 appetites are in themselves sinful, but 
 rather that human nature is sinful. 
 The bodily appetites are, however, 
 often a source of temptation and sin. 
 Their envying and strife Avere evi- 
 dences of an animal and corrupt nature 
 in them (Gai. 5 : 19-21), and that they were 
 walking as men after the manner of 
 men (i5:32) in their natural, unre- 
 newed state (Rom. 8:3). 
 
 4. Paul and Apollos, represent- 
 ing different classes of teachers. Are 
 ye not carnal ? or according to the 
 majority of critical authorities, Are ye 
 not men f purely human and exhibiting 
 the natural, unrenewed state of men. 
 
 5-9. Christian preachers and 
 teachers only servants and 
 
 WORKMEN ; God gives THE IN- 
 CREASE. 
 
 5. Who then is Paul, etc. The 
 best critical authorities read, What 
 then is Apollos, and what is Paul? 
 Ministers, or sfri'«n/s through whom 
 ye believed, even as the Lord gave 
 to each one — and that too, as Christ 
 has allotted to each one his labor and 
 
 success (Eph. 4: 7-12). 
 
 6. I have, rather, / planted, in 
 preaching the gospel first at Corinth 
 (Acts 18 : i-ii). Apollos watered, 
 while Paul passed through the upper 
 districts of Asia (Acts 19 :i). Paul had 
 peculiar ability in starting work and 
 churches, as seen wherever he went. 
 But Apollos appears to have had the 
 ability of fostering and advancing the 
 spiritual work already begun. But 
 in both cases God gave the in- 
 crease, or caused it to groiv — made 
 their labors eifectual. The exact agree- 
 ment of Paul's incidental reference 
 here with the history in the Acts 
 (18 : 1-27) is an evidence of the genuine- 
 ness and truthfulness of both this Epis- 
 tle and the Acts. 
 
 7. So then, an inference from the 
 preceding, neither is he that plant- 
 eth or watereth anything, of any 
 consequence, but comparatively as 
 nothing. But God that giveth the 
 increase, better, Makest it to groio. 
 "Gifts can effect as little in spiritual 
 as diligence and expertness in temporal 
 matters, without God's blessing" (Ols- 
 
 HArSEN). 
 
206 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. III. 
 
 y he that plantrth and he that watereth 
 are one ; » and every man shall receive 
 his own reward according to his own 
 9 labour. For "we are labourers together 
 with God: ye are ''God's hu.sbandry, 
 
 10 ye are ^ God's building. According to 
 the grace of God which is given unto 
 me, as a wise master-builder, I have 
 laid dthe foundation, and another 
 buildeth thereon. But •'let every man 
 take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 
 
 11 For other foundation can no man lay 
 than ^that is laid, which is Jesus 
 
 and he that waters are one ; but each 
 will receive his own wages according 
 9 to his own lalx)r. F(jr we are God's 
 fellow-workers ; ye are God's field, 
 God's building. 
 
 10 According to the grace of God which 
 was given to nie, as a wise master- 
 builder I laid a foundation, and another 
 builds thereon. But let each one take 
 
 11 heed how he builds thereon. For 
 other foundation can no one lay than 
 that which is laid, which is Jesus 
 
 y John 4 : 36-38. z See refs. Job 34 : 11 ; Gal. 6 : 4, 5 ; Rev. 2 : 23. a Mark 16 : 20 ; 2 Cor. 6 : 1. 
 
 6 Isa. 5:1-7; Matt. 21 : 33-40 ; John 15 : 1, 2. c Eph. 2 : 10, 20-22. d 4 : 15 ; Rom. 15 : 20. 
 
 e 1 Peter 4:11. / Matt. 16 : 18 ; Acts 4 : 11, 12 ; Gal. 1:7-9; Eph. 2 : 20. 
 
 8. Now, better, Ayid, he that 
 planteth and he that watereth 
 
 are one thing, one instrumentality, 
 they belong together, being fellow- 
 laborers. This equality is opposed to 
 any supposed superiority, or to any 
 rivalry of teachers, or to party spirit 
 among them. Notice how the neuter 
 gender is used in this and preceding 
 verses, as if to emphasize the contrast 
 between the workers, who are servants 
 and instruments, and God, who works 
 through them. And every man, 
 better, each, he that plants and he that 
 waters, shall receive his oAvn re- 
 ward, or wages, according to his 
 own labour, which he has done and 
 his faithfulness in doing it (2Cor. 5:i0; 
 2 Tim. 4:8). They are but servants and 
 responsible to God. 
 
 9. For introduces a reason for what 
 he had just said, For we are God's 
 fe/low-tvorkers. Being fellow-ivorkers 
 they were one in the nature and equal- 
 ity of their works, and being fellow- 
 workers of God they were accountable 
 to him and would receive their wages 
 of him. While subordinate to him 
 they are nevertheless God's helpers 
 and workers together with him (2Cor. 
 5: 20; 6:1). They had also worked in 
 one place and among one people. Ye 
 are God's husbandry, or field, ye 
 are God's building — the field and 
 building were not theirs but God's, 
 and to him they were responsible. 
 Notice a distinction is here made be- 
 tween the preacher and the people. 
 The last figure of a building is added 
 to introduce what follows. 
 
 10-17. The BriLDERS and the 
 BFTLDING. They build on Christ, but 
 often with different materials. Their 
 
 dangers and responsibility. Character 
 building. 
 
 10, According to the grace, the 
 favor, of God which 7cas given me 
 in my labors among you, fitting me 
 for, and enabling me to do the work, 
 not merely as a builder, but as a 
 wise or skillfnl masterbuilder, or 
 architect, I laid (omit have) a foun- 
 dation and another, whoever he 
 may be, buildeth thereon, carrying 
 on the work begun. The work at Cor- 
 inth he had presented under the figure 
 of a field (ver. 5-8) ; now as a building. 
 But, turning to a new point of \new — 
 the kind of building and the reward 
 of the builders — let every man, each 
 one, take heed how he buildeth 
 thereupon. There may be many 
 methods and materials in building 
 thereon, but he assumes that there can 
 be but one foundation, which he also 
 asserts in the next verse. 
 
 11. I have taken for granted, Paul 
 might have said, that there is but one 
 foundation. For other foundation 
 can no man lay than that is laid, 
 
 by God himself (isa. 28:16; Rom. 9:33), 
 
 which is Jesus Christ, (see aiso 
 
 Eph. 2 : 20: 1 Peter 2:6.) Notice that it 
 
 is Christ himself who is the founda- 
 tion, and not mere teaching ahoxit 
 Christ. Yet Christ is the great Ee- 
 vealer, the sum and substance of the 
 gospel, "the way, the truth, and the 
 
 life " (John 14 : 6, on which see note; Col. 2:3). 
 
 Paul lind laid this foundation among 
 the Corinthians (ver. lo) by preaching 
 Christ crucified (2:i-5), Christ being 
 received by them in faith, and formed 
 in them by the Holy Spirit, the hope 
 of glory (Col. 1 : 27). '" Jesus Christ, the 
 foundation of the whole church upon 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 I. CORIXTHIANS 
 
 207 
 
 12 Christ. Now e if anj- man build upon 
 this foundation gold, silver, precious 
 
 13 stones, wood, hay, stubble ; ^ every 
 man's work shall be made manifest : 
 for the day > shall declare it, because it 
 shall be revealed by fire ; and ^ the fire 
 shall try every man's work of what 
 
 14 sort it is. i If any man's work abide 
 which he hath built thereujxDn, he 
 
 15 shall receive a reward: if any man's 
 work shall be burned, he shall suffer 
 loss : but he himself shall be saved ; 
 ■" yet so as by fire. 
 
 12 Christ. And if any one builds on the 
 foundation gold, silver, costly stones, 
 
 13 wood, hay, stubble ; the work of each 
 one will be made manifest ; for the 
 day will show it, because it is revealed 
 in fire, and the fire itself will prove of 
 
 14 what sort is each one's work. If any 
 one's work which he builds thereon 
 shall remain, he will receive wages. 
 
 15 If any one's work shall be burned up, 
 he will suffer loss ; but he himself will 
 be saved ; yet so as through fire. 
 
 g Matt. 15 : 1-9 ; Gal. 4 : 10 ; Col. 2:6-8; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; Heb. 13 : 9 ; 2 Peter 1 : 5-7. h Ver. 14, 15 ; 4 : 5. 
 
 i 1 : 8 ; 2 Thess. 1 : 7-10 ; 1 Peter 1:7. k Isa. 4:4; Mai. 4 : 1. 
 
 I Dan. 12 : 3 ; 1 Thess. 2 : 19 ; 1 Peter 5:2,4. m Amos 4:11; Jude 23. 
 
 earth, must shew himself in his life- 
 inspiring power at the rise of every 
 individual church, nay, in every heart, 
 if it is to be sanctified. The character 
 of the great universal temple of God is 
 thus repeated in every church, in every 
 heart. Everywhere must the living 
 Christ be the corner-stone, the new 
 man, born in regeneration" (Ols- 
 hausen). 
 
 12. The different materials which 
 may be built on Christ, the foundation. 
 If any one builds upon this foun- 
 dation gold, silver, precious, or 
 costly, stones, as granite and marble — 
 such doctrines and practices as shall 
 be enduring and shall stand the test of 
 the judgment; wood, hay, stubble — 
 doctrines, practices, ceremonies, such 
 as are perishable and cannot endure 
 the test of the last great day. The 
 figures here used are those materials 
 which are and are not combustible. 
 That the materials do not represent 
 persons, false and true church-mem- 
 bers, but true and false teachings, which 
 contribute to the building of the char- 
 acters and lives of Christians, appears 
 evident from what follows. While 
 this building on the true foundation 
 has primary reference to Christian 
 preachers and teachers, it may also be 
 applied to every Christian, since every 
 individual believer is founded on Christ 
 and is building thereon (Acts 4: ii, 12). 
 
 13. Every man's Avork ^oill he 
 made manifest, whether it is dura- 
 ble and valuable, or perishable and 
 worthless. For the day toill de- 
 clare, better, show it — the judgment 
 day at Christ's coming (4:5; Rom. 2 : le;; 
 2 Cor. 5:10) will show tlic character of 
 the building, because it — the day — 
 
 shall be revealed, rather, because it 
 is to be revealed in fire, the very ele- 
 ment which permeates and envelopes, 
 as it were, that day. The fire is not 
 that of punishment, but of testing and 
 searching out and separating the true 
 and the false; the fire ^nll try, or 
 prove, every man's work of what 
 
 sort it is. (See 1 Peter 1 : 7; Matt. 3 : 12 ; 
 
 Mai. 3:1-3; Heb. 12 : 29.) Fire represents 
 the element of trial, bringing to light 
 and consuming all that is perishable 
 
 (4:5; Heb. 4 : 13), 
 
 14. The result of the test of the 
 judgment upon the buildings on the 
 true foundation. If any man's work 
 a b i d e — remains unharmed, if it 
 proves incombustible, if it consists of 
 the pure and eternal truths of God's 
 word, of the doctrines and practices 
 w^hich will stand the searching tests of 
 the judgment, then he shall receive 
 a reward — be recompensed for his 
 faithful and effective labors. 
 
 15. If any man's work shall be 
 burned up — if it consists of false prin- 
 ciples and practices, then it will not 
 stand the test of the judgment, but his 
 hovel of wood, hay, and stubble will 
 be consumed, and he shall suffer 
 loss of wages and everything except the 
 foundation. Yet he himself shall 
 be saved, having believed and built 
 on the true foundation, Jesus Christ. 
 Yet so saved, as by, or through fire, 
 saved with difficulty, like one just 
 escaping with his life out of a burning 
 
 building (Zech. 3:2; Mai. 4 : 1; 2 John 8), 
 
 This passage gives no support to the 
 doctrine of purgatory ; it is not said 
 that the man is saved by fire as a means 
 of purification. But fire is used as an 
 illustration, so as through fire ; like one, 
 
208 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. III. 
 
 16 "Know ye not that ye are the temple 
 of God, o'and thai the Spirit of God 
 
 17 dwelleth in you? Plf any man defile 
 the temple of God, him shall God de- 
 stroy ; for the temple of God is holy ; 
 which temple ye are. 
 
 18 1 Let no man deceive himself : if any 
 man among you seemeth to be wise in 
 this world, 'let him become a fool, that 
 
 19 he may be wise. For •' the wisdom 
 of this world is foolishness with God : 
 for it is written, He taketh the wise 
 
 20 in their own craftiness: and again, 
 
 16 Know ye not that ye are God's 
 temple, and that the Spirit of God 
 
 17 dwells in you? If any one destroys 
 the temple of God, him will God de- 
 stroy : for the temple of God is holy, 
 and that ye are. 
 
 18 Let no one deceive himself. If any 
 one among you thinks that he is wise 
 in this age. let him become a fool, that 
 
 19 he may become wise. For the wisdom 
 of this world is foolishness with (iod. 
 For it is written, He that takes the wise 
 
 20 in their craftiness. And again, 
 
 n 6 : 19 ; 2 Cor. 6 : 16 ; Eph. 2 : 21, 22 ; 1 Peter 2:5. o John 14 : 17 ; Rom. 8 : 11 ; 1 John 4 : 15, 16, 
 p Ezek. 5 : 11 ; 2 Peter 2:1. q Isa. 5 : 21. r Matt. 18 : 4 ; Luke 18 : 17. si: 19-21, 25-29. 
 
 passing through the fire, is saved at 
 great risk and difficulty. Stanley 
 thinks that the whole image of this 
 passage "may have been suggested, or 
 at least illustrated, by the conflagration 
 of Corinth under Mummius (146 b. c); 
 the stately temples — one of them re- 
 maining to this day — standing amidst 
 the universal destruction of the meaner 
 buildings." 
 
 16, The figure of the building is 
 carried further, and warning is ad- 
 dressed to the members of the Corin- 
 thian church. Know ye not, imply- 
 ing that they did know, or that they 
 ought to know, yet their conduct 
 seemed inconsistent with such knowl- 
 edge. An expression as if surprising. 
 That ye are the tem-ple— the sanc- 
 tuary, the inner temple — of God ; 
 spoken here of the church or company 
 of believers at Corinth. (Comp. 2 Cor 6 : i6 : 
 Eph. 2 : 21.) The figure is applied to the 
 bodies of believers in 6 : 19. Accord- 
 ingly, as ye are the temple of God, 
 the Spirit of God dwelleth in 
 you (Eph. 2 : 22). The Spirit dwells in 
 believers and among them. He is in 
 the local church only as he is in 
 the hearts of its members (Heb. 3:6;i 
 
 Peter 2:5). 
 
 17. If any man defile, or destroy, 
 the temple of God, him shall 
 God destroy. The verb is the same 
 in both members of the sentence. 
 " Every Levitical defilement was con- 
 sidered a destroying of the temple, as 
 was every injury to the buildings, and 
 even every act of carelessness in the 
 watching and superintendence of it " 
 (Meyee). The violator of the sanc- 
 tuary of the temple was punished with 
 
 death. (Comp. Acts 21 : 28, on whi(-h see note.) 
 
 For the temple of God is holy, 
 
 consecrated to him, which temple, 
 
 rather, which sort, are ye. Which 
 refers not to temple, but to holy as 
 a quality : The temple of God is 
 holy and so are ye. Whoever shall 
 pollute or destroy the church in any 
 degree by sinful practice, or by false 
 doctrine, or by party di%'isions, shall 
 receive a like punishment from God. 
 He that works ruin to God's church 
 shall receive like ruin to himself. On 
 these matters Paul enlarges in chapters 
 five and six. Compare the builder 
 with false material lo.sing his building 
 (ver, 15); also many sickly and dying 
 
 churches (H : 30; comp. also Matt. 18 : 6). 
 
 18-23. Eenunciation of world- 
 ly WISDOM IN ORDER TO THE TRUE 
 WISDOM ; AND OF GLORYING IN MEN, 
 SINCE ALL THINGS ARE GOD'S. 
 
 18. Warning against self-deception 
 and self-conceit. Let no man de- 
 ceive himself in regard to these 
 matters. If any man among you 
 seemeth to be wise, rather, thinks 
 that he is trnse, in this world, having 
 that conceit of superior wisdom which 
 was largely the cause of the partj' 
 strifes among them, and this was like 
 the hay, wood, and stubble in the 
 building, which was tending to destroy 
 the church. Let him become a 
 fool in his own present estimation and 
 in the world's estimation, by accepting 
 the gospel in its simplicity, that he 
 may^ be, rather, may become, truly 
 wise, in God's sight (2 : "-le). 
 
 19. Enforces the preceding exhorta- 
 tion. For the wisdom of this 
 world — worldly wisdom opposed to 
 heavenly wisdom, is foolishness 
 AVith God— /o//// in the siglit of God. 
 For it is written (Joh. 5 : is), He 
 taketh, ratlier, He that taketh the 
 wise in their craftiness. If God is 
 thus spoken of as grasping, as it were, 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 209 
 
 The Lord knoweth the thoughts of 
 the wise, that they are vain. 
 
 21 Therefore 'let no man glory in men: 
 
 22 for " all things are yours ; whether 
 Paul, or Aix)llos, or ^ Cephas, or the 
 world, or life, or death, or things pres- 
 ent, or things to come ; all are yours ; 
 
 2o and »ye are Christ's; and y Christ is 
 God's. 
 
 The Lord knows the reasonings of 
 
 the wise, 
 That they are vain. 
 
 21 So then, let no one glory in men. 
 
 22 For all things are yours ; whether 
 Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the 
 world, or life, or death, or things 
 present, or things to come, all are 
 
 23 yours ; and ye are Christ's, and Christ 
 is God's. 
 
 t Ver. 4-7 ; 1:12; Jer. 9 : 25, 24. 
 X Rom. 14 : 8 ; Gal. 3 : 29. 
 
 M 2 Cor. 4 : 5, 15 ; Eph. 4 : 11, 12. t; John 1 : 42. 
 
 y 11 : 3 ; Matt. 17 : 5 ; Phil. 2 : 6-11 ; Heb. 1 : 3. 
 
 the wise in their craftiness, turning it to 
 their own confusion, then their wisdom 
 must be folly in his sight. 
 
 20. And' again (ps.94 : ii), The 
 Lord knoweth the thoughts, or 
 7'easomngs, of the wise that they 
 are vain, foolish and fruitless. In 
 regard to their reasonings, compare 
 Rom. 1 : 21 ; Eph. -4 : 17. In both of 
 these quotations Paul follows the Sep- 
 tuagiut with slight variations, showing 
 that he substitutes his own translations 
 in certain instances. 
 
 21. Therelore, or So then, to sum 
 up, and in view of the folly of the 
 world's wisdom before God, let no 
 man glory in men, especially in i 
 party leaders. Let not Christians pride 
 themselves against one another in their 
 teachers (* : 6). For, so far from your 
 belonging to any human teachers, all 
 things belong to you — all things are 
 for your good (Rom. 8:28), and your 
 teachers, so far from being regarded as 
 your lords and masters, are rather your 
 servants for Christ's sake in order that 
 you may be saved (2 Cor. 4:5). 
 
 22. All things belong to you as 
 God' s children ( ver. 21 ) , whether 
 Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas 
 (1 : 12), whose gifts, abilities, and labors 
 are the common property of all be- 
 lievers. Churches do not exist for 
 teachers, but rather teachei*s for the 
 planting and building up of churches. 
 Notice he does not refer to the leaders of 
 the Christ party (1 : 12). But the apos- 
 tle does not stop with teachers, but 
 pushes the thought still farther till he 
 gets back to God. God's purposes be- 
 gin and end in himself. Or the 
 Avorld, in its general and comprehen- 
 sive sense, the universe, since ye are 
 
 "heil-S of the world" (Rom. 4 : 13; 8: 
 
 19-23) ; or life or death, these two ex- 
 tremes including all possible conditions 
 which work together for their good and 
 
 their final salvation and glory; or 
 things present or things to come, 
 
 a vast sweep of the present and future, 
 its joys and sorrows, its vicissitudes 
 and its eternal weight of glory; all 
 are y^ours, repealing what he had 
 said and summing up with emphasis. 
 
 23. Nor does the apostle stop here, 
 but note the change of ownership ; all 
 would be as nothing without Christ. 
 And ye are Christ's — ye are not 
 your own (6 : 20 ; 7 : 23), but you and all 
 that belongs to you belong to Christ, 
 and are to be used for him and to his 
 glory; and Christ is God's, the 
 human and divine Christ, the Media- 
 tor, belongs to God, the Father, for the 
 fulfillment of his purposes and the ex- 
 tension of his glory, and the conse- 
 sequent good of all his creatures 
 (15:28). Paul would have his readers 
 live not as if they were their own for 
 selfish purposes, but as Christ's, who 
 lived not to do his own will, but the 
 will of the Father who sent him (John 
 5:30). Thus Christ's prayer will be 
 answered, "I in them, and thou in 
 me, that they may be made perfect in 
 
 one" (John 17 :23). 
 
 Pkactical Remarks. 
 
 1. All Christians are at first babes in 
 Christ, but should not remain such, but 
 grow up into the full stature of men in 
 Christ Jesus (ver. 1 ; 2 Peter 3 : 18 ; Eph. 
 4: 13). 
 
 2. The gospel has spiritual food for all 
 capacities, and he is a wise minister 
 who suits his instructions to the various 
 necessities of his hearers (ver. 2 ; John 
 16 : 12). 
 
 3. Envy is a fruitful cause of strife, and 
 both indicate a low state of religion 
 among those who are exercised thereby 
 (ver. 3 ; James 3 : 14, 16). 
 
 4. Party spirit in churches and among 
 
 O 
 
210 
 
 I. CORINTHIAKS 
 
 [Ch. Ill, 
 
 Christians, and the following of party 
 names, are opposed to the spirit of Christ 
 and the gospel (ver. 4 ; John 17 : 21-23). 
 
 5. Ministers are indeed "servants," but 
 they are honored of God and should 
 receive the respect and affectionate re- 
 gard of their people (ver. 5 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 12 ; 
 1 Thess. 5 : 12, 13). 
 
 G. God has wisely chosen preachers of 
 different gifts and talents suited to the 
 various conditions of communities and 
 churches (ver. 6; Rom. 12 : 4-8). 
 
 7. All ministers are on a level as co- 
 workers with God, whatever their talents, 
 position, or fields of labor (ver. 8; Matt. 
 23 :8-12). 
 
 8. Christians are alike a holy people 
 and a royal priesthood, yet ministers are 
 to be distinguished from their congre- 
 gations in their official relations and 
 labtors (ver. 9 ; Mark 16 : 20 ; 2 Cor. 6 : 16). 
 
 9. Christ is the only foundation of 
 every true church and every true be- 
 liever (ver. 10, 11 ; Acts 4 : 12 ; Eph. 2 : 20). 
 
 10. Through the preaching of the gos- 
 pel, and by faith, Christ is laid as the 
 foundation in the heart of the Christian 
 (ver. 10, 11 ; 2 : 1, 2 ; Col. 1 : 27, 28 ; 2 Cor. 
 13 : 5). 
 
 11. True believers as well as true gospel 
 preachers build on Christ as a foundation, 
 but some erect structures upon it widely 
 different from others (ver. 12 : Gal. 3:1-3; 
 5:22; 2 Peterl : 5, 6). 
 
 12. Christians will be tested at the 
 judgment, not only as to their founda- 
 tion, but also as to what they have built 
 thereon (ver. 13 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 10). 
 
 13. Some, passing the test, will have an 
 abundant entrance into the kingdom of 
 glory ; others will lose all but the founda- 
 tion, and will be only " saved as through 
 fire " (ver. 14, 15 ; Dan. 12 : 3 : 2 Tim. 4 : 6- 
 8; Rev. 2 : 1.5-20). 
 
 14. Also learn: (1) How important to 
 hold Christ's doctrines and obey his com- 
 mands. (2) To exercise liberality toward 
 Christians who differ from us. Though 
 their building may be defective, they 
 may be on Christ as a foundation. (3) The 
 certainty of the salvation of all true be- 
 lievers. Theirbuilding may be destroyed, 
 but Christ, their foundation, cannot be. 
 (4) The danger of being deceived. If 
 some are deceived regarding the build- 
 
 ing, others may be regarding the founda- 
 tion. (5) The greater danger of the sin- 
 ner (1 Peter 4 : 17, 18; ver. 10-15). 
 
 15. A church should consist of a re- 
 generate membership and thus be a 
 body holy, consecrated to God, and a 
 temple of the Holy Spirit (ver. 17 ; Matt. 
 18 : 6). 
 
 16. He who would become Christ's 
 must be willing to be esteemed a fool for 
 his sake (ver. 18 ; Matt. 16 : 24, 25). 
 
 17. A childlike and teachable spirit is 
 the first step toward true wisdom (ver. 18, 
 19; Mark 18: 4). 
 
 18. We should beware of speculations 
 in religion, and of philosophies, falsely so 
 called (ver. 18-20 ; Col. 2:8; Acts 17 : 21). 
 
 19. Our highest aim cannot be man's 
 glory and God's glory at the same time 
 (ver. 21 ; 1 Cor. 6 : 20; 10: 3). 
 
 20. All things in the Divine purposes 
 regarding man have reference to the 
 good of God's people. Even death has 
 lost its sting to the believer and become 
 the gateway to glory (ver. 22 ; Eph. 1 : 9- 
 14 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 55-57). 
 
 21. Christians are the only truly wise 
 and rich among men (ver. 23 ; Rev. 2:9; 
 James 2: 5: 1 Tim. 6 : 18). 
 
 22. Christians should ever regard them- 
 selves as the Lord's. It is only as they 
 become Christ's that Christ becomes 
 theirs (ver. 23 ; 1 Cor. 7 : 23 ; John 15 : 16 ; 
 1 John 4 : 19). 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Paul wishes to be regarded as a serv- 
 ant and steward of Christ, to whom he 
 is responsible and to whose future judg- 
 ment all decisions regarding himself 
 must be referred (ver. i-5). "With Apollos 
 and himself as examples, he exhorts 
 the Corinthians to humility (vtr. 6, 7), 
 and contrasts the arrogant temper of 
 the latter with the self-denying labors 
 of the former (vir. 8-i3). As their 
 spiritual father he speaks with apos- 
 tolic authority, tenderly entreating 
 them to imitate him and solemnly warn- 
 ing the haughty of his speedy coming 
 
 to them (ver. 14-21). 
 
 1-5. Apostles and Christian 
 teachers, stewards of the mys- 
 TERIES OF God, ACCOUNTABLE TO 
 
 Christ, and to be judged by htm. 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 211 
 
 4 LET a man so account of us, as of 
 ^ the ministers of Christ, » and stewards 
 
 2 of the b mysteries of God. Moreover it 
 is required in stewards, <= tliat a man 
 
 3 be found faithful. But with me ^ it is 
 a verj^ small thing that I should be 
 judged of you, or of man's judgment : 
 
 4 yea, I judge not mine own self. For «! 
 know nothing by myself; fyet am I 
 
 4 LET a man so account us, as servants 
 of Christ and stewards of the mysteries 
 
 2 of God. Here moreover, it is required 
 in stewards, that one be found faith- 
 
 3 ful. But with me it is a very little 
 thing that I should be judged by you, 
 or by man's day : nay, neither do I 
 
 4 judge myself. For I am conscious to 
 myself of nothing ; yet am I not hereby 
 
 ^ 3 : 5 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 18-20 ; Col. 1 : 25. a Luke 12 : 42 ; Titus 1 : 7. 
 
 6 Matt. 13 : 11. 
 
 c Ezek. 3 : 17-21 ; Acts 20 : 31 ; 2 Cor. 4:2. dl Sam. 16 : 7. 
 
 el Johns : 20, 21. 
 
 / See refs. Job 9 : 2, 20 ; Ptov. 21 : 2 ; Rom. 4 : 2. 
 
 
 1. Let a man so account of us, 
 
 better, So let a man account us as min- 
 isters or servants of Christ. Let no 
 man glory in us (3 : 22)^ but inasmuch 
 as we belong to Christ (3 : 23), let them 
 regard us, Paul and Apollos (ver. 6), 
 such apostles and teachers as we, as 
 Christ's servants, holding a position of 
 service to and dependence on him. 
 3Iinisters, better, servants. There is 
 an idea of subordination in the word, 
 of one who attends and assists a magis- 
 trate or renders any kind of service (Matt. 
 26:58; Luke 4: 20). It is applied to re- 
 ligious service only here, Luke 1:2, 
 and Acts 26 : 16, and to Mark as an 
 assistant (Acts 13 : 5). And stewards — 
 managers and superintendents, who 
 were generally servants to whom were 
 entrusted important affairs of a house- 
 hold (Matt. 24: 45) ; here of religious 
 
 affairs (Titus 1 : 7 ; 1 Peter 4 : 10) in the hoUSC 
 
 of God, the Christian church (ixim. 3: 
 
 15; 1 Peter 4 : 17). Paul WOuld liaVC them 
 
 regard him and his co-laborers not as 
 lords and masters, but as managing 
 servants, to whom God, their vsupreme 
 Ruler (3 : 23) J had entrusted his mys- 
 teries, which were to be made known to 
 men. Their position was inconsistent 
 with boasting and party spirit. Mys- 
 teries of God, his hidden counsels 
 in providing salvation for men through 
 Christ. (See note on 2:7.) Compare 
 "mystery of godliness" (ixim. 3:i6). 
 There is no reason here, or elsewhere in 
 the New Testament, for regarding 
 mysteries as referring to the so-called 
 sacraments. Paul had himself said 
 ( 1 : 17 ) that Christ did not send him to 
 baptize, but to preach the gospel. 
 
 2. Moreover. The reading, ac- 
 cording to the best manuscripts, should 
 be : Here moreover, meaning. In this 
 state of things it only remains to be said, 
 that it is required in stewards 
 that a man be found faithful. 
 
 Faithfulness in so important a trust as 
 that of a steward is a necessary and 
 universal requirement, and it follows 
 that it is emphatically so in stewards 
 of religious things under God. Thus 
 faithfulness is the great question ; the 
 other points about which the Corinthi- 
 ans might dispute and emphasize were 
 of small moment. 
 
 3. In this and the two verses that 
 follow Paul emphasizes the fact that 
 the Lord is his judge in regard to his 
 stewardship, and utters a warning 
 against hasty judgment of ministers. 
 But with me it is a very small 
 thing, or, it is of the least account, that 
 I should be judged of, rather, by, 
 you or of man's judgment, liter- 
 ally, by a human day of judgment, 
 any judicial day of men, that is, by 
 human judgment. Human tribunals 
 cannot discern and judge spiritually 
 (2 : 14, 15), neither were these Corinthi- 
 ans fitted to exercise judgment, since 
 they were carnal and babes in Christ, 
 and walked as men (3: 1-3). Yea, 
 even more, I judge not mine own 
 self. In his humility and honesty he 
 would not trust his own opinion of 
 himself, but leave all judgment to his 
 Lord. 
 
 4. Paul states why he does not even 
 judge himself. For I know nothing 
 by, rather, against, myself, or, / am 
 conscious to myself of nothing, of no 
 unfaithfulness in my stewardship. 
 Compare his declaration before the 
 Sanhedrin, "I have lived in all good 
 conscience before God until this day" 
 
 (Acts 23 : 1; also Acts 24 : 16). Yct am I 
 
 not hereby justified— f/efmecZ right- 
 eous and guiltless in regard to my 
 stewardship. Paul is not referring to 
 justification by faith ; he had no doubt 
 of his forgiveness and of being in a 
 state of grace. But he was conscious 
 of many infirmities (15 : 9 ; Eph. 3:8; ixim. 
 
212 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 not hereby justified : but he that 
 judgeth me is the Lord. 
 
 5 e Therefore judge nothing before the 
 time, until the Lord come, •> who both 
 ■will bring to light the hidden things 
 of darkness, and will make manifest 
 the counsels of the hearts : and ' then 
 shall every man have praise of God. ; 
 
 6 And these things, brethren, I have in 
 a figure transferred to mj-self and to 
 Apollos, for your sakes ; ^tluit ye 
 might learn in us not to think of men 
 above that wliich is written, that no \ 
 one of you be puffed up for one against i 
 
 7 another. For who maketh thee to | 
 
 justified, but he that judges me is the 
 
 5 Lord. So then do not judge anything 
 before the time, until the Lord come, 
 who will both bring to light the hidden 
 things of darkness, and make manifest 
 the counsels of the hearts ; and then 
 will each one have his praise from 
 God. 
 
 6 And these things, brethren, I have in 
 a figure transferred to myself and 
 Apollos for your sakes ; that in us ye 
 may learn not to go beyond the things 
 which are written, that ye be not 
 puffed up each for the one against the 
 
 7 other. For who makes thee to differ? 
 
 ff Matt. 7:1; Rev. 20 : 12. 
 
 ft 8 : 13 ; Rom. 2 : 16. 
 
 A: S : 5 ; Rom. 12 : 3. 
 
 i Rora. 2 : 6-11, 29 : 1 Peter 1:7; 5:4. 
 
 1:13-15), and did not consider himself 
 as already perfect (Phii. 3: is), and in re- 
 gard to himself as a master-builder, 
 building on Christ the foundation (3: lo- 
 1*), he knew that the Lord could see in 
 him imj)erfections which he could not 
 see. The final decision must be put off 
 to the day of the Lord (i : 8 ; Rom. 2 : i6 ; 
 Acts 17: 31). He that jiidgeth me is 
 the Lord) who is the only infallible 
 Judge. 
 
 5. Therefore, in view of all this, 
 judge nothing before the time 
 to judge, in respect to me, until the 
 Lord come to judgment (2 Tim. 4 : 1 ; 2 
 Thes.. 1 :7), Avho both will bring to 
 light the hidden things of dark- 
 ness — acts unknown and hidden from 
 human knowledge, and will make 
 manifest the counsels of the 
 hearts — the purposes, thoughts, and 
 motives which no human eye can reach 
 (Hrb. 4:13). Andthcu shall every, 
 better, each, man have his praise 
 
 from God. (Comp. 3:14; M.-itt. 25 : 21 ; 2 
 
 Tim. 4:8.) God the Father judges 
 through the Son (John 5 : 22, 27, so). The 
 apostle speaks only of the individual 
 praise that shall be awarded to faithful 
 stewards, implying reproof and pun- 
 ishment to the unfaithful. On judging 
 others in general, see Rora. 2:1; Matt. 
 7 : 1. We are not to usurp Christ's 
 place in passing judgments on his min- 
 isters, especially upon their thoughts 
 and motives, nor are we to try to an- 
 ticipate the decisions of the final judg- 
 ment. This does not preclude our 
 judging men and false prophets by 
 their fruits (Matt. 23 : 15-20) trying the 
 spirits whetlier they be of God (1 John 
 4:1-3), and testing the teachings of 
 
 ministers by God's word, and hold- 
 ing fast to that which is good (iThess. 
 
 5 : 21). 
 
 6-13. Let theee be no strife 
 
 ABOUT teachers. CONTRAST BE- 
 TWEEN THE Corinthian arro- 
 gance AND Paul's humility and 
 
 SELF-DENIAL. 
 
 6. And these things, concerning 
 ministerial stewardship and faithful- 
 ness, and judgments thereon, breth- 
 ren, of the church generally, I have, 
 or more exactly, / transferred in a 
 figure to myself and to Apollos 
 (notice the use of the first person in 
 ver. 1, " Let a man so account of us ") 
 for your sakes, for your good and 
 profit. "What I might say of all your 
 religious teachers, to avoid giving 
 offense, I have applied to Apollos and 
 myself as representatives of the whole. 
 And wisely he thus did, for he and 
 Apollos were one in spirit and in 
 friendship. That ye may in ns learn 
 this: Go not beyond that which is 
 written, in the Old Testament Scrip- 
 tures. Of the New Testament, only 
 James, First and Second Thessalonians, 
 and probably Galatians, and possibly 
 the Gospel of Matthew, were written. 
 It was too early to refer to the New 
 Testament writers. The only such ref- 
 erence certainly made is in 2 Peter 3 : 
 16. The words to think is not found 
 in the oldest and best manuscripts. 
 That no one of you be puffed up, 
 bearing yourself proudly and loftily 
 for the 0?^^ teacher against another. 
 
 7. In.stead of exercising pride you 
 sliould be filled with gratitude. For 
 who maketh thee to differ? im- 
 plying that it is God. And what 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 213 
 
 differ from another f And ' what hast 
 thou that thou didst not receive ? Now 
 if thou didst receive it, why dost thou 
 glorv, as if thou hadst not received 
 itf 
 
 8 Now ye are full, ■" now ye are rich, ye 
 have reigned as kings without us : and 
 T would to God ye did reign, that w'e 
 
 9 also might reign with you. For °I 
 think that God hath set forth vis the 
 ajKJstles last, as it were appointed to 
 death : for <> we are made a spectacle 
 unto the world, and to angels, and to 
 
 10 men. We arc p fools for Christ's sake, 
 but ye are wise in Christ ; we are weak, 
 but ye are strong ; ye are honourable. 
 
 11 but we are despised'. i Even unto this 
 present hour we both hunger, and 
 
 And what hast thou which thou didst 
 not receive ? But if thou didst receive 
 it, why dost thou glory, as if. thou 
 
 8 hadst not received it ? Already ye are 
 filled full, already ye become' rich, 
 apart from us ye reigned as kings ; 
 yea I wish that ye did reign, that we 
 
 9 also might reign with you. For I 
 think, God set forth us the apostles 
 last, as condemned to death ; because 
 we have become a spectacle to the 
 world, both to angels and to men. 
 
 10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are 
 wise in Christ ; we are weak, but ye are 
 strong ; ye are glorious, but we are 
 
 11 without honor. Even luitil this present 
 hour we both hunger and thirst and 
 
 I See refs. John 3 : 27 ; 1 Peter 4 : 10. to Rev. 3 : 17. n 13 : 30-32 ; Rom. 8 : 36 ; 2 Cor. 4 : 8-12. 
 
 Heb. 10 : 33. p See refs. 1 : 18, etc ; Acts 26 : 24. q2 Cor. 6 : 4, 5 ; Phil. 4 : 12. 
 
 ability or gift hast thou that thou 
 
 didst not receive from God? (John 3 : 
 
 27; James 1 : 17.) But if thlS is the CRSe, 
 
 why dost thou glory in any pre- 
 eminence, as if all self-attained ? 
 
 8. Paul puslies the thought to its 
 opposite and ludicrous side, giving a 
 sudden turn to his feelings, which is re- 
 markable in the apostle's style. Note 
 the climax in the verbs used, are full, 
 are rich, have reigned as kings. 
 This verse is commonly read as a dec- 
 laration, thus heightening its irony. 
 But to me it seems better, with West- 
 eott and Hort and some others, to take 
 it as a series of questions, thus : Already 
 are ye fiUed full f Already are ye rich f 
 Without us have ye come to reign like 
 kings? Have ye become independent 
 of U.S. your fatliers in the gospel, fully 
 satisfied, enjoying abundance and ex- 
 ercising lordship in your parties and 
 party leaders? Yea, I Avould ye did 
 reign, the apostle responds earnestly 
 and solemnly, that we also might 
 reign with you, and thus be rid of 
 trials, distresses, and humiliations. 
 The addition to God is not in the 
 original and is not needed. 
 
 9. The last clause of the preceding 
 verse prepares the way for exhibiting 
 the afflicted state of the apostles them- 
 selves. For, to give the ground of 
 the foregoing Avish, I think God set 
 forth, exhibited, us the apostles, 
 all of them, including himself, last, 
 as if the vilest and most worthless ( ver. 
 13; Mark9;35), as it wcrc approved to 
 death, rather, as condemned or doomed 
 to death. The figure appears to be 
 
 that of a procession of gladiators, of 
 which the apostles were last, who came 
 forth into the arena, saluting the ruler 
 of the spectacle, as those who were 
 about to die (comp. 15 : 32). For we are 
 made a spectacle unto the world, 
 on its broad stage to all created beings, 
 and to angels, rather, both, to 
 angels and men, all the intelli- 
 gences of the universe (Heb. 10 ; 33 ; 12 : 1), 
 who gaze upon our death struggle. 
 And, impliedly, ye Corinthians, en- 
 grossed in your own selves, remain un- 
 moved and unconcerned at the awful 
 tragedy ! 
 
 10. Paul presents the contrast, im- 
 plied in the two preceding verses, be- 
 tween the condition of the apostles and 
 the Corinthians, in a vein of impas- 
 sioned irony. We are fools — re- 
 garded and treated as such by the 
 world, for Christ's sake, since we 
 are intent on preaching Christ crucified 
 (1:18.23: 2:2); but yc arc wisc, 
 " puiFed up " and counting yourselves 
 as such, in Christ, as Christians. 
 We are weak . . . despised — so 
 regarded by men, as we discard worldly 
 instrumentality and power (2 Cor. 10 : 3), 
 and labor in weakness and humility 
 among those who are poor, dishonored, 
 and without worldly influence (1 : 26-28; 
 2 Cor. 12:10). But yc arc strong 
 . . . honorable, glorious, in your 
 own and each other's estimation. There 
 is a vein of irony in this and the eighth 
 verse. See examples of irony in Judges 
 10 : 14 : Job 12 : 1 ; Amos 4 : 4. 
 
 11. Even unto this present 
 hour, writing from Ephesus in the 
 
214 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 thirst, and are nakecV and 'are buf- 
 feted, and have no certain dvvelling- 
 
 12 place; "and labour, working with our 
 own hands. • Being reviled, we bless : 
 
 13 " being persecuted, we suffer it : being 
 defamed, we intreat : * we are made 
 as the filth of the earth, and are the 
 offscouring of all things unto this 
 day. 
 
 14 I write not these things to shame 
 you ; but y as my beloved sons I warn 
 
 15 you. For though ye have ten thousand 
 instructors in Christ, yet have ye not 
 manv fathers: for ^in Christ Jesus I 
 
 are naked and are buffeted and have 
 
 12 no fixed abode ; and labor, working 
 with our own hands ; being reviled, 
 we bless ; being persecuted, we endure 
 
 13 it; being defamed, we beseech; we 
 have become as the filth of the world, 
 the offscouring of all things until 
 now. 
 
 14 I am not writing these things to 
 shame you, but to admonish you as 
 
 1') my beloved children. For if ye have 
 ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet not 
 many fathers ; for in Christ Jesus it 
 
 r Acts 14 
 
 19; 23 
 
 : 2 ; 2 Cor. 
 
 11 
 
 : 23-25. 
 
 
 8 See refs. Acts 18 
 
 3. 
 
 ( See refs. 
 
 Rom. 
 
 12 
 
 :14, 
 
 20. 
 
 M 1 Peter 4 : 
 
 12-14, 19. 
 
 X 
 
 Lam. 3 
 
 45 
 
 Acts 22 
 
 : 22. 
 
 y 2 Cor. 6 
 
 11-13 , 
 
 1 Thess. 
 
 2 : 
 
 11. 
 
 , 
 
 
 
 z3 : 6; 
 
 9 : 
 
 1, 2 ; 2 Cor. 
 
 3 : 2, 3 ; 
 
 Gal. 4 
 
 19 
 
 James 1 : 18. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 spring of A. D. 57, over twenty years 
 since his conversion, during all which 
 time he had endured privations in food 
 and clothing, sutfered ill treatment, 
 being buffeted, like slaves, beaten 
 with the fists, having no certain 
 dwellingplace — tvanderers, ivith vo 
 settled home. 
 
 12, And labor, working with 
 our own hands, as he did when 
 among them at Corinth (Acts is : 3), and 
 now at Ephesus (Acts 20:34). Notice 
 how these words spoken on different 
 occasions agree with each other. Such 
 undesigned coincidences furnish the 
 very best proof of the genuineness of 
 both the Epistle and the Acts. (comp. 
 
 also 9:6 and 1 Thcss. 2:9; 2 Thtss. 3:8.) Being 
 
 reviled, we bless, in accordance 
 with our Saviour's command (Matt, b : u: 
 Luke6:28), which possibly lie had read 
 in Matthew. Being persecuted, 
 we endure it patiently, instead of 
 resenting it, defending ourselves, and 
 seeking vengeance. 
 
 13. Being defamed, not evil 
 spoken to as in " reviling" (ver. 12), but 
 evil spoken about, we entreat, try 
 to conciliate and appease. And now 
 Paul reaches the climax of disgrace 
 and contempt: We are made as the 
 filth, or refuse, of the world — that 
 which is removed liy ck^ansing, mean- 
 ing here the most a])ject and despicable 
 of men. Omitting and are, the pre- 
 ceding clause is enlarged upon : the 
 offscouring, the yrnipinrfs, of all 
 things, tlie despicable and worthless 
 of all tilings, or, perhaps, of all men, 
 unto this day. (romp.i,ain.3:"45.) Notice 
 that both here and in ver. 11 this terri- 
 ble state of things continued to that 
 
 very time. Christians, and especially 
 their leaders, were the most misunder- 
 stood and the most unjustly despised 
 men of the times. (Comp. Acts 16 : 20. 21 ; 
 
 24 : 5; 23 : 22.) 
 
 14-21. CONCLrSION OF THIS PART 
 
 OF THE Epistle. Fatherly en- 
 treaty; APOSTOLIC DIRECTION AND 
 WARNING. 
 
 14. At this point Paul changes the 
 plural form of address into the singular 
 and thus comes into personal relation 
 to the Corinthian believers as their 
 spiritual father and an apostle. They 
 may mistake the spirit and design of 
 the foregoing passage, and therefore he 
 states the object of his writing : Not 
 to shame you, but as my beloved 
 sons I Avarn, rather, / admonish 
 you. It is the admonition of a father, 
 not the indignant language of one who 
 would put them to confusion. 
 
 15. Paul justifies his right to ad- 
 monish them. For though ye have 
 ten thousand, an indefinitely large 
 number, of instructors, or tutors, 
 in Christ, yet have ye not many 
 fathers. Among the Greeks and Ro- 
 mans a tutor dcvsignated a trustworthy 
 slave who supervised the morals and 
 lives of boys belonging to the better 
 class, being constantly with them till 
 they arrived at the age of manhood. 
 Both here and in Gal. 3 : 24 there is an 
 idea of severity attached to the name ; 
 the fother seems here to be distin- 
 guished from the tutor as one whose dis- 
 cipline is usually milder. For in 
 Christ Jesus, words ex]>ressive of 
 that vital union with Christ which 
 forms the basis of the relation between 
 
 i the believer and his spiritual Father, 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 215 
 
 have begotten you through the gospel. 
 
 16 Wherefore I beseech you, » be ye fol- 
 lowers of me. 
 
 17 For this cause have I sent unto you 
 i> Timotheus, who is my beloved son, 
 and faithful in the Lord, who shall 
 bring you "into remembrance of my 
 ways which be in Christ, as I teach 
 every where in every church. 
 
 18 ^ Now some are puffed up, as though 
 
 19 I would not come to you. ^ But I will 
 come to you shortly, ^ if the Lord will, 
 and will know, not the speech of them 
 which are puffed up, but the power. 
 
 was through the gospel I that begot 
 
 16 you. I beseech you therefore, become 
 
 17 imitators of me. For this very cause I 
 sent to you Timothy, who is my child, 
 beloved and faithful in the Lord, who 
 will bring to your remembrance my 
 ways which are in Christ, even as I 
 teach everywhere in every church. 
 
 18 Now some were puffed up, as though I 
 
 19 were not coming to you. But I will 
 come to you quickly, if the Lord will, 
 and will know, not the word of those 
 
 20 who are puffed up, but the p)ower. For 
 
 a 11 : 1 ; Phil. 3:17; 2 Thess. 3:9; Heb. 13 : 7. 6 See refs. Acts 16 : 1. c 11 : 2 ; 2 Tim. 3 : 10. 
 
 d 5 : 2. e 16 : 5 ; Acts 19 : 21 ; 2 Cor. 1 : 15, 23. / See refs. Acts 18 : 21. 
 
 through the gospel, the instrument 
 
 in their renewal (Rom. l : 16; James 1 : 18), 
 
 I have begotten, better, I begot yon, 
 as Christians ( Gai. 4 : 19 ; isa. 66 : 8 ) . The 
 higher and the more real spiritual 
 fatherhood of God is implied and taken 
 for granted in the words "in Christ 
 Jesus" and •'through the gospel," 
 and is consistent with fathers and chil- 
 dren in the gospel, all of whom have 
 fathership in God (3 : 5-10). 
 
 16. Wherefore, since I am your 
 father, I beseech you, with paternal 
 tenderness, that Avith filial piety and 
 duty ye become imitators of rae in 
 humility and self-denial, in teaching 
 and practice. Such a spiritual father 
 as Paul, who so closely imitated Christ, 
 could justly and authoritatively claim 
 imitation of his spiritual children. ( Comp. 
 
 II : 1 ; 1 Thess. 1:6; Phil. 3 : 17.) 
 
 17. For this cause, as I am your 
 spiritual father and I wish you to be- 
 come imitators of me, have I sent, 
 rather, / sent, before this letter was 
 written, Timothy, who is my beloved 
 son, and faithful in the Lord, 
 rather, my child, beloved and faithful 
 in the Lord, implying that he owed his 
 
 conversion to Paul (l Tim. l : 2, is ; 2 Tim. 
 
 2:1-5; Acts 16:1), bearing the same rela- 
 tion to him that they did, and faithful 
 to his teachings and practice. He 
 was therefore a fit person to bring in- 
 to remembrance his Avays which 
 be in Christ, a gentle hint that they 
 had forgotten his humility and self- 
 denying conduct in Christ's service 
 (2 Tim. 3 : 10), Evcu as I tcach every- 
 where in every church, his unvary- 
 ing_ practice, an additional reason for 
 their following his example. It appears 
 that Timothy had lieen sent with Eras- 
 
 tus, before the writing of this letter, 
 into Macedonia on his way to Corinth 
 (Acts 19: 22), where Paul fully expected 
 he would arrive after the reception of 
 this letter (i6:io), and later returned 
 to Macedonia, meeting Paul there, who 
 joined Timothy's name with his own 
 in his second Epistle (2 Cor. 1 : 1). Com- 
 pare " Clark's Har. Arrangement of 
 the Acts," §38 and note. 
 
 18. The mention of sending Timothy 
 suggested his own expected coming, 
 which some hoped and thought he 
 would not undertake. Now some 
 are, rather, were, puffed up with 
 conceit and pride, as though I would 
 not come, better, 2vere not coming to 
 you, as if I dared not come on account 
 of opposers and the depreciation of his 
 influence and apostolic authority (2Cor. 
 10:1, 2, 10, 11), Compare Acts 19 ": 22 
 and 2 Cor. 1 : 15-17 ; 2 : 3, 4, and notice 
 how they tally and confirm the gen- 
 uineness of these writings. 
 
 19. But, I say with emphasis, I 
 will come to you shortly (16:8,9), 
 if the Lord will, who holds in his 
 hands the lives and conditions of men. 
 Paul speaks of " the will of God " in 
 Rom. 1 : 10 ; 15 : 32 ; here, " if the Lord 
 will," which accords with James 4 : 13- 
 15. Meyer thinks that Lord here is to 
 be understood of God rather than 
 of Christ. But the apostle usually ap- 
 plies this term to Christ as the Son ( ver. 
 4, 5; 1 : 2, 3, 7-9, etc.), and it seems more 
 natural to refer it here to him. And 
 will know, not the speech, the 
 arrogant talk and boasting, of them 
 that are puffed up, but the 
 poAver, to act in Christ's service. He 
 would then test whether their spiritual 
 power and excellence corresponded with 
 
216 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 20 For sthe kingdom of God is not in 
 
 21 word, but in power. What will ye? 
 ^ shall I come unto you with a rod, or 
 in love, and i7i the spirit of meekness ? 
 
 the kingdom of God is not in word, but 
 21 in power. What do ye wish ? Shall I 
 come to you with a rod, or in love and 
 the spirit of gentleness? 
 
 y 2 : 4 ; 1 Thess. 1 : 5. 
 
 ;* 2 Cor. 10 : 1, 2 ; 13 : 10. 
 
 their words. For this meaning of the 
 word power, see 2 Cor. 4:7; Eph. 3 : 
 16 ; Col. 1:11. 
 
 20. For, to justify what he had 
 just said, the kingdom of God, the 
 reign of God established in the heart by 
 a living fellowship with Christ (Rom. 
 11 : 1"), and to be consummated when he 
 returns with his saints (pmi. 3 : 20, 21; 
 Eph. 5:5). Compare note on Matt. 3 : 2. 
 Is not in word— talk and professions, 
 but in power — in spiritual energy, 
 manifested in moral excellence of char- 
 acter, in unction and the presence of the 
 Spirit in preaching, and in Paul's case, 
 in working of miracles and in spiritual 
 gifts, and in apostolic authority. 
 
 21. In conclusion, What will ye? 
 It is for you to decide how I am to 
 come to you. Shall I come to you 
 with a rod, literally, in a rod, in the 
 spirit of a rod, of chastisement and 
 severity, like a father (vcr. 15) ready to 
 chasten you; or in love, without \he 
 rod, the severity, and the chastening, 
 and the spirit of meekness, of 
 
 gentleness (Cal. 6 : l: comp. 1 Tim. 6 : ll). 
 
 Some refer spirit here to the Holy 
 Spirit, but this is not necessary. Chris- 
 tian meekness however is one of the 
 fruits of the Spirit, and is characteristic 
 of the renewed human spirit (6ai. 5 : 23; 
 Eph. 4: 2), It is evident tliat Paul ex- 
 ercised apostolic authority among the 
 churches wiiere he labored, but he did 
 it in a fatherly spirit and as an inspired 
 man (7 : 10, n.ctc). 
 
 The Kingdom of God a reality. 
 The kingdom of God is prominent in 
 Paul's Epistk'S, and was a grand theme 
 of his preaching (Acts u : 22: 19 : s: 20 : 25; 
 28 : 23, 31). It is the Mcssianic kingdom 
 under the gospel dispensation, already 
 begun in the hearts of believers and 
 advancing toward its full consumma- 
 tion. Its processes of growth and de- 
 velopment are tauglit in some of the 
 paraldes in the thirteenth chapter of 
 Mattliew. The kingdom is not the 
 church; l)ut chnrclies are the outward 
 inanifestations of the kingdom. Paul 
 in his Epistles more frequently speaks 
 
 of the church, but lie does not overlook 
 the kingdom as really existing (Rom. 14 : 
 
 17 ; 1 Cor. 4 : 20 ; 1 Thess. 2 : 12). It is a vital 
 
 force in churches and Ijel levers, oppos- 
 ing all false intlueiices and systems 
 under the kingdom of darkness, whose 
 
 I head is Satan, the prince of this world. 
 
 ' These must be overcome before the 
 absolute consummation of the kingdom 
 of God, when God shall be all in all ( i Cor. 
 15:28). It is to be feared that Chris- 
 tians too much overlook this kingdom. 
 In so doing their vision and aims are 
 narrowed, their motives are weakened, 
 and they suffer loss in spiritual power. 
 They should proclaim the present 
 blessings and privileges of tlie kingdom 
 and its future glories, and oppose with 
 spiritual weapons whatever is wrong 
 in the church and the world. The 
 kingdom deals first with the individ- 
 ual, and through individuals with 
 churches, and through these the family, 
 society, and the State. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. Ministers of the gospel are the serv- 
 ants of Christ, and should know no 
 Master but him (ver. 1-4 ; Matt. 23 : 8-10). 
 
 2. No earthly position is more honorable 
 and no trust more important than that of 
 the Christian minister (ver. 1 ; Ezek. 33 : 
 •2-8; 3:17). 
 
 3. Faithfulness to God and the souls of 
 men is required of the minister of Christ 
 (ver. 1-4 ; Ezek. 34 : 2 ff. ; Titus 1:7). 
 
 4. A good reputation is of great value, 
 but greater is an unblemished character, 
 and greatest the approbation of Christ, 
 which will unfailingly follow such char- 
 acter (ver. 3, 4 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 15 ; 1 Sam. 16 : 
 7). 
 
 r>. Our own judgment, or the judgment 
 of others, is not a sure test of our fidelity 
 to Christ and his cause (ver. 3-5 ; Ps. 139 : 
 23, 24; 143 : 2). 
 
 6. The judgment will be a revelation of 
 secret things— of thoughts and motives ; 
 its decisions will be just and impartial 
 (ver. 5; Rev. 16:7). 
 
 7. All Christians stand on a level before 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 217 
 
 Moral disorders ; regarding an immoral 
 member in the church. 
 
 IT is reported commonly that there is 
 fornication among you, and such for- 
 nication as is not so much as named 
 among the Gentiles, ' that one should 
 
 It is generally reported that there is 
 fornication among you, and such for- 
 nication as is not even among the 
 Gentiles, that one of you has his 
 
 i See refs. Lev. 18 : 8. 
 
 Christ and in the church. Party spirit is 
 unbecoming (ver. 6 ; Luke 22 : 25, 26 ; 
 Eph. 6:9). 
 
 8. We have nothing in ourselves which 
 can give us an occasion for pride and 
 vain boasting (ver, 7, 8 ; Ps. 115 : 1). 
 
 9. For every excellence of character or j 
 condition we are indebted to God, which 
 we should humbly acknowledge with 
 thanksgiving (ver. 7, 8 ; 15 : 10 ; James 1 : 
 17). 
 
 10. If we use irony or sarcasm it should 
 be but rarely, and with great carefulness 
 (ver. 8, 10; Col. 4 : 6). 
 
 11. We cannot safely estimate character 
 by external conditions, or from the opin- 
 ions which persons may form of them- 
 selves (ver. 8-10; Rev. 3 : 17). 
 
 12. Worldly and vital Christianity has 
 always differed in the lives of its subjects 
 (ver. 8-10; 2 Tim. 2 : 11-13). 
 
 13. From the experiences of Paul and 
 the apostles we may learn how much 
 true religion has cost. "The blood of 
 martyrs has been the seed of the church " 
 (ver. 9-13; Rev. 7:14). 
 
 14. The self-denying example'and single 
 devotedness of Paul may Avell put us to 
 shame, in view of what we endure and 
 accomplish in this age and country of 
 soul-liberty (ver. 9-14). 
 
 15. It is a distinguished honor, involv- 
 ing great responsibilities, to have spirit- 
 ual children in the gospel (ver. 15 ; 2 Cor. 
 12 : 14). 
 
 16. We should so live that we'can say to 
 others, " Be ye imitators of me " (ver. 16 ; 
 ITim. 4 :12). 
 
 17. Christian churches should have a 
 common rule of faith and practice (ver. 
 17; Eph. 4: 5). 
 
 18. Arrogance in church-members in- 
 dicates a heart and life estranged from 
 Christ (ver. 18 ; Phil. 2 : 1-5). 
 
 19. There are times when church evils 
 are to be corrected with a vigorous hand 
 (ver. 19; Rev. 2 : 14, 20). 
 
 20. The i)ower of the kingdom of God is 
 in the mediatorial reign of Christ, and 
 the regenerating and sanctifying work of 
 the Spirit (ver. 20 ; 15 : 24, 25 ; 1 Peter 1 : 
 2; 2 Peter 1 : 4). 
 
 21. Church discipline is for the good 
 of God's people and should be wisely 
 maintained in all churches (ver. 21 ; 5:4, 
 5 ; Matt. 18 : 15-18 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 20). 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The apostle now gives attention to 
 certain MORAL DISORDEES IN THE 
 
 Corinthian church (chap. 5,6). in 
 this chapter he first refers to a flagrant 
 case of incest in the church, and to 
 their failure in discipline (^er. 1, 2), and 
 he requires that they should expel the 
 offender (ver. 3-5) because the evil leaven 
 will desecrate the whole (ver. e-s). He 
 then refers to a previous letter and ex- 
 plains its meaning. The church can 
 exercise its judgment only upon its own 
 members, which it must do in this case 
 
 (ver. 9-13). 
 
 1. HaWng concluded his discussion 
 and censure of party di^^sions, the 
 apostle turns at once to moral evils in 
 the church. What he had just said 
 concerning dealing with offenders (* : 21) 
 prepared the way for this. It is re- 
 ported commonly, better, it is gen- 
 erally reported, it is a popular rumor, 
 that there is fornication among 
 you, a common and notorious vice, 
 including all unlawful lusts, and 
 such fornication, for instance, as 
 is not so much as named, rather, 
 according to the best text, as is not even, 
 among the Gentiles, that one 
 should have his father's wife, 
 should have married his stepmother. 
 The father appears to have been still 
 alive (2 Cor. 7:12). Some supposed she 
 had been divorced, but this is unknown. 
 Such cases were not allowed by their 
 laws, and, though not absolutely un- 
 known, were looked upon with abhor- 
 rence. It was equally against Jewish 
 law (Lev. 18:8). Sucli a conditiou of 
 
218 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 2 have his father's wife. ''And ye are 
 puffed up, and have not rather 
 'mourned, tliat he that hath done this 
 deed •" might V)e taken away from 
 
 3 among you. "For I verily, as absent in 
 body, but present in spirit, have judged 
 already, as though I were present, con- 
 ccrning him that hath so done this 
 
 4 deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, when ye are gathered together, 
 and my spirit, owith the power of our 
 
 5 Lord Jesus Christ, Pto deliver sueh an 
 one unto Satan for the destruction of 
 the flesh, q that the spirit may be saved 
 in the day of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 2 father's wife. And ye are puffed up, 
 and did not rather mourn, that he 
 who did this deed might be taken 
 
 3 away from among you. For I verily, 
 being absent in body, but present in 
 spirit, have already, as if present, 
 judged liim who lias so wrougnt this; 
 
 4 in the name of our Lord Jesus, when 
 ye are gathered together, and my 
 spirit, with the power of our Lord 
 
 5 Jesus, to deliver such a one to Satan 
 for the destruction of the flesh, that 
 the spirit may be saved in the day of the 
 
 ki-.lS. Z See 2 Cor. 7 : 7, 10. 
 
 Matt. 18 : 16-18, 20 ; John 20 : 23 ; 2 Cor. 2 : 10. 
 
 m Ver. 5, 7, 13. 
 p 1 Tim. 1 : 20. 
 
 n Col. 2 : 5. 
 3 See 2 Cor. 2 : 6-11. 
 
 things showed the influence of the 
 loose and corrupt morals of Corinth 
 upon the church. The early Gen- 
 tile churches were by no means models. 
 They were like our own missionary 
 churches among the heathen, very im- 
 perfect. This instance of crime forms 
 the climax of this portion of the Epis- 
 tle. "It is, as it were, the burst of 
 storm, the mutterings of which, as 
 Chrysostom observes, had already JDcen 
 heard in the earlier chapters (3 : i6; 4:5, 
 20, 21), and of which the echoes are 
 still discernible, not only in this 
 
 Epistle (7 : 2 ; 10 : 8, 22 ; 15 : 33) , but alsO in 
 
 the second Epistle, the first half of 
 which (chap. 1-7) is nothing less than an 
 endeavor to allay the excitement and 
 confusion created by this severe re- 
 monstrance " (Dean Stanley). 
 
 2. And ye are puffed up, self- 
 complacent, boastful, and elated, and 
 did not rather mourn over this 
 scandalous sin, (hat he that did this 
 deed might be taken away from 
 among you, excluded from your fel- 
 lowship. It seems better, with some 
 critics, to regard this as a question, 
 thus : And ye, are ye puffed up, and did 
 not rather mourn f etc. But the sense 
 in either case is the same. In their 
 pride and by their silence they were 
 sanctioning this sin. A becoming lui- 
 mility and mourning on account of it 
 would liave led them to deal as a church 
 with the offender. 
 
 3. And lie must be excluded, For I 
 verily, us absent, rather, being ab- 
 sent, in body, but presj'nt in spirit, 
 have Judged, him, already, as 
 though I were present, or, hare 
 decided coneerning him, that hath 
 
 so done this deed, in such a man- 
 ner and under such circumstances. 
 
 4. The sentence continues to the end 
 of ver. 5. In the name of our 
 Lord Jesus (Christ should be omit- 
 ted according to the best authorities), 
 in his name and by his authority as 
 his representative, when ye are 
 gathered together, as a church, 
 and my^ spirit with you, as it were, 
 with the power of our Lord Jesus 
 (omit Christ as above), his power be- 
 ing present in their assembly as prom- 
 ised in Matt. 18 : 20 ; 28 : 20, and with 
 
 me as an apostle (comp. Acts 3 : 6, le ; 13 : 9-11 ; 
 16 : 18 : 2 Thess. 3:6). The cllUrch WaS tO 
 
 act thus in Christ's name, in his power, 
 and with the sanction of the apostle. 
 
 5, What they were to do. To de- 
 liver sueh a one unto Satan, 
 
 a strong way of expressing excomnni- 
 nication from the church. He was to 
 be delivered over as a heathen (Jiatt. is : 
 17) to the world over which Satan held 
 
 special sway (2Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2; 6: 12). 
 
 This seems to be the underlying con- 
 ception (comp. 1 Tim. 1 : 20). The Suffer- 
 ing as a result of this offender's con- 
 duct is conceived of as connected with 
 Satan's kingdom. All moral and phys- 
 ical evils are conceived of as coming 
 
 from him (Luke 13 : le ; 2 Cor. 12 : 7 ; Job 2:6). 
 
 For the destruetion of the flesh, 
 
 implying some physical evil, as dis- 
 ease, afflictions, liodily sufferings, in 
 which Satan may be conceived of as 
 the instrument of divine justice. (Com- 
 
 paro 11 : 30 ; Acts 5 : 5-10. ) The objCCt of tllis 
 
 di.'icipline is remedial. That the 
 spirit, tlie center of his personality, 
 or as we would say, that his soul, 
 may be saved, from destruction. 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 219 
 
 6 'Your glorying is not good. Know 
 ye not that » a little leaven leaveneth 
 
 7 the whole lump ? » Purge out therefore 
 the old leaven, that ye may be a new 
 lump, as ye are unleavened. For even 
 "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for 
 
 8 us. Therefore let us keep the feast, 
 ^not with old leaven, neither ywith 
 the leaven of malice and wickedness ; 
 but with the unleavened bread of sin- 
 cerity and truth. 
 
 6 Lord. Your glorying is not good. 
 Know ye not that a little leaven leavens 
 
 7 the whole mass ? Cleanse out the old 
 leaven, that ye may be a new mass, 
 even as ye are unleavened. For our 
 passover also, Christ, was sacrificed ; 
 
 8 therefore let us keep the feast, not 
 with old leaven, nor with the leaven of 
 malice and wickedness, but with the 
 unleavened bread of sincerity and 
 truth. 
 
 r 4 : 19 ; James 4 : 16. 
 M See refs. John 1 : 29. 
 
 ; 15 : 33 ; Gal. 5:9; Heb. 12 : 15. t Ver. 13 ; see Exod. 12 : 15 ; Col. 3 : 5. 
 X Deut. 16 : 3 ; Eph. 4 : 17-24. y See refs. Mark 8 : 15 ; 1 Peter 2:1,2. 
 
 in the day of the Lord Jesus, 
 
 the day of judgment (3: is). To the 
 same effect is 1 Tim. 1 : 20, "That 
 tliey may learn not to blasplieme," and 
 also 3 : 15, "saved through fire." 
 Through present sufferings the offender 
 may be led to repentance and saved at 
 last. As far as such consequences were 
 connected with apostolic power (2 cor. 
 13 : 10) they were peculiar to the apos- 
 tolic age. The phrase " to deliver to 
 Satan " does not occur in the ordinary 
 forms of excommunication in the first 
 four centuries (Stanley). In regard 
 to the wife (ver. 1) Bengel says : " She 
 was no doubt a heathen, therefore he 
 does not rebuke her (ver. 12. 13)." 
 
 6. In such a state of things, your 
 glorying, in your wisdom and spirit- 
 ual gifts, is not good, is not becom- 
 ing ; you have no ground for boasting. 
 Know ye not that a little leaven 
 leaveneth the whole lump? that 
 sin is rapidly diffusive, that " one sin- 
 ner destroyeth much good " (Red. 9 : is). 
 This appears to be a proverbial saying 
 and occurs in Gal. 5:9. A similar 
 proverb is given in 15 : 33. Leaven is 
 used in the New Testament of an evil 
 principle (Matt. 16 : e, 11, 12), except in the 
 parable of the leaven in the meal (Matt. 
 13 : 33 ) . The presence of such sin among 
 them, though confined to a few, and of 
 such a sinner, gave a character to the 
 whole church, and as long as they al- 
 lowed this they Avere in a measure par- 
 takers of the sin. 
 
 7. The mention of leaven suggests 
 the use of the figure of the Passover, 
 when every particle of leaven was re- 
 moved from their houses (Rxod. 13 : 3-7). 
 Purge out therefore the old 
 leaven, the sins of the old man, of 
 your unregenerate state, still clinging 
 to you, that ye may be a new 
 lump even as ye are, in Christ, un- 
 
 leavened, free from malice and wick- 
 edness (ver. 8). Purge out, a strong 
 expression, cleanse out, every particle 
 and taint. The later Jews searched 
 with lighted candles the darkest holes 
 and corners so that not the least leaven 
 remained (zeph. 1:12). The word himp 
 means, literally, a mass of dough. The 
 apostle would have them really as a 
 church what they professed to be, a 
 truly regenerate people. For, to carry 
 out the figure and enforce the exhorta- 
 tion, Christ our passover, better, 
 For also our passover, Christ, our Pas- 
 chal Lamb, was sacrificed for us 
 once for all (Heb. 7:27) in order that 
 we might be saved from sin and its 
 consequences (Johni : 29), Let us there- 
 fore put away sin and keep our- 
 selves free from the defilements of 
 the world. The word translated 
 Passover is used both of the feast and 
 as here of the Paschal Lamb. For 
 Christ as God's Paschal Lamb, see 
 John 1 : 36 ; Rev. 13 : 8. For us is 
 omitted by the highest critical authori- 
 ties. The act of slaying, sacrificing, the 
 victim is prominent here. It is need- 
 less, however, to press the illustration 
 into supposing that Christ died at the 
 very hour that the Passover lambs 
 were killed. The main object of the 
 illustration was the cleansing out of 
 sins, as individuals and a church. 
 
 8. And since the lamb is slain and 
 the feast is going on, therefore let 
 us keep the feast, a perpetual festi- 
 val, as it were, not with the old 
 leaven of our former corrupt lives 
 (Eph. 2:1-3), neither, to be more ex- 
 plicit, with the leaven of malice 
 and wickedness, but with the 
 unleavened bread of sincerity 
 and truth, abstaining from the cor- 
 rupting influences of sin and practising 
 purity and trutlifulness of heart and 
 
220 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 9 I wrote unto yoii in an epistle » not 
 
 10 to company witli fornicators: ayet not 
 altogether with the fornicators of this 
 world, or with the covetoas, or extor- 
 tioners, or with idolaters; for then 
 must ye needs go*' out of the world. 
 
 11 But now I have written unto you not 
 to keep company, if any man that is 
 called a brother be a fornicator, or 
 covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or 
 a drunkard, or an extortioner; ^with 
 
 12 such an one no not to eat. For what 
 have I to do to judge <* them also that 
 are without? Do not ye judge « them 
 
 13 that are within? But them that are 
 
 9 I wrote to you, in my letter, not to 
 
 10 keep company with fornicators ; yet 
 not, altogether, with the fornicators of 
 this world, or witli the covetovis and 
 extortioners, or idolaters ; for then ye 
 
 11 must needs go out of the world. But 
 as it is, I wrote to you not to keep 
 company, if any one called a brother 
 be a fornicator, or covetous, or an 
 idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or 
 an extortioner, with such a one not 
 even to eat. 
 
 12 For what have I to do with judging 
 those who are without? Do not ye 
 
 13 judge those who are within? But 
 
 z 2 Cor. 6 : 14, 17 ; Eph. 5 : 5, 11 ; 2 Thess. 3 : 14. a 10 : 27. 6 John 17 : 15 ; Phil. 2 : 15. 
 
 c Ver. 13 ; Matt. 18 : 17 ; Rom. 16 : 17 ; 2 Thess. 3 : 6 ; 2 John 10 : 11. 
 
 d Mark 4 : 11 ; Col. 4 : 5 ; 1 Thess. 4 : 12. e 6 : 1-4. 
 
 life. ^^ Sincerity takes care not to ad- 
 mit evil with the good; truth, not to 
 admit evil instead of good " ( Bengel ). 
 "Malice denotes rather the vicious dis- 
 position ; wickedness, the active exer- 
 cise of the same" (Thayer's "N. T. 
 Lex." ) . Paul wrote this Epistle about 
 the time of the Passover ( i6 : lo, ii ; see in- 
 troduction), and perhaps this may have 
 suggested this particular illustration. 
 
 9. I wrote unto you in an 
 epistle, literally, in the letter, 
 douhtless referring to an Epistle sent 
 them a short time previous, but now 
 lost. This is the view of the majority 
 of commentators. Not to, /.Tep, com- 
 pany, or, he intimate, Avith fornica- 
 tors (2 Thess. 3: u). What he had just 
 said in ver, 7, 8 leads him to notice a 
 misunderstanding and a perversion by 
 his adversaries of a passage in a former 
 letter. He digresses to explain. 
 
 10. The warning to avoid associa- 
 tion with dissolute persons among pro- 
 fessed believers they had applied to all 
 men. Yet not altogether, or, not 
 entirehj with, not in every case and 
 under all circumstances with, the 
 fornicators of this world, the un- 
 believing or heathen world ; or with 
 the covetous, the greedy of gain, or, 
 rather, and, extortioners, unjust and 
 violent graspers after otlier people's 
 property ; or with idolaters, here as- 
 sociated witli the covetous, because cov- 
 etousness is a kind of idolatry (Coi. 3:5). 
 For then, or else ye must, needs g:o 
 out of the Avorld altogether. You 
 cannot help meeting such men in busi- 
 ness and general society. 
 
 11. But now I have written unto 
 
 you, better, but as it is Iivrote to you, 
 or hut noiv, as the case stands in fact 
 (Rom. 3:21), I icrote to you, in my for- 
 mer epistle, if any man called a 
 brother he a fornicator, etc., as 
 designated in ver. 10 ; to which are 
 added, a railer, one who reviles, or a 
 drunkard. Notice these six charac- 
 ters — all fitted to destroy the peace, life, 
 and character of a church. Paul ex- 
 plains his meaning: with such pro- 
 fessed brethren, you are not to keep 
 company, no not to eat, not even to 
 eat at ordinary meals. They are not to 
 associate with such persons, nor to join 
 them in festive and social intercourse. 
 Of course, as an inference, such persons 
 were not to partake with them of the 
 Lord's Supper. 
 
 12. I make this limit to those who 
 profess faith in Christ, For, tvhat have 
 I, as an apostle, to do to judge, 
 rather, nnth judging those, that are 
 without, the outside world, unbe- 
 lievers. The phrase, those without, was 
 the usual Jewish designation for the 
 heathen. Also should be omitted. Do 
 not ye judge them that are Avith- 
 in, the church? Paul evidently has 
 reference to *' when ye are gathered to- 
 gether " (ver. 4). The question demands 
 an affirmative answer. It was a strong 
 way of Saying, It is your province as a 
 church to judge your own members. It 
 would seem that Paul in this verse dis- 
 tinguishes his own authority as an in- 
 spired apostle, and that of the church. 
 But them that are without God 
 judgeth, neither you nor I have au- 
 thority to do this. 
 
 13. Paul now applies what he had 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 221 
 
 without God judgeth. f Therefore put 
 away from among yourselves that 
 wicked person. 
 
 those who are Avithout God judges. 
 Put away that wicked man from among 
 yourselves. 
 
 / Ver. 5, 7 ; Deut. 13 : 5 ; 21 : 21. 
 
 said to the person mentioned in ver, 1. 
 Therefore, is not in the best text. The 
 abruptness and strength of the exhorta- 
 tion accord with Paul's manner. Put 
 away, the wicked man, from among 
 yourselves. These are in the words 
 of Deut. 24 : 7, and they indicate the 
 usual formula in pronouncing punish- 
 ment on great crimes ( Deut. is : 5 ; it : 7 ; 
 21:21). This act of exclusion is to be 
 their act. The apostle would not ignore 
 the prerogative of the local church in 
 exercising discipline. 
 
 Church Government. Since the 
 Christian church was divinely organ- 
 ized, if there is within it a governing 
 power it must be of divine authority, 
 and it is reasonable to expect to find 
 what it is in the New Testament, both 
 as to its nature and form. Such has 
 been the general sense of Christendom 
 in all ages, and hence the advocates of 
 respective church governments have 
 uniformly appealed to Scripture. An 
 authoritative form is implied in such 
 passages as, " We have no such custom, 
 neither the churches of God" (icor. 
 11 : 16). " God is not the author of con- 
 fusion, but of peace, as in all the 
 churches of the saints" (iCor. u:33. 
 
 Comp. 4 : 16, 17 ; 7 : 17 ; 11 : 2 : 16 : 1 ; 1 Thess. 2 : 14 : 
 Titus 1:3). 
 
 The Epistles of Paul, especially those 
 to the Corinthians, point to a demo- 
 cratic and independent government of 
 local churches. Nowhere are officers 
 or government of either a national or a 
 universal church spoken of. Christ is 
 represented as equally the Head of the 
 universal church, of the local church, 
 and of each individual member ( i Cor. 
 
 11 : 3 ; Col. 1 : 18 : 2 : 10, 19). The EpistlcS tO 
 
 the Corinthians were addressed " to the 
 church of God which is at Corinth" 
 
 ( 1 Cor. 1 : 2 ; 2 Cor. 1:1), Paul rCCOguizCS 
 
 the local church, not its officers, as 
 vested with the power of excommuni- 
 cating offenders, of receiAnng and re- 
 storing members, and as of the highest 
 authority in giving final judgments and 
 in settling personal difficulties (i cor. 5 : 
 
 4-7, 9, 12, 13 ; 6 : 1-4 ; 2 Cor. 2 : 6-8, etc. ; comp. Matt. 
 
 18 : 15-20). Paul gives not the least hint 
 
 to the Corinthians that any other church 
 or ecclesiastical body was responsible 
 for their irregularities of discipline, or 
 their disorders in connection with the 
 Lord's Supper. The membership of 
 the local church formed the responsible 
 party ; and it he praises, or blames. 
 
 Dr. Alexander Carson, in his "Eea- 
 sons for Separating from the General 
 Synod of Ulster," very forcibly main- 
 tains that the democratic and independ- 
 ent government of churches is the most 
 practicable in all countries, ages, and 
 circumstances; that it is the least ca- 
 pable of abuse ; and sufficient for sub- 
 sisting in vigor and for preserving 
 others from error; that it does not re- 
 quire human expedients and human 
 wisdom in maintaining uniformitj^ and 
 purity of doctrine ; but that it does re- 
 quire more than all other forms the 
 most knowledge of the Scriptures ; and 
 constantly needs prayer and Divine 
 guidance ; that it also is the most favor- 
 able to soul liberty ; and offers the 
 fewest incitements to unhallowed ambi- 
 tion ; that it is the best adapted to pro- 
 mote the welfare and growth of the 
 membership; and that it most nearly 
 resembles the simplicity of other gospel 
 institutions." See also " Clark's Com- 
 mentary on the Acts " on Church Pol- 
 ity, pp. 14, 15. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. Evil rumors have generally some 
 basis in facts. Churches should not allow 
 such against their own members to go 
 Avithout investigation (ver. 1). 
 
 2. If a professed Christian gives way to 
 a course of sin, he often descends lower 
 than if he had never made a profession 
 (ver. 1 ; 2 Peter 2 : 22 ; Zech. 13 : 6). 
 
 3. Pride and a boastful spirit tend to 
 blind men to the nature and consequences 
 of sin (ver. 2 ; 1 Tim. 3:6). 
 
 4. Discipline and the corrections of evils 
 in a church should be undertaken in a 
 tender and humble spirit (ver. 2; 2 Cor. 
 7 : 7, 11). 
 
 5. Discipline is to be exercised by the 
 church itself, in its collective capacity, 
 
222 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 Regarding going to law before the heathen; 
 the limits of Christian liberty. 
 
 6 DARE any of you, having a matter 
 
 against another, go to law before the 
 
 2 unjust, and not before the saints? Do 
 
 6 DARE any one of you, having a 
 matter against another, go to law be- 
 fore the unrighteous, and not before 
 2 the saints ? Or, know ye not that the 
 
 and not by individual members (ver. 3, 4, 
 13 ; Matt. 18 : 17). 
 
 6. Paul's authority was that of an apostle 
 and an inspired man, but he did not so 
 exercise it as to ignore the rights of the 
 local church (ver. 4, 5, 13 ; 2 Cor. 7 : 12). 
 
 7. A special object in church discipline 
 should be the spiritual good of the offender 
 (ver. 4-6; 2 Cor. 7 : 7-13). 
 
 8. The least sin is dangerous. It may 
 pollute the whole character and life of the 
 individual, and mar the reputation and 
 life of a church (ver. 6; James 1 : 15; 2 
 John 10). 
 
 9. Christians should strive to keep them- 
 selves free from the contaminations of sin 
 and of the world (ver. 7, 8 ; 1 John 3:3; 
 1 Tim. 4 : 12). 
 
 10. A spirit of asceticism is not the spirit 
 of the gospel. Christians are not of the 
 world, yet they are in the world for the 
 world 's good (ver. 9, 10 ; John 17 : 15 ; Matt. 
 5 : 14, 15). 
 
 11. We learn Avhat class of persons are 
 not to be regarded as Christians : fornica- 
 tors, covetous, idolaters, etc. (ver. 11 ; 6 : 
 9, 10). 
 
 12. We should refrain from making per- 
 sons of depraved morals and irreligious 
 lives our associates Cver. 11, 12; 6 : 17). 
 
 13. It is the duty of the church to deal 
 promptly Avith public offenses, and to ex- 
 clude public offenders (ver. 13; 2 Thess. 
 3: 6). 
 
 14. It is a solemn thing to be excluded 
 from a church of Christ (ver. 4, 5, 13 ; Matt. 
 18 : 17, 18). 
 
 15. It is also a solemn fact that the world 
 of the ungodly is condemned already, and 
 is to be finally judged by a holy and right- 
 eous God (ver. V.) ; Rev. 20 : 11-13). 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 AVith the distinction in mind l)ctween 
 the church and the world, Paul rebukes 
 those Corinthian Christians who were 
 taking their hiwsuits before heatlien 
 tribunals, and shows the inconsistencj' 
 of such conduct (vpr. i-u). He then re- 
 
 sumes the subject of fornication among 
 them, and limits the law of Christian 
 liberty and expediency which some had 
 abused (ver. 12-n) ; and he admonishes 
 them against licentiousness, since their 
 own bodies were God's living temples, 
 and a redeemed body should be used for 
 God's glory (ver. 15-20), 
 
 1-11. Lawsuits before heathen 
 tribunals. 
 
 1. The digression in this paragraph 
 was naturally suggested by what Paul 
 had just said in 5 : 12, 13. As they 
 had nothing to do in judging the 
 world, so they ought not to carry their 
 disputes before unbelievers, and thus 
 be judged by them. Dare any, one, 
 of you, is it possible that any one 01 
 you can be so bold and imprudent, as 
 having a matter, or suit, against 
 another brother to go to law be- 
 fore the unjust, tlie unrighteous, 
 and not before the saints? It 
 was a matter of surprise. How could 
 any one of them ])riug himself to do 
 such a thing? Paul does not intimate 
 that heathen magistrates were inten- 
 tionally unjust, but he designates them 
 as belonging to a class, the unrighteous, 
 in contrast to the saints. In Matt. 18 : 
 17 we have Christ's precepts for the 
 settlement of personal difficulties in the 
 local church. It appears that Christians 
 were accustomed to settle their disputes 
 among themselves by arbitration and 
 that this custom continued till the 
 establishment of Christianity as the re- 
 ligion of the Roman Em j^ire. In the so- 
 called Apostolical Constitutions, written 
 as early as the second or tliird century, 
 the existence of such courts of arbitra- 
 tion is implied, wliicli were held early 
 in the week, so that any disputes that 
 arose might be settled before Sunday. 
 The civil law also gave its sanction to 
 decisions pronounced in such cases by 
 arbitrators privately chosen. There was 
 therefore no need for Christians to re- 
 sort to heathen tribunals. 
 
 2. Do ye not knoAV — according to 
 the best text, Or do ye not know, can 
 you be ignorant of such a well-known 
 fact, as your conduct would seem to 
 
Ch. VL] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 223 
 
 ye not know that s the saints shall 
 judge the world? And if the world 
 shall be judged by you, are ye un- 
 worthy to judge the smallest matters? 
 
 3 Know ye not that we shall ''judge 
 angels ? How much more things that 
 
 4 pertain to this life ! * If then ye 
 have judgments of things pertaining 
 to this life, set them to judge who are 
 
 5 least esteemed in the church. I speak 
 to your shame. Is it so, that there is 
 not a wise man among you ; no, not 
 one that shall be able to judge between 
 
 6 his brethren? But brother goeth to 
 law with brother, and that before the 
 
 saints will judge the world? And if 
 the world is judged by you, are ye un- 
 worthy to judge the least matters? 
 
 3 Know ye not that we shall judge 
 angels? How much more the things 
 
 4 of this life? If then ye have judg- 
 ments about things of this life, set 
 those to judge who are of no esteem in 
 
 5 the church. I speak to your shame. 
 Is it so, that there can not be among 
 you even one wise man who will be 
 able to judge between his brethren, 
 
 6 but brother goes to law with brother, 
 
 7 and that before unbelievers? Already, 
 
 g Ps. 49 : 14 ; Dan. 7 : 22 ; see refs. Matt. 19 : 28 ; Rev. 20 : 4. 
 
 h 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6. 
 
 imply, an ignorance which is entirely 
 inexcusable, that the saints shall 
 judge the world of unbelievers by 
 virtue of their close and exalted union 
 
 with Christ (ver. 15 ; 12 : 2T; 2 Tim. 2 : 12). 
 
 Thus Christ speaks of the apostles 
 "judging the twelve tribes of Israel" 
 (Matt. 19 : 28) ; and Daniel (f : 22)^ of 
 "judgment being given to the saints 
 of the Most High" ; and Jude (i*), of 
 " the Lord coming with ten thousand 
 of his saints." And if the world is 
 judged by you, in your presence. 
 before youl as judges, are ye un- 
 worthy, unfit, to judge the small- 
 est matters, the most trifling cases? 
 Or as some would translate, Are ye 
 unworthy of the smallest tribunals"? 
 The other rendering, however, is to be 
 preferred. 
 
 3. Know ye not, as in ver. 2, and 
 frequently used in this Epistle ( 3 : 16 ; 5 : 
 6; 9:13,24), calling attention to some- 
 thing well known. That we shall 
 judge angels. The climax in the 
 thought regarding the high destiny of 
 believers. Some suppose good angels 
 are meant, because angels are generally 
 used in the New Testament of good 
 angels. But bad angels are referred to 
 in Matt. 25 : 41 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 14 ; 12 : 7 ; 
 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6 ; Rev. 9:11; 12 : 
 7, 9. Notice also that it is not the 
 angels, but simply angels. Besides, it is 
 nowhere stated that the good angels are 
 to be judged (2 Thess 1 : 7), and it is diffi- 
 cult to see how saints could judge them. 
 But bad angels are to be judged (Matt. 
 
 25 : 41 ; Rev. 20 : 10 ; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6) and 
 
 it is fitting that these great opposers 
 of the saints should be judged and con- 
 demned by them. It seems better, there- 
 fore, to regard the reference here to bad 
 
 angels. Hoav much more should we 
 judge in things that pertain to 
 
 this life. Or the thought may be ex- 
 pressed thus: Shall we judge angels, 
 and not indeed in things relating to or- 
 dinary lifef 
 
 4. Judgments, the word trans- 
 lated "matters" in ver. 2. If then 
 ye have judgments, causes or suits, 
 pertaining to this life, set them to 
 judge who are least esteemed, or 
 accounted as nothing, in the church. 
 Some would make this a question : Do 
 ye set them to judge f etc. But the com- 
 mon translation as above is preferable, 
 as best suiting the context. The thought 
 is: Since you are to judge angels, the 
 least-esteemed among you surely can 
 attend to these ordinary matters. And 
 perhaps impliedly : If they are not able 
 to do it, surely they ought to be. 
 
 5. Abruptly Paul explains his words. 
 I speak, I say this (ver. 4) to your 
 shame, to arouse your shame, that 
 neither you nor your conduct are such as 
 your exalted position as saints demands. 
 Is it so that there is not a *' wise " 
 man among you? etc. Among you 
 Corinthians, who regard yourselves as 
 wise, and pride yourselves in your 
 wisdom. Surely you should find some 
 among you who could arbitrate such 
 matters. This could not well apply 
 where one party was an unbeliever. 
 
 6. But, so far from this, brother 
 goeth to law with brother, and 
 that before unbelievers, which was 
 unbecoming, degrading, and inconsist- 
 ent. By exposing their differences be- 
 fore the eyes of the heathen, they 
 brought scandal upon themselves, and 
 discredit upon the worthy name by 
 which they were called. ' ' A litigious 
 
224 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 7 unbelievers. Now therefore there is 
 utterly a fault among you, because ye 
 go to law one with another. ''Why 
 do ye not rather take wrong ? Why do 
 ye not rather suffer yourselves to be de- 
 
 8 frauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and de- 
 
 9 fraud, and that your brethren. Know 
 ye not that 'the unrighteous shall not 
 inherit the kingdom of God? 
 
 Be not deceived : "> neither fornica- 
 tors, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor 
 effeminate, nor abusers of themselves 
 
 10 with mankind, nor thieves, nor covet- 
 ous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, 
 nor extortioners, shall inherit the 
 
 11 kingdom of God. And such were 
 o some of you : » but ye are washed, but 
 
 it is indeed a Jefect in you, that ye 
 have law-suits one with another. Why 
 not rather suffer wrong? Why not 
 
 8 lather be defrauded? But ye your- 
 selves do wrong, and defraud, and 
 
 9 that your brethren. Or know ye not 
 that the unrighteous shail not inherit 
 the kingdom of God ? Be not de- 
 ceived ; neither fornicators, nor idol- 
 aters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, 
 nor abusers of themselves with men, 
 
 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunk- 
 ards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, 
 
 11 will inherit the kingdom of God. And 
 such were some of you ; but ye were 
 
 h Prov. 
 
 20 
 
 : 22 ; Matt 
 
 . 5 : 39-41 
 
 Rom. 
 
 12 : 17-lS 
 
 ; 1 Thess 
 
 5: 
 
 15. 
 
 I See refs. 
 
 hev. 
 
 19 
 
 15 
 
 ,35; 
 
 Isa. 
 
 10 
 
 1 
 
 2. 
 
 
 
 
 m Gal. 5 : 
 
 19-21; 
 
 Eph. 5 : 
 
 3-5; Heb. 
 
 12 
 
 : 14 
 
 ; 13 
 
 :4 
 
 Rev. 22 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 nEom. 
 
 6 : 17-19 ; 
 
 Eph. 2 : 1 
 
 -3; Col 
 
 .3:5-8; 
 
 Titus 3 : 
 
 i. 
 
 
 
 Eph. 
 
 5: 
 
 26; 
 
 Titus 3 : 
 
 5; 
 
 Rev 
 
 1 :5 
 
 ,6. 
 
 
 
 spirit is known to have characterized 
 the Greek nation from the time of Aris- 
 tophanes downward, and it is not won- 
 derful that this should have cropped 
 out in the Christians of Corinth" {T. 
 W. Chambers, in Meyer). 
 
 7. Now therefore there is 
 utterly a fault, etc., better, It is in- 
 deed already a defect in general in you. 
 Your having lawsuits one with another 
 shows a defect in your Christian love 
 and sense of right ; it implies selfishness 
 and injustice. Already there is & fall- 
 ing short in your Christian characters 
 and lives, which may result disas- 
 trously, since such sins exclude men 
 from the kingdom of God (^er. 9, lo) 
 Why do ye not rather take, or suf- 
 fer, wrong , , . rather be de- 
 frauded, according to the command 
 
 of Christ (Matt. 5:38-42). 
 
 8. Nay, Instead of this, ye do 
 wrong and defraud and that 
 your brethren, with whom you are 
 bound in spiritual relations closer 
 and dearer than the ties of blood (Matt. 
 
 23 : 8). 
 
 9. Paul strengthens his remonstrance 
 by appealing to the well-known char- 
 acter of the kingdom of God as opposed i 
 to all unrighteousness. Know ye not j 
 (vor. 2, 3), the well-known fact, that 
 the unrighteous shall not inherit j 
 the kingdom of God, which is to he 
 consummated at Clirist's coming? (j^"' 
 on 4: 20.) Yct tlicy Were conducting 
 themselves as if ignorant of this. Hence 
 he warns them. Be not deceived in re- 
 gard to yourselves and this matter. (Comp. j 
 3:8,10.) He then proceeds to particu- I 
 
 lars, in order that there may be no 
 misunderstanding of his meaning. The 
 classes named are the same substan- 
 tially as those in 5 : 11 (on which see), 
 with four additional ones. They include 
 those who lived for their own sensual 
 indulgence, or for gain. Effeminate, 
 the indulgers in soft and luxurious 
 living. Abusers of themselves 
 with mankind, sodomites {} Tim. i : lo ; 
 
 Rom. 1:27). 
 
 10. Nor thieves, with probable 
 reference to some of the lawsuits. 
 Notice that drunkards and revilers 
 
 are put together both here and in 
 5 : 11, as if suggested by the fact that 
 drunkenness and strife usually go to- 
 gether, Paul doubtless had noticed 
 that such classes of persons were com- 
 mon at Corinth, and he affirms that 
 none of them shall inherit the 
 kingdom of God, at "the restitu- 
 tion of all things" (Acts 3: 21). Notice 
 how the apostle returns to these great 
 moral and social evils (5 : 9-n). It was 
 their low spirituality and loose morals 
 that lay at the foundation of their party 
 strifes and other troubles (3 : 1-3). 
 
 11. And such classes of persons 
 were some of you, before your con- 
 version, but having been changed in 
 heart and life, you should not have 
 wrongdoing among yourselves, and 
 disputes, and even lawsuits, before 
 heathen tribunals. The contrast in 
 what follows is made intense by the 
 empliatic but repeated thrice. The 
 three verbs — washed, sanctified, and 
 justified — are in the past tense and form 
 a climax comprehending three great 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 225 
 
 ye are p sanctified, but ye are i justified 
 in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by 
 the Spirit of our God. 
 
 12 ' All things are lawful unto me ; » but 
 all things are not expedient [or, profit- 
 able]. All things are lawful forme; 
 * but I will not be brought under the 
 
 13 power of any. 'i Meats for the belly, 
 and the belly for meats : but God shall 
 
 washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye 
 were justified in the name of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our 
 God. 
 
 12 All things are lawful for me, but not 
 all things are profitable ; all things are 
 lawful for me, but I will not be 
 brought under the control of anything. 
 
 13 Foods for the belly, and the belly for 
 foods ; but God will bring to nought 
 
 p 1 : 2, 30 ; 2 Thess. 2 : 13. q Rom. 3 : 24, 26-30. 
 
 8 8:4, 7-13 ; 10 : 24-33 ; Rom. 14 : 15. « 9 : 27. 
 
 r 10 : 23 ; Rom. 14 : 14. 
 wMatt. 15 : 17; Rom. 14 : 17. 
 
 facts of their Christian experience in 
 conversion. But ye are washed, 
 
 literally, ye tvashed off, or bathed away, 
 these pollutions, the act properly refer- 
 ring to the whole body, and figuratively 
 to the whole being. It is generally 
 thought that there is here an allusion 
 to baptism. The verb implies an in- 
 telligent agent in submitting to God, 
 and in renouncing and forsaking sin, 
 just as the believer submits voluntarily 
 and intelligently to baptism, which 
 symbolically represents the forgiveness 
 and cleansing away of sins. See Acts 
 22 : 16 and note, where the same verb 
 is used. There is, however, no more 
 reference to self-baptism than there is 
 to sinners changing their own hearts or 
 forgiving their own sins. Compare 
 such passages as James 4:8; Phil. 2 : 
 12 ; 2 Cor. 7 : 1, 11. But ye were 
 sanctified, consecrated to God and 
 
 a holy life ( Eph. 5 : 26 ; Heb. 10 : 10, 14 ; Rom. 
 
 12:1). But ye were justified, in- 
 cluding not only their acceptance by 
 God as righteous, but also that moral 
 righteousness of heart and life which 
 results at conversion, through union 
 with Christ and the operation of the 
 Holy Spirit. Justified seems to con- 
 trast with unrighteous in ver. 9. (see 
 on Rom. 1:17.) In the name of the 
 Lord Jesus, Christ, and by the 
 Spirit of our God. Both of these 
 clauses refer to the three preceding 
 verbs. The person and work of Christ, 
 and the work of the Spirit, are both 
 connected with our regeneration and 
 forgiveness, our sanctification and justi- 
 fication, and brought vividly to view in 
 our baptism. So also baptism and all 
 it symbolizes are realities to us by 
 faith and nothing to us without faith. 
 How inconsistent the moral disorders 
 in these Corinthian Christians! How 
 should these words of the apostle have 
 inspired them to a holier life ! 
 
 12-20. Returning to the sin 
 OF fornication, Paul limits the 
 LAW OF Christian liberty, which 
 some had abused. 
 
 13. Paul proceeds to discuss this sin 
 in view of their new spiritual life. 
 All things are lawful unto me, 
 were the apostle's own words, and were 
 true in the sense and with the limita- 
 tions in which he used them, but not in 
 the sense that his opponent quoted and 
 applied them ; and doubtless they 
 loved to refer to them in self-justifica- 
 tion. He had used them especially 
 with reference to food (ver. i3; lo :29). 
 "All things are lawful to me, which 
 can be lawful" (Bengel). But all 
 things are not expedient, rather, 
 profitable, advantageous. All things, 
 I repeat, are lawful for me, but 
 I will not be brought under 
 the power of any, or under the 
 control of anything. As if he had 
 said : All things are allowed me or in 
 my power, but they must be for my 
 good. All things are within my power, 
 but I must not be brought under their 
 power, even of my lawful desires; I 
 must not become their slave. "Lib- 
 erty, good in itself, is destroyed by its 
 
 abuse (Gal. 5 : 13; lPeter2: le) " (BENGEL). 
 
 Paul speaks with the force of a maxim, 
 as a representative of Christians. 
 
 13. In this verse Paul refers to food 
 as a representative of things indiffer- 
 ent, to which he had especially re- 
 ferred in his maxim regarding liberty, 
 and then he notices fornication as in- 
 applicable to the law of Christian lib- 
 erty because absolutely sinful. Meats, 
 or foods, for the belly, the digestive 
 organs generally, and the belly for 
 foods, one destined for the other, the 
 appointed sustenance and the ap- 
 pointed receptacle. But God shall 
 destroy both it and them ; both 
 are temporary and perishable. Food 
 
226 
 
 I. CORINTHIAISS 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 destroy both it and them. Now the 
 body is not for fornication, but » for 
 the Lord ; J and the Lord for the body. 
 
 14 And 'God hath both raised up tlie 
 Lord, and will also raise up us ''by his 
 
 15 own power. Know ye not that *> your 
 bodies are the members of Christ? 
 Shall I then take the members of 
 Christ, and make them the members of 
 
 16 an harlot? God forbid. What, know 
 ye not that he which is joined to an 
 harlot is one body? (For «two, saith 
 
 17 he, shall be one flesh.) ^ gut he that 
 is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 
 
 both it and them. Now the body is 
 not for fornication, but for the Lord ; 
 
 14 and the Lord for the body. And God 
 both raised the Lord, and will raise up 
 us through his power. 
 
 15 Know ye not that your bodies are 
 members of Christ? Shall I then take 
 away the members of Christ, and make 
 them members of a harlot ? Far be it ! 
 
 16 Or know ye not that he who is joined 
 to the harlot is one body ? For the two, 
 
 17 says he, shall be one' flesh. But he 
 that is joined to the Lord is one spirit. 
 
 * Ver. 15, 19, 20 ; 3 : 16, 17 ; Rom. 12 : 1 ; 1 Thess. 4 : 3-7. y Eph. 5 : 23. 
 
 z Rom. 6:4-8; 8, 11 ; 2 Cor. 4 : 14. a Eph. 1 : 19, 20. 5 12 : 27 ; Eph. 4 : 12, 15, 16 ; 5 : 29, 30. 
 
 c Matt. 19 : 5 ; Eph. 5 : 31. d John 15 : 1-5 ; 17 : 21-23 ; Eph. 4 : 4. 
 
 is necessary in this present life ; but in 
 the future life we shall hunger and 
 thirst no more (Rev. 7:i6). At our 
 Lord's second coming "the dead shall 
 be raised incorruptible and we shall be 
 changed" (15:51,52). Food and diges- 
 tive organs will no longer be needed. 
 Questions concerning these are com- 
 paratively unimportant. But not so 
 with fornication, which degrades the 
 body, which was destined for the Lord 
 and to immortality. £iU the body 
 is not for fornication, it is not 
 made for it, but for the Lord, for 
 his service and glory (ver. 15 ; Rom. 12 : 1) ; 
 and the Lord for the body, for its 
 salvation and its glorification. Christ 
 is Saviour of the body as well as of the 
 soul (15:54-57). The transition from 
 questions regarding food, especially 
 that offered to idols (10 : 19-24), to the 
 question regarding sins of sensuality, 
 was comparatively easy then, from the 
 frequent connection of licentious rites 
 with idolatrous worship in heathen 
 cities, and particularly in Corinth. 
 Note how " things offered to idols " and 
 "fornication" are joined together in 
 Acts 15 : 29 ; Rev. 2 : 14. It is not 
 strange that Paul found it necessary to 
 refute and condemn licentious liberty. 
 
 14, The thought is continued : Paul 
 bases the resurrection of the body and 
 our future life on Christ's resurrection. 
 And God hath, better, (7od both raised 
 the Lord, ayid will rnisritp lis, etc. His 
 own power, too emphatic, rather, 
 his power, referring to God's power 
 
 (Rom. 8 : 11 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 12-19). guch is the 
 
 glorious destiny of the believer's body. 
 Surely it should not be degraded by 
 licentious lusts. 
 
 15. In this and the two verses that 
 follow Paul adduces a second general 
 argument, from the believer's relation 
 to, and connection with, Christ. Know 
 ye not, ye certainly know (ver. 2), that 
 your bodies are members of 
 Christ, being so closely connected 
 with him, who is head overall, as to be 
 " members of his body," as it were, " of 
 his flesh and of his bones" (Eph. 5: 30). 
 See the thought in 12 : 27, "Ye are 
 Christ's body, and each one members 
 of it." Shall I then, so far degrade 
 myself as to take aivoy, the mem- 
 bers of Christ, my own members, 
 and by fornication make them 
 members of a harlot? To ask a 
 question so abhorrent was its own an- 
 swer. God forbid ! Far be it ! 
 Away the thought ! 
 
 16. What ! know ye not. Rather, 
 Or, know ye not, as in ver. 2. Can you 
 be ignorant of the closeness of the 
 union, that he that is joined to the 
 harlot (her character expressed viv- 
 idly and definitely), is one body, 
 that is, he with her is now one, par- 
 taking of her character and of her sin. 
 The consequence of this union is il- 
 lustrated and confirmed by quoting 
 Gen. 2 : 24, in the words of the Septua- 
 gint version, For the two, saith he 
 (God was the speaker), shall be one 
 flesh. This was originally said of 
 marriage, but it illustrates the close- 
 ness of the sinful and unlawful rela- 
 tion of a person who joins himself to a 
 harlot. Of course it separates him 
 from Christ. 
 
 17. Having presented the human 
 and fleshly side, Paul gives the Christ 
 and spiritual side. But he that is 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 227 
 
 18 « Flee fornication. Every sin that a 
 man doeth is without the body ; but he 
 that committeth fornication sinneth 
 
 19 ^against his own body. What, eknow 
 ye not that your body Is the temple of 
 the Holy Ghost which is in you, which 
 ye have of God ? ^ And ye are not 
 
 20 your own ; for » ye are bought with a 
 
 grice. Therefore ''glorify God in your 
 odv, and in your spirit, which are 
 God's. 
 
 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a 
 man commits is outside the body ; but 
 he that commits fornication, sins 
 
 19 against his own body. Ur know ye 
 not that your body is the Holy Spirit's 
 temple, who is in you, whom ye have 
 from God, and ye are not your own? 
 
 20 For ye were bought with a price ; 
 glorify God therefore in your body. 
 
 e Gen. 39 : 7-12 ; Rom. 6 : 12, 13 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 22. /Prov. 5 : 8-11. g See refs. 3 : 16. 
 
 h Rom. 14 : 7-9 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 15 ; Titus 2 : 14. i 7 : 23 ; Acts 20 : 28 ; 1 Peter 1 : 18, 19 ; 2 Peter 2 : 1. 
 
 fc 10 : 31 ; Rom. 12 : 1 ; 1 Peter 2 : 9. 
 
 joined, closely united, to the Lord 
 is one spirit, indicating an inward 
 spiritual union, the Lord's spirit per- 
 vading the believer's spirit, and the 
 
 two in unison (John 17 : 21, 23; 15 : 1-7; comp. 
 
 Eph. 5 : 23-32 ) . It is impossible for such a 
 one to be joined to a harlot without 
 alienating himself from Christ and 
 breaking this spiritual union. 
 
 18. No wonder, after such a pres- 
 entation of the believer's close and 
 vital union with Christ, that Paul ex- 
 claims, Flee fornication, including 
 sensual lusts. This exhortation forms 
 also the connecting link with what fol- 
 lows. The apostle now presents his 
 third general argument, that fornica- 
 tion is a sin against one's own body, 
 which, in the believer's case, is the 
 temple of the Holy Spirit. Every 
 sin, that is, as the connection demands. 
 Every other sin a man doeth is with- 
 out, outside, the body, external to it. 
 Take the other sins forbidden in the 
 Decalogue, they are directed against 
 objects outside the body, or if they af- 
 fect the body they come from without. 
 This is true even of drunkenness, glut- 
 tony, and suicide, they come from out- 
 side the body. But he that com- 
 mitteth fornication, within him- 
 self, using his own sensuous nature as 
 an instrument, sinneth against his 
 own body, against its very nature 
 and against the fundamental law of 
 his being, that a man shall cleave to 
 his wife and to her alone, and they two 
 shall become one flesh (Gen. 2 : 24).' He 
 runs counter to this primal law of our 
 being. 
 
 19. Paul substantiates what he had 
 just said. What, know ye not, 
 rather. Or do you 7\ot certainly knoio 
 (seever. 2) this fact, that youF body, 
 each one individually, is the temple 
 
 of the Holy Ghost, Spirit icho, is 
 
 in you. It is because of the indwelling 
 Spirit that the believer's body is God's 
 
 temple. ( see on 3 : 16. Comp. 2 Cor. 6 : 16 ; 2 
 Tim. 2 : 20 ; 1 Peter 2:9.) Wh07n, the Spirit, 
 
 ye have of, from, God, not from 
 yourselves, and thus ye are not your 
 
 own, but God's. You have therefore 
 no right to pollute the body and alien- 
 ate it from its rightful ow^ner. 
 
 20. Ye are not your own, for ye 
 are, rather, were, bought with a 
 price, from the slavery of sin (Rom. 3 : 
 19 ; 6 : 17. 18, 22) with the pricc, the blood 
 of Christ in his suflerings and death 
 
 ( Matt. 20 : 28 ; Acts 20 : 28 ; 1 Peter 1 : 18, 19 ; Rev, 
 
 5:9). Therefore glorify God in 
 your body, as in God's temple, or 
 use your body as his sanctuary to his 
 glory (Rom. 12 : 1), instead of dishonoring 
 God, through unchaste passions and 
 sensuous deeds. The remaining words. 
 And in your spirit which are 
 God's, while implied by the preceding 
 clause, are not found in the best and 
 oldest manuscripts. Paul's argument 
 had special reference to the body, and 
 so with it he naturally stops. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. It is the duty of Christians to settle 
 their differences among themselves, with^ 
 out appealing to civil tribunals (ver. 1 ; 
 Matt. 5 : 23-25 ; 18 : 15). 
 
 2. How exalted the Christian in the 
 future world, not only above wicked 
 men, but in some respects above angels 
 (ver. 2, 3 ; Rom. 8 : 17 ; Rev. 3 : 21). 
 
 3. A spirit of strife among Christians 
 shows great immaturity, and a lack of 
 spiritual wisdom (ver. 4, 5 ; 3:3). 
 
 4. With the spirit and wisdom of Christ 
 Christians could settle their differences by 
 arbitration (ver. 7; Matt. 5 : 43-45). 
 
228 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Cii. VII. 
 
 Replies to questions respecting marriage, 
 divorce, and celibacy. 
 
 7 NOW concerning the things whereof 
 ye wrote unto me : ' It is good for a 
 
 7 NOW concerning the things of which 
 ye wrote : It is good for a man not to 
 
 J.Ver. 8, 26, 27, 37, 38. 
 
 5. For Christians to engage in lawsuits 
 before unbelievers is a shame to them, 
 selves and a disgrace to Christ and his 
 cause (ver. 5, C ; Zech. 13 : 6 ; James 2:7). 
 
 6. A willingness to suffer wrong, rather 
 than to do wrong, if generally practised 
 among Christians, would result in the 
 peaceful settlement of all their differences 
 (ver. 7; Matt. 5:39; Rom. 12:17-19; 1 
 Thess. 5 : 15). 
 
 7. No one should excel the Christian in 
 honesty ; dishonesty among themselves 
 reveals deep depravity (ver. 8 ; Rom. 12 : 
 17; 2 Cor. 8:20-23). 
 
 8. The unholy, while they remain so, 
 cannot be saved (ver. 9, 10; Heb. 12 : 14). 
 
 9. In how many ways and forms does 
 sin manifest itself ! How much does the 
 term " unrighteous " include I (ver. 9, 10 ; 
 Matt. 7: 13.) 
 
 10. The remembrance of what we are 
 saved from should produce in us humility, 
 gratitude, and an earnest desire to serve 
 God and save others (ver. 11 ; Eph. 2 : 1-7, 
 11-13; 5:8; Col. 3 : 7 12-15). 
 
 11. In view of what God has done for us 
 we should forsake sin in every form and 
 live a holy life (ver. 11 ; 2 Cor. 4:2; Rom. 
 12 : 1, 2). 
 
 12. Whatever is not profitable but rather 
 injurious, should be abandoned. We 
 should be masters, not slaves of habit 
 (ver. 12; 8:13; 9:27). 
 
 13. We should give proper attention to 
 food and the laws of our physical being, 
 but not raise them in importance above 
 the functions of our spiritual natures 
 (ver. 13; Matt. 6:25. 31). 
 
 14. The thought that our bodies are for 
 the Lord's use. and that they are to be 
 raised into his likeness, should restrain us 
 from improper and unholy practices (ver. 
 14; Phil. 3 : 21). 
 
 15. Our oneness with Christ demands 
 that we should keep ourselves pure even 
 as he is pure (ver. 15 : Ileb. 10 : 22 ; 1 John 
 3 : 3). 
 
 16. The marriage relation is so sacred 
 
 [ that it is marred and violated by sensu- 
 I ality (ver. 16: Matt. 5 : 27-32). 
 
 17. The closer union of the spirit of the 
 I Christian with Christ's Spirit should be 
 
 kept sacred and inviolable from all im- 
 proper and sensual indulgences (ver. 17 ; 
 John 15 : 1 ; Eph. 4 : 1-3, 25-32). 
 
 18. Licentiousness is a crying sin of our 
 times and country. Witness the number 
 of divorces. No sin so weakens the body, 
 impairs the mind, and shortens life (ver. 
 18). 
 
 19. We are the Lord's — our bodies his 
 temples ; our spirits controlled and sancti- 
 fied by his Spirit ; and we his purchased 
 possession (ver. 19, 20 ; Rom. 14 : 7-9). 
 
 20. Are we tempted to sin ? Do we need 
 incitements to bodily purity and personal 
 holiness? Let us think of the cross and 
 the price paid for our redemption (ver. 
 20; Eph. 4 : 17-24). 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 At this point Paul passes to the sec- 
 ond and remaining part of his Epistle, 
 and answers certain questions which 
 had been asked him in a letter received 
 from Corinth. In this chapter he treats 
 oi marriage, divorce, mid celibacy. He 
 first speaks of marriage and gives ad- 
 vice to the married (ver. 1-7) and then to 
 the unmarried (ver. 8, 9) ; treats of di- 
 vorce (ver. 10, 11), and of married persons 
 where one party is a heathen (ver. n-ie), 
 and then lays down a general rule, that 
 the gospel does not ordinarily interfere 
 with the outward position of Christians, 
 and that generally each may remain 
 in the calling which he had before con- 
 version (rcr. 17-24), Paul then proceeds 
 to consider marriage, especially of 
 maiden daughters, under present diffi- 
 culties (ver. 25-34), the duty of parents to 
 unmarried daughters (ver. 3.V-38), and 
 finally the duty of widows (ver. 39, 40), 
 
 1-7. Advice as to marriage and 
 celibacy. 
 
 1. Now concerning: the things 
 whereof ye wrote unto me. Unto 
 me is omitted by the highest critif^a' 
 
Ch. VIL] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 229 
 
 2 man not to touch a woman. Never- 
 theless, to avoid fornication, let every 
 man have his own wife, and let every 
 
 3 woman have her own husband. ■" Let 
 the husband render unto the wife due 
 benevolence: °and likewise also the 
 
 4 wife unto the husband. The wife hath 
 not power of her own body, but the 
 husband : and likewise also the hus- 
 band hath not power of his own body, 
 
 5 but the wife. » Defraud- ye not one 
 the other, p except it be with consent 
 for a time, that ye may give yourselves 
 to fasting and prayer ; and come to- 
 
 2 touch a woman ; but because of forni- 
 cations, let each man have his own 
 wife, and let each woman have her 
 
 3 own husband. Let the husband render 
 to the wife her due : and in like man- 
 
 4 ner the wife also to the husband. The 
 wife has not authority over her own 
 body, but the husband ; and in like 
 manner the husband also has not au- 
 thority over his own body, but the wife. 
 
 5 Defraud not one the other, unless it be 
 by agreement for a season, that ye may 
 give yourselves to prayer, and may 
 
 m Exod. 21 : 10 ; 1 Peter 3:7. n Eph. 5 : 22, 23. o Ver. 3. 
 
 p Joel 2 : 16 ; Zech. 12 : 12-14 ; see Exod. 19 : 15 ; 1 Sam. 21 : i, 5. 
 
 authorities. The first question was in 
 regard to scruples which some of them 
 entertained concerning marriage. The 
 Jewish converts would naturally hold 
 to marriage, since the Jews, except the 
 Essenes, held it to be a duty, and re- 
 garded it a sin not to be married by the 
 age of twenty. The tendency among 
 Gentiles, however, was toward celibacy, 
 and some philosophers shared in this 
 feeling, and so strong was it that Au- 
 gustus enacted laws to counteract it. 
 Very likely, then, the question origi- 
 nated with the Gentile converts, many 
 of whom were the followers of Paul. 
 The inquiry, however, appears to have 
 come from the church itself, whereof 
 ye tor ate, Paul was a Jew, yet espe- 
 cially an apostle to the Gentiles. He 
 perhaps had been married, but was now 
 unmarried (ver. 8; 9: 5). Difterent par- 
 ties might appeal to him from different 
 motives. All would naturally desire 
 his views on the subject. Alford adds 
 in regard to the original text: "In 
 hardly any portion of the Epistles has 
 the hand of correctors and interpolaters 
 of the text been busier than here. . . 
 In consequence, the textual critic finds 
 himself in this chapter sometimes much 
 perplexed between difterent readings, 
 and in danger of on the one hand 
 adopting, on overwhelming manuscript 
 authority, corrections of the early 
 ascetics, and on the other excluding, 
 from a too cautious retention of the 
 received text, the genuine but less 
 strongly attested simplicity of the orig- 
 inal." It is good, expedient, profit- 
 able, and salutary, for a man not to 
 touch a woman, in marriage. This 
 doubtless was the view of one party at 
 Corinth, and Paul endorses it with 
 
 certain limitations, which he proceeds 
 to give in the next verse. He does not 
 here mean morally " good," for in ver. 
 28 and throughout the chapter he holds 
 that a person does not sin in marrying. 
 In ver. 26 and 29 we get light on this 
 passage and the reason for his advice. 
 
 2. Nevertheless to avoid for- 
 nication, or more exactly. But he- 
 cause of fornications, let each man and 
 woman be married. Notice the vice is 
 here in the plural, indicating the com- 
 monness of this sin at Corinth. (Comp. 
 note on 6: 13.) Paul here expresses his 
 view in reference to this particular 
 question. For his fuller and later 
 teachings regarding marriage see Eph. 
 5 : 23-30 ; 1 Tim. 5 : 14. (Comp. Heb. i3 : 
 
 4; 1 Peters : 1-7.) 
 
 3. Being in the married state they 
 are to continue in it, and husband and 
 wife are to render to each other due 
 benevolence, rather, according to 
 the best text, that which is due, the 
 conjugal duty that is due, each to the 
 other. 
 
 4. The apostle states a principle 
 growing out of the oneness in the mar- 
 ried relation. Being one flesh the 
 wife hath not power, or authority, 
 over her own body, but the hus- 
 band ; and so of the man. Each is 
 the other's. Each is dependent on the 
 other. The riglits of each are substan- 
 tially equal. Selfishness must not be 
 the rule of either party. 
 
 5. As an inference from the principle 
 stated in the preceding verse, Paul 
 says, Defraud ye not, withhold not 
 that which is due the one from the 
 other, except it be with consent, 
 better, by agreement, for a short time 
 that ye may give yourselves to 
 
230 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 gether again, that Satan tempt you not 
 for your incontinency. 
 
 6 But I speak this by permission, i and 
 
 7 not of commandment. For I would 
 that all men were 'even as I myself: 
 but s every man hath his proper gift of 
 God, one after this manner, and 
 
 8 another after that. I say therefore to 
 the unmarried and widows, ' It is good 
 
 9 for them if they abide even as I. But 
 "if they cannot contain, let them 
 marry : for it is better to marry than to 
 
 10 burn. And unto the married I com- 
 
 again be together, that Satan may not 
 tempt you on account of your incon- 
 
 6 tinency. But this I say by way of per- 
 
 7 mission, not of command.* And I wish 
 all men to be even as myself. But 
 each one has his own gift from God, 
 one after this manner, and another 
 after that. 
 
 8 Now I say to the unmarried and the 
 widows, it is good for them if they 
 
 9 remain as I also am. But if they have 
 not self-control, let them marry ; for it 
 
 10 is better to marry than to burn. And 
 
 q Ver. 12, 25 ; 2 Cor. 8:8; 11 : 17. 
 t Ver. 1, 26, 27, 32-35. 
 
 r9 : 5, 15. s 12 : 11 ; Matt. 19 : 12. 
 
 u Ver. 2, 28, 36, 39 ; 1 Tim. 5 : 11, U. 
 
 a season of earnest prayer. The 
 original conveys the idea both of brev- 
 ity of time and devotedness and ur- 
 gency of prayer. The concessions were 
 to be mutual and the occasion extraor- 
 dinary. Fasting should be omit- 
 ted, doubtless added by later ascetics. 
 And come, rather, according to the 
 best reading, Be together again, 
 that Satan tempt you not for, 
 rather, 07i account of, your inconti- 
 nency, yoiw leant of self-control. Sub- 
 stantially the same reason as that given 
 in ver. 2 for being married. 
 
 6. But I speak this, the injunc- 
 tion with its limitation in ver. 5, by 
 permission — by way of peiinission or 
 allowance, not of command. The 
 husband and wife were allowed to pur- 
 sue this course, but not by positive 
 command. This explanation of the 
 apostle is brief and somewhat indefi- 
 nite. It is referred by different ones to 
 what follows, or to all that precedes in 
 this chapter, or to ver. 1. It is better 
 and more natural, with Alford, ^leyer, 
 and others, to refer it to the whole of 
 ver. 5. The permission and the com- 
 mand had reference to the Corinthians, 
 but they imply authority either in Paul 
 as an apostle and an inspired man, or 
 from the Lord himself. AVhatever au- 
 thority he had was indeed from the 
 
 Lord (vtr. 25). 
 
 7. For, rather, hut, according to the 
 most reliable text. But, while I have 
 thus written, I would that all men 
 were even as myself, having per- 
 fect self-control though witliout a wife 
 (9:5). In reference to incontinency 
 (ver. 5) all were not like himself. Hut, 
 this power of-self control is a moial and 
 natural gift and every man hath his 
 proper, his mon, gift, his natural 
 
 and gracious endowments, from God, 
 one after this manner and an- 
 other after that, so that each one is 
 fitted for the state he is in, be it mar- 
 ried or unmarried. (Comp. Matt. i9 : ii.) 
 8-34. Advice to the unmarried 
 
 AND TO THE MARRIED. Divorce. 
 
 Regarding mixed marriages, where one 
 party is an unbeliever. Christianity 
 and social conditions. 
 
 8. I say therefore, rather, But, 
 while remembering that persons are 
 difterently constituted and differently 
 endowed (^er. 7), I say to the un- 
 married, of both sexes, and wid- 
 ows, especially widows who might be 
 overlooked in this connection. Paul 
 sums up wliat he has to say, addressing 
 different classes : the unmarried (this 
 verse), the married (ver. lo), "to the 
 rest" (ver. 12). The tnxmarried are not 
 here limited to widows, as some sup- 
 pose, but include both sexes, since it is 
 contrasted with " the married " (ver. lo)^ 
 which includes both male and female. 
 Widows are really included in the 
 class of the unmarried, but they needed 
 special mention, and are treated sepa- 
 rately in ver. 39, 40. This ver.ie de- 
 cides nothing in regard to the question, 
 whether Paul was a widower, only that 
 he was then unmarried : if they 
 abide even as I. 
 
 9. But if they cannot remain as I 
 am without sin, if they cannot con- 
 tain, // they have not self-control 
 (ver. 5), let them marry: for it is 
 better to marry, even in times of 
 distress and persecution, than to 
 burn, than to l)e inflamed with lusts. 
 " Because to marry is no sin (vir. 28, 36), 
 wliile to burn is sinful " (Matt. 5 : 2h). 
 
 10. And unto the married, both 
 husband and wife, who form a second 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 231 
 
 mand, ^yet not I, but the Lord, iLet 
 not the wife depart from her husband : 
 
 11 but and if she depart, let her remain 
 unmarried, or be reconciled to her 
 husband : ^ and let not the husband 
 put away his wife. 
 
 12 But to the rest speak I, ^not the 
 Lord. If any brother hath a wife that 
 believeth not, and she be pleased to 
 dwell with him, let him not put her 
 
 13 away ; and the woman which hath an 
 husband that believeth not, and if he 
 be pleased to dwell with her, let her not 
 
 14 leave him. For the unbelieving hus- 
 band is sanctified by the wife, and the 
 
 to the married I give command, not I, 
 but the Lord,— That the wife depart 
 
 11 not from the husband, but if she even 
 depart, let her remain unmarried, or 
 let her be reconciled to her husband ; 
 and that the husband leave not his 
 
 12 wife. And to the rest say I, not the 
 Lord : If any brother has an unbeliev- 
 ing wife, and she agrees to dwell with 
 
 13 him, let him not leave her. And if 
 any wife has an unbelieving husband, 
 and he agrees to dwell with her, let 
 
 14 her not leave her husband. For the 
 unbelieving husband is sanctified in the 
 
 X See ver. 12, 25, 40. 
 
 y Mai. 2 : 14-16 ; Matt. 5 : 32 ; 19 : 6, 9 ; Mark 10 : 11, 12 ; Luke 16 : 18. 
 z Mark 10 : 2-9. a Ver. 6. 
 
 class, distinct from the class mentioned 
 in ver. 8. I command, yet not I, 
 
 indeed, but the Lord, who gave 
 special injunctions to this class (Mark lo : 
 11, 12). Paul could well command what 
 the Lord commanded. He makes no 
 reference here to what he might enjoin 
 as a private, uninspired individual. 
 He speaks with apostolic authority, 
 but recognizes his Lord's authority as 
 taking precedence of his own. ( comp. ver. 
 25,40.) Let not the wife, rather, 
 that the wife, depart not, or, be not 
 separated, by divorce or otherwise, 
 from her husband. The exception 
 to this rule, "for the cause of fornica- 
 tion" (Matt. 5: 32) J is oiiiitted as not in- 
 volved in the cases Paul is now con- 
 sidering. He mentioned the loife first 
 as perhaps the party with whom vol- 
 untary separations and divorces more 
 usually at that time began. 
 
 11, But and if she depart, hoiv- 
 ever, if she should depart, a supposable 
 ease which might occur in such a state 
 of society as that at Corinth, then let 
 her remain unmarried, for if she 
 should marry she would commit adul- 
 tery (Mark 10: 12), Or be recouciled 
 to her husband — this being the only 
 marriage relation open to her. And 
 let not, rather, as in ver. 10, con- 
 tinuing the Lord's command, and that 
 the husband put not away his wife 
 by divorce, or, not leave his wife, sepa- 
 rate himself from her without a di- 
 vorce for proper cause. Both ideas 
 seem to be included in the verb. From 
 the similarity of construction as well 
 as from the teachings of Christ, we in- 
 fer that what was said to the departing 
 wife applies also here to the husband. 
 The law of divorce among the Jews 
 
 was very lax (Matt. 5 : si, 32) ; and under 
 Greek and Roman law in Paul's day 
 there were great facilities for obtaining 
 divorces, but greater for the husband 
 than for the wife. 
 
 12. Paul now addresses a third class. 
 But to the rest of the married be- 
 lievers whose companions were either 
 heathen or unconverted Jews, speak 
 I, not the Lord. Christ had left 
 no special precept in respect to mixed 
 marriages, and so Paul speaks under 
 the general guidance of the Spirit, 
 given him as an apostle (ver. 40). But 
 Christ had laid down a general rule, 
 and the apostle applied it to the case 
 in hand. If the unbelieving wife be 
 pleased, or consents, to dwell with 
 the believing husband, then let him 
 not put her aAvay, or leave her. 
 Thus the whole responsibility of the 
 separation is thrown on the unbeliev- 
 ing wife. 
 
 13. And so of the believing wife 
 with an unbelieving husband. And 
 the woman, rather, according to the 
 most approved text. And any wife, etc. 
 So also the last clause should read, let 
 her not leave her husband. The sa- 
 credness of the marriage tie is to be 
 guarded under all possible circum- 
 stances. Leave him. The verb is 
 the same as that translated put away, in 
 ver. 11, 12. 
 
 14. This verse has given much trou- 
 ble to commentators, and has been vari- 
 ously interpreted. We should approach 
 it unbiased, and lay aside all precon- 
 ceived notions regarding it. We sim- 
 ply wish to know what Paul meant. 
 For, introduces the passage as giving 
 a reason for the injunction in ver. 12, 
 13, why the believer should not leave 
 
232 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 unbelieving wife is sanctified by the 
 liusband : else were your children un- 
 15 clean ; ^ but now are they holy. But 
 if the unbelieAang depart, let him de- 
 part. A brother or a sister is not under 
 bondage in such cases : but God hath 
 
 wife, and the unbelieving wife is sancti- 
 fied in the brother ; else your children 
 are unclean ; but as it is they are holy. 
 15 But if the unbelieving departs, let hirn 
 depart. The brother or the sister is not 
 under bondage in such cases ; but God 
 
 6 Mai. 2 : 15 ; Acts 2 : 39. 
 
 the unbelieving husband or wife, but 
 continue to dwell with him or her. 
 The key of the passage is in the word 
 Kuclean. Else were your chil- 
 dren, the children of Christians gen- 
 erally at Corinth, unclean. This ap- 
 pears to be ceremonial uncleanness, 
 for it is opposed to holy, but now are 
 they holy. But this holiness cannot 
 be moral and spiritual holiness; for 
 the same thing is said of unbelieving 
 husbands and wives, that they were 
 sanctified in their believing companions. 
 Hence the holiness predicated of these 
 children, husbands and wives of be- 
 lievers, must have been ceremonial, 
 that cleanness or purity pertaining to 
 social and domestic life. This is fur- 
 ther confirmed by the fact brought out 
 in ver. 16, that the unbelieving com- 
 panion might be converted and saved. 
 The question was evidently about clean- 
 ness and uncleanness, similar to that 
 which troubled Peter when he said, "I 
 have never eaten anything that is 
 common or unclean," and "But God 
 hath showed me that I should not call 
 any man common or unclean " (Acts lo : 
 !♦, 28). Yet several years later Peter, 
 Barnabas, and others, under Jewish in- 
 fluence, separated themselves from eat- 
 ing with Gentiles at Antioch, and was 
 rebuked by the Apostle Paul (oai. 2 : 
 11. 12). Thus Jews did not associate so- 
 cially with Gentiles, and both Ezra and 
 Nehemiah had commanded Jews of 
 their day to put away their heathen 
 
 wives (Kzra 10 : 2, 11 ; Neh. 13 : 23 ff.j. It 
 
 seems that Judaizing influences were 
 at work in the church at Corinth; and 
 that some at least thought tliat they 
 would be ritually contaminat(>d l>y their 
 conjugal relations with unlxlicvcrs. It 
 became, doubtless, a matter of eon- 
 science with them, wliether they ouglit 
 not to put away their unl)elieving hus- 
 bands or wives. This qnostion Paul 
 meets and answers, as in the two pre- \ 
 ceding verses, and iu this gives the 
 reason. For the unbelieving I 
 iiii'-^band is sanctilinl, ptirificd, 
 
 cleansed (i Tim. 4 : 5; Heb. 9 : is) by, more 
 exactly, in the Avife, in his close 
 union with his believing wife (one 
 flesh), so that she may lawfully dwell 
 with him ; and the unbelieving 
 wife is sanctified, being under a 
 cleansing influence in the husband 
 (or the brother, according to the most 
 approved text), so that he may law- 
 fully dwell with her. Else were 
 your children unclean, being un- 
 regenerate and having not yet be- 
 lieved, and none of you could dwell 
 with them, a thought repugnant to 
 every natural and religious feeling, and 
 which needed onlj' to be stated to be 
 rejected. But now, or as it is. they 
 are holy, they are not ceremoniallj^ 
 profane, but they are clean. 
 
 This passage has been used in defense 
 of infant baptism. But it may be re- 
 marked (1) That it aflbrds no more 
 ground for baptizing infants than it 
 does for baptizing the unbelieving hus- 
 bands or Avives. Whatever is stated of 
 infants is affirmed of these unconverted 
 consorts. (2) It aflbrds an argument 
 against the existence of infant baptism 
 in the apostolic church. If it had ex- 
 isted, the apostle would naturally have 
 mentioned it, and thus clinched his ar- 
 gument bj' it. But he implies that the 
 children of Christian parents had no 
 nearer relations to the church than the 
 unbelieving husband of a believing 
 wife. (8) Neither can the doctrine of 
 infant l)aptism be rightly developed 
 from tliis passage. The holiness was 
 not tliat of regeneration, nor was there 
 the exercise of a personal faith. Bot 
 baptism is everywhere conditioned 
 upon repentance and faith. 
 
 15. But if the unbelieving, the 
 nnheiiever, depart, let him depart, 
 let tliere be a separation ; tlie responsi- 
 bility is on him. A brother or a 
 sister is not under bondage like 
 a f^lave, not under the constraint of law 
 or necessity in such cases, in such 
 circumstances. He is discharged from 
 future obligaticm as a husband or a 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 233 
 
 16 called us « to i>eace. For what know- 
 est thou, wife, whether thou shalt 
 <* save thy husband ? Or how kuowest 
 thou, O man, whether thou shalt save 
 thy wife ? 
 
 17 But eas God hath distributed to 
 every man, as the Lord hath f called 
 every one, so let him walk. And s so 
 
 18 ordain I in all churches. Is any man 
 called b being circumcised? let him 
 not become uncu-cumcised. Is any 
 
 16 has called us in peace. For what 
 knowest thou, O wife, whether thou 
 shalt save thy husband? Or what 
 knowest thou,' O husband, whether 
 
 17 thou shalt save thy wife ? Only, as 
 the Lord has divided to each one, as God 
 has called each one, so let him walk. 
 And so I ordain in all the churches. 
 
 18 Was any one called being circumcised ? 
 Let him not become uncircumcised. 
 
 c 14 : 33 ; Rom. 12 : 18 ; 14 : 19 ; Heb. 12 : 14. 
 gr 4 : 17 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 28. 
 
 d 1 Peter 3:1. e Ver. 7. 
 
 7j Acts 15 : 1, 19, 24, 28 ; Col. 3 : 11. 
 
 /Ver. 18, 21. 
 
 wife. Compare the words "bound," 
 " loose," and " free from," in Rom. 7 : 
 2, 3, Desertion is thus a ground for 
 the permanent separation of married 
 persons, and if it amounts to an actual 
 violation and breaking of the marriage 
 tie, it is a sufficient ground for divorce. 
 In this case there is no conflict between 
 Christ and Paul. Both enjoin that a 
 man shall not put away his wife, nor a 
 wife her husband, except for adultery 
 (Matt. 5 : 32). But Paul adds that if the 
 unbelieving party is determined to 
 leave, thus negatively putting the other 
 away, let him go. The responsibility 
 and the guilt are his. But God has 
 called us to, literally, in, peace, to 
 live in peace one with another. To ex- 
 ercise a spirit of peace in your married 
 life, in permitting the unbelieving 
 party to depart, and after the separa- 
 tion to exercise the same spirit. 
 
 16. For, introduces a reason for 
 acquiescing in the separation permit- 
 ted in the preceding verse and exercis- 
 ing a spirit of peace in relation to the 
 unbelieving party. The prospect of 
 his conversion would be small indeed 
 in the midst of strife, and in a union 
 which he was determined to dissolve, it 
 was better to let him depart. For 
 what knowest thou, or, how know- 
 est thou, O wife, whether thou 
 shalt save thy husband? What 
 reason have you to expect to convert 
 liim under such circumstances? You 
 certainly have no such prospect of sav- 
 ing him as to make it desirable to re- 
 tain him if he is determined to leave 
 you. This interpretation, which is 
 held by the best late expositors, seems 
 to be demanded by the logical connec- 
 tion and grammatical form of the pas- 
 sage. Yet it fails to entirely satisfy 
 me. By a somewhat looser construc- 
 tion the older commentators, and some 
 
 later ones, regard the apostle as urging 
 a continuance of the marriage relation 
 if possible rather than a separation. 
 According to this view the last clause 
 of ver. 15 presents a contrast : But, 
 while I advise separation in this par- 
 ticular case, God hath called us to be 
 in peace, "a peaceful disposition must 
 always prevail in order not to give cause 
 on his or her side for separation " (Ols- 
 HAUSEX). For how knowest thou, O 
 wife, but that thou shalt save thy hus- 
 band f Is it not possible that this may 
 be the result, and is not this a sufficient 
 reason for remaining together ? This is 
 the first meaning a person generally 
 gets from this passage. It accords with 
 
 its general design (beginulng with ver. u) to 
 
 avoid all unnecessary separation, and 
 also with the teachings of Scripture 
 
 (l Peter 3 : 1, 2). 
 
 17. The permission to live apart 
 from a heathen husband or wife was a 
 special case. But Paul goes on to 
 show^ that Christianity does not disturb 
 existing relations that are not sinful. 
 But, rather only, by way of caution 
 against an abuse of what he had said. 
 Let the heathen depart if he wishes. 
 Only as the Lord has distributed to each 
 man his share or lot, as, in the state in 
 which God has called each one, so let 
 him walk, so let him live. And so 
 ordain I, thus I command, in all the 
 churches, in the exercise of apostolic 
 authority. We have in 2 Thess. 3 : 6 
 an illustration of the manner in which 
 Paul gave orders to the churches. 
 
 18. Paul proceeds to illustrate by 
 examples the precept just given. Is, 
 rather loas, any man called,, con- 
 verted to Christ, being circumcised, 
 as a Jew? Let him not become 
 uncircumcised. Some Jews were 
 ashamed of their Judaism and strove 
 to effiice the outward signs of it by a 
 
234 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 called in uncireumcision ? > let him not 
 
 19 be circumcised. ''Circumcision is 
 nothing, and uncircumcision is noth- 
 ing, but Hhe keeping of the com- 
 
 20 mandments of God. ""Let every man 
 abide in the same calling wherein he 
 
 21 was called. Art thou called '^being 
 a servant? care not for it : but if thou 
 mayest be made free, use it rather. 
 
 22 For he that is called in the Lord, bei7ig 
 a servant, is " the Lord's freeman : like- 
 
 Has any one been called in uncir- 
 cumcision? Let him not be circum- 
 
 19 cised. Circumcision is nothing, and 
 uncircumcision is nothing ; but the 
 keeping of the commandments of God. 
 
 20 Let each one abide in that calling in 
 
 21 which he was called. Wast thou called 
 being a servant, care not for it ; but if 
 thou even canst become free, use it 
 
 22 rather. For he that was called in the 
 Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's 
 
 » Gal. 5:2. k Rom. 2 : 25-29 ; Gal. 5 : 6 : 6 : 15. 11 Sam. 15 : 22 ; 1 John 2 : 3, 4 ; 3 : 22-24. 
 
 m Vcr. 17 ; Luke 3 : 10-14. n 1 Tim. 6 : 1-3. o John 8 : 32-36 ; Rom. 6 : 18-22. 
 
 surgical operation (l Mac. l : 15 : Jos. Ant. XII., 
 
 5:1). Jewish converts to Christianity 
 mingling among Gentiles might desire to 
 do this. But Paul condemns the prac- 
 tice. Is, rather, has any one been 
 called in uncircumcision, being a 
 Gentile? let him not be circum- 
 cised. As a reaction against heathen- 
 ism some Gentile converts might be de- 
 sirous of the outward sign of Israel. 
 But Paul would have no change in 
 these external national relations. 
 
 19. Circumcision is nothing 
 and uncircumcision is nothing 
 from a Christian point of view. It is 
 a matter of indifference whether a per- 
 son had been circumcised or not. Paul 
 exemplified his independence in this 
 matter by circumcising Timothy and 
 refusing to circumcise Titus (Actsi6:3; 
 Gal. 2:3). But the kccpiug of the 
 commandments of God is every- 
 thing. Obedience is the great thing. 
 The two parallel passages (Gai. 5:6; 
 6 : 15) differ by su1)stituting for this 
 clause " But foith working by love " in 
 the first, and "But a new creature " in 
 the second. But faith and love pro- 
 duce obedience, and the new creature 
 
 is one who is obedient (John U : 23 ; James 
 2 : 18 ; Hel). 8 : 10 ; Kph. 4 : 23, 24) . 
 
 20. Paul comes back to a general 
 principle in such cases. Let evet'y man, 
 each one, abide in the same call- 
 ing, in that state or eondition, whether 
 circumcision or uncircumcision, slavery 
 or freedom, wherein he was called, 
 at his conversion. The calling does i 
 not here mean the vocation, l)ut rather 
 the state or condition in wliich the di- 
 vine call into Christ's kingdom finds a 
 person. 
 
 21. The second example. Art 
 thou, rather, wast than, called be- 
 ing a servant? or slave? The first 
 example (v<r. is) refers to the great ex- 
 
 ternal distinction at that time in re- 
 ligious life; this example brings to 
 view the great distinction that existed 
 in social life. Care not for it — 
 have no concern or anxiety about it. 
 But if thou mayest be made free, 
 etc., may be translated either, J^ut if 
 thou canst also become free, rather use 
 the opportunity ; or, But if thou even 
 canst become free, tise it rather, that is, 
 remain in slavery, though the offer is 
 made. In regard to these two views 
 Dean Stanley says: "It is one of the 
 most evenly balanced questions in the 
 interpretation of the New Testament." 
 He rather inclines to the second view, 
 and to regard the whole passage as ex- 
 pressive of comfort to the slave under 
 his hard lot, and if his master was a 
 Christian tlie passage would be still 
 further illustrated In' 1 Tim. 6 : 2. 
 "The commentators before the Refor- 
 mation have chiefly l)een in favor of 
 the second [view] ; since, in favor of 
 the first." But Meyer, Alford, and 
 others prefer the second interpretation. 
 Olshausen, Principal Brown, and Beet 
 take the first view. To me it seems 
 that But if, introduces a limitation to 
 the direction just given (a peculiarity 
 of Paul in this chapter, (ver. 2, 7,9, ii))^ 
 and thus he modifies his advice. 
 But if also, in addition to being 
 called, thou canst become free, use 
 it rather — rather take advantage of 
 it. Thus this is added rather paren- 
 thetically. Paul's practice favored 
 freedom and shows how highly he 
 valued it (Acts 16 : 37 : 22 : 2s), and SO docs 
 ver. 23. Upon the whole I incline to 
 this view. 
 
 22. For he that is, rather, was, 
 called in the Lord, to be in Christ, 
 and of course called l)y him, being a 
 servant is the Lord's freeman, 
 rather, frcedman, one who has been 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 235 
 
 wise also he that is called, being free, is 
 
 23 P Christ's servant. ^Ye are bought 
 with a price ; be not ye the servants of 
 
 24 men. Brethren, let every man, where- 
 in he is called, therein abide ' with 
 God. 
 
 25 Now concerning virgins s I have no 
 commandment of the Lord : yet I give 
 my judgment, as one that hath ob- 
 tained mercy of the Lord « to be faith- 
 
 26 ful. I suppose therefore "that this is 
 good for the present distress, / saii, that 
 
 27 it is good for a man so to be. Art thou 
 bound unto a wife? ^ Seek not to be 
 loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife ? 
 
 freedman ; in like manner also the 
 freeman, when he is called is Christ's 
 
 23 servant. Ye were bought with a price ; 
 
 24 become not servants of men. Breth- 
 ren, let each one abide with Grod in the 
 condition in which he was called. 
 
 25 Now concerning virgins 1 have no 
 commandment of the Lord's ; but I 
 give a judgment, as having received 
 mercy from the Lord to be faithful. 
 
 26 I think therefore that this is good on 
 account of the impending necessity, 
 that it is good for a man to be thus. 
 
 27 Art thou bound to a wife ? Seek not to 
 be loosed. Art thou loosed from a 
 
 p Eph. 6:6; Col. 3 : 23, 24 ; 1 Peter 2 : 16. 3 6 : 20 ; see Lev. 25 : 42. r 10 : 31 ; Col. 3 : 17, 22. 
 
 s Ver. 6, 10, 12, 40 ; 2 Cor. 8 : 8, 10. 1 4 : 2 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 12. 
 
 u Ver. 1, 8, 28, 35-38 ; Matt. 24 : 19 ; Luke 23 : 28, 29. x Ver. 12-14. 
 
 made free, in this case from the slavery 
 of sin. He is the Lord's freedman in 
 the sense that he has been made free by 
 him (Johns : 36). Likewise also he 
 that was called, being free, is 
 Christ's servant — belongs to him 
 and bound to do his will. Yet this is 
 the highest freedom ( Kph. 6:6-9). " The 
 Lord's freeman is one whom the Lord 
 has redeemed from Satan and made his 
 own ; and the Lord's slave is one whom 
 Christ has purchased for himself. So 
 that master and slave stand on the 
 same level before Christ " (Hodge). 
 
 23. The thought of belonging to 
 Christ leads naturally to the exhorta- 
 tion, Ye are, rather, ivere, bought 
 
 with a price (see note on 6 : 20) ; be, 
 
 rather, become, not servants, or 
 slaves, of men ; whatever your condi- 
 tion, whether that of slavery or freedom, 
 let not your minds and spirits become 
 enslaved to the opinions and preju- 
 dices of men. Be not slaves to what 
 men may wish and demand, but con- 
 form your conduct to Christ's will and 
 service. 
 
 24. Paul again returns to the con- 
 clusion which he had enforced in ver. 
 17, 20. Brethren, let every one, 
 wherein he is, was, called, the con- 
 dition in which he was converted, 
 therein abide with God, in fellow- 
 ship with him, in harmony with his 
 will, and content with the condition 
 which he has ordained. 
 
 25-38. Concerning the mar- 
 riage OF VIRGINS, AND THE DUTIES 
 OF PARENTS TO THEM. The impend- 
 ing trials. The shortened time. 
 
 25. NoAv concerning virgins, 
 young maidens, as ver. 36 shows. Con- 
 
 cerning this particular case he had no 
 commandment of the Lord, nei- 
 ther spoken by him when upon earth, 
 nor received from him by revelation 
 
 (11:23: Gal. 1:11), Yct, But, I give 
 
 my judgment, an opinion, as one 
 that hath obtained mercy of the 
 Lord to be faithful, trustworthy, to 
 be relied upon, as a good steward of 
 the gospel (4 : 2; 1 Tim. 1 : 12-16). As an 
 apostle he utters an opinion and gives 
 advice, as to what was the best thing to 
 do in a temporary emergency for such 
 a case. 
 
 26. According to his usual rule Paul 
 first treats of the general principle and 
 then of a particular case. I suppose, 
 or, / think, therefore that this is 
 good for the present distress, 
 literally, the impending necessity, the 
 calamities which were then threaten- 
 ing. What these were we do not fully 
 know ; but they were so great as to 
 make the cares and responsibilities of 
 the marriage state undesirable. Dis- 
 tress and anxiety attended a profession 
 of Christianity. It would seem that 
 Paul regarded these calamities as the 
 tribulations which were to precede the 
 coming of our Lord (Matt. 24 : s). Those 
 preceding the destruction of Jerusalem, 
 the type of his second coming, were in- 
 deed impending. It was now thirteen 
 years preceding that event, and matters 
 already were converging toward it. It 
 is good for a man, a person of either 
 sex, so to be, or, to be thus, as he goes 
 on to say — to remain as he is, married 
 or unmarried. 
 
 27. This verse explains so to be of 
 the last verse. Art thou loosed 
 from a wife — spoken to a single man, 
 
236 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. YII. 
 
 28 Seek not a wife. But and if thou 
 marry, y thou liast not sinned ; and if a 
 virgin marry, she hath not sinned. 
 » Nevertheless such shall have trouble 
 in the flesh : but I spare you. 
 
 29 But "this I say, brethren, the time 
 is short : it remaineth, that both they 
 that have wives be as though they had 
 
 30 none ; and they that weep, as though 
 they wept not ; and they that rejoice, 
 as though they rejoiced not ; and they 
 that buy, as though they possessed 
 
 31 not : and •'they that use this world, as 
 not abusing it : for ^ the fashion of this 
 
 28 wife? Seek not a wife. But if thou 
 even marry, thou hast not sinned ; and 
 if a virgin marry, she has not sinned. 
 Yet such shall have affliction in the 
 
 29 flesh ; and I am sparing you. But 
 this I say, brethren, the time is short- 
 ened ; that henceforth both they who 
 have wives be as though they had 
 
 30 none ; and they that weep, as though 
 they wept not ; and they that rejoice, 
 as though they rejoiced not ; and they 
 that buy, as though they possessed not ; 
 
 31 and they that use the world, as not 
 abusing it ; for the fashion of this 
 
 y Ver. 36 ; Heb. 13 : 4. z Ver. 26. 
 
 a Job 14 : 1, 2 ; Ps. 39 : 4-7 ; 90 : 5-10 ; Eccl. 9 : 10 ; 1 Peter 4 : 7 ; 1 John 2 : 17. 
 7-10 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 17, 18. c Eccl. 1:4; James 1 : 10, 11 ; 4 : 14 ; 1 Peter 1 : 24 ; 1 John 2 : 17. 
 
 whether he had ever had a wife or had 
 never been married. Loosed is the op- 
 posite of bound, in the preceding 
 question, and equivalent to free ft^om. 
 Seek not a wife. This is in har- 
 mony with ver. 10, 11. 
 
 28. Still addressing the single, un- 
 married man. But and if, But even 
 if thou marry, thou hast not 
 sinned, thou hast not incurred guilt, 
 having acted according to the divine 
 arrangement (Gen. 2:24). And so if a 
 virgin, an unmarried daughter, 
 marry, she hath not sinned. 
 Nevertheless, simply, But, such 
 shall have trouble, or a;ffiictions, in 
 the flesh. She shall not incur guilt, 
 but she shall have trials. But, in giv- 
 ing this advice, I spare you, rather, 
 I am sparing you from worldly trouble. 
 My desire is to spare you from these 
 afflictions. Some regard the meaning 
 to be, I say no more about the sorrows 
 that will befall you to spare your feel- 
 ings, if you do marry (2 Cor. 12 : 6). But 
 the other view, I think, is to be pre- 
 ferred. 
 
 29, 30. But this I say, in regard 
 to this question and the present state of 
 things, the time is short, literally, 
 is shortened, contraeted, as it were, into 
 a l)rief period . Compare John's words, 
 "It is the last time" (1 John 2: is). In 
 connection with ver. 26 and 31, it seems 
 that Paul liere refers to the time or age 
 preceding the coming of Christ. Com- 
 pare " Except that the Lord had short- 
 ened those days" {.Mark 13 : 20). We 
 have here an illustration of our Lord's 
 words in Mark 13 : 32, that no one, not 
 even an inspired apostle, but the Father 
 knew the day of his coming. It re- 
 
 maineth, according to the best text, 
 That in the future, both they that 
 have wives be as though they 
 had none, not wholly or unduly de- 
 voted to earthly relationships. Paul is 
 describing the state of mind that the 
 character of the times demanded. The 
 heart must not be wholly given up to 
 any human affection, or earthlj' posses- 
 sion. Meyer presents the meaning of 
 the whole passage thus : ' ' That the 
 husband should not by his married 
 state lose the moral freedom of his po- 
 sition as a Christian in heart and life ; 
 that the sorrowful should not do so 
 through his tribulation, nor the joyful 
 through his good fortune, nor the mer- 
 chantman through his gain, nor he that 
 uses the world through his use of it. 
 We see the reverse of this independent 
 attitude in Luke 14 : 18-20. There the 
 heart cleaves to temporal things as its 
 treasure " (Matt. 6 : 21). While living in 
 the world they are to live above the 
 world ; and living among men, they 
 are to live with God. 
 
 31. And they that use this 
 w^orld as not abusing it, or more 
 exactly, as not using it to the full, 
 using it with moderation, and as 
 not their own. For the fashion, 
 the outward /or?H or condition, of the 
 Avorld passeth, rather is passing, 
 aAvay, like the scenes in a theatre, 
 preparatory to the restitution of all 
 things (Acts 3: 21) and the new heaven 
 and the new earth (Rev. 21:1). Give 
 not yourselves up to the perishable 
 things of the world ; but live inde- 
 pendent of it, and as citizens of a 
 heavenly and continuing city (Phii. 
 3 : 20 ; 1 ivtor 1:4). This passagc illus- 
 
Ch. VTI.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIAN'S 
 
 237 
 
 32 world passeth away. ^But I would 
 have you without carefulness, ^He 
 that is unmarried careth for the things 
 f that belong to the Lord, how he may 
 
 33 please the Lord : but he that is married 
 careth for the things that are of the 
 world, how he may please his wife. 
 
 34 There is difference also between a wife 
 and a virgin. The unmarried woman 
 s careth for the things of the Lord, that 
 she may be holy both in body and in 
 spirit : but she that is married careth 
 for the things of the world, how she 
 
 35 may please ho- husband. And this I 
 speak for your own profit ; not that I 
 may cast a snare upon you, but for 
 that which is comely, and that ye may 
 attend upon the Lord without distrac- 
 tion. 
 
 32 world is passing away. But I wish 
 you to be free from anxieties. The un- 
 married man is anxious for the things 
 of the Lord, how he may please the 
 
 33 Lord ; but he that is married is anxious 
 for the things of the world, how he 
 
 34 may please his Avife. There is a differ- 
 ence also between the wife and the 
 virgin. The unmarried woman is 
 anxious for the things of the Lord, 
 that she may be holy both in body and 
 spirit ; but she tliat is married is 
 anxious for the things of the world, 
 how she may please her husband. 
 
 35 And this 1 say for your oAvn profit ; 
 not that I may put "a constraint on 
 you, but for that which is seemly, and 
 that ye may attend upon the Lord 
 
 d See refs. Ps. 55 : 22 ; Phil, i : 6. 
 
 e 1 Tim. 5 : 5. 
 
 / Ver. 34. 
 
 g Luke 10 : 40, etc. 
 
 trates the expectation of the early 
 Christians of the speedy return of 
 
 Christ (Actsl :11). 
 
 33. This vei-se introduces a new line 
 of thought growing out of what he had 
 just said. But, since the time is so 
 short, I would have you, Iivish you 
 to he, without carefulness, rather, 
 free from anxiety, pertaining to earthly 
 matters. The word translated caref ill- 
 ness and careth in this and the two fol- 
 lowing verses is that used in Matt. 6 : 
 25, 27, 28, 31, 34, and there translated 
 "take no thought," he not anxious, be 
 not troubled with care. The varia- 
 tions of reading and punctuation in 
 this and the next two verses, in the 
 original, are numerous. The most ap- 
 proved text will be followed. He that 
 is unmarried careth, is anxious, 
 for the things of the Lord, how 
 he may please the Lord — he has 
 indeed anxiety, but it is for the cause of 
 Christ. 
 
 33. But he that is married car- 
 eth about, is anxious for, the 
 things of the world, etc. The mar- 
 ried man has in addition anxiety for 
 worldly matters that he may please his 
 wife. Thus he has double anxiety, and 
 his interests are divided. 
 
 34. There is a difference also, 
 or a division, in anxiety and pursuits, 
 between a wife and a virgin, sim- 
 ilar to that noted in ver. 32, .33. The 
 unmarried woman is anxious for 
 the things of the Lord, that she 
 may be holy, entirely consecrated, to 
 him, both in body and in spirit. 
 But the married woman, like the 
 
 married man (ver. 33) has additional 
 anxiety about worldly matters. Hus- 
 bands and wives, like Aquila and Pris- 
 cilla, should be mutual helpers in the 
 Lord's service ; but often it is not so. 
 "This is how it happens that many a 
 Christian woman comes to be found ab- 
 senting herself from the place of prayer, 
 frequenting the ball-room and theatre, 
 giving parties on the Sabbath, and in 
 other ways compromising her con- 
 science to her own spiritual injury and 
 the discredit of her profession. And 
 it is to the danger of such evils, in- 
 curred by marriage, that the apostle 
 points" (D. W. Poor, in Lange). 
 
 35. Paul explains himself lest he 
 should be misunderstood. And this 
 I speak, this recommendation in ver. 
 32-34, for your OAvn profit, your 
 best interests, your spiritual advantage 
 and happiness. Not -that I may 
 cast a snare, or a noose, upon you 
 (a figurative expression derived from 
 hunting or from -war), const rain you by 
 command from that which God has in- 
 stituted and which our state of nature 
 requires, but for that which is 
 comely, or seemly, to promote that 
 which is hecoming, in life and charac- 
 ter (Rom. 13:13); and that ye may 
 attend upon the Lord without 
 distraction from worldly cares and 
 anxieties, that ye may be continually 
 devoted to the Lord and his cause. 
 Dean Stanley refers to Luke 10 : 39^1 
 as an illustration of this expression : 
 Martha " cumbered (or distracted) with 
 much serving," Mary sitting at the 
 feet of Jesus. 
 
238 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 36 But if any man think tliat he be- 
 havcth himself uncomely toward his 
 virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, 
 and ''need so require, let him do what 
 he will, 'he sinneth not: let them 
 
 37 marry. Nevertheless he that standeth 
 stedfast in his heart, having no neces- 
 sity, but hath power over his own will, 
 and hath so decreed in his heart that 
 he will keep his virgin, ^doeth well. 
 
 38 1 So then he that giveth her in mnrriage 
 doeth well ; but he that giveth her not 
 in marriage, ™ doeth better. 
 
 39 "The wife is bound by the law as 
 long as her husband liveth : but if her 
 husband be dead, she is at liberty to 
 
 36 without distraction. But if any one 
 thinks that he behaves himself un- 
 seemly toward his virgin, if she be past 
 the floAver of her age, and need so re- 
 q^uire, let him do what he wishes, he 
 
 37 sins not ; let them marrj-. But he that 
 stands steadfast in his heart, having no 
 necessity, but has authority concerning 
 his own wish, and has determined this 
 in his own heait that he will keep his 
 
 38 virgin, will do well. So that both he 
 that gives his own virgin in marriage 
 does well, and he that gives her not in 
 marriage will do better. 
 
 39 A wife is bound as long as her hus- 
 band lives ; but if her husband be 
 fallen asleep, she is at liberty to be 
 
 A Ver. 9, 37. 
 
 t Ver. 28 ; Heb. 13 : 4. k Ver. 2. I Heb. 13 
 
 n Ver. 10 ; Rom. 7:2,3. 
 
 TO Ver. 1, 8, 26, 32-34, 37. 
 
 36. The apostle now gives advice to 
 parents in regard to their unmarried 
 daughters. It was the custom among 
 Jews and Greeks, as it is in most 
 Oriental countries, for the parents to 
 decide upon the marriage of their chil- 
 dren. What he had just said about be- 
 ing comely, or seemly, appears to have 
 suggested this turn in his course of 
 thought. But if any man think 
 that he behaveth himself un- 
 comely, unseemly and unbecomingly, 
 toward his virgin, his daughter, by 
 incurring disgrace for her in keeping 
 her unmarried. Among the Jews con- 
 tinued maidenhood was regarded a dis- 
 grace. A rabbinical saying was: "If 
 your daughter is past the marriageable 
 age, release your slave to give him to 
 her for a husband." Some suppose 
 Paul here refers to exposing her to the 
 temptations to which she would be lia- 
 ble by remaining unmarried. But the 
 other view to me seems preferable. If 
 she pass the flower of her age, 
 the bloom of life, having fully attained 
 maturity, and need so require, 
 and it needs so to be, or, so it ought to 
 be, if she is persistent in wishing mar- 
 riage, and circumstances are such that 
 it appears to be duty to accede to her 
 desire, let him do what he Avill, 
 what according to his })est judgment he 
 wishes to do ; he sinneth not, in not 
 following my advice as given above. 
 Let them marry, the daughter and 
 her lover. 
 
 37, Nevertheless, or, But, he 
 that standeth steadfast in his 
 heart— having a firm character and no 
 misgiving about acting in an unseemly 
 
 way toward his daughter, having no 
 necessity, as in the other case (ver. 36), 
 the daughter not being desirous or will- 
 ing to be married, or her hand not being 
 sought in marriage; but hath power 
 over his own Avill, to do what he 
 wishes and judges best, without regard 
 to external circumstances; and hath 
 so decreed in his heart, hath de- 
 termined this privately and within him- 
 self, that he will keep at home his 
 virgin, his daughter unmarried, do- 
 eth well, rather, according to the 
 best text, ivill do well, acts morally 
 right. This is the positive side of " sin- 
 neth not" (ver. 36). The whole passage 
 brings to view the authority of the 
 parent over the daughter at home, in 
 Greek and Roman society, and his en- 
 tire responsibility for her. 
 
 38. So then, better, according to 
 the most approved reading. So that, to 
 sum up the discussion, both he that 
 giveth his virgin daughter in mar- 
 riage, doeth well ; and he that 
 giveth her not in marriage, inll do 
 better — in point of "profit" (ver. 35), 
 advantage, considering the troublous 
 times, the indications of the Lord's 
 coming (ver. 26, 29), and the duties to be 
 performed. Note that l)oth do well, 
 but one will do better. 
 
 39, 40. Concerning the second 
 marriage of women. 
 
 39. The Avife is bound by the 
 law as long as her husband liv- 
 eth, etc. The same stated in Kom. 7 : 
 2, on which see note. If her hus- 
 band be dead, rather, he fallen 
 axleep, the word generally used of the 
 Christian's death ( n : 30; 15 : 6, I8, etc. 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 239 
 
 be married to whom she will; "only 
 40 in the Lord. But she is happier if she 
 so abide, p after my judgment: and 
 1 1 think also that I have the Spirit of 
 God. 
 
 married to wliom she wishes ; only in 
 40 the Lord. But she is happier if she 
 abides as she is, according to my judg- 
 ment ; and I think that I also have the 
 Spirit of God. 
 
 Deut. 7 : 3, 4 ; 2 Cor. 6 : 14-16. 
 
 p Ver. 25. 
 
 3 14 : 37 ; 1 Thess. 4 : 8. 
 
 Compare note on Acts 7 : 60). It is SOmetimeS 
 
 used of death in the Old Testa- 
 ment (Deut. 31 : 16; 1 Kings 2 : 10 ; Dan. 12 : 2). 
 
 Only in the Lord — a limitation 
 to the preceding phrase, to whom 
 she will, or, ivishes. She has full 
 liberty to marry, but only in connec- 
 tion or union with the Lord, that is, 
 only to a Christian (2Cor. 6:u). The 
 same principle would apply to a man. 
 Under all circumstances mixed mar- 
 riages were to be avoided. In certain 
 cases Paul advised the marriage of 
 
 widows (l Tim. 5 : 11-14). 
 
 40. But she is happier if she 
 so abide, after my judgment, be- 
 ing freer from trials and in troublous 
 times, provided of course that she is 
 wholly consecrated to Christ's service 
 
 (ver. 34; 1 Tim. 5:9-14). And I thiuli, 
 
 speaking modestly, also that I have, 
 
 rather, that I also have, as well as 
 others, the Spirit of God (i Thess. 
 4:8), and hence judge correctly. Paul 
 does not express doubt about having 
 the Spirit, but rather implies his full 
 persuasion that he was speaking under 
 the direction of the Spirit. 
 
 Ill summing up the teachings of this 
 chapter, it must be remembered that 
 Paul was answering particular ques- 
 tions under particular circumstances, 
 and that we must therefore be cautious 
 about deriving general principles from 
 them. His preference for a single life 
 was founded upon the impending ca- 
 lamities, and the greater freedom from 
 worldly cares, and limited to such as 
 could live chastely unmarried (ver. 9, 
 26-34). At a later time, when speaking 
 upon the general duties of a Christian 
 life (Eph. 5 : 22, 23), so far from represent- 
 ing marriage as an inferior state, he 
 makes it a symbol of the highest and 
 holiest fellowship, that between Christ 
 and his church. There is nothing in 
 Paul's teaching of the asceticism that 
 prevailed a few centuries later ; neither 
 can the arbitrary Romish doctrine of the 
 celibacy of the clergy and of monastic 
 orders find support in this chapter. 
 
 (Comp. 1 Tim. 4 : 1-3.) 
 
 Practical Remarks, 
 
 1. How important, responsible, and 
 sacred is the marriage union in the light 
 of Paul's teaching (ver. 3, 10, 11, 16, 27,33, 
 39; 1 Tim. 3 : 2). 
 
 2. Polygamy is unlawful under the gos- 
 pel (ver. 2 ; 6 : 16 : Matt. 19 : 4-6). 
 
 I 3. The marriage relation tends to pro- 
 mote purity, and prevents scandal (ver. 2, 
 i 9; ITim. 5: 11-14). 
 
 I 4, Husband and wife belong to each 
 I other, having mutual and respectively 
 I equal rights (ver. 3, 4, 32, 34 ; Eph. 5 : 21-28), 
 
 5. Self-control, or any other excellence 
 of body or mind, is a gift of God (ver. 6, 
 7 ; Matt. 19 : 10-12 ; James 1 : 17). 
 
 6. A married or single life is advanta- 
 geous to a person, according to his power 
 over himself and his ability to serve God 
 (ver. 7-9). 
 
 7. A single life is of special value only 
 when^the heart is pure and the life chaste 
 (ver. i, 2, 8, 9). 
 
 8. Paul gives no support to asceticism. 
 An arbitrary prohibition of marriage is a 
 doctrine of demons (ver, 7, 9, 38; 1 Tim, 
 4 : 1-4). 
 
 9. The marriage relation is intended to 
 be as enduring as life, and can be broken 
 only by the grossest of crimes (ver. 10, 13 ; 
 Matt, 19 : 3-10). 
 
 10. If for any reason husband and wife 
 separate to live apart, it must be with the 
 understanding that neither is to marry 
 again during the natural life of the other 
 (ver. 11-13, 15). 
 
 11. Unity of religious faith is most de- 
 sirable in married life, yet truth should 
 not be sacrificed to error (ver. 11-13). 
 
 12. Christianity hallows the marriage 
 relation. Is it sacred and indissoluble 
 under the law ? It is even more so under 
 the gospel (ver, 14 ; Rom. 3 : 31 ; Matt. 5 : 
 17). 
 
 13. In the family and marriage relation 
 there is a duty and also an encourage- 
 ment to labor for the unbelieving (ver. 16 ; 
 1 Peter 3 : 1, 2 ; James 5 : 20). 
 
240 
 
 1. COKINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 14. Christianity is a pre-eminent and a 
 universal religion, adapting itself to all 
 races, ages, and conditions of men (ver. 
 17-21 ; Acts 10 : 34 ; Gal. 3 : 28). 
 
 15. It becomes the Christian to be con- 
 tent in whatever lot Pi-ovidence has 
 placed him (ver. 18, 21, 24 ; 1 Tim. 6:6-8; 
 Phil. 4 : 11). 
 
 16. Obedience to Christ is supreme in 
 all our services, relations, and conditions 
 of life (ver. 19 ; 1 Sam. 15 : 22 ; 2 Cor. 10 : 5). 
 
 17. It is the duty of Christians to pre- 
 serve social order, and to be faithful to 
 God and men in every station of life (ver. 
 21, 22; 1 Peter 1 : 13-16 ; Rom. 13 : 6-10). 
 
 18. We should not turn our liberty into 
 license, but use it for holiness and right- 
 eousness as servants of Christ (ver. 22, 23 ; 
 1 Peter 2 : 15, 16 ; Titus 2 : 3, 4). 
 
 19. We should ever be mindful how 
 much our salvation cost Christ, and that 
 we are at all times his servants (ver. 23 ; 
 Acts 4 : 19 ; 5 : 29 ; Phil. 1 : 27,. 28). 
 
 20. We should not lightly or hastily 
 change our calling. But Gk)d has not 
 called any one to a sinfxil vocation (ver. 
 24; ITim. 5:22; Rev. 18:4). 
 
 21. We should be so grounded in the 
 fundamental principles of the gospel as 
 to be able to advise in matters not ex- 
 pressly decided in the Scriptures (ver. 2.5; 
 1 Tim. 3 : 15). 
 
 22. Parents owe an important and sol- 
 emn duty to their children in regard to 
 marriage (ver. 25, 36-38). 
 
 23. Marriage is in itself a sacred ordi- 
 nance, established by God, and designed 
 for the good of mankind (ver. 25, 26, 38 ; 
 Heb. 13 : 4; Gen. 2 : 18, 24). 
 
 24. Marriage should not be hastily en- 
 tered into. Wrong motives, persecution, 
 great calamities, poverty, sickness, and 
 approaching death, may be just reasons 
 for refraining from this relationship (ver. 
 26-28; Mark 13 : 17). 
 
 25. We should live in view of the judg- 
 ment, and of our Lord's return (ver. 29- 
 32 ; Matt. 24 : 44-46 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 1, 2 ; 2 
 Peter 3 : 8-10). 
 
 26. All earthly relationships are fleet- 
 ing and destined to dissolution. How 
 should we use them for one another's 
 good and the glory of God ? and how 
 should we not set our hearts upon them ? 
 (Ver. 25-32; 2 Peter 3: 11.) 
 
 27. No earthly relationship, no earthly 
 sorrow or joy, should keep us from God 
 and duty. They should rather help us on 
 to God (ver. 25, 32 ; 1 Peter 4 : 7-11 ; 2 Peter 
 3 : 14). 
 
 28. We should give way neither to im- 
 moderate joy, nor to immoderate grief 
 (ver. 30; Phil. 4:7). 
 
 29. The fact that the fashion of the 
 world is passing away, should lead us to 
 proi)erly estimate and use it, and to seek 
 an enduring and heavenly inheritance 
 (ver. 31 ; Matt. 6 : 20 ; Luke 16 : 1-9). 
 
 30. It is lawful knd best for some, to 
 whom God has given the needed power 
 and grace, to remain unmarried, and to 
 devote themselves entirely to the work of 
 the Lord (ver. 32-34). 
 
 31. It should be the Christian's supreme 
 desire, whether married or unmarried, to 
 please the Lord (ver. 32-34 ; Heb. 11 : 5 ; 1 
 John 3 :22). 
 
 32. Many a Christian husband has been 
 injvued by a gay and thoughtless wife, 
 and many a Christian wife by a worldly 
 and domineering husband (ver. 33-35). 
 
 33. Christians should so conduct them- 
 selves in the married relation as not to in- 
 terfere with their personal piety or use- 
 fulness, but so as to promote both (ver. 
 32-35). 
 
 34. If in lighter matters children should 
 regard the judgment of parents, much 
 more in the important matter of marriage 
 (ver. 36-38; Eph. 6 : 1-3). 
 
 35. Even in troublous times marriage is 
 well to those who would be better off if 
 unmarried (ver. 38, 40). 
 
 36. Christians should marry in the 
 Lord, so as to be not only one in affection, 
 but one in Christ (ver. 39 ; 2 Cor. 6 : 15). 
 
 37. We can lay down no definite rule 
 for marrying or not marrying. Each case 
 must be settled on its own merits, accord- 
 ing to circumstances (ver. 1-40). 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Another question which had been 
 asked the apostle, was concerning eat- 
 ing food ottered in sacrifice to idols. 
 The answer to this extends to 11 : 1. 
 First of all in this chapter Paul lays 
 down the principle that sucli matters 
 are to be settled l)y love rather than by- 
 knowledge (ver. i-s). He remarks that 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 241 
 
 On eating food offered to idols ; the scruples 
 of the weaker to be respected. 
 
 8 NOW ^as touching things offered, 
 unto idols, "we know that we all have 
 s knowledge :— ' knoAvledge puffeth up, 
 
 2 " but charity edifieth : and ^ if any 
 man think that he knoweth anything, 
 he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to 
 
 8 NOW concerning the things offered 
 to idols we know, — because we all have 
 knowledge ; knowledge puffs up, but 
 
 2 love builds up ; if any one thinks that 
 he knows anything," he has not yet 
 
 3 known as he ought to know: but 
 
 r Ver. 10 ; 10 : 19-22, 28; Acts 15 : 20, 29. 
 M 13 : 4-13. 
 
 8 Rom. 14 : 14, 22. 
 X Prov. 26 : 12 ; Gal. 6 : 3. 
 
 t Rom. 14 : 3, 10. 
 
 while this is a matter of indifference 
 (ver. 4-6), yet all are not equally enlight- 
 ened regarding it (ver. 7), and that some 
 may be led to violate their own con- 
 sciences ; and that thus leading a 
 brother to sin against his conscience 
 they were sinning against Christ (ver. 8- 
 12). Paul then lays down a principle 
 of abstaining for the sake of others 
 
 (ver. 13). 
 
 1-3. The question regarding 
 food sacrificed to idols to be 
 settled by love rather than by 
 
 KNOWLEDGE. ( Comp. Rom. 14.) 
 
 1. NoAV as touching;, or concern- 
 ing, things offered to idols, those 
 parts not consumed l>y fire at heathen 
 sacrifices. These were used by the 
 priests and the worshipers, and were 
 eaten at feasts, or sold by the poor and 
 miserly in the market. "Most public 
 entertainments," saj^s Dean Stanley, 
 "and many private meals were more 
 or less remotely the accompaniments 
 of sacrifice. . . This identification of 
 sacrifice and feast was carried to the 
 highest point among the Greeks. . . At 
 Corinth the conqueror in the Isthmian 
 games used to give a banquet to the 
 people immediately after the sacrifices 
 in the temple itself of Poseidon." 
 Jews were forbidden to partake of 
 heathen sacrifices (xum. 25 : 2 ; Ps. 106 : 28 : 
 comp. Re^-. 2 : 14). Gcntiles wcre accus- 
 tomed to them ; some, especially prose- 
 lytes, would naturally regard them 
 lightly; others lately converted from 
 heathenism might be unable to rid 
 themselves of an idea of their sacred- 
 ness (7:7). The apostolic conference 
 had enjoined upon Gentile believers 
 that they should abstain from the pol- 
 lutions of idols for the sake especially 
 of their Jewish brethren ( Aets 15 : 20 : 21 : 
 25). Among those, therefore, gathered 
 from Jews, proselytes, and heathen, 
 the question was a pressing one and 
 difficult of adjustment. The first 
 
 clause of this verse is repeated in ver, 
 4. A parenthetical explanation inter- 
 venes. But all are not agreed as to 
 where the parenthesis begins. Some 
 begin it after Ave knoAV, and translate, 
 Now concerning things offered to idols 
 we know about it — because we all have 
 knowledge. . . (ver. 4), u'e know, I say, 
 that an idol, etc. A larger number be- 
 gin the parenthesis after " knowledge," 
 thus : Now concerning things offered to 
 idols, " tve know,'' as you say in your 
 epistle, ^^that we all have knowledge." 
 Paul appears to quote what they had 
 said, and then parenthetically digresses 
 on knowledge in relation to love, and re- 
 sumes the thread of discourse "with 
 ver. 4. The latter view seems to me to 
 be j)referable. Knowledge concern- 
 ing idols (ver. 4) such as Christians pos- 
 sess, by itself, alone, without love, 
 putfeth up, inflates with pride, fills 
 with self-conceit, but charity edifi- 
 eth, rather, love toward God and 
 toward our neighbor buildeth up from 
 the foundation. The figure is taken 
 from the gradual building up of a 
 house : Love promotes wisdom, self- 
 denial, and every grace in Christian 
 character and living, and the well- 
 being and development of the church. 
 * ' Knowledge only says, all things are 
 lawful for me; love adds, hut all things 
 do not build up" (Bengel). Knowl- 
 edge must be tempered with love. 
 
 2. But knowledge without humility 
 is very imperfect. At our best we know 
 but in part (i3:i2). Knowledge with- 
 out love is unchristian. As there is a 
 false, a pretended wisdom (3 = 18), so 
 there is a false and pretended knowl- 
 edge. If any man is puffed up and 
 self-conceited, if any m an think that 
 he knoAveth anything, if he is self- 
 opinionated, he knoweth nothing 
 yet as he ought to know, and as it 
 should be known. He has not really 
 learned what he pretends to know. 
 
242 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 3 know: but if any man love God, y the 
 
 4 same is known of him : — as concerning 
 therefore the eating of those things 
 that are offe ed in sacrifice unto idols, 
 we know that ^ an idol is nothing in 
 the world, » and that there is none other 
 
 5 God but one. For though there be 
 that are "^ called gods, whether in 
 heaven or in earth, (as there be gods 
 
 6 many, and lords many,) but <=to us 
 there is but one God, the Father, "lof 
 whom are all things, and we in [or, 
 for] him ; and « one Lord Jesus Christ, 
 
 if any one loves God, this one is known 
 by him ; — 
 
 4 'Concerning then the eating of the 
 tilings offered to idols, we know that 
 there is no idol in the world, and that 
 
 5 there is no God but one. For though 
 there are gods so-called, whether in 
 heaven or on earth (as there are gods 
 
 6 many, and lords many), yet to us tnere 
 is one God, the Father, from whom are 
 all things, and we unto him ; and one 
 Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom 
 are all things, and we through him. 
 
 y Exod. 33 : 12, 17 ; see refs. Ps. 1:6. z 10 : 19 ; Ps. 115 : 4-8 : Isa. 41 : 24. 
 
 a Deut. 4 : 39 ; Mark 12 : 29 ; 1 Tim. 2:5. 6 Ps. 96 : 5 ; Dan. 5:4. c Mai. 2 : 10 ; Eph. 4 : 6. 
 
 d Acts 17 : 28 ; Rom. 11 : 36. e John 13 : 13 ; Acts 2 : 36 ; Eph. 4:5; Phi!. 2 : 11. 
 
 (Comp. note on 3 : 16. See also Gal. 6 : 3; 1 Tim. 
 6:3,4.) 
 
 3. But if any man love God, 
 
 and in that case he will love his neigh- 
 bor also (i John 4 : 7, 8, 20), the Same is 
 known of him. If we are known 
 of God we must have some knowledge 
 of him, and of divine things. The two 
 are inseparable (Gai. 4 : 9 and John 17 : 3). 
 Knowledge is thus deficient without 
 love, and alone is not a sufficient guide. 
 If any one boasts of knowledge, he 
 needs to cultivate love. Love Mith 
 knowledge is our only safe guide in 
 dealing with our fellow-men (13 : 4-7). 
 
 4-G. To THE ENLIGHTENED CHRIS- 
 TIAN, EATING FOOD OFFEKED TO IDOLS 
 IS A MATTER OF INDIFFERENCE. 
 
 4. As concerning therefore the 
 eating, etc. The apostle resumes the 
 thought begun in ver. 1. We know, 
 as you said in your Epi.^tle, that " an 
 idol is nothing in the Avorld," he 
 has no true being and is nothing but a 
 mere image in the temple, or as many 
 prefer to translate. And that there is no 
 idol in the world, there is no such thing 
 as a pagan divinity in the universe. 
 IJy idol is meant tlie deity it represents. 
 A name without a reality ; an image 
 with nothing to represent. In the next 
 clause other should be omitted : *' And 
 that there is no God but one," 
 which all Christians would admit. We 
 may thus far regard this as a quotation 
 from the letter to Paul from Corinth, 
 which he adopts. If idols were notli- 
 ing, if heathen deities, such as ,Tu])iter 
 and Apollo had no existence, then they 
 could pollute nothing olfered to them. 
 The argument is so far correct. The 
 thouglit is pursued a step further, and 
 a new factor introduced in 10 : 20, which 
 
 needed not to be noticed here, (see on 
 
 ver. 10.) 
 
 5. The thought is expanded and ex- 
 plained in this and the next verse. 
 For though there be that are 
 called gods. Paul makes a sup- 
 position, without admitting a reality. 
 For though there are gods so called, 
 even supposing this to be the. case, 
 whether in heaven or upon earth, 
 where the heathen conceived their di- 
 vinities to exist. As there be, rather, 
 are, gods many and lords many, 
 whom the heathen worship. It was a 
 fact that in heathen phraseology there 
 were many, who bore the name, some 
 of gods, and some of lords. Lords is 
 added to include the whole range of 
 heathen divinities, and perhaps also to 
 correspond witli Lord of the next verse. 
 Manj^ however interpret gods many and 
 lords many as referring to superhuman 
 beings, the angels mentioned in Deut. 
 10 : 17 ; Joshua 22 : 22; Dan. 2 : 47. 
 Compare John 10 : 35 ; Ps. 82 : 6, where 
 tlie term gods is applied to judges, even 
 though unjust, because they were ap- 
 pointed to act in place of God on earth. 
 And angels have their mission under 
 
 God in respect to men (Dan. 8:16; lOrlS; 
 
 Heb. 1:14), It is possiblc iu a general 
 way to include botli views. 
 
 6. But, or yet, whatever others may 
 hold regarding tlie so-called gods of the 
 heatlien, to us, as Christians, there is 
 but one God, the Father, of, or 
 from, whom are all things, the 
 source of all and upon whom all depend, 
 and we in, rather, nnfo him, to serve 
 
 I his purposes, he is our object and end ; 
 land one Lord, namely, Jesus 
 j Christ by, or through, whom are 
 I all things, the divine agent in the 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 243 
 
 f by whom are all things, and we by 
 
 7 him. Howbeit there is not in every 
 man that knowledge : for some s with 
 conscience of the idol unto this hour 
 eat it as a thing offered unto an idol ; 
 and their conscience being weak is 
 h defiled. 
 
 8 But imeat commendeth us not to 
 God : for neither, if we eat, are Ave the 
 better; neither, if we eat not, are we 
 
 9 the worse. But ^take heed lest by 
 any means this liberty of yours be- 
 come 1 a stumblingblock to them that 
 
 10 are >" weak. For if any man see thee 
 n which hast knowledge sit at meat in 
 the idol's temple, shall not the con- 
 
 7 Yet the knowledge is not in all ; but 
 some, being accustomed to the idol 
 until now, eat it as a thing offered to 
 an idol ; and their conscience being 
 
 8 weak is defiled. But food will not 
 commend us to God ; for neither, if we 
 eat not, are we lacking ; nor, if we eat, 
 
 9 do we abound. But take heed, lest in 
 any way this liberty of yours become a 
 
 10 stumbling-block to' the weak. For if 
 any one sees thee, who hast knowl- 
 edge, reclining at table in an idol's 
 temple, will not his conscience if he is 
 
 /John 1:3; Cul. 1 : 16, 17 ; Heb. 2 : 10. ^ 10 : 28, 29. h Rom. 14 : U, 23. 
 
 k Rom. 14 : 21 ; Gal. 5 : 13. I Rom. 14 : 13-15, 20. m Rom. 14 : 1, 2 ; 15 : 1. 
 
 j Rom. 14 : 17. 
 71 Ver. 1. 
 
 creation and prcvservation of all things, 
 and we, through him, in our new 
 
 creation and redemption (John i: 3; Coi. 
 
 1 : 16 ; Heb. 1:2; Eph. 4 : 5, 6 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 28). 
 
 7-13. All not being equally 
 enlightened, we must have re- 
 gard in our conduct to the in- 
 firmities of the weak. 
 
 7, Thus far the apostle has treated 
 the eating of things offered to idols as 
 a matter of indifference to the Chris- 
 tian who has clear knowledge of things 
 relating to God, and of the nothingness 
 of idols. Howbeit there is not in 
 every man that knowledge — all 
 are not equally enlightened ; they have 
 not those clear views which have be- 
 come deep convictions, and which lead 
 to decided action. For some with 
 conscience, having a conscientious 
 fear or scruple, of the idol unto this 
 hour, or, tintil now, which feeling they 
 have not been able to divest themselves 
 of. This might be true of certain Jew- 
 ish believers and others. But the most 
 approved text reads. For some being 
 ussd until now to the idol, being ac- 
 customed to the idol as more or less 
 real, have not been able to rid them- 
 selves entirely of the idea ; so that to 
 them the idol-sacrifice and eating things 
 offered to idols are not matters of in- 
 difference. According to this these 
 weak brethren belonged to the Gentile 
 portion of the church, especially those 
 converted recently from heathenism. 
 And their conscience being 
 Aveak, not strong to distinguish clearly 
 between things lawful and unlawful to 
 the Christian, is defiled by a sense of 
 
 sin (ver. 10 ; comp. Rom. 14 : 14, 20, 23). 
 
 8. Paul gives a reason why the strong 
 should have regard to the consciences 
 of the weak. Both knowledge and lib- 
 erty are not to be abused. But meat, 
 or food, commendeth us not, ac- 
 cording to the best text, will not com- 
 mend xis to God, ivill not bring us 
 near, into fellowship with God. It is 
 not perishable food (6:i3), but Christ 
 who brings us near and presents us 
 
 to God (2 Cor. 4 : 14; Col. 1 : 22). For 
 
 neither, if we eat are we the bet- 
 ter, pre-eminent before God ; neither, 
 if w^e eat not are we the worse in 
 
 excellence before him. The eating or 
 the abstaining in itself will not affect 
 our standing before God. (Comp. 7:i9; 
 
 Rom. 14 : 17.) 
 
 9. Such being the case, the impor- 
 tant question is. How will our conduct 
 affect others ? And there is danger of 
 affecting some disastrously. But take 
 heed lest by any means this lib- 
 erty of yours, this right of doing 
 under the gospel, become a stum- 
 bling-block to them that are 
 Aveak, over which they shall stumble 
 into acting against their own con- 
 science, which to them may result most 
 
 seriously (ver. ll. Comp. Rom. 14 : 13, 20). 
 
 10. The apostle shows how an en- 
 lightened believer may be thus a stum- 
 bling-block. He selects an extreme 
 case, a striking example of an abuse of 
 Christian liberty. This would show 
 the evil tendency of smaller abuses. 
 For if any man see thee w^hich 
 hast knowledge, of what things are 
 lawful and unlawful, sit at meat, 
 rather, reclining at table in an idol's 
 temple, shall not the conscience 
 
244 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 science of him which is weak be em- 
 boldened to eat those tilings which are 
 
 11 offered to idols; and <> through thy 
 knowledge shall the weak brother 
 
 12 perish, for whom Christ died? But 
 p when ye sin so against the brethren, 
 and wound their weak conscience, ye 
 
 13 sin against Christ. Wherefore, lif 
 meat make my brother to offend, 
 rl will eat no flesh while the world 
 standeth, lest I make my brother to 
 offend. 
 
 weak ])e built up to eat the things 
 
 11 offered to idols? For in thy knowledge 
 he that is weak perishes," the brother 
 on account of whom Christ died ! 
 
 12 And thus sinning against the brethren, 
 and wounding their weak conscience, 
 
 13 ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if 
 food makes my brother to stumble, I 
 will eat no flesh for ever more, that 
 I may not make my brother to stum- 
 ble. 
 
 Rom. U : 15, 20, 21. p Ma'.t. 25 : 40, 45 ; Acts 9 : 4, 5. q Mark 9 : 42 ; Rom. 14 : 21. r 9 : 12, 19-23. 
 
 of him that is weak, regarding 
 thee as an example and guide in such 
 matters, he emholdened, literally, 
 be built up into the eating of idol sacri- 
 fices f and thus, his conscience being 
 defiled, he may relapse into idolatry. 
 He is thereby built up in wrong-doing. 
 In 10 : 14-21 such participation is con- 
 demned as unlawful ; here it is only 
 condemned for the sake of others, that 
 being the point of argument. 
 
 11. According to the most approved 
 text the question ends with the preced- 
 ing verse, and this reads : And through 
 thy knotvledge he that is weak perishes, 
 the brother for whose sake Chiist died ! 
 'Died — through the love thou art so 
 far from imitating " (Bengel). (comp. 
 
 note on Rom. 14 : 15 ; also Rom. 15 : 1-3) Per- 
 
 ishes denotes the final loss of the soul; 
 but the present tense here employed 
 brings into view this loss in its progress. 
 Such warnings as this and Heb. 6 : 6 
 are doubtless used by the Holy Spirit 
 to prevent the destruction of any of 
 God's true children. 
 
 12. Having mentioned Christ, Paul 
 traces the result of such conduct in re- 
 lation to Christ. But Avhen ye so 
 sin ajjainst the hrethren and 
 wound their weak conscience, 
 and thus do them moral injury by lead- 
 ing them to act contrary to their con- 
 victions, ye sin against Christ. 
 Even the least are representatives of 
 Christ (Matt. 25 : 40) ; and they are mem- 
 bers of Christ (12 : 27 ; Rom. 12 : 5) ; and 
 
 Christ dwells in their hearts by faith 
 (Kph. 3:17). Sins against the brethren 
 are most surely sins against Clirist. 
 
 13. In view of nil that he had said, 
 Paul deduces a principle of abstaining 
 from things indilferent for the good of 
 others, which he states in the strongest 
 possil)le manner, and to which he was 
 ready to obligate himself as long as 
 
 life. Wherefore, /or this very reason, 
 if meat, or food, make my brother 
 to offend, or to stumble into sin, I 
 will eat no flesh of any kind while 
 the Avorld standeth, or , forerermore , 
 lest I make my brother to offend. 
 He would never taste of flesh again, 
 rather than be a stumbling-block in his 
 
 brother's way. (Comp. note on Rom. 14 : 21. 
 Set' also Mark 9 : 42 ; Luke 17 : 1, 2.) At tllis 
 
 point Paul suspends his discussion on 
 idol worship and resumes it in 10 : 14. 
 The intervening digression is apposite 
 and important. 
 
 Conscience, its use in the New 
 Testament. — According to our modern 
 modes of thought, it is well to distin- 
 guish conscience, the faculty that judges 
 one's moral acts, fi-om moral conscious- 
 ness, the state of the soul that accom- 
 panies conscience and recognizes its 
 workings. Conscience should also be 
 distinguished from the moral faculty. 
 The former is specific, the latter more 
 general and judges moral actions by 
 whomsoever performed. The Hebrew 
 has no word for conscience, but uses 
 the general terms "inward parts," 
 "reins," and "heart." John uses the 
 word "heart" with reference to con- 
 science in his First Epistle (3:21,22). 
 The Greek and also the Latin had but 
 one word, whidi originally had no re- 
 ligious l)earing. It was primarily used 
 of consciousness ; but before the Chris- 
 tian era began it was also applied by 
 philosophical writers to conscience. It 
 is not found in the Old Testament, and 
 in the New only in the writings of Paul, 
 Peter, and the author of the Epistle to 
 the Hebrews, expressing the moral ex- 
 ercises and state of the soul. The exact 
 meaning of each instance where the 
 word appears must be learned from the 
 connection. 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 245 
 
 (1) The clearest instance in the New 
 Testament, where the word is used for 
 moral consciousness, is in Heb. 10 : 2, 
 "no more conscience," or consciousness, 
 of sins. Also in 1 Cor. 8:7, "some 
 with consciousness of the idol " ; and less 
 clearly in Acts 23 : 1 ; 24 : 16 ; 1 Tim. 
 1 : 5, 19 ; 3 : 9 ; Heb. 9 : 9 ; 1 Peter 3 : 
 16. (2) It appears to be used of the 
 moral faculty in 2 Cor. 4 : 2 and 5 : 11, 
 where the actions of others are judged. 
 (3) In its limited and distinctive sense 
 of deciding upon one's own moral 
 actions, it is found in Rom. 2 : 15 ; 9 : 
 1 ; 13 : 5 ; 1 Cor. 8 : 7 (second instance), 
 10 ; 10 : 25, 27, 28, 29 ; 2 Cor. 1 : 12 ; 1 
 Peter 3 : 21. In examining these and 
 other instances where the word occurs, 
 it will be found that the meaning varies 
 with shades between the above distinc- 
 tions. 
 
 The supreme authority of conscience 
 is implied in such passages as Rom. 2 : 
 15 ; 2 Cor. 1 : 12 ; 5 : 11 ; 1 Peter 2 : 19 ; 
 
 3 : 21. That it may be aifected by edu- 
 cation and its surroundings is indicated 
 in such passages as 1 Cor. 8 : 12 ; 1 Tim. 
 
 4 : 2. The conscience, however, can 
 become an infallible guide only as the 
 soul is brought into perfect harmony 
 with God and his law (Heb. 9 : u ; lo : 22). 
 
 Liberty of conscience means that God, 
 not man, may decide how one may 
 worship; and that one has a right to 
 follow the dictates of his conscience in 
 so doing. But liberty is not license. 
 It is abused when pretence to worship 
 is turned into revelry and debauch, into 
 blasphemy, or a pretext for immorality 
 and crime. 
 
 Peactical Remarks. 
 
 1. True Christian knowledge is modest. 
 That which is high-minded, contentious, 
 and selfish, is so far false (ver. 1, 2 ; 15 : 
 34; Rom. 2: 19-21). 
 
 2. Christian knowledge and Christian 
 love are inseparable (ver. 1-3 ; 13 : 2 ; 1 
 John 4: 7, 8). 
 
 3. A true Christian may have very 
 wrong views and feelings in regard to 
 many things ; but love with spiritual 
 knowledge and God's word will guide in 
 such matters (ver, 1-3 ; 13 : 4, 5 ; Rom. 13 : 
 10). 
 
 4. That there is but one Grod is a funda^ 
 mental truth in all true religion (ver. 4 ; 
 Mark 12 : 29-32 ; 1 Tim. 2:5). 
 
 5. We know that heathen idols are 
 nothing, but we should beware of idols in 
 our hearts (ver. 4, 5 ; Ezek. 14 : 3). 
 
 6. Christ is the one Lord of his people, 
 our supreme Lawgiver and King (ver. 3 ; 
 John J3 : 13). 
 
 7. The unity of God and the Lordship of 
 Christ are harmonious truths. The Father 
 and the Son represent eternal distinc- 
 tions in the Divine nature (ver. 6 ; John 
 1 :1, 2; Heb. 1 : 2, 3). 
 
 8. We should seek to enlighten the con- 
 science with spiritual knowledge and the 
 word of God (ver. 7 ; 2 Cor. 1 : 12 ; 4:2). 
 
 9. All food that is healthful and nutri- 
 tious should be received with thanksgiv- 
 ing ; yet in itself it has no effect on ovu* 
 Christianity (ver, 8 ; 1 Tim. 4 : 3, 4 ; Rom, 
 14 : 17). 
 
 10. We ought to be careful lest our 
 conduct, even in things that are lawful, 
 should be an occasion of leading others 
 into sin (ver. 9, 10 ; Gal. 5 : 13). 
 
 11. He who cares not for the influence 
 of his example upon others has the spirit 
 of Cain: "Am I my brother's keeper?" 
 (ver. 10, 11 ; Gen. 4:9). 
 
 12. All sins against our neighbor are 
 sins against God (ver. 12 ; 10 : 16, 29 ; 
 Rom. 13 : 9). 
 
 13. It is not enough that a thing is not 
 forbidden, or that it is not wrong in it- 
 self ; we must consider how it will affect 
 others for evil or for good (ver. 11, 12 ; 
 Rom. 14 : 14, 15). 
 
 14. How noble Paul's principle of deny- 
 ing one's self of any gratification which 
 might lead others into sin. How would 
 the church, society, and the world be bet- 
 tered by its general practice. How would 
 the cause of temperance and social purity 
 be advanced (ver. 13 ; Rom. 14 : 21). 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The general subject of eating things 
 offered to idols, and in particular the 
 denying of ourselves for the good of 
 others, Paul illustrates by his own con- 
 duct. He had foregone his rights as an 
 apostle in living unmarried, and also 
 had not availed himself of God's uni- 
 versal law that the laborer, man or 
 beast, should receive the fruit of his 
 labor (ver. 1-12) ; while God had ap- 
 pointed that they who preach the gos- 
 pel should live by the gospel, he had 
 
246 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 On eating food offered to idols ; Pmd's use of 
 his Christian liberty. 
 
 9 »AM I not an apostle? *Am I not 
 free ? " Have I not seen Jesus Christ 
 our Lord ? » Are not ye my work in 
 
 2 tlie Lord ? If I be not an apostle unto 
 others, yet doubtless I am to you : for 
 y the seal of mine apostleship are ye in 
 
 3 the Lord. Mine answer ^ to them that 
 do examine me « is this : 
 
 Am I not free? Am I not an ap)os- 
 tle ? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord ? 
 Are not ye my work in the Lord ? 
 If to others I am not an apostle, 
 yet to you at least I am ; for the 
 seal of my apostleship are ye in the 
 Lord. My defense to those who ex- 
 
 s 1 : 1 ; see refs. Acts 9 : 15 ; 2 Cor. 12 : 12. t Ver. 19. u 15 : 8 ; .Vets 9 : 3-6, 17 ; 22 : 14, 18. 
 
 I 4 : li, 15. y 2 Cor. 3 : 2, 3 ; 12 : 12. z2 Cor. 13 : 3. a Ver. 4-6. 
 
 made it his glory and reward to preach 
 the gospel without charge (ver. is-is), 
 and being free he had exercised his free- 
 dom in becoming the servant of all (ver. 
 19-23). He then urges upon the Corin- 
 thians self-restraint, since that was need- 
 ful for their safety (ver. 24-27) ; which is 
 further enforced in the next chapter. 
 1-23. How Paul as an apostle 
 
 FOREWENT HIS RIGHTS FOR THE SAKE 
 
 OF SAVING OTHERS. See preceding 
 analysis of the chapter. 
 
 1. Paul proceeds to show that the 
 principle of self-denial, which he had 
 laid down for himself (8 : i3), was but 
 a single expression of his general con- 
 duct as a freeman and an apostle. His 
 freedom and apostlesliip he brings into 
 the foreground and makes emphatic, 
 both becau.se he would make his self- 
 denial for others stand out the more 
 prominent, and also because there were 
 those who were disposed to impugn his 
 motives, to question his apostleship, or 
 at least give him an inferior place 
 among the apostles. He at once, in his 
 fervid manner, plunges into the heart of 
 the discussion, asking four questions, 
 each of which demands an affirmative 
 answer. To his Corinthian converts, 
 the mere asking of them were but to 
 expect a positive and affirmative reply. 
 According to the oldest and best manu- 
 scripts the first two questions of tlie 
 common reading are reversed, which is 
 the more natural order. Am I not 
 free? from all men (v.r. 19) to act as I 
 please in regard to self-denial for the 
 good of otliers? Am I not an apos- 
 tle ? having all the rights and priv- 
 ileges, the authority and gifts pertain- 
 ing to the office ? (Matt. 10 : 1; Gal. 1:1; 
 
 2:7-9.) Have I not seen Jesus, 
 the Lord? as you have often heard me 
 testify? Christ is omitted hy the best 
 text. lie had seen the Lord at his con- 
 
 version near to Damascus (i5:8;Acts 
 9 : 17) ; on his return to Jerusalem (Acts 
 22:17,18); later ill a vision at Corinth 
 (Acts 18 : 9) ; bcsidcs he had other visions 
 and revelations of the Lord (2 Cor. 12 : 1). 
 It was necessary that an apostle should 
 be a witness to Christ's resurrection 
 (Acts 1 : 22) ; and Paul fulfilled this con- 
 dition. The other apostles had been as- 
 sociated with Jesus in his earthly min- 
 istry. But this deficiency was made up 
 by his seeing the glorified Jesus, and 
 the abundance of the revelations given 
 him (2 Cor. 12:7). Are not ye my 
 Avork, as an apostle, in the Lord? 
 in fellowship with him and engaged in 
 his service? As such they were the 
 fruit and the evidences of his apostle- 
 ship. See next verse, which expands 
 this thought. 
 
 2. If I be, better. If I am, not an 
 apostle to others, to those outside 
 of you and in their estimation. These 
 others included those who did not be- 
 long to their company, who had not 
 been converted uncler his ministry, and 
 they had not been molded under his 
 spiritual power. They included Jewish 
 emissaries and opposers. Yet doubt- 
 less, rather, at least, I am to you. 
 Paul claimed to be an apostle, and God 
 owned his claim. No other cluirch had 
 greater proofs of his apostleship than 
 that at Corinth ; among none had the 
 fruits and signs of an apostle been more 
 manifest. For the seal, the attesta- 
 tion and proof (comp. Rom. 4 : 11), of mine 
 apostleship are ye in the Lord, 
 in your fellowship with Christ, and in 
 the enjoyment of si)i ritual gifts. The 
 signs of his apostlcshi]) were manifested 
 in them and among them (i:7;2Cor. 
 12:1-'). It was only in Christ, not out 
 of him, that they could be an attestation 
 of Paul's apostolic authority and work. 
 
 3. Mine answer, or defense (a 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 247 
 
 4 >> Have we not power to eat and to 
 
 5 drink? «Have we not power to lead 
 about a sister, a wife, as well as other 
 apostles, and as "^the brethren of the 
 
 6 Lord, and *^ Cephas? Or I only and 
 f Barnabas, s have not we power to for- 
 bear working ? 
 
 4 amine me is this : Have we no right to 
 
 5 eat and drink? Have we no right to 
 lead alx)ut a wife who is a sister, as 
 also the rest of the apostles, and the 
 
 6 brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? Or 
 have only I and Barnabas no right to 
 
 7 forbear working ? Who ever serves as 
 
 6 Ver. 7-14 ; Matt. 10 : 10 ; Gal. 6 : 6 ; 2 Thess. 3 : 9. 
 d See refs. Matt. 12 : 46, 47. e Matt. 8 : 14 ; John 1 : 42. 
 
 c\ Tim. 4 
 / Acts 4 : 36. 
 
 3 ; Heb. 13 ; 4. 
 g See refs. Acts 18 : 3. 
 
 legal terra as if in a court of justice 
 (Acts 22 : 1 ; 25 : 16)) , to them that do ex- 
 amine me (another legal term, as if 
 under a preliminary investigation, held 
 for the purpose of gathering evidence 
 for the information of the magistrates 
 (Acts 4: 9)) is this. It is best to put a 
 period here. But to what does the 
 word this refer? Most late expositors 
 refer it back to the Corinthian eon- 
 verts, this attestation of his apostle- 
 ship (Acts 15 : 4, 12 ; Gal. 2 : 2, 9). What fol- 
 
 lows is not a defense of liis apostleship, 
 but of his full freedom while sacrificing 
 for others. But most of the older inter- 
 preters refer it to what follows. So it is 
 most natural to take the language. 
 Paul's chief design in this chapter is to 
 show how his conduct of self-denial ac- 
 corded with the principle laid down in 
 8 : 13, and to defend this conduct. His 
 brief reference and defense of his 
 apostleship was incidental but impor- 
 tant, and doubtless called forth by his 
 knowledge of opposers. In the fervor 
 of his thoughts, he would naturally 
 take in his freedom and rights as well 
 as his apostleship. His language may 
 thus be both retrospective and prospec- 
 tive. What precedes was strictly a de- 
 fense of his apostleship ; what follows, 
 a defense of his conduct as an apostle. 
 He naturally goes from one to the 
 other, and with some indefiniteness of 
 expression. 
 
 4. Have we not power, a right, 
 to eat and to drink ? at the expense 
 of the church ( Luke 10 : 7), This was the 
 thought he was about to develop (ver. 
 6ff). His well-known custom of sup- 
 porting himself, while preaching the 
 
 gospel (l Thess. 2 : 8-10; 2 Thess. 3:7-9; Acts 
 
 20 : 34) -was uot a result of necessity, as 
 some of his opposers midit affirm, but 
 a free act of devotion (2 Cor. 11 : 7-9 ; 12 : 
 
 15-18). 
 
 5. Have we not poAver, a right, 
 to lead about a sister believer as a 
 wife, at the expense of the churches, 
 
 I as well as the other apostles— 
 
 I implying that they took their wives 
 with them in their missionary journeys, 
 ! and were both regarded as entitled to 
 1 maintenance from the brethren. This 
 I passage plainly implies that Paul was 
 ' unmarried, and that the other apostles 
 generally were married. Some, to avoid 
 this conclusion, translate the word wife, 
 a ivoman, who attended them as an as- 
 ' sistant, like the woman in Luke 8 : 2, 
 1 3. But in that case the word woman is 
 superfluous, for a sister is a woman. 
 j Besides, it is not at all probable that the 
 apostles would have adopted such a 
 practice in society so corrupt as heathen 
 society then was, nor would they have 
 exposed themselves to the scandals aris- 
 ing therefrom. Neither is tliere any 
 historical evidence of such a practice 
 among them. Besides Peter (Hebrew 
 name, Cephas) was married (Matt. 8 : 14). 
 By brethren of our Lord, are 
 meant the younger brothers of our Lord 
 
 by Joseph and Mary. ( See note on Mark 6:3.) 
 
 Peter and the brethren of our Lord are 
 mentioned, as those who were held in 
 most esteem by the Jewish party. 
 
 6. Or I only, better, or have only I, 
 and Barnabas, not power, not a 
 right, to forbear working ? for our 
 
 support (4:12; Acts 18:3). Paul aild 
 
 Barnabas were missionaries among the 
 heathen (Acts is : 2), and were together 
 in Paul's first missionary journey (Acts 
 13 : 2-14 : 28) ; but Separated before Paul's 
 second journey (Acts 15 : 39). Barnabas 
 is mentioned in connection with Paul 
 at the apostolic conference in Acts 15 : 
 12 and Gal. 2 : 1, 9, 13. He had been 
 in high esteem among the apostles ( Acts 
 
 4 : 36 ; 9 : 27 ; 11 : 22), and WOuld doubtlcSS 
 
 be well known, at least by reputation, 
 among Jewish Christians at Corinth. 
 
 7. Paul now proceeds to defend his 
 right to be supported by the churches. 
 First, from the analogy of human con- 
 duct in other callings. He selects three, 
 the soldier, the vinedresser, and the 
 
248 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 7 Who goeth a warfare any time at his 
 own charges? Who ''planteth a vine- 
 yard, and eateth not ot the fruit there- 
 of? Or who feedeth a flock, and eateth 
 
 8 not of the milk of the flock ? Say I 
 these things as a man ? Or ' saith not 
 
 9 the law the same also ? For it is writ- 
 ten in the law of Moses, '' Thou shalt 
 not muzzle the mouth of the ox that 
 treadeth out the corn. • Doth God take 
 
 10 care for oxen? Or saith he it alto- 
 gether for our sakes ? ™ For our sakes, 
 no doubt, this is written : that ° he that 
 ploweth should plow in hope : and that 
 he that thresheth in hope should be 
 
 11 partaker of his hope. "If we have 
 
 a soldier at his own charges? Who 
 plants a vineyard, and eats not of its 
 fruit? Or who shepherds a flock, and 
 
 8 eats not of the milk of the flock? Am 
 I saying these things after the manner 
 of men ? Or does not the law also say 
 
 9 these things ? For in the law of Moses 
 it is written, Thou shalt not muzzle an 
 ox while treading out the grain ? Is it 
 
 10 for the oxen that God cares ? Or does 
 he say it altogether for our sake? Yes, 
 for our sake it was written ; because he 
 that plows ought to plow in hope ; and 
 he that threshes, in hope of partaking. 
 
 11 If we sowed for you spiritual things, is 
 
 h Deut. 20 : 6 ; Prov. 27 : 18. i Isa. 8 : 20. 
 n John 4 : 36 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 6. 
 
 k 1 Tim. 5 : 18. I See Matt. 6 : 26. 
 Rom. 15 : 27 ; Gal. 6 : 6. 
 
 TO Rom. 15 : 4. 
 
 shepherd, who all subsist on the fruit 
 of their labors. At his own charges 
 — from his own re.sources. "The ex- 
 ample from the army, like most of the 
 military expressions in the Epistles, is 
 true only of the later ages of Greece 
 and Rome, when the voluntary serv- 
 ice and the mixed pursuits of the 
 ancient soldiers were superseded by the 
 regular profession of a standing army " 
 (Stanley). Of the milk — from its 
 food and from its sale. In the East a 
 portion of the milk forms to this day a 
 part of the shepherd's pay. 
 
 8. Say I these things as a man 
 — after the manner of men, according 
 to Imman judgment and from a human 
 point of view? Or saith not the 
 law the same also. The law is 
 conceived of as something higher and 
 more authoritative than human analo- 
 gies and reasoning. The question is 
 equal to a strong affirmation that the 
 law does thus speak. And so Paul 
 passes to his second argument, which is 
 drawn from the law of Moses. 
 
 9. The apostle quotes Deut. 25 : 4, 
 from the Septuagint version, Thou 
 shalt not muzzle the mouth of 
 the ox that treadeth out the corn, 
 better, the grain; tlireshing the grain 
 by treading it either with or without 
 dragging the threshing machine. This 
 is also quoted and similarly applied in 
 1 Tim. 5 : 18. In such an application 
 it became almost a proverbial saying, 
 Doth Ciod care for the oxen? 
 Comparatively not. Yet Paul does 
 not deny G'hI's care for them (Matt, lo : 29), 
 l>ut so inucli more incomparably does 
 he care for us that his care for them is 
 as nothing. Paul's mind is on the 
 
 spiritual import of the passage, and its 
 purport to us, teaching us by this kind- 
 ness to the brute creation a lesson of 
 humanity to men, and a kind consider- 
 ation of all who labor (2 Cor. 3:6). Kote 
 too how Deut. 25 : 4 stands alone after 
 and between humane precepts to men. 
 
 10, Or saith he it altogether for 
 our sakes ? or assuredly for our sakes ? 
 God spoke especially for those who 
 could understand and who were capa- 
 ble of moral discipline. So Philo ex- 
 plains the spirit of the law, "that it 
 speaks not in behalf of irrational crea- 
 tures, but in behalf of those who have 
 sense and reason." For our sakes 
 no douht this xras written. While 
 God feeds the young ravens when they 
 cry (Ps. 147:9), yet this was spoken to 
 God's people, and it had a higher refer- 
 ence than merely the brute creation ; it 
 was an object lesson to man to teach 
 him that all labor should have its due 
 compensation, and that they that toil 
 for others should share in the fruit of 
 tlieir labors. And so the apostle goes 
 on to show. That he that ploweth 
 should plow in hope of partaking 
 of the harvest, and he that thresh- 
 eth, or treadeth out (^er. 9), in hope 
 should he partaker of his hope, 
 rather, m hope of partaking of the crop. 
 Spiritual plowing and thre.'^hing are 
 here meant (1 cor. 3 : 6, 9). All who labor 
 should profit by it^ especially Christian 
 lal)orers in God's nelcf. 
 
 11. Paul applies the argument from 
 bu.sbandry, appealing to the principles 
 of gratitude as an additional reason. 
 If we, especially himself^ and proba- 
 bly including Silas and Timothy, who 
 assisted him at Corinth (Acts is : 5). He 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 249 
 
 sown unto you spiritual things, is it a 
 great thing if we shall reap your car- 
 
 12 nal things? If others be partakers of 
 this power over you, vare not we 
 rather? i Nevertheless we have not 
 used this power ; f but suffer all things, 
 lest we should hinder the gospel of 
 Christ. 
 
 13 8 Do ye not know that they which 
 minister about holy things live of the 
 things of the temple ; and they which 
 wait at the altar are partakers with 
 
 14 the altar? Even so »hath the Lord 
 ordained that they which preach the 
 gospel should live of the gospel. 
 
 15 But "I have used none of these 
 
 it a great matter if we shall reap your 
 
 12 carnal things? If others partake of 
 this right over you, do not we still 
 more? But we used not this right; 
 but we bear all things, that we may 
 not cause any hindrance to the gospel 
 of Christ. 
 
 13 Know ye not that they who minister 
 about the holy things eat of the things 
 of the temple, and they who wait at 
 
 14 the altar partake with the altar? Even 
 so did the Lord appoint for those who 
 proclaim the gospel, to live by the 
 
 15 gospel. I however have used none of 
 
 p Ver. 2. 
 
 q 2 Cor. 11 : 7-12. 
 t Ver. 4 ; Luke 10 : 7. 
 
 r 4 : 11, 12. s See refs. Num. 5 : 9, 10 ; Deut. 10 : 9 ; 18 : 1. 
 
 M Ver. 12 ; Acts 18 : 3 ; 2 Cor. 12 : 13-19. 
 
 could not have included Barnabas 
 (ver. 6), for we havc no evidence that 
 Barnabas ever labored at Corinth. 
 Have sown unto you, rather, If 
 we soloed for you, spiritual blessing 
 of the gospel when we labored among 
 you, is it a great thing if we 
 shall reap of you carnal things? 
 food and drink and raiment for our 
 maintenance. The argument is from 
 the greater to the less. For such great 
 spiritual blessings and gifts, gratitude 
 ought to prompt at least the bestowment 
 of the lesser blessings of earthly sup- 
 port. Compare the same argument in 
 Rom. 15 : 27 ; and in form of an in- 
 junction in Gal. 6 : 6. 
 ^ 12. The apostle strengthens his jjosi- 
 tion by another argument drawn from 
 a comparison of himself with others, 
 who had a less claim upon them. If 
 others be partakers of this power 
 over you, the right of receiving sup- 
 port from you, should not we rather 
 be partakers of it. They had had teach- 
 ers, some of them inferior and mislead- 
 ing (2 Cor. 11 : 20), wlio had comc in after 
 the church was established, but he was 
 the founder of the church, and they 
 were largely the converts of his minis- 
 try (4 : 15). Through Christ they owed 
 to him their Christian life. Never- 
 theless we have not used, rather, 
 we did not use this power, or right, 
 when among you. And this'conduct of 
 self-denial accorded with the principle 
 laid down in 8 : 13. But we suffer, 
 rather, bear, all things, hardships and 
 privations arising from receiving no 
 compensation (2 Cor. 11 : 27), and the ob- 
 ject of this is, that we may not cause 
 any hindrance to the gospel of 
 
 Christ, by being charged with inter- 
 ested and selfish motives (ver. is; ixhess. 
 2:3-10). He would not cause any to 
 stumble by anything he might do. 
 
 13. Paul returns to his argument, 
 and appeals to the temple service. This 
 was especially suited to the Jewish be- 
 lievers, as ver. 24-27j appealing to Gen- 
 tile customs, was suited to Gentile be- 
 lievers. Do ye not know — appealing 
 to a practice familiar to them and still 
 existing. Thatthey that minister, 
 or are bnsied, about holy, or sacred, 
 things, which pertain to the worship of 
 God in the temple, live, or eat, of the 
 things of the temple? the sacred 
 place; and they that Avait at the 
 altar are partakers with the al- 
 tar. The whole verse has reference 
 to Jewish sacrifices and to the priest- 
 hood, the priests not including the 
 Levites. The Jewish priests were main- 
 tained from the sacrifices, which were 
 apportioned, a part to.be burnt upon 
 the altar, a part for the priests, and a 
 part to be consumed by the worshiper 
 
 (Lev.- 6 : 16; Num. 5 : 8-10; 18 : 8-20 ; Deut. 18 : l). 
 
 As the priesthood was supported, so 
 should the ministry be, whether apostles 
 or not. This application Paul makes 
 in the next verse. 
 
 14. Even so hath the Lord, did 
 the Lord, when upon earth, ordained, 
 prescribe by express precept (Matt, lo : lo; 
 Luke 10 : 7) to thosc loho proclaim the gos- 
 pel, to live by the gospel. This saying 
 of our Lord to the apostles in Judea 
 would have weight with Jewish con- 
 verts at Corinth. 
 
 15. Paul reverts to his custom of 
 denying himself for i\\e good of others, 
 according to the principle enunciated 
 
250 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 things : neither have I written these 
 things that it should be so done unto 
 me. For it were better for me to die 
 than tliat any man should make my 
 
 16 glorj'ing void. For though I preach 
 the gospel, I have nothing to glory of : 
 for » necessity is laid ui)on me ; "yea, 
 woe is unto me, if I preach not the 
 
 17 gospel ! For y if I do this thing will- 
 ingly, I have a reward : but if against 
 my will, » a dispensation of the gospel is 
 
 18 committed unto me. What is my re- 
 ward then? Verily that, ^when I 
 preach the gospel, I may make the 
 gospel of Christ without charge, that I 
 abuse not my power in the gospel. 
 
 these things ; and I write not these 
 things, that it may be so done in my 
 case ; for it were better for me to die, 
 than that any one should make my 
 
 16 glorying void. For if 1 preach the gos- 
 pel, I have nothing to glory of; for a 
 necessity is laid on me ; for, woe is to 
 
 17 me, if I preach not the gospel ! For if 
 I do this willingly, I have a reward ; 
 but if unwillingly, I have a steward- 
 
 18 ship intrusted to me. What then is my 
 reward ? That, in preaching the gospel , 
 I may make the gospel without charge, 
 so as not to use to the full my right in 
 
 X Jer. 1 : 17 ; 20 : 9 ; Amos 3:8; Acts 4 : 20. y 1 Peter 5 : 2-4. 
 
 o Ver. 12 ; 10 : 33 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 7. 
 
 ^Phil. 1 : 17; Col. 1 : 25. 
 
 in 8 : 13. But I (emphatic) whatever 
 others may do, have used none of 
 these things, as was my right. 
 Neither did he desire, by what he had 
 just said, that his support should be 
 
 Erovided for in the future: Neither 
 ave I written, more exactly, did I 
 write, these things that it should 
 be so done unto me. The aban- 
 donment of his rights was entirely vol- 
 untary on his part, and he does not pro- 
 pose to press their claims. There is 
 here some confusion in the original 
 text. That text which is best sustained 
 may be rendered : It is well for me to 
 die rather than . . . my glorying, that is, 
 the ground of my glorying, no one shall 
 m,ake it void! The abruptness, the 
 sti'ength of expression, and its broken 
 form, accords with its vehemence. ( Comp. 
 Rom 9:1.) To labor gratuitously was 
 his glory, which he would suifer no one 
 to take from him. It was a proof of 
 integrity and of entire unselfishness on 
 his part. And thus he could better 
 keep his body under (ver. 23-27). 
 
 16. Paul gives a reason why he em- 
 phasizes his glorying in preacliing the 
 gospel gratuitously. For though, 
 rather, For if I preach the gospel, 
 I have nothing to glory of. He 
 was but doing his duty. It was indeed 
 a l)ounden duty for the faithful dis- 
 charge of which lie was most solemnly 
 accountable : For necessity is laid 
 upon me; feeling a moral compulsion 
 by the call and commission of Jesus 
 ( Acts 22 : 10, 21; 26:16-18), and for liis par- 
 doning grace (i Tim. i : 12-10). Indeed, if 
 lie did not do it, he would be under 
 condemnation and exposed to the. judg- 
 ment of CJod. Yea, better, For, avoc 
 
 is me, the threatened judgments of God 
 betide me at the last great day, if I 
 preach not the gospel. 
 
 17. Explains and applies this neces- 
 sity in his own case still further. For 
 if I do this thing willingly, preach- 
 ing the gospel of mine own accord as a 
 voluntary undertaking, which is not 
 my case, I have a reward. He was 
 taken, put into the service, and put 
 
 under obligation (Acts 9 : 15, I6 ; GaL 1 : 15, 16 ; 
 Phil. 3 : 12 : 2 Tim. 1 : ll). But if agaiUSt 
 
 my will, or unwillingly, not entering 
 upon it of my own accord, an involun- 
 tary service which I am under obliga- 
 tion to do, which was really his case 
 (Acts 9 : 16; 22 : u), then a dispcusatiou 
 of the gospel, rather, a steicardship 
 is entrusted to me^ by God who is my 
 absolute Lord, which I must discharge. 
 A steward was usually chosen from 
 among slaves (^^i)- As the Lord's 
 steward, however willingly and heartily 
 he might perform his office, he had no 
 option but to obey. After doing all, at 
 his very best, he had only done what 
 was his duty to do (lu^u n : lo), 
 
 18. What is my rcAvard then? 
 my divine recompense under these cir- 
 cumstances? Wherein does it consist? 
 Verily that, rather, litis, that when 
 I preach the gospel, I may do it 
 without charge, that I abuse 
 not, ratlier, so that I use not to the full 
 my right 'in the gospel, that right of 
 support conferred upon me in preach- 
 ing the gospel (vor. u) ; and having the 
 consciousness of faithfully thus doing; 
 and thereby gaining the more converts 
 (ver. 20-23). ' Tlic privilcgc and satisfac- 
 tion of preaching the gospel without 
 money and without price to those ad- 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 251 
 
 19 For though I be ^ free from all men, 
 yet have « I made myself servant unto 
 
 20 all, that I might gain the more. And 
 d unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I 
 might gain the Jews ; to them that are 
 under the law, as under the law, that 
 I might gain them that are under the 
 
 21 law; "to them that are ^without law, 
 as without law, (s being not without 
 law to God, but under the law to 
 Christ,) that I might gain them that 
 
 19 the gospel. For being free from all 
 men, I made myself servant to all, that 
 
 20 I might gain the most. And to the 
 Jews I became as a Jew, that I might 
 gain the Jews ; to those under law, as 
 under law, not being myself under 
 law, that 1 might gain those under law ; 
 
 21 to those without law, as without law 
 (not being without law to God, but 
 under law to Christ), that I might gain 
 
 6 Ver. 1. 
 
 c Gal. 5 : 13 ; 1 Thess. 2 : 7. 
 /Rom. 2 : 12, 14. 
 
 d Acts 16 : 3 ; 21 : 20-26. e Gal. 2 : 3-5, 11-14. 
 
 g1 ■.22; Rom. 7 : 22 ; Gal. 5 : 13, 14. 
 
 dressed was a sufficient recompense to 
 him (1 Tim. 1 : 12-16). " He looks for no 
 higher reward or pay than to preach 
 the gospel without pay ; he hopes for 
 no higher freedom (returning to the 
 image of a slave implied in ' a steward- 
 ship entrusted to me ' (ver. i7) ) than to 
 become a slave to all" (Stanley). 
 
 (Comp. Rom. 1 : 14, 15.) 
 
 Calvin and some others adopt another 
 interpretation of ver. 16, which is 
 worthy of mention, although it does 
 not so closely accord with the gram- 
 matical structure of the passage. They 
 take Paul to mean: "For if I preach 
 the gospel willingly, which indeed I do, 
 I have a reward from God, though I re- 
 ceive no pay from men. But if I do it 
 unwillingly, simply because I am com- 
 pelled to do it, then I reduce myself to 
 the condition of a servant who simply 
 does what he is bidden. Since then I 
 am performing a willing service, what 
 is my reward?" etc. There is a sense 
 in which Paul did this service willing- 
 ly, and there is also a sense in which, 
 being captured as it were, he did it un- 
 willingly. But whether willingly or 
 unwillingly, he could not escape his 
 responsibility. 
 
 19. Paul proceeds to show in this 
 and the four following verses, hoAv for 
 the good of others he had not fully used 
 his rights in the gospel (ver. is). For 
 though I was free from all men 
 (ver. i)j not dependent upon and not 
 obligated to receive pay from them, / 
 made myself servant unto all, I volun- 
 tarily enslaved myself to them, that I 
 might gain the more, than I could 
 otherwise. In other words, he gained 
 the most converts in this way. By 
 preaching the gospel gratuitously, thus 
 attracting all, he would save more than 
 he would being paid, attracting some 
 and repelling others. The -word gain is 
 
 suggestive of reward. Saving more 
 souls would enter into his reward (ver. 
 
 18; 1 Thess. 2 : 19, 20). 
 
 20, He enumerates how he accom- 
 modated himself to different classes and 
 denied himself for his converts. He is 
 speaking specially of his ministry at 
 Corinth, as the tenses used and the con- 
 nection indicate (ver. 1, 2, U; 11 : l), UtttO 
 
 the Jews I became as a Jew, as 
 
 in circumcising Timothy (Acts i6 : 3) ^ and 
 in Jewish observances (Acts is : is ; 21 : 26). 
 To them that are under the law, 
 
 more exactly, To those under law, as 
 under laiv — a broad designation, includ- 
 ing proselytes, Jewish converts, and 
 all Avho were under more or less legal 
 bondage, adapting himself to them. 
 According to the oldest and best manu- 
 script, Paul adds, not being myself under 
 law, not being under legal bondage and 
 dependent upon law for salvation (Rom. 
 6 : 14; Gal. 2 : 13-21). Perhaps Ws ministry 
 in Berea may illustrate this (Actsi7:ii, 
 
 12 ; see also Acts 19 : 1-6). 
 
 21. To them that are without 
 1 a AV, as without la w — to the 
 
 heathen as one standing on a level with 
 them, and neither by example nor pre- 
 cept imposing upon them the positive 
 enactments of the Jewish law ( Coi. 2 : 20) . 
 But to guard himself from being mis- 
 understood Paul adds in parenthesis, 
 being not Avithout law to God, 
 but under law to Christ. Alford 
 renders. Not being an outlaw from God, 
 but a subject to the law of Christ. Paul 
 was no Antinomian. His freedom from 
 the Mosaic law was not independence of 
 God, but rather the greater dependence 
 on him, by his subjection to the law of 
 Christ, which is a law of love and obe- 
 dience. He and the Gentiles were in- 
 deed under the inward law written on 
 the heart (Rom. 2 : u, 15 ; Jer. 31 : 33), and a 
 heart consecrated to Christ recognized 
 
252 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 22 are withc^ut law. ''To the weak be- 
 came I as weak, that I might gain the 
 weak : ' I am made all things to all 
 men, ''that I might by all means save 
 
 23 some. And this I do for the gospel's 
 sake, that I might be partaker thereof 
 with yoa. 
 
 On eating food offered to idols; self-restraint 
 needful for our own safety. 
 
 24 Know j^e not that they which run 
 in a race, run all, but one receiveth 
 the prize ? • So run, that ye may obtain. 
 
 25 And every man that 3» strivetli for the 
 mastery is temperate in all things. 
 Now they do it to obtain a corruptible 
 
 22 those without law. To the weak I 
 became weak, that I might gain the 
 weak. I have become all things to all, 
 that I may by all means save some. 
 
 23 And all things I do for the gospel's 
 sake, that I may become a partaker 
 thereof with others. 
 
 24 Know ye not that they who run in a 
 race, all indeed run, but one receives 
 the prize? Thus run, in order that ye 
 
 25 may obtain. And every one who 
 striVes in the games is temperate in all 
 things ; they indeed to obtain a cor- 
 ruptible crown, but we an Incorrupt- 
 
 /i 8 : 13 ; Rom. 15 : 1 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 29. » Ver. 19 ; 10 : 33. h Rom. 11 : 14 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 10. 
 I Luke 13 : 24 ; Phil. 2 : 16 ; 3:14; 2 Tim. 4:7; Heb. 12:1. m Eph. 6 : 12 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 12 ; 2 Tim. 2:5; 4:7. 
 
 this. Paul illustrated this at Athens 
 
 (Acts 17 : 23 fif. ; also see Gal. 2:3; Acts 14 : 14-18). 
 
 22, To the weak became I as 
 weak, or according to the best text, 
 became I tveak. To the weak, super- 
 stitious, and scrupulous, I condescended 
 so as to lovingly enter into their feel- 
 ings and meet them on their own 
 grounds. For illustrations see 8:13; 
 Rom 15 : 1, 2 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 29 ; Gal. 6 : 2. 
 To sum up, and to meet all cases not in- 
 cluded in the foregoing, I am made 
 all things to all men, that I 
 might by all means, and ways, save 
 some. This he did, not by the sacri- 
 fice of principle, but of his rights in 
 matters indifferent, and in exercising 
 sympathy without compromising his 
 own convictions, and thus approaching 
 men on their most accessible side. 
 
 23. And this I do, or according to 
 the best text. And all things, spoken of 
 in the preceding verses, I do for the 
 gospel's sake, for its glory, exten- 
 sion, and blessings, that I might be 
 partaker thereof with you, that I\ 
 may become a joint partaker thereof. 
 Paul does not mean that he might be 
 saved, for he did not expect to be saved 
 by preaching (ver. 27), but through faith 
 in Christ. But he wished to be a fellow- 
 partaker with them of those gospel 
 blessings that are the privilege of the 
 believer, and to enjoy the great pleasure 
 arising from preaching the gospel and 
 gaining converts to Christ (iThess. 2: 
 IS. 20). He would have stars in his 
 crown. Notice that in this verse he in- 
 cludes self-denial for his own good also, 
 as well as for others' good. In being a 
 fellow-partaker he exhibits humility 
 
 and his affectionate condescension to the 
 level and the wants of those whom he 
 would save. 
 
 24-27. He urges upon them 
 self-restraint, as needful for 
 their own safety. 
 
 24. KnoAV ye not— you Corin- 
 thians are familiar with the Isthmian 
 games which are celebrated every three 
 years near the seacoast about eight 
 miles from your city ; and ye know 
 that in the race-course they that run. 
 run all, but one receiveth the 
 prize of the victor (next ver.se). Not 
 that this is so in the Christian race, for 
 each one can obtain a crown ; but he 
 would have each so run, with such 
 eagerness, concentrated effort, and per- 
 sistence, as if the prize could be ob- 
 tained by one only (Pim. 3: u). On his 
 way from Athens to Corinth Paul would 
 pass the stadium or race-course, to which 
 in this and other passages he makes 
 allusions. We have in this passage, 
 the race, the racer, the prize, the self- 
 restraint, the crown, the herald, and 
 the rejected contestant. 
 
 25. And every man that striv- 
 eth for the mastery, that contends 
 in the gymnastic games, is temperate 
 in all things, exercising self-control 
 and self-restraint in regard to food and 
 wine and every, kind of sensual indul- 
 gence. The preparatory discipline 
 lasted for ten months and was very 
 severe, at times under a professional 
 trainer (2 Tim. 2:5). They to obtain 
 a corruptible crown, a wreath or 
 garland of the green pine, which was 
 usually awarded as a prize at the Isth- 
 mian games. So also the laurel, olive, 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 253 
 
 26 crown ; but we " an incorruptible. I 
 therefore so run, not as uncertainly ; 
 so fight I, not as one that beateth the 
 
 27 air : " but I keep under my body, 
 and bring it into subjection ; lest 
 that by any means, when I have 
 preached to others, I myself should be 
 p a castaway. 
 
 26 ible. I therefore thus run, as not un- 
 certainly ; thus fight I as not beating 
 
 27 the air. But I buffet my body, and 
 bring it into bondage ; lest by any 
 means, after having preached toothers, 
 I myself should be rejected. 
 
 n 2 Tim. 4:8; James 1 : 12 ; 1 Peter 1 : 4 ; 5 : 4 ; Rev. 2 : 10 ; 3 : 11. 
 o 6 : 12 ; Rom. 8 : 13 ; Col. 3:5. p2 Cor. 13 : 5, 6. 
 
 and parsley were used. All these 
 would dry up and fade. But we 
 an incorruptible — of righteousness 
 
 (2 Tim. 4:8), of life (James 1 : 12 ; Rev. 2 : 10), 
 
 an unfading crown of glory (i Peter 5:4). 
 
 26. I therefore run, not as un- 
 certainly, leaving nothing to chance, 
 but in such a way as to ensure the prize. 
 He did not even count his life dear to 
 him, if he might so complete his race 
 with victory (Acts 20 : 24). Changing the 
 figure to that of a boxer, he continues : 
 So fight I, or so box I, not as one 
 that beateth the air, striking at 
 random into the air, thus missing^ his 
 antagonist. The Christian life is a 
 conflict as well as a race (Rom. 7 : 14-25), 
 The conflict is against the world, the 
 flesh, and the devil. Paul now repre- 
 sents himself in the midst of the con- 
 test. "It must be remembered . . . 
 that from the national character and 
 religion of the Greeks, these ^ames de- 
 rived an importance which raised them 
 above the degrading associations of 
 modern times. . . They were not 
 merely exhibitions of bodily strength, 
 but solemn trials of the excellence of 
 the competitors in the gymnastic art, 
 which was to the Greeks one-half of 
 human education" (Stanley). The 
 names of the victors were handed to 
 posterity, sung in triumphal odes, and 
 their ' ' likeness placed in the long line 
 of statues which formed the approach 
 of the adjacent temple." 
 
 27. But I keep under my body, 
 literally, / beat it black and blue, I 
 buffet my body, handle it roughly, dis- 
 cipline it with hardships. (Comp. .\ots 20 : 
 33-35 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 23-28.) And bring it into 
 subjection : / enslave it, bring my 
 body with its appetites and passions in 
 bondage under the power of ray moral 
 will and higher renewed nature. Lest 
 by any means having preached, 
 having been a. herald to others, I my- 
 self should be a castaway, I my- 
 
 self should be unable to stand the test, 
 and thus would be rejected as unworthy 
 of the prize. There is an allusion here 
 to the herald at the games whose busi- 
 ness it was by voice or trumpet to sum- 
 mon the competitors to the contest. In 
 the Christian warfare, the apostle finds 
 a formidable antagonist in himself, and 
 he would triumph over his own peculiar 
 sins and temptations, lest having been 
 a herald to others, he should in the 
 final issue prove unsuccessful and un- 
 worthy. And he must also strive law- 
 fully. (See 2 Tim. 2:5.) Such a Striking 
 reference to himself was indeed an ex- 
 hortation and a warning to the Corin- 
 thian converts. If this was so necessary 
 for himself, how necessary to them, to 
 exercise self-denial and self-restraint 
 for their own spiritual safety. The 
 thought is additionally enforced in the 
 next chapter. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. The conversion of souls in one's min- 
 istry is an evidence of having been called 
 of God to the work (ver. 1, 2 ; Acts 15 : 3, 
 7, 12). 
 
 2. The minister should so live and labor 
 as to be able to appeal to his people that 
 he is a true minister of Jesus Christ (ver. 
 2; ITim. 2: 1-11). 
 
 3. A necessary qualification of an apostle 
 was to have seen the Lord. The apostles 
 therefore could have had no successors 
 (ver. 1-3; Acts 1 : 21, 22). 
 
 4. Ministers of the gospel have an un- 
 questionable right to married life. The 
 Romish doctrine of celibacy of priests is 
 a denial of this right (ver. 4, 5 ; 1 Tim, 3 : 
 2; 4:3). 
 
 5. The Christian minister may give his 
 services to his people, but his people can- 
 not claim them as a gift (ver. 5, 15). 
 
 6. Ministers should not be rated accord- 
 ing to the salaries they receive, but ac- 
 
254 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 cording to their faithfulness (ver. 5, 12; 
 4 :2). 
 
 7. Christian ministers have their rights, 
 one of which is t<j receive support from 
 those they serve (ver. 7-14). 
 
 8. The minister may be viewed as a 
 soldier, a vineyardLst, and a shepherd 
 (ver. 7 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 3, 4 ; Matt. 21 : 28 ; John 
 21 : 16). 
 
 9. God's dealings with animals and the 
 inanimate creation contain lessons for 
 men (ver. 9, 10; Ps. 19; Luke 13 : 6-9; 12 : 
 6, 7). 
 
 10. It is both temporal and spiritual 
 economy to support the preacher and the 
 teacher (ver. 11; Rom. 15 : 21; Mai. 3 : 
 8-12). 
 
 11. Ministers belong to a high and holy 
 calling, appointed of God to live from 
 their people, not above, nor below, but as 
 their people (ver. 12-14 ; 1 Peter 5 : 2 ; 1 
 Thes.s. 2 : 7, 8). 
 
 12. We should beware lest we lower the 
 ministry into a mere profession, or to a 
 mercenary calling (ver. 12-14 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 
 17-19). 
 
 13. We may hinder the cause of Christ 
 even in doing things that are lawful, but 
 not expedient (ver. 12 ; 8 : 13). 
 
 14. There may be circumstances which 
 will require the preacher to labor at his 
 own expense, if he can do so, for the sake 
 of Christ and his cause (ver. 12, 15, 18; 
 Acts 18: 3). 
 
 15. By preaching the gospel without 
 charge we can show the excellence of 
 religion and gain a more glorious reward 
 (ver. 1.5-18, 23). 
 
 16. He who preaches the gospel gratui- 
 tously imitates Christ as well as Paul 
 (ver. 1.5-18; 2 Cor. 8:9). 
 
 17. They who are called of God to the 
 ministry cannot be happy in any other 
 calling (ver. 16 ; Jonah 1 : 9-12 ; Jer. 20 : 9). 
 
 18. We have no cause for glorying in 
 that we became Christians and then be- 
 came Christian workers. It is all of grace 
 (ver. 17, 18 ; 15 : 10 : 1 John 4 : 19). 
 
 19. Living and working for Christ brings 
 its own reward. But the "crown of 
 glory " is the gift of God (ver. 18 ; 2 Tim. 
 4:8). 
 
 20. Sacrificing for others in Christ's work 
 will be gloriously rewarded in the salva- 
 tion of souls (ver. 19-22). 
 
 21. Without compromising principle we 
 should adapt ourselves to all classes in 
 .society in order to save souls (ver. 19-22; 
 Rom. 1 : 14, 15). 
 
 22. The humility of Paul may well be 
 made a study and an example. See how 
 he puts himself on a level with his con- 
 verts, that he may partake of their bless- 
 ings, how he would put forth every effort, 
 so as not to be lost. How does this con- 
 trast with the self-confidence of many at 
 the present day (ver. 23, 27 ; Titus 2 : 12; 
 Eph. 6 : 12). 
 
 23. No one can begin the Christian life 
 or attain its good wdthout persistent self- 
 denial, effort, and conflict (ver. 24-26; 
 Matt. 16 : 24, 2.5 ; 24 : 13 ; Luke 13 : 34 ; Rev. 
 2 : 7, 11, 17, 26, etc.). 
 
 24. Renouncing every sin, laying aside 
 every w^eight, having the goal ever in 
 view, keeping the eye fully fixed on Christ, 
 and an entire consecration of soul and 
 body to God, are needful for successfully 
 running the Christian race (ver. 24, 25; 
 Heb. 12 : 1, 2). 
 
 25. We must not take risks in religion, 
 nor put forth efforts at random, since with 
 Christ's help we can plan and act with 
 certainty (ver. 26 ; 15 : 58 ; Rom. 7 : 24, 25). 
 
 26. The fact that one is a preacher, and 
 even a successful one, does not ensure 
 salvation. He must guard against sin and 
 exercise personal godliness as long as life 
 lasts (ver. 27 ; Gal. 5 : 24 ; Col. 3:5; Heb. 
 4:1). 
 
 27. The doctrine of the perseverance of 
 the saints is in harmony with a conviction 
 of a possibility of failure, and of the ne- 
 cessity of putting forth every effort for 
 final success. God gives no such guar- 
 antee of salvation as to warrant spiritual 
 repose. The influence of hope and fear 
 are alike needful to the motive for per- 
 severing triumphantly to the end (ver. 27 ; 
 Phil. 2 : 12, 13 ; 2 Peter 1 : 10). 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Still continuing on the general dis- 
 cussion regarding eating food otiered to 
 idols, Paul sliows by the example of 
 ancient Israel the danger of returning 
 to idolatry and kindred vices through 
 a lack of self-re.'Jtraint (vor. i-io)^ and 
 utters a warning to Christians (ver. n-i3). 
 He advises them to flee idolatry, and 
 not participate in idols' feast, for there 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 I. CORIXTHIANS 
 
 255 
 
 10 MOREOVER, brethren, I would not 
 that 5'e should be ignorant, how that 
 all our fathers Avere under <ithe cloud, 
 
 2 and all passed through ' the sea ; and 
 were all baptized unto Moses in the 
 
 3 cloud and in the sea ; and did all eat 
 
 4 the same ^ spiritual meat ; and did all 
 
 10 FOR I do not wish you to be igno- 
 rant, brethren, that our fathers were 
 all under the cloud, and all passed 
 
 2 through the sea ; and were all baptized 
 into Moses in the cloud and in the 
 
 3 sea ; and all ate the same spiritual 
 
 4 food, and all drank the same spiritual 
 
 q See refs. Exod. 13 : 21, 22 ; 40 : 34. r See refs. Exod. 14 : 21, 22, 29 ; Josh. 4 : 23. 
 
 s See refs. Exod. 16 : 4, 15, 35. 
 
 cannot exist both fellowship with 
 Christ and demons (ver. 14-22) ; and hav- 
 ing regard for the scruples of others to 
 abstain from food which they know to 
 have been offered to idols (ver. 23-30); 
 aiming as he did after God's glory and 
 our neighbor's good (ver. 31-11 : 1). 
 
 1-13. The example of lack of 
 self-resteaint ix israel, a lesson 
 and a warning to christians. the 
 baptism in the cloud and in the sea. 
 The sin and overthrow of ancient 
 Israel. Temptations must be avoided. 
 
 1. Instead of Moreover, the read- 
 ing of the best text is, For, thus joining 
 this verse closely with the warning im- 
 plied in the last verse of the preceding 
 chapter. See note at the end. "As it 
 might be possible for me, so also is it for 
 you, to be rejected ; for the history of 
 ancient Israel teaches this. It is need- 
 ful therefore that we distrust ourselves 
 and abstain from fully using our lib- 
 erty." I would not that ye should 
 be ignorant, a common expression of 
 Paul (12 : 1; Rom. 1 : 13 ; 11 : 25), generally 
 introducing something new and im- 
 portant, and a forcible way of saying, 
 "I wish you to know." Notice Paul 
 says, our fathers, recognizing his 
 own descent from Israel. Many of the 
 Corinthian brethren were Jews, and 
 doubtless many of the Gentile converts 
 had been proselytes ; and all believers 
 belonged to spiritual Israel (Rom. 4 : le). 
 Notice also that emphasis is laid upon 
 all— it is repeated five times. All en- 
 joyed the same privileges, all were ad- 
 mitted by a baptism, in the cloud and 
 in the sea, to the privileges given 
 through Moses, and all were sustained 
 by miraculous provision. Notice again 
 that all \i^ere under the cloud (Exod. 
 14:19,20; Ps. 105:39), and all passed 
 
 through the sea (Exod. 14 : 22 ; Num. 33 : 
 8; Ps. 78 : 13, 14). 
 
 2, The two privileges selected are 
 those which most nearly correspond 
 with the two ordinances of the Chris- 
 
 tian church. And were all bap- 
 tized unto Moses. More exactly, 
 They baptized themselves, or had them- 
 selves baptized unto Moses. The idea of 
 a voluntary agent is implied. They re- 
 ceived baptism voluntarily. How Paul 
 conceived of an immersion of the an- 
 cient Israelites, appears from what fol- 
 lows, that it was in the cloud and 
 in the sea, not in either one as sepa- 
 rate from the other, but in the two 
 combined. Paul's conception of the 
 act appears also from the preceding 
 verse, that they were " under the 
 cloud" and "passed through the sea." 
 (Comp. Num. 14 : 14, "Thy cloud 
 standeth over them " ; and Ps. 105 : 
 39, " He spread a cloud for a covering." ) 
 The cloud and the sea are both of the 
 same nature, and the two represent the 
 element into which they were baptized. 
 According to Paul's conception the 
 water stood on both sides of them, and 
 the cloud over them, so much so that 
 they were in the cloud and in the sea, 
 hidden from the sight of the Egyptians. 
 Whether the cloud, in removing from 
 before them to behind them, passed 
 over them and remained over them we 
 are not told. Paul merely states the 
 facts in general terms, and conceives 
 of a submersion and an emersion which 
 was voluntary on their part. Unto 
 Moses — into connection with him as 
 their leader sent by God, and into the 
 privileges of the Mosaic economy. In 
 passing through the sea they passed 
 out of bondage into freedom, from the 
 yoke of Pharaoh into the fatherly care 
 of God. This would suggest to the 
 Corinthians their own baptism unto 
 Christ and its privileges. 
 
 3. The food and drink to which Paul 
 passes are suggestive of the Loi-d's 
 Supper. And did all eat the same 
 spiritual meat, or food, meaning the 
 manna, which is termed spiritual, be- 
 cause it was given supernaturally by 
 God (Exod. 16 : 14-16) and is styled " bread 
 
256 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 drink the same 's]iiritual drink : for 
 thev drank of that spiritual Rock that 
 "followed them: and that Rock was 
 Christ. But with many of them God 
 was not well pleased : for they » were 
 overthrown in the wilderness. 
 
 Now y these things were our ex- 
 amples, to the intent we should not lust 
 after evil things, as » they also lusted. 
 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some 
 of them; as'it is written, a The people 
 sat down to eat and drink, and rose up 
 
 drink : for they drank of a spiritual 
 rock that followed them, and the rock 
 
 5 was the Christ. But in the most of 
 them God had no f)leasure; for they 
 were overthrown in the wilderness. 
 
 ft Now these things came to pass as ex- 
 amples to us, in order that we might 
 not desire evil things, as they also 
 
 7 desired them. Nor become ye* idola- 
 ters, as were some of them'; as it is 
 w-ritten, The people sat down to eat 
 
 8 and drink, and rose up to play. Nor 
 
 t See refs. Exod. 17 : 6. m Ps. 105 : 41. 
 y Ver. 11; Heb. 4 : 11. 
 
 X Num. 14 : 11, 12, 28-33, 35 ; 26 : 64, 65 ; Heb. 3 : 17 ; Jude 5. 
 z Num. 11 : 4, 33, 34. o Exod. 32 : 6, 17-19. 
 
 of heaven " (ps. 78 : 24), The manna 
 liad a spiritual meaning and purpose, 
 not merely to sustain life l)ut to fore- 
 shadow "the true bread from heaven," 
 which Christ declares is his tlesh which 
 he gives for the life of the world (John 
 
 6 : 32, 51). 
 
 4. And did all drink the same 
 spiritual drink, that which was 
 given supernaturally by God on two 
 occasions, the one at Iloreb near the 
 beginning of their wanderings in the 
 wilderness (Exod. n : 6), and the other at 
 Kadesh about thirty-eight years later 
 (xum. 20 : 1, 11). The spiritual meaning 
 and purpose, Paul goes on to show 
 ( John 6 : 53-55). For they drank of a 
 spiritual rock that followed 
 them. We need not take this to mean 
 that the rock literally followed them, 
 according to a Jewish tradition, which 
 ]\Ieyer thinks was a later invention of 
 the rabbis ; but that it was the rock in 
 the stream that flowed from it, rep- 
 resented as an allowable use of lan- 
 guage. Compare Deut. 9 : 21, " the 
 brook that descended out of the mount." 
 
 ( See also Ps. 78 : 16; 105 : 41). And that 
 
 rock, rather ///c rock, was the Christ, 
 
 represented or typified Christ, the source 
 of their material and spiritual suste- 
 nance and life. This is a common use 
 of the verb to he, for example, "The 
 seven good kine are seven years," that 
 is, they represent seven years (Gen. 
 
 41 : 26. See note on Matt. 26 : 26). Christ " the 
 
 rock " was uppermost in the mind of 
 the' apostle. Christ the Angel of the 
 Covenant went with them as tlu-ir guide 
 
 and support (Kxod. 23 : 20-23: 32 : 34; Jo<h. 
 
 5 : 13). The term rock is frequently ap- 
 plied to God (l>eut. 32 : 4, 15, 18, 30, 31, ii, etc.) 
 and to Chri.St (Hom. 9:33. See note on Matt. 
 
 ifi:i8). Bengel suggests that if there 
 had been more than two ordinances of 
 
 the church, Paul would have pointed, 
 out some spiritual resemblances to them. 
 
 5. But notwithstanding their great 
 privilege and God's care and guidance, 
 with many of them, rather, ^vith the 
 most of them, God was not well 
 pleased. Only two of them, Caleb 
 and Joshua, were permitted to enter 
 the promised land (Num. 26 : 64. 65). This 
 is evident, for they were over- 
 thrown, their bodies xoere slrexcn in 
 the wilderness — a vivid portrayal of 
 the Divine judgment upon them ; " left 
 to moulder on the sands of the desert" 
 
 (STA>s'LEY). 
 
 6. The apostle here begins a special 
 application by referring to special sins 
 of Israel in the wilderness and God's 
 judgments upon them. Now these 
 things were our examples, came 
 to pass as examples, or patterns of warn- 
 ing, to us, designed to represent simi- 
 lar relations and experiences among 
 Christians. The five instances given 
 are those which resemble the sins to 
 which the Corinthians were most liable. 
 To the intent, better, in order that 
 we should not lust, or desire, evil 
 things as they also lusted, or de- 
 siird. As a noted example of their 
 lusting may be mentioned their desire 
 for the flesli-pots of Egypt, the food 
 they had enjoyed there, and the giving 
 of quails which resulted so disastrously 
 
 to them (Num. 11:4, 18,33,34). Wc should 
 
 restrain our desires especially from 
 those things which may result in evil 
 to us, or to others. 
 
 7. Neither be ye idolaters, in 
 connection with idol feasts, as were 
 some of them in the worship of the 
 golden calf, as it is written (Exod. 32 : e), 
 that after offering burnt offerings and 
 peace offerings, the people sat down 
 to eat and drink and rose up to 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 257 
 
 8 to ^lay. ^ Neither let us commit forni- 
 cation, as some of them committed, 
 and fell in one day three and twenty 
 
 9 thousand. Neither'let us tempt Christ, 
 as dsome of them also tempted, and 
 
 10 were destroyed of serpents. Neither 
 murmur j'e, as « some of them also mur- 
 mured, and ^were destroyed of sthe 
 
 11 destroyer. Now all these things hap- 
 pened unto them for ensamples : and 
 
 let us commit fornication, as some of 
 them did, and fell in one day three 
 
 9 and twenty thousand. Nor " let us 
 tempt the Lord, as some of them 
 tempted, and perished by the serpents. 
 
 10 Nor murmur ye, as some of them mur- 
 mured, and perished by the destroyer. 
 
 11 Now these things happened to them 
 by way of example, and they were 
 
 6 6 : 18 ; Rev. 2 : 14. c Num. 25 : 1-9. d See refs. Exod. 17 : 2, 7 ; 23 : 20, 21 ; Num. 21 : 5, 6. 
 
 e See refs. Num. 14 : 2, 2T-30 ; 16 : 41-49. / Num. 14 : 37 ; 16 : 49. g Exod. 12 : 23 ; 2 Sam. 24 : 16. 
 
 play 9 to be merry with song and 
 dances, such as anciently accompanied 
 heathen feasts. 
 
 8. Neither let us commit forni- 
 cation as some of them did, in 
 the licentious worship of Baal-peor 
 (Num.25: 1-6). From Num. 31 : 16 and 
 Rev. 2 : 14 we learn that Balaam insti- 
 gated Balak to the use of these tempta- 
 tions against Israel. This warning was 
 specially needed by the Corinthians, 
 since at Corinth licentious rites were 
 blended with the worship of Venus, in 
 whose temple were a thousand licen- 
 tious priestesses. Paul says that in 
 consequence of this sin of Israel there 
 fell in one day three and tAventy 
 thousand, while Moses, in Num. 
 25 : 9, says twenty-four thousand. The 
 greater, of course, includes the less. 
 But both state even approximate num- 
 bers. The Spirit designed that they 
 should speak after the manner of men, 
 and so in a general way both were cor- 
 rect. 
 
 9. Neither let us tem^t, or test, 
 Christ by our abuse of Christian lib- 
 erty, as some of them tempted, 
 or put to the test his patience and 
 avenging power. There were several 
 instances recorded of Israel tempting 
 
 God ( Num. 14 : 22 ; Exod. 17 : 7 ) , The par- 
 ticular case referred to here was their 
 discouragement because of the rough- 
 ness of the wp^y and their discon- 
 tent with having merely manna to 
 eat (N'um. 21 : 6 ; Ps. 78 : 18) J and Speaking 
 against God and against Moses ; and 
 they were destroyed of, by the, ser- 
 pents, well known as the fiery ser- 
 pents of the Mosaic narrative. The 
 majority of the best manuscripts have 
 Lord instead of Christ. But Christ 
 is meant in either reading (ver. 4). 
 Paul would especially impress his Cor- 
 inthian converts with the fact that it 
 was against Christ that they were sin- 
 
 ning (8:12), in being discontented in 
 needful self-denial and restriction of 
 their liberty. "How many, forgetting 
 thd blessing of their spiritual deliver- 
 ance, might look back with a discon- 
 tented longing to the license of the 
 past" (Meyer). 
 
 10. Neither murmur ye, com- 
 plain discontentedly, as some of 
 them also murmured. Also should 
 be omitted, not being in the best text. 
 The Israelites often murmured (Exod. 
 16 : 2 ; 17 : 2 ; Num. u : 2) , but the oue re- 
 ferred to here seems to be that recorded 
 in Num. 16 : 41-49, when they mur- 
 mured against Moses and Aaron, and 
 through them against God, because of 
 the destruction of Korah, Dathan, and 
 Abiram with their company. And 
 were destroyed of, or perished by, 
 the destroyer. The word rendered 
 the destroyer is only found here, and 
 means the pestilence which destroyed 
 fourteen thousand seven hundred per- 
 sons (Num. 16:49). The pcstilcnce in 
 David's day was administered by a 
 destrojdng angel (2 Sam. 24 : 16, 17), and so 
 some understand a destroying angel 
 here. The angel in Exod. 12 : 23 is 
 called the destroyer. The application 
 to the Corinthians would be their com- 
 plaints against Paul and other teachers 
 that God had given them ; and perhaps 
 also regarding sickness and deaths 
 among them ( u : so) . It should be noted 
 (1) that in all the sins specified in the 
 foregoing, Paul says, some of them, 
 showing that it was not true of all the 
 Israelites of that day. (2) That he re- 
 gards all these sins as connected with 
 
 and growing out of lusting. (t omp. James 
 1 : 14, 15; IJohu 2 : 16, 17.) 
 
 11. Confirmation of ver. 6. Now 
 all of these things happened unto 
 them as ensamples, or according 
 to the most approved text, by way of 
 example, as a typical warning to pos- 
 
 R 
 
258 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 f'they arc written for our admonition, 
 'uix)n ^vhoul the ends of the world 
 
 12 are come. Wherefore Jlet him that 
 thinketh he standeth take heed lest he 
 fall. 
 
 13 There hath no temptation taken you 
 but such as is common to man : but 
 ^God is faithful, ^who will not suffer 
 you to be tempted above that ye are 
 able ; but will with the temptation 
 also make a way to escape, that ye may 
 be able to bear it. 
 
 14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, " flee 
 
 15 from idolatry. I speak as to wise men ; 
 
 16 "judge ye what I say. oThe cup of 
 
 written for our admonition, on whom 
 
 12 the ends of the as'os are come. Wliere- 
 fore let him that tiiinks lie stands, take 
 
 13 heed lest he fall. There has no tempta- 
 tion taken you but such as belongs to 
 man ; and God is faithful, who will 
 not suffer you to be tempted abf)ve 
 what ye are able, but will with 
 the temptation make also the way 
 of escape, that ye may be able to bear 
 it. 
 
 14 Wherefore, my beloved, flee from 
 
 15 idolatry. I am speaking as to wise 
 
 16 men ; judge ye what I say. The cup of 
 
 ft 9 : 10 ; Rom. 15 : 4. i Heb. 10 : 25, 37 ; 1 Peter 4 : 7 ; 1 John 2 : 18. 
 
 J Matt. 26 : 33, 34, 40, 41, 69-75 ; Rom. 11 : 20. k See refs. Deut. 7 : 9. 
 
 I Luke 22 : 32 ; 2 Cor. 12: 8-10 ; 2 Peter 2:9. *m Ver. 7 ; 2 Cor. 6 : 17 ; 1 John 5 : 21. n 1 Thess. 5 : 21. 
 
 Matt. 26 : 26-28. 
 
 terity. "Paul regards the types as 
 actual prophecies, real images of sub- 
 sequent occurrences, just as in the first 
 germ or leaf-formation of a tree the 
 future blossom is represented and 
 shadowed forth. . . History is to be a 
 living mirror for the present. They 
 were vnrittenfor our admonition " (Ols- 
 hausen). On whom the ends of 
 the world, or ages, are come. The 
 plural ends is used, pointing to the suc- 
 cessive epochs in these latter days be- 
 fore the coming of our Lord. The 
 present gospel dispensation is the last 
 time in reference to the old dispensa- 
 tion (1 John 2 : 18 ; Heb. 9 : 26). The apOStlcS 
 
 did not know the time of our Lord's 
 coming, but were longing for it (Acts 
 
 1:7; 1 Peter 4 : 7; 2 Peter 3 : 8,9). 
 
 12. The apostle utters a word of cau- 
 tion. Wherefore, in view of these 
 admonitions of history, let him that 
 thinketh that he standeth, as one 
 
 of God's people, take heed lest he 
 fall, as did these ancient Israelites, 
 The Corinthians needed to be warned 
 against self-confidence (3 : is, 21 ; 4 : 8, is). 
 They must exercise watchfulness and 
 fidelity. 
 
 13. Paul would not cause any to de- 
 spair, and so adds a three-fold encour- 
 agement to all who would exerci.se 
 watchfulness. (1) Your temptations 
 are not so great and peculiar as to be 
 outside of human experience. They 
 are such as are common to man, 
 they are human, such as l)elong to men. 
 (2) A7id God is faithful, his fidelity 
 to you and his promises (1 Thess. 5 : 24; 
 John 10 : 28, 29) and tic ivi/l uot permit you 
 to he tempted beyond that ye may be. 
 
 are, able to bear. His faithfulness 
 implied in your calling secures your 
 safety. (3) But will Avith the 
 temptation also make a way, 
 
 rather, the icay, to escape, suited to 
 each temptation by which he permits 
 your faith to be tried. "Were it not 
 that God gave the escape along with the 
 temptation, the latter would be too 
 heavy for you, you would not be able 
 to bear up under it, but would be 
 crushed altogether. But this is not his 
 loill^' (Meyer). 
 
 14-22, Keep away from idola- 
 try, AND participate NOT AT IDOL 
 FEASTS. 
 
 14. Wherefore, in view of your ex- 
 posure to temptation, and your danger 
 of falling into sin, and God's faithful- 
 ness in succoring those who are watch- 
 ful and trustful in him, my dearly 
 beloved (omit dearly), flee from 
 idolatry. The expression is a strong 
 one: get out of the way of idolatry, 
 avoid all that may lead to it, /or this 
 very reason, your own safety. This the 
 apostle enforces in the next eight ver.ses. 
 Thus he returns to the direct discussion 
 of eating things offered to idols, and of 
 idols' feasts, from which he digressed at 
 the beginning of chap. 9. 
 
 15. Paul appeals to their own sense 
 of consistency and right. I speak as 
 to wise men, men of insight, intelli- 
 
 fence, able to discern the force of what 
 say (1:5:8:1). Judgc yc, be ye 
 judges, of what I am about to say (ver. 
 16-22). He confidently leaves it to their 
 own enlightened judgment to decide. 
 
 16. He first argues from the Lord's 
 Supper. The cup of blessing was 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 259 
 
 blessing which we bless, is it not the 
 p communion of the blood of Christ? 
 •Jthe bread which we break, is it not 
 the communion of tlie body of Christ? 
 
 17 For ^ we being many are one bread, and 
 one body : for we are all partakers 
 
 18 of that one bread. Behold ^ Israel 
 after the flesh : ' are not they which 
 eat of the sacrifices partakers of the 
 
 blessing wliich we bless, is it not a 
 partaking of the blood of Christ ? Tlie 
 loaf which we break, is it not a par- 
 
 17 taking of the body of Christ? Because 
 we, the many, are one loaf, one body ; 
 
 18 for we all share in the one loaf. Be- 
 hold Israel according to the flesh. 
 Are not thev who eat of the sacrifices 
 
 p John 6 : 53-58 ; 1 John 1 : 3, 7. 3 11 : 23, 24 ; Acts 2 : 42, 46. r 12 : 12, 13 ; Rom. 12 : 5. 
 s Rom. 4 : 1 ; 9 : 3, 5. « See refs. 9 : 13. 
 
 the name given to the cup at the pass- 
 over, over which thanks were given. 
 In connection with the Lord's Supper 
 it Avas that over which they blessed God 
 for his goodness in redemption. In re- 
 gard to the two words, blessing God and 
 giving thanks, used at the celebration of 
 the Supper, see note on Matt. 26 : 26, 27. 
 Which Ave bless, we all uniting in 
 thanksgiving and prayer in setting it 
 apart for its solemn and religious use, 
 as commanded by Christ (ii : 25). Is it 
 not the communion^ the partaking 
 or participation, of the blood of 
 Christ ? On the word communion, see 
 note on 1 : 9. Paul speaks elsewhere 
 of the participation or fellowship in the 
 ministering to the saints (2 Cor. 8:4); of 
 the Spirit (2Cor. i3:u); of the gospel 
 (Phil. 1 : 5) ; of suffering (Phii. 3 : 10), The 
 participation here referred to cannot be 
 literally of the suljstanee of Christ's 
 body and blood, for, besides other rea- 
 sons, his body was not yet broken nor 
 his blood shed, when the Supper was 
 instituted. It must therefore refer to a 
 spiritual participation of Christ's body 
 and blood and of the benefits of his 
 death. The bread and cup symbolically 
 represented Christ's body and blood, 
 and in receiving and partaking of them 
 they signified that they accepted of 
 Christ and his atonement by faith. 
 Thus through the ordinance they by 
 faith received and became partakers of 
 the results of his sacrificial death. 
 Hence many prefer to style this ordi- 
 nance the Communion, thus bringing 
 to view the spiritual participation and 
 fellowship of the believer with Christ. 
 
 ( See John 6 : 51-54 and notes. ) The bread 
 
 which we break, connected with the 
 formal setting it apart by prayer in 
 which all could join mentally, orally, 
 or responded to by Amen (U:i6), in 
 accordance with the example set by 
 Christ (Matt. 26:26). Tlic bread there- 
 fore should not be broken before it is 
 
 put on the table, nor the loaf passed 
 around for the communicants to break 
 ott" each a share. 
 
 17. This verse is confirmatory of the 
 preceding verse. This may be trans- 
 slated. For we, the many are one 
 bread, or loaf, by assimilation of the 
 bread partaken, one body spiritually 
 of Christ, of which the bread is the 
 symbol. The one loaf enters our bodies 
 and l)ecomes a part of each of us, so 
 symbolically and spiritually we be- 
 come parts and members of the one 
 body of Christ. Or with much the 
 same meaning we may translate, Since 
 the bread is one, which enters and be- 
 comes a part of us, loe the many are 
 one body spiritually ; for we are, 
 unitedly and jointly, all partakers 
 of that one bread, or of the one 
 loaf — we by faith all share in what it 
 represents, with Christ and in his 
 
 atoning work. (Comp. 12 : 12; John 6 : 35- 
 
 58.) In the Lord's Supper our com- 
 munion and fellowship are with Christ ; 
 it is, however, a united service in which 
 the many join, and through Christ they 
 indirectly fellowship one another. We 
 have fellowship with one another so far 
 as we have felh)wship with him. ( comp. 
 12:12; Eph. 4:4.) The bearing of this on 
 partaking at idol feasts is brought out 
 in ver. 21. 
 
 18. Another argument the apostle de- 
 rives from the Jewish sacrifices. In 
 thus passing from the Lord's Supper to 
 the Jewish altar, he descends from the 
 higher to the lower, from the supe- 
 rior and more spiritual to the inferior 
 and the carnal, (comp. Gai. 4 : 3, 8, 9.) 
 Thus he gets nearer to the base heathen 
 sacrifices and feasts. He appeals to 
 something familiar to his Jewish and 
 proselyte readers. Behold Israel 
 after' the flesh, literal Israel in 
 distinction from the spiritual " Israel 
 
 of God " (Gal. 6: 16; Rom. 9 :6), Are nOt 
 
 they which, t/;Ao, eat of the sacri- 
 
260 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 19 altar? What say I then? "That the 
 idol is any thing, or that which is 
 offered in sacritice to idols is any 
 
 20 thing ? But / say that the things wliieh 
 the Gentiles ^sacrifice, tliey sacrifice 
 to devils, and not to God : and I would 
 not that ye should have fellowship 
 
 21 with devils. ^Ye cannot drink the 
 cup of the Lord, and J the cup of 
 devils : ye cannot be partakers of the 
 Lord's table, and of the table of devils. 
 
 19 partakers of the altar ? What then do 
 I say ? That what is offered to idols is 
 anything, or that an idol is anything? 
 
 20 Nay ; but that what they sacrifice, 
 they sacrifice to demons, and not to 
 God ; and I do not wish you to become 
 
 21 partakers with the demons. Ye can 
 not drink the cup of the Lord, and the 
 cup of demons ; ye can not share in 
 the table of the Lord, and the table of 
 
 u 8 : 4. V See refs. Lev. 17 : 7. xl Kings 18 : 21 ; Matt. 6 : 24 : 2 Cor. 6 : 15-17. y Deut. 32 : 38. 
 
 fices, those parts not consumed (Lev. 3 : 
 
 3-5; 7 : 15-18 ; 8 : 31 ; Deut. 12 : 18), partak- 
 ers of the altar, at Jerusalem, on 
 which the sacrifices are oflfered, the 
 altar having a part and they a part. 
 Are they not sharers in the Jewish 
 worship? The word rendered par- 
 takers is not the same word as that 
 translated comiiuinion in ver. 16 and 
 17, but a kindred word meaning sub- 
 stantially the same. It means an asso- 
 ciate, a partaker, or a sharer, and it is 
 implied that the altar and the par- 
 takers (the priests and worshipers), 
 share together the victim, in connec- 
 tion with a religious service, (see note 
 on 9 : 13.) Tlic Conclusion would be 
 that those who partake of heathen 
 feasts share in heathen worvship. But 
 tliis may seem to be inconsistent with 
 what he had said in 8:4, that heathen 
 divinities had no real existence. So 
 he touches the point again in the next 
 verse. 
 
 19. What say I then? The two 
 clauses that follow should be transposed 
 thus : Do J say, That — a thing — which 
 is ofTered in sacrifice to idols is 
 anything, as the heathen suppose, a 
 genuine offering to a god? Or that 
 an idol is anything, has any such 
 real existence as the heathen suppose ? 
 A decided negative answer must be 
 given. 
 
 20. But T say, better. Nay, I say 
 not tliis, I hold still as I affirmed in 
 8 : 4, that an idol lias no real existence, 
 hut for all that, idol and idol worship 
 represent the kingdom of evil and the 
 evil spirits that maintain it. I say 
 then, that the things Avhich the 
 Gentiles sacrifice, to use the lan- 
 guage of Moses (Deut. 32 : 17), they 
 sacrifice to devils, demons, evil 
 spirits, and not to God (Septuagint: 
 the Hebrew reads, to demons, which are 
 no gods). Their gods are not realities, 
 
 ! but they are regarded as such by their 
 worshipers. The powers of darkness 
 are their governing principle ; and 
 their worship, both in its conception of 
 their gods and in their sacrifices, par- 
 takes of the nature of evil spirits (ps. 
 106 : 37). So that in these sacrifices they 
 are really partakers of, and sharers 
 with, the powers of darkness. Paul 
 could then well add to his Corinthian 
 brethren, and I would not, / do 
 notunsh, that ye should have fel- 
 lowship, or become partakers tn'ih 
 demons, who are represented in heathen 
 worship. The word translated fellow- 
 ship is the same as that in ver. 18, 
 W'hich see. On the real existence of 
 demons, see note on Matt. 4 : 24. To 
 sum up thus far : As partaking of the 
 Lord's Supper is an act of Christian 
 service implying a union of believers 
 with Christ, and a partaking of the 
 Jewish sacrifice is an act of Jewish 
 service, implying a participation in the 
 worship of Jehovah, so partaking of an 
 idol feast is an act of heathen service, 
 implying participation in the worship 
 of the kingdom of darkness. 
 
 21. In this verse we have both the 
 ground of the wish he had just ex- 
 pressed, and a forcible conclusion of 
 his argument thus far. Such a com- 
 bining of opposite elements in religious 
 service is incompatible, morally im- 
 possible, and hence inadmissible. Ye 
 cannot drink the cup of the 
 Lord, spiritually participating, and 
 the cup of demons, ihe lil)ation which 
 was poured forth in honor of a false 
 god at the lieginning of a feast, or of a 
 sacrifice. It was indeed a cup and a 
 table of demons, being connected with 
 w^orship to something besides Jehovah, 
 and the exercise of homage to the 
 powers of darkness. It obviously 
 would unfit them for participating in 
 the service and fellowship of Christ. 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 I. COEINTHIANS 
 
 261 
 
 22 Do we ^ provoke the Lord to jealousy ? 
 » Are we stronger than he ? 
 
 23 t»All things are lawful for me, but 
 all things are not expedient : all things 
 are lawful for me, but all things edify 
 
 24 not. «Let no man seek his own, but 
 
 25 every man another's ^l'ea?/^. ^ -whatso- 
 ever is sold in the shambles, that eat, 
 asking no question efor conscience' 
 
 26 sake : for fthe earth is the Lord's, and 
 
 27 the fulness thereof, g If any of them 
 
 22 demons. Or do we provoke the 
 Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger 
 tnan he ? 
 
 23 All things are lawful, but not all 
 things are profitable ; all things are 
 lawful, but not all things build up. 
 
 24 Let no one seek his own, but his 
 
 25 neighbor's good. Whatever is sold in 
 the market eat, asking no question be- 
 
 26 cause of conscience ; for the earth is 
 the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. 
 
 z Exod. 20 : 5 ; Deut. 32 : 21. a Job 9 : 4 ; Ezek. 22 : 14. 6 See refs. 6 : 12. 
 
 c Ver. 33 ; 9 : 19-23 ; 13 : 5 ; Rom. 15 : 1, 2 ; Phil. 2:4. d\ Tim. 4:4. e Ver. 27-29 ; 8 : 7. 
 
 / See refs. Ps. 24 : 1 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 17. g 5 : 9-11 ; Luke 5 : 29, 30 ; 19 : 7. 
 
 ( comp. 2 Cor. 6 : 14-16.) To the Same eflfect 
 our Lord said, ' ' Ye cannot serve God 
 and mammon " (Matt. 6 : 24). 
 
 22. Do we provoke, etc., rather, 
 Or, by uniting these two discordant 
 elements, are ive provoking, the Lord 
 to jealousy? is this the meaning of 
 our conduct, do we wi.sh to arouse his 
 anger? As was the case of Israel 
 (Deut. 32 : 21, where the phrase "pro- 
 voke to jealousy" is found (Ps. 95:8; 
 Heb. 3:16)). Jehovali is a jealous God 
 
 (Exod. 20 : 4; 34 : 14), " who will not givC 
 
 his glory to another, nor his praise to 
 graven images" (isa. 42:8). Are we 
 stronger than he ? so that we can 
 challenge his anger and resist his 
 wrath. The very thought of this is 
 absurd. It appears from 8 : 10, and the 
 last few verses, that it is eating of the 
 sacriiicial feasts in idol temples which 
 Paul here condemns, and to which he 
 could fittingly apply the expressions 
 "cup of demons" and "table of de- 
 mons." As to the meat taken away or 
 sold, thus disassociated from idol wor- 
 ship, it was to him a matter of indifier- 
 
 ence (ver. 25; 8 : 7,8). 
 
 23-11 : 1. Consideration for 
 
 OTHERS our rule OF ACTION. SEEK- 
 ING God's glory and the good of 
 
 OTHERS OUR AIM. 
 
 23. Paul turns abruptly to such eat- 
 ing of food offered to idols as was in- 
 different. He recurs to language which 
 he had used in 6 : 12 in a different con- 
 nection. All things are lawful. 
 Omit for me, according to the best 
 text. He used this in regard to Chris- 
 tian liberty, and it seems to have been 
 quoted against him. At least he ex- 
 plains and limits its application in 
 what follows. In things not in them- 
 selves sinful, Paul could say. All things 
 are lawful: but the first modification 
 
 is, but all things are not expedi- 
 ent, or yqX\iqy, profitable, the same as in 
 6 : 12 (note on which see). The second 
 modification is, but all things edify 
 
 not, do not build up (8 : 1), in Christian 
 character. Then they may rather in- 
 jure. 
 
 24. Paul lays down a principle in- 
 volved in 8 : 13, in form of a precept. 
 According to the highest critical au- 
 thorities it should read. Let no one seek 
 his own, but his neighbor's good, in these 
 matters (Rom. 15 : 2, 3). In using the law 
 of liberty be not selfish, but unselfishly 
 exercise the law of love (Phii. 2:4). "It 
 will thus happen in our case, as in that 
 of the apostle, that what may be quite 
 wrong under one set of circumstances 
 may be quite right in another, as in 
 Gal. 2 : 3 and Acts 16 : 1 " (J. J. Lias). 
 
 25. Having given the restrictive 
 precept in the preceding verse, the 
 apostle gives a first permission in the 
 use of one's liberty. Whatsoever is 
 sold in the shambles — the pro- 
 vision market — that eat, asking no 
 question for conscience' sake, 
 not anxiously inquiring either in buy- 
 ing or eating, whether it had been left 
 over from heathen sacrifices, because of 
 conscience, that no religious scruple 
 might be excited and your conscience 
 offended. It is implied that the apostle 
 regarded conscientious scruples un- 
 necessary in this case. The reference is 
 to the conscience of the indimlual buy- 
 ing and eating. 
 
 26. As a reason for the above per- 
 mission he quotes Ps. 24 : 1, For the 
 earth is the Lord's, and the ful- 
 ness thereof. The earth and all that 
 fills it is the Lord's, and for our use, 
 especially for God's people. "For 
 every creature of God is good, and 
 nothing to be refused, if it be received 
 
262 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 that believe not bid you to a feast, and 
 ye be disposed to go ; ^ whatsoever is set 
 before you, eat, asking no question 
 
 28 for conscience' sake. But if any man 
 say unto you. This is offered in sacri- 
 fice unto idols, eat not, ' for his sake 
 that showed it, and for conscience' 
 sake : for ^ the earth is the Lord's, and 
 
 29 the fulness thereof : conscience, I say, 
 not thine own, but of the other: for 
 1 why is my liberty judged of another 
 
 30 man's conscience? For if I by grace 
 be a partaker, why am I evil spJoken of 
 for that ™ for which I give thanks? 
 
 31 ° Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, 
 or whatsoever ye do,* do all to the 
 
 27 If one of the unbelieving invites you 
 to a feast, and ye choose to go, wnat- 
 ever is set before you eat, asking no 
 
 28 question because of conscience. But 
 if any one say to you, This has been 
 offered in sacrifice', eat it not, for his 
 sake that showed it, and because of 
 
 29 conscience. Conscience, I say, not 
 thine own, but that of the other ; for 
 why is my freedom condemned by 
 
 30 another conscience? If I partake with 
 thanks, Avhy am I evil spoken of, for 
 
 31 that for which I give thanks ? Whether 
 therefore ye eat or drink, or whatever 
 
 32 ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give 
 
 A Luke 10 : 7. 
 
 i 8 : 10-13. 
 
 k Ver. 26 ; Deut. 10 : 14. I Rom. 14 : 16. m Rom. 14 : 6 ; 1 Tim. 4 : 3, 4. 
 n Rom. 12 : 1 ; Col. 3 : 17, 23 ; 1 Peter 4 : 11. 
 
 with thanksgiving " (i Tim. 4:4). How 
 such things were defiled in actual 
 heathen sacrificial worship is shown in 
 ver. 19, 20. But this defilement does 
 not remain, when the meat is taken 
 away from the sacrifices, and from the 
 actual associations of heathen worship. 
 'Z7. The apostle gives a second per- 
 mission in the use of one's liberty. If 
 an unbeliever bid you to a feast, in 
 a private house. Not a sacrificial feast, 
 for that is forbidden ( ver. 20-22 ) , And ye 
 be disposed, better, And ye choose, 
 to go ; whatsoever is set before 
 you, eat, asking no question, etc. 
 As in the preceding verse. You need 
 feel no con.scientious scruples, nor 
 trouble yourselves about a matter which 
 is perfectly indifferent, so far as you 
 and your conscience are concerned. 
 
 28. Just here Paul places a limit to 
 one's lil)erty on account of another. 
 But if any man say unto you, be 
 he a believer or unbeliever, one of the 
 guests or even the host himself. This 
 is, rather, has been sacHjicerJ to an idol, 
 eat not for his sake that shewed 
 it — for his good, since, if he is a be- 
 liever he may have scruples of con- 
 science, or if an unbeliever he might 
 infer tliat you approved of idol-wor- 
 sliip; and for conscience' sake, 
 since the question of idolatrous worship 
 is now introduced, and your act might 
 be wrongly interpreted, and tlius be 
 hurtful to others. Wliosc co)i.'<c fence is 
 told us in the next verse. The next 
 sentence, the repetition of the quota- 
 tion in ver. 2G, is not found in the old- 
 est and liest manuscripts, and sliould 
 be omitted. 
 
 29. Conscience, I say, not 
 
 thine own, since you have no scruples 
 about it, and can eat with thanksgiving 
 to God (ver. 26), but of the other, 
 who may have scruples, and who 
 might be led to violate his own con- 
 science. You are to act according to 
 the principle laid down in 8 : 7-13. 
 For why is my liberty judged of, 
 better, by, another man's con- 
 science ? Why is my moral liberty 
 in regard to such things, indifferent in 
 themselves, condemned by another 
 man's conscience? My only reason in 
 refraining from eating is to spare his 
 conscience from injury, not because 
 there is any danger to my own. The 
 question implied its own answer, and 
 is equivalent to a positive afiirmation, 
 That his liberty should not be con- 
 demned by another's conscience — in 
 this case, weak and unenlightened. 
 
 30. For if I by grace be a par- 
 taker, rather. If I partake with 
 thanksgiving (ver. 26), being in a state of 
 right feeling, why am I evil spoken 
 of for that for which I give 
 thanks? as if I were acting inconsist- 
 ently and contrary to my own eon- 
 science (Rom. 14 : 6; 1 Tim. 4:3). " Thanks- 
 giving sanctifies all food ; it denies the 
 authority of idols and asserts God's " 
 (Benge'l). 
 
 31. Paul comes to the general con- 
 clusion of this discussion, and gives 
 some general rules for guidance. The 
 first has reference to God. M hether 
 therefore ye eat, or drink, in 
 general, or whatsoever ye do 
 (wliether eating, drinking^ or acting), 
 do all to the glory of God. Let 
 this be your highest aim. Do nothing 
 to dishonor God, but all to honor him. 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 I. COEINTHIANS 
 
 263 
 
 32 glory of God. oGive none offence, 
 neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, 
 
 33 nor to p the church of God : even as I 
 please all men in all things, i not seek- 
 ing mine own profit, but the profit 
 of many, that they may be saved. 
 
 11 Be ^ ye followers of me, even as I also 
 a?/i of Christ. 
 
 no occasion of stumbling, either to 
 Jews or Greeks, or to the church of- 
 33 God ; as I also please all in all things, 
 not seeking my own profit, but that of 
 the many, that they may be saved. 
 
 11 Become imitators of me, even as I also 
 am of Christ. 
 
 o 8 : 13 ; Rom. U : 13 ; Phil. 1 : 10 ; 2 : 15. jj 11 : 22 ; Acts 20 : 28. 
 
 r 4 : 16 ; Eph. 5 : 1. 
 
 q Ver. 24 ; 2 Cor. 12 : 19. 
 
 This applies to many things at the 
 present day, and especially to the use 
 of intoxicating liquors. The practice 
 of drinking is dishonoring God ; the 
 abstaining from it tends to his glory. 
 
 32. The second rule or principle has 
 reference to our fellow-men. Give 
 none offence, better, Qive no occa- 
 sion of stumbling (8:9, is) ^ either to 
 Jeivs or Greeks, those outside the 
 church, or, to the church of God — 
 the brethren. This presents the three 
 classes of men, the all men of the next 
 clause, with whom they would come in 
 contact. Let not your acts be a temp- 
 tation to others, and lead others into 
 sin. 
 
 33. This last rule he enforces by his 
 own practice. Even as I, also, 
 please all men in all things, 
 striving to be at their service, and be- 
 coming all things to all in matters that 
 are indiflferent (9:22), not seeking 
 my own profit, advantage in any I 
 way, but, in contrast with my own, 
 the true and highest j:)ro^/ of the many, 
 that they may be saved. Their 
 salvation was his great aim. In mat- 
 ters indiflferent it was the standard of 
 his expediency (9 : i9 ; Rom. i5 : 2). 
 
 11 : 1. Paul concludes with the ex- 
 hortation, Be ye followers of me — 
 Become imitators of me, in denying 
 Yourselves and foregoing your rights 
 for others' good — even as I also am 
 of Christ, who is our highest ex- 
 ample in this respect (PhU. 2:4-8; Eph. 5 : 
 2 : Rom. 15 : 8 ; Matt. 20 : 28) . TllUS he rCtumS 
 
 to his own example as in 9 : 1-22, and 
 to that of Christ as in 8 : 11. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. The symbolic or figurative baptism of 
 Israel in the cloud and in the sea, gives 
 no sanction to sprinkling, {xjuring, or the 
 application of water to the recipient. 
 They were baptized in not by the sea and 
 the cloud (ver. 1, 2 ; Mark 1:5; Acts 8 : 38). 
 
 2. Baptism on the part of the candidate 
 is an intelligent act, implying the giving 
 up of the old life, the entering on a new 
 life, and the accepting of Christ as our 
 Leader, Saviour, and Lord (ver. 1, 2; 
 Rom. 6 : 4, 5). 
 
 3. In the Lord's Supper we partake of 
 the spiritual food and drink, not of the 
 literal tody and blood of Christ (ver. 3, 4 ; 
 11 : 23-26). 
 
 4. In our journey through life we need, 
 like the Israelites, constant supplies for 
 our spiritual necessities (ver. 3, 4 ; John 
 15 : 5). 
 
 5. The manna and the rock with its 
 flowing stream strikingly represents the 
 fullness of Christ and the abundance of 
 his grace for his people (ver. 3 ; 2 Cor. 12 : 
 9; Heb. 4 : 16). 
 
 6. A public profession and availing 
 ourselves of external ordinances and 
 privileges will not alone save us (ver. 5, 
 6 ; Isa. 29 : 13, 14). 
 
 7. The sins and falls of ancient Israel 
 stand as perpetual warnings to God's peo- 
 ple in all ages (ver. 6-10; Heb. 4 : 1, 6- 
 11). 
 
 8. The history of ancient Israel warns 
 us against conformity to the world, and 
 trying Christ by presumptuous sins (ver. 
 6-10; Rom. 2 : 4; 12 : 2). 
 
 9. The backslidings of Israel show the 
 deep depravity of the human heart (ver. 
 7-10 ; Jer. 8:5; Rom. 7 : 7-11, 24). 
 
 10. The gospel dispensation is God's 
 last will and call to men (ver. 11 ; Rev. 
 22 : 10, 11; Acts 2: 17). 
 
 11. Confidence in our own security may 
 be over-confidence, and an evidence of 
 danger (ver. 12; Rom. 11 : 20; Phil. 2: 
 12). 
 
 12. Christians in the times of their 
 highest spiritual enjoyments should ex- 
 ercise special watchfulness, since they 
 are most likely to be off their guard and 
 
264 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 exposed to temptation to self-confidence 
 (ver. 12, 13; 2 Cor. 12 : 7). 
 
 13. They who put their trast in God 
 need not fear temptation (ver. 13 ; 2 Peter 
 2:9). 
 
 14. Though God is faithful to us, we 
 must strive to be faithful to him, in flee- 
 ing from sin and not exposing ourselves 
 to temptation (ver. li ; 1 John 5 : 21 ; 
 Matt. 6 : 13). 
 
 15. The claims, principles, and precepts 
 of the gospel are most reasonable (ver. 
 15 ; Rom. 12 : 1 ; 1 Peter 3 : 15 ; Isa. 1 : 18). 
 
 16. The Lord's Supper is not a sacrifice, 
 but a memorial of Christ's death. It in- 
 volves a communion, a participation, and 
 fellowship with Christ in the benefits 
 symbolized by his broken body and shed 
 blood (ver. 16 ; 11 : 25, 26 ; Matt. 26 : 27). 
 
 17. In the Lord's Supper there is an idea 
 of believers jointly fellowshiping Christ. 
 So they are a unity in him (ver. 16 : 17 ; 
 Eph. 4 : 4-6). 
 
 18. The Lord's Supper is a church or- 
 dinance. Not for the single individual, 
 but for the assembled brotherhood (ver. 
 17; 11 :20, 33). 
 
 19. That which is pure in itself may be 
 rendered impure by association and cir- 
 cumstances (ver. 19 ; Rom. 14 : 14, 23). 
 
 20. All false worship belongs to the king- 
 dom of darkness (ver. 20; Rev. 18 : 2, 4). 
 
 21. Bacchanalian feasts and parties of 
 revelry are diametrically opposed in spirit 
 to the Lord's Supper, and should not be at- 
 tended by Christians (ver. 21 ; Rom. 13 : 
 13; 2 Cor." 6 : 17). 
 
 22. "The Lord is a jealous bridegroom 
 of his bridal church, and to put contempt 
 on him, or to provoke him to jealousy 
 (Deut. 32 : 21), is to imitate the .sin of 
 Israel, who tempted Christ" (Besser). 
 (ver. 9-22). 
 
 23. No one has a right to patronize that 
 which is really Avrong, bvit in things in- 
 different he has a right to his own con- 
 victions (ver. 28, 29 ; Rom. 14 : 22). 
 
 24. However lawful a thing may be 
 in the family, in social life, or in per- 
 sonal habits, if it tends to pull down, 
 rather than to build up the cause of 
 Christ and to save souls, it is among. the 
 things that are inexpedient (ver. 23; 
 Rom. 14:14-18). 
 
 25. It is consistent with a proper self- 
 
 love to make the good of others and their 
 salvation our aim — a good antidote for 
 selfishness (ver. 24 ; Phil. 2 : 4, 20, 21 ; 
 Gal. 6 : 10). 
 
 26. In our private and personal acts we 
 can generally be safely guided by an en- 
 lightened conscience (ver. 25, 27, 29; 2 
 
 I Cor. 1 : 12). 
 
 ! 27. The products of the earth are good. 
 
 I It is their use that affects others for good 
 
 I or for evil (ver. 26 ; Gen. 1 : 31). 
 
 I 28. We must not turn our liberty into 
 license, nor lightly treat the consciences 
 of others (ver. 28, 29 ; 8 : 12). 
 
 29. The strong must not despise the 
 conscience of the weak, nor the weak 
 censure the conscience of the strong (ver. 
 29). 
 
 30. The giving of thanks at meals ac- 
 cords with the practice and spirit of 
 Christ and his apostles (ver. 30; John 
 6: 11: Acts 27 : 35). 
 
 31. The glory of God is the uppermost 
 thing in the universe ; and what is for 
 his glory is the highest good of all (ver. 
 31; 2 Cor. 4 : 15). 
 
 32. We should live blamelessly not only 
 among brethren, but also in the world, 
 lest we retard or hinder the salvation of 
 any (ver. 32 ; Titus 2 : 11-14). 
 
 33. We can boldly enforce any duty 
 when we can appeal to our own example 
 (ver. 33; Acts 24 : 16). 
 
 34. Christ presents a perfect example, 
 and his word, life, and example form our 
 final bar of appeal (11 : 1; John 14 : 6; 
 Heb. 12 : 2). 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 In the last four chapters Paul has 
 treated of questions pertaining to pri- 
 vate and social life. In tills he passes 
 to things relating to pul)lic assemblies 
 and public worship. He first discusses 
 the question concerning the conduct 
 and dress of women in public services. 
 Praising the Corinthians for observing 
 his instructions (ver. 2), he enjoins that 
 men .should have their heads uncovered, 
 and women have theirs covered in pul»- 
 lic worship, on the ground of the divine 
 order in tlie world (vtr. 3-6), and because 
 of woman's relations to men (ver. 7-12). 
 This is confirmed by a sense of natural 
 fitness, and the uniform practice of the 
 churches (ver. i.vie). The apo.stle tlien 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 265 
 
 Concerning public worship ; the conduct and 
 dress of women. 
 
 2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye 
 remember me iii all things, and keep 
 the ordinances [or, traditions*] as I 
 
 3 delivered them to you. But I would 
 have you know, that « the head of every 
 man ls Christ ; and "the head of the 
 woman is the man ; and ^ the head of 
 
 4 Christ is God. Every man praying or 
 
 2 Now I praise you, that ye remember 
 me in all things, and hold fast the in- 
 structions, as I delivered them to you. 
 
 3 And I wish you to know, that the head 
 of everj- man is Christ ; and the head 
 of the 'woman is the man ; and the 
 
 4 head of Christ is God. Every man 
 
 8 2 Thess. 2 : 15 ; 3 : 6. 
 
 ( Eph. 5 : 23 ; Phil. 2 : 9. 
 I- 3 : 23 ; 15 : 27, 28 ; John 14 : 28. 
 
 M See refs. Gen. 3 : 16. 
 
 condemns certain disorders of the Co- 
 rinthians in celebrating the Lord's 
 Supper (vcr. 17-22) ; gives the history, 
 nature, and purpose of the ordinance 
 (ver. 23-26), and the manner of its observ- 
 ance with a warning against an irrever- 
 ent participation in it (ver. 27-34). 
 
 1. This verse completes the discussion 
 on eating food offered to idols. See 
 note on it at the end of the precedilig 
 chapter. 
 
 2-16. Concerning the conduct 
 and dress of women at public 
 services. 
 
 2. The Corinthians in their letter to 
 the apostle (^ : 1) appear to have stated 
 that they were holding fast to his in- 
 structions, and ask further his judg- 
 ment about the unveiling of women 
 during public worship. Paul in turn, 
 according to his custom, commends 
 them so far as it was possible, (see on 
 1:4) Now I praise you, breth- 
 ren, from many things I have heard 
 from you, and as ye wrote me, that 
 you remember me in all things, 
 and keep the ordinances, the de- 
 liver.iuices or injain:tions, as I de- 
 livered them to you. The word 
 rendered ordinances is derived from the 
 verb translated delivered in this verse. 
 I;; occurs thirteen times in the Xew 
 Testament, and in every passage except 
 this is translated "traditions." In 
 general it is instruction, narrative, or 
 precept given orally or in writing. The 
 oral law and the doctrine of the rabbis 
 were Jewish tradition (Matt. 15 : 2 ; Mark 7 : 
 3 ; Gal. 1 : 14), Here and in 2 Thess. 2 : 
 15 ; 3:6, Paul applies the word to the 
 instructions he liad given. These in- 
 structions the Corinthians had kept ; 
 but in carrying them out certain diffi- 
 culties and disorders had arisen, (see 
 
 on ver. 17.) 
 
 3. Paul lays down a principle in the 
 
 divine order and nature of things as a 
 ground of the injunctions he is about to 
 
 1 give. But Avhile thus praising you, 
 and in addition to former instructions, 
 1 wish you to know (seeonio:i), that 
 the head of every man is Christ, 
 Paul is speaking to his Christian breth- 
 ren, and of matters pertaining to Chris- 
 tians. He is therefore not referring so 
 
 I much to the general headship of Christ 
 in creation (Coi. i : 16; 2 : lo) as to his par- 
 
 I ticular headship of the oiiurch (Kph. 1 : 
 
 22; 4:15; Col. 1 : 18; 2 : 19). " As iu the 
 
 I human organization the exercise of do- 
 minion over all the members proceeds 
 from the head ; so in the family, from 
 man ; in the church, from Christ ; iu 
 the universe, from God" (Olshau- 
 j sen). Before God all men stand on a 
 I level, and in Christ Jesus there is 
 neither male nor female, but a oneness 
 which overrides all earthly distinctions 
 (Gal. 3 : 28). But iu the uaturc of things 
 and in the organization of society it is 
 necessary that there be officers and 
 headship. A man without a head 
 would be an anomaly ; with more than 
 one head, a monstrositj'. And so in 
 the family. There must be a ruling, 
 guiding hand, and God has placed man 
 there as its natural and lawful head and 
 representative. And so the head of 
 the woman is the man. And the 
 same holds true in the church, so far 
 as its social and earthly relations and 
 distinctions are concerned. And this 
 is carried still further, The head of 
 Christ is God. Christ is subordinate 
 to the Father, as the God-man and 
 
 Mediator (is : 24-28; Phll. 2:7; John 14 : 28). 
 
 Subordination pervades the universe 
 and the Christian system, and it is the 
 highest glory for each one to fill his own 
 place. On account of sin and human 
 frailty all, it is true, do not fill their 
 places. Some are incompetent. But 
 
266 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 ^ prophesyiiif?, having his head covered, 
 
 5 dishonoureth his head: but J every 
 woman that prayeth or prophesieth 
 with her head uncovered dishonour- 
 eth her head : for that is even all one 
 
 6 as if she were shaven. For if the 
 
 praying or prophesying, having his 
 head covered, puts shame on his head. 
 
 5 But everj- woman praying or prophesy- 
 ing with the head unveiled, puts shame 
 on her head ; for it is one and the same as 
 
 6 if she were shaven. For if a woman is 
 
 z 12 : 28 ; 14 : 1, etc. 
 
 y Acts 21 : 9. 
 
 . exceptions by contrast only prove the 
 rule. 
 
 4. Every man praying or 
 prophesying, not so much foretelling 
 future events as uttering inspired 
 truth and instructing the people under 
 the impulse of the Holy Spirit (12 : lo). 
 in the public assembly. Having his 
 head covered dishonoureth his 
 head, because there is nothing higher 
 than man in the visible creation (?«• s) 
 nor in the visible church of Christ, and 
 a covering of the head would be a sign 
 of subjection, or subordination. It 
 was the custom of the Jews, Romans, 
 and Germans to pray with their heads 
 covered or veiled, thus " showing them- 
 selves reverent and ashamed before 
 God and unworthy with open face to 
 behold him." But the Greeks wor- 
 shiped with uncovered heads. Paul 
 sees in this custom the true one for the 
 Christian man, since he stands as the 
 highest representative of Christ on 
 earth, "not as a servant but a son" 
 (Gal. 4: 7) J -who Can approach God with 
 unveiled face (2 Cor. 3 : 14-18). On He 
 (Hshonoreth his head, Stanley remarks : 
 " Both the literal and the metaphorical 
 sense are included. ' He dishonors his 
 head by an unseemly effeminate prac- 
 tice (ver. 14); and thereby Christ, who 
 is spiritual Head. The head as the 
 symbol of Christ, is treated with the 
 same religious reverence as is the body, 
 in 6 : 19, as being the temple of the 
 Spirit.'" 
 
 5. But every woman that pray- 
 eth or prophesieth (Acts 2 : is: 21 : 9), 
 in tlie meeting, with the head un- 
 covered, contrary to the usual cus- 
 tom. This prayer or prophecy was 
 dou])tless under the impulse of the 
 Holy Spirit, as in ver. 4. Prophetesses 
 are mentioned in the Old Testament : 
 Miriam, the sister of Moses (Kxod. 15 : 20); 
 
 Deborah (.ludRcs 4 : 4) ; Huldah (2 Kings 
 
 22:14); Noadlah (N.h.6:i4). In the 
 New Testament Anna is mentioned (i-nki- 
 a : 36) ; an<l the four daughters of Philip 
 (Acts 21 : 9). So also Mary the mother of 
 
 Jesus prophesied (Luke 1 : 46-55), All 
 these appear to have been under the 
 inspiration of the Spirit, and perhaps 
 with the exception of Mary spoke 
 publicly. The apostle in this verse 
 implies that women had spoken and 
 would speak at certain times and 
 places, and in some kinds of meetings, 
 which was well understood by his read- 
 
 I ers. He speaks in a general way ; but 
 in 14 : 34 he enjoins silence in the pub- 
 lic congregation. In Oriental countries 
 women wore a veil, or in some countries 
 a shawl, which on public occasions could 
 be thrown over the head. It would 
 seem that at Corinth both the men and 
 the women needed instruction. Some 
 men, following the Jewish custom, 
 would appear in the public assemblies 
 with covered heads. Paul decides as 
 above for the Grecian custom, as being 
 right in the nature of things. It would 
 seem from this passage and 14 : 34, 35. 
 that some women, on the ground 01 
 Christian liberty and the, oneness of 
 male and female in Christ (Gai. 3:28), 
 had gone beyond the rules of propri- 
 ety in Grecian and Oriental coun- 
 tries, and had appeared without the 
 veil in public worship, and had prayed 
 and prophesied in the public assem- 
 blies of the church. Paul disapproves 
 
 ; of both of these innovations, the former 
 here, the latter in 14 : 34, 35. Yet 
 in this passage the apostle appears to 
 permit, and not condemn, the pray- 
 ing and prophesying of women in cer- 
 tain gatherings. Meyer harmonizes this 
 with 14 : 34, by supposing the latter to 
 refer to the large pul^lic meetings of the 
 whole church, and this to the smaller 
 gatherings for social worship. Dis- 
 honoureth her head : brings shame 
 on her liead by appearing unwomanly. 
 By laying aside a customary mark of 
 her sex she exhibits a lack of modesty. 
 Thus she dishonors the man as well as 
 herself. For that is even all one, 
 rather, F07' it is one and the same, as 
 if she were shaven — it exhibits the 
 same shamelessness, though different in 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 267 
 
 woman be not covered, let her also be 
 shorn: but if it be a shame for a 
 woman to be shorn or shaven, let her 
 
 7 be covered. For a man indeed ought 
 not to cover /lis head, forasmuch as ^he 
 is the image and glory of God ; but 
 the woman is the glory of the man. 
 
 8 For a the man is not of the woman : 
 
 9 but the woman of the man ; ^ neither 
 was the man created for the woman ; 
 
 10 but the woman for the man. For this 
 cause ought the woman « to have power 
 
 not veiled, let her also be shorn ; but 
 if it is a shame for a woman to be 
 
 7 shorn or shaven, let her be veiled. For 
 a man indeed ought not to veil his 
 head, being God's image and glory ; 
 
 8 but the woman is man's glory. For 
 man is not from woman ; but woman 
 
 9 from man. For man was also not 
 created on account of the woman, but 
 
 10 woman on account of the man. For 
 this cause ought the woman to have- 
 
 a;See refs. Gen. 1, 26, 27. 
 
 b Gen. 2 : 18. 
 
 a Gen. 2 : 21, 22 ; 1 Tim. 2 : 13. 
 c Gen. 20 : 16 ; 24 : 65. 
 
 degree. The shaven head in a woman 
 was a sign of a harlot, or of mourning, 
 both in Judea and Greece. 
 
 6. Enforces what he had just said: 
 For if a Avoman be not covered, 
 let her also be shaven. Let her be 
 consistent, and lay asnde the natural 
 covering of the head, as well as the 
 artificial. But inasmuch as it was con- 
 sidered a shame, or disgraceful, for 
 her to be shaven, let her be cov- 
 ered. "Before the gaze of masculin- 
 ity it often is at once the modesty and 
 dignity of woman to veil herself. That 
 unrestrained gaze is often profane ; and 
 it is a divine reserve that shrinks and 
 conceals from it. In that reserve is 
 contained the proudest and noblest self- 
 respect ; so that under the forms of hu- 
 miliation resides woman's exaltation. 
 Thereby she becomes to man's idea a 
 something sacred and imperial. Let 
 her forfeit that ideal and she dethrones 
 herself and becomes an unlovely being. 
 By most divine law each sex is con- 
 fined to its own nature. It is equally 
 shameful for manhood to become ef- 
 feminate, and for womanhood to be- 
 come masculine " (Whedon). 
 
 7. Paul proceeds to fortify what he 
 had enjoined by the relation of man 
 and woman in creation. For a man 
 indeed ought not to cover his 
 head, forasmuch as he is the 
 image (in his rational, moral nature) 
 and the glory (in his dignity and 
 dominion over all things in the Avorld) 
 
 of God. ( See Gen. 1 : 26 : 3 : 16 ; Ps. 8 : 5-8. ) 
 
 But the woman, while she also is 
 in the image of God (Gen. i : 27 ; 5 : i, 2)^ is 
 the glory of the man — reflects not 
 the glory of God as a ruler, but rather 
 that of man as the head of the house- 
 hold. ^ " She receives and reveals what 
 there is of majesty in him. She always 
 
 assumes his station ; becomes a queen, 
 if he is a king, and manifests to others 
 the wealth and honor which belong to 
 her husband" (Dr. Chambers, in 
 Meyer). Thus a covering, as a sign of 
 dependence, is fitting to her, but not 
 becoming to him, being comparatively 
 independent, and the highest creature 
 in the visible creation (ver. 3). Notice 
 Paul repeats not image, but glory, being 
 the important thing in the argument. 
 
 8, 9. For, in confirmation of the 
 preceding statement, the man is not 
 of, or from, the woman in creation, 
 but the woman of, or from., the 
 man. Thus we read in Gen. 2 : 21, 22, 
 that woman was taken out of the side 
 of man. Neither, or For neither 
 was the man created for the 
 woman ; but the woman for the 
 man. Thus it is said in Gen 2 : 18, 
 "That it was not good for man to be 
 alone, and that woman was made a 
 helper, suited to him." Thus in crea- 
 tion, woman being after man, from man, 
 and for him, is naturally dependent 
 and subordinate in her physical being, 
 and ranks next to him. 
 
 10. Paul draws his inference in re- 
 gard to the head-dress of women in 
 public services. This is one of the 
 most difiicult passages in the New Tes- 
 tament, and has received numerous in- 
 terpretations. There may be_ an allu- 
 sion to some custom, expression, local 
 or transitory term, now lost to us, which 
 if known would make the thought clear 
 and forcible. For this cause, be- 
 cause of the relation of woman to man 
 as indicated in their creation (ver. 7-9), 
 ought the Avoman to have a sign 
 of power, or authority, on her head, 
 as indicated by a veil or covering. This 
 most naturally refers to man's author- 
 ity or headship over her. Perhaps it 
 
268 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 on her head, "^ because of the angels. 
 
 11 Nevertheless <^ neither is the man with- 
 out the woman, neither the woman 
 
 12 without the man, in the Lord : for as 
 the woman is of the man, even so is 
 the man also by the woman ; f but all 
 things of God. 
 
 13 B Judge in yourselves: is it comely 
 that a woman pray unto God un- 
 
 14 covered ? Doth not even nature itself 
 
 [the token of) authority on her head, 
 
 11 because of the angels. Nevertheless, 
 neither is woman apart from man, nor 
 man apart from woman, in the Lord. 
 
 12 For as the woman is from the man, so 
 is also the man through the woman ; 
 
 13 but all things from God. Judge in 
 your own selves ; is it becoming that a 
 
 14 woman pray to God unveiled? Does 
 
 d Eccl. 5 : 6 ; 1 Tim. 5 : 21 ; Heb. 12 : 1. e 7 : 10-14. 
 
 g 10 : 15 ; Luke 12 : 57 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 21. 
 
 /8 : 6; Rom. 11 : 36. 
 
 might refer to her delegated and de- 
 pendent authority (Luke 4:6; 23 : 7 ; Mark 
 
 13:34) within her own sphere (6: 12; 
 7:37). But in either case the subordi- 
 nate relation of woman to man is in- 
 dicated or implied. Because of the 
 angels, probably referring to the 
 presence of angels in their assemblies 
 (Heb. 1:14), wlio also, accordlng to a 
 well-known Jewish view, would be 
 grieved in witnessing any immodest 
 and unbecoming conduct. In harmony 
 with this view is the thought suggested 
 by Isa. 6 : 2, that in the heavenly world 
 angels indicate their subordinate rela- 
 tion by veiling their faces. Additional 
 reference might be made to a very an- 
 cient Jewish belief in connection with 
 the fall of angels before the deluge (Gen. 
 
 6 : 2 ; 2 Peter 2:4; Judc 6, 14), that CVil Spirits 
 
 gained power over women with their 
 heads bare. Thus the woman with be- 
 coming modesty and self-control, indi- 
 cated by her covered head, would be 
 protected. Still the term angel is gen- 
 erally applied to good angels in the 
 New Testament. Another view worthy 
 of mention is, that as the word angel 
 means messenger ( Luke 7 : 24 ; 9 : 52), it 
 may refer to spies from the heathen, or 
 to friendly visitors from other churches, 
 who might be unfavorably impressed 
 with what appeared immodest, and re- 
 port it. It is better, however, to sup- 
 pose reference to angels as above. ( Comp. 
 
 4 : 9 ; 1 Tim. 5 : 21 ; 1 Peter 1:12; Heb. 12:1.) 
 
 11. Paul qualifies what he had said 
 in ver. 8 and 9, so as not to be mis- 
 understood. Nevertheless — woman 
 should not be depreciated either by lier- 
 self or ])y man, nor sliould they act in- 
 dependently of each other; for neither 
 is the man without the woman, 
 iioither the woman without the 
 man, in the TiOrd, in their relation 
 to Christ and to each other as Chris- 
 
 tians. They are mutually dependent, 
 and supplement each other. 
 
 12. For as the w'oman is of, 
 
 rather, from, the man, by creation 
 (Gen. 2 : 22), eveu SO is the man also 
 by, or through, the woman, by 
 birth; but all things of, or from, 
 God, the order, the relation, and the 
 distinction between the sexes, are ac- 
 cording to a divine arrangement. (Comp. 
 3:23.) Nature and grace are harmoni- 
 ous. 
 
 Man's and woman's equality. 
 Man and woman have spiritual equal- 
 ity. There is neither male nor female in 
 Christ Jesus (Gai. 3:28). Each equally 
 enjoys sonship in and with him (Rom. 
 8:17). But each has his or her own 
 sphere. Man is superior in his sphere, 
 and woman in hers ; so there need be 
 no conflict. The Father and the Son 
 are equal in their essential natures, yet 
 the Son in his mediatorial ofiice is sub- 
 ordinate. So woman in her physical 
 and family relations is subordinate to 
 man. Yet the spheres of each border 
 on and interlap each other, so that the 
 one often shows a superiority in the 
 sphere of the other. Yet woman's 
 sphere is largely in the family and in 
 the home, and she can best show her 
 superiority in discharging the duties 
 of her position in a superior manner. 
 That their spheres should difler in 
 church work accords with their nature 
 and the constitution of tilings. 
 
 13. Paul appeals to the natural fit- 
 ness of things and to their sense of pro-' 
 priety. Judge in yourselves, by 
 your own instinctive feelings; exercise 
 your common sense. Is it comely, ?> 
 ?/ becoming, that a Avoman i>ray to 
 Ciod, in the social gathering (vcr. 5), 
 uncovered? Does not nature itself 
 tench you the opposite? (Next verse.) 
 
 14. But what is meant by nature 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 269 
 
 teach you, that, if a man have long 
 
 15 hair, it is a shame unto him ? But if a 
 woman have long hair, it is a glory to 
 her: for her hair is given her for a 
 covering. 
 
 16 But *> if any man seem to be conten- 
 tious, we have no such custom, J neither 
 the churches of God. 
 
 Disorders at the Lord's Supper, and its 
 proper observance. 
 
 17 Now in this that I declare unto you 
 I praise ijou not, that ye come to- 
 gether not for the better, but for the 
 
 18 worse. For first of all, when ye come 
 
 not even nature itself teach you, that, 
 if a man have long hair, it is a dis- 
 
 15 honor to him ? But if a woman have 
 long hair, it is a glory to her ; for her 
 
 16 hair is given her for'a covering. But 
 if any man seems to be contentious, we 
 have no such custom, nor the churches 
 of God. 
 
 17 And while I enjoin this, I praise you 
 not, that ye come together not for the 
 
 18 better, but for the worse. For first of 
 
 h 1 Tim. 6 : 3, 4. 
 
 J 7 : IT ; 14 : 33. 
 
 here ? Does it mean the original course 
 of nature which has made the distinc- 
 tion between the sexes by giving the 
 woman's head the more abundant hair ? 
 Or does it refer to the instinctive feel- 
 ings, the native sense of propriety, 
 which may be more or less affected by 
 custom and habit. Alford and Stanley 
 take the former view ; ]SIeyer and 
 Thayer's "Lexicon" take the latter. 
 But may not nature be used in a popular 
 w^ay, not to be closely limited? Paul 
 seems to refer to the sense of propriety 
 having its roots in the nature of things. 
 Does not this teach you, that if a 
 man have long hair it is a shame 
 unto him ? There had been different 
 customs among men, but in the apostle's 
 day long hair in a man was a mark of 
 effeminacy or of savage manners. The 
 verdict of nature appeared in the in- 
 stinctive sense of propriety and the 
 general custom of civilized society. 
 
 15. But if a woman have long 
 hair, it is a glory to her, it is an 
 ornament. Beauty is the prerogative 
 of woman, which is a right to be cher- 
 ished and exercised, modestly and sub- 
 missively, according to the laws of her 
 own being. For her hair is given 
 her for a covering, a natural veil 
 and protection, a symbol of conceal- 
 ment and modesty. So nature suggests 
 the propriety of the covered head for 
 woman and the uncovered head for man 
 in public worship. "Whatever con- 
 tradicts feelings which are universally 
 received, in questions of morality, pro- 
 priety, and decency, is questionable, to 
 say the least" (Robertson). 
 
 16. But, to close this discussion 
 with a final word, if any man seem, 
 is disposed, to he contentious in re- 
 
 gard to this matter, we, Paul and his 
 associates in missionary work and in 
 founding churches, have no such 
 custom, as the practice of women pray- 
 ing uncovered, neither the churches 
 of God. Tlius the voice of the apostles 
 and of Christendom was against them. 
 Some refer custom to contention, " it is 
 not our custom to be contentious." 
 But as Alford remarks, this is a very 
 unlikely reference after so long a treat- 
 ment of a particular su1)ject. It natu- 
 rally refers to that, and thus gives the 
 best sense. It will be noticed in this 
 discussion that Paul's argument is part- 
 ly from the divine law and order and 
 partly from symbolic reasons, the sense 
 of propriety and beauty, and from the 
 practice of society and the custom of 
 the churches. That which is of divine 
 direction is permanent ; but the rest is 
 more or less temporary, as modified by 
 circumstances and customs of different 
 nations and ages. 
 
 17-34. Concerning DISORDERS AT 
 THE Lord's Supper, and its proper 
 
 OBSERVANCE. 
 
 17. Now in this that I declare 
 unto you, rather. And while I enjoin 
 this in regard to the head covering (ver. 
 2-16), and have praised you generally 
 for keeping my instructions (^er. 2)^ 
 there is a more important matter for 
 which I praise you not, namely, 
 that ye come together, in your 
 assemblies, not for the better, but 
 for the worse, resulting in your 
 spiritual injury rather than spiritual 
 improvement. 
 
 18. For first of all (comp. Rom.l :8), 
 
 mentioning no second. Paul would at 
 once notice disorders in their religious 
 gatherings, especially as connected 
 
270 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 together in the churcli, "^ I hear that 
 there be divisions among you, and I 
 
 19 partly believe it: for 'there must be 
 also heresies among you, "that they 
 which are approved may be made 
 manifest among you. 
 
 20 When ye come together therefore 
 into one place, this is not to eat the 
 
 21 Lord's supper: for in eating every one 
 taketh before other his own supper: 
 and one is hungry, and "another is 
 
 all, wlien ye come together in church, 
 I hear that divisions exist among you ; 
 
 19 and I partly believe it. For there must 
 be also factions among you, that they 
 who are approved may be made mani- 
 fest among you. 
 
 20 When therefore ye assemble your- 
 selves together, it is' not to eat a supper 
 
 21 of the Lord ; for in eating, each takes 
 before others his ow n supper ; and one 
 is hungry and another is drunken. 
 
 k 1 : 10-12 ; 3 : 3. I Matt. 18 : 7 ; Luke 17 
 
 m See Deut. 13 : 3 ; 1 John 2 : 19. 
 
 1 ; Acts 20 : 30 ; 1 Tim. 4:1,2; 2 Peter 2 : 1, 2. 
 n 2 Peter 2 : 13 ; Jude 12. 
 
 with the Lord's Supper (ver. 20-34), and 
 incidentally as connected with spiritual 
 gifts (chap. 12-u). When ye come to- 
 gether 'in church, in an assembly, in 
 a church gathering. This would seem 
 to suggest that they had some general 
 meeting place, while they often met in 
 different places for smaller assemblies. 
 I hear that there be, are, divisions 
 among you, cliques, separations ac- 
 cording to social distinctions and petty 
 preferences; and I partly believe it. 
 The reports may be exaggerated, but 
 I am led to believe it in part, not only 
 from the character of my informants, 
 but for the reason I am about to state 
 (next verse). 
 
 19. For there must be also 
 heresies, better, factions, among 
 you, such is your carnal condition 
 (3:1-3), and it is a part of God's provi- 
 dence that there should be divisions, 
 that they which are approved, 
 they who are tried and stand the test, 
 may be made manifest among 
 you. The opposite of the approved is 
 the reprobated, the rejected (9 : 27 ; 2 Cor. 
 13:7). Factions, like storms, often 
 serve the purpose of purification. Here- 
 sies, translated sects. Acts 5:17; 15 : 5 ; 
 24 : 5 ; 26 : 5 ; 28 : 22, and heresies else- 
 where in the Common version ; but in 
 the Revised version sect, in Acts 24 : 14, 
 factions, 1 Cor. 11 : 19 ; Gal. 5 : 20, and 
 heresies once, 2 Peter 2 : 1. The term 
 factions here is a stronger form of tlie 
 divisious{yfr. is), a deliberate and chosen 
 form of factious conduct, not of false 
 doctrine, as in 2 Peter 2:1. It was not 
 originally used in a bad sense, but im- 
 plied choice, then opinion, and then 
 party, as in schools of philosopliy. It 
 came to have a bad sense in Christian 
 usage. 
 
 20. When ye come together 
 therefore, there being such divisions 
 
 and factions (ver. is, 19), into one 
 place, at the same place and time 
 (Acts 2:1), this is not to eat the 
 Lord's Supper, more exactly, there 
 is no eating of a siqyper of the Lord, 
 that instituted by him. Whatever you 
 may call it, and whatever you may 
 have designed to do, it is not eating a 
 supper of the Lord, it is not worthy of 
 the name. It is not possible to properly 
 observe it under such circumstances. 
 The reason Paul states in the next 
 verse. The rendering of the Revised 
 version, It is not possible to eat the 
 Lord's Snp)]ier, is more of the nature of 
 an inference as above, and of an inter- 
 pretation than a translation. On Lord's 
 Supper Stanley remarks: "Though the 
 epithet is here used in contradistinction 
 to his own supper (ver. 21), yet tlie ad- 
 jectival form, as in Lord's Day (Rev. 
 1 : 10), indicates that it was already the 
 fixed name of the institution." 
 
 21. For in eating every one 
 taketh before other his own sup- 
 per, not waiting one for the other, each 
 one helped himself, or ate what he had 
 brought himself. There was no sharing 
 together in the meal. And so one, the 
 poor man, is hungry, and another, 
 the rich man, is drunken. Such in- 
 decent behavior was unbecoming a 
 Christian assembly, and a perversion 
 of Christ's ordinance. The wine ap- 
 pears to have been intoxicating. Many 
 infer from this passage, and from Acts 
 2 : 42, 46; 20 : 7, 11, that the Lord's 
 Supper took place at tlic end of a social 
 meal. This meal they regard as the 
 love feast, which was common in the 
 primitive churclies, and is first men- 
 tioned in Jude 12 and in 2 Peter 2 : 13. 
 As in the dining club of tlie (ireeks, so 
 frequently eacli brouglit his own por- 
 tion, and often the richer membei-s sup- 
 plied the wants of the poorer. Dis- 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 271 
 
 22 drunken. What ! " have ye not houses 
 to eat and to drink in ? Or despise ye 
 p the church of God, and i shame them 
 that have not? What shall I say to 
 you? Shall I praise you in this? I 
 praise you not. 
 
 23 For 'I have received of the Lord 
 that which also I delivered unto you, 
 8 That the Lord Jesus the same night in 
 which he was betrayed took bread : 
 
 24 and when he had given thanks, he 
 brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is 
 
 22 What ! have ye not houses to eat and 
 to drink in ? Or despise ye the church 
 of God, and put shame on those who 
 have not ? What shall I say to you ? 
 Shall I praise you in this ? I praise 
 you not. 
 
 23 For I received from the Lord, what 
 I also delivered to you, that the Lord 
 Jesus, in the night in which he was be- 
 
 24 trayed, took a loaf ; and having given 
 thanks, he broke it, and said, This is 
 
 o Ver. 34. 
 
 ^10:32. 2 James 2 : 5, 6. r 15 : 3 ; Gal. 1 : 1, 11, 12. 
 
 s Matt. 26 : 26-28 ; Mark. 14 : 22 ; Luke 22 : 19. 
 
 orders arose in the love feasts similar 
 to those described here. On account of 
 this, love feasts began to disappear after 
 the close of the fourth century. It is 
 probable that the Lord's Supper was 
 generally preceded by a common meal 
 in the early churches, as was the case 
 at the institution of the ordinance. 
 But the absence of all reference to the 
 feast of love in tliat memorable chapter 
 on love, the thirteenth of this Epistle, 
 renders doubtful its use at that time in 
 the church at Corinth. In the earliest 
 account we have of the manner of 
 celebrating the Lord's Supper, by Justin 
 Martyr, about A. D. 150, there is no 
 mention of the love feast. (Neander, 
 "Hist.") 
 
 22. What! have ye not houses, 
 you surely have houses, to eat and to 
 drink in? You could satisfy your 
 appetites at home if this is your object. 
 These exclamations of astonishment 
 are forcible arguments. Or despise 
 ye the church of God, the assembly 
 
 called out from the world (see on Acts 5 : ll ) , 
 
 and which belongs to God, and in which 
 he dwells (s : i6). Their disorders were 
 contempt of Christ's body, the church, 
 and of the brethren whom they treated 
 as unworthy of a common footing with 
 themselves. And shame, better, put 
 to shame, them that have not? or, 
 have nothing, the poor, making promi- 
 nent their poverty. What shall I 
 say to you ? These questions contain 
 mild rebukes. Shall I praise you 
 in this ? alluding to ver. 2. I praise 
 you not, as in ver. 17. They had 
 made it not only a common, social meal, 
 but also an occasion for jealousies and 
 wrangling. They had perverted its 
 form, spirit, and design. 
 
 23. I cannot praise your manner of 
 observing the Lord's Supper, For I 
 
 have received of the Lord that 
 which also I delivered unto you ; 
 
 this being among the instructions I 
 gave you (ver. 2). How did Paul receive 
 this? Directly from the Lord, or in- 
 directly through Ananias at his bap- 
 tism, or some other medium ? The most 
 natural meaning of the language is 
 that he received it by direct revelation 
 from the Lord. (Comp. uohni : 5.) I is 
 emphatic in contrast to you. I person- 
 ally received it and delivered it to you. 
 It is natural to take both the deliver- 
 ance and the reception as direct. This 
 is confirmed by Paul's claim elsewhere 
 that he received his gospel by direct 
 revelation; also by his many revela- 
 tions (2 Cor. 12:7). The similarity be- 
 tween this and Luke's account has often 
 been noted. The differences are only 
 such as we might expect, if Paul com- 
 municated it to Luke, his companion 
 in travel, and if Luke prepared his 
 Gospel under the general direction of 
 Paul. That the Lord Jesus — an 
 impressive and solemn beginning, mak- 
 ing prominent the Lordship of the 
 Saviour. In the flight in which he 
 "was betrayed, more exactly, hi 
 ^ohieh he was being delivered up; a 
 vivid and solemn description. While 
 the act of betrayal was going on and 
 near completion the Supper was insti- 
 tuted. Took bread, a loaf, doubt- 
 less one left over from the Passover 
 
 meal. (Comp. fuller notes in Luke 22 : 19-21.) 
 
 The whole description suggests the 
 solemnity, the importance, and relig- 
 ious character of the institution. 
 
 24. When he had given thanks. 
 So Luke ; Matthew and Mark say, " he 
 blessed." Giving thanks was ble-ssing 
 God, and both were a blessing of the 
 bread, setting it apart to a sacred use. 
 (See 10 : 16.) He brake it. This act is 
 
272 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 my body, which is broken for you: 
 
 25 this do in remem1)riUK'e of nie. ' After 
 the same manner also he took the cup, 
 when he had sui)i)ed, saying, This cup 
 is the new testament in my blood : 
 this do ye, a.s oft as ye drinlj: it, in re- 
 
 26 membrahee of me.' For as often 
 as ye eat this bread and drink this 
 cup, ye do shew the Lord's death "till 
 he come. 
 
 27 * Wherefore whosoever shall eat this 
 bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, 
 unworthily, j shall be guilty of the body 
 
 my body, which is for you ; this do in 
 
 25 remembrance of me. In like manner 
 also the cup, after they had supped, 
 saying. This cup is the "new covenant 
 in my blood ; this do, as often as ye 
 
 26 drink it, in remembrance of me. For 
 as often as ye eat this bread, and 
 drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's 
 
 27 death till he come. So that whoever 
 eats the bread or drinks the cup of the 
 Lord unworthllv, will be guilty of the 
 
 28 body and the blood of the Lord. But 
 
 t Mark 14 : 23. 
 M 4 : 5 ; 15 : 23 : John 14 : 3 ; Acts 1 : 11 ; 1 Thess. 4 : 16 ; 2 Thess. 1 : 10 ; Heb. 9 : 28 ; Jude 14 ; Rev. 1 
 X Ver. 20-22 ; see Lev. 10 : 1-3 ; Num. 9 : 10, 13 ; 2 Chron. 30 : 18-20. y Heb. 10 : 29. 
 
 related in all four accounts of the 
 Supper, and ought not to be omitted. 
 And said, Take eat ; this is my 
 body, etc. There is a variety of read- 
 ings here, owing to the endeavor of 
 early transcribers to assimilate the four 
 accounts of what Jesus said. The most 
 approved text reads, And said, This is 
 my body, which is for you ; this do in 
 remembrance of me. The best text of 
 Luke is the same as this, except that it 
 has given added, thus : ivkich is given 
 for you. This is my body — repre- 
 sents my body, an emblem or symbol 
 of it.' (See note on 10: 16, 17.) In remem- 
 brance of me ; shoAving that this or- 
 dinance was to be observed, and that it 
 was to vividly remind them of his suf- 
 ferings and death for them. 
 
 25. After the same manner also 
 he took the cup — in the like solemn 
 and impressive manner taking it and 
 giving thanks. Luke also says, the 
 Clip, probably referring to the cup used 
 at the Passover, But Matthew and 
 Mark say, a cup, implying that there 
 were other cups on the table, probably 
 one to each guest. When he had 
 supped, rather, 2vhen they had suj)ped 
 — after they had eaten, the cup closing 
 the meal. This cup is the new 
 testament, rather, the new covenant, 
 in my blood — the new covenant of 
 grace and eternal salvation, which 
 Christ has ratified in blood, being estab- 
 lished by his undergoing death (2Cor. 
 
 .S : f, ; Heb. 8:6-8: 12 : 24 ) . The Word tCS- 
 
 tament means covenant, God's com- 
 pact, arrangement, and protnises to 
 men, and only once in the New Testa- 
 ment (Hob. 9:16) has it the meaning of 
 testament. It was Christ's death that 
 gave validity to this covenant which he 
 
 had entered into with man ( Exod. 24 : 8 ; 
 Matt. 26 28). This do ye, as oft as 
 ye drink it — this is to be commem- 
 orative, but the frequency of the com- 
 memoration is to be governed by cir- 
 cumstances. It may have been daily 
 at first (Acts 2: 46), and weekly later on 
 ( Acts 20 : 7 ) . But whenever it is observed 
 it is to be in remembrance of me, 
 a reminder and a memorial. 
 
 26. In this verse we have a blending 
 together of our Lord's words, and 
 of Paul's words. For, introduces a 
 further explanation of the ordinance 
 and reason for its observance. Vov as 
 often as ye eat ; showing that it is 
 to be continued. Notice that after the 
 giving thanks the emblems are still 
 called this bread and the cup. So also 
 in the next verse. There is no tran- 
 substantiation, no sacrifice, no sacra- 
 mentalism here, or in this whole ac- 
 count of the ordinance. Ye do show, 
 announce, or proclaim, the Lord's 
 death, his sacrificial death for you, 
 till he come. The Lord's Supper as 
 a memorial points backward to our 
 Lord's sufferings and death, and for- 
 ward to his second coming. As Bengel 
 vsays, it " unites the extremes of two 
 periods" (Matt. 26 : 29). 
 
 27. Paul concludes by an applica- 
 tion to the case in hand, the disorderly 
 conduct of the Corinthians. \\ herc- 
 fore — so that, whosoever shall eat, 
 the bread, and, rather, or, according 
 to a great majority of the best manu- 
 scripts, drink the cup unworthily, 
 irreverently, as l)rought to view in ver. 
 20-22, anil not discerning the Lord's 
 l)ody" (ver. 2<i), shall be j;uilty of 
 the body and blood of the Lord, 
 that is, guilty of a sin against Christ 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 273 
 
 28 and blood of the Lord. But == let a man 
 examine himself, and so let him eat of 
 
 29 that bread and drink of that cup. For 
 he that eateth and drinketh unwor- 
 thily, eateth and drinketh damnation 
 [or, judgmental to himself, notdiscern- 
 
 30 mg the Lord's body. ^ For this cause 
 many <= are weak and sickly among you, 
 
 31 and many sleep. For "^if we would 
 
 let a man prove himself, and so let 
 him eat of the bread, and drink of the 
 
 29 cup. For he that eats and drinks, eats 
 and drinks judgment to himself, if he 
 
 30 discern not the body. For this cause 
 many among you are weak and sick, 
 
 31 and not a few sleep. But if we dis- 
 
 z Ver. 31 ; Ps.l39 : 23, 24 ; 2 Cor. 13 : 5 ; Gal. 6 : 4 ; 1 John 3 : 20, 21. a Eom. 13 : 2. 
 c Ver. 32. d Ps. 32 : 3-5 ; L,uke 15 : 18-20 ; 1 John 1 : 9. 
 
 6 Ver. 21. 
 
 (8 : 12), against his body and blood, the 
 symbols of which had been dishonored. 
 This expression has troubled many 
 conscientious Christians. The reference 
 and application is not to the fearful, 
 timid, or weak believer, but to the care- 
 less and profane professor. Such a one 
 may possibly go so far as to spiritually 
 " crucify the Son of God afresh and put 
 him to an open shame" (Heb. 6:6), A 
 person is said to be guilty when he is in 
 a condition which is amenable to pun- 
 ishment (ver. 29, 3o). Morcovcr the pas- 
 sage refers not so much to personal 
 qualifications as to the manner of ob- 
 serving the ordinance. The word is not 
 unioorthy, but unworthily. None can 
 claim fitness in themselves. We are all 
 unworthy ; but with a sense of our sin- 
 fulness and with a trust in Christ as our 
 Saviour, we may come to his table, and 
 worthily partake of its emblems (Phii- 
 
 3:9-11; Luke 18: 13,14). It will help US, 
 
 and be a most blessed means of grace. 
 
 28. How to partake. Let a man 
 examine himself, scrutinize and 
 prove his own heart and spiritual con- 
 dition before God (2 Cor. 13 : 5 ; cai. 6:4), to 
 see if he is about to partake in a proper 
 manner. And so, in this humble, 
 careful, discriminating, and reverent 
 spirit, let him eat, etc. Such an ex- 
 amination in case of a true believer 
 would naturally lead to repentance of 
 every sin and a humble trust in Christ. 
 
 39. An important reason for self- 
 examination, so as to partake in a 
 proper manner. Unworthily, omit- 
 ted in the best texts. It may have been 
 inserted by some scribe by way of ex- 
 planation. So also is Lord omitted. 
 The most approved text has simply the 
 body, which of course means the Lord's 
 body. For he that eateth and 
 drinketh, not discerning the body, 
 not distinguishing or discriminating 
 the body of the Lord as symbolized in 
 
 the elements, and not making that 
 proper distinction which he ought to 
 make between this and ordinary food. 
 Notice that it is Christ, not ourselves, 
 nor our brethren, who is to be the sub- 
 ject of our thoughts and the object of 
 our faith, in the Lord's Supper. Our 
 communion is with Christ, not with our 
 brethren. £ateth and drinketh 
 damnation, rather, judgment, to 
 himself, which he would have es- 
 caped had he judged himself (ver. 31). 
 The word damnation, is too strong, 
 which in our language is generally con- 
 fined to final condemnation, not the 
 meaning here (ver. 32). What kind of 
 judgment is meant is explained in the 
 next verse. And this is inflicted in 
 order that they may escape final retri- 
 bution (ver. 32). There is nothing in 
 this verse to keep the humblest and 
 weakest follower of Jesus from the 
 Lord's table, if he can but realize, 
 though with feeble faith and love, that 
 Jesus died for him. The Lord would 
 have him come, and not stay away. 
 
 (Com p. Eom. 14 : 23.) 
 
 30. Paul points to their own experi- 
 ence for proof of what he had just said. 
 For this cause — judgment coming 
 upon those who eat in such a manner 
 as not to discern the Lord's body — 
 many are wesiU., feeble, and sickly, 
 diseased, invalids, among you, and 
 many, not a few, sleep. This natu- 
 rally refers to bodily rather than spir- 
 itual infirmities. If sleep has reference 
 to death (see on 7 : 39), then the other tAvo 
 words naturally refer to physical weak- 
 ness and disease. 
 
 31. According to the best authorities 
 this verse begins with But, instead of 
 For. But if tve were judging our- 
 selves, looking discriminately into our- 
 selves, or discerning (same word as in 
 ver. 29 ) and deciding beforehand what 
 was the proper and right moral con- 
 
274 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 judge ourselves, we should not be 
 
 32 judged : but when we are judged, « we 
 are chastened of the Lord, that we 
 should not be condemned with the 
 
 33 world. Wherefore, my brethren, when 
 ye come together to eat, tarry one for 
 
 34 another: and ^ if any man hunger, let 
 him eat at home ; that ye come not to- 
 gether unto condemnation [or, judg- 
 ment]. And the rest will I set in order 
 when K I come. 
 
 cerned ourselves, we should not be 
 
 32 judged. But being judged, we are 
 chastened by the Lord, that we may 
 not be condemned with the world. 
 
 33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye 
 come together to eat, wait one for 
 
 34 another. If any one is hungry, let 
 him eat at home ; that ye come not to- 
 gether unto judgment. And the rest I 
 will set in order when I come. 
 
 e Ver. 30 ; Deut. 8:5; Job 5 : 17 ; Heb. 12 : 5-11. 
 
 /VtT. 21, 22. 
 
 gi:19; 16:5. 
 
 dition to be in, we should not after- 
 ward be judged, ive would not be in- 
 curring judgment, from the hand of 
 God. Notice how the apostle says 
 " we," kindly putting himself among 
 them and softening the application. 
 
 32. But when Ave are judged, 
 or more exactly, But being judged, as 
 we are in the temporal sufferings and 
 afflictions that have befallen us (ver. so), 
 w^e are chastened, subjected to dis- 
 cipline of, or by, the Lord (Heb. 
 12:6-11), in order that we may not be 
 condemned, at the last judgment, 
 with the world, the unbelieving por- 
 tion of mankind (John is : 18). 
 
 33. Conclusion of the whole sub- 
 ject. Wherefore, my brethren, 
 addressing them in brotherly love, 
 Avhen ye come together in your re- 
 ligious asseml)ly to eat of the Lord's 
 Supper, tarry one for another. 
 Let there be no haste, but kindly wait 
 till the whole assembly may be con- 
 vened, so that everything may be 
 orderly and devoutly done (ver. 21). 
 Remember that it is not an ordinary 
 meal, or that its purpose is not to sat- 
 isfy the appetite. 
 
 34. If any man hunger, let him 
 eat at home ; that ye come not 
 together unto condemnation, 
 unto judgment (vtr. 29) upon yourselves. 
 It seems that the apostle would have 
 them separate it entirely from any 
 other meal. And the rest, regarding 
 details, will I set in order when I 
 come. Thus abuses were abolished 
 at Corinth. This passage has been ap- 
 pealed to by Romanists in support of 
 tradition. But they who assert tra- 
 ditions fail to prove them as authentic. 
 The apostles tnemselves referred back 
 their in.structions to the Lord and his 
 
 word ( 7 : 10 ; 9 : 14 ; 11 : 23 ; Acts 15 : 15 : 2 Peter 
 
 1 : 19-21 ). No ordinance can stand which 
 is not grounded in the word of God. 
 
 Questions have arisen as to the 
 nature of the Lord'n tapper, in it^ rela- 
 tion to social and cliurch life. Is it a 
 social meal, to be observed at any time, 
 privately or publicly, individually or 
 collectively ? Or is it a strictly relig- 
 ious ordinance to be observed by the 
 church at its gatherings ? Can a com- 
 mon meal partaken of devoutly and 
 thankfully at home be a supper of the 
 Lord, or must it be observed in the 
 church or a religious assembly ? 
 
 To this it may be replied : 
 
 1. That the Supper as instituted by 
 our Lord was not a meal in the ordi- 
 nary sense. For (1) Jesus took "a 
 loaf" (Matt., Mark, Luke, and 1 Cor., 
 according to the best text) and each of 
 the eleven received but a part of it. 
 The whole loaf (commonly thin, flat, 
 and round) was not more than enough 
 for the meal of a single person. (Comp. 
 Luke 11 : 6.) And (2) Jcsus took " a cup " 
 (best text. Matt, and Mark) and said, 
 "Drink ye all of it" (Matt.), and 
 " they all drank of it " (Mark). And 
 so a cup of wine hardly sufficient for a 
 single meal of one person is shared in 
 by the eleven. Thus as originally in- 
 stituted the Supper could be styled a 
 meal only in a limited sense. Each 
 took a small portion of the same bread 
 and the same cup. (Comp. 1 Cor. 10 : le, 22.) 
 And that it was not a social meal is 
 evident from the fact that it was to be 
 ol)served in remembrance of Christ and 
 in communion with him (iCor. io:i6; 
 
 11 : 24-26). 
 
 2. After its institution there appears 
 to be made a distinction between it and 
 ordinary meals. In Acts 2 : 42 the dis- 
 ciples " were constantly attending ui)oii 
 tlie teaching of the apostles and lellow- 
 sliip (or the distribution), the breaking 
 of bread and prayers." The Lord's 
 Supper as a religious ordinance appears 
 to be meant here by "breaking of 
 
Ch. XL] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 275 
 
 bread." But afterward it is said ( ver. 46), 
 " And daily attending with one accord 
 in the temple, and breaking bread at 
 their homes (at home) they partook 
 of their food with gladness," the most 
 natural reference being to their ordi- 
 nary meals. So also in Acts 20 : 7, 11, 
 "the breaking of bread" appears to 
 have been the Lord's Supper in connec- 
 tion with a religious service, after 
 which having "eaten," partaken of a 
 more substantial meal, Paul talked a 
 long while, and departed. Likewise in 
 1 Cor. 11 : 17 ff., Paul makes the same 
 distinction. (1) He gives the model as 
 Christ first instituted the Supper in 
 which one loaf and one cup were used 
 ^ver. 23, 25), both iu the singular number. 
 (2) He condemns their perversion of 
 the Supper, some feasting and some 
 hungry, thus treating it as an ordinary 
 social meal, showing that they had a 
 wrong conception of the ordinance as 
 well as a wrong method of observing 
 it. And (3) he enjoined that they 
 should not come to their assembly hun- 
 gry, but having eaten at home, should 
 wait for one another and observe the 
 Supper together in an orderly manner. 
 It was not for the satisfying of hunger 
 nor for the meeting of any want in 
 their social nature, but "to show the 
 Lord's death till he come." It was for 
 the discerning of the Lord's body, and 
 in remembrance of him. 
 
 3. The Lord's Supper appears to have 
 been an ordinance of the church to be 
 observed Avhen assembled for worship. 
 In the eleventh chapter of 1 Cor., Paul 
 speaks of certain customs or usages in 
 church assemblies, or public services 
 (i Cor. 11 : 16). He first speaks of the 
 conduct of women, and then of the ob- 
 servance of the Lord's Supper. In 
 both of these there were irregularities 
 among the Corinthians. The Supper 
 he connects with a church service, for 
 he says, "When ye come together in 
 church " (1 Cor. ii : IT), and also, " when 
 ye assemble yourselves together" (i Cor. 
 11:20). And as to their perversion of 
 the Lord's Supper, he says, "Despise 
 ye the church of God"' (i Cor. ii : 22), 
 thus connecting it with the local church. 
 And again he says, " When ye come to- 
 gether to eat," that is, the Lord's Sup- 
 per (1 Cor. 11 : 33), evidently addressing 
 the church at Corinth (1 Cor. 1:2). Such 
 language, used by the apostle, points to 
 
 the Supper as a church ordinance. And 
 this accords with the solemn and 
 weighty manner in which he intro- 
 duces its right observance in 11 : 23. 
 Indeed he appears to regard it as wor- 
 ship, and throughout the chapter, to be 
 solemnly connected with the public 
 worship of their church assemblies. 
 And this accords with the fact that it 
 w^as first instituted with, and entrusted 
 to, the eleven apostles, who were to be 
 the inspired organizers of his churches 
 in the world. 
 
 Pkactical Remarks. 
 
 1. Every Christian should earnestly seek 
 conformity to Christ in heart and life (ver. 
 1 ; Rom. 8 : 29 ; see Practical Remark 34, 
 on chap. 10). 
 
 2. We should foster the disposition to 
 commend whatever is commendable in 
 others (ver. 2 ; Pro v. 15 : 1 ; 25 : 15). 
 
 3. There is a divine order among all 
 existences. There is a propriety in recog- 
 nizing this order everywhere (ver. 3 : 12 ; 
 Eph. 1 : 20-22). 
 
 4. We should observe the proprieties of 
 life in religious matters as well as in 
 worldly affairs (ver. 4:5; Rom. 14 : 16). 
 
 5. The two sexes are complements of 
 each other, each having its place, and 
 neither should assume the rank, the 
 duties, or the usual costume of the other 
 (ver. 5, 6, 11, 12). 
 
 6. We cannot dishonor ourselves with- 
 out dishonoring those connected with us 
 (ver. 5:6; Rom. 2 : 23). 
 
 7. God has made man the head and 
 natural protector of the family and wo- 
 man, the queen of the home, the help- 
 mate of man (ver. 7-9; Prov. 31 : 23, 30). 
 
 8. " It is a perversion of God's ordinance 
 when a woman usurps authority over her 
 husband, or when a man from fond affec- 
 tion becomes a slave to his wife " (ver. 7- 
 9, Hedinger). 
 
 9. The NeAV Testament confirms the Mo- 
 saic narrative as historj^ and the word of 
 God (ver. 7-9 : Luke 24 : 27). 
 
 10. Christians should observe in public 
 worship proper decorum and a respect for 
 the common usages of society (ver. 7-10). 
 
 11. Angels are closely connected Avith 
 the experience, worship, and work of 
 Christians (ver. 10 ; Ps. 91 : 11 ; Luke 15 : 
 10; 16:22). 
 
276 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 12. Woman is as essentially important 
 in lier place as man is in his, both in the 
 kingdom of nature and of grace (ver. 
 11, 12). 
 
 13. The conduct of either sex in the 
 worship of God should accord with the 
 teachings of grace, nature, and common 
 sense (ver. 13-15). 
 
 14. Both man and woman have a sphere 
 in which eacli can attain the highest de- 
 velopment (ver. 11-15). 
 
 15. Both in public and private, in the 
 church and in the world, woman should 
 evince that modesty and reserve w'hich 
 are her highest ornaments (ver. 15; 1 
 Peters : 3, 4). 
 
 16. We may well hold to whatever has 
 the sanction of apostolic authority and 
 precedent (ver. 16; Eph. 2 : 20). 
 
 17. Faithful reproof is better than un- 
 qualified praise (ver. 17 ; Prov. 27 : 5, 6). 
 
 18. The Lord's Supper is a church ordi- 
 nance. The church is" to come together " 
 for its observance (ver. 18, 20, 33). 
 
 19. Divisions and factions in churches 
 result from a low state of religion, and 
 are opposed to the spirit of the gospel 
 (ver. 19 ; 1 : 10 ; 3:3; Rom. 16 : 17). 
 
 20. God often uses divisions among 
 Christians to show who are his true dis- 
 ciples (ver. 19 ; Rev. 3 : 10). 
 
 21. There is a tendency in even the best 
 of Christians to degenerate and depart 
 from the simplicity of the gospel (ver. 
 20-22 ; Gal. 1:6:1 Tim. 4 : 6, 7). 
 
 22. The Lord's Supper cannot be pro- 
 perly observed by any one while exercis- 
 ing a spirit of selfishness and greed (ver. 
 21, 22, 34). 
 
 23. The abuses of the Lord's Supper 
 have arisen in departing from its original 
 simplicity. Thus in the popish mass and 
 in the additions of ritual churches (ver. 
 23; ITim. 4 : 6, 7). 
 
 24. The best way to uproot error is to 
 preach the truth in all its simplicity (ver. 
 23,24; 2; 1, 5; Acts 20 : 27). 
 
 25. The Lord's Supper is not of the 
 nature of a feast or of a sacrifice, but is 
 a syralx)lic commemoration of the death 
 of Christ (ver. 2:^, 26). 
 
 26. As to its design it is a memorial, a 
 loving remembrance of his sufferings and 
 death for us (ver. 24, 25). 
 
 27. It is not an ordinance of heaven, 
 
 but of churches on earth to be continued 
 till Christ's second coming. Then we 
 shall no longer need it, for we shall see 
 him and be like him (ver. 26; 1 John 
 3 : 2). 
 
 28. It is not a private but a public or- 
 dinance of the assembled church, pro- 
 claiming the Lord's death for them, and 
 their belief in his second coming (ver. 
 26; Gal. 3:1: Ileb. 9 : 2S). 
 
 29. It should be approached reverently, 
 and partaken of penitently in humble 
 faith in Christ, as an atoning and all- 
 sufficient Saviour (ver. 27-29). 
 
 30. It should be preceded by self-ex- 
 amination and a renewed consecration to 
 Christ, and should be treated, not as a 
 common meal, but as a solemn symboliza- 
 tion of the body and blood of Christ (ver. 
 28, 29; John 6 : 53, 54). 
 
 31. An improper and irreverent observ- 
 ance of the Lord's Supper Ls especially 
 displeasing to God, and may be followed 
 by Divine chastisement (ver. 27, 29, 30, 32). 
 
 32. If we would not incur the displeasure 
 of our Lord we must deal honestly with 
 ourselves, renounce our sins, and ap- 
 proach his table penitently with a desire 
 to honor him and advance his cause 
 (ver. 31). 
 
 33. God's design in chastisement is that 
 his people may be reclaimed, not de- 
 stroyed (ver. 32; Heb. 12 : 5-8; 2 Cor. 
 6:9). 
 
 34. At the Lord's table the rich and poor 
 meet together, and all stand on a common 
 level before God (ver. 21, 33, 34). 
 
 35. Human tradition is nothing, but 
 God's word and ordinances, as they come 
 to us through inspired men, are supreme 
 (ver. 34 ; Col. 2 : 8 ; 2 Peter 1 : 21). 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Paul passes to spiritual gifts concern- 
 ing which it would seem the Corin- 
 thians had asked certain questions in 
 their letter. The discussion is con- 
 tinued to the end of tlie fourteenth 
 chapter. He first speaks of the nature 
 and test of spiritual gifts (i-3) ; then 
 treats of their unity and diversity (+-11) ; 
 illustrates by the human body in which 
 there are many members ('2-u), but 
 none to be overrated or despised ( 12-26). 
 Application of these principles to the 
 
Ch. XIL] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 277 
 
 Reproofs and instructions concerning 
 spiritual gifts. 
 
 12 NOW •> concerning spiritual gifts, 
 brethren, I would not have you igno- 
 
 2 rant. Ye know J that ye were Gentiles, 
 carried away unto these J dumb idols, 
 
 3 even as ye were led. Wherefore I give 
 you to understand, ^that no man 
 speaking by the Spirit of God calleth 
 Jesus accursed : and i that no man can 
 
 12 NOW concerning the spiritual ^ifts, 
 brethren, I do not wish you to be igno- 
 rant. 
 
 2 Ye know that when ye were Gentiles 
 ye were carried away to the dumb 
 idols, in whatever way ye were led. 
 
 3 Wherefore I make known to you, that 
 no one speaking in the Spirit of God 
 
 ft 14 : 1, 37. 
 
 i Eph.-2 : 11, 12 ; 1 Thess. 1 : 9 ; 1 Peter 4:3. j Ps. 115 : 5, 7. 
 
 I Matt. 16 : 16, 17 ; John 15 : 26. 
 
 k 1 John 4 : 2, 3. 
 
 Corinthians, as a church of Christ 
 (27-31). In this whole discussion we 
 have a vivid picture of a remarkable 
 period of Christianity, when super- 
 natural gifts were enjoyed. 
 
 1-17. Origin, nature, test, 
 unity, and diversity of spiritual 
 
 GIFTS. 
 
 1. The apostle commences as in 7 : 1 ; 
 7 : 25 ; and 8 : 1. Now concerning 
 spiritual gifts, better, Now concern- 
 ing the spiritual — well known to the 
 Corinthian church, and about which 
 they had probably consulted him {^ ■ i). 
 Some word is understood expressive of 
 those agencies emanating from the Holy 
 Spirit. Some supply persons; others 
 supply matters. But gifts seems to be 
 the best word, mentioned in ver. 4, 
 upon which is the whole discussion, 
 and which formed one of the charac- 
 teristics of the apostolic churches. These 
 gifts were supernatural endowments 
 which came in accordance with pro- 
 phecy (Joel 2 : 28) and the promise and 
 prediction of our Saviour (John u : le, 26; 
 Mark 16 : 17, 18: Acts 1 : 5), and Were gene- 
 rally diffused among believers ( Acts 2:4; 
 10:44-46), and exhibited great diversity 
 
 ( ver. 28-30 ; Rom. 12 : 6-8 ; Eph. 4 ; 7-11), It is 
 
 noi, strange that certain disorders and 
 abuses should arise. Some deceived, 
 or deceiving, would claim what they 
 did not possess, or more than they pos- 
 sessed. Some would be dissatisfied 
 with their own gift and envy others. 
 Some would be forward and ostenta- 
 tious, and thus rivalries and confusion 
 would arise in their public assemblies. 
 It would seem also that the gift of 
 tongues had come to be regarded as 
 pre-eminent, even to the detraction of 
 other gifts, such as the gift of prophecy. 
 To correct these evils Paul proceeds to 
 show that all gifts proceed from the 
 
 Spirit, and in the next chapter that 
 love is the greatest and guide of all, 
 and finally in chapter fourteen, that the 
 gift of prophecy was superior to that 
 of tongues, and that order should pre- 
 vail in all they did in their assemblies. 
 I would not have you ignorant, 
 better, / do not wish you to he ignorant. 
 
 (See on 10 : 1.) 
 
 3. Ye know that ye were Gen- 
 tiles — according to the most approved 
 text, that lohen ye were Gentiles, heathen 
 in fact as well as in name. The church 
 at Corinth was largely Gentile ( Acts is : 
 6-11). Ye were carried away, blind- 
 ly led without reason, to the dumb 
 idols in ivhatever way ye were led. 
 The dumb, the deaf, and voiceless idol 
 was suggestive, by way of contrast, of 
 the speakings by prophecy, tongues, 
 and otherwise of the Spirit. (Comp. Ps. 
 115 :5; Hab. 2:18, 19.) Their fonucr con- 
 dition is emphasized when they were 
 blindly carried away by tlie delusive 
 utterance of pagan priests and priest- 
 esses to worship inanimate idols, A 
 contrast indeed with the divine Spirit 
 dwelling within them, and acting in 
 harmony with the faculties of their 
 souls. 
 
 3. Wherefore, because you have 
 been in such a state, blinded and ig- 
 norant, I give you to understand. 
 You need instruction in regard to the 
 extraordinary gifts of the Spirit ; and 
 therefore /?7io^e knoivn to you certain 
 fundamental characteristics of the gifts, 
 namely: "Jesus is not execrated, but 
 confessed as Lord " (Meyer). That 
 no man speaking by, rather, in, 
 the Spirit of God— pervaded by the 
 Spirit, calleth Jesus accursed. 
 (See on Rom. 9:3). The veiy idea is ex- 
 cluded by the fact that the speaker 
 dwells as it were in the Spirit. And 
 that no man can say (omit that) 
 
278 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 sav that Jesus is the Lord, but by the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 4 Now " there are diversities of gifts, 
 
 5 but ° the same Spirit : " and there are 
 differences of administrations, but the 
 
 6 same Lord : and there are diversities 
 of operations, but it is the same God 
 
 7 P which worketh all in all. iBut the 
 manifestation of the Spirit is given to 
 
 8 every man to profit withal. For to one 
 
 says, Jesus is accursed ; and no one 
 can say, Jesus is Lord, but in the Holy 
 Spirit. 
 
 Now there are diversities of gifts, 
 but the same Spirit. And there are di- 
 versities of services, and the same 
 Lord. And there are diversities of 
 workings, but the same God who works 
 all in all. But to each one is given the 
 manifestation of the Spirit, for profit- 
 
 m Heb. 2 : 4 ; 1 Peter 4 : 10. 
 
 p Eph. 1 : 23. 
 
 n Eph. 4:4. o Ver. 28, 29 ; Rom. 12 : 6-« ; Eph. 4 : 11, 12. 
 
 q Eph. 4 : 7 ; 1 Peter 4 : 10, 11. 
 
 Jesus is Lord, but by, rather, m the 
 Holy Ghost, Spirit, as above. (Comp. 
 Phil. 2:11). The apostle does not mean 
 the mere utterance of these words, but 
 the hearty and true confession of them 
 which can only be spoken by one who 
 is enlightened by the Holy Spirit. 
 Compare, " Ye received the Spirit of 
 adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Fa- 
 ther " (Rom. 8 : 15), and Peter's confession 
 and our Lord's reply (Matt. i6: le, n). 
 See also a similar test in 1 John 4 : 1-3. 
 " Paul furnishes a test of truth against 
 Gentiles ; John against false prophets " 
 (Bengel). Paul lays a broad founda- 
 tion. The Spirit is not confined to ex- 
 traordinary gifts, but extends in his in- 
 fluence to all gifts, and to the very be- 
 ginnings of spiritual life. The Spirit is 
 the origin of all ; and we w^ould natu- 
 rally expect a great variety of gifts pro- 
 ceeding from him (next verse). 
 
 4. The diversity and unity of the 
 gifts of the Spirit are stated and ex- 
 plained in this and the two following 
 verses. Now there are diversities, 
 divisions or disfributio7i^, of grifts. The 
 word translated gifts is used only by 
 Paul in the New Testament, except 1 
 Peter 4 : 10, and means a gift of divine 
 
 grace or favor. ( see l : 7 ; 7:7; 2 Cor. 1 : 11 ; 
 Rom. 1 : 11: 5 : 15: 6 : 23; 11 : 29.) It is USCd 
 
 almost always in this Epistle of special 
 gracious eyidowments of the Holy Spirit ; 
 in addition to the ordinary fruits of the 
 Spirit (oai. 5:22), whicli exist in the 
 believer in such a way as to fit him 
 thereby to actively serve the cause of 
 
 Christ (ver. 28-31 ; 1 Peter 4 : lO), But thC 
 
 same Spirit, bestows the gifts on 
 believers as he will " (ver. ii). Notice 
 how the different persons of the Trinity 
 are connected Avith these gracious en- 
 dowments (this and next two verses). 
 
 5. And there are differences, 
 rather, diro'sifics (the same word as in 
 ver. 4), of administrations, or serv- 
 
 ices, but the same Lord, under 
 w horn and to whom these services are 
 performed. 
 
 6. And there are diversities of 
 operations, the workings, the deeds 
 wrought, the effects produced ; but 
 (omit it is according to the best text) 
 the same God which worketh all, 
 these workings of the Spirit, in all, 
 upon whom they are bestowed. Notice 
 how Paul presents three sides of these 
 extraordinary gifts : gracious bestow- 
 ments, services to the cause, and effect- 
 ive results ; and three sides of the Di- 
 vine agency : the Holy Spirit who be- 
 stows the gift on each individual be- 
 liever ; Christ, the Lord and Master, 
 the Head of the church to whom and 
 under whom the services are performed ; 
 and God, the Father, the cause of all 
 power, who gives efficiency to all work- 
 ings of the Spirit. The same ascending 
 divine gradation is observed here as 
 elsewhere (Eph. 4: 6), according to the 
 parts performed by the Father, Son, 
 and Spirit, in the work of redemption. 
 Thus in tliese gracious endowments 
 there is unity in their origin, in their 
 ministry, and in their effects. 
 
 7. Paul states the olyect of these 
 gifts — the l)enefit of others. But the 
 manifestation of the Spirit is 
 given to each one, to each Christian 
 thus receiving the gift, to profit 
 withal, for profiting, others. The 
 Spirit indeed makes known his power 
 in them, and they working with the 
 Spirit (3 :9), make known his power to 
 others. Thus these extraordinary en- 
 dowments become at once evidences 
 that they were of God, and at the same 
 time the means of conveying truth and 
 the knowledge of salvation to others. 
 
 8. The apostle proceeds to confirm 
 wliat he had said in ver. 7, at the same 
 time .specifying the various gracious 
 gifts, which in their very nature are for 
 
Ch. XII.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 279 
 
 is given by the Spirit «■ the word of wis- 
 dom ; to another ^the word of knowl- 
 
 9 edge by the same Spirit ; *■ to another 
 faith by tlie same Spirit ; to auotlier 
 "the gifts of healing by the same 
 
 10 Spirit; ^to another the worting of 
 miracles ; to another j prophecy ; ^ to 
 another discerning of spirits ; to an- 
 other "-divers kinds of tongues; to 
 
 8 ing. For to one is given through the 
 Spirit a word of wisdom; and to 
 another a word of knowledge accord- 
 
 9 ing to the same Spirit; to another 
 faith, in the same Spirit; and to 
 another gifts of healings in the one 
 
 10 Spirit; and to another workings of 
 miracles ; to another prophecy ; to 
 another discerning of spirits ; to 
 another various kinds of tongues ; and 
 
 r 2 : 6, 7 ; Eph. 1 : 17. 
 
 s 1 : 5 ; 2 Cor. a : 7. 
 
 « 13 : 2 ; Matt. 17 : 19, 20. 
 
 u Mark 16 : 18 ; Acts 3:6; James 5 : 14. 
 
 X Mark 16 : 17 ; Acts 6 : 8. 
 
 y 14 : 1, etc. ; Acts 11 : 28 ; Rom. 12 : 6. 
 
 zU: 29; Acts 8 : 21 ; 1 John 4 
 
 1-3 ; Rev. 2 : 1, 2. 
 
 o 14 : 18 ; Acts 2:4; 10 : 46. 
 
 the good of others. For, to appeal to 
 facts and illustrate, to one is given 
 by, rather, through, the Spirit the 
 
 Avord, rather, a ivord, a discourse or 
 utterance, of wisdom, concerning 
 the divine plan, previously hidden, of 
 salvation for men through the death of 
 Christ (2:6). To another, a word, 
 discourse or utterance, of knoAVledge, 
 showing deep insight into the truths of 
 religion (i3:2). The word of wisdom 
 may be regarded as tlie gift of reveal- 
 ing the hidden truths of the gospel 
 which belonged to the apostles and 
 some other inspired men ; the word of 
 knowledge as a gift for understanding 
 and explaining these truths, which be- 
 longed also to other teachers. By, bet- 
 ter, according to, the same Spirit. 
 Notice the unity of these various gifts 
 is kept in view to the end of ver. 11. 
 They emanate from the Spirit and are 
 disposed to each as the Spirit wills. 
 
 9. To another faith. This is not 
 saving faith, for that is common to all 
 believers ; nor a faith of miracles, for 
 that is too narrow, and is also named 
 in the next verse. It rather refers to 
 an unusual confidence and assurance, 
 bestowed by the Spirit on believers for 
 great occasions, peculiar emergencies, 
 or important missions. Such seems to 
 have been the faith of Stephen (Acts 
 
 6 : 5, 15 ; 7 : 56) ; it is like the " fullnCSS of 
 
 faith" in Heb. 10 : 22, and of the mar- 
 tyrs in the eleventh chapter of the 
 Hebrews. To another the gifts of 
 healing, rather, of healings. The 
 plural is used in reference to the differ- 
 ent endowments exercised in healing 
 different diseases. These gifts seem to 
 have been common in the apostolic 
 
 age (Mark 16 : 18 ; Acts 3 : 7; 5 : 15, 16; 9 : 34 ; 
 19 : 11, 12 ; 28 : 8, 9 ; James 5 : 14, 15). By, morC 
 
 exactly, hi, by and through, the same 
 Spirit . . . one Spirit. The expres- 
 
 sion varies, but the unity of the source 
 and medium of the power is kept in 
 view. The Spirit contains all these 
 powers in himself and confers them. 
 
 10. To another, workings of mira- 
 cles — effects produced by the exercise of 
 miraculous power ; the power of work- 
 ing miracles in general (Acts 9 : 40; is : 11 ; 
 16:18). The ability to understand and 
 heal diseases (ver. 9) of course is not in- 
 cluded. To another jjrophecy; 
 speaking by the inspiration of the 
 Spirit and declaring the purposes of 
 God. (See on 11 : 4.) This is to be distin- 
 guished from ordinary propliesying and 
 preaching. To another discerning 
 of si)irits, having the power to dis- 
 tinguish and decide whether one is 
 speaking by the Spirit of God, by his 
 own unaided power, or by an evil 
 
 spirit ( 1 Tim. 4 : 1 ; 1 John 4:1). They COUld 
 
 decide not only between the false and 
 the true, but also in regard to the spir- 
 itual value of the utterances, (see on 
 14:29.) To another divers kinds 
 of tongues ; enabling him to speak 
 in languages not his own (Acts 2: 4,11) 
 and in tongues different from all known 
 tongues (14:10), Those endowed with 
 tongues appear to have been in a high 
 state of spiritual ecstasy, speaking, 
 singing, and praying (i4:6, 14, 15; Acts 
 2 : 11). It seems to have been an act of 
 worship rather than of teaching. There 
 is no evidence that the apostles used it 
 in preaching the gospel to foreign 
 nations. Besides the description of 
 the gift of tongues in this and the four- 
 teenth chapters of this Epistle, the only 
 direct information is found in Acts 
 2 : 1 ff. ; 10 : 46 ; 19 : 6 ; and Mark 16 : 
 17. It is not mentioned in the later 
 Epistles, and it probably continued no 
 longer than the apostolic age. (See 
 note on Acts 2:4; and Schaff, " His. of 
 Chris. Ch.," Vol. I., pp. 234-242). To 
 
280 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 another *> the interpretation of tongues. 
 
 11 But all thej^e worketh that one and 
 the selfsame Spirit, <= dividing to every 
 man severally ''as he will. 
 
 12 For <^ as the body is one, and hath 
 many membei-s, and all the members 
 of that one body, being many, are one 
 
 13 body: 'so also in Christ. For sby one 
 Spirit are we all baptized into one 
 body, h -whether ive be Jews or Gen- 
 tiles, whether we be bond or free ; and 
 * have been all made to drink into one 
 Spirit. 
 
 to another interpretation of tongues. 
 
 11 But all these works the one and the 
 same Spirit, dividing to each one sever- 
 ally even as he will. 
 
 12 For as the lx)dy is one and has many 
 members, and all the members of the 
 body, being many, are one body, so 
 
 13 also is the Christ. For in one spirit we 
 were all baptized into one body, 
 whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond 
 or free ; and were all made to drink of 
 
 6 14 : 27. c 7 : 7 ; Rom. 12 : 6. d Heb. 2:4. e Rom. 12 : 4, 5 ; Eph. 4 : 4, 16. / Ver. 27 ; Gal. 3 : 16. 
 g Matt. 3 : 11 ; Eph. 4 : 4, 5. h Gal. 3 : 28 ; Eph. 2 : 13, 14, 16. i John 7 : 51-39. 
 
 another the interpretation of 
 tongues ; the ability to translate the 
 tongue, and explain its meaning. This 
 was not needed at Pentecost, for every 
 one heard in the language in which he 
 was born (Acts2:b). For further on 
 this gift see 14 : 5, 23, 26, 27. There are 
 nine gifts named here, eight implied in 
 ver. 28, and seven in ver. 29, 30. 
 
 11. Having thus enumerated these 
 gifts the apo.stle again emphasizes their 
 unity, bestowed and wrought by the 
 one Spirit. But all these diversities 
 of gifts Avorketh that one and the 
 selfsame Spirit. Notice that what 
 is said of God in ver. 6, is here said of 
 the Spirit, dividing to every man 
 (compare the cloven or distributing 
 tongues of Acts 2 : 3) severally, re- 
 spectively and individually, as he 
 will, not arbitrarily, but deliberately 
 and discriminately, according to the 
 capacity, disposition, and mental fit- 
 ness of each believer. The personality 
 of the Spirit is implied, as one who 
 works and wills. 
 
 12. The unity of these diverse 
 gifts illustrated by the human 
 body ; and the principle applied 
 to the church. 
 
 12. For as the body is one and 
 hath many members, etc. This 
 figure is a common one, and a favorite 
 
 one with Paul ( Rom. 12 : 4. 5 ; Eph. 4 : 16 : .5 : 
 
 .30: Col. 2 : 19). In the human organism 
 there is diversity in unity. So also 
 is Christ in relation to and in connec- 
 tion Witll Ills church (ver. 28; comp. 3 : I6; 
 
 John 15:1). " The whole Christ ncludes 
 the head and the body" (Augustine). 
 Believers are spiritually in Christ (Rom. 
 12 : 6; 2 Cor. .5 17) ; and a Spiritual unity 
 pervades Chri.st and his people. 
 
 13. Confirms this unity of believers 
 
 in Christ, by an appeal to facts in their 
 own Christian experience. For by, 
 rather, in one Spirit, regenerated 
 and renewed (Eph. 3 : 24 ; coi. 3 : 10) are 
 we all, rather, tve irere all bap- 
 tized into one body, into one 
 spiritual organism. Their unity was 
 in one Spirit, in one baptism, and in 
 the one spiritual body of Christ. Bap- 
 tism has its spiritual side, which it 
 symbolized by the outward form (Rem. 
 fi:4-5). Compare "in" or "into the 
 
 name " (Matt. 28 : 19. on which see note) and 
 
 " For as many of you as have been {as 
 were) baptized into Christ have {diil) 
 put on Christ" (Gai. 3:27). Baptism 
 implies not differences among believers 
 but oneness, their unity, however op- 
 posite their nationalities, Avhether 
 Jews or Gentiles (rather, Greeks), 
 or however different their social condi- 
 tions, whether bond or free. And 
 have heen, 2cere, all made to drink 
 — according to the best text — of one 
 Spirit, a seeming allusion to the Lord's 
 Supper, of which they first partook 
 immediately after their baptism, spir- 
 itual partaking of Christ ( 10 : ifi). What 
 the apostle says in this verse can be 
 true only of true believers, and he 
 takes for granted that the Corinthian 
 brethren are such. The partaking of 
 the Lord's Supper points also to their 
 oneness in Christ. Jn regard to the ref- 
 erence to drinking, rather than of eat- 
 ing, comp. 10 : 2-4 ; 11 : 26 ; John 4 : 14 ; 
 7 : 37, 38. " It is clear from this passage 
 that Paul considers the unity of tlie 
 church not as something formed from 
 without, but as fashioned from with- 
 in" (Neander). Some, liowever, see 
 no allusion to the SupjH'r.'and refer it 
 to the finst reception of the Spirit when 
 the soul is born from above (John 3 : 3-6), 
 
Ch. XII.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 281 
 
 14 For the body is not one member, but 
 
 15 many. If the' foot shall say, Because I 
 am hot the hand, I am not of the 
 body ; is it therefore not of the body ? 
 
 16 And if the ear shall say, Becavise I am 
 not the eye, I am not of the body ; is it 
 
 17 therefore not of the body? If the 
 whole body were an eye, where were 
 the hearing? If the whole i<;ere hear- 
 
 18 ing, where were the smelling? But 
 now hath ^ God set the members every 
 one of them in the body, i as it hath 
 
 19 pleased him. And if they were all one 
 
 20 member, where were the body? But 
 
 14 one Spirit. For the body also is not 
 
 15 one member, but many. If the foot 
 say, Because I am not* a hand, I am 
 no't of the body ; it is not therefore not 
 
 16 of the body. And if the ear say. Be- 
 cause I am not an eye, I am not of the 
 body ; it is not therefore not of the 
 
 17 body. If the whole body were an eye, 
 Avhere were the hearing ? If the whole 
 were hearing, where were the smell- 
 
 18 ing ? But as it is, God has set the mem- 
 bers each one of them in the body, 
 
 19 even as he wished. And if they were 
 all one member, where were the body ? 
 
 k Ver. 28. 
 
 iVer. 11; 3 : 5. 
 
 henceforth the Spirit becoming an abid- 
 ing possession. Some of tliese would 
 translate, And all were watered with 
 (3:6,7), that is, figuratively, imbued 
 toith one Spirit, such as the miraculous 
 endowments connected with the bap- 
 tism of the Spirit at Pentecost. 
 
 14, The same leading thought is 
 kept in view, unity yet diversity, and 
 all in harmony. For, so it is, also 
 with the human body ; it is not one 
 member, it does not consist of one 
 limb with its particular office and func- 
 tion, but of many, each having its 
 own office, function, and work, for the 
 good of the whole. Having laid do^vn 
 this premise the apostle goes on to 
 apply it to those who disparage their 
 own gift on the one hand, and to those 
 who despise the gifts of others on the 
 other. 
 
 15, 16. You must not therefore un- 
 derrate your own gift ( ver. 15-20) . If the 
 foot shall say. Because I am not 
 the hand, rather, a hand, I am not 
 of the body; is it therefore, etc. 
 This clause and the corresponding one 
 in ver. 16 are not questions, but strong 
 denials of the preceding declarations: 
 It is not, therefore, on that account, not 
 of the body, equivalent to, it is still, 
 for all that, of the body, it belongs to 
 it. The saying so does not make it so. 
 The foot has its office, and functions, 
 and is connected with the body, and the 
 body cannot get along without it. No 
 other member can take its place, and 
 do its work. So also of the ear in its 
 revelation to the eye. The application 
 to Christians as members of Christ's 
 body is evident. Each has his place, 
 his gift, and work, according to his 
 capacity and ability, and no one can 
 fill his particular place or do his in- 
 
 ! dividual work. No one is unimportant 
 in Christ's estimation ; there is no cause 
 for discontent (1 Tim. 6:6). It is suffi- 
 cient that it is the will of the Spirit 
 (ver. 11), and that each believer holds 
 that relation which his Lord and Master 
 would have him. 
 
 17. By two pointed interrogations 
 Paul shows that the suppositions in the 
 two preceding verses were preposterous 
 and absurd. If the whole body 
 were an eye, where Avere the 
 hearing? the important function of 
 the ear. How could the body do with- 
 out the hearing and the smelling ? To 
 deprive the body of its members, or to 
 make it consist of one or more con- 
 spicuous members, would be to destroy 
 its organism, to throw it out of harmony 
 with itself, and unfit it for usefulness. 
 But as well might this be as for Chris- 
 tians to be all apostles, or all prophets, 
 or all pastors, or all deacons. (Comp. ver. 
 
 29,30.) 
 
 18. But now, as it really is, hath 
 God set, or more exactly, God set or 
 disjjosed the members generally, in 
 the original constitution of the body at 
 creation, every one, better, each one, 
 of them in the body, each having 
 its place and function, and hence im- 
 portant, as it hath pleased him, or, 
 as he unshed. God's good pleasure 
 should be the end of argument. His 
 wisdom and goodness are infinite and 
 his right is unquestionable. 
 
 19. And if they ^vere all one 
 member, where were the body? 
 what would become of the organization 
 of the body as a whole ? The thought 
 is absurd and preposterous, as in ver. 
 17. The body having its many mem- 
 bers concentrated into one would be no 
 longer a body, but a monstrosity. As 
 
282 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 now are they many members, yet but 
 
 21 one body. And the eye cannot say 
 unto the hand, I have no need of thee : 
 nor again the head to the feet, I have 
 
 22 no need of you. Nay, much more those 
 members of the body which seem to be 
 
 23 more feeble are necessary : and those 
 mehibers of the body, which we think to 
 be less lionourable, u^xin these we be- 
 stow more abundant honour ; and our 
 uncomely parts have more abundant 
 
 24 comeliness : for our comely parts have 
 no need. But God hath tempered the 
 body together, having given more 
 abundant honour to that part which 
 
 25 lacked : that there should be no schism 
 
 20 But now there are many members, 
 
 21 but one body. And the eye can not 
 say to the hand, I have no need of thee ; 
 nor again the head to the feet, I have 
 
 22 no need of you. Nay. much more the 
 members of the body which seem to be 
 
 23 more feeble, are necessary ; and those 
 parts of the body which we think to be 
 less honorable, on these we bestow 
 more abundant honor; and our un- 
 comely parts have more abundant 
 
 24 comeliness ; but our comelv parts have 
 no need. But God ternpered the 
 body together, giving more abundant 
 
 25 honor to that which lacked ; that 
 there might be no division in the 
 
 a body, performing the many duties of 
 a body, it would cease to be. 
 
 20. But now, as it really is, are 
 they, rather, there are many mem- 
 bers, yet but one body, these all 
 have their place, and go to make up 
 the one body. As in all organisms, 
 there is plurality in unity, and all in 
 harmony. The perfection of the body 
 consists in its many harmonious parts. 
 The loss of even one mars its unity. 
 
 21. And so one member must not 
 disparage or despise another. And 
 since all the members are parts of the 
 body, the eye cannot say to the 
 hand, I have no need of thee ; 
 they are mutually dependent, and one 
 is helpful to the other. The same is 
 true of the head and the feet. One 
 possessing superior gifts is not inde- 
 pendent of one having inferior gifts; 
 nor must he show pride because of his 
 own, nor contempt toward those of the 
 other. The illustration here is the re- 
 verse of that in ver. 15, 16. 
 
 22. 23. In contrast with the nega- 
 tive the apostle presents the positive 
 side. Nay, much more, or, nay, 
 rather tlian claiming no need of inferior 
 members, even those members of 
 the body, which seem to be — in 
 their own nature — more feeble, are 
 necessary. Tie does not name any, 
 but simply affirms a fact, the weaker 
 members are necessary. So there is no 
 unnecessary gift or member in Christ's 
 body ; the feeblest are necessary as well 
 as the strongest. And those which 
 we think to be less honourable 
 upon those we bestow, or clothe 
 with, more abundant honour, such 
 as the trunk an<l the linil)s, and our 
 uncomely, or, >insrrw/j/, parts, have 
 more abundant comeliness, by 
 
 means ofcovering and ornament. " 'The 
 weaker,' ' the less honorable,' and ' the 
 uncomely,' are best left undefined, as 
 the apostle has left them ; the words 
 being accumulated and varied design- 
 edly so as to include all parts of the 
 human frame, without specifying any" 
 (Stanley). Christianity may exist 
 without a Christian philosopher, or the 
 brilliant pulpit orator, but the humble, 
 every-day Christian is necessary to the 
 maintenance of the Christian church. 
 Churches do exist, though apostles have 
 fulfilled their mission and passed away, 
 but they could not exist without the 
 prayers and godly lives of the great 
 mass of its memliers in humble life. 
 
 24. The first clause, which is a con- 
 trast of the preceding statement, right- 
 fullj' belongs to the preceding verse. 
 For, rather. But, our comely parts 
 have no need, of such care bestowed 
 upon them, for example, the face, with 
 its organs, needs no covering. But, 
 begins a new sentence, and contrasts 
 the divine side with the human. But, 
 turning from what we do to the mem- 
 bers individually, God, treating them 
 as a whole with wise design (omit 
 hath) tempered the body, caused 
 its various parts to unite together in its 
 organic structure at creation, having 
 given, better, giriug, more abun- 
 dant honour to that part Avhich 
 lacked, the weak, the less honorable, 
 and the uncomely of ver. 22, 23. By 
 way of compensation God honors these 
 through the natural instincts and feel- 
 ings of men, which leads them to bestow 
 upon them si)ecial care and protection. 
 
 25. Cod's object in so dis]>osing the 
 members of the body. That there 
 should be no schism in the body, 
 no division of feeling and interest as 
 
Ch. XII.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 283 
 
 in the body , but that the members 
 should have the same care one for 
 
 26 another : ™ and whether one member 
 suffer, all the members siiffer with it ; 
 or one member be honoured, all the 
 members rejoice with it. 
 
 27 Now n ye are the body of Christ, and 
 
 28 members in particular. And " God hath 
 set some in the church, first p apostles, 
 
 body, but that the members might 
 have the same care one for another. 
 
 26 And whether one member suffers, all 
 the members suffer with it; or one 
 member is honored, all the members 
 rejoice with it. 
 
 27 Now ye are Christ's body and sever- 
 
 28 ally members of it. And God set some 
 in the church, first apostles, secondly 
 
 7)1 Rom. 12 : 15 ; Gal. 6 : 2 ; 1 Peter 3:8. n Rom. 12 : 5 ; Eph. 4 : 12 ; 5 : 23, 30 ; Col. 1 : 24. 
 
 o Ver. 7-11 ; Rom. 12 : 6-8 ; Eph. 4 : 11. p Eph. 2 : 20 ; 3:5. 
 
 displayed in ver. 21 ; but that the 
 members should have the same 
 care one for another, that there 
 sliould be no partiality, but each exer- 
 cising the same interest toward all the 
 others. Paul has in mind the divisions 
 at Corinth, and that they highly hon- 
 ored some gifts to the disparagement of 
 others, and his language is modified 
 thereby. For example it would seem 
 from chap. 11 that they overvalued the 
 gift of tongues and undervalued proph- 
 ecy. There were also class distinctions 
 among them (11:22)^ and other divi- 
 sions (3:3). 
 
 26. Not only is there a care among 
 all the members of the body individu- 
 ally (ver. 25), but there is a collective 
 sympathy toward any one member. 
 And whether one member suf- 
 fer, all the members suffer with 
 it. A common experience ; pain even 
 in the extremities of the bodj^ atfects 
 the whole. Or one member be hon- 
 oured, all the members rejoice 
 with it. "The head is crowned, and 
 all the man is glorified ; the lips speak, 
 and the eyes also laugh and rejoice " 
 
 ( CHRYSOSTOM ) . ( Comp. ver. 22, 23, and Rom. 
 12 : 15; Gal. 6 : 1, 2.) Tllis WaS SUggCStivC 
 
 to the Corinthians, that they should 
 exercise mutual sympathy, honor one 
 another's gifts, and rejoice in one an- 
 other's prosperity (i3 : 4-7). 
 
 27. Paul now applies what he had 
 said of the human body to the church 
 at Corinth. Now ye, the Corinthian 
 church, are the body of Christ, or 
 more exactly, are Christ's body, and 
 members in particular — individu- 
 ally members of it. As the church at 
 Corinth could be said to be God's tem- 
 ple, the Spirit of God dwelling in them 
 (3 : 16), so in a like sense a local church 
 can be styled Christ's body, since his 
 Spirit is present with it, and dwells in 
 its members individually (6 : 15. 19). 
 Possessing the Spirit of Christ it par- 
 
 takes of the nature and quality of 
 Christ, represents Christ and his col- 
 lective discipleship, imaging forth spir- 
 itually their characteristics. Each 
 member has his particular place, func- 
 tion, and work. 
 
 28. A more general application with 
 reference to spiritual gifts. How God 
 disposed these gifts in the church. And 
 God (omit hath) set some in the 
 church, when he constituted it. This 
 is parallel with ver. 18. As " body " is 
 used, though there be many bodies, so 
 church, though there be many local 
 churches. Paul is speaking of spiritual 
 gifts, and he mentions those ofiices 
 which were especially endowed with 
 them, which endowment took place in 
 the church at Jerusalem on the day of 
 Pentecost, and afterward as it pleased 
 God and the occasion demanded. 
 The word church then can have a gen- 
 eral reference to the Jerusalem church, 
 or it may be used abstractly of churches 
 in general, or generally of the aggre- 
 gate discipleship throughout the world. 
 Why may it not combine all these ideas 
 in a general way ? Is not the church 
 here, according to Paul's idea, that of 
 which any true Christian church was 
 an exponent, and which could in a 
 sense be applied to any local church, 
 as he certainly does apply it in a gen- 
 eral way to the church at Corinth, (see 
 note on Acts 9 : 31. ) Commentators generally 
 apply it to the whole body of Christians 
 scattered throughout the world, (see 
 
 note on Matt. 16 : 18. ) It will be UOticcd that 
 
 Paul does not mention in the list that 
 follows the officers of the local church, 
 but what might be styled the official 
 organs of the Spirit in the churches. 
 First apostles, first chosen, first in 
 rank, richly endowed with various gifts 
 (Matt. 10 : 1), and the inspired organizers 
 of churches. To the Twelve Paul was 
 added. (See9:i.) They belong to the 
 churches in general. They were the 
 
284 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 secondarily i prophets, thirdly teach- 
 ers, after that ^ miracles, then » gifts of 
 healings, » helps, "governments, di- 
 
 29 versities of tongues. ^ re all apostles? 
 Are all prophets? Are all teachers? 
 
 30 Are all workers of miracles? Have all 
 the gifts of healing ? Do all speak with 
 tongues ? Do all interpret ? 
 
 31 But ^ covet earnestly the best gifts : 
 and yet show I unto you a more excel- 
 lent \vay. 
 
 prophets, thirdly teachers, then mira- 
 cles, then gifts of healings, helps, gov- 
 
 29 ernings, various kinds of tongues. Are 
 all apostles ? Are all prophets ? Are all 
 teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 
 
 30 Have all gifts of healings? Do all 
 speak with tongues ? Do all interpret? 
 
 31 But desire earnestly the greater gifts ; 
 and a still more excellent way I show 
 you. 
 
 q Luke 6 : 13 ; Acts 13 : 1. r Ver. 10. s Ver. 9. 
 
 ■u 1 Tim. 5 : 17 ; Heb. 13 : 17, 24. 
 
 <Xum. 11 : 17: Acts 6 : 3, 4. 
 a; 14 : 1, 39. 
 
 connecting link between the spiritual 
 kingdom and the outward church. 
 They had no successors. Even when 
 James, the brother of John, was slain, 
 no successor was appointed (Acts 12 : i. 
 See note on Acts 1 : 26). Secondarily, bet- 
 ter, secondly, prophets (see on ver. 10) ; 
 thirdly teachers, endowed with 
 special gifts of the Spirit for expound- 
 ing the word of God. Both prophets 
 and teachers are mentioned in Acts 
 13 : 1, as connected with the church 
 at Antioch. (comp. Rom. 12 : 4-8.) After 
 that miracles. ( see on ver. lo. ) Then 
 gifts of healing. ( see on ver. 9. ) Helps, 
 often applied to the services of deacons, 
 as helps to the pastors ; but it is of 
 wider signification, applicable to those 
 who were endowed by the Spirit to be 
 assistants and helpers in the work gen- 
 erally. Thus Mark was an assistant to 
 Paul and Barnal)as (Acts 12: 25; 13 : 5. See 
 also Rom. 16 : 3, 9). Dcau Stanley supposes 
 the gift to refer to " interpretation of 
 tongues," and he could have added, to 
 "discerning of spirits," enumerated in 
 ver. 8, 10, but not mentioned here. It 
 might include these as important help- 
 ers of others. Governments, rather, 
 govcrnings ; that endowment of the 
 Spirit fitting per.sons to preside, give 
 counsel, and direct aifairs in the work 
 and administration of the church. 
 Diversities of tongues ; endow- 
 ment to speak various kinds of tongues. 
 
 (See note on ver. 10.) NoticC how Paul 
 
 places this gift, so highly prized by 
 the Corinthians, last in the list, being 
 of the least practical value, (see on 14 : 
 
 18,19.) 
 
 29, 30, The apostle eloquently bursts 
 forth in a series of animated questions, 
 demanding decidedly negative answers, 
 showing that the extraordinary gifts of 
 the Spirit are not common to all, but 
 distributed according to the good pleas- 
 
 ure of God (ver. 18, 28). Are all 
 apostles? equivalent to, Surely all 
 are not apostles, all are not teachers, 
 etc. He mentions seven classes, select- 
 ing those the most manifest and which 
 attracted the most attention. The other 
 gifts were enjoyed by different ones of 
 these, in greater or less measure. 
 
 31. But Paul adds a modifying ex- 
 hortation. But, while I would have 
 you to be content with your gift, and 
 not exercise pride over your own, nor 
 contempt toward those of others, yet I 
 would not repress proper desire and 
 efforts for higher attainments and for 
 the bestownient of greater gifts ; there- 
 fore I say, covet, desire, earnestly 
 the best, rather, according to the 
 highest critical authorities, the greater 
 gifts, such as prophesying, teacliing, 
 and such as would especially profit the 
 church (ver. 7; 14: 26). These could be 
 sought after by prayer, faith, and the 
 diligent improvement of the talents 
 and gifts they already possessed (Mark 
 * : 25). Chapter fourteen is a good com- 
 mentary on this. This clause properly 
 closes this part of the discussion, and 
 should end the chapter. 
 
 The last clause of this verse begins 
 Paul's wonderful exhibition of the ex- 
 cellencies of love, and should be con- 
 nected with the next chapter. And yet 
 shew I you, rather, And moreover the 
 most excellent, the pre-eminently excel- 
 lent, way I proceed to show you, namely, 
 the way of love, which you have not 
 mentioned, and you must have quite 
 overlooked, as your rivalries and jeal- 
 ousies show. In this way you can best 
 attain, best enjoy, and best exercise 
 these gifts to the good of others. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. It is of the first importance for the 
 Christian to understand the nature, work. 
 
Ch. XIII.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 285 
 
 gifts, and graces of the Holy Spirit (ver. 
 1; John 16 : 14, 15). 
 
 2. It is often well to contrast our former 
 miserable condition under the bondage of 
 sin with our present state as Christians 
 (ver. 2; Rom. 6 : 17 ; Eph. 2 : 11, 12 ; Titus 
 3:3-7). 
 
 3. All true religion is produced by the 
 Holy Spirit, who leads repenting sinners 
 to accept Christ as Lord, and to glorify 
 him (ver. 3 ; John 3:5, 6 ; Rom. 8 : 14 ; 
 John 16: 14). 
 
 4. God is triune in his nature, and thus 
 bears a three-fold relation to the gifts and 
 graces of his pteople (ver. 4-6; 2 Cor. 13: 14). 
 
 5. God bestows upon Christians all the 
 gifts and graces they need in their inner 
 lives, in their various callings, and in 
 their work for Christ (ver. 4-6 ; 7 : 7 ; Heb. 
 4 :16). 
 
 6. It is the duty of Christians to utilize 
 their gifts and graces for the peace and 
 edification of the whole church, and for 
 the salvation of souls (ver. 7; Matt. 25 : 
 15; ] Peter 4: 10, 11). 
 
 7. A Divine unity as well as diversity 
 is manifested in Christ's gifts and graces 
 (ver. 4-11 ; Col. 1 : 3, 8 ; Eph. 4 : 4-7). 
 
 8. God is the source and fountain of 
 wisdom and knowledge, and we should 
 seek supplies from him (ver. 8 ; Rom. 11 : 
 33; James 1 : 5). 
 
 9. T.P saving faith God may add special 
 boldness and power with him, in obtain- 
 ing great blessings in' spiritual and bodily 
 health (ver. 9; James 5 : 13, 20). 
 
 10. In deed, word, and spiritual discern- 
 ment we should seek the special help of 
 the Spirit, in order that we may reject the 
 false and support the true (ver. 10; Eph. 
 6 : 18, 20). 
 
 11. With every new experience Ave can 
 speak to others with a new tongue (ver. 
 10; Ps. 40:3). 
 
 12. Since spiritual gifts and graces are 
 bestowed according to the Spirit's wise 
 and good pleasure, Ave should exercise 
 them with humility and thankfulness, 
 and treat all our felloAV-laborers AAith 
 kindness and honor (ver. 11, 18, 24 ; Phil. 
 4:3). 
 
 13. There is an analogy betAveen nature 
 and grace, betAveen the natural and 
 spiritual Avorld (ver. 12-26 ; Heb. 8:5; 
 9:23; Matt. 13 : 18, etc.). 
 
 14. Baptism and the Lord's Supper 
 should remind Christians that they are 
 one in Christ, hoAvever diverse their con- 
 dition in life (ver. 13; 10 : 1-3; Eph. 2 : 
 13-15). 
 
 15. To regard as useless any gift or grace 
 bestoAA'ed upon us is to impugn the Avisdom 
 of God (ver. 7, 15, 16). 
 
 16. That AA'hich is most obsciu-e in the 
 kingdom of God is often most important 
 (A'-er. 14, 15 ; Mark 4 : 26-29). 
 
 17. A A'ariety of talents, attainments, 
 and gifts is essential to the existence and 
 groAA'th of the church. If all Avere teach- 
 ers Avhere Avere the learners? (ver. 16, 17, 
 19). 
 
 18. Our graces and gifts are not accord- 
 ing to our pleasure, but God's pleasure 
 (ver. 18 ; Eph. 2 : 8-10 ; Rev. 4 : 11). 
 
 19. The perfection and highest useful- 
 ness of each Christian consist in possess- 
 ing and using his OAvn talents, and dis- 
 charging his OAvn duties (ver. 19, 20 ; Gal. 
 6:4; Phil. 2 : 12, 13). 
 
 20. Those having insight into DiAnne 
 things (eyes) need their practical bretli- 
 ren (hands) ; those Avho direct affairs 
 (head) need the burden-bearers (feet) 
 (A-er. 21). 
 
 21. Many Christians Avho are retiring 
 and apparently feeble, but humble, meek, 
 and prayerful, are often more necessary 
 to the Avelfare of the church than the 
 talented and the learned (ver. 22, 23 ; 
 1 :20, 2(>-29). 
 
 22. God has so disix)sed of the gifts and 
 graces of believers as to produce the 
 highest harmony and perfection in them 
 as a Avhole (ver. 24 ; Eph. 4 : 11-16). 
 
 23. Since Christ is as much to the hum- 
 blest believer as to the most exalted, and 
 the one cannot Avell do Avithout the other, 
 there should be no rivalries nor divisions 
 of feeling among them (ver. 25 ; Phil. 2 : 
 5). 
 
 24. There should be no class distinctions 
 in the church. Whatever tends to injure 
 one portion is sure in the long run to in- 
 jure the rest (ver. 25). 
 
 25. Everj' local church has its collective 
 relationship to Christ, and each member 
 an indiAidual relation. The church has 
 its duty as a whole ; the members in ad- 
 dition their duties as parts (ver. 27 ; Rev. 
 3 : 2-6). 
 
286 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XIII. 
 
 Love supenor to all gifts, and chief among 
 Christian graces. 
 
 13 THOUGH I speak with the tongues 
 of men and of angels, y and have not 
 charity, I am become as sounding 
 
 2 brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And 
 though 1 have the gift of '■ prophecy, 
 
 13 IF I speak with the tongues of men 
 and of angels, but have not love, I am 
 become sounding bra.ss, or a clanging 
 
 2 cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and 
 
 y 1 Johu 3 : 14 ; 4 : 20, 21. 
 
 z 12 : 8-10, 28 ; 14 : 1, etc. ; see Matt. 7 : 22. 
 
 26. God bestows gifts and graces, not 
 alike upon all, but suited to their mental 
 constitutions, their work among men, and 
 their positions in the church (ver. 28; 
 Eph. 3:7; 1 Tim. 4: 14). 
 
 27. Some of the gifts of the early church 
 were transient ; and so were some of the 
 offices in which these gifts were specially 
 manifested (ver. 29, 30). 
 
 28. We should labor and pray for the 
 greater gifts and attainments in the divine 
 life, and also help others to do the same 
 (ver. 31; Col. 1 : 28, 29). 
 
 29. The transient graces had their im- 
 portant uses, but the permanent and 
 ordinary ones are of the most value (ver. 
 31; 13 :13; 14 : 22). 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 This prose poem, on the superiority 
 of love to all spiritual gifts and graces, 
 is one of surpassing beauty. Nowhere 
 does Paul come so near the spirit and 
 conceptions of John as here. "The 
 periods roll on in rhythmic melody to 
 the end of the chapter, like a strain of 
 richest music dying, or a golden sun- 
 set " (Principal Brown). " On each 
 side of this chapter the tumult of argu- 
 ment and remonstrance still rages ; but 
 within all is calm ; the sentences move 
 in almost rhythmical melody ; the im- 
 agery unfolds itself in almost dramatic 
 propriety; the language arranges it- 
 self in almost rhetorical accuracy" 
 (Stanley). The apostle first contrasts 
 love with extraordinary gifts and graces, 
 and declares it to be pre-eminently 
 essential to religion (ver. 1-3), then pre- 
 sents its negative and positive charac- 
 teristics (ver. 4-7), exhibits its perma- 
 nence, and finallv its pre-eminence as 
 the chief of all (vrr.g-is). 
 
 1-3. Love contrasted and de- 
 clared TO BE pre-eminently ES- 
 SENTIAL TO RELIGION. 
 
 1. Paul speaks in the first person to 
 give emphasis and vividness. Assum- 
 
 ing that to be the case which has never 
 occurred, he gives great strength and 
 force to his words : Though I speak 
 with the^tongues of men and of 
 angels. He mentions tongues first, 
 as that gift was overvalued by the 
 Corinthians. The rabbis speak of the 
 language of angels. And surely they 
 must have some mode of conveying 
 their thoughts and conceptions. Paul 
 speaks of having heard " unspeakable 
 words which it is not lawful for man to 
 utter" (2 Cor. 12:4), And have not 
 charity, rather, love. The rendering, 
 chanty, has much obscured the mean- 
 ing of this eloquent eulogy on love. 
 The word here translated love is not 
 found in classic writers. It first made 
 its appearance in the Septuagint ver- 
 sion in the Song of Songs. It is not 
 found in the Acts, Mark, and James; 
 it occurs only once in Matthew and 
 Luke, twice in Hebrews and Revela- 
 tion, but frequently in the writings of 
 John, Paul, Peter, and Jude. It is the 
 higher and nobler form of love, an ac- 
 tive, fervid principle, having both God 
 and men as its objects (uohn 4 : 20, 21). 
 Its strong and self-sacrificing side is 
 brought out by our Saviour, " as I have 
 loved you" (John 15 : 12)^ and by John, 
 "we ought to lay down our lives for 
 the brethren " ( 1 John 3 : le). Its highest 
 and most perfect manifestation is found 
 
 in God, "God is love" (1 John 4:8; 5:1-3). 
 
 In this chapter Paul presents this love 
 as principally exercised toward our 
 fellow-men. I am become as sound- 
 ing brass, a mere sounding piece of 
 metal, or as a tinkling cymbal, 
 a loud ringing, a clanging cymbal, 
 mere noise witliout moral power. There 
 may also be an allusion to the annoy- 
 ance and din, as Chrysostom suggests, 
 occasioned by some of the loud-mouthed 
 talkers, exhorters, and speakers of 
 tongues, in the Corintliian and otlier 
 churches of that day. 
 
 2. And though! have the gift of 
 prophecy. (seeouii:4.) Balaam had 
 
Ch. XIII.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 287 
 
 and understand all mysteries, and all 
 knowledge ; and though I have all 
 faith, a so that I could remove moun- 
 tains, and have not charity, I am 
 
 3 nothing. And ^ though I bestow all 
 my goods to feed the j)oor, and 
 though I give my body to be burned, 
 and have not charity,* it profiteth me 
 nothing. 
 
 4 « Charity suffereth long, and <* is kind ; 
 charity envieth not ; charity vaunteth 
 
 5 not itself, « is not puffed up, doth not 
 behave itself unseemly, fseeketh not 
 her own, is not easily provoked, 
 
 know all mysteries, and all knowl- 
 edge ; and if I have all faith, so as to 
 remove mountains, but have not love, 
 
 3 I am nothing. And if I bestow all my 
 goods in food, and if I give up my body 
 to be burned, but have not love, ft 
 profits me nothing. 
 
 4 Love suffers long, is kind, love en- 
 vies not, love vaunts not itself, is not 
 
 5 puffed up, does not behave unseemly, 
 seeks not its own, is not provoked, im- 
 
 o Matt. 17 : 20 ; Mark 11 : 23 ; Luke 17 : 6. 5 Matt. 6 : 1-4. c Eph. 4:2; Col. 3 : 12, 13 ; 1 Peter 4 : 8. 
 d Luke 6 : 35, 36 ; Eph. 4 : 32 ; 1 John 3 : 16-18. e Phil. 2 : 1-5. / See refs. 10 : 24, 33. 
 
 that gift (Num.23:7fif.), but he "loved 
 the wages of unrighteousness" (2 Peter 
 2:15). And understand, knoiv, aJl 
 mysteries, the hidden things which 
 are revealed, connected with the divine 
 plan of salvation (see on 2: 7), and all 
 knoAVledge pei-taining to the gospel. 
 Mysteries and knowledge correspond 
 with wisdom and knowledge in 12 : 8 (on 
 which see). Paul combines them here 
 with prophecy, giving it fullness and 
 perfection. And though I have all 
 laith, all that the gift of miracle-work- 
 ing faith required, so as to remove 
 mountains, with apparent reference 
 to our Lord's words (Matt, n : 20 ; 21 : 21). 
 Judas very likely wrought miracles 
 
 with the other apostles (Matt. 10 : l; Mark 
 
 6 : 13). This cannot mean justifying or 
 saving faith, which is vitally connected 
 with love and works through love 
 
 (Gal. 5 : 6; Eph. 3 : 17-19; James 2 : 18-26). And 
 
 have not love, I am nothing; 
 
 though I appear to be so eminently 
 favored by God, yet I am worthless in 
 his sight, a mere nullity in spiritual 
 worth and moral excellence. 
 
 3. He proceeds to the very highest 
 outward works of love. And though 
 I bestoAV all my goods to feed tlie 
 needy and helpless. Food is not in 
 the original. But the original has the 
 idea of dealing out food as a mother to 
 her babe, and distributing as to the 
 hungry ( Rom. 12 : 20 ) . Zaccheus proposed 
 to give but one-half of his goods to the 
 poor (Luke 19 : 8). And though I give 
 my hody to be burned ; a possible 
 allusion to Dan. 3 : 19-26. A person 
 could become a martyr from motives 
 of ambition, fame, or fanaticism, and 
 have no true underlying love. And 
 have not love, my self-sacrifice and 
 
 beneficence for others will be but an 
 ostentatious display, it profiteth me 
 nothing, it would be of no spiritual 
 advantage, and avail nothing toward 
 salvation. 
 4-7. Eight negative and seven 
 
 POSITIVE characteristics OF LOVE. 
 
 "Paul exliibits love like a jeweler 
 handling his most precious gem, turn- 
 ing it on every side" (Kling, in 
 Lange). 
 
 4. The apostle speaks no longer in 
 the first person, but personifies love. 
 Love suffers long, under olfenses and 
 injuries; slow to anger and slow to 
 avenge : longsuffering (Prov. 19 : 11 ; Matt. 
 18 : 26; 1 Thess. 5 : u). And is kind, ex- 
 ercising a gracious, mild, and tender 
 disposition toward others: kindness. 
 These two characteristics are comple- 
 ments of each other, exhibiting oppo- 
 site sides of love. Love envieth not, 
 is free from envy and jealousy ( Acts 7:9; 
 17 : 5) : generosity ( Gen. 50 : 15-21) . Vaunt- 
 eth not itself, is not vainglorious or 
 self-boasting : modesty. Is not puffed 
 up, not inflated with vanity and pride : 
 humility (Rom. 12 : 3). Modesty and hu- 
 mility are closely allied, though not 
 the same. 
 
 5. Doth not behave itself un- 
 seemly, does not act indecorously and 
 unbecomingly, and is not forgetful of 
 what is due to others: courtesy (1 Peter 
 3:8). Seeketh not her own, free 
 from selfish seeking after one's own ad- 
 vantage, and gra.sping after one's rights, 
 as had been exhibited in some of the 
 Corinthians (11 : i9, 22) : unselfishness 
 (10 : 24, .33). Is not (omit easily) pro- 
 voked, not irritated and aroused to 
 anger, having a self-control over one's 
 temper : good temper. Compare note 
 
288 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XIII. 
 
 6 ethinketh no evil; •> rejoiceth not 
 in iniquity, but ■ rejoiceth in the truth ; 
 
 7 ''beareth all things, beiieveth all 
 things, hopeth all things, i endureth all 
 things. 
 
 8 Charity never faileth. But whether 
 there be prophecies, they shall fail ; 
 Avhether there be tongues, they shall 
 cease ; whether there be knowledge, it 
 
 9 shall vanish away. "For we know 
 
 10 in part, and we prophesy in part : but 
 
 when that which is perfect is come, 
 
 then that which is in part shall be done 
 
 6 putes no evil, rejoices not at unright- 
 eousness, but rejoices with the truth, 
 
 7 bears all things, believes all things, 
 hopes all things, endures all things. 
 
 8 Love never fails ; but whether there 
 are prophecies, they will be done 
 away; whether tongues, thej' will cea.se; 
 whether knowledge, it will be done 
 
 9 away. For we know in part, and we 
 
 10 prophesy in part: but when that which 
 is perfect is come, that which is in 
 part will be done away. 
 
 g 1 Peter 4:8. h Phil. 3 
 
 18. i Acts 11 
 ;9 : 12. 
 
 2 John 4. 
 mPs 
 
 k Prov. 10 : 12 ; 
 40 : 5 ; 139 : 6. 
 
 Rom. 15 : 1 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 21. 
 
 on Acts 15 : 39, where the noun from 
 this verb occurs. Thinketh no evil, 
 
 imputeth or taketh not account of evil, 
 of the evil done to her, but fox-gives it : 
 a forgiving disposition. Compare the 
 use of the verb in Rom 4 : 8 ; 2 Cor. 
 5 : 19. 
 
 6. Rejoiceth not in iniquity, 
 better, at unrighteousness, in seeing it 
 advanced and when she sees it in others 
 (Ps. 5:4, 5); but rejoiceth in, rather, 
 with the truth, when she sees it 
 triumph in tlie world, with the conse- 
 quent advance of righteousness and de- 
 cline of wickedness (3 Johu 4). Love 
 and truth rejoice together. We have 
 here a sin-hating and a truth-loving 
 disposition, two sides of a godly temper, 
 or principle. 
 
 7. Beareth all things ; explained 
 by some as covering, and excusing the 
 errors and faults of others, but it is 
 better to take it as used elsewhere in 
 the New Testament (9 : 12 : i Thcss. 3 : 1, 5) 
 to endure hardships, troubles, priva- 
 tions, and indignities, occasioned by 
 others, withoutceasing to love : patience. 
 Beiieveth all things, is not distrust- 
 ful and suspicious, disposed to make 
 allowance and treat others in good faith : 
 trustfulness. Hopeth all things, 
 always hoping for the l)est, not despair- 
 ing of the possible reformation of the 
 most hardened oft'cnders : hopefulness. 
 Endureth all things, the afflictions 
 and persecutions of this life, bravely 
 and calmly, steadfast and unmoved, 
 with a hopeful eye upon the future : 
 endurance, or per.severance. 
 
 8-13. Thk permanence and pre- 
 eminence OF LOVE. It is imperish- 
 able, and chief of even the permanent 
 graces. 
 
 8. Having given the characteristics 
 
 of love, Paul points out its chief gloiy, 
 its imperishable nature. Love never 
 faileth, it endures forever. In con- 
 trast is the perishableness of the gifts 
 upon which the Corinthians had prided 
 themselves. Whether there be 
 prophecies they shall fail (not the 
 same verb as that translated /a ?7 above), 
 they shall pass aivay, or be done away. 
 Prophecy is temporary, and for the 
 good of Christians; but Avhen it has ac- 
 complished its ends it Mill be no more 
 needed (ver. 10). Whether there he 
 tongues they shall cease, the gift 
 being no longer required as a si^n 
 (i4:22)j and having accomplished its 
 work. Whether there be knowl- 
 edge, even this gift (12 : 8) shall van- 
 ish, or be done away, as no longer nec- 
 essary "when the perfect has come" 
 (ver. 10). These three gifts are taken as 
 the representatives of all of the endow- 
 ments of the Spirit in this contrast with 
 love. 
 
 9, 10. Proof of what Paul had af- 
 firmed of knowledge and propliesying. 
 Of the gift of tongues Paul did not 
 think it necessary to speak. It was 
 evidently temporary and very imper- 
 fect (H : 6, 23). For Avc kuow in part 
 and Ave prophesy in part; our 
 deep knowledge of Divine things, and 
 our prophesying concerning these 
 things, are l)ut partial views and reve- 
 lations of the whole. So far they are 
 imperfect. But when that which 
 is perfect is come, at the consum- 
 mation of God's kingdom ( aci.-^ s : 21 ; naJ.. 
 2:14) then that which is in part, 
 partial and imperfect, shall be done 
 away, will give way before perfection. 
 Tiiese gifts of the Spirit are neces.sary 
 now, l)ut will continue no longer than 
 necessary ; but when the state of per- 
 
Ch. XIII.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 289 
 
 11 away. When I was a child, I spake as 
 a cliild, I understood as a child, I 
 thought as a child : hut when I be- 
 came a man, I put away childish 
 
 12 things. For "now we see through a 
 glass, darkly ; but then <> face to face : 
 now I know' in part ; but then shall I 
 know even as also I am known. 
 
 13 PAnd now abideth faith, hope, 
 charity, these three ; but <i the greatest 
 of these is charity. 
 
 11 When I was a child, I talked as a 
 child, I thought as a child, I reasoned 
 as a child ; since I have become a 
 man, I have done away with the 
 
 12 things of the child. For we see now 
 through a mirror, obsciirely ; but then 
 face to face. Noav I know in part ; but 
 then I shall know fully, even as I was 
 
 13 also fully known. And now abides 
 faith, hope, love, these three ; and the 
 greatest of these is love. 
 
 n 2 Cor. 5:7. o Exod. 33 : 11 ; Num. 12 : 8 ; Matt. 5 : 8 ; 1 John Z : 2. p See ver. 8. q Col. 3 : 14 ; 1 John 4:7,8. 
 
 fectness comes such imperfect conveyan- 
 ces will not be needed (ver. 12 ; 1 John 3:2). 
 
 11. Paul resumes the first person, 
 and as a representative of others, illus- 
 trates his subject from his own growth 
 in knowledge. When I was a child, 
 in infancy and childhood, I spake, 
 better, / talked, as a child, in in- 
 fantile and childlike language ; I un- 
 derstood, or thought, within a narrow 
 range, as a child ; I thought, rather, 
 / reasoned, and formed my judgment, 
 in a limited and imperfect manner, as 
 a child ; but when, rather, since, I 
 became a man, an adult, I have put 
 aivay, done away, brought to an end, 
 childish things. These three verbs, 
 talked, thought, and reasoned may have 
 here some allusion to the gift of tongues, 
 prophecy, and knowledge. It should 
 be noted that the natural impressions 
 of objects in childhood are true, so far 
 as they go. So our present views of 
 divine things are just and true so far as 
 they are revealed to us by the word 
 and the Spirit, but they are only par- 
 tial, and suited to our present imperfect 
 condition. They will give way to the 
 full and complete views of our perfect 
 manhood hereafter. 
 
 12. For now, to confirm what I 
 have said and to illustrate, we look 
 through a glass, rather, through 
 a mirror (the object appearing to the 
 observer through it and behind it) 
 darkly, obscurely, and thus we see an 
 obscure thing. The mirrors of the 
 ancients were of steel or other metal, 
 and reflected objects imperfectly. The 
 word translated darkly, means liter- 
 ally, an obscure saying, an enigma 
 ( xum. 12 : 8 ; Judg. 14 : 13) . Here it deuotcs 
 the object which is imperfectly and ob- 
 scurely seen in the mirror. We see 
 divine truth in similitudes, symbols, 
 words, and other imperfect human 
 forms of conveying knowledge. But 
 
 then face to face, with immediate 
 vision without any intervening me- 
 dium. (Comp. Num. 12 : 8; 2 Cor. b -.^l ; Rev. 
 
 22 : 4). But then shall I ^ino^^r fully, 
 having thorough, complete knowledge, 
 even as also I am known, rather, 
 ivas fully known, by God at my conver- 
 sion. Our knowledge of divine things 
 rests on God's knowledge of us (8:3; oai. 
 4:9; Matt. 11 ; 27). In the futurc State our 
 knowledge, though by no means equal 
 with God's, will be like his, immediate 
 and perfectly exact. Thus it is not our 
 faculty for knowledge which is to be 
 done away, but knowledge as a special 
 gift and that which is suited to our 
 present temporary and imperfect state. 
 Our heavenly knowledge will be of a 
 higher, purer quality than our present 
 earthly. 
 
 13. And now, these things being 
 so, these spiritual gifts being only tem- 
 porary, abideth, unchanged and per- 
 manent, faith (not the transient gift 
 of ver. 2), but the vision of the unseen 
 and trust in God (Heb. ii:i), hope, 
 with ever higher aspirations for future 
 good (iPeteri : 3, 4), lovc, neccssary to 
 dwelling in God and God in us (i John 
 *:i6). These three graces go hand in 
 hand ; Paul frequently associates them 
 
 together (Col. l : 4, 5; 1 Thess. 1 : 3; 5 : 8). 
 
 The greatest of these graces is 
 love. Faith and hope belong to the 
 creature; love to God himself (i John 4: 
 7, 8, 11, 12). Faith and hope benefit the one 
 who exercises them, but love is difi'usi ve 
 and benefits others. Love is the most use- 
 ful grace ; and Paul valued the gifts ac- 
 cording to their usefulness ( 12 : 7 ; i4 : 3, 4) . 
 Faith and hope will contribute to 
 heaven ; but love will pervade heaven 
 — the atmosphere, as it were, of heaven. 
 And thus also does the apostle show 
 that ordinary graces are superior to the 
 supernatural spiritual gifts in which 
 they gloried. 
 
290 
 
 I. COKINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XIV. 
 
 1^ O^t <>/ prophecy superior to that of 
 tongues; directions for public worship. 
 
 14 '•FOLLOW after charity, and » desire 
 spiritual gifts, ' but rather that ye may 
 
 2 prophesy. For he tliat "speaketh iu 
 an unknown tongue speaketh not unto 
 
 14 PURSUE love : and desire earnestly 
 the spiritual gifts, but rather that ye 
 
 2 may prophesy. For he that speaks in 
 a tongue speaks not to men, but to 
 
 r See refs. 13 : 1 ; Prov. 21 : 21 ; 2 Peter 1 : 5-8. s 12 : 1, 31. 
 u Ver. 9-11, 16 ; Acts 2:4; 10 : 
 
 ( Num. 11 : 25, 29 ; Rom. 12 : 6. 
 
 46. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. Love is a vital principle of all true 
 religion (ver. 1-3 ; Matt. 25 : 37-40). 
 
 2. Some are ever seeking after the deep 
 things, or the wonderful things of religion, 
 when they should be learning its first 
 principles (ver. 2 ; Luke 13 : 23, 24). 
 
 3. Others set more value on shining 
 gifts than on spiritual graces (ver. 1-3 ; 
 Matt. 23 : 5, 23), 
 
 4. Magnificent gifts and even heroic 
 martyrdom can bring nothing but earthly 
 glory without permanent benefits, except 
 as we are actuated by right motives (ver. 
 3; 1 Peter 4: 13-16). 
 
 5. How set with gems is true love to our 
 fellow-men ! (Ver. 4-7 ; Gal. -5 : 22.) 
 
 6. Opposite to every gem of love stands 
 some base evil or passion to mar and ruin 
 human character (ver. 4-7 ; Gal. 5 : 19-21). 
 
 7. The characteristics of love are so 
 active in their nature and marked in 
 their effects that it should be easy for all 
 to decide whether they possess it (ver. 
 4-7 ;1 John 3 : 14-17). 
 
 8. That which is adapted to all circum- 
 stances and may be exercised always on 
 earth and in heaven, is of the highest 
 value (ver. 8 ; 2 Cor. 4 : 18). 
 
 9. Many gifts, which accomplish their 
 purpose in this life, are useful, and should 
 be prized and cultivated (ver. 8 : 9 ; 14 : 1). 
 
 10. The Christian life is a growth and a 
 training (ver. 10-12; 2 Tim. 1:5-7; Gal. 
 3 : 24, 25). 
 
 11. The Christian should rejoice that his 
 present state of comparative ignorance is 
 to be followed by one of inconceivable 
 knowledge (ver. 12; Luke 10 : 20; 1 Peter 
 1 : 6-8.) 
 
 12. Moral and spiritual perfection is not 
 to be attained this side of heaven (ver. 
 12; Phil. 3: 12-1 C). 
 
 13. Everything of essential value to our 
 souls will abide with us forever (ver. 13 ; 
 Rev. 22: 11). 
 
 14. Love is the heart of the redeemed 
 earth and the glory of heaven (ver. 13; 
 Rev. 1:5). 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Paul returns to the direil. aiscussion 
 of spiritual gifts, from which he had 
 digressed at the end of the twelfth 
 chapter. He first shows tliat the gift 
 of prophecy is superior to that of 
 tongues ; for it is a means of edifica- 
 tion (ver. 1-5), while uiikiiown tongues 
 are not understood (ver. 6-9) and tend to 
 confusion without an interpreter (ver. 
 10-19), They are also for a sign to un- 
 believers, while prophecy is especially 
 for believers (ver. 20-25). He then gives di- 
 rections to insure decorum and order ; 
 as to the use of tongues and prophecy 
 (ver. 26-33) ; as to the public usc of gifts 
 by women (ver. 34-36); exhortation to 
 obedience and order (ver. 37-40), 
 
 1-25. The superiority of the 
 gift of prophecy over that of 
 
 TONGUES. 
 
 1. Follow after charity, pursue 
 after love, which has been shown to be 
 the chief of graces ; make it your first 
 and highest aim ; and in connection 
 with it, and under its guidance, desire 
 earnestly ( as in 12 ; 31 ) the spiritual 
 gifts, of whicli I have been speaking, 
 but rather than the others, that ye 
 may prophesy. This is the conclu- 
 sion of the preceding chapter and the 
 transition to this. Propliecy through- 
 out this chapter is not so much tlie fore- 
 telling of events as the unfolding and 
 applying of Divine truth by direct reve- 
 lation or inspiration of the Holy Spirit 
 
 (ver. 30 ; see on 12 : lO). 
 
 2. The reason for preferring prophe- 
 sying. It is the more useful gift, es- 
 
 j pecially as contrasted with tliat of 
 tongues, which was so highly prized by 
 
 I the Corinthians, and had been the cause 
 of much confusion among them. For 
 
 j he that speaks in a tongue (see on 12: 10) 
 
 ' speaks not to men, for he is not under- 
 
Ch. XIV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 291 
 
 men, but unto God : for uo manunder- 
 standeth him ; howbeit in the spirit he 
 
 3 speaketh mysteries : but he that 
 prophesieth speaketli unto men to edi- 
 fication, and exhortation, and comfort. 
 
 4 ^He that speaketh in an unknown 
 tongue edifietli liimself ; but he that 
 
 5 prophesieth Jedifieth the church. I 
 would that ye all spake with tongues, 
 but rather " that ye prophesied : for 
 greater is he that prophesieth than he 
 that speaketh with tongues, ^except 
 he interpret, that the church may re- 
 ceive edifying. 
 
 6 Now, brethren, if I come unto you 
 speaking with tongues what shall I 
 profit you, except I shall speak to you 
 either by » revelation, or by knowledge, 
 or by prophesying, or by doctrine? 
 
 God ; for no one understands ; but 
 with the sfjirit he speaks mysteries. 
 
 3 But he that prophesies, speaks" to men 
 upbuilding and exhortation and com- 
 
 4 fort. He that speaks in a tongue builds 
 up himself; but he that prophesies 
 
 5 builds up the church. I wish you all 
 to speak with tongues, but rather that 
 ye snould prophesy ; and greater is he 
 that prophesies than he that speaks 
 with tongues, unless he interpret, that 
 the church may receive upbuilding, 
 
 6 And now, brethren, if I come to you 
 speaking with tongues, what shall 1 
 profit you, unless I speak to you either 
 in revelation, or in knowledge, or in 
 
 I Ver. 14. 
 
 y Ver. 31. 
 
 zXer. 12 : 13. 
 
 stood by them, but unto God, who un- 
 derstands the deepest movements of the 
 Spirit in praise, thanksgiving, and 
 prayer (Rom. 8 : 26, 27). Howbeit in, or 
 tvith, the spirit, his higher spiritual 
 powers, he speaketh mysteries, 
 tlie hidden things of God which are un- 
 known to others and often unknown 
 
 to himself. ( see ou 4 : l. ) 
 
 3. But, ou the other hand, he that 
 prophesieth speaketh unto men 
 editication, that which builds them 
 up, in the Christian life, and exhor- 
 tation, that which moves them to 
 greater activity and encourages them to 
 more zealous endeavors, and com- 
 fort, that which calms and cheers 
 them generally. It will be noticed that 
 in this chapter, and elsewhere, the gifts 
 of tongues and of prophecy are closely 
 connected (12 : 10,28; i3:i; Acts 19 :6). They 
 both were manifested through oral ut- 
 terance, and very commonly went to- 
 gether. When the gift of tongues first 
 appeared, Peter did not distinguish it 
 from prophecy, but defended and de- 
 scribed it under the name of prophesy- 
 ing (Acts 2 : 17-21). 
 
 4. He that speaketh in a tongue 
 (omit unknown) edifieth himself, 
 
 whether he understands or not what 
 he is saying, because the Holy Spirit 
 arouses his soul to holy emotions and to 
 devout thanksgiving and praise. And 
 there it ends with building up himself. 
 But he that prophesieth edifieth 
 the church, builds up in faith, holy 
 emotion, and activity, the assembled 
 discipleship. 
 
 5. But while Paul spoke thus, he 
 
 would not discourage them in the exer- 
 cise of any gift, and so he adds, I 
 would, or wish, that ye all spake 
 with tongues ; but his preference is 
 that they prophesied. And he af- 
 firms that prophecy is greater than 
 tongues, unless he that speaketh with 
 tongues interpret that Avhich he has 
 spoken, in order that the church may, 
 receive edifying, building up. It 
 appears from this that one might speak 
 in another language, without under- 
 standing what he himself said. Also 
 that tongues when interpreted were for 
 edification. It would seem also that 
 tongues were in some intelligible lan- 
 guage, and not in some ecstatic jar- 
 gon, such as took place among the 
 Montanists in ancient, and the Irving- 
 ites, in modern times. 
 
 6. But, now, since this is so with 
 tongues without an interpreter, if I 
 come unto you speaking with 
 tongues, what shall I profit you, 
 which is the most important thing in 
 the exercise of spiritual gifts (12; 7), 
 except I shall speak to you either 
 by revelation, concerning divine 
 things, or mysteries, received from the 
 unseen world, or by knoivledge, by 
 deep spiritual insight into truth (12 : 8), 
 or by prophesying, unfolding truth 
 in exhortation and consolation as in 
 ver. 3, or by doctrine, teaching, in- 
 structing in longer or continuous dis- 
 courses. He would be useful to them 
 only as he, as an interpreter, united 
 with tongues one of these four kinds 
 of utterances. Many commentators re- 
 duce these to two kinds, classing reve- 
 
292 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XIV. 
 
 7 And even things without life giving 
 sound, Avhether pipe or harp, except 
 they give a distinction in the sounds, 
 how shall it be known what is piped 
 
 8 or harped ? For if the trumpet give an 
 uncertain sound, who shall prepare 
 
 9 himself to the battle? So likewise ye, 
 except ye utter by the tongue words 
 easy to be understood, how shall it be 
 known what is spoken ; for ye shall 
 
 10 speak into the air? There are, it may 
 be, so many kinds of voices in the 
 world, and none of them is without 
 
 11 signification. Therefore if I know not 
 the meaning of the voice, I shall be 
 unto him that speaketh a barbarian, 
 and he that speaketh shall be a bar- 
 barian unto me. 
 
 12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are 
 zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye 
 may excel i^to the edifying of the 
 
 13 church. Wherefore let him that speak- 
 
 7 prophesying or teaching. Even the 
 lifeless things giving sound, whether 
 pipe or harp, if they give no distinc- 
 tion in the sounds," now shall that 
 which is piped or that which is harped 
 
 8 be known? For even if a trumpet 
 give an uncertain sound, who will pre- 
 
 9 pare for war? So also ye, unless ye 
 utter through the tons: ue speech easy to 
 be understood, how will that whicli is 
 spoken be known? For ye will be 
 speaking into the air. 
 
 10 There are, it may be, so many kinds 
 of voices in the world, and no one is 
 
 11 without meaning. If then I know not 
 the force of the voice, I shall be to him 
 that speaks a barbarian, and he that 
 
 12 speaks a barbarian to me. So also ye, 
 since ye are eager for spiritual gifts, 
 seek that ye may abouna in them to 
 
 13 the upbuilding of the church. Where- 
 
 6 Ver. 3, 4, 26. 
 
 lation with prophecy, and knowledge 
 with teaching. They regard revelation 
 and knowledge as means of knowledge, 
 and prophecy and teaching the means 
 of utterance. True, so far as it goes. 
 But notice, Paul supposes that he may 
 ispeitk in all these four ways. For con- 
 venience however, they may be spoken 
 of generally as prophecy and teaching. 
 
 7. The apostle illustrates his argu- 
 ment, showing the uselessness of unin- 
 telligible utterances, from the sounds of 
 wind or stringed instruments. Omit 
 even. Unless there is a distinction 
 in the sounds, the particular notes 
 of the music cannot be recognized. 
 And so tlie sounds in human speech 
 must be recognized in order to convey 
 any definite ideas. 
 
 8. For, to use a stronger illustra- 
 tion, if the trumpet §:ive an uncer- 
 tain sound, an indistinct ami obscure 
 sound, who shall prepare himself 
 to the, /or, battle. Difierent sounds 
 indicated different duties in military 
 affairs, such as nnistering, attacking, 
 retreating, rallying. Rut even the 
 clear and loud-sounding trumpet would 
 be useless, if its sounds were indistinct. 
 No clear impression would be conveyed 
 to the mind. 
 
 9. Paul applies his argument from 
 analogy. So likewise ye, except 
 ye utter by the tongue, as through 
 the musical instruments mentioned, 
 words easy to be understood, in- 
 telligihle speech, which has a discernilde 
 meaning, how shall it be known 
 
 what is spoken. It will be but 
 sound in the air, without reaching the 
 minds of the hearers. Thus far the 
 apostle has shown that unknown 
 tongues, without an interpreter, are of 
 no profit to others and thus inferior to 
 prophecy. 
 
 10. So also without an interpreter 
 tongues tend to confusion (this and 
 nine folloAving verses). Paul further 
 illustrates from the languages of men. 
 There are, it may be, so many 
 kind of voices, or sound in human 
 speech, in the Avorld, and none 
 (omit of them, according to the best 
 text) is Avithout signification, is 
 dumb, without meaning. Every sound 
 in language has its meaning. It is im- 
 plied here that speaking in tongues was 
 in human language and not jargon. 
 
 11. Therefore if I know not the 
 meaning, literally, the force, the sense 
 of the voice, or sound, I shall be 
 unto him that speaketh a bar- 
 barian, a foreigner, whose speech is 
 not intelligible. (Comp.ActsM : 2.) 
 
 12. Application of the argument to 
 the Corinthians. Even so ye, etc. 
 So also ye, since ye are earnestly desirous 
 of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may 
 abound to the building vp of the 
 church, in their graces and Christian 
 lives. To do this they would so seek 
 spiritual gifts, and exercise them in 
 such a way, as to intelligently affect 
 the members of the church and profit 
 them. 
 
 13. Wherefore let him that 
 
Ch. XIV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 293 
 
 eth in an unknown tongue "= pray that 
 
 14 he may interpret. For if I pray in an 
 unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but 
 
 15 my understanding is unfruitful. What 
 is "it then? I will pray with the spirit, 
 and I will pray ^ with the understand- 
 ing also: el will sing with the spirit, 
 and I will sing f with the understand- 
 
 fore let him that speaks in a tongue 
 
 14 pray that he may interpret. For if I 
 pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but 
 
 15 my understanding is unfruitful." What 
 is it then? I will pray with the spirit, 
 and I will pray with the understand- 
 ing also ; I will sing with the spirit, 
 and I will sing with the understanding 
 
 c Ver. 27, 28 : 12 : 10. 
 
 d John 4 : 23, 24. 
 
 e Eph. 5 : 19 ; Col. 3 : 16. 
 
 /Ps. 47: 7. 
 
 speaketh in a tongue, pray that he 
 may interpret. This last clause has 
 been interpreted to mean either to 
 pray for the gift of interpretation, or to 
 pray in a language that he can inter- 
 pret. The former seems to me to be the 
 preferable and most natural meaning, 
 and in harmony with what follows. 
 We learn from this passage, that inter- 
 pretation was a distinct gift (ver. 5; 
 12 : 30) ; that interpretation was not al- 
 ways united with speaking with 
 tongues; and that spiritual gifts were 
 to be sought after by prayer. 
 
 14. For, to confirm and to illustrate 
 what I have said, if I pray in a tongue, 
 which I do not understand, my spirit 
 prayeth under the moving power of 
 the Holy Spirit. ( Comp. Rom. a : 26. ) lam 
 conscious of that, but my under- 
 standing, my mind, my intellectual 
 part being destitute of clear ideas, is 
 unfruitful, without benefit to others. 
 Hence the necessity of praying for the 
 gift of interpretation (ver. i3). 
 
 13. What is it then? What is 
 the conclusion to be deduced? What 
 follows ? Since speaking with tongues 
 and interpreting of tongues may go to- 
 gether, Paul would combine them. I 
 will pray, in an unknown tongue, 
 with the spirit, and I Avill pray 
 Avith the understanding, with clear 
 ideas, so that, as an interpreter, I can 
 clearly convey them to the minds of 
 oihers. So also of singing, in which 
 the gift of tongues also manifested it- 
 self, (comp. Eph. 5 : 19. ) Paul appears to 
 have had the gift of interpretation as 
 well as of prophecy. 
 
 Worship in Prayer and Song. 
 Prayer does not consist in mere words, 
 nor in beautiful and sublime expres- 
 .sions. It must be spiritual and intelli- 
 gent, or it is not prayer. It may be 
 but a burden, a sigh, a falling tear, but 
 it must be a conscious expres.sion of a 
 soul feeling its need, and craving help 
 from God. 
 
 " Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, 
 Unuttered or expressed. 
 The motion of a hidden fire 
 That trembles in the breast." 
 
 So music is not mere sound, but also 
 expression. Christian song is more 
 than harmony, it is worship. Its ex- 
 ercise must be spiritual ; it should also 
 be intelligent. It is not mere art ; it is 
 devotion. Many fail just here, and 
 mistake sesthetic emotions for devotional 
 feelings. Thus in prayer and song they 
 become ritualists rather than true spir- 
 itual worshipers. 
 
 " Pure, unalloyed musical enjoy- 
 ment," says Professor Dickinson, "is 
 not worship, although easily mistaken 
 for it, and a musical impression dis- 
 connected from any other cannot in 
 the very nature of things conduce to a 
 spirit of prayer. It is only when the 
 prayerful mood already exists as the 
 definite tendency of the mind, induced 
 by the sense of love and duty, . . or 
 by any other agencies which turn the 
 heart of the believer in longing toward 
 the Mercy Seat— it is only in alliance 
 with such a state of desire and expect- 
 ancy that music fulfills its true oflice in 
 the sanctuary. . . Certain it is, how- 
 ever, that the spirit of worship must 
 first exist; music may enhance and 
 direct it, but cannot be expected to 
 cause it " ( " Bibliotheca Sacra," April, 
 1897, p. 330). 
 
 Art and an aesthetic taste are good in 
 their place, but they need to be sanc- 
 tified by the truth and the Holy Spirit. 
 In worship they should hold a second- 
 ary place. In religious song the de- 
 votional element should be the con- 
 trolling power. There should be in- 
 telligent service for God, and worship 
 of God. Many are carried away with 
 a brilliant ritual ; the eye, the ear, the 
 refined taste are touched, but the heart 
 is not aroused to true spiritual worship. 
 They may worship God with their lips 
 and in melodious sounds, and their 
 hearts may be far from him. And the 
 
294 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XIV. 
 
 16 ingalso. Else when thou shalt bless 
 with the spirit, how shall hethatoccu- 
 pieth the room of the unlearned say 
 eAmen at thy giving of thanks, seeing 
 he understandeth not what thou say- 
 
 17 est? For thou verily givest thanks 
 
 18 well, but the other is not edified. I 
 thank my God, I speak with tongues 
 
 19 more thaii ye all : yet in the church I 
 had rather speak five words with my 
 understanding, that by my voice I might 
 teach others also, than ten thousand 
 words in an unknown tongue. 
 
 20 Brethren, •' be not children in under- 
 standing: howbeit in malice be ye 
 
 16 also. Else, if thou bless with the 
 spirit, how will he that fills the place 
 of the ungifted say the Amen at thy 
 thanksgiving, since he knows not 
 
 17 what thou say est? For thou indeed 
 givest thanks well, but the other is not 
 
 18 built up. I thank God, I speak with 
 
 19 tongues more than ye all. But in 
 church 1 had rather speak five words 
 through my understanding, thatl may 
 instruct others also, than ten thousand 
 words in a tongue. 
 
 20 Brethren, be not children in under- 
 standing ; yet in evil be babes, but in 
 your understanding be full grown. 
 
 g Xeh. 8 : 6. 
 
 ft 3 : 1, 2 ; Rom. 16 : 19 ; Eph. 4 : 14 ; Phil. 1:9; Heb. 5 : 12, 13. 
 
 more art is cultivated, and the more 
 cultured the age and people, the more 
 should the Christian be on his guard. 
 Temptations come through our higher 
 as well as through our lower natures. 
 An old precept that has come down to 
 us from the fourth century is worthy of 
 remembrance: "See that what thou 
 singest with thy lips, thou believest in 
 thj" heart; and what thou believest in 
 thv heart, thou dost exemplify in thy 
 life." 
 
 16. A further argument for speaking 
 plainly, or combining interpretation 
 Avith speaking with tongues. Else if 
 thou bless with the Spirit, using 
 an unknown tongue, how shall he 
 that occupieth the place of the un- 
 learned, the ungifted in understand- 
 ing tongues, say Amen at thy gfiv- 
 ingof thanks ? The response Amen, 
 so be it, passed over from the synagogue 
 to Christian assemblies (xeh. 5 : i3; rlv. 
 5:14). Some suppose that the thanks- 
 giving at the Lord's Supper is meant; 
 but we should not limit its application 
 here. Justin Martyr, al)out A. D. 150, 
 speaks of the same response in his day. 
 The word rendered iinlearned, means 
 here a private, one nnlearned, not un- 
 derstanding unknown tongues, lience 
 the ungifted, one who is not a propliet or 
 an interpreter. It has no reference to 
 whether he is an officer or a private 
 member. "This is, as Doddridge has 
 remarked, decisive against the practice 
 of praying and praising in an unknown 
 tongue, as ridiculously practised in the 
 church of Rome" (Alf-oku). 
 
 17. Paul would not be unfair to any, 
 but would concede a right character to 
 the thanksgiving: For thou verily 
 givest thanks well, thou dost ex- 
 cellently in tlie act, and in the manner 
 
 and spirit of the action, but the other, 
 
 who is unlearned and ungifted so that 
 he cannot under.stand, is not edified, 
 profited (12:7), spiritually instructed 
 and helped. 
 
 18. The apostle records his own ex- 
 perience in the case, I thank (my, 
 omitted in the best text) God, to whom 
 I owe every gift and grace (i5:io), I 
 speak with tongues more than 
 you all. He would not depreciate a 
 gift which had been richly bestowed 
 upon himself, but would gratefully ac- 
 knowledge God as the giver. Moreover 
 it was not because of deficiency in this 
 that he preferred the gift of prophecy. 
 
 19. Yet Avhatever I may do in pri- 
 vate, in the church, in an assembly, 
 I had rather speak five words 
 with my understanding, having 
 a clear idea of Mhat I was saying 
 (vtr. 14. 15) in order that I might teach 
 others also, thoroughly insir^ictiyig 
 tluui, than ten thousand words in 
 a tongue unknown to them. Note the 
 plural tongues in ver. 18, and the sin- 
 gular in this, implying that he enjoyed 
 the gift of a plurality of tongues, "but 
 spoke only in one at a time. The Spirit 
 in his case was the author of order, not 
 of confusion. 
 
 20. Paul appeals to their common 
 sense, and urges them to exercise their 
 mature judgment on the matter. 
 Brethren, be not children in un- 
 derstanding, in your faculty of per- 
 ceiving and judging. A difierent word 
 from that translated understanding in 
 tlie preceding verses. lie would not 
 have them act like children with toys 
 in showing their fondness for the gift 
 of tongues. He would not have them 
 carried away with sound and outward 
 display. HoAvbeit I would not be 
 
Ch. XIV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 295 
 
 children, but in understanding be men. 
 
 21 'In the law it is written, With men of 
 other tongues and other lips will I 
 speak unto this people ; and yet for all 
 that will they not hear me, saith the 
 
 22 Lord. Wherefore tongues are ^ for a 
 sign, not to them that believe, but to 
 them that believe not : but prophesying 
 serveth not for them that believe not, 
 1 but for them which believe. 
 
 23 If therefore the whole church be 
 come together into one place, and all 
 speak with tongues, and there come in 
 
 21 In the law it is written, 
 
 With men of other tongues, and by 
 
 lips of strangers, 
 I will speak to this people ; 
 And not even so will they listen to 
 
 me, saith the Lord. 
 
 22 So that the tongues are for a sign, 
 not to those who believe, but to the un- 
 believing ; but prophecy is not for the 
 unbelieving, but for those who believe. 
 
 23 If therefore the whole church is assem- 
 bled together, and all are speaking 
 with tongues, and there come in those 
 
 i John 10 : 34. 
 
 k Mark 16 : 17 ; Acts 2 : 6-12. 
 
 I Ver. 3. 
 
 misunderstood, nor forget the teachings 
 of my Master (Matt, is : 3), and therefore 
 I add, in malice, or uuckedness, be 
 ye children, better, be ye babes even, 
 but in understanding be men, be 
 mature, and of ripe age (Eph. 4:U; Heb. 
 
 5 : 12). 
 
 21. He would have them exercise 
 this mature and sound judgment in 
 what he is about to say. In the law ; 
 referring to the whole Old Testament, 
 not unusual with Paul, who looked up- 
 on the whole Mosaic economy as pre- 
 paratory to Christ ( Rom. 3 : 19 ; Gal. 3 : 23, 
 
 24; 4:5). The quotatioii is from Isa. 
 28 : 11, 12, partially and freely given. 
 The Jewish priests and judges had com- 
 plained that Jehovah had given them 
 plain and reiterated teachings, only fit 
 for children ; and to this Jehovah re- 
 sponds that he would give them in- 
 structors of other tongues, namely, 
 the Assyrian armies, yet it would be no 
 benefit to them. Some regai-d this as a 
 type of the peutecostal tongues. It is 
 however better to take it as an illustra- 
 tion, which the apostle applies to the 
 gift of tongues, from God's providential 
 speaking through foreigners to Judah in 
 chastisement and judgment. And yet 
 for all that, etc., And not even thus 
 loill they hear me ; an important part of 
 the quotation, sliowing that Judah could 
 liave heard and should have heard God's 
 providential voice, as well as his plain 
 and simple instnictions. The coming 
 of the Assyrian armies would be to 
 them a token of their unbelief in re- 
 jecting the words of the Lord. It 
 should remind them of this warning 
 and lead them to repentance, but such 
 would not be the case. 
 
 22, Wherefore, according to the 
 lesson taught by this Old Testament in- 
 
 cident, tongues are for a sign, a 
 
 convincing sign of God's presence and 
 of his truth. The word translated sign 
 is often applied to miracles (see on i : 22)^ 
 indicating their design in authenticat- 
 ing the truth of God and his messengers. 
 So of the miraculous gift of tongues, it 
 was a proof of the presence of God in 
 the opening of the new dispensation 
 and of the truths of the gospel. Not 
 to them that believe, for they were 
 already convinced ; but to them that 
 believe not, mIio therefore needed 
 some token. Some suppose that Paul 
 teaches that the gift of tongues is a sign 
 of judgment upon incorrigible unbe- 
 lievers. But this is contrary to history, 
 and unsustained by Paul's words. At 
 Pentecost tlie gift of tongues Avas a call 
 to the world to examine this new thing, 
 to acknowledge God in it, and to repent 
 ( Acts 2 : 14-21, 38-41 ) . And iu the next two 
 verses Paul points out a similar design. 
 Like other calls and tokens, however, it 
 might prove a savor of life or of death 
 (2 Cor. 2 : 16). But prophesyiug ( Omit 
 serveth) is not for them that be- 
 lieve not, is not a sign to unbelievers, 
 for its higher instructions are not fitted 
 to them, but for them that believe, 
 bringing teachings suited to them, and 
 authenticated by the inspiration and 
 revelations of the Spirit. 
 
 23. The apostle appeals to facts and 
 illustrates the diiferent effects of all 
 speaking with tongues (this verse), and 
 all prophesying (next verse). The 
 whole church . . . and all speak 
 with tongues ; must be taken in their 
 popular sense, meaning a full and gen- 
 eral assembly, and all who speak using 
 tongues, thus limiting their exercises 
 to that one form of address. The effect 
 on those coming in, who were un- 
 
296 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XIV. 
 
 those that are unlearned, or unbeliev- 
 ers, ™ will they not say that ye are mad ? 
 
 24 But if all prophesy, and there come in 
 one that believeth not, or one un- 
 learned, "he is convinced of all, he 
 
 25 is judged of all: and thus are "the 
 secrets of his heiirt made manifest : and 
 so falling down on his face he will wor- 
 ship God, and report Pthat God is in 
 you of a truth. 
 
 26 How is it then, brethren? When ye 
 come together, every one of you hath a 
 psalm, q hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, 
 hath a revelation, hath an interpreta- 
 tion. ' Let all things be done unto edif y- 
 
 27 ing. If any man speak in an unknown 
 tongue, let it be by two, or at the most 
 by three, and that by course ; and let 
 
 who are ungifted, or unbelievers, will 
 
 24 they not say that ye are mad ? But if 
 all are prophesying, and there come in 
 one that is an unbeliever, or ungifted,. 
 he is convicted by all, he is judged by 
 
 25 all. The secrets of his heart become 
 manifest ; and so falling on his face he 
 will worship God, reporting that God 
 is indeed among you. 
 
 26 What is it then, brethren? When ye 
 come together, each of you has a 
 psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, 
 has a tongue, has an interpretation. 
 Let all things be done to upbuilding. 
 
 27 If any one speaks in a tongue, let it be 
 by two, or at the most by three, and in 
 
 m Acts 2 : 13. n Acts 2 : 37. o Heb. 4 : 12. p Isa. 45 : 14 ; Zech. 8 : 23. 
 r Ver. 12 ; 12 : 7 ; Rom. 14 : 19 ; Eph. 4 : 12. 
 
 q Ver. 6 ; 12 : 8-10. 
 
 learned, that is, ungifted (ver. le), or 
 unbelievers, would be to impress 
 them that ye are mad, your tongues 
 would seem to them like the ravings of 
 persons not in their right minds. The 
 effect would thus be bad rather than 
 good. 
 
 24. But, on the contrary, if all 
 prophesy, the effect upon an unbe- 
 liever or an ungifted person would be : 
 he is convinced of all, rather, con- 
 victed by all, who speak in turn, their 
 words penetrating with the Spirit's 
 
 Eower, convicting him of his unbelief; 
 e is judged of all, by all, their 
 words arousing his conscience, leading 
 to self-examination, and producing a 
 sense of condemnation. This accords 
 with the work of the Spirit in convict- 
 ing of sin, righteousness, and judgment 
 
 (John 16 : 8, 9). 
 
 25. The words And thus are 
 omitted by the best manuscripts and 
 highest authorities, but they do not give 
 a wrong meaning. As a result, are the 
 secrets of his heart made mani- 
 fest, the listener sees his own inner 
 life and spirit uncovered, laid open, not 
 to others hut to himself. (Comp. Hob. 4 : 12, 
 13; John 4: 29.) Aud SO falling doAvn 
 on his face, in humble reverence and 
 
 as an act of homage (comp. Luke 5 : 12 : 17 : 
 16; Matt. 26 : 39; Rev. 11: 16) hC Will Wor- 
 ship God. He came an unbeliever, 
 but through the Spirit's posver and the 
 truth he is converted. And report, 
 etc., rather, reporting that God is really 
 in you and among y<m, working in each 
 of you by his Spirit, and manifesting 
 his enlightening power among you. 
 
 26-40. Directions for insuring 
 DECENCY AND ORDER. These may be 
 reduced to two rules : Let all things be 
 done to edification (ver. 26) ; and. Let all 
 things be done decently and orderly 
 
 (ver. 40). 
 
 26. How, rather, What, is it then, 
 brethren ? as in ver. 15. What prac- 
 tical result follows ? It is implied from 
 what has been said that spiritual gifts 
 must be restricted and guided by wise 
 rules. And the facts are, that Avhen 
 ye come together, each of you who 
 take part in your public assemblies has 
 some gift which you wish to exercise : 
 one has a psalm, a song of praise 
 (ver. 15); another, a doctrine, or a 
 teaching ; another, an unknown 
 tongue ; another, a revelation of 
 some mystery or hidden truth, or of the 
 unseen world (ver. 6); another, an in- 
 terpretation of a tongue or of some 
 special truth (ver. 13). Each was anxious 
 to speak as soon as the impulse seized 
 him, forgetful of the common good; 
 and thus disorders arose. In view of 
 this, Paul in the first place enjoins. 
 Let all things be done unto edi- 
 fying, unto building up in the faith 
 and the Christian life. 
 
 27. According to the above rule he 
 proceeds to give directions, first in re- 
 gard to the gifts of tongues. Let it be 
 by two, or at the most by three, 
 that the congregation be not wearied, 
 and that unbelievers l)e not injured 
 (ver. 23), and that by course, in 
 turn, so that there he no confusion ; 
 and let one interpret, so that there 
 be but one interpretation to each 
 
Ch. XIV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 297 
 
 28 one interpret. But if there be no in- 
 terpreter, let him keep silence in the 
 church ; and let him speak to himself, 
 
 29 and to God. Let the prophets speak 
 two or three, and ^ let the other judge. 
 
 30 If any thing *be revealed to another 
 that sitteth by, let the tirst hold his 
 
 31 peace. For ye may all prophesy one 
 by one, that all may learn, and all 
 
 32 niay be comforted. And "the spirits 
 of the prophets are subject to the 
 
 33 prophets : for God is not the author of 
 
 28 turn; and let one interpret. But if 
 there be no interpreter, let him keep 
 silence in church ; and let him speak 
 to himself, and to God. 
 
 29 And let prophets speak by two or 
 
 30 three, and the others judge. But if a 
 revelation be made to another sitting 
 
 31 by, let the tirst keep silence. For ye 
 all can prophesy one by one, that all 
 
 32 may learn, and all be exhorted. And 
 spirits of prophets are subject to 
 
 33 prophets. For God is not a God of con- 
 
 s 12 : 10 ; 1 John 4 : 1-3. 
 
 u Ver. 29, 30. 
 
 speech, and the congregation under- 
 stand and be benefited. 
 
 28. But if there be no inter- 
 preter, let him keep silence in 
 the church, in the public assembly, 
 and thus avoid the difficulty, of being 
 no benefit to others, mentioned in ver. 
 13-17. Let him speak to himself, 
 and to God, avoiding what might be 
 but a mere outward display, and con- 
 tenting himself with inward com- 
 munion with God. Sile)U'e however is 
 enjoined only in the public worshiping 
 congregation. There is no prohibition 
 against exercising the gift in private 
 and at home. 
 
 29. Directions in regard to prophesy- 
 ing. Let the prophets speak two 
 or three, rather, by two or three, in 
 turn. The same rule held good of 
 preaching, as of the use of tongues. 
 Two or three addresses took the place 
 of the modern sermon. And let the 
 others judge, or discern, discriminate 
 the utterances and their value. (Comp. 
 11 : 29.) The word, others, grammatically 
 refers to the rest of the prophets pres- 
 ent, probably including the discerner 
 of spirits (12:10). The spirits needed 
 to be examined and judged, and the 
 words of the prophets weighed and de- 
 cided upon, by those spiritually fitted 
 to do it (iJohn 4:1). In regard to ordi- 
 nary discourses, outside of spiritual 
 gifts, the whole congregation of believ- 
 ers were to discern their spiritual value 
 
 for themselves (lO r IS; ll : IS; l John 2 : 
 20, 27). 
 
 30. If anything be revealed, 
 
 better. If a revelation be made, to 
 another that sitteth by, the fact of 
 its being thus made indicating its im- 
 portance, let the first hold his 
 peace, be silent. The prophet speak- 
 ing should at once give way, or bring 
 his discourse to a close as soon as he 
 
 possibly could in an orderly way. The 
 good of the hearers must be kept in 
 view. From this we may infer that 
 the prophetic gift was connected with 
 sudden impulses of inspiration and 
 revelation. 
 
 31. Explanatory of the preceding 
 verse. The waiting for the utterance of 
 a fresh revelation need cause no anxiety 
 or trouble. For ye may, rather, can, 
 all prophesy one by one, if not at 
 this meeting, then in subsequent meet- 
 ings. By all is meant all those who 
 should have a gift of prophecy, for all 
 were not prophets (12:29). The object 
 of the prophesying would be attained 
 in this orderly way, that all may 
 learn, and all may be exhorted and 
 comforted. This agrees with what 
 is said in ver. 3. The word translated 
 comforted, means also to exhort, in such 
 passages as Acts 2 : 40; 11 : 2.3; Rom. 
 12 : 8. All the prophets would in due 
 time have an opportunity to speak, and 
 all in the assembly would be admon- 
 ished, consoled, and confirmed. 
 
 32. And to show that there need be 
 no difficulty in following these direc- 
 tions, the apostle adds. And the spir- 
 its of the prophets, their own spir- 
 its under the inspiration of the Holy 
 Spirit, are subject to the proph- 
 ets, under their control, so that one 
 can wait for another (ver. 30). Right 
 impulses were to be directed; wrong 
 ones resisted. This distinguishes God's 
 prophets from the uncontrolled im- 
 pulses of heathen prophets and sibyls, 
 and from the fanaticism of those who 
 have falsely claimed special gifts from 
 God. Not every good emotion is an 
 impulse of the Spirit. 
 
 33. And this must be so, For God 
 is not a God of confusion, as would 
 be the case if the prophets under his 
 Spirit could not control themselves, 
 
298 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XIV. 
 
 confusion, but * of jjeace. J As in all 
 churches of the saints. 
 
 34 » Let your women keep silence in the 
 churches : for it is not permitted unto 
 them to speak ; but » they are commanded 
 to be under obedience, as also saith 
 
 35 the b law. And if they will learn any 
 thing, let them ask their husbands at 
 home : for it is a shame for women to 
 speak in the church. 
 
 fusion, but of peace, as in all the 
 churches of the saints. 
 
 34 Let your women keep silence in the 
 churches ; for it is not permitted to 
 them to speak, but let them be in sub- 
 
 35 jection, as the law also says. And if 
 they wish to learn anything, let them 
 ask their own husbands at home ; for 
 it is shameful for a woman to speak in 
 
 I 7 : 15 ; Rom. 15 : 33. y 11 : 16. z 1 Tim. 2 : 11, 12. 
 
 o 11 : 3, 7-9 ; Eph. 5 : 22 ; Col. 3 : 18 ; Titus 2 : 5 ; 1 Peter 3:1. 6 See refs. Gen. 3 : 16. 
 
 but of peace, of harmony and good 
 order ; as it is exemplified in all the 
 churches of the saints. Some high 
 authorities join tlie last clause, as in 
 all, etc., to the next verse. But it is 
 more in accordance with Paul to place 
 an appeal to general custom at the end 
 of an argument, rather than at the be- 
 ginning. (See 11: 16.) Alford, WcstCOtt 
 
 and Hort, and the Bible Union ver- 
 sions join it to this verse. 
 
 34. The apostle advises in regard to 
 the exercise of spiritual gifts by women 
 in the public assembly. This is the 
 most natural view, and to me seems to 
 be the only admissible view. For im- 
 mediately before (ver. 28-33) and imme- 
 diately after (ver. 37-40) the subject dis- 
 cussed is spiritual gifts. Let your 
 women, who may be possessors of 
 gifts, keep silence in the churches 
 — " in the larger and public assemblies 
 of the church, which alone are under 
 consideration in this chapter" (El- 
 LICOTT). They were to exercise that^ 
 self-control mentioned in ver. 30-32. 
 For it is not permitted unto them 
 to speak, but they are com- 
 manded, rather, according to the 
 mo.st approved text, hut let them be in 
 suhjection, as also saith the law, 
 recorded in Gen. 3 : K). In 11 : 5, 
 where Paul is not speaking specially of 
 spiritual gifts, but rather of religious 
 exercises in general, he assumes that on 
 certain occasions and under certain 
 circumstances a woman might speak or 
 pray in a meeting. But in 1 Tim. 
 2 : 12 he says, " I permit not a woman 
 to teach, nor to have authority over a 
 man, but to be in quietness," referring 
 to teaching or preacliing in the public 
 assembly. He would not have lier do 
 anything that was unl)ecoming to her 
 position and sphere as a woman, or 
 that would publicly imply authority 
 over man. While in this passage Paul 
 
 is speaking of the exercise of spiritual 
 gifts in public assemblies, and in 1 
 Tim. 2 : 12, of preaching, in chap. 11 
 he may have had reference to smaller 
 and less public meetings; and perhaps 
 to praying and speaking, not only with 
 covered head, but also in an unauthor- 
 itative manner, not suggestive of the 
 public teacher or preacher. (See fur- 
 ther on next verse. ) 
 
 35. Additional directions, especially 
 applicable to that age, to the Corin- 
 thians and to Oriental countries. And 
 if they will, or, unsh to, learn any- 
 thin§^, let them ask their own hus- 
 bands at home, who were regarded 
 as their natural guides. The speaking 
 of women was forbidden in Jewish 
 synagogues, and while the presence of 
 women was allowed in ral)binical 
 schools they were not to speak or ask 
 questions. Calvin has well remarked 
 " that Paul does not prohibit women 
 in case of need from consulting the 
 prophets, since all husbands were not 
 qualified to give information on such 
 subjects." Yet such was the state of 
 Eastern society that even this, unless 
 carefully done, might lead to scandal. 
 Unmarried women are not mentioned. 
 Abuses had not probably' arisen among 
 them, and their greater modesty would 
 keep them from breaking over the 
 usages of society. For it is a shame, 
 considered disgraceful, against the rules 
 of propriety, lor ai woman to speak 
 in the church, the public assembly. 
 Greek and Pvonian, as well as Jewish 
 custom, forbade the public speaking of 
 women. In the East women were kejit 
 very much in seclusion, and could 
 generally converse only with male rela- 
 tives; and the same cu.stom largely 
 prevails to the present day. Paul 
 would not have the cause scandalized. 
 He insi.sts upon a respectful regard to 
 the customs of societv. As these cu.s- 
 
Ch. XIV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 299 
 
 36 cWhat! came the word of God out 
 from you ? Or came it unto you only ? 
 
 37 "1 If "any man think himself to be a 
 prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowl- 
 edge that the things that I write unto 
 you are the commandments of the 
 
 38 Lord : but « if any man be ignorant, let 
 him be ignorant. 
 
 36 church. Or, was it from you that the 
 word of God went forth? Or did it 
 come unto you alone ? 
 
 37 If any one thinks himself to be a 
 prophet, or spiritual, let him recognize 
 the things which I write to you, that 
 they are the Lord's commandment. 
 
 38 But if any one is ignorant, let him be 
 
 c 4 : 7 ; Isa. 2 : 3. 
 
 d 3 : 1 ; 1 John 4 : 6. 
 
 e Hosea 4 : 17 ; Matt. 15 : 14 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 3-5. 
 
 toms change, his arguments, so far as 
 they rest upon them, are modified, and 
 the conclusions correspondingly modi- 
 fied. 
 
 The condition of woman among the 
 Hebrews was superior to that among the 
 heathen. There seems to have been 
 comparative freedom of intercourse be- 
 tween the sexes in the early periods, 
 though in later periods it was restricted. 
 An important place was accorded 
 woman in worship. " The Lord giveth 
 the word : the women that publish the 
 tidings are a great host " (fs. 68 : ii, Revised 
 
 ver. Comp. Exod. 15 : 20 ; 1 Sam. 18 : 6), Chris- 
 tianity has ever been favorable to 
 woman, giving her the position accorded 
 her at creation, that of social equality 
 with man (Gai. 3 : 28), It recognizes her 
 
 importance in worship ( Mark U : 9 ; Luke 
 23 : 49 ; John 20 : 1 fif. ; .A.cts 1 : 14). The WOman 
 
 of Samaria successfully bore the glad 
 tidings of Jesus as the Messiah to the 
 citizens of Sychar (John 4 : 39-41), Dorcas 
 was noted for her work of charity 
 among the sick and the poor (Acts 9:36- 
 39); Priscilla expounded the way of God 
 more perfectly to Apollos (Acts is : 26); 
 and Paul refers to Phoebe, Persis, and 
 other women, as efiicient fellow-helpers 
 
 (Rom. 16 : 1, 12 ; Phil. 4 : 3, 4), But preaching 
 
 which is unofficial is not to be restricted 
 to ministers of the word. It is the func- 
 tion of all Christians, and it should be 
 adapted to all human states and condi- 
 tions. All as they have opportunity 
 should tell the glad tidings (Acts 8:4). 
 Both men and women should, in suit- 
 able ways, testify of the grace of God, 
 according to their ability and their 
 experiences and knowledge of divine 
 things. There are abundant ways and 
 opportunities, among the many classes 
 of people, for all to find employment 
 of the talents God has given them. 
 But see Practical Remark 30, at the end 
 of the chapter. 
 
 36. From this point to the end of 
 the chapter we have a general conclu- 
 
 sion to the discussion on spiritual gifts. 
 Throughout the Epistle there are in- 
 dications that the Corinthians had taken 
 a course independent of other churches, 
 and of Paul himself. This was probably 
 the case in the exercise of spiritual 
 gifts. He therefore reminds them : 
 What, or Or, came the word of 
 God out from you? It did not 
 originate with you, nor did it first come 
 through you. Or came it unto 
 you only, to you alone f These very 
 questions would remind them that they 
 had received the gospel through the 
 ministry of Paul; and that other 
 churches had equal rights with them ; 
 and that all were amenable to the com- 
 mands of the Lord. 
 
 37. Paul gives a test which would at 
 once set aside the claims of arrogant 
 and presumptuous teachers. If any 
 one think himself to be a prophet 
 (12:29), or spiritual, endowed with 
 spiritual gifts, let him acknowl- 
 edge, or let him recognize the things I 
 am wHting that they are the Lord's com- 
 mandment, that is, of Christ. Paul 
 emphatically affirms his own inspira- 
 tion, and that in prescribing these regu- 
 lations, especially the two rules given 
 in verses 26 and 40, he had the mind 
 of Christ and acted under the authority 
 
 of Christ (2 : 16 ; 7 : 40 ; 11 : 2), Willing- 
 
 ness to submit to Christ and to obey 
 his command, as revealed by his word 
 or his inspired apostles, were a neces- 
 sary qualification of the true prophet 
 or teacher. 
 
 38. With severity Paul proceeds. 
 If any man be ignorant of the 
 things I write, that they are the Lord's 
 commandment, such willful ignorance 
 and insubordination are hopeless ; let 
 him be ignorant, I give him no 
 more concern ; it is a matter of inditfer- 
 ence to me. Another reading with 
 much manuscript authority has the 
 last verb in the indicative instead of 
 the imperative : he is not known, that 
 
300 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XIV. 
 
 39 Wherefore, brethren, f covet to proph- 
 esy, and forbid not to speak with 
 
 40 tongues, e Let all things be done de- 
 cently and in order. 
 
 39 ignorant. Wherefore, my brethren, 
 desire earnestly to prophesy, and for- 
 
 40 bid not to speak with tongues. But 
 let all things be done becomingly and 
 in order. 
 
 /Ver. 1; 12 : 31. 
 
 g Ver. 26-33. 
 
 is, of God, he is ignored or disregarded 
 by him. The verse may then be ren- 
 dered, If any man disregard them, the 
 things I ara writing, he is disregarded of 
 God ('*:3). God will disregard him 
 who disregards the directions of his in- 
 spired apostles. But the first and com- 
 mon reading seems preferable. Paul 
 speaks with apostolic authority, and 
 will waste no time with willful, ignorant 
 opposers (n : le). 
 
 39. Wherefore, brethren, to sum 
 up what has been said on this whole 
 subject of spiritual gifts, covet, desire 
 earnestly (i2:3i), to prophesy, without 
 discouraging the speaking with tongues. 
 This was advice to them both as a 
 church and as individuals. Prophesying 
 was to be sought after, yet speaking 
 with tongues was not to be treated as 
 undesirable. 
 
 40. According to the best text: £nt 
 in all this exercising of gifts, let all 
 things be done decently, becom- 
 ingly, according to the rules of pro- 
 priety, and in order, not tumultu- 
 ously, but at the right time and place. 
 This is Paul's second rule (ver. 26). 
 
 Was the Holy Spirit in the old 
 
 DISPENSATION, AND IN THE NEW. It is 
 
 evident that the Holy Spirit was enjoyed 
 in some measure under the old dispensa- 
 tion from the fact that prophets spoke as 
 they were moved by him (2 Peter 1 : 21 ), and 
 from such passages of Scripture as that 
 uttered by Stephen, " Ye do always 
 resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers 
 did, so do ye " (Acts 7 : 51). But wherein 
 was the difference in respect to the 
 Spirit's bestowment then and now? 
 
 (1) There was a difference as to the 
 extent of the bestowment. The special 
 power of the Spirit was granted to but 
 few, to prophets — to such as Enoch, who 
 "walked with GckI," and Moses, with 
 whom Jehovah spake, as it were, " face 
 to face," and who was permitted to 
 behold some of his glory (Exod. 33 : 11, is- 
 23). In accord with this is the excla- 
 mation of Moses, " Would God that all 
 the Lord's people were prophets, and 
 
 that the Lord would put his Spirit 
 upon them " (Num. 11 : 29). But now the 
 presence of his Spirit is general and 
 universal. "It shall come to pass in 
 the last days, saith God, I will pour of 
 my Spirit upon all flesh, '^ etc. (Acts 2: 
 17-21). (2) Another difference has re- 
 spect to i\vQ permanency of the Spirit's 
 presence. The manifestations of his 
 presence then were comparatively few 
 and far between. Prophets had their 
 seasons of his presence and his absence ; 
 and there were times when there was no 
 prophet in Israel, as between the days 
 of Malachi and John the Baptist. But 
 now the Spirit is among believers, and 
 is to continue with them. " I will pray 
 the Father, and he will give you 
 another Comforter, that he may abide 
 with you forever " ( Johu u : le). But (3) 
 the great difference is in the relative 
 power of the Spirit's manifestations. 
 Souls were regenerated by the Spirit 
 then as well as now. David recognized 
 
 : the creation of a clean heart and the 
 renewing of a right spirit (Ps. 5i:io). 
 Abraham's faith was accounted to him 
 for righteousness ( Gen. is : e) , and thus he 
 was ju.stified, as were all who exercised 
 a like faith. But justification implied 
 regeneration. The two are inseparable. 
 
 j But while they were regenerated, their 
 conversion was only into the light of 
 
 j the Old Dispensation. They lived 
 
 i under the shadow of the law, with 
 types, sacrifices, and symbols. They 
 were pupils in their minority, under 
 the tutelage of the law ; and the prom- 
 ises they saw afar oft". But now regen- 
 erated souls are converted into the fuller 
 light and on the higher plane of the 
 gospel. Passing out from the tutelage 
 of the law they enter upon the privi- 
 leges of sonship under the gospel. 
 They behold types and promises ful- 
 filled in a risen, living, glorified Jesu.s. 
 The Spirit takes and shows the things 
 of Christ unto them (John 16 : u. 15). He 
 reveals to them things that eye had not 
 seen, nor ear heanl, nor had entered 
 into the heart of man, the things that 
 God had prepared for them that love 
 
Ch. XIV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 301 
 
 him (i Cor. 2:9). This may be illustrated 
 by the disciples before and after Pente- 
 cost, 
 
 A feio words upon the difference 
 hetiveenthe Pentecostal enjoyment of the 
 Spirit and that enjoyed at the present 
 day. The prophecy of Joel had a 
 special fulfillment in the pentecostal 
 coming of the Spirit, but it also had 
 reference to the whole period of the dis- 
 pensation of the Spirit, until that great 
 and notable day of the Lord should 
 come (Acts 2 : 17-21). The pentecostal 
 blessing was the fulfillment, not of the 
 prophecy of Joel alone, but also the 
 predictions of John the Baptist (Matt. 
 3:11), and of Christ himself (Luke 24 : «). 
 It was the baptism in the Spirit, the 
 public manifestation of the church to 
 the world, the ushering in of the gos- 
 pel dispensation of the Spirit. It Avas 
 fitting that it should be attended with 
 miraculous gifts, the evidences of the 
 presence and power of the Spirit. 
 These continued for a time, and having 
 answered their design, gradually passed 
 away with the apostolic age. But all 
 that was essential to the Spirit's presence 
 and work among men remained. In- 
 deed, the ordinary gifts and manifesta- 
 tionsoftheSpiritareoftenerspokenofin 
 the Epistles, and are more highly prized 
 than the extraordinary ones. Above 
 all miraculous gifts stand faith, hope, 
 and love, and the greatest of these is 
 love (1 Cor. 13 : 13). Belie vcrs are aroyal 
 priesthood, and stand on a level with 
 the highest favored of the old dispen- 
 sation, and above them in their relation 
 to Christ and in their understanding of 
 the great truths and mysteries of the 
 gospel. This is their high privilege, 
 but alas, how many fail to realize it ! 
 How many still live under the shadow 
 of the old dispensation ! 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. We must dwell in love. All our 
 spiritual exercises and labors should be 
 in the spirit of love (ver. 1 ; 1 John 4 : 16). 
 
 2. In speaking with tongues the Holy 
 Spirit enabled the human spirit to utter 
 prayer and praise to God in foreign lan- 
 guages (ver. 2, 13-16 ; Acts 2 : 11). 
 
 3. Prophecy was the greatest of the 
 supernatural gifts to the aptostolic church, 
 because of its wide-embracing duties and 
 its usefulness (ver. 3, 5, 19, 25, 39). 
 
 4. Spiritual gifts and talents are valu- 
 able in proportion to their usefulness 
 (ver. 4-6, 19). 
 
 5. " The most brilliant accomplishments 
 are worthless unless they are consecrated 
 to the promotion of the cause of God in 
 the world " (Pendleton, ver. 5, 6, 9). 
 
 6. The various services in public wor- 
 ship should be plain and simple, and in a 
 language understood h\ the worshipers 
 (ver. 9, 16, 23, 28). 
 
 7. In the gift of tongues we see the 
 power of the Spirit to reach all men and 
 use all languages (ver. 7, 10-13 ; Acts 2 : 2- 
 11; Matt. 28: 19, 20). 
 
 8. In the gift of tongues and other super- 
 natural gifts we get a glimpse of the 
 greater things which God's children are 
 to enjoy in the future world (ver. 7-16 ; 
 lJohn3 :2; 2 Cor. 5 : 4). 
 
 9. In the supernatural endowments of 
 the early church we have the symbolism 
 of the future renewed and perfected 
 humanity, in which boundless diversity 
 will be harmoniously united (ver. 1-19; 
 Rev. 7 : 9-12). 
 
 10. The chief object of the ministry, in 
 studying different languages, should be to 
 understand and express the truths of God 
 the more clearly (ver. 10-12 ; Col. 4 : 2-6). 
 
 11. We should strive to excel in those 
 things which build one another up in 
 Christian doctrine and practice, in faith 
 and holy living (ver. 12-14 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 11 ; 
 Eph. 4 : 29; 2 Cor. 13 : 10). 
 
 12. Prayer should be from the heart, 
 and public prayer in such language as can 
 be understood and can be devoutly and 
 silently entered into by the congregation 
 (ver. 15,16; Eph. 6 : IsV 
 
 13. Singing praises to God is an impor- 
 tant part of Christian worship, and should 
 be performed from the heart, and so 
 enunciated in words as to be understood 
 by, and profitable to, others (ver. 15 ; Col. 
 3 : 16 ; Eph. 5 : 19). 
 
 14. The audible "amen " is a beautiful 
 and fitting endorsement by the congrega- 
 tion at the close of public prayer (ver. 16 ; 
 1 Chron. 16 : 36 ; Rev. 5 : 14 ; 19 : 4). 
 
 15. Preachers of the gospel, to be effec- 
 tive, must be understood by the hearers, 
 and therefore they should study simplicity 
 in style and language (ver. 19 ; 2 Cor. 4:2). 
 
 16. It is childish to be carried away with 
 
302 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XIV. 
 
 showy gifts or external display, or witli 
 anything which does not minister to 
 building up the life or purifying the 
 heart (ver. 20 ; Eph. 4 : 13-lG). 
 
 17. The gift of tongues was a miracle of 
 the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the 
 gospel dispensation, attesting his presence 
 and power and in proof of the Christian 
 religion to unbelievers (ver. 21, 22 ; Acts 
 10 : 46, 47). 
 
 18. The preacher should ever keep in 
 view the good of all classes of his hearers, 
 the building up of saints, and the conver- 
 sion of sinners (ver. 22-24 ; 1 Tim. 5 : 1, 2). 
 
 19. The preached word in the hands of 
 the Spirit comes with convincing power 
 to the hearts of sinners (ver. 25 ; Acts 2 : 
 37 ; Heb. 4 : 12). 
 
 20. All religious services and worship, 
 to be effective in glorifying God andjbene- 
 fiting men, mvist be under the guidance 
 of the Holy Spirit (ver. 27-33 ; John 16 : 
 7-15). 
 
 21. It is evident that the apostles and 
 early missionaries did not depend on the 
 gift of tongues in preaching the gospel to 
 the heathen (ver. 5, 13, 14, 16, 23, 28 ; Acts 
 14 : 11-14). 
 
 22. True religion is imbued with the 
 Spirit of God, and leads to peace and de- 
 corum, and not to discord and tumult 
 (ver. 27-33; Rom, 14 : 17). 
 
 23. Religious services should be both 
 orderly and seasonable, noted neither for 
 great length nor for great brevity (ver. 
 27-31). 
 
 24. The duty of silence in religious 
 services is as imperative as the duty of 
 speaking (ver. 28, 30, 34 ; Acts 15 : 12 ; 
 Eccl. 3 : 7). 
 
 25. No preacher can claim that all he 
 speaks is the truth unless he can give 
 good reasons for it (ver. 29 ; 1 Tim. 4 : 11- 
 16; Titus 2 : 7, 8). 
 
 26. Every Christian has the right of ex- 
 amining and weighing the truth for him- 
 self, and this he should do candidly, 
 prayerfully, and earnestly (ver. 29; 1 
 Thess. 5 : 21 ; Acts 17, 11 ; 1 John 4 : 1). 
 
 27. Full liberty should be given at 
 proper times and places for the exercise 
 of the various talents of believers, pro- 
 vided it can be done to edification (ver. 
 31, 39). 
 
 28. The gift of prophecy and inspiration 
 
 was bestfjwcd on persons in harmony with 
 their natural endowments, and did not 
 interfere with self-control and free 
 agency, and it was to be exercised in a 
 reasonable manner (ver. 32, 33 ; Rev. 22 : 
 8,9). 
 
 29. True religion is not boisterous, but 
 orderly, peaceful, and thoughtful. The 
 religious character of gatherings that are 
 confused, noisy, and tumultuous, may 
 well be questioned (ver. 33, 34 ; Acts 19 : 
 32-34). 
 
 30. Woman has an important sphere in 
 church work ; but it is more private than 
 public in character. The question of her 
 entering the public ministry is not one of 
 native talent, mental and executive abil- 
 ity, eloquence, or pleasing address, but of 
 a Divine call to the work, and of the 
 teaching of the w^ord of God. There is 
 also a reason in the divine fitness of 
 things. She should ever act consistently 
 with the headship of man and her posi- 
 tion as his helpmate (ver. 34,35; Acts 9 : 
 39; ITim. 2 : 11, 12). 
 
 31. The husband is the natural head of 
 the family ; and it is the duty of the 
 Christian husband to trj- and fit himself 
 for leadership in his household (ver. 35 ; 
 11 : 8). 
 
 32. Christ is oiir Lawgiver, and it is the 
 part of the church not to make laws but 
 to execute them (ver. 36). 
 
 33. The Lord's commands are supreme, 
 and the inspired apostles derived their 
 authority from him and spoke in his 
 name (ver. 37 ; Acts 4 : 19 ; Gal. 1 : 1, 12). 
 
 34. A true prophet is shown by his re- 
 gard for God's word (ver. 37 ; Jer. 23 : 28). 
 
 35. When the preacher has proclaimed 
 the truth, he can then leave the resi)onsi- 
 bility upon his hearers (ver. 38 ; Acts 20 : 
 26, 27). 
 
 36. As in nature so in religion there is a 
 divine order, and he who adapts himself 
 the best to it, accomplishes the most for 
 God and men (ver. 40 ; 1 Tim. 3 : 15). 
 
 37. While we arc not to be slaves to cu.s- 
 tom, nor yield to that which may be 
 opposed to God's word, yet in things in- 
 different and in customs which may 
 largely accord with the word of God and 
 the nature of things, we should have re- 
 gard to the usages of the age and countrj- 
 in which we live (ver. 34-iO; 11 : 13-16). 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 303 
 
 The Christian doctrine of the resurrection 
 of the dead. 
 
 15 MOREOVER, brethren, I declare 
 unto you the gospel *> which I preached 
 unto you, » which also ye have received, 
 
 2 and ^ wherein ye stand ; • by which 
 also ye are saved, "if ye keep "in mem- 
 ory what I preached unto you ; unless 
 
 3 " ye have believed in vain. For oi de- 
 livered unto you first of all that which 
 I also received, <i how that Christ died 
 for our sins ^ according to the Scrip- 
 
 15 NOW I make known to you, brethren, 
 the gospel which I preached to you, 
 which also ye received, in which also 
 
 2 ye stand ; through which also ye are 
 saved, if ye hold fast with what word 
 I preached to you, unless ye believed 
 
 3 in vain. For I'delivered to you first of 
 all what I also received, that Christ 
 died for our sins according to the 
 
 ft Acts 18 : 1-18. il:4-8. ft Rom. 5 : 2. J 1 : 21 ; Rom. 1 : 16. m John 8 : 31, 32 ; Col. 1 : 23. 
 n Luke 8 : 13 ; James 2 : 20. o 11 : 23 ; Gal. 1 : 12. g 1 Peter 2 : 24. r See refs. Luke 24 : 26, 44-46 ; Acts 3 : 18. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 This is one of the most wonderful 
 chapters, not only in this Epistle, but 
 in all of Paul's writings. It is the full- 
 est and most forcible discussion in the 
 New Testament of the doctrine of the 
 resurrection. Some among the Corin- 
 thians doubted the resurrection of the 
 dead (ver. 12), which fact had been told 
 the apostle by those visiting him from 
 Corinth, or communicated to him by 
 letter with a request for his views 
 thereon (T:i). The apostle begins by 
 presenting Christ's resurrection as the 
 primal theme of his preaching (ver. 1-4)^ 
 and establishes it as a historical fact 
 ■ (ver. 5-11 ), He then proves that Christ's 
 resurrection implies a general resurrec- 
 tion (ver. 12-19), both of wliich are es- 
 sential to the scheme of redemption 
 (ver. 20-28). The doctrinc he fortifies by 
 an appeal to the lives of believers 
 (ver. 29-34). He then discusses the man- 
 ner of the resurrection, and the nature 
 of the resurrection body (ver. 35-49), and 
 finally enlarges on the results of the 
 resurrection (ver. 50-58). 
 
 1-11, The resurrection of 
 Christ a historical fact, and the 
 
 CHIEF theme of PAUL'S PREACH- 
 ING. 
 
 1. Moreover, ^>?^ or J^^o^^, turning 
 to a new subject. There appears to be 
 no connection between this and what 
 precedes. Paul reserves this most im- 
 portant subject to the l?st. I declare, 
 make known to you, as you need in- 
 struction. (See on 12 : 3.) The gOSpel, 
 
 the glad tidings of salvation (ver. 2), of 
 which Christ's resurrection is a funda- 
 mental doctrine (ver. 3, 4). Which also 
 you (omit have) received at your 
 conversion. Wherein ye now 
 
 stand, firm, maintaining the faith, so 
 far as Christ is concerned. They had 
 not fallen from their faith in Christ 
 (10 : 12), but had resisted the assaults of 
 
 unbelief (2 Cor. 1 .- 24 ; Eph. 6 : 13-16). 
 
 2. By, or through, Avhich gospel 
 (ver. 1) also ye are saved, are being 
 saved now, looking toward final salva- 
 tion from sin and its consequences, if 
 ye keep in memory, rather, if ye 
 hold fast the word, the discourse, icith 
 which I preached to you, unless ye 
 have believed, rather, unless ye be- 
 lieved in vain to no purpose ; unless 
 your faith was fruitless and worthless 
 (Gal. 3:4; 4:11) which is hardly to be 
 supposed. The apostle regards a sav- 
 ing faith to be more than a momentary 
 or intellectual exercise, to include a 
 spiritual taking hold of and holding 
 
 fast (LukeS: 15; Heb. 3 :6, 14: 10 :23) the 
 
 great theme of his preaching, which was 
 a sulfering, dying, and risen Christ (ver. 
 3, 4), unless faith be altogether vain 
 (ver. 14). The above what I preached^ 
 more exactly, with tvhat word, dis- 
 course, instruction, I preached to you 
 pointing not only to the theme, but also 
 to the kind of theme. Paul emphasizes 
 the gospel as he presented it ( Gai. 1 : 8 : 
 
 Rom. 2 : 16; 16: 25) 
 
 3. For, to explain what he had 
 made known and preached to them 
 (ver. 1,2). I delivered unto you 
 first of all, chiefly, that which I 
 also received from the Lord (ii : 23), 
 how that Christ died for our 
 sins, on account of, for the sake of, our 
 sins, in order to atone for them (Rom. 5 : 
 8-10:3:23-26) accordiug to the 
 
 Scriptures. ( Comp. Luke 24 : 27 ; Ps. 22 : 1 : 
 Isa. 53 : 1 ff. ; Zech. 12 : 10.) ISToticC hoW Paul 
 
 begins the account of his gospel, not 
 with Christ's birth, but with his death. 
 
304 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XV. 
 
 4 tures ; and that he was buried, and | 4 Scriptures ; and that he was buried, 
 that he rose again the third day = ac- and that he has been raised on tlie 
 cording to the Scriptures : ' and that | third day, according to the Scriptures ; 
 
 s Ps. 2 : 7 ; 16 : 10 ; Isa. 53 : 10 ; Hosea 6:2; Luke 24 : 26, 34-43, 46 ; Acts 26 : 22, 23. t Luke 24 : 34. 
 
 This agrees witli his preaching " Jesus 
 Christ and him crucified" (2:2; 5:7; 
 8:11); and with the general tenor of 
 his Epistles in chiefly insisting upon 
 the death and resurrection of our 
 
 Lord ( Kph. 1 : 7-23 ; Col. 1 : 14-23; Rom. 6:1-4; 
 
 1 Tim. 3:16). Paul's Christ was not so 
 much the living Jesus on earth as the 
 exalted and living one in heaven. 
 
 The Christ of Paul the same as 
 THE Christ of the Gospels. None 
 of Paul's Epistles touch so much 
 upon gospel history as do those to the 
 Corinthians. What then is their testi- 
 mony upon the question, Does Paul's 
 representation of Christ agree with that 
 of the Gospels? 
 
 In answer it may be said that no real 
 incongruity has been shown to exist. It 
 should be noted however, (1) that when 
 Paul wrote these Epistles he was depend- 
 ent mostly, or wholly, on revelations 
 from the Lord and oral Gospels handed 
 down from eye and ear-witnesses of the 
 Lord. None of the Gospels were then 
 written except perhaps the Hebrew or 
 Aramaic Gospel of Matthew, and there is 
 no evidence that he had ever seen a 
 a copy of that. (2) Paul goes beyond 
 all the Gospels, written or oral, in 
 dwelling especially upon the risen, liv- 
 ing Christ (2 Cor. 5 : 16). A general agree- 
 ment prevails, however, as the follow- 
 ing will show. 
 
 In regard to the person of Christ, 
 Paul represents him in his humanity as 
 the "second Adam," and in his di- 
 vinity as the "one Lord Jesus Christ 
 by whom are all things and we by 
 him " (8:6). He appeals to him as the 
 Lord, the one who has Divine authority 
 (7:10: Matt. 28:18). As to liis character, 
 ho speaks of liim as the truth, the 
 einljodinient of truthfulness, tlirough 
 whom the promises of God are "yea 
 and amen " (2 cor. 1 : 20; John 18 : 37). Also 
 of " tlie meekness and gentleness of 
 Christ" (2 Cor. 10: 1), and of his sinless 
 
 life (2 Cor. 5 : 21 ; .T.,hn 8 : 46). As tO doC- 
 
 trines, Paul tauglit repentance (2 Cor. 
 7 : 10) and ftiith (i;'> : 2), and regeneration 
 (2 Cor. 5:17), and adoption, God "our 
 Father " and we his children (1 : 3)^ and 
 the salvation of believers through the 
 
 preaching of the cro.ss (1 : is, 24; John 3 : 
 14,15). Paul regarded Christ as the 
 way to the Father, and the knowledge 
 of God and of Jesus Christ as eternal 
 
 life (2 Cor. 3 : 18; 4:1-4; John 15 : 9, 10 ; 17 : 3). 
 
 So also as to what Christ did for u.s. 
 For our sakes he became poor (2 Cor. 8:9; 
 Luke 9 : 58). He was our Passover, sacri- 
 ficed for us (5:7; John 1 : 29), dying for 
 
 our sins (i5 : 3; Matt. 20 : 28), and made sin 
 
 for us (2 Cor. 5 : 21 ; John 10 : 10, 14, 15). And 
 
 what he does for us now, by the Holy 
 Spirit in the hearts of believers (2 : u; 
 
 6: 19; John 14 : 26, etc.). 
 
 Many of Paul's words and phrases 
 appear to have been quoted or molded 
 from the words of the Lord Jesus. 
 For instance, such expressions as they 
 who "preach the gospel should live of 
 the gospel " (9 : u ; Luke 10 : 7) ; " being 
 reviled we bless " (4: 12 ; Luke 6 : 28) ; " the 
 saints will judge the world " (6:2; Luke 
 22 : 30) ; " though I havc all faith so as 
 to remove mountains" (i3 : 2; Matt. 17 : 20). 
 The same holds true as to his teach- 
 ing concerning marriage and divorce 
 ( 7 : 10 ff. ; Matt. 5 : 32, etc. ) ; concerning love 
 as a grace or virtue ( is : i ir. ; John 15 : 9, 10) * 
 as to the distinction between the letter 
 and the spirit (2 Cor. 3 :6; John 6:63). And 
 finally, not to refer to other passages, 
 we may mention Paul's account of the 
 Lord's Supper (n : 23-26), and of his ap- 
 pearances to the disciples after his res- 
 urrection (15 : 3-8). . 
 
 All this, and much more that might 
 be adduced, shows that Paul did not 
 preach another gospel. 
 
 4. And that he was buried and 
 that he rose again, rather, that 
 he hath been raised, implying that he is 
 alive, the third day. The tense of 
 the first verb relates to the single act of 
 Christ's burial ; tliat of the second 
 verb to his continued resurrection life. 
 According to the Scriptures. 
 Of course the Old Testament Scriptures, 
 which were to him an infallible stand- 
 ard of appeal. (see Ps. 16 : lO: Isa. 53 : 10: 
 Hosea 6:2; Jonah 2:10.) It sllould be no- 
 ticed that it is distinctly said that he 
 was buried; and the four Gospels give 
 a distinct account of his burial. Thus 
 there could be no doubt of his death ; 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 305 
 
 5 he was seen of Cephas, then "of the 
 
 6 twelve : after that, he was seen of 
 above five hundred brethren at once ; 
 of whom the greater part remain unto 
 this present, but some are fallen asleep. 
 
 7 After that, he was seen of James ; then 
 
 8 =^of all the apostles. yAnd last of all 
 he was seen of me also, as of one born 
 
 9 out of due time. For I am ^ the least 
 of the apostles, that am not meet to 
 
 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then 
 
 6 to the twelve ; then he appeared to 
 above five hundred brethren at once, 
 of whom the greater part remain until 
 
 7 now, but some are fallen asleep. After 
 that, he appeared to James ; then to all 
 
 8 the apostles. And last of all, as if to 
 the one born out of due time, he ap- 
 
 9 peared to me also. For I am the least 
 of the apostles, who am not fit to be 
 
 u Matt. 28 : 17 ; Mark 16 : 14 ; Acts 10 : 41. 
 
 y 9 : 1 ; Acts 9 : 4, 17 ; 22 : 14, 17, 18. 
 
 X Luke 24 : 50 ; Acts 1 : 2-12. 
 z Eph. 3:8. 
 
 he really entered the grave, and his 
 soul descended into the regions of the 
 dead (Acts 2 : 29-31), from both of which 
 he came forth in his resurrection. Com- 
 pare Acts 28 : 23, where we have an ac- 
 count of Paul's preaching the gospel to 
 the Jews at Rome. 
 
 5. In this whole passage Paul speaks 
 as one who knew and believed what he 
 said. His words are not those of a 
 fanatic, nor of an impostor, but are the 
 utterances of truth and soberness (Acts 
 26:25). He now proceeds to prove the 
 resurrection of Christ as a historical 
 fact. And that he Avas seen of 
 Cephas, the Aramaic form of the 
 Greek name, Peter (John 1 : 42 ; oai. 1 : is), 
 then of the twelve, a frequent 
 designation of the company of the 
 
 apostles (Matt. 26 : 20 ; Acts 6 : 2, etc.). TheSC 
 
 two appearances were on the day that 
 Jesus rose, there being five appearances 
 recorded for that day : ( 1 ) To Mary 
 
 Jklagdalene (Mark 16 : 9 ; John 20 : 11) ; (2) tO 
 
 the other women (Matt. 28 : 9, lo) ; (3) to 
 
 Peter (Luke24 :34; l Cor. 15 :5) ; (4) tO the 
 
 two on their way to Emma us ( Mark i6 : 12 ; 
 Luke 24 : 15) ; (5) to the apostles, Thomas 
 
 being absent (Mark le : 14 : Luke 24 : 36 ; John 
 
 20:19; 1 Cor. 15). A weck later he ap- 
 peared to the apostles, Thomas being 
 present (John 20 : 26). 
 
 6. After that he was seen, 
 rather, he appeared, to above five 
 hundred brethren at once. This 
 was probably on a mountain in Galilee 
 (Matt. 28 : 16) by a spccial appointment of 
 
 our Lord (Matt. 28 : 7 ; Mark 16 : 7), when hc 
 
 gave the last Commission (Matt. 28: i6; 
 Mark 16 : 15) . See author's ' ' Harmony of 
 the Gospels," ^ 199, and note. The 
 greater part remain unto this 
 present. It was probably early in 
 A. D. 58 when Paul Avrote this, twenty- 
 eight years after our Lord's resurrection, 
 less than a generation. Thus there 
 were many then living who saw Christ 
 
 with their own eyes after he had risen. 
 (See also next two verses.) " This was 
 not done in a corner" (Acts 26 : 26). Je- 
 rusalem was easy of access from Corinth, 
 and the apostle's assertions could have 
 been easily disproved if disproof were 
 possibly. 
 
 7. After that he was seen of, 
 appeared to, James, brother of our 
 Lord, writer of the Epistle of James, 
 and pastor of the church at Jerusalem 
 
 (Acts 15 : 13; see note on Acts 12 : 17). JamCS 
 
 may have believed on Jesus before the 
 resurrection, and certainly believed af- 
 ter it (John 7:5), and our Lord appeared 
 to him to prepare him for his great work 
 at Jerusalem as a witness of the resur- 
 rection. While not called among the 
 Twelve, he seems to have stood on a 
 level with them at Jerusalem (Gai. 2:9). 
 Then of all the apostles, doubtless 
 the one recorded in Acts 1 : 9-12, at the 
 ascension. 
 
 8. And last of all he was seen, 
 better, he appeared to me also (Acts 9 : i7; 
 22 : 14; 26 : ifi) near thc gate of Damascus. 
 As of one born out of due time, 
 better, As it ivere to the one untimely 
 horn, of immature birth. The apostle's 
 meaning is explained in the next verse, 
 he presents himself as inferior to the 
 rest of the apostles, like a small and 
 weakly child, immature and unshapely. 
 Some commentators notice here the 
 suddenness, and strangeness of Paul's 
 conversion, unparalleled in Scripture 
 and in the church of God ; coming into 
 the apostle's office without a period of 
 growth (Acts 26: 14^18), wMlc the Twelve 
 had a previous companionship with 
 
 Jesus (Luke 6 : 13), 
 
 9. Paul explains his language of 
 self-reproach, and the reason for using 
 it. In his great humiliation at ha-\ang 
 persecuted the church of God 
 (Acts 7 : 58: 8:3), hc spcaks of himsclf as 
 the least of the apostles, in rank, 
 
 U 
 
306 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XV 
 
 be called an apostle, because "I perse- 
 
 10 cuted the church of God. But ^ by the 
 grace of God I am what I am : and his 
 grace which was beduwed upon me was 
 not in vain : but « I laboured more 
 abundantly than they all : <> yet not I, 
 but the grace of God which w-as with 
 
 11 me. Therefore whether it ivere I or 
 they, so we preach, and so ye believed. 
 
 12 Now if Christ be preached that he 
 rose from the dead, ^how' say some 
 among you that there is no resurrec- 
 
 called an afiostle, because I persecuted 
 
 10 the church of God. But by God's 
 grace I am Avhat I am ; and his grace 
 which was bestowed upon me did not 
 prove vain ; but I labored more abun- 
 dantly than they all ; yet not I, but the 
 
 11 grace of God with me'. Whether then 
 it be I or they, so we preach, and so ye 
 believed. 
 
 12 But if Christ is preached that he has 
 been raised from the dead, how say 
 some among you that there is no resur- 
 
 a Acts 8:3; 9:1; Gal. 1 : 13 ; 1 Tim. 1:13. h Eph. 3 : 7, 8 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 12-16. 
 
 c Rom. 15 : 17-20 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 23-30 ; 12 : 11. 
 
 d Matt. 10 : 20 ; 2 Cor. 3:5; Gal. 2:8; Eph. 3:7; Phil. 2 : 13 ; Col. 1 : 28, 29. e Acts 17 : 18 ; 26 : 8. 
 
 in his own estimation ; and not meet, 
 vot fit, to be called an apostle. 
 
 He felt himself unworthy of even the 
 name of an apostle (Kph 3:8; Gai. i : 13 ; i 
 Tim. 1:13). The ckurch of God refers 
 primarily to the church at Jerusalem 
 (Act3 8 : 3; 9 ; 1), where his persecution 
 began and from which place it pro- 
 ceeded. The church there represented 
 the early discipleship generally, and, 
 at the time of the death of Stephen and 
 the subsequent persecution, it was prob- 
 ably the only church in the world. 
 
 ( .See Acts 9 : 31, and note. ) 
 
 10, Paul admits his personal in- 
 feriority to the other apostles, but he 
 magnifies the grace of God that wrought 
 through him. But by the grace of 
 God I am what I am, Avhatever I 
 am God's grace has made me, I owe 
 all to the undeserved favor of God. 
 And this grace was not in vain, was 
 not without fruit. This is the negative 
 side. But, on the positive side, I 
 laboured more abundantly than 
 they all, than the other apostles, any 
 one of them individually. The Twelve, 
 who labored more especially among the 
 Jews, had a more circumscribed iSeld 
 than Paul in his extended Gentile work. 
 The mission among the Gentiles had 
 also its greater difficulties. But while 
 he thus refers to the greatness of his 
 work, he takes no glory to liimself. 
 Yet not I alone have accomplished 
 this, but the grace of God which 
 was with me, ratlier, according to 
 the most approved text, hut the graee 
 of God with me, working effi'ctively 
 with me, wrought this. Paul was con- 
 scious of his own agency, but al.so of 
 his dependence on God's gracious help, 
 as the most important factor. (Comp. 
 
 3 : 9 ; 2 Cor. 3:5; Eph. 3:7; Phil. 2:12,13.) 
 
 11. Paul returns to the great theme 
 of preaching from this digression re- 
 garding himself and the other apostles. 
 He was conscious of opposition, but 
 this w^ould weaken in view of his 
 humility. Neither would he care for 
 it. Therefore whether it Avere I 
 or they, the other apostles, who la- 
 bored most, there is an agreement in 
 our preaching and in your believing. 
 So w^e preach, and so ye believed, 
 at your conversion, that Christ died, 
 was buried, and rose again (ver. 3, 4). 
 
 12-19. The resurrection of 
 Christ implies the resurrection 
 
 OF ALL believers. IT IS A FUNDA- 
 MENTAL FACT IN THE CHRISTIAN 
 
 RELIGION. The reference is specially 
 to the resurrection of believers. The 
 resurrection of the wicked is elsewhere 
 
 taught (John 5 : 29; Acts 24 : 15). 
 
 12. Tlie apostle takes the resurrec- 
 tion of Christ as an established fact, ac- 
 cepted by the Corinthian Church. His 
 whole argument proceeds upon the sup- 
 position that this was not a matter of 
 controversy. Now if Christ be 
 preached. But, as it is an actual 
 fact that Christ is preached, that he 
 rose from the dead, how is it pos- 
 sible that soyne among you say there 
 is no resurrection of the dead, 
 or more strictly, of dead men ? The 
 reference is to a future general resur- 
 rection. The verse is a question imply- 
 ing surprise at such views, which car- 
 ried to their logical conclusion must 
 also deny Christ's resurrection (ver. 
 
 13, U). 
 
 It has been much discussed as to the 
 persons here meant and their phase of 
 belief. Outside of early Christians, 
 the Pharisees and certain portions of 
 the Jews, there was a general disbelief 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 307 
 
 13 tion of the dead? But if there be no 
 resurrection of the dead, ^ then is Christ 
 
 14 not risen : and if Christ be not risen, 
 then is our preaching vain, and your 
 
 15 faith is also vain. Yea, and we' are 
 . found false witnesses of God ; because 
 
 s we have testified of God that he raised 
 up Christ : whom he raised not up, if 
 
 16 so be that the dead rise not. For if the 
 dead rise not, then is not Christ raised : 
 
 17 and if Christ be not raised, your faith 
 
 18 is vain ; ^ ye are yet in your si'ns. Then 
 they also which' are ^ fallen asleep in 
 
 13 rection of dead men? But if there is 
 no resurrection of dead men, then 
 
 14 neither has Christ been raised ; and if 
 Christ has not been raised, then is ovu- 
 preaching vain, vain also your faith. 
 
 15 And we are found also false witnesses 
 of God ; because we testified in respect 
 to God, that he raised up the Christ; 
 whom he raised not, if it be so that no 
 
 16 dead are raised up. For if no dead are 
 raised up, neither has Christ been 
 
 17 raised ; and if Christ has not been 
 raised, j-our faith is vain ; ye are yet in 
 
 18 your sins. Then they also who have 
 fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 
 
 / 1 Thess. 4 : 14. 
 
 g Acts 2 : 24, 32 ; 4 : 10, 33 ; 13 : 30-37. h Rom. 4 : 25 ; Htb. 9 : 22-28. 
 i 1 Thess. 4 : 13, 14 ; Rev. 14 : 13. 
 
 in a bodily resurrection. The Saddu- 
 cees among the Jews and the Epicu- 
 reans among the heathen, held to the 
 non-existence of man after death. The 
 Stoics taught the pantheistic doctrine, 
 the reabsorption of the soul into di- 
 vinity. The Platonists maintained the 
 immortality of the soul, but regarded 
 matter as the cause of all evil, and the 
 resurrection of the bodj^ as unreason- 
 able. Among Christians, a little later 
 than this, were some, like Hymenaeus 
 and Philetus (2 Tim. 2 : n, is), who held 
 that the resurrection was already past, 
 and that it was a spiritual quickening 
 through Christ, perverting the teaching 
 of Paul (Col. 3:1). The Gnostics later 
 still held a similar heresy. It is prob- 
 able that these, to whom Paul refers at 
 Corinth, were mostly Gentile Chris- 
 tians, and perhaps some Jews of Sad- 
 ducean tendency, to Avhom the doctrine 
 of a bodily resurrection appeared inad- 
 missible, strange, or unwelcome (Acts 4: 
 
 2 ; 5 : 17 ; 23 : 6-9 ; 17 : 32 ) . It is possible that 
 
 some of them belonged to the Christ's 
 party (1:12). They seem to have held 
 to a future life, and Paul's general ar- 
 gument, based on Christ's resurrection, 
 was well suited to bring conviction to 
 his opponents, whatever might have 
 been the origin and phase of their 
 error. 
 
 13. Paul shows the absurdity of the 
 assertion of his opponents. But if 
 there be no resurrection of dead 
 men, then the reasons which would 
 prove that would prove that Christ 
 is not risen, which you are not ready 
 to admit, and wiiich is not to be thought 
 of in view of the many proofs of his 
 resurrection. 
 
 14. And, to carry out the thought 
 
 logically, if Christ be not risen, 
 and is still dead, then is our preach- 
 ing a risen Christ and Saviour vain, 
 unmeaning and useless, and your 
 faith, which you have been exercising 
 in the Author of life (Acts3 ■. i5; 5: 31), 
 is also vain, since you have been ex- 
 ercising it upon a dead man. If dead, 
 he could not be the Son of God with 
 power (Rom. 1:4). The whole gospel is 
 subverted. 
 
 15. And, terrible for us, we are 
 found false Avitnesses, not mis- 
 taken, but false witnesses of God, 
 concerning him, professing to witness 
 for him; because we have willfully 
 testified in respect to God, that he 
 raised up Christ, a monstrous sup- 
 position, if not true. Whom he 
 raised not up, if so be the dead 
 rise not. If no dead are raised, then 
 Christ is not raised. The resurrection 
 of Christ is true or false. If the latter, 
 then Peter, James, John, the other 
 apostles, and Paul himself, were im- 
 postors ; and the five hundred also who 
 had joined them in their testimony — a 
 most absurd and incredible supposition. 
 
 16. Repetition of the argument of 
 ver. 13, for precision and emphasis, and 
 for the purpose of carrying out the in- 
 ference further in the next verse. 
 
 17. And if Christ be not raised 
 (as in ver. 14), vaiu, ciupty and useless is 
 your faith in him as a Redeemer and 
 Saviour. Ye are yet in your sins, 
 condemned and unforgiven, and ex- 
 posed to all their terrible consequences. 
 A dead Christ cannot atone for sin, nor 
 justify the ungodly (Rom. 4 : 25). 
 
 18. And worse still. The darkness 
 of the picture deepens ; for then all in 
 Christ are lost. Then they that 
 
308 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XV. 
 
 19 Christ are perished. ^ If in this life 
 only we have hope in Christ, we are of 
 all men most miserable. 
 
 20 But now lis Christ risen from the 
 dead, and become "the firstfruits of 
 
 21 them that slept. For » since by man 
 came death, <> by man came also the 
 
 22 resurrection of the dead, p For as in 
 
 19 If in this life only we have hoped 
 in Christ, we are of all men most 
 pitiable. 
 
 20 But as it is Christ has been raised 
 from the dead, a first- fruit of those who 
 
 21 have fallen asleep. For since through 
 man came death, through man came 
 
 22 also the resurrection of the dead. For 
 
 ki : 9-13: 2 Tim. 3 : 12. 
 n Rom. 5 : 12-21. 
 
 I Ver. 4-8 ; 1 Peter 1:3. m Ver. 23 ; Acts 26 : 23 ; Col. 1 : 18 ; Rev. 1 
 o John 11 : 25 : Rom. 6 : 23. p Ver. 47, 48; Gen. 3 : 19. 
 
 have fallen asleep in Jesus (see on 
 T:39) ; implying their continued exist- 
 ence after death. That this is a con- 
 scious existence is evident from many 
 passages. See Luke 23 : 43, and note, 
 and Practical Remarks on Luke 16. 
 Are perished, are lost in perdition, 
 having incurred the loss of eternal life 
 (John 17: 12). The word does not mean 
 annihilation or extinction of being. ( See 
 
 its use in 1 : 18 ; 8 : 11 ; Rom. 2:12; 2 Cor. 2 : 15, etc. ) 
 
 " One of the most harrowing thoughts, 
 as we see from 1 Thess. 4 : 13 to the 
 apostolic Christians, was the fear lest 
 their departed brethren by a premature 
 death be debarred from that communion 
 with the Lord which they hoped to en- 
 joy ; and in itself nothing could be 
 more disheartening to the Christian's 
 hope than to find that Christians had 
 lived and died in vain" (Stanley). 
 
 19. Paul still dwells upon the sad 
 conclusion of the preceding verse. If 
 in this life only we have hope, or 
 hoped in Christ, to be disappointed 
 in the next life ; if our hope is a mere 
 exercise, while we are yet in our sins 
 and under condemnation, and in reality 
 without hope and without God in the 
 world, and at the same time subject to 
 the privations, hatred, and persecutions 
 pertaining to a Christian life, then we 
 are of all men most miserable, 
 or (he most to be pitied. Suffering all 
 this for a false hope, a delusion, Miiich 
 is to end in bitter disappointment. 
 Paul does not teach that Christians are 
 more pitiable than other men, for he 
 elsewhere teaches the contrary (Rom. 5: 
 1-4; 1 Tim. 4:8); but they are thus to be 
 pitied, if they are deluded, and if 
 Christ is not all in all to them in this 
 and in the coming world, as they think 
 him to be. 
 
 20-28. Both the resurrection 
 OF Christ and of his followers is 
 
 ESSENTIAL TO THE GREAT SCHEME OF 
 REDEMPTION. 
 
 20. From such a gloomy picture 
 
 (ver. 13-19) Paul tums to one full of hope 
 and triumph. He sees in Christ's res- 
 urrection a pledge of the resurrection 
 of his people. But now, as it really 
 is, Christ is risen from the dead, 
 for which there is abundant proof 
 (ver. 3-8), and become the first- 
 fruits, the earnest and pledge of the 
 resurrection of them that slept. 
 The words and become should be omit- 
 ted according to the best text. The 
 last clause will then read, a firstfruit 
 of those that hare fallen asleep). The 
 firstfruit was the beginning of the har- 
 vest, a pledge and promise of the rest 
 of the harvest. So Christ's resurrec- 
 tion was the beginning of the resurrec- 
 tion, the guarantee of the future resur- 
 rection of Christians (Rom. 8 : 23 ; l Thess. 
 
 4:14; Rev. 1 : 5). It is significant that 
 our Lord rose on the morrow after the 
 Paschal Sabbath, the day when the 
 firstfruits of the harvest were pre- 
 sented (Lev. 23:10, 11). 
 
 21. For, to explain and confirm the 
 statement that Christ's resurrection was 
 a firstfruit of the resurrection of his 
 followers, since by, or through, man 
 came death (Rom. 5 : 12), through man 
 came also the resurrection of 
 the dead. The reference is to physi- 
 cal death and the resurrection of the 
 bodies of the dead, as the preceding 
 context shows. Of course as Paul is 
 treating of the resurrection of believers, 
 it is implied that they are raised into 
 a glorified life. It is fitting and in the 
 nature of things, that as death came 
 through man, so the resurrection 
 should come through man. Like acts 
 best on like. It was necessary that 
 Christ should have a human nature, in 
 order to accomplish his work in human 
 redemption, and that includes a hu- 
 man body since the believer's body is 
 to be saved and glorified. (Comp. Rom. 5 : 
 
 12-17; 1 Tim. 2:5.) 
 
 22. Further confirmation by a direct 
 application to Adam and Christ. For 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 309 
 
 Adam all die, even so in Christ shall 
 
 23 all be made alive. But <i every man in 
 his own order : Christ the firstfruits ; 
 afterward they that are Christ's ' at his 
 
 24 coming. ^Then cometh the end, when 
 he shall have delivered up* the king- 
 dom to Grod, even the Father; when 
 
 as in Adam all die, so also in Christ 
 
 23 will all be made alive. But each in 
 his own rank ; Christ a first-fruit ; then 
 they who are Christ's at his coming. 
 
 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers 
 up the kingdom to God and the Father ; 
 
 q 1 Thess. 4 : 15-17. 
 
 r Matt. 25 : 31 ; John 5 : 25-29 ; 1 John 2 
 t Dan. 7 : 13-27. 
 
 28. 
 
 s Dan. 12 : 4, 9 ; Matt. 13 : 39, 40. 
 
 as ill Adam, the representative and 
 head of the race, whose common nature 
 we all partake; all die, all become 
 mortal and liable to death (Rom. 5:12, 
 15, 17) ; so in Christ, our spiritual rep- 
 resentative and head, whose nature we 
 partake of through faith, shall all 
 be made alive, made partakers of 
 that resurrection which he has already 
 attained (John 6 : 39-44; 11 : 25), As the 
 apostle is discussing the resurrection it 
 is both natural and obvious that tempo- 
 ral death and bodily resurrection are 
 referred to in this passage. Some would 
 extend the reference to the whole race 
 — the mortality of all in Adam, and 
 the resurrection of all in Christ, be- 
 cause of his general relation to the 
 whole race. The language will admit 
 of that interpretation ; but still the 
 apostle is speaking of believers in this 
 whole chapter, and he does not appear 
 to be thinking of the wicked at all 
 (ver. 2, 14, 19, 23). Further ou Christ and 
 the resurrection of believers, see Rom. 
 8 :11. 
 
 23. Paul notes that there is a divine 
 order in the resurrection, and that 
 Christ must precede his followers. 
 Three steps are noticed : first, Christ's 
 resurrection, then that of believers, 
 then the sul)jection of opposers to Christ 
 as mediator. In the last must be in- 
 cluded the resurrection of the wicked, 
 which Paul does not speak of definitely, 
 as he is here simply discussing the res- 
 urrection of believers. 
 
 Referring to what he had just said, 
 that in Christ all should be made alive 
 (ver. 22), Paul coutiiiues, But every 
 man in his own order, as divinely 
 constituted. The Avord translated oixler 
 primarily means. That ivhich has been 
 arranged, or placed in order. In mili- 
 tary affairs it was applied to a troop of 
 soldiers, and in other matters to a class 
 or rank of anything. The primary 
 meaning, order, fits the connection and 
 the thought here. Christ the first- 
 fruits. It was necessary that Christ 
 
 should rise first, as the Head of the 
 church, and should present himself to 
 God as the firstfruits, and carry on his 
 
 mediatorial work ( Col. l : is ; see on Acts 
 
 26:23). Afterward, or better. Then 
 they that are Christ's at his 
 coming, at his arrival and presence, 
 
 his second coming (Matt. 24 : 3, 37, 39 ; 1 Thess. 
 3 : 13 ; 4 : 15, 16 ; James 5 : 7, etc.). Then will 
 
 be the glorious harvest of his raised 
 people, of which he himself had been 
 the firstfruits. His dominion began 
 with his own resurrection, exalted to 
 the right hand of God (Acts 5 : 3i; Phu. 
 2:9), and at his second coming he re- 
 turns to establish and consummate his 
 kingdom on earth. It will be a fitting 
 time for the resurrection of believers — 
 the Head and the members must be to- 
 gether (John 6: 39). As the Jcwish dis- 
 pensation ended with his resurrection, 
 so the present order of things will end 
 with his coming and a new order be- 
 gin (Rev. 11 : 15: 20 : 5). 
 
 24. Then cometh the end of the 
 
 world ( Matt. 24 : 6 ; 2 Thess. 2:8:1 Peter 4:7), 
 
 and of Christ's mediatorial kingdom, 
 when the wicked shall have been raised 
 and judged, and the power of sin and 
 death destroyed ( Rev. 20 : 7-15) . How long 
 this order of things shall continue Paul 
 does not say. When he shall have 
 delivered, rather, according to the 
 best authorities, when he delivers up the 
 kingdom to God, even the Father. 
 The kingdom given him by the Father 
 will then be given back by him to the 
 Father. Like a prince bringing back 
 the spoils and trophies of conquest to 
 his father. The mediatorial kingdom 
 is here meant, with which Christ was 
 invested at his resurrection (Matt. 28 : is), 
 and which is to continue till his work 
 of redemption is accomplished (Acts 
 2:21). He will then no longer reign 
 over the universe as Mediator ; but as 
 the Incarnate Son of God and as the 
 Head of his people he will still continue ; 
 and in this respect " his kingdom shall 
 
 have no end " (r.uke 1 : 33 ; Dan. 7 : 14 ; Heb. 
 
310 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XV. 
 
 he shall have put down all rule and 
 
 25 all authority and power. For he must 
 reign, "till he hath put all enemies 
 
 26 under his feet. *The last enemy that 
 
 27 shall be destroyed is death. For he 
 y hath put all things under his feet. 
 But when he saith, All things are put 
 under him, it is manifest that he is ex- 
 cepted which did put all things under 
 
 28 him. » And when all things shall be 
 subdued unto him, then ''shall the Sou 
 also himself be subject unto him that 
 
 when he has done away every rule, 
 
 25 and every authority and power. For 
 he must reign, till he has put all the 
 
 26 enemies under his feet. As the last 
 enemy. Death is done away with. For 
 he subjected all things under his feet. 
 
 27 But even when he says. All things are 
 subjected, it is manifest that he is ex- 
 cepted, who subjected all things to him. 
 
 28 And whenever all things have been 
 subjected to him, then will the Son 
 also himself be subjected to him who 
 
 M Ps. 2 : 6-10 ; 110 : 1 ; Eph. 1 : 22 ; Heb. 10 : 13. x Ver. 54-57 ; see ref. Isa. 25 : 8 ; Hob. 2 : 14. 
 
 y See ref. Matt. 28 : 18. z Dan. 2 : 34, 35, 40-45 ; Rev. 19 : 11-21. a 11 : 3 ; John 14 : 28. 
 
 1:8; 2:8), And this delivering up of 
 his kingdom will occur, Avheii he 
 shall have put down, brought to 
 naught, all, rather, every, rule, domin- 
 ion, and every authority and power, 
 
 except his own (Eph. 6 : 12; Rev. 19 : 11-16). 
 
 Thus all hostile powers will be brought 
 to an end, and every one will yield him 
 homage (Rhii. 2 : 10, 11). 
 
 25. For, according to the Divine 
 arrangement and from the nature of his 
 mediatorial work, it is necessary that he 
 should reign till he, that is, Christ, 
 hath put all enemies under his 
 feet. His reign began with his asceti- 
 sion (Eph. 1 : 20-23 : Col. 2 : 14,15), and it 
 must continue till he has subjugated all 
 the enemies of himself and his king- 
 dom, Satan and the powers of darkness, 
 the wicked, and whatever of lust or 
 pride, of material or immaterial things, 
 that oppose or stand in the way of his 
 sway. The putting down of all oppo- 
 sition is necessary to the perfection of 
 his rule (Phii. 3 : 21). The apostle has in 
 mind the words of Ps. 110 : 1, and Ps. 
 8:6, quoted in ver. 27. 
 
 26. Among the enemies the last one 
 to be destroyed is mentioned, death, 
 which is personified as a rival foe. 
 The last enemy that shall be de- 
 stroy^ed, better. As a last enemy death 
 is brought to naxight. The verb is in 
 the present tense. The future is before 
 the apostle's eye as a realized fact. 
 Physical death is meant, and it shall be 
 completely done away by the resurrec- 
 tion. " There shall be no more death " 
 (Rev. 21:4), no morc dissolution of soul 
 and body. The destruction of this last 
 vestige of the results of sin (Rom. 6 : 23) 
 upon his followers will be the crowning 
 act of the triumphant Messiah. (Comp. 
 
 Rev. 20 : 14.) 
 
 27. For, to give a reason and proof 
 
 of what he had just said, he quotes Ps. 
 8 : 6, all things, which mu.st include 
 death, he put under his feet. All is 
 emphatic. It is the Father who is here 
 represented as subjecting all things to 
 the Son. AVhat the psalmist said of man, 
 as originally endowed at creation, the 
 apostle sees typically fulfilled in Christ, 
 to whom had been committed "all 
 power in heaven and on earth" (.Matt. 
 
 28 : 18 ; Heb. 2:7; Eph. 1 : 22) . Paul prOCCcds 
 
 to explain and apply the quotation, 
 guarding again.st a misapplication. But 
 when he saith. All things are put 
 nnAexYvim, or all things are put in sub- 
 jection, it is evident that he, the Father, 
 is excepted, which, who, did 
 put all things under him, the Son. 
 This is evident both from the quotation 
 and from the relation of the Father to 
 the Son. For the Father is not sub- 
 jected to the Son, but the Son to the 
 Father (ver. 28). Meyer and some others 
 make this refer to the future announce- 
 ment of God at the last, and render as 
 follows : But when he, that is, God, shall 
 have declared that all things have been 
 subjected, etc. But it seems not to be 
 necessary to deviate from the more 
 natural meaning of the pa.ssage. Comp. 
 Heb. 2 : 7-9, which is a counterpart 
 of this passage. 
 
 28. Paul now traces the consumma- 
 tion of Chri.st's mediatorial work up to 
 God the Father, the great Author of all 
 (John 3 16). And when all things 
 shall be subdued, or subjected to 
 him, the Son, then the mediatorial 
 kingdom wliich began at his resurrec- 
 tion will have fulfilled its purpose, and 
 then u-ill the Son also himself be 
 subject, voluntarily, for there must 
 l)e no divided domiiiion (J-im lo : 30; n : 
 
 22; Matt. 26 : 39: John 6 : 38) UUtO hiui, the 
 
 Father, that subjected all things to him, 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 311 
 
 put all things under him, that God 
 may be all in all. 
 29 Else what shall they do which are 
 baptized for the dead, if the dead rise 
 not at all ? Why are they then baptized 
 
 that God may be all things in all 
 his people. He will then be recognized 
 as the only Lord and King. C'hrist 
 having performed his work in his medi- 
 atorial kingdom will give up his com- 
 mission, as it were, to the Father, and 
 introduce his followers into a state of 
 closest nearness to him. They will need 
 no longer a Mediator between them 
 and the Father. As God had been all 
 things to Christ's humanity, so will he 
 be equally all things to theirs (Johnii: 
 
 41, 42 ; 17 : 23, 24 ; 14 : 8-10 ; Eph. 2 : 18-22), And 
 
 so the believer will have intimate and 
 individual relations with the triune 
 God, the Father, the Son, and the 
 Spirit. On all in all comp. Eph. 
 1 : 23; Col. 3 : 11. Paul is not speak- 
 ing of Christ's pre-existent nature and 
 of the personal relations of the divine 
 Logos (John 1:1). " Tliis subjcctiou no 
 more involves inferiority of essence, 
 than his subjection to Joseph and Mary 
 (Luke 2 : 51) involved inferiority of essence 
 to them" (Athanasius). It accords 
 with the constitution, harmony, and 
 order of the divine nature (Phii. 2 :6, 7; 
 
 Eph. 1 :3-14). 
 
 29-34. Fortifies the doctrine 
 by an appeal to the lives of be- 
 LIEVERS. 
 
 29. Resumes the thought of ver. 19. 
 Else, if it be otherwise than as we 
 have just described (ver. 20-28), if there 
 be no resurrection, and we are of all 
 men the most miserable (ver. 19) what 
 shall they do, what will become of 
 them, what Avill they gain, who are 
 baptized for the dead? Do they 
 not act foolishly, performing an entirely 
 useless act? The first question, accord- 
 ing to the best recent authorities, ends 
 here. The second question should be 
 translated, according to the best texts. 
 If the dead rise not at all, why 
 are they then baptized /or themf 
 They surely act in that case without 
 reason and sense. The meaning of for 
 Cfor the dead," ''for them ") must be 
 noticed. Its first meaning is over, lo- 
 cally, but is not found in this sense in 
 the New Testament. The figurative 
 sense of over, that is, above, may pos- 
 sibly be its use here. Its general mean- 
 
 subjected all things to him, that God 
 may be all in all. 
 29 Else what will they do who are bap- 
 tized for the dead? If no dead are 
 raised at all, why then are they bap- 
 
 ing, however, is, on behalf of, for the 
 saK:e of, and then a little more generally, 
 in reference to, in relation to. It is 
 thought to mean in some rare cases, 
 instead of, but it is doubtful whether it 
 is ever so used in the New Testament. 
 
 (See on Rom. 5:6.) 
 
 With these preliminary remarks we 
 are prepared to look into the meaning 
 of this passage, one of extreme difliculty 
 and variously explained. ( 1 ) Many late 
 prominent scholars hold to the literal 
 interpretation, that the apostle refers to 
 believers permitting themselves to be 
 liaptized on behalf of persons who had 
 died unbaptized. But it hardly seems 
 possible that Paul could have given 
 even a quasi sanction to a superstition 
 so inconsistent with the doctrines he 
 preached. Besides there is no evidence 
 of such a practice in the apostolic age, 
 nor in the age immediately following. 
 "The sum of the historical testimony 
 then is, that nearly three hundred years 
 after the apostles, in an age when the 
 most exaggerated notions regarding the 
 efiicacy of baptism prevailed, the usage 
 in question existed among one or two 
 small and heretical and ignorant sects ; 
 yet not even then in the church gene- 
 rally, and not even among these at an 
 early period " (A. C. "Kendrick, 
 " Christian Review," Vol. XXVIL, p. 
 153). It was even ridiculed by Chrys- 
 ostom in the fourth century. Instead 
 of being referred to in this verse it was 
 rather based by some heretics, as by 
 the modern Mormons, on their inter- 
 pretation of this passage. And the in- 
 terpretation is an illustration of Paul's 
 words, " The letter killeth " (2 Cor. 3:6). 
 (2) Another interpretation may be thus 
 stated : As baptism symbolizes a death 
 unto sin and a resurrection unto right- 
 eousness (Rom. 6.: 4), SO they who are 
 baptized are baptized for the dead, for 
 themselves as spiritually dead, in hope 
 of a resurrection (Acts 23 : 6, etc.). The 
 objection to this view is, that this is 
 true of all believers who are baptized, 
 while this passage seems to limit it to a 
 certain class, " They who are baptized 
 for the dead." (3) Another view takes 
 for in the primary figurative sense of 
 
312 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XV 
 
 30 for the dead ? And i^ why stand we in 
 
 31 jeopardy every hour ? I protest by 
 "your rejoicing which I have in Christ 
 
 32 Jesus our Lord, ^1 die daily If after 
 the manner of men «! have fought 
 with beasts at Ephesus, what advan- 
 
 30 tized for them? Why are we also in 
 
 31 peril every hour? Daily do I die, I 
 protest by the glorying in you, breth- 
 ren, which I have in Christ Jesus our 
 
 32 Lord. If alter the manner of men 1 
 fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, 
 
 6 Bom. 8 : 35, 36 ; 2 Cor. 4 : 7-12 ; 11 : 26. 
 
 c 1 Thess. 2 : 19. 
 e 2 Cor. 1 : 8-10. 
 
 d 4 : 9-13 ; Rom. 8 : 36 ; 2 Cor. 4 : 10, 11. 
 
 over, above: Else what shall they 
 
 do, what advantage shall they tvho 
 are baptized have above the dead? If 
 the dead rise not at all, ivhy then are 
 they baptized as an advantage above 
 them f In other words, they might as 
 well be dead ; so " let us eat and drink ; 
 for to-morrow we die" (ver. 32 ; Comp. 
 
 •• Winers Grammar," p. 382). Tlie objCCtion 
 
 to this is the same as in the preced- 
 ing. It applies to all; but this pas- 
 sage limits the baptism in question 
 to a class. Dr. J. L. Dagg ("Baptist 
 Quarterly," 1875, p. 117), regards this 
 baptism as figurative of sufferings and 
 a violent death, baptized as it were over 
 dead martyrs. " If all who have here- 
 tofore undergone the immersion of mar- 
 tyrdom have .sunk hopelessly down, 
 never to rise, what must be the end of 
 those who are permitting themselves to 
 be immersed over them with the same 
 immersion ? " This limits the baptism 
 to a distinct class, and is to be pre- 
 ferred to the preceding, yet seems a 
 little strained. (4) A better interpre- 
 tation may be thus stated : What will 
 they do, what unll they gain, who are 
 baptized as it were for the dead, as for 
 the grave, or in relation to the dead f 
 tliey who in their baptism see fore- 
 shadowed sufferings and death, and in 
 the act regard themselves as delivered 
 over to death (2Cor. 4:ii). This inter- 
 pretation is favored by the expressions 
 that follow : " Why stand we in jeopardy 
 every hour?" "I die daily," and "I 
 have fought with wild beasts at Ephe- 
 sus." Many as they submitted, literally, 
 to baptism foresaw the loss of all things, 
 even of life itself. In their baptism 
 lliey faced death ; it was like a death- 
 warrant. And many, like Paul and 
 his fellow-laborers, as they faced 
 martyrdom wherever they went, saw 
 in their condition, figuratively, a bap- 
 tism as it were for tfie dead (♦ : 9-i3 ; 2 Cor. 
 4 : 7-12; 6 : 4-10). This is Substantially the 
 view of Dr. A. C. Kendrick, unfolded 
 in a very able article on this whole sub- 
 
 ject, in the "Christian Review," Vol. 
 XXYII., p. 143-169. Eepublished in 
 Dr. Kendrick's " The Moral Conflict of 
 Humanity," pp. 220-252. Am. Bap. 
 Pub. Soc. 1894. 
 
 30. And not only baptism (ver. 29) 
 indicates the belief among Christians 
 of a resurrection, but also the perils, 
 to which Paul and his fellow-mission- 
 aries were exposed, showed their firm 
 conviction of the truth of the doctrine. 
 And why stand we in jeopardy, 
 in peril of our lives, every hour, if 
 the dead rise not ? Such conduct would 
 be foolish and without reason. Paul 
 bases upon the resurrection of believers 
 a blessed immortality (ver. 53). 
 
 31. And this peril was peculiarly 
 his. I die daily (for so this verse 
 should begin). I am daily exposed to 
 death, in the dangers, opposition, and 
 persecutions I encounter (Rom. 8 : 35, 36; 2 
 
 Cor. 4 : 10-12 ; 11 : 23-27. Comp. his inward dying, 
 Rom. 7:24; 8:13; Gal. 6:14; Col. 3 : 5). I 
 
 protest, I most earnestly and solemnly 
 assert it, by your rejoicing, better, 
 by the glorying in you, brethren, which 
 I have in Christ Jesus our Lord 
 
 (2 Cor 1 : 14; 1 Thess. 2 : 19, 20). Paul rc- 
 
 joiced in them as converts given him 
 in Christ, and all this joy he was ready 
 to stake on the truth of his assertion. 
 And surely he would not thus encounter 
 death daily if he was not assured of a 
 resurrection and of a future blessed 
 existence. 
 
 32. From a general description the 
 apostle turns to a particular illustra- 
 tion. If after the manner of men. 
 If only as men are wont to fight for 
 earthly gain and glory, I fought with 
 wild beasts, in the amphitheatre or 
 stadium, at Ephesus, where I am 
 now writing, 7vhat doth it profit me? 
 Incurring such peril as to make death 
 inevitable, what would be the use of it? 
 Tlie self-evident answer is. No use, no 
 profit. The question ends here, ac- 
 cording to the most approved punctua- 
 tion. It is not generally supposed that 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 313 
 
 tageth it me ? If the dead rise not, let 
 us eat and drink ; for to-morrow we 
 
 33 die. Be not deceived ; f evil communi- 
 
 34 cations corrupt good manners, s Awake 
 to righteousness, and sin not ; ^ for some 
 have not the knowledge of God : > I 
 speak this to your shame. 
 
 35 But some man will say, ^ How are the 
 dead raised up? And with what body 
 do they come ? 
 
 what is the profit to me? If the dead 
 rise not. 
 
 Let us eat and drink ; 
 
 For to-morrow we die. 
 
 33 Be not led astray ; evil companion- 
 
 34 ships corrupt good morals. Awake 
 righteously, and sin not ; for some 
 have not knowledge of God. I say it 
 to shame you. 
 
 35 But some one will say, How are the 
 dead raised ? And with what kind of 
 
 / 5 : 6 ; Prov. 13 : 20 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 17. g See ref. Matt. 25 : 5-7 ; Acts 17 : 30, 31 ; Rom. 13 : 11-14 ; Eph. 5 : 41. 
 
 ft 1 Thess. 4:5. i 6 : 5. k Ezek. 37 : 3. 
 
 Paul actually fought with wild beasts 
 at Ephesus, but that he refers to his 
 conflicts with brutal, beastly men. His 
 Roman citizenship would protect him 
 against being thrown to the lions in the 
 arena; and neither Luke in the Acts, 
 nor Paul in his Epistles, mentions it. 
 The mob of Demetrius ( Acts 19 : 23 tr. ) oc- 
 curred after this writing, and neither 
 then was he in any special danger. 
 Merely as a man he gained nothing by 
 his conflicts with fierce and brutal men. 
 But with the Christian hope of a resur- 
 rection and a blessed future life, his 
 gain would be great. But all was dark- 
 ness without this hope. If the dead 
 rise not, and hence no blessed im- 
 mortality, then, in the language of the 
 sensual Israelites of Isaiah's day, let 
 us eat and drink, for to-morrow 
 we die (isa. 22:13). His exposures, 
 sufierings, and trials would be utterly 
 gratuitous, his future hopeless. The 
 sensual pleasures of life would be his 
 only portion of happiness. They had 
 better be Epicureans at once. To such 
 gross and startling consequences did 
 the denial of the doctrine of the resur- 
 rection lead him. The conclusion is 
 more terrible than even in ver. 19. 
 
 33. But here he interposes a warn- 
 ing, Be not deceived (6:9) by such 
 Epicurean utterances ; be not led astray 
 by accepting false principles, or by 
 your intercourse with the deniers of the 
 truth. To confirm his exhortation he 
 quotes Menander, an Athenian poet, 
 born 342 B. c. Evil communica- 
 tions, intercourse, companionship, 
 corrupt good manners, better, good 
 morals, thus affecting the character. 
 Think not that you can have inter- 
 course with that which is evil without 
 suffering in morals and practice. Paul 
 here, as elsewhere, shows acquaintance 
 
 with heathen authors ( Acts 17 : 28 ; Titus 
 
 1 : 12 ). This quotation may have passed 
 into a proverb. 
 
 34. Possibly some of them were al- 
 ready contaminated, and Paul cries out 
 abruptly, Awake to righteousness, 
 or righteously. The figure is tliat of 
 instant return from drunkenness to a 
 sober state. [Vake righteously to so- 
 berness of mind, froi^ your drunken 
 dreams, and sin not by continuing 
 in your moral lethargy and evil asso- 
 ciations. For, giving a reason why 
 they should at once awake, some have 
 not the knowledge of God, lit- 
 erally, some have ignorance of God; in 
 questioning and denying the resurrec- 
 tion they showed that they " knew not 
 the power of God." (Comp. Matt. 22 : 29.) I 
 speak this to your shame (6 5), 
 even stronger in the original, to shame 
 you, that such errors are among you. 
 He speaks boldly and severely in order 
 to save them. While claiming great 
 knowledge they might well be ashamed 
 of their ignorance of God. 
 
 35-49. The manner of the res- 
 urrection AND THE NATURE OF 
 THE RESURRECTION BODY. 
 
 35. Having maintained the fact of 
 the resurrection, Paul proceeds to dis- 
 cuss its manner. But some man, 
 some objector, will say. How are 
 the dead raised up? the manner. 
 And with what body, kind of or- 
 ganization, do they come? the na- 
 ture. These two questions indicate 
 differences of opinion, and the points 
 at which some stumbled. Some held 
 that the same body in every respect 
 would rise from the grave, which was 
 a great source of difficulty to others. 
 Some also saw nothing but evil and 
 corruption in the body, and could not 
 see how any good could come from it. 
 It is not probable that Paul had any 
 distinct objector in mind. He rather 
 
3U 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XV. 
 
 36 • 77(0 (t fool, '"that which thou so west 
 
 37 is not (luickened, except It die: and 
 that which thousowest, thou sowest not 
 that body that shall be, but bare grain, 
 it may cliance of wheat, or of some 
 
 38 other grain : " but God giveth it a body 
 as it hath pleased him, and to every 
 
 39 seed his own body. All flesh is not the 
 same llesh : but there is one kind of flesh 
 of men, another flesh of beasts, another 
 
 40 of fishes, and auotlier of birds. T/iere 
 are also celestial bodies, and bodies 
 terrestrial : but the glory of the celes- 
 tial is one, and the glory of the t^rres- 
 
 36 body do they come? Thou fool, what 
 thou thyself' sowest is not made alive, 
 
 37 except it die ; and what thou sowest, 
 not the body that will be sowest thou, 
 but a bare grain, it may be of wheat, 
 
 38 or of some other kind. *But God gives 
 it a body just as he willed, and to each 
 
 39 of the seeds a body of its own. All 
 flesh is not the same flesh ; but there 
 is one flesh of men, another flesh of 
 beasts, another flesh of birds, another 
 
 40 of fishes. There are also heavenly 
 bodies and earthly bodies ; but the 
 glory of the heavenly is one, and that 
 
 I Luke 12 : 20 ; 24 : 25 ; Rom. 1 : 22. 
 
 m John 12 : 24. 
 
 nGen. 1 : 11, 12. 
 
 puts a common objection in the mouth 
 of an ideal person. 
 
 36. Paul first argues from the 
 analogy of the grain which dies in 
 order to spring up into a new life. 
 Thou fool, without understanding, 
 without reflection. This word is used 
 in 2 Cor. 11 :.X6, 19; Eph. 5 : 17; 1 
 Peter 2 : 15 ; Luke 11 : 40 ; 12 : 20. 
 That which thou sowest. The 
 word thoii, is emphatic. To what thou 
 sowest God gives a body; much more 
 will he give a body to what he himself 
 sows. Is not quickened, made 
 alive, except it die. In the natural 
 world, in the very products you raise 
 death must precede life (John 12 : 24). So 
 in the perishing body you have not an 
 argument against the resurrection, but 
 rather for it. 
 
 37. Thou sowest not that body 
 that shall be, but bare grain. It 
 is connected with the sown grain, and 
 comes from it, and yet it is different. 
 It is therefore in accordance with nature 
 that our ])odies should be raised like a 
 plant with its rich foliage in comparison 
 to the 1)0 re grain that was sown. 
 
 38. But God i?iveth it abody as 
 it hath pleased him, or as he willed 
 in creation. So our resurrection body 
 depends upon the will of God, and the 
 great physical and spiritual laws of our 
 bcinsj which he has established. And 
 to every seed his own body. It 
 is the same body, yet not the same. It 
 is the same body, yet a new body. The 
 old life in the one is developed in a 
 higher life in the other. Personal 
 identity dc|)ends on the ]»rinciple of 
 continuity, not on the material particles 
 of the body, which are said to change 
 every seven years. The .soul is tlie 
 man, and tiiongb the l)ody may con- 
 stantly be undergoing change, yet a 
 
 certain vital principle continues, and a 
 vital connection exists, so that the body 
 is ever its own body. Jesus rose with 
 the same body (John 20 : 20, 27), yet it had 
 new functions and new qualities (Luke 
 
 24 : 16, 31, 37 ; John 20 : 19, 26). 
 
 39. The analogy is traced in the 
 animate creation. That the plant 
 should have a form of organization 
 different from that of the seed from 
 which it sprang, is suggestive of the 
 different varieties and forms of bodily 
 organizations in animal life. The flesh 
 of different creatures differs widely in 
 quality. And this shows that God is 
 not limited to any given form or qual- 
 ities of bodily organisms, either in this 
 or in higher splieres. According to 
 the best text, fishes should come last 
 in the text, which accords also with 
 zoological order. This course of reason- 
 ing was suggested by the question, 
 " With what body do they come ? " 
 
 40. Paul advances a step higher to 
 heavenly bodies. There are also 
 celestial bodies, and bodies ter- 
 restrial. Some suppose what we call 
 heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, and 
 stars, to be meant. But such is not tl\e 
 use of the word translated celestial in 
 the K^ew Testament, its application 
 being to heaven and to heavenly beings, 
 such as the various classes of angels 
 (John 3 : 12 ; Phil. 2 : 10). That they should 
 have some kind of celestial bodies is 
 certainlv conceivable, and accords with, 
 if not iinplied by, Matt. 22 : 30 ; Luke 
 20 : 36. The terrestrial bodies are those 
 of men, animals, and plants, such as 
 are njwn the earth. But the glory 
 of the celestial is one, being en- 
 compassed with a heavenly radiance 
 
 (Miitt. 17:2; 28:3; Acts 12:7); and thC 
 
 trlory of the terrestrial is an- 
 other, in kind and quality, the 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 I. COEINTHIANS 
 
 315 
 
 41 trial is another. ° There is one glory of 
 the sun, and another glory of the moon, 
 and another glory of the' stars : for one 
 star differeth from another star in glory. 
 
 42 pSo also is the resurrection of the 
 dead. It is sown i in corruption ; it is 
 
 43 raised in incorruption : ■• it is sown in 
 dishonour ; it is raised in glory : it is 
 sown in weakness ; it is raised in 
 
 44 power : it is sown a natural body ; it is 
 raised a spiritual body. There is a 
 natural body, and there is a spiritual 
 
 45 body. And so it is written. The first 
 man Adam ^ was made a living soul ; 
 ' the last Adam was made " a quicken- 
 
 41 of the earthly is another. There is 
 one glory of the sun, and another 
 glory of the moon, and another glory 
 of the stars ; for star differs from star 
 
 42 in glory. So also is the resurrection of 
 the dead. It is sown in corruption, it 
 
 43 is raised in incorruption. It is sown 
 in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is 
 sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 
 
 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a 
 spiritual body. If there is a natural 
 
 45 body, there is also a spiritual So also 
 it is written, The first man Adam be- 
 came a living soul ; the last Adam a 
 
 o Gen. 1 : 14-16. p Dan. 12 : 3 ; Matt. 13 : 43. g Gen. 3 : 19 ; Ps. 49 : 9, U. r Phil. 3:21. s Gen. 2 : 7. 
 ( Rom. 5 : 14. u John 5 : 21 ; 6 : 33-40, 54, 57 ; 17 : 2 ; Phil. 3 : 21 ; Col. 3 : 4. 
 
 strength, grace, and beauty of material 
 organizations. The idea is included of 
 superiority of the celestial to the ter- 
 restrial. And this leads us to expect a 
 corresponding superiority of the resur- 
 rection body to our present earthly 
 bodies. 
 
 41. The analogy is extended to the 
 heavenly luminaries, the sun, moon, 
 and stars, showing that there is a 
 diversity in their glory or lustre, and 
 that star differs from star in brilliancy. 
 Some make this to teach that saints in 
 heaven will have different degrees of 
 honor and glory. The rewards of the 
 heavenly world will indeed differ (3 .- 15 ; 
 
 2 Cor. 5 : 10 ; see note on Matt. 20 : 16), but tllis is 
 
 not the point of illustration here ; 
 rather, is it that our resurrection body 
 will difier from, and be superior to, our 
 earthly body. 
 
 42. Application of the preceding 
 analogies (ver. 36-41) to the resurrection 
 of believers. So also is the resur- 
 rection of the dead, in regard to 
 the difference in the constitution and 
 glory of the resurrection body from the 
 present eartlily body. Several differ- 
 ences are now specified. It is soAvn, 
 a figurative expression for buried, in 
 corruption, in a condition of decay 
 (Kom.8:2i); it is raiscd in incor- 
 ruption, in a condition imperishable 
 and exempt from decay (Rom. 2:7). 
 
 43. It is sown in dishonour, in 
 a condition unseemly and offensive 
 (Phil. 3 : 21) ; it is raised in glory, in 
 a condition of majesty and splendor 
 
 (Matt. 13 : 43; Dan. 12 : 3 : Rev. 1 : 13-16). It is 
 
 sown in Aveakness, its native weak- 
 ness culminated in a condition of utter 
 powerlessness ; it is raised in 
 power, in vigor, with new faculties 
 
 and in the fullness of life. Some, with 
 less strictness of interpretation, refer 
 these characteristics not alone to the 
 dead body, but to the present living 
 body, tending to decay, subject to sick- 
 ness and death, and destined to disso- 
 lution. 
 
 44. It is sown a natural, or 
 psychical, body, which men have in 
 common with the beast. The apostle 
 appears to have in mind the three-fold 
 distinction of body, soul, and spirit 
 (2 : 14). The natural body is that which 
 is limited by, and suited to, the lower 
 and animal life of man. It is raised 
 a spiritual body, animated by a 
 principle of spiritual life, and suited to 
 the higher, immortal spirit of man 
 
 (2 Cor. 5:1, 2, 4; Rom. 8:23). ThCrC iS, 
 
 etc. ; rather, according to the highest 
 critical authorities, If there is a natural 
 body, there is also a spiritual body. 
 This must be so from the nature of 
 things. If our present lower life has a 
 body according to its needs, then it fol- 
 lows that the higher spiritual life will 
 have one also fitted to its higher capaci- 
 ties. The apostle assumes here, as else- 
 where, that man would be incomplete 
 without a bodily organization. 
 
 45. And this distinction between the 
 natural and the spiritual is suggested 
 by Scripture, with which it accords. 
 And so it is written (Gen. 2 : 7), The 
 first man Adam w^as made, better, 
 became, a living soul, a living na- 
 ture, having the principle of natural 
 life. And as the spiritual is the coun- 
 terpart of the natural or psychical, so 
 the last Adam became a quicken- 
 ing, rather, a life-giving, spirit, with 
 special reference to the giving of the 
 
 resurrection life (^er. 22 ; John 5 : 21, 28 ; Phil. 
 
316 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XV. 
 
 46 iiif? >>pirit. Howbeit that was not first 
 which is spiritual, but that which is 
 natural ; and afterward that which is 
 
 47 spiritual. » The first man is of the 
 earth, J earthy : the second man is ^ the 
 
 48 Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, 
 "such are they also that are earthy: 
 •'and as is the heavenly, such are they 
 
 49 also that are heavenly. And "-as we 
 have borne the image of the earthy, 
 ^we shall also bear the image of the 
 heavenly. 
 
 46 life-giving spirit. Yet the spiritual is 
 not first, but the natural ; then the 
 
 47 spiritual. The first man is of the 
 earth, earthy ; the second man is from 
 
 48 heaven. As is the earthy, such are 
 they also that are earthv"; and as is 
 the heavenly, such are they also that 
 
 49 are heavenly. And as we bore the 
 image of the earthy, we shall also 
 bear the image of the heavenly. 
 
 X John 3 : 31. y Gen. 2 : 7 ; 3 : 19. z Isa. 9:6; John 3 : 13, 31 ; 1 Tim. 3 : 16. 
 
 o Job 14 : 4 ; John 3:6. 6 Phil. 3 : 20, 21. c Gen. 5 : 3. 
 
 d Rom. 8 : 29 ; 2 Cor. 3 : 18 ; Phil. 3 : 21 ; 1 John 3 : 2. 
 
 3 : 21 ; 1 Thess. 4 : 16) . The first clause alone 
 is quoted. But the second part is its 
 complement; and, equally true (John 6: 
 33, 39, 40, 54, 57 ; 11 : 25), Christ was the sec- 
 ond Adam, the rabbinical name applied 
 to the Messiah, the head and beginner 
 of a new, justified, and redeemed hu- 
 manity (Rom. 5: 12-21). So Christ Mm- 
 self taught (Johns : 21, 26). He was the 
 last Adam, as no one like him is to fol- 
 low. The word translated soul is ren- 
 dered both life and soul in the New 
 Testament (Matt. 10 : 28, 39: is : 25, 26). The 
 Hebrew word soul includes all animal 
 life common to men and beasts, and is 
 also applied to the higher nature of 
 man. The first meaning seems to be 
 prominent here. Yet the fact that 
 Adam was a litying soul points at least 
 toward a higher and immortal exist- 
 ence. The higher nature of Adam is 
 brought out more distinctly, however, 
 in Gen. 1 : 26, where it is said that God 
 made man in his own image. 
 
 46. Paul states the divine order of 
 the lower forms of life preceding the 
 higher. Yet not the spiritual first, but 
 the natural, and then the spiritual. 
 This may be illustrated by analogies in 
 creation. Progress in a universal law\ 
 There is an ever-ascending scale from 
 lower to higher organizations of life. 
 So also the natural birth precedes the 
 spiritual or second birth. 
 
 47. The statement of the preceding 
 verse is confirmed. The first man 
 is of {from) the earth, earthy, of 
 the dust, in allusion to Gen. 2 : 7, where 
 it is said that " God formed man of the 
 dust of the ground." This refers to 
 his bodily organization. The second 
 man is the Lord {the Lord should 
 be omitted according to the best text) 
 from heaven. This may refer only 
 
 to Christ's risen and glorified body; 
 but it seems better to refer it to his body 
 begotten by the Holy Spirit, yet con- 
 nected with our humanity, and now 
 raised and glorified ( Matt. 1 : 20 : Luke 1 : 35 ; 
 Rev. 1 : 13-15). He is heavenly in his 
 origin and heavenly in his relations. 
 
 (Comp. John 3 : 13, 31; Phil. 3 : 20, 21.) TllUS 
 
 the divine order of progress is illus- 
 trated in the body of Adam returning 
 to dust (Gen. 3:19), and the body of 
 Christ, begotten of the Spirit, not re- 
 turning to corruption (Acts2:3i), but 
 purified from whatever there was mor- 
 tal in its composition and refined into 
 a glorified condition. 
 
 48. Application to the present and fu- 
 ture bodily organizations of Christians. 
 As is the earthy, Adam, such are 
 they also that are earthy, the de- 
 scendants of Adam, men in their mortal 
 condition. And as is the heavenly, 
 Christ, such are they also that are 
 heavenly, those who are connected 
 spiritually with Christ, thej' shall be 
 glorified like Christ. ^lortality shall 
 
 be swallowed up of life (2 Cor. 5:4; see also 
 
 Phil. 3 : 20, 21). "Man, united to Christ 
 by faith, partakes of both natures. He 
 is liable, therefore, still to the weakness 
 and infirmities of the former. And this 
 he must bear to the end. He must be 
 subject to the law of the natural order 
 of things before he attains fully to the 
 spiritual order" (LlAS). 
 
 49. The application is still more 
 closely carried out. And as we have 
 borne the image of the earthy, 
 like Adam, having a decaying, animal 
 body (2 Cor. 5:2), we shali also bear 
 the image of the heavenly, in the 
 resurrection and glorified state (Rom. 8: 
 
 29; Col. 3 : 10; 1 John 3:2), having Spiritual 
 
 bodies like to Christ's glorious body. 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 317 
 
 50 Now this I say, brethren, that « flesh 
 and blood cannot inherit the kingdom 
 of God ; neitlier doth corruption in- 
 herit incorruption. 
 
 51 Behold, I sliew you a mystery ; f We 
 shall not all sleep," s but we shall all be 
 
 52 changed, ^iu a moment, in the twin- 
 kling of an eye, at the last trump : i for 
 the trumpet shall sound, and the dead 
 shall be raised ^ incorruptible, and we 
 
 53 shall be changed. For this corruptible 
 must put on incorruption, and Hhis 
 mortal must put on immortality. 
 
 50 And this I say, brethren, that flesh 
 and blood can not inherit the kingdom 
 of God ; nor does corruption inherit 
 
 51 incorruption. Behold, I tell you a 
 mystery. We shall not all sleep, but 
 
 52 we shall all be changed, in a moment, 
 in the twinkling of an eye, at the last 
 trump ; for the trumpet will sound, 
 and the dead will be raised incorrupti- 
 
 53 ble. and we shall be changed. For 
 this corruptible must put on incorrup- 
 tion, and this mortal must put on im- 
 
 e John 3:3,5. /I Thess. 4 : 15-17. 
 
 t Matt. 24 : 31 ; John 5 : 25 ; 1 Thess. 4 
 
 (/Phil. 3 : 21. 
 k Ver. 42, 50. 
 
 h See 2 Peter 3 : 10. 
 I 2 Cor. 5 : 4. 
 
 Another reading, Let us bear the image 
 of the heavenly, is sustained by external 
 evidence, but internal evidence is de- 
 cidedly against it. Expositors very 
 generally favor the common reading. 
 Meyer, in his textual notes, shows how 
 this reading may have originated, being 
 demanded, as some thought, by ver, 50. 
 
 50-58. RESULT.S OF THE RESUR- 
 RECTION. The glorification of the living 
 saints as well as of those who had died. 
 
 50, Now this I say, an expression 
 introducing an important and emphatic 
 statement. Whatever may be the 
 opinions and speculations concerning 
 the resurrection, I affirm this, that 
 flesh and blood, our mortal nature, 
 our bodily organism with its infirmities 
 as it now is (ver. 44), cannot inherit 
 the kingdom of God, as it will be 
 consummated at our Lord's second com- 
 ing (6 10). Neither doth corrup- 
 tion, that which is decaying, or des- 
 tined to decay, inherit incorrup- 
 tion, become partaker of an incor- 
 ruptible and imperishable life. In the 
 very nature of things our bodies must 
 be changed from what they now are, in 
 order to dwell in a glorified and im- 
 mortal state. 
 
 51, 53. Consistently with this Paul 
 liad shown that the dead in Christ 
 should be raised Avith spiritual bodies 
 (42-49). But it might be asked. How 
 will it be with those saints who are liv- 
 ing at Christ's coming? The answer is 
 here given. Behold, give attention 
 to something wonderful and extraor- 
 dinary, I shew you a mystery, a 
 thing formerly hidden but now revealed. 
 He had written the Thessalonians re- 
 garding it (1 Thess. 4 : 15-17), but it WaS 
 
 still unknown to the Corinthians. "We 
 shall not all sleep, all believers will 
 
 not die, including Paul and his readers. 
 Many suppose that Paul expected that 
 he, or some of his readers, would be 
 alive at our Lord's coming. So he ap- 
 pears to have expected when he wrote 
 1 Thess. 4 : 15 ; but he had at least 
 partly corrected himself in 2 Thess. 2 : 
 1 S. But of the time of our Lord's re- 
 turn even inspired apostles were ig- 
 norant ( Mark 13 : 32 ; Acts 1:7), But WC 
 
 shall all be changed, as described 
 in ver. 53 ; and it shall be instantaneous, 
 in a moment, in the twinkling of 
 an eye, at the last trump, which 
 shall call the dead from their graves 
 (1 Thess. 4:16). At the Hebrew festivals 
 the trumpet was used to summon the 
 people together (xum. lo : i-io). So the 
 sounding of the trumpet is used to 
 represent the assembling of the saints 
 at Christ's second coming (Matt. 24 : si). 
 The apostle goes on to say that at the 
 sound of the trumpet, the dead shall 
 be raised incorruptible, and we, 
 who are alive, shall be changed 
 (Phil. 3:21). Paul associates him.self 
 with the living at the last day. 
 Whether he would live to see it or not, 
 he did not knoAv; but by faith he 
 vividly saw that day, as if present, and 
 he writes as if he were among them. 
 Elsewhere his language implies that he 
 himself expected to die and be raised 
 (6:14: 2 Cor. 4:14). In regard to the 
 change of the living, compare the trans- 
 lation of Enoch and Elijah (Gen. 5 : 24; 2 
 
 Kings 2 : 11. 12). 
 
 53. To confirm what he had just 
 said. For this corruptible, pertain- 
 ing to our decaying bodies, must, in 
 the nature of things (ver. 50) put on, 
 as a garment (2Cor. 5:4), incorrup- 
 tion, and this mortal, lial)le and 
 subject to death, must put on immor- 
 
318 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XV. 
 
 54 So when this corruptible shall have 
 put on incorruption, and this mortal 
 sliall have put on immortality, then 
 shall be brought to pass the saying 
 that is written, "' Death is swallowed 
 
 55 up in victory. O death, where is thy 
 sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 
 
 56 ° The sting of death is sin ; and » the 
 
 57 strength of sin is the law. But thanks 
 be to God, which giveth us Pthe victory 
 
 58 through our Lord Jesus Christ. <i There- 
 fore, my beloved brethren, be ye sted- 
 
 •54 mortality. And when this corruptible 
 shall have put on incorruption, and 
 this mortal shall have put on immor- 
 tality, tlien will come to i)ass the word 
 tliat'is written, Death has been swal- 
 
 55 lowed up in victory. Where, O death, 
 is thy victory? Where, O death, is thy 
 
 56 sting? The sting of death is sin ; and 
 
 57 the power of sin is the law. But 
 thanKs be to God, who gives us the 
 victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be 
 
 m Heb. 2 : 14, 15. n Bom. 6 : 23. 
 
 p Rom. 8 : 37 ; 1 John 4:4; 5 : 4, 5 ; Rev. 12 : 11. 
 
 Rom. 4 : 15 ; 5 : 13 ; 7 : 5-13. 
 
 q 2 Peter 3 : 14, 17, 18, 
 
 tality. The mortal body is not to be 
 entirely destroyed, but it will be swal- 
 lowed up of life. Some would apply 
 this whole verse to those living at our 
 Lord's return. But connecting it with 
 the last verse, the first clause may refer 
 to " the dead who shall be raised incor- 
 ruptible," and tlie second clause to the 
 living '* who shall be changed," and 
 their mortal bodies assume immortality, 
 a state free from disease and death. 
 
 54. Ayid when all this shall have 
 come to pass, the dead in Christ raised 
 'into an incorruptible state, and the liv- 
 ing saints changed into an immortal 
 condition, then shall be brought to 
 pass the sayin^j that is Avritten 
 (isa. 25 : 8), Death is swalloAved up 
 in victory, utterly and forever over- 
 come l)y a triumphant and victorious 
 life. The reference is to bodily death, 
 which shall cease to exist, and shall be 
 completely overcome by a glorified 
 life. In Isaiah's prediction of Israel's 
 restoration Paul sees a more perfect and 
 glorious application to the consumma- 
 tion of God's kingdom, and to the life- 
 giving blessings of the gospel. 
 
 55. The apostle bursts forth into ex- 
 pressions of exultant joy, using words 
 freely quoted from Hosea 13 : 14. O 
 death, where is thy sting? O 
 grave, Avhere is thy victory ? Ac- 
 cording to the highest critical author- 
 ties this should read, Where, death, 
 is thy victor}! f Where, death, is thy 
 sting? The personification of death in 
 tlie last verse is continuccl in this. The 
 victory in which death had been wont 
 to pride himself is gone, a tiling of the 
 past ! The sting which death liad used 
 with such sudden and destructive power 
 is taken from him, and he seeks for it in 
 vain. "Without his deadly weapon he 
 lies prostrate, a vanquished foe. 
 
 56. Death, like a scorpion, has a 
 sting (Rev. 9:10), a deadly weapon, in- 
 flicting pain and destruction. (Comp. Rom. 
 5 : 12.) It is sin that makes death ter- 
 rible and gives it power to pierce the 
 soul with anguish. The strength, 
 or power, of sin is the law. Sin is 
 a want of conformity to God's holy law, 
 whether it be a sin of omission or of 
 commission. The law being recognized 
 gives to sin its power to wound the con- 
 science and to condemn (Rom. 7:ii). 
 With its precepts and penalties the law 
 makes known the consequences of sin, 
 without giving any power of deliver- 
 ance (G.ai. 3 : 19-21). In tliis vcrsc Ave 
 have the germ, which Paul afterward 
 brings out more fully and with much 
 wider a-pplication in Rom. 5 : 12-21 ; 
 7 : 7-24. 
 
 57. But Paul no longer views death, 
 sin, and the law with terror, but be- 
 holds them overcome in Christ, who 
 has died for our sins, fulfilled the claims 
 of the law, and risen for our justifi- 
 cation (Rom. 8:1; Heb. 2 : 14, 15; Phil. 3 : 2l). 
 
 Victory is as if already present^ and a 
 glorious resurrection. The law is satis- 
 fied; sin is powerless, and death is 
 vanquished, all through the redemp- 
 tive Avork of our risen Lord. The 
 apostle breaks forth in thanksgiving 
 to God, who giveth us the victory 
 through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 The victory over death, in a glorious 
 resurrection, is a i)art of Christ's re- 
 demptive work, which includes the 
 complete salvation of soul and body 
 from all the consequences of sin. 
 
 58. Paul closes with a practical ad- 
 monition to steadfastness and to in- 
 creasing Christian activity. With him 
 the doctrinal and practical go together. 
 Therefore, in view of your victory 
 over death, my beloved' brethren. 
 
Ch. XV.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 319 
 
 fast, unmoveable, always abounding 
 in 'the work of the Lord, forasmuch 
 as ye know ^^ that your labour is not in 
 vain tin the Lord. 
 
 steadfast, immovable, always abound- 
 ing in the work of the Lord, knowing 
 that your labor is not in vain in the 
 Lord. 
 
 r Titus 2 : 14 ; Heb. 13 : 21. 
 
 sGal. 6:9; Heb. 6 : 10. 
 
 t Matt. 10 : 40-42. 
 
 our brotherly affection hallowed with 
 our common glorious hope of a future 
 resurrection, be ye stedfast in your 
 faith and hope, unmoveable by any 
 person or thing from the truth ye have 
 received (ver. 1), alAV^ays abouudiug 
 in the work of the Lord, which he 
 is carrying forward, and which he has 
 given us to do. This work includes the 
 various activities in upbuilding the 
 cause of Christ. And now the final 
 reason for this labor, Forasmuch as 
 you know, having an assurance, that 
 your labour, involving effort, bur- 
 dens, and self-denials, is not in vain, 
 useless and without reward, as it would 
 be if there Avere no future resurrection 
 (ver. 12-19). In the Lord, in union 
 and fellowship with him, who is the 
 resurrection and the life (ver. 22, 23; Rom. 
 8 : 11, 28-30) ; and thus your labor will be 
 amply rewarded. 
 
 Practical Rejiarks. 
 
 1. We should hold strictly to the gospel 
 as presented in the New Testament (ver. 1 ; 
 Jude 3). 
 
 2. The death, burial, and resurrection of 
 Christ are the fundamental facts which 
 should be made prominent in both our 
 preaching and believing (ver. 2, 3 ; Luke 
 24 : 26, 46, 47). 
 
 3. There is nc more fully established 
 historical fact than the resurrection of 
 Christ (ver. 4-8 ; Acts 1 : 3-11). 
 
 4. A sense of unworthiness should not 
 keep us from duty. Humility should 
 rather lead us to obey God (ver. 9, 10; 
 Exod. 4 : 10-12). 
 
 5. Christian activity is consistent with 
 entire dependence on God's mercy and 
 grace. The latter should excite the for- 
 mer (ver. 10 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 12-16). 
 
 6. The risen and ascended Lord should 
 be the Christ of our faith and our preach- 
 ing. In studying the earthly life of Christ 
 we may lose sight of this (ver. 1, 2, 11 ; 
 Acts 2 : 32-36). 
 
 7. Take away the resurrection of Christ, 
 and the whole system of Christianity falls 
 into hopeless ruin (ver, 12-19 ; Acts 4 : 8- 12) . 
 
 8. The resurrection of Christ insures the 
 resurrection of his followers (ver. 20-23; 
 Col. 3 : 3, 4). 
 
 9. The resurrection of believers will be 
 the great harvest of which Christ was the 
 first-fruits (ver. 20-23 ; Num. 18 : 29, 30). 
 
 10. The mediatorial reign of Christ must 
 necessarily continue till the work of re- 
 demption is complete, in the salvation of 
 his followers and the subjection of his 
 foes (ver. 24-28 ; Phil. 2 : 9-11). 
 
 11. Though death is robbed of its terrors, 
 yet he is an enemy and should be so re- 
 garded (ver. 26, 55; Rev. 20 : 14). 
 
 12. The eternal Son of God, the Word, is 
 ever one with the Father, in the essence 
 of his Divine nature (ver. 25-28 ; John 1:1; 
 Heb. 1 : 3). 
 
 13. Though a person sees in his baptism 
 sufferings, persecutions, and even his own 
 death-warrant, as it were, yet it will bring 
 to him the answer of a good conscience 
 and a hope of a glorious resurrection 
 (ver. 29 ; 1 Peter 3 : 21 ; Rom. 6:5). 
 
 14. Voluntary exposures to sufferings, 
 persecution, and death, are indeed irra- 
 tional, if there is no resurrection and 
 blissful hereafter (ver. 30, 32). 
 
 15. Not only vicious intercourse, but 
 even the silent influences of evil tend to 
 corrupt the lives and morals of men (ver. 
 33, 34). 
 
 16. The same difficulty Avhich is found 
 in the doctrine of the resurrection is 
 found to exist in things of daily observa- 
 tion (ver. 36-38 ; John 12 : 24). 
 
 17. Life and the world are full of mys- 
 teries. To believe nothing but what we 
 can explain is the greatest folly (ver. 
 35-38; John 3 : 12). 
 
 18. As in nature we see infinite variety 
 of organized forms, so we can conceive of 
 vast possibilities in the resurrection body 
 and life (ver. 39-41). 
 
 19. Whatever change may take place at 
 the resurrection, everything essential to 
 personal identity will be found in the 
 risen body (ver. 42, 37). 
 
 20. Whatever a spiritual body is, we may 
 
320 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XVI. 
 
 Directions conceniing (lie co/lection ; con- 
 cluding exhortations and salutations. 
 
 16 NOW concerning "the collection for 
 the saints, as I have given order to 
 "the churches of Galatia, even so do 
 
 2 ye. » Upon the first day of the week 
 
 16 NOW concerning the collection for 
 the saints, as I directed the churches 
 
 2 of Galatia, so also do ye. On the first 
 day of the week, let each one of you 
 
 u Acts 11 : 28-30 ; Rom. 15 : 26 ; 2 Cor. 9 : 1, 12 ; Heb. 6 : 10 ; 1 John 3 : 17. 
 w Acts 16 : 6 ; Gal. 2 : 10. i Acts 20 : 7 ; Rev. 1 : 10. 
 
 regard it as free from the grossness of the 
 flesh, and partaking of many of the quali- 
 ties and functions of the spirit (ver. 42-44, 
 oO;" Luke 20 : 36). 
 
 21. How .superior was the last Adam to 
 the first ! The one entailed death ; the 
 other gave life (ver. 45-47 ; Rom. 5 : 12-19 ; 
 John 1 : 4, 12, 13). 
 
 22. Order and progress are manifested 
 in ^both nature and grace. God is a God 
 of order, not of confusion (ver. 46-49 ; 
 1 Cor. 14: 33). 
 
 23. The resurrection body of saints will 
 be like that of Christ (ver. 49 ; Phil. 3 : 21). 
 
 24. The change in the living at the res- 
 urrection will be as necessary as the rais- 
 ing of the dead ; and God can as easily do 
 the former as the latter (ver. 50-53.) 
 
 25. The resurrection of saints and their 
 glorified life hereafter are matters not of 
 reason, but of revelation (ver. 50-53 ; Rev. 
 20:6; 21 : 2-7). 
 
 26. The triumph of the Christian over 
 death will be final and complete (ver. 
 55, 56; Rom. 7 : 25). 
 
 27. We shall owe all to Christ for our 
 victory over death, sin, and every foe 
 (ver. 57; 8 : 37-39). 
 
 28. Christianity is the only religion that 
 takes away the sting of death and illu- 
 mines the grave with life and immortality 
 (ver. 54-.57 ; 2 Tim. 1 : 10). . 
 
 29. The prospect of a future resurrection 
 and of immortal glory should lead Chris- 
 tians to stability in belief and doctrine, 
 and to a life of active toil and self-denial 
 (ver. 58; Heb. 6 : 10-12 ; 10 : 23-2-5.) 
 
 chaptp:r XVI. 
 
 Paul concludes the Epistle by first 
 Pfiving some directions concerning col- 
 lections for the saints (ver. 1-4) ; tlien he 
 speaks of a proposed visit to them, 
 which he hoped soon to accomplish 
 (vfT. 5-9); advises regarding Timothy, 
 A polios, and other brethren (ver. lo-ia) ; 
 
 extends salutations, utters a warning, 
 and closes with a benediction (ver. 19-24). 
 Compare the conclusions to the Epistles 
 to the Romans, Ephesians, Colossian ^, 
 and 2 Timothy. 
 1-4. Directions co>xerning the 
 
 COLLECTION FOR THE SAINTS. After 
 
 the exhortation to abound in the work 
 of the Lord it was fitting to give the 
 practical directions contained in this 
 chapter. 
 
 1. Now concerning the collec- 
 tion, the gathering together of money, 
 with perhaps the idea of savings from 
 small incomes. For the saints, (see 
 on 1:2.) Both the collection and the 
 saints are spoken of as well known to 
 the Corinthians. From 2 Cor. 8 : 10 ; 
 9 : 2, it appears that Paul had directed 
 them to make this collection a year be- 
 fore the writing of the second Epistle, 
 or about six months before writing this 
 Epistle. The saints were those at Jeru- 
 salem (ver. 3). They are styled more 
 definitely in Rom. 15 : 2G (see note), as 
 "the poor among the saints in Jerusa- 
 lem." Persecution and the troublous 
 times, of which Josephus speaks, had 
 contributed to their poverty. As I 
 have given orders, or directed, the 
 churches of Galatia, in the central 
 
 portion of Asia Minor (see note on Acts 
 
 16:6), probably when he visited them 
 last, about two years before (Acts i9 : 1) ; 
 or perhaps he had sent them word later 
 from Ephesus. It is interesting to com- 
 pare Gal. 2 : 10 ; Rom. 15 : 26 ; Acts 
 24 : 17, this verse, and 9 : 11, and note 
 their undesigned agreement, and how 
 they evidence the truthfulness of both 
 the Acts and the Epistles. So also do 
 ye ; with the idea of urgency. " He 
 who gives quickly, gives twice." 
 
 2. Upon the first day of the 
 week, that is, on every first day. (see 
 
 note on Acts 20 : 7.) But wliy Sclcct this (lay 
 
 if there was not some religious distinc- 
 tion put on it? Since giving to the 
 poor saints was a religious service to 
 
Ch. XVI.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 321 
 
 let every one of you lay by him in 
 store, yas God hath prospered him, 
 that there be no gatherings when I 
 
 3 come. And when I come, whomsoever 
 ye shall approve by your letters, them 
 will I send to bring your liberality 
 
 4 unto Jerusalem: ^ and" if it be meet 
 that I go also, they shall go with me. 
 
 5 Now I will come unto you, * when I 
 shall pass through Macedonia : (for I 
 
 6 do pass through Macedonia : ) and it 
 may be that I will abide, yea, and 
 
 lay by him in store, according as he is 
 prospered, that there may be no collec- 
 
 3 tions made when 1 come. And when 
 I arrive, whomsoever ye shall approve, 
 them I will send witli letters to carry 
 
 4 your benefaction to Jerusalem. And 
 if it be worth while for me also to go, 
 they shall go with me. 
 
 5 And I will come to you, when I have 
 passed through Macedonia. For I pass 
 
 6 through Macedonia ; and it may be 
 that I will remain, or even pass the 
 
 y Deut. 8 : 18 ; 2 Cor. 8": 1-3, 12-15. 
 
 z 2 Cor. 8 : 4, 19. 
 
 a Acts 19 : 21 ; 2 Cor. 1 : 15, 16. 
 
 Christ (Rom. 15 : 27, note ; Matt. 25 : 40) it COm- 
 
 ported with the hallowed associations 
 of the resurrection day, and suggests 
 its sacred character as the Lord's Day 
 (Rev. 1:10). Let evcry one of you 
 lay by him in store, by himself, at 
 his home, treasuring up whatever he 
 may be prospered in. It is to be an in- 
 dividual and personal work, done sys- 
 tematically, according to the prosperitj^ 
 enjoyed. It is also to be accumulative, 
 andkept sacred. That there be no 
 gatherings, no collections (the same 
 word as ill ver. 1) made when I come. 
 More could thus be gathered with less 
 burdens to one and all. It would save 
 confusion, excitement, and mere im- 
 pulsive effort. It would enter into 
 their spiritual life as a habitual service 
 to Christ and his cause, and as an exer- 
 cise of a Christian grace (2 cor. 8:1-9), 
 
 3. And Avhen I come, or arrive, 
 whicli he expected to do in a few 
 months (ver. 5, 8), whomsoever ye 
 shall approve, or deem worthy. Paul 
 would have the givers select their own 
 agents. He would not do that which 
 rightfully belonged to the church to do. 
 (comp. Acts6:2, 3.) By your letters, 
 them will I send, rather, them icill 
 I send loith letters, that is, of commen- 
 
 da+ion (Acts I8 : 27 ; Rom. 16 : 1 : 2 Cor. 3:2). 
 
 Thus letters of recommendation were 
 common among Christians. How many 
 of these doubtless Paul wrote. Only 
 that to Philemon has come down to us. 
 As the originator of this special effort 
 for the saints at Jerusalem, Paul di- 
 rected it, and would commend tho.se 
 whom the church approved as fit. To 
 bring your liberality, your favor, 
 the expressions of your favor, your 
 benefactions. Literally, it is your grace, 
 the tokens of grace and love. (Comp. 2 
 Cor. 8 : 1,4, 6, 7.) Xoticc lie docs uot say 
 alms, but by the word grace he indi- 
 
 cates a higher kind of religious service 
 in giving. Unto Jerusalem, the 
 point of destination. Doubtless the 
 memory of how he had persecuted and 
 impoverished the saints was to him a 
 powerful motive. 
 
 4. And if it be meet that I go 
 also, rather. If it he worthy of my 
 going also, if it, the collection, be suffi- 
 ciently large, if it be worth my journey, 
 they shall go Avith me. He would 
 under no consideration take charge of 
 the money himself, lest his motives 
 might be impugned, or it should be said 
 that he had put any of it to his own 
 
 use (9 : 18. 19 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 7-9 ; 12 : 16-18). As it 
 
 turned out, he went and they accom- 
 panied him (Rom. 15 : 25-27; Acts 24 : 17). 
 
 Paul's presence with them gave dignity 
 and importance to the mission. 
 
 5-9. Paul's proposed visit to 
 Corinth. 
 
 5. The apostle announces definitely 
 his plan of coming to them, Avhen I 
 shall pass through Macedonia. 
 It appears from 2 Cor. 1 : 15-17, that in 
 a lost Epistle (5:9), or in some other 
 way, he had previously announced 
 to them that he would come first to 
 Corinth, then go into Macedonia and 
 return ; and that on account of this 
 change in his plans, some had charged 
 him with fickleness. For I do pass, 
 this is my purpose now to pass, 
 through Macedonia. The reason 
 for changing his plan is given in 2 Cor. 
 1 : 23, 24 ; 2 : 1 ; 12 : 20, 21 ; 13 : 2, 10. 
 (seeon ver. 8.) And hc clesired to stay 
 longer at Ephesus (ver. 9). 
 
 6. And it may be, it may happen 
 that I shall remain a time with you, 
 and even pass the tvinter with you, till 
 the navigation of the ^gean Sea is 
 open in the spring. (Comp. Acts27 : 12.) 
 This conception of his proposed visit 
 was quite definite in his mind, and he 
 
322 
 
 J. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XVI. 
 
 winter with you, that yc may ''bring 
 nie on my journey whitliersoever I go. 
 
 7 For I will not .'^ee you now by the way ; 
 but I trust to tarry awhile with you, 
 
 8 <: if the Lord permit. But I will tarry 
 
 9 at Ephesus until Pentecost: for <ia 
 great door and effectual is opened unto 
 me, and « there are many advei'saries. 
 
 10 Now ^if Timotheus come, see that 
 he may be with you without fear : for 
 
 winter with you, that ye may bring me 
 on my journey whithersoever I go. 
 
 7 For I am unwiiling to see you now, in 
 passing ; for I hojje to remain some 
 time with you, it the Lord permit. 
 
 8 But I shall remain at Ephesus until 
 
 9 the Pentecost. For a great and effec- 
 tual door is open to me, and there are 
 many adversaries. 
 
 10 Now if Timothy come, see that he 
 may be with you without fear ; for he 
 
 h Acts 15 : 3 ; 17 : 15 ; 21 : 5 ; Rom. 15 : 24 ; 2 Cor. 1 : 16. c 4 : 19 ; Acts 18 : 21 ; James 4 : 15. 
 
 d Acts 19 : 8-20 ; 2 Cor. 2 : 12 ; Col. 4:3. e Acts 19 : 9, 23, etc. ; 2 Cor.* : 8-10. / 4 : 17. 
 
 was enabled to carry it out the next 
 winter (Acts 20 : 3). That, In order 
 that, ye (emphatic) and no otlier 
 church may have the pleasure to bring 
 rae, or send me forward, on my jour- 
 ney whithersoever I go, the direc- 
 tion and route being yet undecided 
 upon. It was customary for churches 
 to escort their minister, or missionaries, 
 a little way on their journey, as a 
 
 token of regard (Acts 21 : 5; 20 : 38; 15 : 3; 
 Bom. 15 : 24; 2 Cor. 1 : 15). 
 
 7. He gives a reason for the plan he 
 had adopted and made known in the 
 preceding verse. For I will not see 
 you, better, For I ivish not to see 
 you now by the way, or in passing, 
 as a passing traveler. But, rather, 
 For, according to the best manuscripts, 
 giving a particular reason, I trust, or 
 hope, to tarry a Avhile with you 
 (ver. 6), which lic could not do if he 
 came now direct by sea. When he 
 should visit them he wished to remain 
 long enough to do them permanent 
 good. Other reasons he states in his 
 Second Epistle. ( See references at the 
 end of ver. 5.) He doubtless wished 
 that there might be time for this Epistle 
 to produce its proper effect upon the 
 Corinthians. He did not wish to use 
 severity either in word or deed against 
 the unruly and his opposers. If the 
 Lord permit, through indications of 
 the Spirit or Providence, (comp. Acts le : 
 
 6. 7 ; see 4 : 19 ; Heb. 6:3; James 4:15.) 
 
 8. But I will tarry, better, shall 
 remain, at Ephesus until Pente- 
 cost, which was in tlie month of May. 
 Some suppose that the great uproar at 
 Ephesus regarding Diana took place at 
 about the .same time; but this is un- 
 certain, and it may have occurred late 
 in the summer or early in the autumn. 
 (See on Acta 19 : 22. 41.) There are indica- 
 tions in the Acts and the Epistles that 
 
 Paul remained longer than he expected, 
 and left Ephesus in the month of Au- 
 gu.st, A. D. 57. See Clark's " Harmonic 
 Arrangement of the Acts," pp. 226-230, 
 for a full discussion. 
 
 9. Two reasons why he should re- 
 main awhile at Ephesus. For a great 
 door, a great opportunity, a favorite 
 expression with Paul (Acts u : 2-; 2 Cor. 
 2 : 12; Col. 4:3), and effectual, productive 
 of results. His opportunity for reach- 
 ing the people was great in extent, and 
 wonderftil in effect. With this agrees 
 Acts 19 : 10, 19, 20. And there are 
 many adversaries, a remarkable 
 reason, which would have daunted 
 many, but only aroused the courage 
 and zeal of Paul. ( Comp. Acts 19 : 30.) The 
 many adversaries were indications of 
 his success (Acts 19 : 26), and he felt strong 
 in the Lord to meet them (Acts 19 : 17), 
 Under such circumstances the young 
 church at Ephesus needed his presence 
 for counsel and encouragement. These 
 adversaries had been increasing with 
 the progress of the gospel, and the 
 uproar about Diana was their most 
 remarkable manifestation ; but this 
 Epistle was written before that event, 
 which occurred about Pentecost, or 
 probably later, (seconver. 8.) 
 
 10-18. Directions regarding 
 Timothy, Apollos, and others. 
 
 10. NoAV if Timotheus come, 
 whom he had sent to Macedonia aiul 
 thence to Corinth ])efore sending this 
 letter. But he would arrive after the 
 letter, which would go direct over the 
 ^gean Sea to Corinth. The apostle 
 conceives of Timotliy's arrival as con- 
 ditioned on circumstances. But he 
 dou])tless reached there, as the after 
 events are in harmony with it, and we 
 hear nothing to the contrary, (see on 
 4:17.) See that he may be with 
 you Avithout fear. Timothy was 
 
Ch. XVI.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 323 
 
 p he worketh the work of the Lord, as 
 
 11 I also do. b Let no man therefore de- 
 spise him : but conduct him forth in 
 peace, that he may come unto me : for 
 I look for him with the brethren. 
 
 12 As touching our brother iAiX)llos, I 
 greatly desired him u) come unto you 
 with the brethren : but his will was 
 not at all to come at this time : but he 
 will come when he shall have con- 
 venient time. 
 
 13 k Watch ye, i stand fast in the faith, 
 
 14 "nquit you "like men, "be strong. "Let 
 all your things be done with charity. 
 
 15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know 
 p the house of Stephanas, that "it is <i the 
 
 works the work of tlie Lord, as I also 
 
 11 do. Let no one therefore despise him ; 
 but send him forward in peace, that 
 he may come to me ; for I look for him 
 
 12 Avith the brethren. And concerning 
 Apollos the brother, I besought him 
 much to come to you with the bretli- 
 ren ; and it was not at all his will 
 to come at this time, but he will 
 come when he shall have opportunity. 
 
 13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, acquit 
 
 14 you like men, be strong. Let all your 
 
 15 acts be done in love. Now I beseech 
 you, brethren, (ye know the house of 
 Stephanas, that it is a first-fruit of 
 
 ^Rom. 16 : 21 ; Phil. 2 : 19-22 ; 1 Thess. 3:2. Al Tim. 4 : 12. i3 : 5; Acts 18 : 24. 
 
 ft See ref. Matt. 24 : 42 ; 1 Peter 5:8. I Gal. 5:1; Phil. 1 : 27 ; 4 : 1 ; 2 Thess. 2 : 15 ; Jude 3. 
 
 m 1 Sam. 4 : 9 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 3-5. n Josh. 1:6; Isa. 35 : 4 ; Eph. 6 : 10 ; Col. 1 : 11. 
 
 o 13 : 1-7 ; 14 : 1 ; John 13 : 34, 35. p\: 16. q Rom. 16 : 5. 
 
 young (1 Tim. 4 : 12), probably about 
 twenty-five years of age (Acts i6 : i, note), 
 and naturally timid (2 Tim. 1 : 6-8; 2 : 1, 
 3,15). In the condition in which the 
 Corinthian churcli was, there was spe- 
 cial need of this injunction. It was 
 high praise of Timothy that Paul could 
 say, For he worketh the Avork of I 
 the Lord, as I also do, preaching j 
 
 the gospel faithfully (1 Thess. 3:2; Phil. 
 2 : 22). 
 
 11. Let no man despise him on 
 
 account of his youth and natural mod- 
 , esty. (See preceding verse. ) But con- 
 duct him forth, or send him forth, on 
 his journey, as in ver. 6 (the note on 
 which see). In peace, courteously 
 and lovingly. For I look for him 
 with the brethren, Erastus (Acts 
 18:22) and perhaps the bearers of this 
 Epistle. Titus was also sent after 
 Timothy's departure (2 Cor. 12 : is), 
 
 12. As touching, or And concern- 
 ing, our brother Apollos (112), I 
 greatly desired him, better, / be- 
 sought him much, to come unto you 
 w^ith the brethren, doubtless the 
 bearers of this Epistle (ver. 17). Paul 
 thought Apollos especially fitted to go 
 to Corinth at this time, since he was 
 held in .such high esteem there. He 
 was the best one to enforce the teach- 
 ings of this Epistle. But his will 
 was not at all, he was positively un- 
 willing to come at this time; he 
 may have feared tliat liis presence would 
 increase the party spirit, and he would 
 do nothing of the kind. But he will 
 come when he shall have con- 
 venient time, a good time both for 
 
 him and you. And he might think 
 this to be when their party strifes had 
 ceased, and he himself personally 
 should be left out of the question. It 
 is implied that Apollos was at, or near 
 Ephesus at this time, and that he was 
 not a faction-maker, and was on good 
 terms with Paul, and had his confidence 
 and esteem. 
 
 13. Paul adds an exhortation, a short 
 summary of their duty at tliis time. 
 Watch ye, like sentinels on guard in 
 face of the enemy, stand fast in the 
 faith, steadfastly trust in Christ, and 
 accept and believe his teachings. It was 
 needful that watchfulness and steadfast- 
 ness should go together. ( Comp. 15 : 58 ; 
 2 Cor. 1 : 24; Eph. 6 : 13, 14.) Quit yOU like 
 
 men, be not feeble and effeminate, but 
 manly and courageous; show moral 
 courage. Be strong, or he strength- 
 ened, not in yourselves, but with the 
 strength provided for you (Eph. 3:i6). 
 This four-fold exhortation shows what 
 their attitude should be toward their 
 spiritual foes. 
 
 14. But toward one another as fellow- 
 Christians, Let all your things, 
 rather, acts, be done in love, let di- 
 visions and strifes cease, and let love 
 be the element of all your activity. 
 
 (Comp. chap. 13 ; 8:1.) 
 
 15. Paul entreats them to exercise 
 a proper regard for faithful laborers, 
 especially the brethren who had come 
 from Corinth and would return with 
 this Epi-stle. I beseech you, breth- 
 ren, inasmuch as ye kno^v the 
 house, or family, of Stephanas. (See 
 note on 1 : 16. ) The words, ye knotv, to the 
 
324 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XVI. 
 
 firstfniits of Achaia, and that they have 
 addicted themselves to •'the ministry 
 
 16 of the saints,) Hhat ye submit your- 
 selves unto such, and to every one' that 
 heli)eth with tin, and laboureth. 
 
 17 I am glad of the coming of Stephanas 
 and Fortunatus and Achaieus : ' for 
 that which was lacking on your part 
 
 18 they have supplied. For they have re- 
 freshed my spirit and yours. There- 
 fore "acknowledge ye them that are 
 such. 
 
 19 The churches of Asia salute you. 
 * Aquila and Priscilla salute you much 
 in the Lord, y with the church that is 
 
 20 in their house. All the brethren greet 
 
 Achaia, and that they have set them- 
 
 16 selves to minister to the saints,) that 
 ye also submit yourselves to such, and 
 to everj' one that works with as, and 
 
 17 labors. And I rejoice at the coming of 
 Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achai- 
 eus ; for what was lacking on your part 
 
 18 the^ supplied. For they refreshed mv 
 spirit and yours ; therefore recognize 
 those who are such. 
 
 19 The churches of Asia salute vou. 
 Aquila and Prisca, with the church 
 that is in their house, salute vou much 
 
 'ZO in the Lord. All the brethren salute 
 
 r 2 Cor. 9:1; Heb. 6 : 10. s Ver. 18 ; 1 Tim. 5 : 17. 
 
 X Acts 18 : 2 ; Rom. 16 : 3. 
 
 t 2 Cor. 11 : 9. 
 y Rom. 16 
 
 M Phil. 2 : 29 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 12, 13. 
 ; Philem. 2. 
 
 end of the verse, are commonly regarded 
 as a parenthesis. That it is the first- 
 fruits, rather, a first-fruit, of Achaia, 
 the whole of Greece, south of Macedo- 
 nia. It is not meant that Stephanas and 
 his family were actually the first con- 
 verts, but among the first converts in 
 the province of Achaia. And that 
 they have addicted, better, devoted, 
 themselves to the ministry, or 
 service, of the saints. They had 
 voluntarily devoted themselves for the 
 service of Christians, both as to their 
 temporal necessities and spiritual needs 
 (next verse). 
 
 16. That ye submit yourselves 
 also in turn unto such, exercising due 
 regard, heeding their exhortations and 
 
 co-operating with them (Kpb. 5 : 21 ; l Peter 
 
 5:5). And to every one who help- 
 
 eth us, works with us, in the general 
 work of the church, and laboureth, 
 implying earnest and lal)orious toil. 
 
 17, I am glad of the coming, or 
 / rejoice over the presence, of Steph- 
 anas, probably the one named in ver. 
 1."), and Fortunatus and Achaieus, 
 unknown except as liere mentioned. 
 There is a Fortunatus mentioned at the 
 end of Clement's First Epistle to the 
 Corinthians, wlio may l)e the one here 
 named. These three have been sup- 
 posed to l)e the bearers of the letter 
 referred to in 7 : 1, and on their return 
 to Corinth may have taken this Epistle. 
 For that Avhich was lacking on 
 your part they have supplied, the 
 void occasifMied l)y your al)sence they 
 fully supplied, not by pecuniary gifts, 
 for he had not received these from the 
 Corinthian church (2Cor. ii:9), but by 
 their sympathy and love (next verse). 
 
 18. For they have refreshed my 
 spirit by their arrival, intercourse, 
 and sympathy, and as a natural conse- 
 quence yoi<rs also, since they were your 
 representatives, and their joy was also 
 
 yours. (Comp. 2 Cor. 1:3-7; 7 : 13.) Their 
 
 visit to the apostle resulted in relieving 
 anxiety in a measure of all parties con- 
 cerned, and reinvigorating their spir- 
 its. It awakened hope that the matters 
 in the church might be satisfactorily 
 adjusted. The interest of both the 
 church and the apostle would center in 
 these representatives. Therefore, in 
 view of their relation to jow and me 
 and their service, acknowledge, rec- 
 ognize rightly and fully, their character 
 and work, as your guides and represent- 
 atives (1 Thcss. 5 : 12). 
 
 19-24. Final salutations, a 
 solemn warning, and the closing 
 benediction. 
 
 19. The churches of Asia sa- 
 lute you — the churches in the cities 
 of the Roman province of Asia, south- 
 western portion of Asia Minor, of 
 which the church at Ephesus was chief. 
 Of these at a later period seven are 
 enumerated in Rev. 1 : 11. From this 
 passage and Col. 4 : 16 we learn that 
 Paul was in a measure acquainted with 
 these churches, and that there existed 
 a fraternal fellowship between the 
 churches. Aquila and Priscilla (or 
 Prisca), who returned to Rome after 
 Paul left Ephesus, salute you. (!^-'- 
 
 note on Rom. 16 : 3.) With the church 
 
 that is in their house, the assembly 
 that was accustomed to meet there for 
 worship. Having a tent-making busi- 
 ness they doubtless had room for meet- 
 ings at their house. ( See note on Rom. 16 5. ) 
 
Ch. XVI.] 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 325 
 
 you. * Greet ye one another with an 
 holy kiss. 
 
 21 a The salutation of me Paul with 
 
 22 mine own hand. If any man love not 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, ''let him be 
 Anathema « Maran-atha. 
 
 23 <i The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ 
 
 24 be Avith you. My love be with you all 
 in Christ Jesus. Amen. 
 
 The first Epistle to the Corinthians 
 was written from Philippi by Ste- 
 phanas, and Fortunatus, andAchai- 
 cus, and Timotheus. 
 
 you. Salute one another with a holy 
 
 21 kiss. The salutation of me, Paul, with 
 my own hand. 
 
 22 If any one loves not the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, let him be accursed. Maran 
 atha. 
 
 23 The grace of our Lord be with j'ou. 
 
 24 My love be with you all in Christ 
 Jesus. Amen. 
 
 z Rom. 16 : 16 ; 1 Thess. 5 ; 26 ; 1 Peter 5 • 14. 
 c Jude 14, 15. 
 
 a 2 Thess. 3 : 17. 
 d Rom. 16 : 20. 
 
 5 Gal. 1 : 8, 9. 
 
 30. All the brethren of the Ephe- 
 sian church greet, or salute you. 
 Greet, or salute, one another with 
 
 a holy kiss, a token of Christian af- 
 fection and in contrast with anything 
 unchaste and impure, .so common in that 
 age. (See note on Rom. 16 : \6) Such Chris- 
 tian salutations of affection would tend 
 to swallow up all divisions and strifes. 
 In the East men and women sit apart, 
 and salute one another apart. (Com- 
 pare 2 Cor. 1,3 : 12, and the "kiss of 
 love," 1 Peter 5 : 14.) 
 
 21. The salutation of me Paul 
 with mine own hand. Paul usu- 
 ally employed an amanuensis (Rom. 
 16 : 22)^ but added a salutation in his own 
 handwriting, as a mark of its genuine- 
 ness, and as a personal token of inter- 
 est and affection (2 Thess. 3 : n ; Col. 4 : is). 
 
 22. The three independent sentences 
 that close this Epistle, were also writ- 
 ten by Paul in his own handwriting — 
 words of earnest warning and of strong 
 Christian affection. If any man love 
 not the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 divisions and party strifes would indi- 
 cate a defect or a want of that love 
 (John 14 : 23 ; 1 John 4 : 20) . The word trans- 
 lated love means intimate personal af- 
 fection, and is the one that Peter used 
 when he answered, "Thou knowest I 
 love thee" (John 21:15, note). Paul else- 
 where uses another word of Christian 
 
 love {ver. 24; 2:9: Eph. 6 : 24 ; 1 Thess. 4 : 9), 
 
 reverential and founded on high qual- 
 ities of character — the word generally 
 used to express that love which we ex- 
 ercise toward God or God toward us. 
 Doubtless the lack of intimate per- 
 sonal affection among the Corinthians, 
 and consequently toward Christ, sug- 
 gested to Paul the use of this word. 
 Christians are to cultivate a feeling of 
 
 personal loyalty and affection for Jesus 
 Christ, such as a soldier feels for his 
 general, or a disciple for his Master" 
 (Lias). Let him be anathema, 
 
 aCCU rsed ( 12 : 3 ; Rom. 9:3; Gal. 1:8). The 
 
 word is used of a person or thing de- 
 voted to destruction without hope of 
 
 redemption (Josh. 6 : n ; 7 : 12; comp. Lev. 27 : 
 
 28, 29). Maran atha. Two Aramaic 
 words, meaning, Our Lord comet h ; he 
 is near at hand, be ready to meet him, 
 for he will judge those who reject him 
 ( Phil. 4:5; Mai. 4:6). The usc of the Ara- 
 maic gave force and solemnity to his 
 words. "The Lord cometh" sounds 
 like a familiar watchword of early 
 Christians, who were looking for the 
 early return of their Lord, for the de- 
 liverance of his followers, and for ven- 
 geance on his foes (2 Thess. 1 : 6-10). ThcSC 
 
 words of the apostle are not vindictive, 
 but are expressive of the repugnance of 
 holiness to sin, and of the righteous 
 feeling of all holy beings toward the 
 crowning sin of men in opposition to 
 the infinite love of God in Christ. 
 
 23. But while severe in reproof and 
 faithful in warning, he adds. The 
 grace of our Lord be Avith you, 
 the common closing prayer of his Epis- 
 tles (Rom. 16 : 20, note: Gal. 6 : 18; Phil. 4 : 23). 
 
 As the anathema is everlasting per- 
 dition so the grace or favor of Christ is 
 eternal life. The words Jesus Christ 
 are omitted in the best text. 
 
 24. My love, that kind which one 
 Christian exercises for another (ver. 22), 
 be with you all. He loves them, 
 though he had been compelled to use 
 severe rebukes, and he loves them all. 
 In Christ Jesus, in union and fel- 
 lowship with him. How Christ is ex- 
 alted, the all and in all ! The Epi-stle 
 begins and ends with Jesus Christ. 
 
326 
 
 I. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XVI. 
 
 Amen. So it is and so let it be. (See 
 Rom. 1:25.) The Subscription is of un- 
 certain authorship and of no authority. 
 From ver. 8 it appears that Paul was at 
 Ephesus, and not at Philippi, when he 
 wrote this Epistle. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. Christian beneficence is a Christian 
 duty. Its exercise should be voluntary 
 and cheerful ; systematic and constant ; 
 universal, deliberate, and proportionate, 
 according as each has been prospered 
 (ver. 1, 2 ; Rom. 15 : 26, 27 ; 2 Cor. 8 : 7, 12- 
 15; 9:5-9). 
 
 2. The first day of the week, as the res- 
 urrection day and the Lord's Day, should 
 arouse such grateful emotions as to make 
 it a fitting and the best time for the ex- 
 ercise of benevolence for Christ's cause 
 and the wants of others (ver. 2 ; Matt. 
 12 : 12). 
 
 3. Christian benevolence is not an act 
 of condescension, as often exhibited in 
 almsgiving, but a brotherly exercise of 
 gracious affection (ver. 3 : 2 Cor. 8 ; 19- 
 24). 
 
 4. Christian benevolence is a work 
 worthy of an apostle, and of the best of 
 Christ's servants (ver. 4 ; 2 Cor. 8 : 18-23). 
 
 5. While churches should be ready to 
 commend faithful ministers, ministers 
 should be careful of their conduct, es- 
 pecially in financial matters (ver. 3, 4). 
 
 6. We should form our plans and act in 
 dependence upon God and under the di- 
 rection of his will (ver. 5-8 ; Jer. 10 : 23 ; 
 James 4 : 15). 
 
 7. There is no evidence of a Christian 
 observance of Pentecost in the apostolic 
 age, though doubtless Christians every- 
 where regarded it with interest, as the 
 day when the Spirit came to be with the 
 church (ver. 8 : Acts 2:2: 20 : 16). 
 
 8. When great good is being done, and 
 
 opposition is excited thereby, the minister, 
 so far from being discouraged, should 
 seize every opportunity for good with 
 faith and boldness (ver. 9; Neh. 6 : 11). 
 
 9. Young preachers of the gospel, who 
 are faithful to Christ, should be encour- 
 aged and helped by the churches and the 
 brethren (ver. 10, 11 ; 3 John 7, 8). 
 
 10. So also young preachers should seek 
 so to live as to be worthy of the support 
 and esteem of their brethren (ver. 10, 11 ; 
 1 Tim. 4 : 12). 
 
 11. Though Christians differ in regard 
 to methods and plans of work, they should 
 mutually respect each other's opinions, 
 and not be alienated from each other on 
 account of differences in judgment (ver. 
 12-14). 
 
 12. Watchfulness, manliness, steadfast- 
 ness, and love are most important ele- 
 ments in a life of Christian usefulness 
 (ver. 13, 14; Eph. 6: 10). 
 
 13. We ought to recognize the various 
 gifts of our brethren, and honor those 
 who have been called to the work of the 
 ministry (ver. 15, 16 ; 1 Peter 5:5). 
 
 14. The meeting of brethren of the 
 churches in conferences, associations, and 
 conventions, should result in mutual edi- 
 fication, and in their increased tisefulness 
 (ver. 17, 18). 
 
 15. Churches as well as individual be- 
 lievers should exercise toward one an- 
 other the common courtesies of life, and 
 the attentions of fellowship and love 
 (ver. 19, 20; Acts 15 : 23, 31 ; Col. 4 : 15). 
 
 16. How terrible the relation which one 
 sustains to God, to man, and to himself, 
 who loves not Christ (ver. 22; 1 John 
 4 : 20). 
 
 17. How important and fundamental is 
 the grace of Christ ; and among the sub- 
 jects of grace what a bond is Christian 
 love (ver. 23, 24 ; 15 : 10: Eph. 3 : 17-19). 
 
PAUL'S SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 
 
 Salutation; Divine consolation and 
 deliverance. 
 
 1 PAUL, » an apostle of Jesus Christ by 
 the will of God, and ^ Timothy our 
 brother, « unto the church of God which 
 is at Corinth, ^ with all the sainis which 
 
 2 are in all Aehaia : ^ Grace be to you and 
 peace from God our Father, and froin 
 the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 3 *^ Blessed be God, even the Father of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of 
 
 1 PAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ 
 through the will of God, and Timothy 
 our brother, to the church of God 
 which is in Corinth, with all the saints 
 
 2 who are in all Aehaia : Grace to you 
 and peace from God our Father and 
 the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mer- 
 
 a I Cor. 1 : 1 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 1 ; 2 Tim. 1:1. 5 Acts 16 : 1. c 1 Cor. 1:2. d Phil. 1:1; Col. 1 : 2. 
 
 e Rom. 1:7; Gal. 1:3; Phil. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1; Philem. 3. / Eph. 1 : 3 ; 1 Peter 1 : 3. 
 
 Title. Its earliest form is simply, 
 Second to the Corinthians, designed 
 merely as a mark of designation. The 
 fuller and later title is embraced in 
 the first verse of the Epistle. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The first part of this Epistle, ex- 
 tending to the end of chapter seven, 
 explains why Paul went to Troas in- 
 stead of coming to Corinth, and the 
 principles on which Paul exercised his 
 ministry. He begins the Epistle with 
 a salutation (ver. 1, 2) ; then expres.ses 
 his gratitude for divine consolations in 
 suiferings (ver. 3,4) ^ whereby he was 
 enabled to console others (ver. 5-7). He 
 refers to his afflictions in Asia, to the 
 mode of his deliverance, and the sym- 
 pathy of the Corinthian Church (ver. 
 0-14). He passes to the reasons of de- 
 laying his visit to them, and going to 
 Troas instead. That it was not fickle- 
 ness on his part (ver. 15-22) ; but in or- 
 der that he might spare them and help 
 
 them (ver. 28,24). 
 
 1,2. Salutation. 
 
 1. Paul, an apostle, etc. (see on 
 1 Cor. 1:1.) As joint-sender of the letter 
 he writes with his own name that of 
 Timothy our brother, or more ex- 
 actly, the brother, well known to them, 
 as one who had labored with Paul 
 among them (Acts is : 5), and who ap- 
 pears to have recently returned from 
 
 the journey to Corinth. ( See note on 1 Cor. 
 
 4 : 17 ; 16 : 10 ; Acts 19 : 22.) TimOthy, per- 
 haps acted as his amanuensis. With 
 all the saints which are in 
 Aehaia, in Greece, south of Mace- 
 donia. Paul addresses the church at 
 Corinth in particular ; but sends salu- 
 tations of grace and peace to all the 
 saints outside in the province. 
 
 2. Grace be to you and peace, 
 
 (See on Rom. 1 : 7 ; 1 Cor. 1:3.) This bene- 
 diction occurs in eleven of Paul's 
 Epistles. In First and Second Timothy 
 it is "grace, mercy, and peace." 
 Christ is made prominent in this as 
 well as in the first Epistle, (see on 
 
 1 Cor. 1:8.) 
 
 3-7. Gratitude for divine con- 
 solation AND THE POWER TO COM- 
 FORT OTHERS. 
 
 3. Blessed, or praised, be God, 
 even the Father of our Lord, etc., 
 he who is God, and at the same time 
 the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 
 (1 Cor. 15: 24). It is not " God of," but 
 rather the " Father of our Lord," etc. 
 Yet this relation to God, especially as 
 to Christ's connection with our hu- 
 manity, is elsewhere expressed (John 
 20: 17; Eph. 1:17). Not oiily is God the 
 Father of the Lord Jesus, and hence 
 our Father in a like sense, we being in 
 Christ, who is our elder brother (Rom. 
 8:17), but he also is the Father of 
 mercies, one who is characterized by 
 
 327 
 
328 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 mercies, and the God of all comfort ; 
 B who comforteth us in all our tribula- 
 tion, *>that we may be able to comfort 
 them which are in any trouble, by the 
 comfort wherewith we ourselves are 
 comforted of God. For as 'the suffer- 
 ings of Christ abound in us, so our 
 consolation also aboundeth by Christ. 
 And whether we be afflicted, ^it in for 
 your consolation and salvation, which 
 is effectual in the enduring of the same 
 sufferings which we also suffer ; or 
 whether we be comforted, it w for your 
 con.solation and salvation. And our 
 hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that 
 
 cies, and the God of all consolation ; 
 who consoles us in all our affliction, 
 that we may be able to console those 
 who are in any affliction, through the 
 consolation wherewith we ourselves 
 are cf)nsoled by God. Because, as the 
 sufferings of Christ a1x)und toward us, 
 so through Christ our consolation also 
 aljounds. But whether we are afflicted, 
 it is for your consolation and salvation ; 
 or whether -wi; are consoled, it is for 
 your consolation, which is effective in 
 the endurance of the same sufferings 
 which we also suffer. And our hope of 
 you is steadfast, knowing, that as ye 
 
 g 7 : 6 ; Ps. 86 : 17 ; Isa. 51 : 12 ; John 14 : 16, 18, 26. ft Ver. 5, 6 ; Ps. 34 : 2-6 : 66 : 16. 
 
 i 4 : 10, 11 ; 1 Cor. 4 : 10 ; Phil. 3 : 10 ; Col. 1 : 24 ; 1 Peter 4 : 13. k Ver. 4 ; 4 : 15 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 10. 
 
 mercies, a quality of his very nature, 
 and growing out of this, the God of 
 all comfort, or of all consolation. 
 The word " Father " as applied to God 
 suggests the relation of God to man in 
 the exercise of mercy, pity, and com- 
 passion (Ps. 103 : 13; James 5 : 11 ). His 
 
 fatherly compassion succors us, and all 
 tlie comfort or consolation comes from 
 him, as " the God of all comfort." The 
 word translated comfort, or its verb, 
 occurs ten times in this and the next 
 four verses. It is closely allied to 
 Paraclete, the Comforter or the Helper 
 (John 14 : 16). It mcaus cousolotion, with 
 the idea of imparting cheer or encour- 
 agement to those in afflictions. 
 
 4. It is worthy of notice that Paul 
 mostly uses the first person plural in 
 this Epistle, often including Timothy 
 and others, according to the context. He 
 frequently uses the singular, however, 
 in speaking of matters which he would 
 limit to himself individually (ver. 15 ; 
 2:1, etc.). Who comforteth, con- 
 mfcfi and cheers, us in all our tribu- 
 lations, in every kind of affliction or 
 pressure that befalls us. ( Comp. 1 Cor. 7 : 28. ) 
 The consolation was continued and 
 constant. That we may be able to 
 comfort, or console and cheer, thein 
 which, that, are in any trouble, 
 affliction (the same word as in the pre- 
 ceding clause), by, or tli rough, the 
 comfort, or consolation, wherewith 
 we ourselves are comforted, con- 
 soled and cheered, of, bj/, God. Ex- 
 perience enabled liim to comfort and 
 encourage others. Affliction was de- 
 signed for his good and the good of 
 others. For this reason Paul was will- 
 ing to endure it, and praise God in con- 
 nection with it (1 Cr. 10 : 24). 
 
 5. Paul gives the reason and expla- 
 nation of what he had said in the pre- 
 ceding verse. For as the sufferings 
 of Christ abound in, rather, toward, 
 us, or orerfloics unto us, so our 
 consolation also aboundeth by, 
 or through, Christ. On account of 
 our connection with Christ we become 
 partakers in his sufferings, arising from 
 
 opposition to him (1 : 10 ; Matt. 10 : 25; Johu 
 15 : 20 ; Col. 1 : 24 ; Gal. 6 : 17 ; Phil. 3 : 10) . The 
 
 consolation comes through Christ, and 
 overflows, as it were, pa.ssing over 
 
 abundantly to you (Rom. 5:3-5; 8 : u). 
 
 Paul regarded himself as one with 
 Christ, and through him, one with his 
 brethren. 
 
 6. AVhile there is no difference in 
 the sense of this verse, there is consid- 
 erable difference in the order of the 
 words in various manuscripts. The 
 most approved text reads : And whether 
 we are affl icted , it is for your consolation 
 and salvation; or whether we are con- 
 soled, it is for your consolation, tchich 
 is effectual in the endurance of the same 
 sufferings which ice also suffer. Thus 
 according to the principle presented 
 in ver. 4, 5, both affliction and con- 
 solation are jiroductive of consolation 
 and salvation in others (4:i5; 2 Tim. 2 : 
 8-12). Which is effectual, or which 
 icorks and is effective in steadfast endur- 
 ance. The consolation enables them to 
 endureandbe steadfast in the faith (Hei.. 
 10:25,26). The Sufferings and tlie con- 
 solation were both of the same kind in 
 Paul and in them, though in tlieir ]>er- 
 sonal experiences they would vary and 
 differ in degree; and all were connected 
 with Christ. 
 
 7. And our hope of you is 
 steadfast for your consolation and 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 329 
 
 1 as ye are partakers of the sufferings, 
 so shall ye he also of the consolation. 
 
 8 For we would not, brethren, have 
 you ignorant of ^o\xv trouble which 
 came to us in Asia, that we were 
 pressed out of measure, above strength, 
 insomuch that we despaired even of 
 
 9 life : but we had the sentence of death 
 in ourselves, that we should ° not trust 
 in ourselves, » but in God which raiseth 
 
 10 the dead : p who delivered us from so 
 great a death, and doth deliver : in 
 whom we trust that he will yet deliver 
 
 are partakers of the sufferings, so are 
 ye of the consolation also. 
 
 8 For we do not wish you to be igno- 
 rant, brethren, of our affliction which 
 befell us in Asia, that we were exceed- 
 ingly weighed down beyond our power, 
 
 9 so that we despaired even of life. Yea, 
 we ourselves had in ourselves the 
 sentence of death, that we should not 
 trust in ourselves, but in God who 
 
 10 raises the dead ; who delivered us from 
 so great a death, and will deliver ; in 
 whom is our hope that he will still de- 
 
 l Rom. 8 : 17, 18 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 12 ; 1 Peter 5 : 10. m Acts 19 : 23, 32-35 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 32. n Jer. 17 : 5, 7. 
 4 : 13, 14. p 1 Sam. 7 : 12 ; 17 : 37 ; 2 Tim. 4 : 17, 18 ; 2 Peter 2 : 9. 
 
 salvation ; knowing that as ye are 
 partakers of the suflferings for 
 Christ, so shall ye be, rather, so are 
 ye also, sharers of the consolation 
 
 through Christ. It is a present posses- 
 sion, and an encouragement and prom- 
 ise of a glorious future (4:17; Rom. S : 
 
 14,23). By virtue of his union with 
 Christ, Paul was both afflicted and con- 
 soled; and his Corinthian brethren 
 were joint-partakers of his joys and 
 his sorrows. Notice how he identifies 
 himself witli them. 
 
 8-14. Paul's affliction in Asia, 
 his deliverance, and the de- 
 served sympathy op the corin- 
 thian church. 
 
 8. For, connects the following inci- 
 dent with the preceding verses, and 
 gives a reason for what he had said 
 about their mutual dependence and 
 sympathy. We would not have 
 you ignorant, a favorite expression 
 
 of Paul's. (See on 1 Cor. 10: 1.) Of OUr 
 
 trouble, rather, our affliction (the 
 same word as that used twice in ver. 
 4), which came to us in Asia, in 
 
 the Roman province of Asia, (see on i cor. 
 16 : 19. ) The plural here appears to in- 
 clude Timothy, who shared the afflic- 
 tion with him to a certain extent. 
 What this affliction was is uncertain. 
 It was not probably the tumult at Eph- 
 esus (Acts 19: 28-31), for Paul seems to 
 have been kept out of danger. ( Comp. note 
 on Rom. 16 : 4.) Yet it is possible that, not- 
 withstanding his Roman citizenship, 
 the people in excited frenzy might 
 have compelled him to fight with Avild 
 beasts for his life. (Comp. i Cor. 15 : 32.) 
 The affliction seems to have been re- 
 cent and known somewhat to the Cor- 
 inthians, and probably occurred since 
 writing his First Epistle. It seems 
 
 better, however, to regard this afflic- 
 tion as some severe and deadly sick- 
 ness, perhaps some epidemic that pros- 
 trated both Paul and Timothy. This 
 agrees with their being pressed out 
 of measure, above strength, or 
 being exceedingly weighed down be- 
 yond our strength, so that we de- 
 spaired even of life. This agrees 
 also with their feelings that they were 
 going to die (next verse). This too, 
 may have caused Paul to delay still 
 longer at Ephesus, even beyond Pente- 
 cost (1 Cor. 16 : 8), bcforc goiiig to Corintli. 
 (See discussion in Clark's "Har- 
 monic Arrangement of the Acts," p. 
 227.) 
 
 9. But, rather. Yea, we had the 
 sentence, or response, of death in 
 ourselves, in our own consciousness. 
 The word translated sentence, means 
 an answer which a judge, for example, 
 might give. To the question. What 
 would be the result of this affliction? 
 the answer in our own convictions was 
 Death, There was an inward persua- 
 sion or conviction to this etiect. The 
 design of God in this was, that we 
 should not trust in ourselves, but 
 in God Avhich (icho) raiseth the 
 dead ; who possessed this almighty 
 power, which, if not then exercised in 
 our behalf, would be in a future resur- 
 rection. 
 
 10. Who delivered us 07tt of so 
 great a death, from so great expos- 
 ure and danger of death ; well expres- 
 sive of some apparently deadly dis- 
 ease. And doth deliver. The com- 
 mon reading, that God did, does, and 
 7vill deliver, is favored by internal evi- 
 dence. But the highest critical author- 
 ities adopt from external evidence the 
 reading atid will deliver; in whom is 
 
330 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 11 MS; ye also i helping together by prayer 
 for us, that ' for the gift bestowed upon 
 us by the means of many persons 
 thanks may be given by many on our 
 behalf. 
 
 Reasons for PauVs delay of his 
 intended visit. 
 
 12 For our rejoicing is this, Hhe testi- 
 mony of our conscience, that in sim- 
 plicity and t godly sincerity, "not with 
 fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of 
 God, we have had our conversation in 
 the world, and more abundantly to you- 
 
 13 ward. For we write none other things 
 unto you, ^ than what ye read or ac- 
 knowledge ; and I trust ye shall ac- 
 
 14 knowledge even to the end ; as also ye 
 have acknowledged us in part, ythat 
 
 11 liver ; ye also helping together on our 
 behalf by your supplication, that for 
 the mercy bestowed on us through 
 many persons, thanks may be given 
 
 12 through many on our behalf. For ovu- 
 glorying is this, the testimony of our 
 conscience, that in holiness arid godly 
 sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom, but in 
 the grace of God, did we conduct our- 
 selves in the Avorld, and more abun- 
 
 13 dantly tow-ard you. For we write no 
 other things to you, than what ye read 
 or even acknowledge, and I trust ye 
 
 14 will acknowledge even to the end ; as 
 also ye did acknowledge us in part, 
 
 5 See refs. Rom. 15 : 30 ; Phil. 1 : 19 ; Philem. 22. »• 4 : 15 ; 9 : 11, 12. 
 
 «2:17;4:2. it 1 Cor. 2 : 4, 5, 13. x5:ll. 
 
 s See refs. Acts 23 : 1 ; Rom. 9 : 1. 
 2/ 5 : 12 ; Phil. 1 : 26. 
 
 onr hope that he loill still deliver. 
 Paul first expresses his belief tliat God 
 will deliver in the future as in the past. 
 Then he emphatically repeats this be- 
 lief, presenting God as the ground of 
 his confidence, upon whom he has set 
 and fixed his hope, that he would still 
 continue to exercise mighty, life-saving 
 power. He looked upon himself as 
 one raised, as it were, from the dead. 
 
 (Comp. Acts 14 : 19, 20.) 
 
 11. Paul recognizes also the help 
 they had received from the prayers of 
 his Corinthian brethren : Ye also 
 helping together by prayer on 
 our behalf ; by individual and united 
 prayer (p'liii. i • i9; Rom. is : 30, 31). That 
 for the gift, the divine favor, the 
 mercy, bestowed upon us by the 
 means of many persons, thanks 
 may be given by many persons, 
 literally, countenances, a vivid repre- 
 sentation of the multitude of upturned 
 faces to God in thanksgiving. First 
 prayer, tlien thanks, by the Corinthians 
 on our behalf. \Ve have here a 
 striking illustration of the mutual in- 
 terest, feeling, and sympathy between 
 Paul and his converts. Between them 
 was a unity of soul and lieart. 
 
 12. Paul expresses his joy and exul- 
 tation that this syini)atliy and interest 
 were fitting and deserved. For our 
 rojoicins:, Ix'ttcr, our cause of glory- 
 ing is this, which is the testimony 
 of our conscience, that in sim- 
 plicity, rather, according to the best 
 text, in holiness; and godly sincer- 
 ity, or sincerity of God (i Cor. 5:8), pro- 
 
 ceeding from and implanted by the 
 Holy Spirit; not with, better, in, 
 fleshly Avisdom, not in the wisdom 
 of worldly prudence and of unrenewed 
 men, but by the grace of God. 
 Not relying on carnal wisdom, but 
 upon the favor of God, Ave have had 
 our conversation, rather, our con- 
 duct, in the Avorld. The word con- 
 versation is used in its old sense of o^'cZf- 
 nai'y conduct. The meaning is, tee con- 
 ducted ourselves in the world, among 
 tlie heathen, and more abundantly 
 toward you, as Christians, giving spe- 
 cial proofs to you of our holiness and 
 godly sincerity, in laboring so long and 
 faithfully, and maintaining ourselves 
 with the work of our own hands (n : "-lo). 
 And so they should give him their 
 prayers (ver. ii). 
 
 13. Paul confirms the preceding as- 
 sertion, and declares the honesty and 
 (•;!iidor of liis writings. For Ave 
 Avritc none other thing to you 
 than Avhat you read {knowhy read- 
 ing) in our Epistle.s — we disguise notli- 
 ing, we mean exactly what we have writ- 
 ten ; or, what ye acknoAvIedge l)y 
 your observation of our conduct, and l)y 
 your acquaintance and experience with 
 us; and I trust ye will acknoAvl- 
 edge even to the end. The verb 
 translated acknoicledge means to know 
 thoroughly, and hence to recognize a 
 thing as it really is. 
 
 14. As also ye <//r/acknoAvledge 
 us in part, comparing the future 
 witli the past. Only a part of the 
 church fully recognized his true char- 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 we are your rejoicing, even as * ye also 
 are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 15 And in this eonti'dence * I was minded 
 to come unto you before, tliat ye might 
 
 16 have b a second benefit ; and to pass by 
 you into Macedonia, and <= to come 
 again out of Macedonia unto you, and 
 of you to be brought on my way toward 
 Judsea. 
 
 17 When I therefore was thus minded, 
 did I use lightness? Or the things 
 that I purpose, do I purpose "^ according 
 to the flesh, that with me ^ there should 
 
 18 be yea yea, and nay nay ? But as God 
 
 that we are your glorying, even as ye 
 also are ours in the day of our Lord 
 Jesus. 
 
 15 And in this confidence I intended to 
 come to you before, that ye might have 
 
 16 a second benefit ; and through you to 
 go into Macedonia, and from Mace- 
 donia to come again to you, and by 
 you to be helped forward on my way 
 
 17 to Judrea. When therefore I intended 
 this, did I show fickleness? Or the 
 things that I purpose, do I purpose 
 according to the flesh, that with me 
 there should be the yea, yea, and the 
 
 z Phil. 2 : 16 ; 4 : 1 ; 1 Thess. 2 : 19, 20. 
 c 1 Cor. 16 : 5, 6. 
 
 a 1 Cor. 4 : 19. 
 d 10 : 2. 
 
 6 Rom. 1 : 11 ; 15 : 29 ; Phil. 1 : 25, 26. 
 e Matt. 5 : 37. 
 
 acter. But he hoped that they all 
 would generally recognize and ac- 
 knowledge, that we are your re- 
 joicing, the object of your glorying 
 (9:3) even as ye also are ours, 
 the future is present, as it were, in 
 Paul's eye of faith, in the day of 
 Jesus Christ, at his second coming, 
 when teachers and churches shall stand 
 before him in their true relations and 
 character (i cor. 3:i3, uotc). They were 
 and should be each other's boasts. 
 Their interests were mutual, and their 
 sympathy with one another complete. 
 At the very beginning of his Epistle he 
 would have tliem recognize this, and 
 he thus affectionately expresses him- 
 self before he proceeds to vindicate 
 himself. 
 
 15-24. Why he had delayed 
 VISITING THE CORINTHIANS. He vin- 
 dicates himself against any fickleness 
 on his part, which some of his opposers 
 were disposed to charge against liim. 
 
 15. And in this confidence — in 
 the conviction that his Corintliian con- 
 verts had this mutual oneness of feel- 
 ings with him (ver. 12-14) Paul had de- 
 termined to visit them before going to 
 Macedonia, in order that they might 
 have a second benefit, a second 
 favor of his presence with its accom- 
 panying blessings, by visiting them 
 again on his return from Macedonia. 
 It was because all his converts did not 
 recognize this mutual relation and feel- 
 ing that he wrote his First Epistle, 
 (3:4) waiting to see its effect, and so 
 delayed to come at once to them (ver. 23). 
 
 16. How they might have enjoyed 
 this second benefit of his presence is 
 here told. He had planned to give 
 them a first favor by coming to them di- 
 
 rectly from Ephesus over the ^Egean Sea 
 to Corinth, remaining a short time, and 
 so by, or throiighyoit, to pass by land 
 into Macedonia, and to come 
 again out of 3Iacedonia unto you, 
 thus giving a second benefit or favor, 
 when he might tarry longer. He may 
 have announced this plan in his lost 
 Epistle (1 Cor. 5:9); aud pcrhaps upou 
 changing his plan, or contemplating 
 such a change, he sc nt to them Timothy 
 
 (1 Cor. 4 : 17 ; Acts 19 : 22) bcforC Writing his 
 
 first Epistle. But after writing it, and 
 finding that the condition of things at 
 Corinth demanded urgent attention, he 
 sent to them Titus (8 : i6; 12 : n, is). It 
 would seem that the Corinthians had 
 learned of this change of plan at that 
 time. And, by, you to be brought, 
 or helped forward, with kind atten- 
 tions and an e.scort (see 1 cor. le -. 6, note) 
 on my way toward Judea. This 
 was the very opposite of the route he 
 actually took. He went through 
 ^Macedonia to Corinth, and then re- 
 turned through Macedonia on his way 
 
 to Judea (Acts 20 : 1-3). 
 
 17. When I therefore Avas thus 
 minded, when I purposed this, did I 
 use lightness? did I show the light- 
 headedness and fickleness with which I 
 am charged? Or the things that I 
 purpose, do I purpose, is it my 
 habit to purpose, according to the 
 fiesh, like a worldly and unrenewed 
 man to be actuated by worldly motives 
 and subject to caprice. Has such been 
 my habit in order that there should 
 be the yea yea, and the nay nay, 
 now a solemn affirmation and then an 
 emphatic denial, forming my plans in 
 such a manner as to carry them out or 
 not, according to the dictates of pleasure 
 
332 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. I. 
 
 is true, our word toward you was not 
 VJ yea and nay. For ^the Son of God, 
 Jesus Christ, who was preached among 
 you by us, ere?i. by me and e Silvanus 
 and Timotheus, '■ was not yea and nay ; 
 
 20 but in him was yea. 'For all the 
 
 Eromises of God in "him are yea, and in 
 im Amen, unto the glory of God by 
 
 21 us. Now he '' which stablisheth us 
 with you in Christ, and ' hath anointed 
 
 18 nay, nay ? As God is faithful, our word 
 
 19 to you is not yea and nay. For the Son 
 of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached 
 among you through us, through me 
 and Silvanus and Timothy, was not 
 
 20 yea and nay, but is yea in him. For 
 however many are the promises of 
 God, in him is the yea ; wherefore also 
 through him is the Amen, to the glory 
 
 21 of God through us. Now he who 
 confirms us with you in Christ, and 
 
 / See refs. Luke 1 : 35. g Acts 18 : 5, Silas. h Exod. 3 : 14 ; Heb. 13:8; Bev. 3 : 14. 
 
 I Rom. 11 : 29 ; 15 : 8, 9. k Rom. 16 : 25. U Johu 2 : 20, 27. 
 
 or profit? The repetition of yea and 
 nay expresses emphasis. Instead of 
 such duplicity and fickleness it is im- 
 plied that he had adhered to his pur- 
 pose throughout of coming to them, 
 according to the will of God and the 
 promptings of the Spirit (i Cor. 4:i9; 
 
 16: 7). 
 
 18, A solemn assertion of his sincere 
 and honest consistency. But as God 
 is true, rather, faithful. A solemn 
 appeal to God, as if he had said, God 
 is my faithful witness and judge, our 
 word, whether by preaching, conver- 
 sation, or letter, toward, or to, you, 
 was not, rather, according to the best 
 text, is not, yea and nay, double- 
 tongued and Avavering. God knows 
 that my teachings among you have 
 never been characterized by any capri- 
 cious changeableness, or carnal self- 
 seeking. His conduct and teaching 
 were so closely connected that the vin- 
 dication of the latter was the vindica- 
 tion of the former. 
 
 19. His preaching, the Son of 
 God, Jesus Christ, his great theme, 
 was an argument against any fickle- 
 ness on his part. Both his manner of 
 preaching and the truth he uttered Avere 
 opposed to vacillation. This verse is 
 confirmatory of the preceding. The 
 us here were Paul, Silvanus, of which 
 Silas was an abbreviation, and Tim- 
 othy, Silas first appears at the coun- 
 cil at Jerusalem, whence he goes as a 
 delegate with Paul and Barnabas on 
 their return to Antioch. He is after- 
 ward chosen by Paul to take the place 
 of ^lark on his second missionary 
 journey (Acts 15 : 22. 25, 27, 32, 40). He was 
 with Paul at Philippi (.\cts le : 19), at 
 Thessalonica (.vct.si7:4), at Berea (Acts 
 IT : 10), and at Corinth (Acts is : 5). Both 
 in tlie la.st passage (Acts is : 5) and here 
 Silas is mentioned incidentally and 
 
 similarly. This undesigned agreement 
 in such minute matters by the two 
 authors, writing at difierent times and 
 places, confirms the truthfulness of 
 both writers. Silas and Timothy were 
 Pauline preachers. Their preaching 
 was not yea and nay, dubious aiid 
 contradictory ; but in him, in Christ, 
 it W' as yea, rather, is yea, is positive, 
 
 unchangeable truth (James 1 : 17 ; Num. 23 : 
 
 19; Heb. 13:8). With such a mcssagc 
 their conduct must have been consist- 
 ent, honest, and true. 
 
 20. For, to substantiate what I have 
 just said, all the promises, rather, 
 hotvever many are the promises of God, 
 in him is the yea, the positive, aflirm- 
 ative utterance and certain fulfillment. 
 And in him the Amen, ratified in 
 Christ. God's promises llnd their ex- 
 pression in Christ, and are assured to 
 us in and through Christ (Rev. 3:i4). 
 But according to the most approved 
 text, the latter clause should read, 
 Wherefore also through him isthe Amen, 
 referring to the responsive Amen in 
 their assemblies (1 Cor. 14 : le, note), ex- 
 pressing acceptance of and full assur- 
 ance in the promises as true through 
 Christ, unto the glory of God by, 
 rather, through, us. It is through the 
 preaching of the gospel that men are 
 brought to an assured faith in God's 
 promises (Kom. 10 : 14), and thus to glorify 
 him. 
 
 21. This fixed assurance he traces 
 back to God. Now he which, icho, 
 st?ih\\sheih, confirms, us with you, 
 firm and steadfast, in Christ (neb. a : 19) 
 and hath anointed us, by his Spirit, 
 is God. Notice how Paul improves 
 every occasion for expressing his com- 
 mon interest and complete union with 
 the Corinthians, you with iis. And 
 al.'^o liow he regards them all as closely 
 united to and identified in Christ. We 
 
Ch. I.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 333 
 
 22 us, is God ; who ■" hath also sealed us, 
 and ° given the earnest of the Spirit in 
 our hearts. 
 
 23 Moreover " I call God for a record 
 upon my soul, Pthat to spare you I 
 
 24 came not as yet unto Corinth. Not for 
 1 that we have dominion over your 
 faith, r but are helpers of your joy : for 
 8 by faith ye stand. 
 
 22 anointed us, is God ; he who also 
 sealed us, and gave the earnest of the 
 Spirit in our hearts. 
 
 23 But I invoke God for a witness upon 
 my soul, that to spare you J came not 
 
 2-4 yet to Corinth. Not that we lord it 
 over your faith, but are helpers of your 
 joy ; for in faith ye stand fast. 
 
 m Ezek. 9:4; Eph. 1 : 13 ; 4 : 30 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 19 ; Rev. 2 : 17. n 5 : 5 ; Rom. 8 : 16, 23 ; Eph. 1 : 14. 
 
 Job 16 : 19 ; Rom. 1:9; Phil. 1 : 8 ; 1 Thess. 2:5. p 10 : 2, 6-11 ; 13 : 2, 10 ; 1 Cor. 4 : 21. 
 
 5 4:5; Matt. 23 : 8-10 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 24-26 ; 1 Peter 5:3. r Rom. 1:12: Phil. 1 : 25, 26. 
 
 s Rom. 11 : 20 ; 1 Peter 5 : 8, 9. 
 
 are established in the Anointed loho hath 
 anointed us, giving us the unction of 
 the Spirit, the privilege of all believers 
 (ijohn2:2o), that they should be "a 
 chosen generation, a royal priesthood, 
 a holy nation, a people for a posses- 
 sion" (i Peter 2: 9). Compare the an- 
 ointing of Christ by the Holy Spirit at 
 
 his baptism (Acts4 : 27: lO: SS; Luke 3: 22: 
 
 *:i. 18). So also kings, priests, and 
 prophets were anointed under the old 
 
 dispensation ( Lev. 8 : 12 ; 1 Sam. 16 : 15 ; 1 Kings 
 19 : 16). 
 
 22. Who hath also sealed us, 
 
 more exactly. Who also sealed us and 
 gave us the earnest of the Spirit in our 
 hearts. The sealing is derived from the 
 practice of signing and attesting legal 
 
 documents (comp. note on 1 Cor. 9 : 2) tO prOVe j 
 
 them genuine and maintain them in- 
 violate. So they had been attested by j 
 the Holy Spirit as genuine believers, i 
 and as belonging to God (2 Tim. 2:19). j 
 The word translated earnest is found | 
 only here, in 5 : 5, and Eph. 1 : 14, in the 
 New Testament, which word passed 
 from the Phoenician into the Greek, and 
 was applied to money deposited as part 
 payment and a pledge of the future full 
 payment. The term is a strong one, 
 indicating the indwelling Spirit in our 
 hearts as an installment and pledge of 
 what is to come in the state of future 
 blessedness (Eph. i:i4). Thus the be- 
 liever is anointed or consecrated, sealed 
 or marked as God's own, and given the 
 earnest, the pledge and foretaste, by the 
 Spirit. On the human side the anoint- 
 ing was the reception of the Holy Spirit, 
 the Comforter, by faith ; and the con- 
 scious possession of the Spirit became 
 the earnest, the foretaste and pledge, 
 giving assurance; and on the divine 
 side was the sealing, the attesting of 
 the believers by the Spirit, as God's 
 Own, "a peculiar people, zealous of 
 
 good works" (Titus2:i4). This the 
 apostle, his assistants, and Corinthian 
 believers had enjoyed, after they had 
 believed (Eph. i: 13). And as an appli- 
 cation to the subject in hand, he would 
 .say that one who enjoyed, held, and 
 taught such doctrines could not be 
 fickle or carnal (ver. 17) in conduct and 
 method. 
 j 23. Having vindicated himself 
 against the charge of fickleness, Paul 
 now states the reason why he had de- 
 layed visiting Corinth. Moreover, 
 etc., rather. But I, for my part, what- 
 ever my opponents may say, call God 
 to ivitness upon my soul, appealing to 
 God as a witness to his sincerity. Some 
 take the expression to mean against 
 my soul, which would require the ad- 
 dition, "if I speak not the truth," It 
 rather means, that he calls God to wit- 
 ness upon what was the dearest to him, 
 his very life, his soul, that he speaks 
 the truth (Rom. 1 : 9: 9 : 1). Tliis solcmu 
 oath of the apostle was justified, be- 
 cause his word and conduct had been 
 called in question at Corinth, and were 
 connected with the honor of Christ and 
 the cause of God. That to spare 
 you I came not as yet to Corinth. 
 lie would spare them from any sharp- 
 ness or severity which he might feel 
 compelled to use. He hoped that his 
 First Epistle would produce a good ef- 
 fect, so that he might bring them loving 
 service in the spirit of meekness (1 Cor. 
 
 4 : 21). 
 
 24. Not that we have domin- 
 ion, or ive lord it, over your faith. 
 
 Fearing that a misconstruction might 
 be put upon his words, Paul disclaims 
 lordship over their faith in Christ and 
 in the truth. So far from that, we are 
 helpers of your joy. Whatever he 
 does, he acts as a co-operating friend, 
 not for producing grief, but rather for 
 
334 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 increasing their nltiinati'.joy. For by, 
 ratlier, in, faith ye stand lirm («"'"• 
 11:20). They exercised faith in Christ, 
 each one for himself independently, 
 and in that believing condition they 
 stood steadfast amid all dangers ; and 
 this indeed was a source of joy. It was 
 not their faith, but their conduct, that 
 caused the apostle's anxiety and 
 brought forth his rebuke. But even in 
 this he was a helper of their joy which 
 their disorders had marred. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. We should seek the happy conscious- 
 ness of being In Christ's work, and of do- 
 ing it according to God's will (ver. 1 ; 
 2 Tim. 1 : 12). 
 
 2. A church is a company of saints 
 called out from the world, in fellowship 
 with Christ and his people (ver. 2 ; Acts 
 20:28). 
 
 3. God is our only and real source of 
 mercy and consolation (ver. 3 ; John 3 : 
 16; James 1 : 17). 
 
 4. Our afllictious and consolations en- 
 able us to comfort and instruct others 
 (ver. 4; Col. 1 : 24). 
 
 5. Through self-sacrifice and suffering 
 the Christian lives over, as it were, the 
 life of Christ for the good of others (ver. 
 5, 6; 4 : 10-12). 
 
 6. Our connection with Christ's suffer- 
 ings connects ils with the sufferings of 
 others in sympathy and for doing them 
 good (ver. 5 ; 1 Peter 4 : 13). 
 
 7. It is our duty to use the experiences 
 God has given us for the salvation and 
 comfort of our fellow-men (ver. 6; Rom. 
 5 : 3-5). 
 
 8. Sanctified sufferings give hope of fu- 
 ture blessings and final salvation (ver. 7; 
 Rom. 8 : 17, 18). 
 
 9. It is well at times to look death in 
 the face, in order to be faithful to our- 
 selves and to others (ver. 8, 9 ; 1 Cor. 7 : 
 29-31). 
 
 10. A view of our mortality should com- 
 pel our trust in God for all the blessings 
 of life and salvation (ver. 9, 10). 
 
 11. We should regard God as the source 
 of deliverance from every trial with ex- 
 pectation and thanksgiving (ver. 10, 11). 
 
 12. The pastor should have the prayers 
 of his people, who can thus help him as 
 in no other way (ver. 11 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 2.5). 
 
 13. Seeking the Divine favor, our con- 
 duct should be honest, straightforward, 
 and according to the dictates of an en- 
 lightened conscience (ver. 12; Acts 23: 1; 
 24 : 16). 
 
 11. Honest words will find a response in 
 the hearts of others (ver. 13 ; John 1 : 47). 
 
 15. There should be mutual confidence, 
 mutual love, and mutual joy between 
 pastor and people (ver. 11 ; Phil. 4 : 1). 
 
 16. How many things may modify or 
 change our best-laid plans (ver. 15; Acts 
 16 : 6-8). 
 
 17. "The purer a man's intentions are, 
 the more unsuspicious will he be, and the 
 more free will he be to adjust his course 
 to new circumstances." — Rieger. ("Ver. 
 15-17.) 
 
 18. Of all men, a Christian should be a 
 man of truth (ver. 18). 
 
 19. There are no contradictions or false- 
 hoods in Christ and his word (ver. 19 ; 
 John 14 : 6 ; 18 : 37 ; Rev. 3:7). 
 
 20. The promises of God are for God's 
 glory in and through Christ, and are cer- 
 tain of fulfillment (ver. 20 ; 2 Peter 3 : 9). 
 
 21. Christian stability is from God, in 
 Christ, and by the Spirit (ver. 21, 22; 
 1 Peter 1 : 5). 
 
 22. It is a terrible sin for a Christian to 
 grieve the Spirit, since through the Spirit 
 he has his anointing, his scaling, his 
 pledge, and foretaste of future blessed- 
 ness (ver. 21, 22). 
 
 23. The enjoyment of the graces of the 
 Spirit is an evidence of eternal life 
 (ver. 22). 
 
 24. If an inspired apostle would not 
 lord it over his own convert^s in respect 
 to their belief and trust in Christ, how 
 unbecoming to uninspired men, such as 
 popes and bishops, is it to exercise spir- 
 itual dominion over the faith and con- 
 sciences of others (ver. 23, 24; 1 Peter 
 5:2-5). 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Paul still continues his reasons for 
 
 delaying his visit to the Corinthians. 
 
 He would not come to them in sorrow 
 
 (ver. 1-4). His objcct was the Spiritual 
 
 good of all : and now he advises that 
 
 j the penitent offender be forgiven and 
 
 restored (v.-r. 5-ii). He explains why 
 
 I he left Troas and came into Macedonia 
 
 I (ver. 12, 13) ; but, notwithstanding, ex- 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 335 
 
 2 BUT I determiiit'd this with myself, 
 t that I would not come again to you in 
 
 2 heaviness. For if I make you sorry, 
 who is he then that maketh me glad, 
 but the same which is made sorrj* by 
 
 3 me ? And I wrote this same unto you, 
 lest, when I came, " I should have sor- 
 row from them of whom I ought to 
 rejoice ; ^ having confidence in you 
 all, that my joy is the joy of you all. 
 
 4 For out of much affliction and anguish 
 of heart I wrote unto you with many 
 tears ; y not that ye should be grieved, 
 
 2 AND I determined this with myself, 
 that 1 would not come again to you in 
 
 2 sorrow. For if I make you sorry, who 
 then is he that makes me glad, but he 
 
 3 that is made sorry by me? And I 
 wrote this very thing, that I might 
 not, when I came, have sorrow from 
 those of whom I ought to have joy ; 
 having confidence in you all, that my 
 
 4 joy is the joy of you all. For out of 
 much affliction and anguish of heart I 
 wrote to you, through many tears ; not 
 
 1 12 : 20, 21 ; 13 : 10. 
 
 m12 : 20, 21. 
 
 X 8 : 22 ; Gal. 5 : 10. 
 
 y7 : 8, 9, 12. 
 
 ults at the thought of what God had 
 wrought through him (ver. 14-I6), hum-' 
 bly acknowledging his own insuffi- 
 ciency, yet affirming his sincerity 
 
 (ver. 1") . 
 
 1-4. He would not come to them 
 IN SORROW. His object had not been 
 to grieve them, but to manifest his 
 love, and advance them spiritually. 
 
 1. But, rather. And, continuing the 
 explanation why he stayed away from 
 Corinth. In addition to sparing them 
 the sharp reproofs which his imme- 
 diate presence would have necessitated 
 (1:23), he would bring joy instead of 
 sorrow. I determined with my- 
 self, in my own mind and independ- 
 ently of others. ( Comp. Acts 26 : 9. ) MailV, 
 
 however, prefer to translate, for my- 
 self, that is, for my own sake and ad- 
 vantage I determined, etc. But it was 
 more like Paul to state his own pri- 
 vate determination, which was : That 
 I Avould not come again to you 
 in heaviness, better, in grief, or so r- 
 row — I grieving you (ver. 2), and you 
 grieving me (ver. 3). Again does not 
 belong to heaviness (sorroiv), but to 
 come — he would not make his third visit 
 
 (see on 12 : 14) in SOrrOW. 
 
 2. For if I, on my part, make 
 you sorry in coming to you, who is 
 he then that maketh me glad, 
 but the same which, that, is made 
 sorry by me. They must be his 
 source of gladness, but his visit would 
 have rather caused grief to them and 
 consequent grief to him. He would 
 ensure this source of his joy. Hence 
 he delayed his coming in order that he 
 might remove what would be a cause of 
 sorrow. 
 
 3. And I wrote this same, this 
 very thing, I wrote as I did unto you 
 (i Cor. 4 : 21 ; 5:5), rebuking you in re- 
 
 gard to laxity of discipline. Some 
 would refer this to his announcement 
 of his change of purpose in coming to 
 them (1 Cor. 16 : 7) ; but this is not prob- 
 able. What follows evidently refers 
 to the rebukes of his former Epistle. 
 The object of his writing Avas lest, bet- 
 ter, that Imight not, when I come have 
 sorroiv from those of whom I ought to 
 have joy. Had he gone to them be- 
 fore writing he would have had sorrow 
 and caused sorrow, because of their 
 inconsistent and unchristian conduct 
 (12:20,21). Bat he felt assured, that 
 if he wrote them things would be 
 righted, and that there would be no ne- 
 cessity of severely rebuking them, 
 having confidence in you all, 
 that my joy is the joy of you all. 
 He felt assured that he and they were 
 one in 'feelings and interest, in hopes 
 and love; that they all desired to do 
 right and be led by the Spirit, and 
 were so attached to him as to be won 
 over by his words. His joy at such a 
 result would be their joy (i : 6) ; even 
 to all, though some had been opposed 
 to him, yet his joy would be shared by 
 them all. 
 
 4. Explanatory of the preceding 
 verse and containing a reason for his 
 confidence as just expressed. For out 
 of much affliction and anguish, 
 burden and distress, of heart (i.uke 
 21:25)1 wrote unto you with 
 many tears, which, in case of a man 
 of strong intellect like Paul, showed 
 intense grief. We see the spirit in 
 which Paul wrote, and how painful it 
 was for him to blame and rebuke them. 
 His object was not to grieve them, but 
 to make them know his great love for 
 them, out of which his reproofs sprang. 
 This would soften his words and their 
 hearts, and produce that feeling and 
 
336 
 
 ir. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 but that yc might know tlie love 
 Avhich I have more abundantly unto 
 you. 
 
 5 * But ^if any have caused grief, he 
 hath not grieved me, but in part : that 
 
 6 I may not overcharge you all. Suffi- 
 cient to such a man is this punishment, 
 
 7 which iras in ft ictal '^oi many. ^ So that 
 contrariwise ye ouyht rather to forgive 
 him, and comfort him, '^'lest perhaps 
 such an one should be swallowed up 
 
 that ye might liave sorrow, but that ye 
 might know the love which I have 
 very abundantly toward you. 
 
 But if any one has caused sorrow, he 
 ha.s caused sorrow not to me, but in 
 part (not to be t<jo severe) to you all. 
 Sufficient for such a one is this punish- 
 ment, which was afflicted by the many. 
 So that, on the contrary* ye (mgl'it 
 rather to forgive and console hiin, 
 lest perhaps such a one should be 
 
 « 7 : 11 ; 1 Cor. 5:1,5. a 1 Cor. 5 : 4, 5 ; 1 Tim. 5 : 20. 5 Gal. 6:1; Eph. 4 : 32. c Prov. 17 : 22. 
 
 action which would result in joy. We 
 have here the complement, the other 
 side, of what he had said in the pre- 
 ceding verse. The love Avhich I 
 have more abundantly, or vo^y 
 abundantly, toward you. They were 
 especially dear to him, like children to 
 a parent. And with this deep aft'ec- 
 tion naturally went out his intense 
 anxiety for their perfection. 
 5-11. Advises the forgiveness 
 
 AND restoration OF THE PENITENT 
 
 OFFENDER. But who was this of- 
 fender ? Expositors generally have 
 answered, The incestuous person named 
 in 1 Cor. 5:1. This seems to be the 
 natural conclusion from comparing this 
 passage with that. But some think it 
 must have been some leading and in- 
 sulting opponent of the apostle, since 
 the latter speaks of some ottense against 
 himself personally (ver. lO; 7: 12). But 
 it was only against himself in part. 
 (soeon ver. 10. ) Bcsides the incestuous 
 person very likely had opposed Paul 
 after the advice given in the letter 
 mentioned in 1 Cor. 5 : 9. Moreover, 
 the theory that it Avas not this inces- 
 tuous person necessitates the supposi- 
 tion that Paul wrote four Epistles to 
 the Corinthians, a third having been 
 written between this and our First Epis- 
 tle. Upon the whole the common 
 view seems to me beset with the fewest 
 difficulties, and is the one adopted in 
 these notes. 
 
 5. Having spoken of the deep anx- 
 iety in which he wrote them, and their 
 implied sorrow, lie very delicately re- 
 fers to the one who had caused much of 
 the truul)le. But if any one has 
 caused prief, or sorrov. Notice how- 
 he carefiilly refers to the incestuous 
 person, without mentioning his name 
 or liis crime (icor. 5:i). He hath 
 not grieved, or ca}ised sorroir to 
 me personally; it being a public of- 
 
 fense, affecting the whole church. 3fe 
 is emphatic and put in contrast with 
 you all ; but in part, or in some de- 
 gree to you all, not to he severe, not to 
 give pain to you and to him by speak- 
 ing too severely. Paul has in mind 
 that the offender had repented, and he 
 would exercise forbearance and forgive- 
 ness (ver. 6-11), and he also would exon- 
 erate the church from his charge of in- 
 difference (1 Cor. 5:2); it is also implied 
 that the church had mourned over the 
 sin and exercised the proper disci- 
 pline. The apostle now writes in mild- 
 ness, since he would not cause further 
 sorrow to any. 
 
 6, It would seem that Paul's former 
 Epistle regarding the offender had 
 aroused strong feelings against him 
 (7 : 8 ff.) , and now he strives to moderate 
 this feeling. Sufficient in magnitude 
 and severity to such a man, exercis- 
 ing such a spirit of repentance and re- 
 nunciation of his sin, is this punish- 
 ment — doubtless exclusion from the 
 church, for in ver. 9 it is implied that 
 they had been obedient in all things, 
 (Seel Cor. 5 : 3-5. 13.) Mhich was in- 
 flicted of, or hy the, many, the 
 greater part of you. This discipline 
 was exercised not by the officers, but 
 by the church (Matt.' is : n, is). All of 
 the church were probably not present 
 when this punishment Avas inflicted. 
 Some also may not have assented to the 
 offender's exclusion, or may have de- 
 clined to take part, or may have re- 
 mained passive in the matter ; for there 
 were still op])osers in the church to 
 Paul's apostolic authority. 
 
 7. So now he counsels lenity. So 
 that contrariwise ye ought, or 
 should, rather forgive and com- 
 fort, or console, him with cheer and 
 encouragement, (sccnotcon 1 :3.) Lest 
 such a one, so Paul designates the 
 well-known offender (1 Cor. 5:5), be 
 
Ch. IL] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 337 
 
 8 with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I 
 beseech you that ye would confirm 
 
 9 your love 'toward him. For to this end 
 also did I write, that I might know the 
 proof of you, whether ye be ^ obedient 
 
 10 in all things. To whom ye forgive any 
 thing, I forgive also : for if I forgave 
 any thing, to whom I forgave it, for 
 your sakes forgave I it, in the person of 
 
 11 Christ ; « lest Satan should get an ad- 
 vantage of us ; for we are not ignorant 
 of his devices. 
 
 swallowed up with his overmuch sor- 
 
 8 row. Wherefore I beseech you to con- 
 
 9 firm your love toward him. For to 
 this end also I wrote, that 1 might 
 know the proof of you, whether ye are 
 
 10 obedient in all things. And to whom 
 ye forgive anything, I forgive also ; for 
 what I also 'have forgiven, if I have 
 forgiven anything, for your sakes I 
 
 11 forgave it in" the person of Christ, that 
 no advantage might be gained over us 
 
 ! 7 : 15. 
 
 ell : 3, 14; Eph. 6: 11, 12. 
 
 swallowed up, overwhelmed, with 
 overmuch sorrow. This expresses 
 figuratively the effect of extreme grief, 
 lest he be consumed with grief, driven 
 into a melancholy and despairing state. 
 It is implied that he had repented and 
 deeply mourned over his sin. 
 
 8. Wherefore, in view of this, I 
 beseech you to confirm your love, 
 or rather, confirm love, this funda- 
 mental, vital. Christian principle, to- 
 Avard him. The verb translated con- 
 firm is also used officially, as to ratify 
 some public act or covenant (Gai. 3: 
 15.1'?). The meaning here appears to 
 be. That ye publicly decide or declare 
 that love be shown to him by granting 
 him pardon and restoration. Thus the 
 object of the discipline of the church 
 would be attained. 
 
 9. Reason for adopting gentler means 
 
 ye forgive anything, I forgive 
 also. He feels assured of the unity of 
 the church with him in exercising love 
 (ver. 8) toward the offender, and he is 
 ready to ratify their action in advance. 
 Notice how he honors the church, which 
 must take the lead in its discipline. 
 The pardon was of a public offense 
 against the church, which Paul sanc- 
 tioned and forgave as far as it affected 
 him. For if I forgave anything, 
 rather, according to best text, For what 
 I also have forgiven, if I have forgiven 
 anything, for your sakes forgive I 
 it. If he had forgiven anything which 
 affected him personally, he had done 
 it not for selfish ends, but for their 
 sakes and in the confidence^ that they 
 would forgive. His ministry and 
 apostleship were not for his own ad- 
 vantage, but for theirs. And this for- 
 
 toward the offender, since the object of giveness he had exercised in the per- 
 
 his writing had been attained. For 
 to this end also did I write, in 
 
 my former Epistle regarding the inces- 
 tuous person (i Cor. 5 : 2, 4, 7), that I 
 might know the proof of you, 
 the trial and test of your character (a 
 proof as a result of testing), whether 
 ye be, or are, obedient in all 
 things ; he w^ould test their obedience 
 to his directions as an inspired apostle. 
 Here then was one reason for his writ- 
 ing the First Epistle. Not only did he 
 wish his coming to them to be not pain- 
 ful but joyous, not only to do them 
 good by inducing them to exercise 
 healthful discipline, but also to know 
 their readiness to obey his injunctions. 
 This having been accomplished to his 
 satisfaction, he enjoins the restoration 
 of the offender, which, judging from 
 their ready and obedient spirit, would 
 be done. 
 
 10. Their forgiveness of the offender 
 would receive his sanction. To whom 
 
 son of Christ, as Christ's represent- 
 ative. So in the name of the Lord 
 Jesus he had ordered the exclusion of 
 the ofiender (icor. 5:4), Some trans- 
 late and interpret, in the presence of 
 Christ, as if Christ himself were pres- 
 ent and looking on with approval. 
 The first rendering is to be preferred, 
 though the idea of an observing and 
 approving Lord may be included. 
 
 11. A final motive for exercising for- 
 giveness. Lest Satan should get 
 an advantage over us, overreach 
 us, in doing injury when we have an 
 opportunity of doing good. In his ex- 
 clusion from the church the offender 
 had been delivered over to Satan (1 Cor. 
 5:5, note). But ill his repentance he 
 was renouncing the power and dominion 
 of Satan. If the church refused for- 
 giveness and restoration, then he might 
 be discouraged and driven to despair 
 (ver. 7). And in his despair he might 
 plunge deeper into crime. For we 
 
 W 
 
338 
 
 11. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 12 Furthermore, f when I came to Troas 
 
 by Satan ; for we are not ignorant of 
 his devices. 
 12 Now when I came to Troas to preach 
 
 /Acts 16 : 8; 20 : 6. 
 
 are not ignorant of his devices, 
 
 his evil designs and plottings against 
 
 Christ's people (Kph. 6 : ll ; l Peter 5:8). 
 
 Satan means adversary, and he is pre- 
 sented as the great adversary of be- 
 lievers. The design of the discipline 
 had been the good and reformation of 
 the offender, but this might be thwarted 
 by Satan if an unforgiving spirit was 
 manifested by the church. The per- 
 sonality and agency of Satan are here 
 plainly recognized. 
 
 Chvkch Discipline, Formative 
 AND Corrective. Discipline pri- 
 marily is training by instruction and 
 exercise, and then reforming by cor- 
 recting and punishing. Accordingly 
 church discipline should be ^rst form- 
 ative, training the members to a true 
 Christian character; and Avhen this 
 fails, it must be reformative or cor- 
 rective, for the good of the individual 
 and for the honor of Christ and his 
 cause. 
 
 Both of these forms of discipline 
 were recognized by Paul. He preached 
 Christ, " warning every man and teach- 
 ing every man in all wisdom that he 
 might present every man perfect in 
 Christ " (Col. 1 : 28) ; but if necessary he 
 would "come with a rod" (icor. 4:2i). 
 His Epistles were largelj^ in the line of 
 formative discipline. Such were his 
 instructions to the Corinthians in re- 
 gard to spiritual gifts, the proper ob- 
 servance of the Lord's Supper, their 
 orderly conduct in their public assem- 
 blies, marriage and celibacy, and eat- 
 ing meat offered to idols. So also was 
 his advice to the different parties at 
 Corinth and his fervent appeals to his 
 opposers. Corrective discipline was 
 his last resort for j^ersi stent or notorious 
 offenders (i Cor. 5 : i ff.). 
 
 Corrective discipline is important and 
 often necessary, but it is sometimes ex- 
 alted into undue prominence. Tliey 
 make a great mistake who act as if it 
 were the great olyect of the church to 
 punish the unruly. If formative dis- , 
 cipline were properly attended to by \ 
 pastors, officers, and workers in the 
 church, there would generally be but ; 
 little left for corrective discipline. ; 
 
 (Read Col. 3 : 16-25 ; 4 : 1-5 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 22, 23 ; Titus 
 2 : 1-15 ; 1 Peter 2 : 11-18 ; 4 : 1-9.) 
 
 Yet " it must needs be that offences 
 come," and the good of the church and 
 the honor of Christ demand their cor- 
 rection in wisdom and love. Offenses 
 may be classified as follows : 
 
 1. llinor, such as the infirmities of 
 the weak, which are to be borne, with 
 kind admonition and help. (Read Rom. 
 
 15 : 1 ; Gal. 6 : 1 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 14, 15 ; 2 Thess. 3 : 10- 
 12 ; Titus 3:9; James 1 : 26. ) 
 
 2. Private, such as cannot be proved, 
 and therefore must be treated very 
 carefully and privately, leaving the 
 matter with God (Matt. i» -. 15 ; Prov. 25 : 9), 
 
 3. Personal, evident injuries of one 
 brother by another, in person, reputa- 
 tion, or property. Our Lord has pre- 
 scribed the treatment of these in Matt. 
 18 : 15-18 ; comp. 1 Cor. 6 : 1-6. 
 
 4. Pahlic, such as affect all the mem- 
 bers of the church. These are to be 
 dealt with publicly, with penalties 
 varying from censure to exclusion 
 
 (1 Tim. 1 : 19, 20 : 2 Tim. 3:2-7; Titus 1 : 13 ; 1 Cor. 
 5 : 10, 11). 
 
 But public, and even personal of- 
 fenses, may become so malignant as to 
 l)e insuft'erable, in which case imme- 
 diate expulsion will be required (i Cor. 
 5 : 13 : 6 : 9. 10). But corrcctivc discipline 
 must in all cases be exercised kindly 
 but foithfully for the good of the of- 
 fender and for the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 
 
 2 : 5-10 ; 7 : 5 ff. ; 2 Thess. 3 : "l4, 15 : 2 Tim. 2 : 24 : 
 
 James 5 : 19. 20.) Scc " Churcli Discipline," 
 by Kev. Eleazer Savage (Sheldon & 
 Company, New York, 1863), which has 
 a full treatment of this whole subject. 
 
 12-17. AVhy he left Troas and 
 came into ^Iacedonia. Exults in 
 the triumphs of his ministry. 
 The crisis through which lie passed. 
 
 12. Paul returns to tlie thread of his 
 narrative, which he left at ver. 4. He 
 had spoken of the deep anxiety in 
 which he had written his former 
 Pvpistle, and now he tells how this 
 same anxiety urged him on from Troas 
 to Macedonia. Furthermore, when 
 I came, etc. Better, And having come 
 to Troas . . . and a door having been 
 opened. Though such was the case, yet 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 339 
 
 to preach Christ's gospel, and sa door 
 
 13 was opened unto me of the Lord, ^ I 
 had no rest in my spirit, because I 
 found not Titus my brother : but taking 
 my leave of them, I went from thence 
 into Macedonia. 
 
 Digression respectinq the character and 
 results of his ministry. 
 
 14 Now thanks be unto God, > which 
 always causeth us to triumph in Christ, 
 
 the gospel of Christ, and a door was 
 
 13 opened to me in the Lord, I had no re- 
 lief for my spirit, because I found not 
 Titus my brother; but bidding them 
 farewell, I went forth into Macedonia. 
 
 14 But thanks be to God, Avho always leads 
 us in triumph in Christ, and makes 
 
 g 1 Cor. 16 : 9. 
 
 A 7 : 5, 6. 
 
 i Rom. 8 : 37 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 57. 
 
 he had no rest because Titus had not 
 come from Corinth. (Seever. 13.) To 
 Troas, or, fo the Troad, the angle of 
 territory, south of the Hellespont, of 
 which Troy was the principle point of 
 interest, being an important commercial 
 city and a Roman colony. It had been 
 built, as Dr. Schliemann's discoveries 
 appear to prove, on the ruins of the an- 
 cient city. ( Oomp. notes on Acts 16 : 8, 12. ) Be- 
 sides this visit, Paul was at Troas three 
 
 times (Acts 16 : 8-11 ; 20:5,6; 2 Tim. 4:13). 
 
 Luke passes over this portion of Paul's 
 history very rapidly in the Acts, and 
 does not notice this visit nor the visits 
 to other churches. Yet there is an un- 
 designed agreement in his statement, 
 that Paul went from Ephesus into 
 ^Macedonia and thence to Greece, im- 
 plying that he came northward by way 
 of Troas. Paul's object in visiting 
 Troas at this time was not merely as a 
 traveler, but for the gospel of Christ; 
 that is, to further it by preaching. A 
 door, a great opportunity (see on i Cor. 
 16 : 9) for missionary work, was opened 
 to him of, rather, in the Lord, in the 
 service and cause of the Lord. Paul 
 was not in a state of mind to do much 
 then, but he returned a few months 
 later (Acts 20 : 6) and spent a week. 
 
 13. I had no rest, no relief, from 
 the distress in my spirit, my higher 
 spiritual nature (comp. 1 cor. 2 : u)^ be- 
 cause I found not Titus my 
 brother. Titus was a Gentile Chris- 
 tian (Gal. 2 : 1, 3)^ one of Paul's converts 
 (Titus 1:4), a companion and fellow- 
 helper of Paul. He is not mentioned 
 in the Acts, but was with Paul at 
 Ephesus in his third missionary jour- 
 ney. Timothy had been sent to Corinth 
 and had returned (1 : 1 ; Acts 19 : 22) with- 
 out fully carrying out Paul's plans. 
 Paul had also sent Titus, one probably 
 older and peculiarly fitted for the mis- 
 sion of pacifying matters, and looking 
 
 after the collections (7 : is-is; 8 : 16, n), 
 and he was now anxiously expecting 
 his return. Further regarding Titus, 
 see Titus 1 : 5 ; 2 Tim. 4 : 10. Paul's 
 great anxiety appears to have unfitted 
 him for labor at Troas; besides the 
 affairs at Corinth seemed more urgent. 
 And therefore he says, so taking my 
 leave of them, bidding them fare- 
 well (Acts 18: 21), I went forth into 
 Macedonia, the province north of 
 Achaia. (see note on Acts 20 : 1.) Tliis inci- 
 dent in Paul's history shows how" great 
 his interest and love were for his Corin- 
 thian converts. 
 
 14. We have here one of those ab- 
 rupt digressions peculiar to Paul. The 
 mention of Macedonia as well as the 
 recollection of the great opportunity at 
 Troas, and of how he was borne like a 
 captive through deep anxiety to Mace- 
 donia, fills his mind with the memory 
 of the severe conflicts and the signal 
 triumphs of his ministry ; and perhaps 
 the favorable intelligence from Corinth 
 adds to his exultant joy, and he breaks 
 forth into thanksgiving; and he con- 
 tinues in the line of impassioned di- 
 gressions till 7:5. when he returns to 
 his coming into Macedonia and to the 
 coming of Titus. Now, rather, But, 
 in contrast to my unrest and anxiety, 
 thanks be to God, the source of my 
 strength in weakness, which, icho, 
 always, even in times of deepest dis- 
 tress, causeth us to triumph in 
 Christ, in soul-nourishing fellowship 
 with him. This causative sense of the 
 verb is allowable (Thayer's "Lexi- 
 con" and Wener's "Grammar"); 
 but its general meaning is, to lead cap- 
 tive in triumph {Co\. 2 -.15), According 
 to this, Paul regarded himself as taken 
 captive at his conversion, and being 
 led as a captive ever since. Who always 
 leads us in the train of his triumphs, as 
 in a triumphal xirocession. His success 
 
340 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. II. 
 
 and maketh manifest ^the savour of 
 his knowledge by as in every place. 
 
 15 For we are unto God ' a sweet savour 
 of Christ, " in them that are saved, and 
 
 16 " in them that perish : » to the one we 
 are the savour of death unto death ; 
 and to the other the savour of life unto 
 
 manifest through us in every place the 
 
 15 savor of the knowledge of him. Be- 
 cause we are to God a sweet savor of 
 Christ, in those who are being saved, 
 
 16 and in those who are perishing ; to tlie 
 one a savor of death to death, to the 
 other a savor of life to life. And wiio 
 
 fcSoI. Songl : 3. 
 
 I Gen. 8 : 21 ; Phil. 4 : 18. ml Cor. 1 
 
 o John 9 : 39 : 1 Peter 2:7,8. 
 
 fi 4 : 3, 4. 
 
 in preaching the gospel is God's success 
 over him. " But the sense of conquest 
 and degradation is lost in the more 
 general sense of ' making us to share 
 his triumph ' " (STANLEY). The 
 "Speaker's Commentary" adopts Cal- 
 vin's view : " Who at all times makes \ 
 a triumphal pageant of us, as his vie- [ 
 torious officers and soldiers." The ! 
 following seems to be a natural view : 
 Paul conceives of himself (1) as hav- j 
 ing been taken captive; (2) as such i 
 led in God's triumphal procession, ! 
 a figure borrowed from the victorious i 
 procession of a Roman general, the 
 most glorious spectacle then known ; 
 but (3) at the same time united in liv- 
 ing union with Christ. He had been 
 taken captive for a glorious purpose 
 (Phil. 3:12), like the captive Daniel, he 
 had been raised to noble service (oan.e : 
 2, 26), and brought into a spiritual 
 union with Christ (Rom. 8 : 2. n). In 
 view of such infinite grace, he bursts 
 forth into exultant thanksgiving. Paul i 
 changes the figure and adds, and 
 maketh manifest tlve savour, the 
 fragrant hicense, of his knowledge 
 by, or through, us, as incense bearers, 
 in every place, wherever they went 
 preaching the gospel. It was custom- 
 ary to burn incense in honor of the 
 conqueror as he and the procession j 
 passed along. 
 
 15. Confirmatory and explanatory ! 
 of the preceding clause. For, or Be- ; 
 caiise, we are to God a SAveet : 
 savor, or 0(for. In the preceding 
 verse Paul and liis associates were in- I 
 cense l)ear('rs, here by a common 
 change in figure they are the fragrant j 
 odor, or the burning incense, for that 
 is what they are to God. The apostle j 
 here employs a word, sweet odor, 
 used in the Septuagint in reference to 
 the fragrance of sacrifices and obla- 
 tions (Gen. 8 : 20; Exod. 29 : 18; Lev. 1 : 9. 13, 
 
 17. etc.), and used figuratively in Eph. 
 5 : 2 and Phil. 4 : 18, and spoken of as 
 
 acceptable and well-pleasing to God. 
 But here Paul is thinking not so much 
 of the odor of sacrifice as of the odor 
 of the incense that accompanied the 
 triumphal procession. He and other 
 preachers of the gospel were redolent 
 with Christ, filled and interpenetrated 
 with Christ, proclaiming and diffusing 
 the gospel, and thus were a fragrance 
 to God. They are a sweet odor in, or 
 among, them that are saved, or be- 
 ing saved, and in, or among, them 
 that perish, or rrre perishing. The 
 process of life and death is regarded as 
 going on, as the triumphal procession 
 moves forward ; some are on their way 
 to deliverance, others on their way to 
 death. But whether among one or the 
 other class, and however differently the 
 gospel may aftect them, the preachers 
 and the preached Christ are as fra- 
 grance to God. They are well-pleasing 
 to him, whether men receive the gospel 
 and are saved, or reject it and are loi^t. 
 "The light is inestimably precious, 
 whether the eye rejoices in it, o r 
 through disease is destroyed by it " 
 (Hodge). 
 
 16. The relation of preachers and 
 their preaching to different classes. 
 The double working and effect of the 
 gospel. Paul has the figure of the tri- 
 umphal procession in the mind. To 
 the one, as to an unpardoned pris- 
 oner about to be executed, we are 
 the, a, savour, or odor, of death 
 unto death, or, according to tlie most 
 approved reading, from death unto 
 death ; to the other, as to a pardoned 
 prisoner, soon to be released, an odor of 
 life, or from life, unto life. To one 
 rejecting the gospel message, spiritual 
 death is developed into eternal death; 
 to tlie otlier, life, begotten by tlie word 
 
 of truth (James 1:18), passeS Oil iiito a 
 
 never-ending bles.sed existence. The 
 repeated phra.ses may be regarded 
 either as expressing the origin and the 
 effect, or as a Hebrew superlative, ex- 
 
Ch. II.] 
 
 II. COKINTHIANS 
 
 341 
 
 life. And pwho is sufficient for these 
 17 things? For we are not as many, 
 which q corrupt the word of God : but 
 as'of sincerity, but as of God, in the 
 sight of God, speak we in Christ. 
 
 17 is svifflcient for these things ? For we 
 are not as the many, corrupting tlie 
 word of God ; but as from sincerity, 
 but as from God, in the siglit of God 
 we speak in Christ. 
 
 2> 3 : 5, 6 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 10. g 4 : 2 ; 1 Thess. 2:3-5; 1 Tim. 4 : 1 ; 2 Peter 2 : 1-3. 
 
 r 1 : 12 ; Acts 20 : 27. 
 
 pressing emphasis by repeating the 
 emphatic word. To one death and that 
 alone, from beginning to end ; to the 
 other life, and that alone, etc. These 
 opposite effects of the gospel are 
 brought to view in Matt. 21 : 44 ; Luke 
 2 : 34 ; John 9 : 39 ; Rom. 9 : 32, 33 ; 
 1 Peter 2:8. In view of this presen- 
 tation of the relation of preachers and 
 the gospel to different classes, Paul ab- 
 ruptly asks: For these things, 
 preaching, responsibilities, and never- 
 ending results, who is sufficient, 
 who is qualified, adequate, and compe- 
 tent for such a work ? Evidently not 
 false teachers ; nor were all true Chris- 
 tians duly qualified ; but such as him- 
 self and others who taught the truth in 
 its purity and from God (next verse), 
 and whose sufficiency was from God 
 
 (3:5). 
 
 17. Without making a definite an- 
 swer to the preceding question, Paul in 
 this verse implies who are, and who 
 are not, competent and sufficient for 
 these things. For we are not as 
 many, rather, the many, pointing to 
 the erroneous teachers, who were oppos- 
 ing Paul, who corrupt, or adulterate, 
 the word of God. These surely had 
 shown that they were not worthy and 
 competent. The word translated cor- 
 rupt is found only here in the New Tes- 
 tament, and was applied to vendors of 
 wines, who were in the habit of adul- 
 terating their commodities for the sake 
 of gain ; and so the word came to mean 
 adulterate. The word of God was adul- 
 terated by mixing in errors of doctrine 
 and precept, by dishonest methods, 
 and by making personal ends, worldly 
 influence, and the praise of men take 
 the place of the glory of God, and tlie 
 highest interests of his cause (lo : 12 : 11 : 
 
 18j 1 Cor. 4 : 6; 2 Cor. 4 : 2, 4, 5). But aS of 
 
 sincerity, from pure motives and 
 honest feelings, in opposition to cor- 
 rupting by admixture. And not this 
 alone, but as of, or from, God, the 
 source of Christian truth, their author- 
 ity and from whom they had their com- 
 mission; in the sight of God, con- 
 
 scious of his presence and that his all- 
 seeing eye was upon them ; speak we 
 in Christ, as those who are united to 
 him, living, moving, and acting, as it 
 were, in him. What a climax is here 
 presented. All selfishness is excluded. 
 Moved by God, inspired by his Spirit, 
 in union with and encompassed as it 
 were, with Christ. Such ones, speak- 
 ing under such conditions, were suffi- 
 cient, for evidently their sufficiency 
 was not in themselves, but in God 
 
 (3:5). 
 
 Pbactical Remarks. 
 
 1. We can sometimes do more by our 
 absence than by our presence (ver. 1 ; 2 
 Sam. 13 : 38, 39 ; John 16 : 7). 
 
 2. A mutual sympatliy, love, and confi- 
 dence between pastor and people are 
 necessary to his highest enjoyment and 
 their greatest profit (ver. 2-4 ; 1 : 6, 7). 
 
 3. We must sometimes grieve others 
 that we may do them good (ver. 3 ; Prov. 
 27 : 5. 6; Gal. 2 : 11, 14). 
 
 4. Tenderness is consistent with cour- 
 age and manliness. If we must reprove, 
 let it be done in love (ver. 4 : Acts 20 : 31 ; 
 Phil. 3 : 17, 18). 
 
 5. Public offenses and scandals in 
 churches injure the cause of Christ, and 
 should be repugnant and a grief to Chris- 
 tians (ver. 5, 6 ; 1 Cor. 5 : 11, 13). 
 
 6. Church discipline should be admin- 
 istered faithfully, yet tenderly and in 
 love (ver. 5, 6 ; 1 Cor. 5 : 3-7). 
 
 7. Church discipline has for its end not 
 so much the punishment as the reforma- 
 tion and restoration of the offender (ver. 
 6-8: Matt. 18: 15). 
 
 8. As soon as offenders give evidence of 
 repentance they should be forgiven, both 
 by individual Christians and the church 
 (ver. 6-8; Matt. 18 : 21-35). 
 
 9. Church discipline should be exer- 
 cised in loyal obedience to the commands 
 and spirit of Christ (ver. 9; Eph. 4 : 32). 
 
 10. The local church is the highest ec- 
 clesiastical tribunal. Paul would not 
 
342 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. III. 
 
 DO "we begin again to commend 
 ourselves ? Or need we, as some others, 
 'epistles of commendation to you, or 
 letters of commendation from you ? " Ye 
 are our epistle written in our hearts, 
 » known and read of all men : forasmuch 
 
 ARE we beginning again to commend 
 ourselves? Or need we, as do some, 
 letters of commendation to you, or 
 from you? Ye are our letter, written 
 in our hearts, known and read by all 
 
 «5 : 12; 12 : 11. 
 
 t Acts 18 : 27. 
 
 u 1 Cor. 9 : 1, 2. 
 
 X Rom. 1 : 8. 
 
 trespass on its functions or authority 
 (ver. 10; Matt. 18: 17). 
 
 11. The apostles acted, and true 
 churches act, upon the authority of Christ 
 in cases of discipline (ver. 10 ; Matt. 18 : 
 18; Acts 15: 22). 
 
 12. In the exercise of church discipline, 
 and in our conduct toward weak and err- 
 ing brethren we are especially liable to 
 have Satan get the advantage of us 
 (ver. 11). 
 
 13. Ministers should hail with joy and 
 embrace opportunities for preaching the 
 gospel ; yet opportunities are not always 
 a sure sign of duty (ver. 12, 13 ; Acts 18 : 
 20). 
 
 14. Christian ministers belong to Christ 
 and should be under the control of the 
 Spirit and of providence in their work 
 (ver. 13, 14 ; Luke 4 : 14 ; Acts 16 : 6-10). 
 
 15. True ministers of the gospel have 
 always cause for joyous thanksgiving, 
 since God is leading them in triumph, 
 and making them share in the triumphs 
 of Christ (ver. 14). 
 
 16. Faithful ministers are acceptable to 
 God, whatever the result of their labors 
 (ver. 15; 1 Cor. 4:2). 
 
 17. How awfully solemn and responsi- 
 ble the work of the ministry in relation 
 to men (ver. 16 ; Acts 20 : 26-28). 
 
 18. They that handle the word of God 
 should be good, true, and consecrated 
 persons (ver. 17 ; 1 Tim. 3:9). 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 From this point to the end of the sev- 
 enth chapter, Paul explains his minis- 
 try — its principles, character, and re- 
 sults. He begins hy pointing to his 
 converts as the credentials of his minis- 
 try (ver. 1-3), and ascribes his sufficiency 
 to God who had made him a minister of 
 the new covenant (ver. 4-6), which is for 
 superior to the law (ver. 7-ii) ; so that lie 
 and his fellow-laborers, openly and 
 with great plainness, proclaimed the 
 gospel, and all Christians without hin- 
 
 drance behold the glory of Christ and 
 become partakers of it (^er. 12-18). 
 
 1-11. His mixlstry accredited 
 by his converts; its sufficiency 
 not in himself, but from god. 
 
 1. What he had just said regarding 
 his preaching (2:i<) reminds him that 
 he had been charged with boasting, and 
 he asks, Are we beginning again to 
 commend ourselves ? referring, 
 probably, to such passages in his former 
 Epistle, as 1 Cor. 2:16; 3 : 10 ; 9 : 20- 
 27 ; 14 : 18, from which his opponents 
 had deiived their charge of self-lauda- 
 tion. The next question, according to 
 the best text, should read, Or need we, 
 as do some, epistles of cov^mendation 
 to you or frmn youf By some, Paul 
 probably refers to certain opposers who 
 had brought letters from churches in 
 Judea and elsewhere, and had received 
 letters from the Corinthian church on 
 their departure. They indeed needed 
 such letters ; but Paul and Timotliy, as 
 he goes on to show, did not need them. 
 The practice of giving letters of ihiro- 
 duction and commendation (the word 
 includes both ideas) is illu.strated in 
 the case of Titus (s : 17-19) and of Apollos 
 
 ( Acts 18 : 27 : conip. Rom. 16 : 1 ; Col. 4 : 10). 
 
 2. "VVe have no need of such letters ; 
 Ye are our epistle, certifying us to 
 the world, not written upon tablets or 
 parchment, and carried in the hand, 
 but written in our hearts, in our 
 consciousness, in the deep conviction 
 of our own inward experience (comp. 
 1 Cor. 9 : 2), known and read of all 
 men, including the Corinthians, and 
 others who knew them or heard the 
 ■wonderful work wrought through the 
 ministry of the apostle among them. 
 There is a play upon the words in the 
 original (known and re-knmm by read- 
 ing) which cannot be rendered into 
 English. ( f'xiiip- 1 : 13. ) The great work 
 done in one of tlie princi]»al cities of 
 the world would naturally have a w orld- 
 wide notoriety. The Spirit's work in 
 the hearts of Christians and in the sal- 
 
 j vation of sinners is generally noised 
 
 , abroad (Acts 2 :2-6). 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 343 
 
 as ye are manifestly declared to be the 
 epistle of Christ ministered by us, 
 written not with ink, but with the 
 Spirit of the living God ; not y in tables 
 of stone, but ^in fleshly tables of the 
 heart. 
 
 And such trust have we through Christ 
 to God-ward : » not that we are sufli- 
 cient of ourselves to think any thing 
 as of ourselves; but •'our sufficiency 
 is of God ; who also hath made us able 
 « ministers of ■^ the new testament, not 
 
 men ; being made manifest that ye are 
 Christ's letter ministered by us, written 
 not with ink, but with the Spirit of the 
 living God ; not in tablets of stone, but 
 in tablets that are hearts of flesh. 
 And such confidence have we through 
 Christ, toward God. Not that we are 
 sufficient of ourselves to think any- 
 thing as from ourselves ; but our suffi- 
 ciency is from God ; who also made us 
 sufficient as ministers of a new cove- 
 
 y Exod. 24 : 12 ; 34 : 1. z Jer. 31 : 33 ; Ezek. 11 : 19. a 2 : 16 ; John 15 : 5. 
 
 6 1 Cor. 15 : 10 ; Phil. 2 : 13 ; 4 : 13. c 5 : 18-20 ; Eph. 3:7; Col. 1 : 25-29 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 11, 12. 
 
 d Jer. 31 : 31 ; Matt. 26 : 28 ; Heb. 8 : 6-10. 
 
 3. The figure is continued and further 
 applied. Forasmuch as ye are 
 manifestly declared to be, rather, 
 being mamfested, by your lives, gifts, 
 and graces (i Cor. i : 4-7), that ye are an 
 epistle of Christ, or Christ's letter, of 
 which Christ is the author, commend- 
 ing Paul and his associates, minis- 
 tered by us, we being instrumental 
 in its writing, serving, as it were, as 
 scribes; written not with ink, 
 which is material and perishable, but 
 with the Spirit of the living God, 
 the Holy Spirit entering in as a life- 
 giving power, communicating the life 
 of him who is the fountain of life (Johu 
 
 1:4; 14 : 6 ; Rom. 8 : 2, 10 ; 2 Tim. 1 : 10) , Chang- 
 ing the figure from writing to engrav- 
 ing, and from letters to tablets, not in 
 tables, or tablets, of stone, as in case 
 
 of the law (Exod. 34:1 ; Deut. 9 : 9-11 ), but 
 
 in fleshly tables of the heart, or, 
 
 according to the most approved text, 
 but in tablets, namely, hearts of flesh, 
 wrought upon by the Holy Spirit. The 
 contrast between the Spirit in human 
 hearts and the law on stone, was doubt- 
 less suggested by such passages as Jer. 
 31 : 33 ; Ezek. 11 : 19 ; 36 : 26. ( Comp. Prov. 
 3 : 3 ; 7 : 3. ) The distinction between the 
 old and new covenant seems to have 
 been in Paul's mind, which he con- 
 siders in ver. 6-11. Such was the work 
 that Christ had effected upon the Cor- 
 inthian converts, by the Holy Spirit 
 through the ministry of Paul. It was 
 wrought internally upon the hearts, and 
 manifested in the life to all beholders. 
 
 4. And such trust, rather, con- 
 fidence, as expressed (2 : 17-3 : 1-3) in the 
 preceding verses, and attested by our 
 converts as living epistles, have we 
 through Christ, who wrought 
 through us, and ^\\\o is the author, as 
 
 it were, of these epistles ; and this con- 
 fidence, exercised in dependence on 
 Christ, is to Godward, better, toivard 
 God, as its object, in reference to all 
 our labors in his cause. In this assured 
 confidence he had written 1 : 23, 24. 
 
 5. But while this confidence and as- 
 surance which Paul possessed was 
 strong, it was tempered with humility. 
 He would guard against every appear- 
 ance of arrogance. It was implied in 
 the preceding verse that he was not ex- 
 ercising self-confidence. But that there 
 might be no doubt he emphasizes the 
 thought : Not that we are suffi- 
 cient of ourselves, by any means 
 we may use (returning to the idea 
 touched upon in 2 : 16), to think any- 
 thing, and devise anything, relative 
 to the promotion of the gospel, as from 
 ourselves, as an original source, 
 but our sufficiency, ability or com- 
 petency, is from God, he is the source 
 of all. The preposition of occurs three 
 times in this verse; the last two are 
 stronger than the first, and mean liter- 
 ally out of, as from an original source. 
 Paul disclaims the idea that he has any 
 ability in himself to think out and ac- 
 complish the results of the gospel. It 
 was in no respect any invention of his. 
 6. Paul develops the thought of the 
 last clause in reference to his own 
 ministry. Continuing the sentence he 
 says, who also hath made us able 
 ministers of the new testament, 
 rather, who also made us sufficient as 
 ministers of a new covenant, the gospel 
 in distinction from the law (1 Cor. 11 : 25; 
 
 Gal. 4 : 24 ; Eph. 3:7; Col. 1 : 23 ). The Cm- 
 
 phasis is on the neiv. God had qualified 
 them with adequate power to perform 
 the duties as ministers not of an old but 
 of a new covenant. By covenant is 
 
344 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. III. 
 
 of the letter, but of the spirit : for «the 
 letter killeth, f but the spirit giveth life. 
 
 7 But if E the ministration of death, 
 •» written and engraved in stones, was 
 glorious, ' so that the children of Israel 
 could not stedfastly behold the face of 
 Moses for the glory of his countenance ; 
 
 8 which glory was to be done away : how 
 shall not •' the ministration of the spirit 
 
 9 be rather glorious? For if 'the min- 
 istration of condemnation be glory, 
 
 nant ; not of the letter, but of the 
 Spirit ; for the letter kills, but the 
 
 7 Spirit makes alive. But if the minis- 
 tration of death, engraven with letters 
 on stones, came in glory, so that the 
 sons of Israel could not look intently 
 on the face of Moses on account of the 
 glory of his face, which glory was x>ass- 
 
 8 ing away ; how shall not iather the 
 ministration of the Spirit be in glory ? 
 
 9 For if the ministration of condemna- 
 
 e Rom. 4 : 15 ; 7 : 9-11 ; Gal. 3 : 10. 
 h Ver. 3 ; Deut. 10 : 1, etc. » Exod. 34 
 
 /Joliu 6 : 63; Rom. 8 : 2. 
 29-35. k 1 Cor. 12 : 4-11. 
 
 g Rom. 7 : 10. 
 I See refs. ver. 6. 
 
 meant an arrangement which binds 
 men to certain conditions, upon the ful- 
 fillment of which God promises eternal 
 salvation. The old covenant required 
 perfect obedience and conformity to the 
 law ; the new covenant requires faith 
 in Christ (Rom. lo : 5-13). This netr cove- 
 nant Paul characterizes as not of the 
 letter, as was the law, but of the 
 Spirit, a contrast suggested by the last 
 clause of ver. 3 (Jtr. 31 : 31-34). The law 
 wrote out and prescribed what men 
 should do, and there stopped without 
 giving them power to obey ; the gospel 
 comes to the heart with the Spirit, I 
 creating a new life and enabling obe- 
 dience and conformity to the divine 1 
 
 will. ( Comp. Rom. 2 : 29 ; 7 : 6. ) The WOrds, 
 
 of the letter and of the Spirit, seem to 
 depend not on the word covenant, but i 
 on the word miyristers. This accords j 
 with ministration in the following verse, j 
 In either case the sense is substantially 
 the same. For, introducing a reason 
 for the sufficiency of their ministry of 
 a new covenant, the letter killeth, 
 but the Spirit giveth life, or makes 
 alive. The letter, representing the law, 
 kills, in demanding obedience which 
 no man can render, in producing a 
 knowledge of sin and of exposure to 
 God's wrath and of just condemnation | 
 (Rom. 3 : 19, 20) ; but the Spirit, represent- i 
 ing the gospel, mal:e.<< alive, by reveal- 
 ing God's love and God's righteousness 
 through faith in .Jesus Christ, and re- 
 newing tlic heart and transforming the ! 
 
 life by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 3:22: 7:25; 
 8:2-4). ; 
 
 7. From this to the end of the 
 eleventh verse, Paul shows the super- 
 iority of the ministry of the Spirit 
 under the gospel to that of Moses under 
 the law. ile reasons from the law to 
 the gospel, from the less to tlie greater. 
 But it the ministratiou, yninistry 
 
 or service, of death, that which threat- 
 ens and brings death to the soul that 
 
 sins ( Ezek. 18 : 4 I Rom. 5 : 12 ; 7:9; 1 Cor. 15 : 56 ; 
 
 Gal. 3 : 10, 21), Written and engraven, 
 
 rather, according to the best text, en- 
 graven with letters on stones, referring 
 to the two tables of the law (Exod. 31 : is), 
 was glorious, better, came into being 
 in glory, attended with glory. The 
 reference is to the second giving of the 
 law (Exod. 34:4-8, 29-35), when Moses be- 
 held the glory of the Lord, and his face 
 shone. ( Comp^ Exod. 33 : 17-23. ) So that 
 the children, or sons, of Israel 
 could not stedfastly behold, fix 
 their eyes upon, the face of Moses, 
 for the glory of his countenance, 
 or face, the people being afraid to come 
 near him (Exod. 34 : so). Mhich glory 
 of his face was to be done aivay, 
 rather, was passing atcay. It was thus 
 glorious and dazzling to the people, 
 though it was transitory and fading. 
 
 8. If this was the eft'ectof the transi- 
 tory glory of Moses' ministry under 
 the law, how shall not the minis- 
 tration, the ministi'y, of the Spirit, 
 under the gospel, operating through 
 preachers and teachers (ver. 6), giving 
 life and governing the lives of men 
 (ver. 3), now, in the future, and perma- 
 nently, be rather glorious, how 
 shall it not rather be and remain ni 
 glot-y f It is the Spirit of the living 
 God tliat thus ministers (ver. 3). The 
 Mords in glory, denote permanency ; 
 and the future tense, the glory here 
 and the greater glory hereafter. See 
 on ver. 18 for the transformation ef- 
 fected in the believer's soul. 
 
 9. The apostle carries on the compar- 
 ison still furtlier, and explains more 
 particularly the two ministries. For, 
 to take an additional view, if the 
 ministration, or ministry, of con- 
 demnation which pronounced con- 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 345 
 
 much more doth the ministration ™ of 
 
 10 righteousness exceed in glory. For 
 even that which Avas made glorious 
 had no glory in this respect, by reason 
 
 11 of the glory that excelleth. 'For ^ii 
 that which is done away was glorious, 
 much more that which remaineth is 
 glorious. 
 
 12 Seeing then that we have such hope, 
 ° we use great plainness of speech : 
 
 13 and not as Moses, v which put a vail 
 over his face, that the children of 
 Israel could not stedfastly look to i the 
 
 11 end of that which is abolished. But 
 
 tion has glory, much more does the 
 ministration of righteousness exceed in 
 
 10 glory. For even that which has been 
 made glorious has not been made 
 glorious in this respect, on account of 
 
 11 the glorj^ that excels. For if that 
 which is passing away is glorious, 
 much more that which abides is glori- 
 ous. 
 
 12 Having therefore such hope, we use 
 
 13 great plainness of speech ; and are not 
 as Moses who put a vail over his face, 
 that the children of Israel might not 
 intently look on the end of that which 
 
 m Eom 1 : 17 ; 5 : 15-21. 
 
 n Heb. 8 : 13 ; 12 : 25-29. o 7 : 4 ; Eph. 6 : 19. 
 
 q Rom. 10 : 4 ; Eph. 2 : 14, 15 ; Heb. 10 : 1, 9. 
 
 p Exod. 34 : 33, 35. 
 
 demnation upon transgressors (Deut. 27 : 
 
 26; Rom. 7:12-14; Gal. 3:10), hC, OT kciS, 
 
 glory, as we have already seen; 
 much more doth the ministra- 
 tion, or miyiistry, of righteous- 
 ness, which reveals a righteousness 
 and how it may be obtained (5 : 21 ; 
 Rom. 1 : 17; 3 : 21), exceed iu glory. 
 The latter surely abounds in glory in 
 contrast to the glory of the former. 
 
 10. For, to explain and confirm 
 what I have just said, even that 
 Avhich was, better, has been, made 
 glorious, as brought to view in ver. 
 7, has no glory in this respect, 
 namely, by reason of, or on account 
 of, the glory that excelleth. The 
 law has no glory in comparison with 
 the surpassing glory of the gosi^el. 
 The glory of the ministry under the 
 old covenant disappears before the 
 glory of the ministry under the new, 
 like the light of the moon before the 
 effulgence of the sun. 
 
 11. For, to clinch or rivet the argu- 
 ment, if that which is done away, 
 or better, is passing away (seeon ver. 7), 
 was glorious, was accompanied with 
 and in the midst of glory, much more 
 that which remaineth is glori- 
 ous, is attended with glory as a per- 
 manent attribute. The contrast is be- 
 tween that which passes away and 
 ceaseth, and that which abides and is 
 permanent. The ministry of Moses 
 under the law was transitory ; the 
 ministry of the new covenant is abid- 
 ing. If the former was attended with 
 glory, much more must the latter re- 
 main in glory, both here in the present 
 dispensation, and in the future heavenly 
 kingdom. 
 
 12-18. Paul AND HIS fellovs^-la- 
 
 BOEEES SUPEEIOE TO MOSES IN THE 
 EESULTS OF THEIE MINISTEY. ALL 
 ChEISTIANS PARTAKEES of ITS GLORI- 
 OUS RESULTS. 
 
 12. Seeing then that we have 
 such hope, of the permanent glory 
 pertaining to the new covenant and its 
 ministry, we use great plainness, 
 
 great freedom and unreservedness, 
 bordering on boldness, of speech. 
 The fullness and unreservedness of the 
 gospel (this verse) is contrasted with 
 the reserved and partial revelations of 
 the law (next verse). "We speak 
 everything with freedom^ keeping back 
 nothing, suspecting nothing, but speak- 
 ing plainly" (Cheysostom). Notice 
 tliat in ver. 4, Paul says such trust, or 
 confidence ; but here with a Avider and 
 further range of vision of future and 
 unending glory, his confidence becomes 
 
 such a hope (PWI. 2 : 15, I6; 1 Thess. 2:19; 
 2 Tim. 4 : 8. Comp. on 2 : 17). 
 
 13. And, we are, not as Moses, 
 
 we do not do as he did, who put a 
 vail over his face, that the chil- 
 dren of Israel could not, rather, 
 might not, steadfastly look, or in- 
 tenfly, to the end of that which is 
 abolished, better, on the end of that 
 which ivas passing away, the transitory 
 nature of the old covenant being prom- 
 inent here. The Revised version of 
 Exod. 34 : 33, reads, " And when Moses 
 had done speaking with them, he put a 
 vail on his face." And this accords 
 w4th the Septuagint version of the 
 same passage ; and also agrees with the 
 original here, which implies that Moses 
 put the vail over his face after speaking 
 to the people, in order that they miglit 
 not behold the glory fading from his 
 face. Paul uses an allegorical illustra- 
 
846 
 
 II. CORI^'THLAJXS 
 
 [Ch. III. 
 
 'their minds were blinded: for until 
 this day remaineth the same vail un- 
 taken away in the reading of the Old 
 Testament ': 'which vail U done away 
 
 15 in Christ ; but even unto this day. 
 when Moses is read, the vail is upon 
 
 16 their heart. Nevertheless 'when it 
 shall turn to the Lord, "the vail shall 
 
 17 be taken awav. Now » the Lord is that 
 
 14 was passing away. But their under- 
 standings were hardened : for until 
 this day on the reading of the old cov- 
 enant the same vail abides, not being 
 taken away ; which vail is done away 
 
 15 in Christ. But even t<j this day, when- 
 ever Moses is read, a vail lies on their 
 
 16 heart. But whenever it turns to the 
 
 17 Lord, the vail is taken awav. Now the 
 
 r 4 : 4 ; see Tf:tB. Deut. 29 : 4 ; John 12 : 40. 
 u laa. 25 : 7. 
 
 t Deut. 30 : 10 ; Hosea 3:5; Bom. 11 : 23, 25-27. 
 X 1 Cor. 15 : 45. 
 
 tion, to show the transitory glory of the 
 law, passing away like the glory of 
 Moses' face. In ver. 7, Paul speaks 
 from a ditiferent point of view. There, 
 as in Exod. ^ : 30, 34, 35, the reference 
 is to Moses putting on the vail, because 
 of the terror of the Israelites at the 
 brightness of liis face, emphasizing the 
 glory of the law, which glory the gospel 
 greatly surpassed. Here the reference 
 is to concealing the fading glon*- of his 
 face, emphasizing the veiling of truth 
 under the law in contrast to the open 
 plainness of the gospel's proclama- 
 tion. The law came with its types and 
 shadows of good things to come; the 
 gospel with its clear and full revelation 
 of eternal life and future glory. I 
 
 14. But their minds, or under- 
 standing!!, were blinded, hardened 
 or dulled. The figure is that of a hard I 
 substance which may blind or dull the 
 sight. Here their understandings or 
 perceptions had been dulled and cal- 
 loused ; and the gospel proclamation, 
 though so plain, was of no avail. 
 (Comp. 4 : 3, 4. ) FoT, to provc and illus- 
 trate the fact of their hardened under- 
 standings, until this day remaineth 
 the same vail untaken away in 
 the readin;? of the old testa- 
 ment, rather, for until this day, on 
 reading the old corenarit, the law, the ■ 
 books of Moses, the same roil re)nains, \ 
 not being taken away, the same hard- 
 ness and blindness continues, Which 
 vail is done away, or is being re- 
 moved, in Christ. The work is going 
 on, and the spiritual blindness and ig- 
 norance is being removed as they are 
 converted. Many however prefer to 
 translate and connect with what pre- 
 cedes, thus: the same rail remains at 
 the reading of the laic, it not being dis- 
 covered that it is done aicay in Chnst. 
 AVliile this is allowable and makes good 
 sense, it does not seem to me to be the : 
 most natural meaning of the original. I 
 
 f Compare Winer's " Grammar," p. 
 534.) 
 
 15. But even unto this day, 
 whenever Moses is read, the writing 
 of Moses, answering to the old covenant 
 of the preceding verse, the vail is 
 upon their hearts. The figure is 
 changed ; the veil is not over their 
 faces, but lying upon their hearts. It 
 was not an intellectual, but a moral 
 blindness, afiecting their whole inner 
 being, which caused their unbelief and 
 prevented them from seeing the transi- 
 tory character of the old dispensation. 
 Compare Stephen's speech and its re- 
 sults ( Acts 7 : 51-M. and notes V 
 
 16. Nevertheless, when, better. 
 But whenever, it, referring to heart, in 
 the preceding clause. The reference is 
 general and indefinite. But inasmuch 
 as it was the Jewish heart that was 
 veiled, so the same heart is meant. 
 Whenever Jews individually or col- 
 lectively turn unto the Lord, that 
 is, unto Jesus Christ (ver. u), the vail 
 shall be taken away, rather, is 
 taken off, as Moses took ofl' his veil 
 when he went in to speak to the Lord 
 (Exod. 54: 34). ""When their heart goes 
 in to speak with God, ceases to con- 
 template the dead letter, and Itegins to 
 commune with the Spirit of the old 
 covenant (the Spirit of God), then the 
 veil is removed, as it was from the face 
 of Moses" (Alford). 
 
 17. Paul explains what he had just 
 said in ver. 16. Now the Lord, that 
 is, Jesus Christ, is that Spirit, rather, 
 is the Spii^it, of God (^er. 3), spoken of 
 in a general way and in opposition to 
 the letter (v^r. e).' He was the revealer 
 of the Old Testament Scriptures, their 
 sum and their substance ( i P«^«er i : lo, n ; 
 R.v. 19 : 10). " The last Adam was made 
 a life-giving Spirit " ( i for. i5 : 45). He 
 gives life to the letter of Scripture, and 
 to believers eternal life (John lo : 28: i7:3). 
 He works through the Holy Spirit, as 
 
Ch. III.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 347 
 
 Spirit: land where the Spirit of the 
 IS Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, 
 with open face beholding » a.s in a glass 
 »the glory of the Lord, ''are changed 
 into the same image '-■ from glory to 
 glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord 
 [or, of the Lord the Spirit] . 
 
 Lord is the Spirit : and where the 
 Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 
 18 But we all, with unvailed face reflect- 
 ing as a mirror the glory of the Lord, 
 are transfigured into the same image 
 fn^m glory to glory, as by the Spirit of 
 the Lord. 
 
 y Isa. 61 : 1 ; John S : 36 ; Rom. 8 : 2, 15, 16. zl Cor. 13 : 12. <i « : 4, 6. 
 
 6 Rom. 8 : 29 ; 1 Cor. 15 : *9 ; Eph. 4 : 22-21. c Pa. 84 : 7. 
 
 his agent and representative in the 
 world (J')hn u : 16, 17. 25, 26). They are 
 viewed as one. As the Father and the 
 Son are said to be one, so are the Son 
 and the Spirit one in their working 
 (John 16: 13-15). Compare Matt. 28 : 20, 
 "Lo, I am with you alway," by a liv- 
 ing union and the Holy Spirit. Some 
 think that "the Lord" is the Holy 
 Spirit throughout this passage. But 
 Paul says just after this (*:5) that 
 Christ is Lord, and Lord is a common 
 designation of Christ in the Epistles. 
 And where the Spirit of the Lord 
 is, there is liberty, freedom, from 
 the bondage of the law (Rom. "e : u: a : 15), 
 from the veil of blindness and hardness 
 on the heart ; freedom to enjoy a well- 
 grounded hope and to speak plainly 
 and boldly (ver. 12), and to look with 
 unveiled face upon the glory of Christ 
 (rer. 18). This is then a s^pi ritual free- 
 dom, the opp<^8ite of han'ng a veil on 
 the heart ( ^^r. ;5 : Rom. 3:9-11). That veil 
 hindereil, fetteretl, and kept in bondage 
 the spiritual activities; but the Spirit 
 removes the barriers, quickens and 
 governs the spiritual powers and ac- 
 tivities of the soul (John 8 : 32, 36 ; Rom. 6 : 18, 
 22 : James 1 : 25 : 1 Peter 2 : 16 ) . 
 
 18. But, or And, having the Spirit 
 of the Lord and enjoying this freetiora, 
 we all, that is, all Christians, with 
 open face, rather, leith unveiled fare, 
 instead of reading the letter of the law 
 with veiled hearts, like the Jews, etc. 
 The figure of the veil is still carried on. 
 As Moses went in to speak with the 
 Lord and saw his glory unveiled ( Fixod. 
 3:i : 18-22 : 34 : 5-^, 34), SO HOW Christians are 
 permitte<l to see that glory, both as it 
 was dimly reflected in the old covenant, 
 and also as it is brought more clearly 
 into view in the new. Beholdins: as 
 in a glass the a:Iory of the Lord, 
 heholdi)ig for ouraelres the glory of the 
 Lord, of Christ, (Jo in a mirror, from 
 which it is reflected. The mirror was 
 polished metal. The veil is taken away 
 
 ! from all believers in Christ ( ver. le), and 
 they behold the glory of Gotl in the 
 j face of Jesus Christ (* m, ueb. i : 3 ; John 
 1 : 14: Col. 1 : 15). They sec this glory in 
 the word of God, both in the Old and 
 New Testament, and by faith as it is 
 I revealed to them by the Spirit. Some 
 j translate. And we all, with unveiled 
 face, reflecting as a mirror the glory of 
 the Lord, just as Moses' face shone, 
 I reflecting Gixl's glory. But this is not 
 I the more ordinary meaning of the word, 
 and is not so natural as an interpreta- 
 tion. It is a true and beautiful infer- 
 ence of what is here said. Christians 
 do behold Christ's glory, they are 
 transformed thereby, and as a result 
 they reflect Christ's image and glory. 
 Are changed, <ire tran.^flgfired (the 
 same used in Matt. 17:2; Mark 9:2; 
 Kom. 12 : 2), into the same image, 
 
 that is, of Christ (Oal. 4 : I9: 1 John 3 : 2), 
 
 from glory to glory, from one degree 
 of glory to another, according to the 
 distinctness of the view in the mirror. 
 " Christians who look seldom and in- 
 distinctly into the mirror will have 
 Christ's image in the soul more faintly 
 and indistinctly. They who abide, con- 
 stantly looking at Christ in the mirror 
 of the gospel, will receive the impres- 
 sion of his character with a more strik- 
 ing likeness to the original " (A. CAR- 
 SON). As by the Spirit of the 
 Lord, a free translation of the orig- 
 inal, the Lord's Spirit, that is, the Holy 
 
 Spirit (Rom. 8 : 9: Gal. 4:6). The Holy 
 
 Spirit is the representative of Christ in 
 the world, the author of regeneration 
 and sanctitication, who takes the things 
 of Christ and shows them to us (John 
 16 14: Rom. 8 10. u. 29). Qthers prefer to 
 render. Even as from the Lord the 
 Spirit, as designated in ver. 17 ; as 
 Christ was the Spirit of the law, so 
 under his directi<m and influence the 
 DiNiue Spirit effects this transforma- 
 tion. It IS well to bear in mind in 
 interpreting these verses that God is 
 
348 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 4 THEREFORE seeing we have this 
 ministry, '^as wo have received mercy, 
 
 THEREFORE having this ministry, 
 as we received mercy, we faint not. 
 
 dl Tim. 1 : 13. 
 
 Spirit, and that the Father, Son, and 
 Holy Spirit are one in essence, and that 
 there is a unity in all their purposes 
 and operations. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. Letters of commendation are proper 
 and often serviceable, but should be given 
 only when deserved (ver. 1 ; Acts 18 : 27). 
 
 2. The less deserving, the greater the 
 number, too often, of recommendations 
 (ver. 1). 
 
 3. The minister's best recommendation 
 may be read in the souls saved, and the 
 Christians built up, by his ministry (ver. 
 2,3; IThess. 2:19). 
 
 4. True religion is of the heart and born 
 of the Spirit. All else is superficial and 
 false (ver. 3 ; John 3 : 3, 5). 
 
 5. God is the minister's sure support, in 
 whom he finds a full supply, if he labors 
 in a trustful and obedient spirit (ver. 4-6 ; 
 Acts 26 : 22). 
 
 6. Christian ministers find their great 
 encouragement in the fact that their suf- 
 ficiency is from God (ver. 5 ; 1 Cor. 3:7). 
 
 7. A true gospel ministry is a spiritual 
 ministry. It is evangelistic and spiritual 
 in its results (ver. 6; Acts 19 : 10, 17-20). 
 
 8. The Christian ministry is glorious, 
 having a glorious message, attended by a 
 glorious spirit, and with glorious results. 
 Its work is correspondingly solemn and 
 responsible (ver. 7-11 ; 4 : 5, 6). 
 
 9. How vain to attempt to be justified 
 by the laAv, whose ministry is that of con- 
 demnation and death (ver. 7, 9 ; Rom. 3 : 
 20). 
 
 10. How great the danger of grieving 
 the Spirit, since the gospel ministry of the 
 Spirit is our only hope (ver. 8 ; Eph. 4 : 
 30). 
 
 11. The Mosaic economy wa.s introduc- 
 tory and preparatory. The gospel dispen- 
 sation is final and permanent in its results. 
 How gratefully should its superiority be 
 acknowledged and its blessings improved 
 (ver. 10, 11; Gal. 4 : 21-26). 
 
 12. Ministers owe it both to the gospel 
 and to their hearers that they preach 
 boldly, plainly, and intelligibly, so as to 
 
 be clearly understood (ver. 12; 1 Cor. 2 : 
 1-5). 
 
 13. The Old Testament should be read 
 under the light of the New (ver. 13-15; 
 Luke 24 : 27). 
 
 14. The reason why the Jews misunder- 
 stand their own Scriptures is their blind- 
 ness and hardness of heart. So many 
 now read only the letter of the word and 
 see not the spirit (ver. 13-15 ; Rom. 9 : 30- 
 
 15. Israel will in due time return to the 
 Lord and acknowledge Christ (ver. 16; 
 Rom. 11 :26ff.). 
 
 16. The true glory of the Scriptures is 
 seen by any one only as he has turned to 
 the Lord (ver. 16 ; 1 Cor. 2 : 14-16). 
 
 17. Christ is the revealer of truth, both 
 in the Old and the New Testament (ver. 
 17; John 14 : 6; 18:36-38). 
 
 18. The gospel has a transforming poAver, 
 reflecting the image of Christ and assimi- 
 lating all true believers to his likeness 
 (ver. 18 ; 4:6; 1 John 3:2; see Carson's 
 "Knowledge of Jesus," pp. 203-233). 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Having such a glorious ministry, the 
 apostle affirms his courage in preaching 
 tne gospel conscientiously, honestly, 
 and purely (ver. i, 2)^ and if any perish, 
 it is through shutting their eyes to the 
 glory of Christ (ver. s-e). Ministers are 
 indeed weak in themselves, like earthen 
 vessels, but this by contrast only sets 
 oflf the power of God in their ministry 
 (ver. 7-11), which is for the good of their 
 converts and the glory of God (ver. 12-15), 
 In their weakness they are cheered by 
 the prospects of a glorious future life 
 (vtr. 16-18), confidently expecting a glori- 
 fied body (5 : 1-4), having the earnest of 
 the Spirit and stimulated by the judg- 
 ment (5:5-10). 
 
 1-6. Their ministry genuine 
 and faithfully exercised in 
 the sight of god, and they who 
 perish shut their eyes to the 
 glory which it proclaims. 
 
 1. Therefore, seeing we have 
 this ministry, so glorious (3:7-i6), 
 and conferring such blessing and privi- 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 349 
 
 2 e we faint not ; but have renounced the 2 
 hidden things of dishonesty, not walk- j 
 ing in craftiness, ''nor handling the 
 word of God deceitfully ; but e by man- 
 ifestation of the truth ^ commending ; 
 ourselves to every man's conscience in 
 
 the sight of God. 
 
 3 But if our gospel be hid, nt is hid to 
 
 4 them that are lost : in whom ^ the god 
 of this world ' hath blinded the minds 
 of them which believe not, lest the 
 light of the glorious gospel of Christ, 
 mwho is the image of God, should 
 
 But we renounced the hidden things 
 of shame, not walking in craftiness, 
 nor handling with guile the word of 
 God : but, by the manifestation of the 
 truth, comniending ourselves to every 
 man's conscience in the sight of God. 
 But even if our gospel is vailed, it is 
 vailed in those who are perishing ; in 
 whom the god of this age blinded the 
 understandings of the unbelieving, 
 that the light of the gospel of the glory 
 of Christ, who is God's image, should 
 
 e Acts 20 : 23, 24. /2 : 17 ; 1 Thess. 2 : 3-5. g 6 : 4-7. hS : 11. 1 1 Cor. 1 : 18 ; 2 Thess. 2 : 10. 
 k Matt. 4 : 8, 9 ; John 12 : 31 ; Eph. 2:2; Rev. 20 : 2, 3. 1 3 : 14 ; John 12 : 40. m See refs. John 14 : 9. 
 
 leges upon Christians (3 : n, i8), as we 
 have received mercy, evm as ice 
 
 obtained mercy, at our conversion and 
 our appointment to this work (Acts 26: 
 
 16; 1 Tim. 1 : 12-16), WC faint UOt, tVC lose 
 
 not courage, in speaking and acting. 
 Paul returns to the thread of thought, 
 before expressed, in " having such confi- 
 dence," "such hope," and "using such 
 plainness of speech " (3 : 4-6, 12). Notice 
 Paul's humility and how he regards 
 himself as unworthy, "as we have re- 
 ceived mercy" (ver.5; 1 Cor. 15: 9; Eph. 3: 8). 
 
 2. But, or And, have renounced 
 the hidden things of dishonesty ; 
 
 rather, we renounced , at the very begin- 
 ning of our ministry, tJie hidden, or 
 secret, things of shame, those secret 
 practices which shame conceals and of 
 which one ought to be ashamed. Not 
 walking in craftiness, not conduct- 
 ing ourselves in the ministry with con- 
 trivances and intrigues to attain our 
 end ; compare the craftiness of the He- 
 rodians (Luke 20 : 20-23). Bfor handling 
 the word of God deceitfully, not 
 adulterating or falsifying the word of 
 God, mixing it with false teachings. 
 There may be a reference, by way of 
 contrast, to the false teachers and op- 
 posers of the apostle. There is, how- 
 ever, a reafiirming of what he had said 
 in 2 : 17. But, by (/A^") manifesta- 
 tion of the truth, plainly and clearly 
 presenting the unadulterated truth of 
 God, the gosjDcl, in contrast to the crafty 
 and the corrupting teachings just men- 
 tioned (1 Thess. 2 : 3, 4). Commendiug 
 ourselves to every man's con- 
 science, this plain preaching of 
 Christ, forming, as it were, another 
 letter of recommendation (33), ad- 
 dressed to the consciences of men in 
 the sight of God, in the presence of 
 
 the all-seeing God, who searches the 
 heart both of the speaker and hearer 
 (2:17). The gospel, when thus pro- 
 claimed, has a self-evidencing power, 
 witnessing to the honesty of those who 
 preached it. 
 
 3. But, even, if, notwithstanding 
 the evident truthfulness of the gospel 
 and its clear and forcible presentation, 
 our gospel he hid, rather, is veiled, 
 as was the case with Israel in reading 
 the law (3:14), it is hid to them 
 that are lost, rather, it is veiled in, 
 or among those that are perishing — in 
 a perishing condition ( 1 Cor. 1 : is ; Luke 
 15 : 24. 32) . Tlic iicxt vcrsc cxplains how 
 this veiling took place. 
 
 4. In whom the God of this 
 world, a name applied to Satan, wlio 
 rules in the hearts of worldly men, or 
 the men of this wicked age. He is 
 styled " the prince of this world " in 
 John 12 : 31 ; 14 : 30, "the prince of 
 the power of the air" in Eph. 2 : 2. 
 
 (Comp. Eph. 6 : 12; Rev. 12 : 12.) Hath 
 
 blinded the minds of them that 
 believe not, more exactly. Blinded 
 the understandings (see ou 3: 14) of the 
 unhelieving, those disbelieving and re- 
 jecting the only way of salvation (J"hn 
 
 3 : 18; 5 : 40; Acts 4 : 12)/ The WOrd blinded 
 
 is a literal translation and is not the 
 word used in 3 : 14. Figuratively, it 
 is applied to the blunting or darkening 
 of the mental and moral perceptions. 
 While all are spiritually blind by 
 nature, this blindness is aggravated by 
 rejecting the gospel. Lest the light 
 of the glorious gospel, better, 
 that the brightness of the gospel of the 
 glory of Christ, who is the image 
 
 of God (3 : 18 ; John 1 : 14-18 ; Col. 1 : 15 ; Heb. 
 
 1:3)^ should not shine, or daivn, upon 
 them. The words unto them, are 
 
350 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 5 shine unto them. » For we preach not 
 ourselves, ° but Christ Jesus the Lord ; 
 and p ourselves your servants for Jesus' 
 
 6 sake. For (iod,''i who eomraanded the 
 light to sliine out of darkness, hath 
 shined in our hearts, to give "^the light 
 of the knowledge of the glory of God 
 in the face of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Motives, responsibilities, trials, and supports 
 of the apostolic ministry. 
 
 7 But we have this treasure in ' earthen 
 vessels, Hhat the excellency of the 
 ptower may be of God, and riot of us. 
 
 5 not shine. For we preach not our- 
 selves, but Christ Jesus as Lord ; and 
 ourselves as your servants for Jesus' 
 
 6 sake. Because it is God, that said. 
 Out of darkness light shall shine, who 
 shined in our hearts, to give the light 
 of the knowledge of the glory of God 
 in the face of Christ. 
 
 7 But we have this treasure in earthen 
 vessels, that the exceeding greatness 
 of the power may be God's and, not 
 
 n John 3 : 27-31 ; Acts 14 : 11-15. o 1 Cor. 1 : 23 ; Col. 1 : 27, 28. 
 
 p Matt. 10 : 25-28 ; John 13 : 12-15 ; 1 Cor. 9 : 19-23. q Gen. 1 : 3. 
 
 r Ver. 4 ; 1 Cor. 2 : 12-15 ; 1 Peter 2:9. » 1 Cor. 1 : 28 ; Heb. 5:2. < 1 Cor. 2 
 
 3-5. 
 
 not in the original, but are naturally 
 implied. Compare "shined in our 
 hearts" (ver. e). The gospel displays 
 the glory of Christ and the glory of his 
 work (Phil. 2 : 9-11), as the only begotten 
 of the Father, full of grace and truth. 
 The image of God is the perfection, the 
 highest manifestation of his glory, as 
 one with the Father (JoUu u : 8-11). 
 
 5. The apostle gives a reason for the 
 preceding statement. For we preach 
 not ourselves, as masters or lords 
 (1:24) J but in preaching the glad tid- 
 ings of the glory of Christ, we preach 
 Christ Jesus, as Lord, as the su- 
 preme Lord and Master, and our- 
 selves, in contrast, your servants, 
 your slaves or bond-servants, for 
 Jesus' sake. On account of Christ 
 he feels constrained and under obliga- 
 tion to do this (5 : 14). In his humility 
 how far was he from commending him- 
 self (3:1). 
 
 6. We preach Christ as Lord and 
 ourselves as your servants, For, (iod 
 Avho commanded light to shine 
 out of darkness, first at creation 
 and then in the moral and spiritual 
 world (John 1 : 4. 5), hath shined in 
 our hearts. The most approved text, 
 however, reads. For, or Because it is 
 God that said. Light shall shi)ie out of 
 darkness (gc"- ^ •^), who shined in our 
 hearts (Johns 12), the creator of light 
 and the illuminator of the soul being 
 the same, that ire maxj give the light of 
 the knoivledge of the glory of God, sub- 
 stantially the same idea as "the liglit 
 of the gospel of the glory of Clirist " 
 (ver. 4) in the face of Christ, as it shines 
 in his face. The face of Christ is his 
 character and person, which distin- 
 
 guishes him from all others, as the 
 Mediator of the new covenant (Heb. 
 12 : 24) ; and his glory, the glory of 
 the invisible God, far transcends the 
 brightness on the face of Moses (3 : 13). 
 The "word rendered face, is translated 
 person in 2 : 10. The light has shined 
 in our hearts in order that we may 
 spread the light (2: 15, le,- 3 : 3, e). In 
 view of such an illumination of the 
 apostle's soul he could not only be for- 
 getful of self, but proclaim such excel- 
 lence, glory, and grace, 
 
 7-15. The bodily and outward 
 weakness of the minister but 
 sets off the spiritual power and 
 
 DIGNITY OF HIS MINISTRY. The apOS- 
 
 tle's difficulties and supports. 
 
 7. In this and the three following 
 verses the apostle descril>es his personal 
 weakness, thereby showing that all is 
 to be ascribed to God and not to men 
 (3:5). But, though there is such 
 glory in the gospel we preach, we 
 have this treasure, especially "the 
 light of the knowledge of the glory of 
 God" in Christ (ver. 6), which the 
 gospel ministry proclaims (ver. 1 ; 2 : u), 
 in earthen vessels, in weak, frail 
 bodies (ver. 10, le), affecting the whole 
 being. Treasures were often kept in 
 earthen jars. The figure, however, na- 
 turally reminds one of the torches 
 in Gideon's pitchers (Judg. 7 : le). The 
 weakness of these vessels, made of clay 
 (Gen. 2 : 7: 1 Cor. 15 : 47), is the prominent 
 thought. The design of God in this is, 
 that the exceWency^ the superiority, 
 of the power, as exhibited in their 
 ministry, may be, shown to be, of 
 God, God's power, and not from our- 
 selves, as a source. 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 351 
 
 8 We are "troubled on every side, ^ yet 
 not distressed ; ive are perplexed, but 
 
 9 not in despair ; persecuted, but not for- 
 saken ; y cast down, but not destroyed ; 
 
 10 ^ Always bearing about in the body the 
 dying of the Lord Jesus, "that the life 
 also of Jesus might be made manifest 
 
 11 in our body. For we which live *> are 
 alway delivered unto death for Jesas' 
 sake,' that the life also of Jesus might 
 be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 
 
 12 So then death worketh in us, but 
 
 8 from ourselves ; being pressed in every 
 way, yet not straitened ; perplexed, 
 
 9 yet not despairing ; pursued, yet not 
 forsaken ; smitten down, yet not de- 
 
 10 stroyed ; always carrying about in the 
 body the dying of Jesus, that the life 
 also' of Jesus may be manifested in our 
 
 11 body. For we Avho live are always de- 
 live'red to death for Jesus' sake, that 
 the life also of Jesus may be mani- 
 
 12 fested in our mortal flesh. So that 
 death is working in us, but life in you. 
 
 M 7 : 5-7 ; 11 : 23-30. 
 z Gal. 6 : 17 ; Col. 1 : 24. 
 
 2 12 : 10 ; Prov. 14 : 26 ; Kom. 8 : 35-37. 
 o Rom. 8 : 17 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 11, 12 ; 1 Peter 4 : 13. 
 
 y 7 : 6 ; Ps. 37 : 24. 
 b See refs. Rom. 8 : 36. 
 
 8. In ver. 8-10 Paul illustrates the 
 meaning of "earthen vessels" as ap- 
 plied to himself and his associates, and 
 the superior power of God. All the 
 verbs are participles, dependent on the 
 preceding statement. We have this 
 treasure in earthen vessels " . . . being 
 troubled on every side, pressedin 
 every way, and from all directions, yet 
 not distressed, not straitened,^ not 
 put in a position from which there is no 
 escape, being perplexed, not know- 
 ing Avhat to do, yet not despairing, not 
 hopeless. The contrast is between 
 doubt and despair. ' ' A way of escape 
 is never wanting. Perplexed about the 
 future, as troubled refers to the pres- 
 ent" (Bengel). 
 
 9. Being persecuted, but not 
 forsaken, or pursued by enemies, 
 persecutors, yet not forsaken by God; 
 cast doAvn, but not destroyed, 
 struck down to the ground, yet not de- 
 prived of life, not left unable to renew 
 tlie conflict. In the last verse and this, 
 Paul appears to compare himself to a 
 combatant, and tlie illustration here 
 reaches a climax. First he is hardly 
 pressed, then in straits as to what to do, 
 then pursued, and then actually smitten 
 down. 
 
 10. And this was not an occasional 
 experience, but like Christ in the flesh, 
 he was undergoing a continual succes- 
 sion of indignities and sufferings ; and 
 also like Christ he was having a succes- 
 sion of deliverances and victories by 
 the power of God. Always bearing 
 about in the body the dying, the 
 putting to death, of Jesus, who was 
 suffering, as it were, a protracted death 
 in the trials, hardships, and sufferings 
 manifested in the apostle's body (coi. 
 1 : 24). Lord is omitted in best text. 
 That the life of Jesus, his tri- 
 
 umphant, resurrection life, may be 
 manifest in our body, in the re- 
 peated deliverances from the perils of 
 death. Paul conceives himself as 
 closely connected with Christ in his 
 suffering and triumphs. 
 
 11. Paul explains still further. For 
 we which, who, live, who are in the 
 midst of life, are alway delivered 
 unto death, a kind of living death 
 
 ((comp, 1:8); " iu dcaths oft " (U : 23) ; "I 
 
 die daily" a cor. i5 : si)) for Jesus' 
 sake, in his behalf and for his cause 
 (ver. 16). And the divine design is, 
 that the life also of Jesus may be 
 manifested in our mortal flesh, iu 
 our flesh subject to death. This is an 
 emphatic repetition of the last clause of 
 ver. 10, the decaying nature of the body 
 l)eing brought into view. But even in 
 this, Christ's life and power, whereby 
 he conquered death, is .shoAvn forth in 
 our dying flesh. " God exhibits death 
 in the living, that he may exhibit life 
 in the dying ' ' ( Alford ) . 
 
 13. Paul sums up what he had said, 
 and brings in a new thought, the rela- 
 tion of his sutferings to his Corinthian 
 converts. So then death, the dan- 
 gers and sutFering by which the dying 
 of Jesus is mantfested in our mortal 
 bodies, worketh, is active in us, this 
 mortal peril is our own (i Cor. 4:9); but 
 life which is exhibited in us, is for 
 your benefit, and is working actively 
 in you (ver. 14, 15 ; Rora. 8 : 16, 17). Through 
 death comes life (John 12: 24). "The 
 death of Christ was the life of the world ; 
 the dying daily (1 Cor. 15 : si) of his dis- 
 ciples, by virtue of the same Spirit that 
 lives in him, is the means whereby that 
 life spreads among mankind. Death 
 may be said to be working in Christ's 
 ministers, because of their visible sor- 
 rows, anxieties, persecutions ^ver. le) • 
 
352 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. IV. 
 
 13 life in you. We having « the same spirit 
 of faith, according as it is written, I 
 believed, and tlierefore have 1 spoken : 
 we also believe, and therefore speak ; 
 
 14 knowing that "^he which raised up the 
 Lord Jesus shall raise up also by Jesus, 
 
 15 * and shall present ?/.s with you. For 
 ''all things are for your sakes, that ?the 
 abundant grace might through the 
 thanksgiving of many redound to the 
 glory of God. 
 
 16 For which cause we faint not ; but 
 
 13 But having the same spirit of faith, ac- 
 cording to what is written, I believed, 
 therefore did I speak, we also believe, 
 
 14 therefore also we speak ; knowing that 
 he who raised up the Lord Jesus will 
 raise up us also through Jesus, and 
 
 15 will present us with you. For all the 
 things are for your *sakes ; that the 
 grace, abounding through the many, 
 may make the thanksgiving more 
 abundant, to the glory of God. 
 
 16 Wherefore we faint not ; but though 
 
 cRom. 1 : 12; 2 Peter 1:1. 
 
 dRom. 8 : 11; 1 Cor. 6 : 14. 
 g See refs. 1 : 11. 
 
 e Jade 24. 
 
 /I : 4-6; 1 Cor. 3 : 21. 
 
 life in their converts because of the 
 change in their character and acts" 
 (J. J. Lias). As Christ is one with 
 his people, so " for Jesus' sake " (ver. ii) 
 embraces his people. Paul's converts 
 were not only comparatively free from 
 the anxieties and persecutions to which 
 he was exposed, but through these ex- 
 posures he l)rought Christ to them as 
 their spiritual and resurrection life 
 
 (ver. 14,15). 
 
 13. We having 9 rather, But hav- 
 ing the same spirit of faith, as that which 
 animated the psalmist, in the quota- 
 tion that follows. There is a contrast 
 with the statement just made. Though 
 death works in us and life in you, yet 
 we have this faith that leads us to speak 
 openly and boldly. Notice how he re- 
 turns again and again to this idea. In 
 3 : 4 it is " such confidence " ; in 3 : 12 
 it is " such hope " ; here it is " the same 
 liiith " as that indicated in Ps. 116 : 10. 
 I believed and therefore have I, 
 or more exactly, did I speak (quoted 
 from the Septuagint version) ; we also 
 believe and therefore speak. 
 Both the Hebrew and tlie Greek con- 
 tain the idea that speaking was the re- 
 sult of faith, which was the point in 
 Paul's mind. The psalmist's faitli en- 
 abled him to triumph over all his 
 deadly troubles (ps. iie : 3, s-u), and to 
 declare tlie salvation of God ; and so a 
 similar fhitli enabled Paul and his as- 
 sociates to rise above the infirmities of 
 the body and the exposures and dangers 
 of death, and proclaim the saving 
 power of the gos]>el. 
 
 14. His fiiith IS grounded on the res- 
 urrection of Christ. Knowing that 
 he which, irho, raised up the Lord 
 Jesus, he knew that the resurrection 
 of Christ had actually occurred (iCor. 
 15 : 8). This knowledge gave him as- 
 
 surance and boldness (i cor. is : 58). Shall 
 raise up us also by Jesus, or, ac- 
 cording to the best authorities, vith 
 Jesus, not at the same time, but sharing 
 the same life and condition. Paul uses 
 the same argument as in 1 Cor, 15 : 20- 
 24. He does not appear here, as at 
 
 some other times ( l Thess. 4 : 15 : l Cor. 15 ; 51 ) , 
 
 to expect the second coming of Chiist 
 before his own death. His severe afflic- 
 tion (1:8) may have modified his an- 
 ticipations. And shall present us 
 with you before the Father in glory 
 
 (U : 1 ; Eph. 5 : 27 ; Col. 1 : 22 : Jucie 24). With 
 
 you, in fellowship of love and of a 
 glorious reward. 
 
 15. With you, I say, for all things 
 are for your sakes. (seei cor. 3 : 21. 22; 
 2 Tim. 2:10.) What lic did and suffered 
 were among the all things which were 
 for their present good and eternal sal- 
 vation. The divine purpose is, that 
 the abundant grace, rather, that 
 the grace, abounding through thegreater 
 number saved, may make the thanksgiv- 
 ing more abundant to the glory of God. 
 The more grace the more saved, and 
 the more saved the greater the thanks- 
 giving to God. (Comp. 1:11.) He sees 
 his work, through the salvation and 
 thanksgiving of his converts, redound- 
 ing to God's glory. 
 
 16-18. The minister of the gos- 
 pel SUST.\INED BY THE HOPE OF GLO- 
 RIOUS IMMORTALITY. This thouglit is 
 developed to the end of 5 : 10. Cheered 
 by the prospect of an eternal life. 
 
 16. The apostle had referred to rea- 
 sons " wliy we faint not," in ver. 1 ; he 
 now draws an additional reason from 
 what he had just said, regarding the 
 certainty of the resurrection, and that 
 all their sufferings were working out 
 such glorious results. And this was 
 continuously illustrated in his experi- 
 
Ch. IV.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 353 
 
 b though our outward man perish, yet 
 Uhe inward 7iian is renewed day by 
 
 17 day. For ''our light affliction, i which 
 is but for a moment, ™ Avorketh for us a 
 far more exceeding and eternal weight 
 
 18 of glory ; » while we look not at the 
 things which are seen, but at the 
 things which are not seen : <> for the 
 things which are seen are temporal ; 
 but the things which are not seen are 
 eternal. 
 
 our outward man is decaying, yet our 
 inward man is renewed day by day. 
 
 17 For our light affliction, which is but 
 for a moment, is working out for us 
 more and more exceedingly an eternal 
 
 18 weight of glory ; while we look not at 
 the things that are seen, but at the 
 things that are not seen ; for the things 
 that are seen are for a season, but the 
 things that are not seen are eternal. 
 
 h Job 19 : 26, 27 ; Ps. 73 : 26. i Rom. 7 : 22 ; Col. 3 : 10. k Matt. 5 : 12 ; Rom. 8 : 18. 
 
 n Peter I : 6; 5 : 10. m Heb. 12 : 10, 11. n5 : 7 ; Rom. 8 : 24, 25 ; Heb. 11 : 1. o IJohn 2 : 17. 
 
 ence. But though our outward 
 man, the body, our physical nature, 
 perish, is decaying, the wasting pro- 
 cess all the time going on, as the result 
 of sorrows, sufferings, and persecutions, 
 yet our inward man, the soul, our spir- 
 itual nature, is renewed with spirit- 
 ual strength and vigor (coi. 3 : lo) day 
 hy day. The process goes on from 
 day to day, effected by the Holy Spirit 
 
 (ver. 6; 3:17) aild their afflictions (ver. 17). 
 
 Notice how the vivid contrasts are 
 ranged, from clause to clause, in this 
 and several verses that follow. 
 
 the Christian who has this faith and this 
 aim of life. For the things Avhich 
 are seen are temporal, are for a 
 time, temporary, but the things 
 Avhich are not seen are eternal. 
 The one pertains to the brief season of 
 this life ; the other to the unending ages 
 of eternity. " This verse contains the 
 whole philosophy of the Christian view 
 of affliction. It does not deny the real- 
 ity of earthly sorrows, or underrate 
 their power, as did the stoics ; but after 
 allowing them all their force, calmly 
 says that they dwindle into insignifi- 
 
 17. This renewal in connection with i cance when compared with the exceed- 
 
 siiffering further explained. For our 
 light affliction which is for a 
 moment, more exactly, the momentary 
 lightness of our affliction, worketh out 
 for us 7nore and more exceedingly, be- 
 yond all measure and beyond what 
 language can express, an eternal 
 weight of glory — vast, transcendent, 
 never-ending glory. "The apostle op- 
 poses things present to things future ; 
 a moment to eternity ; lightness to 
 weight ; affliction to glory. Nor is he 
 satisfied with this, but he adds another 
 word, more exceedingly, and doubles it " 
 (Chrysostom). It is in this exceed- 
 ing excessive manner that these afflic- 
 tions, momentary and light compara- 
 tively, work out for us never-ending 
 blessedness. " Even that affliction 
 which is excessive, Avhen compared 
 with less afflictions (1 = 8), is yet light 
 compared with the exceeding glory" 
 (Bengel). 
 
 18. While, or since, we look not 
 at the things which are seen, but 
 at the things which, that, are not 
 seen ; the object of our gaze is not the 
 things of this earthly life, but those be- 
 yond the_ reach of bodily sight. By 
 faith the invisible becomes assured and 
 
 real (Heb. 11 : 1,27; 1 Cor. 2 : 9, 10). Itisouly 
 
 ing and eternal glory to which they 
 lead" (Chambers in Meyer). The 
 thought is continued in the next chap- 
 ter. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. The Christian ministry is such that 
 the preacher of the gospel should never 
 lose courage in proclaiming the truth 
 (ver. 1; Acts 20 : 24). 
 
 2. The gospel comes with a self-evi- 
 dencing power to the consciences of men 
 (ver. 2, 4 ; John 3 : 1&-21 ; 17 : 3). 
 
 3. The gospel is pure, simple truth. 
 Preachers and religious teachers should 
 avoid shams and all deception, and pro- 
 claim the message plainly and fully (ver. 
 2; John 14 : 6; Acts 20 : 27). 
 
 4. It is not the fault of the gospel that 
 sinners are not saved. They will not be- 
 lieve, and they are blinded and deluded 
 by Satan (ver. 4 ; John 5 : 40 ; 8 : 44). 
 
 5. The great purpose of the Christian 
 ministry is to make known Jesus Christ, 
 as Saviour and Lord, to their fellow-men 
 (ver. 5; 1 Cor. 2 : 2-4). 
 
 6. The God of nature is the God of grace 
 (ver. 6; Acts 17 : 23-31). 
 
 7. The knowledge of Jesus is the highest 
 
354 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 5 FOR we know that if Pour earthly 
 house of litis tabernLiele were dissolved, 
 we have 'la building of (jod, 'an house 
 not made with hands, eternal in the 
 
 5 FOR we know that, if our earthy 
 house of the tabernacle l)e dissolve<l, 
 we have a building from God, a house 
 not made with hands, eternal, in the 
 
 p Job 4 : 19 ; 2 Peter 1 : 13, 14. 
 
 q John 14 : 2 ; Heb. 11 : 10. 
 
 r Heb. 9 : 11, 23. 
 
 of all knowledge, and the most excellent 
 of sciences (ver. 6; John 14 : 6-12). 
 
 8. The triumphs of the gospel, notwith- 
 standing the weakness and frailty of its 
 proclaimers, is a proof of its Divine origin 
 (ver. 7-9; 1 Cor. 1 : 2(3-31). 
 
 9. Christian missionaries exhibit in their 
 own experience the sustaining power of 
 the gospel under trial (ver. 8, 9 ; Acts 
 26 : 22). 
 
 10. If we realize in our experience the 
 dying of the Lord Jesus we shall also par- 
 take of his life (ver. 10, 11 ; Phil. 3 : 8-11 ; 
 Col. 1 : 24). 
 
 11. We should welcome trials for the 
 sake of Jesus and the salvation of men 
 (ver. 11, 12 ; Phil. 3 : 13, 14). 
 
 12. The results of the ministry is of far 
 more value than all it costs (ver. 12 ; Acts 
 20: 22-24; Dan. 12 : 8). 
 
 13. Ministers of the gospel should be 
 men of convictions, and should also have 
 the courage of their convictions (ver. 13; 
 Acts 20: 19-21, 20, 27). 
 
 14. In the resurrection of Christ we have 
 a pledge of our own resurrection and fu- 
 ture glory (ver. 14 ; Rom. 8 : 11, 23). 
 
 15. The glory of God is the highest mo- 
 tive in laboring for the salvation of meu 
 (ver. 15; 1 Cor. 10 : 31). 
 
 16. Though the body wearies, grows old, 
 decays, and dies in Christ's service, the 
 Boul enjoys an ever-increasing and en- 
 larging life (ver. 16 : 2 Tim. 4:6-8). 
 
 17. We should learn from Paul how to 
 bear affliction and anticipate future glory 
 (ver. 17 ; 11 : 2:?-27 ; Rom. 8 : 31-37). 
 
 18. Let us so live as to view all things 
 that come to us from the standpoint of 
 eternity (ver. 18 ; 1 Cor. 7 : 29-31 ; 1 John 
 4 : 5. 6). 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Paul continues to show how in their 
 ministry they are cheered by the liope 
 of a p^loVious immortality : Lookinj? for 
 the future glorified body (^fri-*), hav- 
 ing an earnest of this, though as yet 
 absent from the Lord (ver. 5-8), and 
 stimulated by the thought of the judg- 
 ment (ver. 9, 10). He dwells upon the 
 
 motives : the fear of the Lord and 
 the love of Christ (ver. 11-15) ; and 
 their changed condition and relation 
 through the reconciliation which God 
 has effected in Christ, of which recon- 
 ciliation they were ministers (ver. 16-19), 
 and which they earnestly preached and 
 entreated sinners to accept (ver. 20, 21). 
 
 1-10. The cheering and stimu- 
 lating INFLUENCES OF THE FUTURE 
 LIFE ON THEIR MINISTRY. A glori- 
 fied body, the earnest of the Spirit, and 
 the judgment seat of Christ. 
 
 1. Continuing the thought, the apos- 
 tle gives a further reason for what he 
 had aflirmed regarding the future glori- 
 ous results of our present atfiictions 
 (4 : 17, 18). For, looking at the unseen, 
 we, associating Timothy with me (1 : 1 ), 
 know, having seen the risen and glori- 
 fied Lord (seeon ver. 4 : i4)j and eiijoyed 
 the revelations and guidance of the 
 Spirit, that if, instead of living to see 
 the second coming of the Lord, our 
 earthly house of this tabernacle, 
 or tent, be dissolved, be disunited, 
 if our earthly body be taken down like 
 a tent. Earthly, upon the earth (icor. 
 15:40), refers to the body, not as made 
 of the earth, but as existing on the 
 earth (Phii. 2:10), The body is spoken 
 of as a tent-house, a frail, temporary 
 tenement, in contrast to a building, or 
 a permanent dwelling. Notice that 
 Paul had an assurance, a certainty, 
 amounting to actual knowledge. Also 
 that he thought that he might live to 
 w^elcome the return of Christ, and so 
 he speaks doubtfully of death, though 
 elsewhere he speaks of it as tliat which 
 might come to him at any moment ( Act» 
 20 : 22-24; 21 : 13). His recciit atHictiou 
 had brought death very near to him 
 (1:8-10:4:10-12). >\ c have a build- 
 ing of God, etc., rather, We have in 
 the heavens a bnilding from God, orig- 
 inated and prepared by him, eternal, 
 not only permanent, but existing for- 
 ever, a house not made Avith 
 hands, as earthly houses are. Paul 
 passes over the intermediate state be- 
 tween death and the resurrection ; for 
 elsewhere he represents the new body 
 as given at the resurrection and Christ's 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 355 
 
 2 heavens. For in this ^we groan, ear- 
 nestly desiring Uo be clothed upon 
 with our house which is from heaven : 
 
 3 " if so be that * being clothed we shall 
 
 4 not be found naked. For we that are 
 in this tabernacle do groan, being 
 burdened : not for that we would be 
 unclothed, but clothed upon, y that 
 mortality might be swallowed up of 
 life. 
 
 5 Now '■ he that hath wrought us for 
 the selfsame thing is God, who also 
 
 2 heavens. For in this we groan, long- 
 ing to be clothed upon with our halji- 
 
 3 tation which is from heaven ; if indeed 
 being clothed, we shall not be found 
 
 4 naked. For we that are in the taber- 
 nacle groan, being burdened ; not that 
 we wish to be unclothed, but to be 
 clothed upon, that what is mortal may 
 be swallowed up by life. 
 
 5 Now he that wrought us out for this 
 very thing is God, who gave to us the 
 
 ! Rom. 7 : 24 ; 8 : 23. tl Cor. 15 : 53, 54. u Phil. 3 : 11: x Rev. 3 : 18 ; 16 : 15. 
 
 y See refs. Isa. 25 : 8. z Isa. 29 : 23 ; Eph. 2 : 10. 
 
 second coming (l Thess. 4 : le, 17 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 52 ; 
 
 Phil. 3 : 21). But this need cause no diffi- 
 culty, for in this animated discourse 
 Paul speaks as if the future were pres- 
 ent. This is often done in Scripture. 
 The intermediate state did not engross 
 his attention ; he regarded it as tem- 
 porary; he appears not to have re- 
 ceived special revelations concerning 
 it ; and he regarded the second coming 
 of Christ as speedy. And so he passes 
 to the glorified state at once, where 
 in heaven he sees the glorified body, 
 heavenly and spiritual in its nature, 
 prepared and given by God. 
 
 3. This verse is confirmatory of the 
 preceding verse. For, this knowledge 
 and assurance of an immortal body, in 
 case of the dissolution of our present 
 mortal tenement, is attested by the 
 fact that iu this body we groan 
 (see Rom. 8 : 23) aiid sigh, earnestly de- 
 siring, or longing, to be clothed 
 upon, as with an outer garment, with 
 our house, or dwelling-place, which 
 is from heaven. Compare "from 
 God" (vcr. 1). This intense longing of 
 the renewed soul, begotten of the Spirit, 
 would surely be satisfied. Notice the 
 words clothed upon, implying the apos- 
 tle's hope that he might be living at 
 the Lord's coming. The words, how- 
 ever, may be applied to the restored 
 body at the resurrection (1 Cor. 15 : 53). 
 
 3. If so be that being clothed, 
 according to a preferable reading, See- 
 ing we shall be found clothed, not naked, 
 not disembodied. The word naked- does 
 not necessarily express absolute naked- 
 ness, but often means ill-clad (iiatt. 
 25:36), or without the outer garment 
 (John 21: 7). Hencc here, without the 
 resurrection body. Both the righteous 
 dead and the righteous living shall 
 meet their Lord at his coming with 
 
 glorified bodies (1 Cor. 15 : 51, 52 ; 1 Thess. 4 : 
 
 16, 17). Being assured of this, the apos- 
 tle asserts it strongly ; and this belief 
 is a ground for his longing to be clothed 
 upon with his building from heaven 
 
 (ver.2). 
 
 4. Paul confirms and explains what 
 he had said in v er. 2 . For we that 
 are in this,ratlier7?^^, tabernacle, 
 of which Ave have spoken, do groan 
 and sigh, being burdened, oppressed, 
 witli the thoughts that death, with its 
 preceding infirmities and its dissolu- 
 tion, naturally awakens. He now states 
 negatively and jjositively for what he 
 sighs: not for that we would, we 
 desire, to be unclothed, be disem- 
 bodied and remain so ; but rather that 
 we may be clothed upon, not that 
 we wish to put off the mortal body, but 
 rather that which is mortal might be 
 swallowed up of, or by, life, and 
 become immortal. As he was hoping 
 for the speedy coming of Christ, it was 
 his special desire that he might live till 
 he came, and not put off this body by 
 death, but rather like Elijah, be glori- 
 fied living. He would anticipate death 
 by life. Paul regarded death as an 
 enemy (i Oor. 15 : 26), and the disembodied 
 spirit not in itself to be desired. It Avas 
 the spiritual and glorified bodj'^ for 
 which he longed. Concerning the in- 
 termediate state, and a conscious state 
 of existence between death and the res- 
 urrection, see Clark's volume on Luke, 
 in "A People's Commentary," Chap. 
 16, Practical Remarks 24, 25, pp. 380, 
 381. 
 
 5, The apostle traces his longing, 
 and the basis of his confidence, to the 
 Spirit. Now he that hath wrought 
 us for the selfsame thing, rather, 
 notv he that wrotight us out, fashioned 
 and fitted us at conversion, for this 
 
356 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 a hath given unto us the earnest of the 
 
 6 Spirit. Therefore we are always confi- 
 dent, knowing that, whilst we are at 
 home in the lx)dy, we are absent from 
 
 7 the Lord: (for ''we walk by faith, not 
 
 8 by sight : we are confident' / say, and 
 "willing rather to be absent from the 
 body, and to be present with the Lord. 
 
 9 Wlierefore '^ we labour, that, « whether 
 
 6 earnest of the Spirit. Being therefore 
 always of good courage, and knowing 
 that while at home in the body we are 
 
 7 absent from the Lord (for we walk by 
 
 8 faith, not by sight), Ave are of good 
 courage, and are well pleased rather to 
 be absent from the Tx)dy, and to be at 
 home w ith the Lord. 
 
 9 Wherefore we also make it our aim, 
 
 o See refs. 1 : 22 ; Rom. 8 : 16 ; 1 John 2 : 20, 2V. 6 4 : 18 ; 1 Cor. 13 : 12. 
 d 1 Cor. 9 ; 26, 27 ; 1 John 3:3. e Rom. 14 : 8. 
 
 c Phil. 1 : 20-24. 
 
 very thing, for the swallowing up of I 
 mortality by life, for the glorified body, I 
 is God (isa. 25 : 8). The reference is to 
 the resurrection body, whether of the 
 living or the raised dead at Christ's 
 coming. This seems evident from what i 
 follows. Who also hath given, 
 rather, according to the best text, w/io ! 
 gave ns, the earnest, the pledge, oft 
 
 the Spirit. (See note on 1 : 22.) TllC gift 
 
 of the Spirit and his work in their 
 hearts at conversion was a foretaste ' 
 and pledge of their sanctification and , 
 their glorification (Rom. s : 29, so). And I 
 this was true of all believers, whether 
 they should live to see the Lord's return 
 
 or not (Rom. 8 : 23), 
 
 6. Therefore, in view of God's pur- | 
 pose and the pledge of the life-giving 
 Spirit (ver. 5), we are always confi- 
 dent, rather, being confident, or of 
 good courage at all tivies, whether liv- 
 ing or dying, and knowing that 
 while Ave are at home in the 
 body, as the earthly abode of the 
 Spirit, we are absent, away from 
 home, from the Lord. Their citi- 
 zenship is in heaven (Phii. 3 : 20, 21), and 
 their permanent and final home is 
 there. God is present with all men by 
 his sustaining power ( Acts n : 27, 28) ; and 
 with his people by his Spirit, who not- 
 withstanding are absent from him, from 
 his glorious presence and the close in- 
 tercourse with him which that presence 
 involves. The .sentence is somewhat 
 broken but is'resumed in ver. 8. 
 
 7. In a parentliesis, Paul explains 
 how he was ab.se nt from the Lord. 
 For we walk, pass our life, b» or 
 through, faith, not by, or tlirongh, 
 sight, by n'hat is seen. The word 
 translated sight does not mean poirer of 
 vision, but tlie thing seen, what visibty 
 appeal's. The life we live here is that 
 of faith, having an assurance of things 
 lioped for and a conviction of the 
 reality of things not seen (4 : is: Heb. 11 : 
 
 1, 13, 14 ; John 20 : 29) ; it Is UOt that of 
 
 sight, encompassed by the visible ap- 
 pearances of heavenly things. We see 
 not the Lord Jesus face to face, and the 
 attendant glories, but realize them in 
 our spirits as they are granted to our 
 faith by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3 : 16-18). 
 
 8. The thought is resumed from the 
 end of ver. 6. We are confident, I 
 say, and Avilling, better, ^ce are con- 
 fident, of good courage, and are iceli 
 pleased, rather to be absent from 
 the body, as our earthly home, to de- 
 part oxit of the body, to die, and to be 
 present, go home or be at home, with 
 the Lord. While the apostle would 
 prefer to live till Christ's second com- 
 ing and "be clothed upon" with a 
 glorified body (ver. 4), and though death 
 itself is not desirable (ver. 4) , yet in view 
 of a future resurrection, and the bless- 
 edness of the disembodied state, he was 
 well pleased to die and enter that state. 
 He would be indeed without a bodily 
 home, but he would have a spiritual 
 home with the Lord, looking forward 
 to a glorified body, at the return of his 
 Lord to earth. This throws light upon 
 the state of the saved between death 
 and the resurrection. They are in a 
 blis.'sful condition, and hence conscious, 
 and enjoy such nearness to Christ that 
 in comparison with it his spiritual pres- 
 ence with them on earth is absence (Phii. 
 
 1:23; Hcb. 12 : 23). DoubtlcSS their phlCC 
 
 and their enjoyments are exactly 
 suited to their disembodied condition. 
 Their eternal intercourse with Clirist 
 has begun, although the resurrection 
 to a glorified l>ody is necessary to com- 
 plete their redemption, and to enjoy 
 
 fully its glories. (See on 12 : 2, 4, and note on 
 Luke 23 : 43. ) 
 
 9. W h e r e f o r e , as we are well 
 pleased and prefer absence from the 
 body and presence witli the Lord (ver. 8), 
 we labour, rather, we make it our 
 aim, or our ambition, that Avhether 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 357 
 
 present or absent, we may be accepted 
 
 10 of him. f For we must all appear 
 before the judgment seat of Christ; 
 e that every one may receive the things 
 done in his body, according to tliat 
 he hath done, whether it be good or 
 bad. 
 
 11 Knowing therefore ^ the terror of the 
 Lord, i we persuade men ; but ^ we are 
 made manifest unto God ; i and I trust 
 
 whether at home or absent, to be well 
 
 10 pleasing to him. For we must all be 
 manifested before the judgment-seat 
 of Christ ; that each one may receive 
 the things done through the body, 
 according to the things which he 
 practiced, whether good or evil. 
 
 11 Knowing therefore tlie fear of the 
 Lord, we persuade men ; but to God we 
 have been manifested, and I hope that 
 
 /See refs. Rom. U : 10. g See refs. Rom. 2:6; Rev. 22 : 12. 
 
 h Xahum 1:6; Matt. 10 : 28 ; Heb. 10 : 31 ; Jude 23. i Ver. 20 ; 6 : 1. A: 1 : 12-14 ; 2 : 17. 
 
 li:l,2; 1 Thess. 2 : 3-12. 
 
 present, at home with the Lord, or 
 absent from him, we may be ac- 
 cepted of him, or better, well 
 pleasing to him. The word translated 
 labor denotes a striving, the end aimed 
 at being regarded as a matter of honor, 
 
 hence, to be ambitions. ( see Rom. 15 : 20 and 
 
 note.) It was the apostle's ambition, his 
 present earnest aim, whether living or 
 dying (1 Thess. 5 : 10), SO to livc ES to be 
 well pleasing to Christ. 
 
 10, Paul had just dwelt upon the in- 
 ward feeling, the earnest impulse of his 
 soul, his ambition to please his Lord. 
 He now turns to an outward motive, 
 the judgment seat of Christ. For we 
 Christians must all, as a matter of 
 necessity and of divine appointment 
 which none can evade, appear, rather, 
 be manifested, before the judgment 
 
 seat 01 Christ. (Comp. Matt. 25 : si : Rev. 
 
 20:11.) There is not to be merely an 
 appearance, but a manifestation of what 
 we are, including the secrets of the 
 heart (icor. 4:5), before the judgment 
 seat. Notice that Paul includes him- 
 self, and that the prospect of this man- 
 ifestation was to him a motive. The 
 judgment of the wicked is elsewhere 
 taught (Rev. 20:12-14). That every 
 one, each one individually, may 
 receive the things done in the 
 body, coming back as it were in wages, 
 in reward or punishment, according to 
 the things ivhich he did, whether good 
 or bad. The deeds in the body Mill 
 decide the wages at the judgment ; the 
 acts and changes, after the soul has left 
 the body, will not be taken into the ac- 
 count in fixing the final state. 
 
 " This passage stands alone in the in- 
 sight which it gives us into the apostle's 
 feelings, under the sense of approaching 
 decay and dissolution. The burst of 
 triumphant exultation over the power 
 of death in Rom. 8 : 30-39 and 1 Cor. 
 
 15 : 51-58, is more an expression of the 
 sense of God's love through Christ, than 
 of any personal expectation for him- 
 self. . . The two passages which most 
 bear comparison with this (2Tim. 4:6-8; 
 Phil. 1 : 20-24) . . . represent his calm ex- 
 pectation of an event brought on by ex- 
 ternal circumstances, as a soldier on the 
 eve of battle, rather than his contem- 
 plation of death in itself (this passage) 
 as the natural termination of the ex- 
 haustive powers of his nature" (STAN- 
 LEY, "Epistles to Cor.," p. 421). On the 
 apostle's condition of mind and body at 
 this time compare 1 ; 8-10 ; 2 : 13 ; 4 : 
 7-11, 16-18; 5 : 1. 
 
 11-17. The motives of their 
 ministry : the fear of the lord 
 and the love of christ. 
 
 11. This passage seems connected as 
 an inference to the two preceding verses. 
 At the same time mention of the judg- 
 ment may have brought to mind cer- 
 tain charges of his opponents that he 
 had used dishonest means in seeking to 
 win men. KnoAving therefore the 
 terror, rather, the fear, of the Lord, 
 being conscious of a wholesome fear of 
 Christ as judge, we persuade men, 
 or we do '^ seek to win men," as objectors 
 say. But it is not to win them to our- 
 selves (Gal. 1 : 10), but to Christ and to the 
 gospel, by every proper means and mo- 
 tive, by warnings and exhortations ( Coi. 
 1 : 28). A dread of God is natural to men 
 because they are conscious of being sin- 
 ners ( Tsa. 6:5: Luke 5:8). The tllOUgllt of 
 
 a future judgment strikes the wicked 
 with terror and the righteous with awe. 
 But we are made manifest unto 
 God, better, but to God tve have been 
 made manifest, the purity of our con- 
 duct and motives, our character and 
 preaching as ministers of the gospel, 
 have all along been known to him. 
 And I trust also, rather, and I hope 
 
358 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 also are made manifest in your con- 
 
 12 sciences. For ™ we commend not our- 
 selves again unto you, but give you 
 occasion U) glory on our behalf, that 
 ye may have somewhat to answer them 
 which glory in appearance, and not in 
 
 13 heart. For » whether we be beside 
 ourselves, <> it is to God : or whether we 
 
 14 be sober, it is p for your cause. For the 
 love of Christ i constraineth us ; be- 
 cau.ve we thus judge, that, "^if one died 
 
 15 for all, ^ then were all dead : and that 
 
 we have been manifested also in your 
 
 12 consciences. We are not again com- 
 mending ourselves to you, but giving 
 you occasion of glorying on our behalf, 
 that ye may have wherewith to answer 
 those who glory in appearance and not 
 
 13 in heart. For whether we were beside 
 ourselves, it was for God ; or whether 
 we are of sound mind, it is for you. 
 
 14 For the love of Christ constrains us ; 
 because we thus judged, that one died 
 
 15 for all, therefore they all died ; and he 
 
 n 12 : 6, 11 ; Acts 26 : 24, 25. o See 2 Sam. 6 : 21, 22. p 2 Tim. 2 : 10. 
 
 q Acts 4 : 19, 20. r Isa. 53 : 6 ; Rom. 5 : 15. s Rom. 5 : 12. 
 
 we have been made manifest also in 
 your consciences, in our true charac- 
 ters as preachers of the truth. ( See note 
 on 4 : 2. ) Noticc how the apostle makes 
 conscience a judge in religious matters. 
 
 12. For, omitted by the best au- 
 thorities. In writing thus, we are 
 not commending ourselves a§:aiii 
 unto you. His opposers appear to 
 have charged him with vanity and 
 
 self-praise. (see on 3 : l, and his vindication 
 
 in 3: 2-5.) But givc you, more ex- 
 actly, giving you, occasion to glory, 
 exult, in our behalf— we are giving 
 you the opportunity and a ground for 
 answering those who glory in ap- 
 pearance, in what appears visible to 
 the eye, in outward show (io:7) and 
 not in heart, what is real and true 
 inw^ardly. A brief and striking descrip- 
 tion of the hypocrisy of his opponents 
 (u : 12, 13). Thej^ made a show of piety 
 in the flesh (rxai.6:i2), but were actu- 
 ated by self-interest, rather than pure 
 motives ( i sam. 16:7). "In heart — such 
 was Paul's nature — truth shone from 
 his heart to the consciences of the Cor- 
 inthians" (Bengel). 
 
 13. Ye can well boast of us as your 
 teachers, For whether we be, rath- 
 er, ivhethcr ice ivere, beside our- 
 selves, when we were with you, as some 
 doubtless said, it was to, for, God, 
 for his cause and glory, in his service ; 
 it was a holy madness. Festus after this 
 charged Paul witli madness ( Acts 26 : 24; 
 comp. 17 : 18, 32). Or wlicthcr we are 
 sober, sound minded, it is for you, 
 in your service and for your advan- 
 tage. In either ease Paul's conduct was 
 praisewortliy. The soidhI mind, was a 
 right mind, having a healthful self- 
 control, opposed to madness, he.^-ide our- 
 selves (M-ark 3 : 21 ; 5 : 15). Paul exhibited 
 an enthusiasm on the one hand ( i cor. 
 
 2 : 2 ; 2 Cor. 6 : 4-io) and a practical wisdom 
 on the other, becoming all things to all 
 men (icor. 9:22). He exercised a holy 
 shrewdness in his devotion to their 
 spiritual interests. 
 
 14. The reason of his sole devotion 
 to God and to his brethren, Christ's 
 constraining love. For the love of 
 Christ constraineth us, impels ns. 
 It is Christ's love to us, as seems evi- 
 dent from what follows, Christ's dying 
 
 for us, (Comp. Rom. 5:5; 8 : 35.) TllC Verb 
 
 translated constraineth has the idea of 
 pressing hard, and holding a person to 
 one object. It is used of some strong out- 
 ward pressure, as of a crowd (Lukes : 45), 
 as of anxiety and sickness (Luke4:3s; 
 8 : 37 ; Phil. 1 : 23) . Here it is Christ's love, 
 passing over into a strong inward im- 
 pelling force, arousing and holding the 
 apostle to one line of action. And this 
 constraining power took etlect in us, 
 because we thn^ judged, at some pre- 
 vious time, probably at conversion, we 
 came to this conclusion as a true and 
 settled conviction, that if one died 
 for all, then were all dead, rather, 
 that (as) one died for all, therefore they 
 all died, that is, his death was in a 
 sense their death. The preposition 
 translated for means in behalf of. ( f^"- on 
 1 Cor. 15:29.) //* is Omitted by the best 
 textual authorities. These two clauses 
 have given rise to much di.«icussion. 
 The simple meaning appears to be, that 
 " they all," or more exactly, the all, in 
 whose behalf Christ died, in a sen.se died 
 in him. The death of Christ, which was 
 for the sins of men, was regarded as tlie 
 death of all men collectively. Christ 
 was so relatcil and identified witli the 
 race that he acted in their behalf an<l 
 in their place. His death was on ac- 
 count of all and had reference to all 
 (iJohn2:2). Au atouemcnt and recon- 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 359 
 
 he died for all, Hhat they which live 
 should not henceforth live unto them- 
 selves, but unto him which died for 
 them, and rose again. 
 
 16 « Wherefore henceforth know we no 
 man after the flesh : yea, though we 
 have known Christ after the flesh, yet 
 noAV henceforth know we him no more. 
 
 17 Therefore if any man ^ he in Christ, he 
 is ya new creature: ^old things are 
 passed away; behold, all things are 
 
 died for all, that they who live should 
 live no longer to themselves, but to 
 him who for them died and rose again. 
 
 16 So that we henceforth know no one 
 according to the flesh ; even if we 
 have known Christ according to the 
 flesh, yet now we no longer know him. 
 
 17 So that if any one is in Clirist, he is a 
 new creature; the old things passed 
 away ; behold, they have become new. 
 
 t Rom. 6 : 1-13 ; 14 : 7-9 ; 1 Cor. 6 : 19, 20 ; Gal. 2 : 20 ; Titus 2 : 14. 
 
 « Deut. 33 : 9 ; see refs. Matt. 12 : 50 ; Gal. 2 : 5, 6. x Rom. 8:1; Eph. 1 : 3, 4 ; 1 John 5 : 20. 
 
 y John 3:3; Gal. 6 : 15 ; Col. 3 : 9, 10. z Rom. 6:4-6; Eph. 4 : 22-24. 
 
 ciliation was made, so that all might 
 receive eternal life by accepting the 
 gospel through faith in Christ. (See on 
 
 ver. 21 ; also RomTs : 25, 26.) 
 
 15. Paul continues his statement, 
 bringing into view the object of Christ's 
 death. And that he died, etc., bet- 
 ter, and he died for all in order that 
 they who live, by accepting the pro- 
 visions of the gospel, should no longer 
 live unto themselves, as they had done 
 in their past lives before their conver- 
 sion, but to him who for them, in their 
 behalf, died and rose again. No- 
 tice that both Christ's death and resur- 
 rection was for their advantage (4 : lo, ii ; 
 
 Rom. 6 : 3-10 ; 14 : 9 ; Gal. 2 : 20 ; 5 : 24, 25 ; 6 : 14). 
 
 In his death we are freed from the 
 bondage of sin; in his risen life we 
 through the Holy Spirit have life. Be- 
 ing in Christ Jesus we are not under 
 condemnation and walk not after the 
 flesh but after the Spirit (Rom. s : i, 4; 5 : 
 10, 11; Col. 3:1-4). Thus wc are brought 
 into new relations and into a new life. 
 Hence we see how the apostle was con- 
 strained by the love of Christ to an un- 
 reserved devotion to God and his cause 
 
 (ver. 13). 
 
 16, Inference from the preceding 
 verse. Wherefore, or so that, being 
 in Christ, and entirely devoted to him 
 (ver. 15), tve from the jiresent time know 
 no one, after the flesh, according to 
 his natural distinctions of birth, con- 
 nections, and relations (Gal. 3 : 28). He 
 regards his spiritual character, " He 
 who knows no one according to the flesh 
 has entirely left out of the account, in 
 the Jew, his Jewish origin ; in the rich 
 man, his riches; in tlie scholar, his 
 learning; in the slave, his bondage, 
 
 etc." (MEYEE. Comp. 1 Cor. 2: 10-16). We 
 
 is emphatic, and suggests by implica- 
 tion that his opposers used a worldly, 
 
 fleshly standard (10 : 7 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 12). This 
 principle of action the apostle applied 
 to his knowledge and estimate of Christ. 
 Yea, though, or even if, we have 
 known Christ according to the 
 flesh, judging him according to nat- 
 ural and human standards, as of the 
 tribe of Judah and as the son of David 
 simply (Rom. 1:3), and not as the incar- 
 nate Son of God, the Divine Word, yet 
 now we no longer knoiv him after this 
 manner. Before his conversion Paul 
 had regarded Jesus as the despised and 
 crucified Nazarene. And after his con- 
 version, like many of the early teachers, 
 he doubtless had some carnal concep- 
 tions which disappeared as he pro- 
 gressed in the knoAvledge of the truth. 
 Besides, it was not so much Christ, as 
 he lived on the earth, that so filled his 
 mind as the risen Christ who now lives 
 in heaven. There is nothing here, how- 
 ever, that implies that Paul had seen 
 Jesus when in the flesh upon earth. 
 
 17. An inference from the two pre- 
 ceding verses. It follows that such as 
 enjoy in themselves the benefits of 
 Christ's death and possess the knowl- 
 edge spoken of, are in Christ and are 
 new creatures. Therefore, better. So 
 that if any one is, in Christ, united 
 spiritually in him, having become a 
 Christian (12 : 2; Rom. 16 : 7), he is a new 
 creature. According to a rabbinical 
 usage a person converted from idolatry 
 to Judaism was spoken of as a new 
 creature, and the expression is used in 
 a nobler application to one regenerated 
 in Christ (Gai. 6 : 15). A radical change 
 has been eflected in his spiritual nature 
 by the Holy Spirit (John i : i3; 3 : 3, 5; 
 Titus 3: 5). Old things have passed 
 aw^ay, better, the old things of his for- 
 mer life, his former manner of living, 
 passed away at his conversion. Be- 
 
300 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 18 become new. And »all things are of 
 God, »>who hath reconciled us to him- 
 self by Jesus Christ, and ^hath given 
 
 19 to us the ministry of reconciliation ; to 
 wit, that ''God was in Christ, « reconcil- 
 ing the world unto himself, ^not im- 
 
 Euting their trespasses unto them ; and 
 ath committed unto us the word of 
 reconciliation. 
 
 18 And all things are from Go<l, who rec- 
 onciled us to himself through Christ, 
 and gave to us the ministry of the 
 
 19 reconi'iliati(jn ; how that God was in 
 Clirist rejonciling the world to him- 
 self, not reckoning to them their tres- 
 passes, and having committed to us 
 the word of reconciliation. 
 
 a John 3 : 27 ; James 1 
 d John U : 10 
 
 17. 6 Dan. 9 : 24 
 11 ; 1 Tim. 3 : 16. 
 
 Rom. 5 : 10 ; 1 John 2 : 2 ; 4 : 10. 
 e See ref8. Rom. 3 : 24-26. 
 
 c Ver. 20 ; Acts 13 : 38, 39. 
 /Ps. 32 : 1, 2. 
 
 hold, vividly calling attention to the 
 great change that has taken place. All 
 things, rather, according to the best 
 text, they, the old things, have he- 
 come new, in character, the whole 
 man has been renewed ; the tendencies 
 and currents of his soul. Thoughts, 
 motives, feelings, habits, and desires, 
 have been changed according to the 
 image of Christ. Compare " the old 
 man " and "the new man " ( Coi. 3 : 9, lo ; 
 Eph. 4 : 22-24), On creatuFC see note on 
 Rom. 8 : 19. 
 
 18-21. Their ministry one of 
 reconciliation. 
 
 18. "What the apostle had said about 
 the new creature leads him back to 
 God, and to the reconciliation which 
 God has effected through Christ. And 
 all things are of God, all this 
 change, pertaining to the new creature 
 (ver. 17) is fro7n God, the author and 
 source, who hath reconciled us, 
 etc., rather, who reconciled ns, Chris- 
 tians, through Christ to himself, a)td 
 gave 11s, the apostles, teachers, and 
 preachers, the niinistri/ of reconcilia- 
 tion. Jesus is omitted in the best 
 text. Some would make the first ^is 
 refer to all men, making it parallel 
 with the v'orld in the next verse. But 
 it is only in Christians that this recon- 
 ciliation is a fully accomplished fact 
 among men, and such it appears to be 
 viewed by the apostle in this verse. 
 The .second vs is limited still further to 
 the ambassadors of Chri.'Jt (mt. 20). Dif- 
 ferent views have been taken of the rec- 
 onciliation here presented. Some limit 
 it to a change in man's disposition 
 toward God; others refer it entirely to 
 a change in God's treatment of men, in 
 which he causes his anger toward them 
 to cease and takes them into his favor, 
 and they become friends instead of 
 enemies. To us the word, an adjiisf- 
 vient of a difference, and tlie connec- 
 tion, seem to eml)nice both ideas. It 
 
 appears to be in a certain sense a mu- 
 tual reconciliation, but it begins with 
 God in the manifestation of his grace. 
 He is indeed the reconciler, but this is 
 accepted by men in repentance and 
 through faith in Jesus Christ. It only 
 becomes thus an accomplished fact in 
 human experience. The enmity be- 
 tween God and man is removed through 
 Christ. God's wrath, his holy indigna- 
 tion against sin, is appeased (Rom. 8:25; 
 Gal. 3 : 13) J and mcii are drawn to exercise 
 a willing and hearty love to God (John 
 
 12 : 32 ; Eph. 2 : 14-16 ; 1 John 4 : 19). On the 
 
 words "reconcile" and "reconcilia- 
 tion " see further on Rom. 5 : 10, 11. 
 
 19. Explanatory of this ministry of 
 reconciliation and of its message. To 
 wit, better, As that, or How that, God 
 was in Christ, identified with and 
 dwelling in him (John u : lo,- n : 21, 23: 
 Col. 1:19), reconciling the world 
 unto himself, through suftering, 
 and death upon the cross (Coi. i:20; 
 1 John 2:2). Not Imputiug, better, Not 
 reckoning to them, not accounting to 
 them, their trespasses, (see note on 
 Rom. 4 : 8 and 3 : 25.) In Christ's media- 
 torial work, God shows himself a gra- 
 cious God, " forgiving iniquity, trans- 
 gression, and sin." God sent not his 
 Son to condemn, but to save (John 3 : 17). 
 To the sinner he otters reconciliation 
 through Christ with all its blessed re- 
 sults ; and the believer in Christ he 
 treats as if he had never sinned (Rom. 3 : 
 
 26 : 8:1: comp. Heh. 9 : 12-14 : 10 : 10-14). And 
 
 hath committed, rather. And hairing 
 committed to its, having placed (depos- 
 ited as it were) in our minds, the 
 word of reconciliation, the mes- 
 sage or doctrine concerning it, which 
 we are to make known to othei"s. (Comp. 
 Gal. 1 : 15; 1 Tim. 1 : 12.) Thus God's recon- 
 ciliation in Christ includes, first the 
 not reckoning to men their trespasses, 
 and then, by his servants, beseeching 
 men to be reconciled to him (ver. 20). 
 
Ch. v.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 361 
 
 20 Now then we are g ambassadors for 
 Christ, as though God did beseech you 
 by us : we pray you in Clirist's stead, 
 
 21 ''be ye reconciled to God. For 'he 
 hath made him to he sin for us, who 
 knew no sin ; that we might be made 
 k the righteousness of God in him. 
 
 20 On behalf of Christ then Ave are am- 
 bassadors, as though God were beseech- 
 ing through us ; we entreat on behalf 
 
 21 of Christ : Be reconciled to God ! Him 
 who knew not sin he made to be sin 
 for us, that we might become Grod's 
 righteousness in him. 
 
 g Mai. 2:7; Eph. 6 : 20. 
 
 ft See refs. Job 22 : 21. 
 
 k See refs. Rom. 3 
 
 1 Isa. 53 : 4-6 ; 9-12 ; Gal. 3 : 13 ; Eph. 5 : 2. 
 21, 22. 
 
 20. The preacher's office and his 
 general message to men. In view of 
 the fact that God has committed to us 
 the word of reconciliation. We are 
 therefore ambassadors, acting in 
 this high and honorable character, on 
 behalf of Christ, one far greater 
 than any earthly sovereign (Eph. 6:20 ; 
 Phil. 2: 9), as though God did be- 
 seech you by us, rather, as though 
 God were beseeching by us. This is a 
 general statement of the earnestness 
 with which God's message is delivered 
 to men. We pray you in Christ's 
 stead, rather. On behalf of Christ loe 
 pray, we entreat men, the world (vcr. 19). 
 What divine condescension ! This is a 
 statement to the Corinthian Christians, 
 not an entreaty to them, since they 
 were already reconciled. Be ye rec- 
 onciled, more exactly, Be reconciled 
 to God. A passive active : Permit your- 
 selves to be reconciled to God by accept- 
 ing Christ and his righteousness ; do 
 not oppose your return to God's favor 
 through unbelief, but lay hold of that 
 favor now offered you in the ' ' word of 
 reconciliation." God is reconciled 
 through Jesus Christ, and a way is pro- 
 vided for the reconciling of sinners 
 who are still at enmity with him. This 
 enmity must be subdued, and an active 
 love must take its place. This is ef- 
 fected in regeneration and its accom- 
 panying exercises, the whole of which 
 is popularly styled conversion. In re- 
 generation God acts on the soul (John 
 1:13), but in the accompanying exer- 
 cises of repentance and faith the Avill of 
 man is brought into active exercise. 
 We are begotten with the word of truth 
 (jamesi : 18), and licuce the necessity of 
 I)roclaiming "the word of reconcilia- 
 tion" to men. The " beseeching," the 
 earnest entreaty, is an appeal to the 
 emotions and the will, which must be 
 brought into active and loving exercise 
 in order that reconciliation may be fully 
 accomplished in the soul. 
 
 21. The reason or ground of the 
 exhortation to be reconciled to God. 
 Omit For, according to the highest 
 critical authorities. Translate : Him 
 who knetv not sin, in its widest and 
 deepest meaning, as a ruling power or 
 princii)le (seeonRom. 5 : 12), wlio knew it 
 not as an experience, either in positive 
 acts or as a condition, but was perfectly 
 innocent and guiltless (1 Peter 2 : 22), he 
 made to be sin for us, in behalf of us ; 
 he was put into such connection with 
 sin and such relation with us as sinners 
 that he bore the curse of sin in our behalf 
 
 ( Gal. 3 : 13 ; Heb. 9 : 28) . He tOOk OUr plaCC 
 
 and suffered in our stead (i Peter 2: 24; 1 
 Tim. 2:6; Matt. 20: 28). Some take siu in 
 the sense of a sin offering; but of this 
 there is not sufficient evidence. Christ 
 was appointed to represent sin and the 
 sinner, and, though holy, was treated 
 as sin and sinners are treated (Acts 2 : 23; 
 Rom. 8:3). He bore our sins, but he was 
 not contaminated with sin (Heb. 7:26). 
 And this was done in order that we 
 might be made, better, that we 
 might become, the righteousness of 
 God in him, that we might be brought 
 by faith into such connection with it, 
 and into such relation to Christ, as to 
 become possessors of this righteousness 
 and its blessedness. In other words, 
 that we, though sinners, might, on ac- 
 count of the death of Christ in our be- 
 half, be treated as righteous, and become 
 so, by the forgiveness of our sins and 
 the renewal by the Holy Spirit. (See 
 
 notes on Rom. 1 : 17 ; 3 : 21, 22.) 
 
 The Relation of Christian Ex- 
 peeience for admission to baptism 
 AND THE Church. Conversion, in a 
 broad and popular sense of the word, 
 may be said to be a spiritual change of 
 a soul from a sinful state or course of 
 sin to a life of love and of service of 
 God, implying regeneration, repent- 
 ance, and faith in Christ. Such a 
 change is supernatural. It is a "new 
 
362 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. V. 
 
 creation" (Gai. 6 is), not an evolution 
 from the old sinful nature, but a holy 
 seed implanted by the Spirit of God, 
 and nourished by his Spirit, word, and 
 grace. They who have undergone this 
 change have entered upon a new life, 
 having been "born again," "born of 
 the Spirit " (John 3 : 3, 5). They are " in 
 Christ" and are "new creatures: old 
 things have passed away ; behold, they 
 have become new" (2Cor. 5:i7), and 
 their " life is hidden with Christ in 
 God" (Col. 3: 3). In other words, this 
 change is miraculous. They in whom 
 it has been etiected are "born, not of 
 blood, nor of the will of man, but of 
 God " (John 1 : 13). " He that believeth 
 on me," saj^s Jesus, " the works that I 
 do shall he do also ; and greater works 
 than these shall he do ; because I go to 
 the Father" (Joim u : 1-2), referring to 
 the works through the Holy Spirit, 
 especially in the conversion of sinners. 
 Supernatural works in the realm of 
 Spirit are superior to those in the realm 
 of sense. The raising of a soul from 
 death into eternal life is a greater work 
 than the raising of a dead body to life. 
 
 I emphasize this change as super- 
 natural and miraculous, because there 
 appears to be in our time a tendency to 
 strip off the supernatural from Scrip- 
 ture miracles and prophecy and from 
 the Christian life. Evangelical Chris- 
 tian experience is as a consequence 
 undervalued ; a change of heart is to 
 many a mere change of purpose ; and a 
 relation of a Christian experience is 
 quite unimportant as an evidence for 
 admission to baptism and to the church. 
 
 But if conversion is the superhuman 
 work that Christ and his apostles de- 
 clare it to })e, then, as it is effected in 
 the soul, it must become an experience, 
 and no one can fully understand it but 
 such as have come to know it by actual 
 experience. Many passages of Scrip- 
 ture imply this experience, such as, 
 "Come unto me and I will give you 
 rest"; "As many as received him to 
 them gave he power to become the sons 
 of God"; "If any man is willing to do 
 his will he shall know of the doctrine " ; 
 " But when it pleased (lod, who called 
 me by his grace, to reveal his Son in 
 me." Doubtless many may not be able 
 to point to the exact time when this 
 change took place. The Spirit is sov- 
 ereign and works as he pleases ( John 3:8). 
 
 But yet there comes to their conscious- 
 ness the fact that they were sinners in 
 the sight of God, lost and helpless to 
 save themselves, and that Jesus Christ 
 is now their Saviour, suited to them, 
 and "able to save to the uttermost 
 {completely) them that come unto God 
 by him." 
 
 In view of all this, it certainly ap- 
 pears that it is not enough to declare 
 "a willingness to know and do the 
 truth " in order to an entrance into the 
 church. The first duty toward God 
 should have l>een performed. Repent- 
 ance toward God and faith in our Lord 
 Jesus Christ should have been exer- 
 cised. A consciousness of Jesus as a 
 Saviour from sin, a personal Saviour, 
 should have been felt. Such an expe- 
 rience is symbolized and professed in 
 baptism (Rom. 6:4). Nothing short of 
 this, it would seem, should be required 
 for one to be publicly enrolled with the 
 people of God. There should be an ex- 
 perience akin to that of the blind man : 
 " One thing I know, that, whereas I 
 was blind, now I see " (John 9 : 25). It is 
 scriptural and reasonable that one be 
 able to give an account of the hope that 
 
 is in him (1 Peter 3 : 15). 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. It is the privilege of the Christian to 
 have an assurance, practically amounting 
 to knowledge, of a future glorified exist- 
 ence (ver. 1 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 58 ; John 14 : 2). 
 
 2. The pains and burdens incident to 
 our frail mortal bodies are in striking 
 contrast to the immortal vigor of the 
 future glorified body (ver. 2-4; Cor. 15: 
 53-55; Rev. 21 : 4). 
 
 3. The second coming of Christ will be 
 a joyful day to all who shall be prepared 
 to meet him (ver. 2-4; James 5 : 7, 8; 2 
 Tim. 4 : 8). 
 
 4. The Christian is designed for a blessed 
 immortality ; and the Spirit gives him 
 evidences of it here (ver. 5; 2 Tim. 1 : 9, 
 10; Eph. 1 :3). 
 
 5. The Christian's home is where Christ 
 is (ver. 6 ; Phil. 1 : 23 ; Rev. 3 : 21). 
 
 G. The Christian's prospects are such 
 that he can, whatever his circumstances, 
 be of good courage (ver. 6, 8: Phil. 4 : 4). 
 
 7. In spiritual things, faith is at present 
 better than sight (ver. 7 ; 4 : 18 ; John 20 : 
 29; Heb. 11 : 27). 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 363 
 
 6 WE then, as i workers together tvith 
 him, beseech you also •" that ye receive 
 
 AND working together with him, 
 we also beseech you that ye receive 
 
 1 1 Cor. 3 : 9. 
 
 m Titus 2 : 11 ; Heb. 12 : 15, 25. 
 
 8. The state between death and the res- 
 urrection is one of conscious, happy exist- 
 ence, and is far more desirable than our 
 present state (ver. 8 ; Luke 23 : 43 ; Phil. 
 1 : 23). 
 
 9. The Christian should be ambitious, 
 but it should be a sanctified ambition in 
 all things, and first of all to please God 
 (ver. 9 ; Heb. 11 : 5 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 31). 
 
 10. Our probation will close with this 
 life. We are to be judged of the things 
 done in the body (ver. 10; Acts 17 : 31 ; 
 Eph. 6:8; Rev. 22 : 11). 
 
 11. We should present the terrors of the 
 law, and the fearfulness of a coming judg- 
 ment, not to frighten, but to persuade 
 sinners to flee from the wrath to come 
 and lay hold on eternal life (ver. 10 ; Acts 
 10 :42; Luke 19 : 41, 42). 
 
 12. Godly sincerity, a conscious upright- 
 ness, and a real love for souls, are far 
 more valuable than any external advan- 
 tages or endoAvments (ver. 12 : Acts 24 : 16). 
 
 13. The earnest, fervent Christian is sure 
 to be misjudged by the indolent, luke- 
 warm, and unbelieving (ver. 13 ; Mark 3 : 
 21 ; 5 : 15-17 ; Matt. 10 : 24, 25). 
 
 14. Nothing on earth equals the con- 
 straining power of Christ's love (ver. 14; 
 Eph. 3 : 19). 
 
 15. Since Christ died in behalf of all 
 men it is the duty of Christians to preach 
 the gospel to all (ver. 15 ; Heb. 2:9; John 
 3 : 16). 
 
 16. True Christian living is unselfish 
 living, devoted to Christ and his cause 
 (ver. 15 ; Rom. 12 : 1 ; 2 Tim. 1 : 12, 13). 
 
 17. We should form our estimate of men 
 and things from a spiritual standpoint, 
 with a reference to both time and eternity 
 (ver. 16 ; Phil. 3 : 3-10 ; Isa. 53 : 2, 3). 
 
 18. The new birth is a new creation. It 
 is a radical change in the will and affec- 
 tions ; in the feelings and perceptions of 
 the soul (ver, 17 ; John 1 : 13 ; Eph. 4 : 24). 
 
 19. God is infinitely desirous for the 
 reconciliation of men. He has removed 
 every obstacle on his part through Jesus 
 Christ ; and to effect it in man he has ap- 
 pointed a ministry of reconciliation (ver. 
 18, 20 ; John 3 : 16 ; Job 9 : 33). 
 
 20. How sublime the work of God in 
 divine and human reconciliation, and 
 how responsible and glorious the work of 
 making it known to men (ver. 19, 20; 
 Rom. 11 :33; 1 Tim. 1 : 12). 
 
 "21. How amazing the condescension of 
 God in making a reconciliation possible, 
 and in entreating men to be reconciled 
 (ver. 20; Phil. 2:7, 8). 
 
 22. The sinner has something to do. He 
 is to give up his opposition to Grod, accept 
 the terms of mercy, and trust in Jesus 
 Christ alone for salvation (ver. 20 ; Acts 2 : 
 38; 16 :31). 
 
 23. The Lord is our sin-bearer and our 
 righteousness (ver. 21; 1 Peter 2 : 24; Isa. 
 53 :12; Jer. 23: 6; 33:16). 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The apostle admonishes the Corinthi- 
 ans not to receive the grace of God in 
 vain (ver. 1, 2), and describes the aims of 
 his ministry in cultivating every grace 
 amid hardships and persecutions, and 
 in accomplishing great and blessed re- 
 sults (ver. 3-10). He thcii makcs an ear- 
 nest appeal for an affectionate response 
 (ver. 11-13), and warns the Corinthians 
 against unbelief, impurity, and evil 
 associations. 
 
 1-10. Further description op 
 the aims and work of his minis- 
 try, as an ambassador of christ. 
 With the wonderful list of apostolic 
 suflFerings, comp, 4 : 8-12 and 11 : 23-27. 
 
 1. We then, as workers togeth- 
 er. This is rather a continuation of 
 the thought from the last chapter, And 
 loorking together with him, with Christ, 
 in whose behalf they entreated men to 
 be reconciled, and who is the principal 
 subject of thought in the preceding 
 verse, (comp. i cor. 3 :9.) Beseech you 
 also, rather, we also beseech you, with 
 the added idea, we give you this exhor- 
 tation, that ye receive not, etc. As 
 ambassadors of Christ they were ex- 
 horting men to be reconciled (5: 20)^ 
 and were thus fellow-helpers of Christ ; 
 and in pursuing this work they also 
 entreated and exhorted the Corinthians 
 that the grace of God, the grace of 
 reconciliation, which had been extend- 
 
364 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 2 not the grace of God in vain. (For he 
 saith, "I have heard thee in a time 
 accepted, and in the day of salvation 
 have I succoured thee. °Behol'd, now 
 is tlie accepted time ; behold, now is 
 
 3 the day of salvation.) p Giving no 
 offence in any thing, that the ministry 
 
 4 be not blamecl : but in.all things approv- 
 ing ourselves i as the ministers of God, 
 •■in much patience, in afflictions, nn 
 
 5 necessities, in distresses, « in stripes, in 
 imprisonments, " in tumults, in labours, 
 
 2 not the grace of God in vain ; (for he 
 says. 
 
 In an acceptable time I heard thee. 
 And in a day of salvation I helped 
 thee ; 
 behold, now is the acceptable time, 
 behold, now is the day of salvation ;) 
 
 3 giving no cause of stumbling in any- 
 thing, that our ministrj- be not blamed ; 
 
 4 but in everything commending our- 
 selves as God's ministers, in much pa- 
 tience, in afflictions, in necessities, in 
 
 5 distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, 
 in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in 
 
 n Luke 19 : 42-44. o Heb. 3 : 7, 13. p Rom. 14 : 13 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 32. 5 12 : 12 ; 1 Cor. 4 : 1. 
 
 r 2 Tim. 3 : 10. si Cor. 4 : 11. ( 11 : 23-27. « 1 : 8-10; Acts 17 : 4, 5. 
 
 ed to them in their conversion, should 
 not be received in vaiu, to no pur- 
 pose. Compare the rocky ground hear- 
 ers who received the word with joy, 
 
 but fell away ( Matt. 13 : 20, 21 ; also comp. 
 
 John 15 : 2). Their iinal salvation might 
 depend instrumentally on such exhor- 
 tations as this. 
 
 2. In a parenthetic sentence, includ- 
 ing a quotation from Isa. 49 : 8, in the 
 ■words of the Septuagint version, Paul 
 gives a reason and an enforcement of 
 the exhortation. For he saith, I 
 have heard, better, I heard thee, etc., 
 the quotation closing with the indefi- 
 nite past, I succoi'ed or helped thee. 
 These were the words of Jehovah to the 
 Mes.siah, who is the head of his people. 
 The time accepted, the time of ex- 
 ercising grace or favor, was the day 
 of salvation, the day for announcing 1 
 and communicating salvation to his j 
 people. This had been promised and its 
 fulhllment was certain. So the apostle 
 rightly applies these prophetic words 
 to this gospel time and gospel message. 
 Behold, now, since we are ambas- 
 sadors on behalf of Christ, who has 
 Ijeen made sin for us, and given us this , 
 earnest raes.sage of reconciliation, ?io»' | 
 is the «t// accepted time ; behold, 
 now is the day of salvation, the ; 
 time and day of (iod's grace, which we 
 beseech you not to receive in vain. 
 The Christian sliould in his life and 
 conduct continually acknowledge God's 
 gracious incs.sago and the word of rec- 
 onciliation which he has received. i 
 
 3. This is clo.scly connected with I 
 ver. 1. Paul enforced his exliortation 
 " not to receive the grace of God in 
 vain," by his own example. Givin§r 
 no offence, no cattse of stnmhling, in 
 
 anything, in any respect, that the 
 ministry, of reconciliation, the office 
 and its ministration, be not blamed. 
 
 It was of the first importance that their 
 ministry should be without reproach ; 
 for this might prove a cause of stum- 
 bling, leading some into error or sin. 
 
 4. The preceding verse presents the 
 negative, this the positive side. But 
 in all things, in everything, ap- 
 proving, or commending (the same 
 word as in 3 : 1), ourselves as the 
 ministers of God, better, as God's 
 ministers, in the long list of particulars 
 that follows. They did not prove, but 
 rather co7n mended themselves as God's 
 ministers by their conduct. In 3 : 1 
 ourselves is emphatic; here it is not. 
 Paul speaks modestly. The means by 
 which Paul and his associates com- 
 mended themselves may be divided 
 into four classes. The first, extending 
 to the end of ver. 5, relates to bodily 
 sufferings in ten particulars. In much 
 patience, endurance, steadfastness, 
 unswerving in the greatest trials and 
 sutterings. In distresses, great 
 straits from which escape seems about 
 hopeless (* ■■»). 
 
 5. In stripes, in imprison- 
 ments, or in prisons (11:23-25: Acts le : 
 22-24). The book of tlie Acts records but 
 one of these, that at Philippi (Actsie: 
 22 ff.) ; but gives but a small part of 
 Paul's ministry and sufi'erings. In 
 tumults, civil disturl)ances, seditions. 
 For some of these in tlie apostle's ex- 
 perience see Acts 13 : 50 ; 14 : 5, 19 ; 
 16 : 22; 17 : 5; 18 : 12; 19 : 23. In 
 labours, for his own support (Acts is : S; 
 20:34; 2Thes3. 3:8) ; Spiritually, for 
 Christ's cause (Coi. 1 : 29; 1 Tim'4 : 10). 
 Watchings, sleepless nights in trav- 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 365 
 
 6 in watchings, in fastings ; » by pure- 
 ness, y by knowledge, by longsuffering, 
 by kindness ; ^ by the Holy Ghost, » by 
 
 7 love unfeigned, •> by the word of truth, 
 bv <= the power of God ; by ^ the armour 
 of righteousness on the right hand and 
 
 8 on the left, by honour and dishonour, 
 e by evil report and good report ; as de- 
 
 9 ceivers, and yet true ; as unknown, and 
 ^yet well known; eas dying, and, be- 
 hold, we live ; as chastened, and not 
 
 10 killed; as sorrowful, ^yet alway re- 
 
 6 fastings ; in pureness, in knowledge, in 
 long-suffering, in kindness, in the Holy 
 
 7 Spirit, in love unfeigned, in the word 
 of truth, in the power of God ; through 
 the weapons of righteousness on the 
 
 8 right hand and on the left, through 
 glory and dishonor, through evil re- 
 port and good report ; as deceivers, 
 
 9 and yet true ; as unknown, and yet 
 well known ; as dying, and behold, we 
 
 10 live ; as chastened, and not killed ; as 
 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing ; as 
 
 X 1 Thess. 2 : 10. 3/ 11 : 6 ; Eph. 3:4. zZ:Z; Rom. 15 : 19 ; 1 Thess. 1:5,6. a See refs. Rom, 12 : 9. 
 
 64 : 2; Eph. 1 : 13. c 1 Cor. 2 : 4, 5. d 10 : 4 ; Eph. 6 : 11, 13, 14 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 8. e Rom. 3 : 8. 
 
 / 4 : 2 ; 11 : 6 ; 1 Cor. 4:9. g See refs. 4 : 10, 11. h 1 Thess. 3 : 7-10. 
 
 eling, praying, with anxious cares and 
 the like (Acts 27: 20, 33). In fastings, 
 common with Paul (11:27; Acts 13 : 2,3; 
 14:23), In all these he had showed 
 "much patience" (ver. 4). 
 
 6, 7. The second class of the list be- 
 gins here, consisting of eight internal 
 virtues and endowments, ending with 
 *' the power of God " (ver. 7). By, more 
 exactly, in, as far as the phrase "the 
 armor of righteousness," in ver. 7. In 
 pureness, from evil deeds and mo- 
 tives and sin generally (1 Tim. 5:22). 
 Knowledge, of divine truth (1 Cor. 
 12 : 8). Longsuffering, or forbear- 
 ance, which does not hastily retaliate 
 wrong. In the Holy Spirit, having 
 his presence, and enjoying his manifes- 
 tations (Rom. 8 : 4, 5; 1 Cor. 12 : 8). Love 
 
 unfeigned, real, sincere, free from 
 selfish purposes, a marked character- 
 istic of Paul (ver. n ; Rom. 12 : 9). Jn the 
 
 word of truth, with which he was en- 
 trusted and which he preached (* : 2; 5 : 
 19; Gal. 2 : 5). In the poAver of God, 
 
 manifested in their preaching and work 
 
 (4:7; 1 Cor. 2:4). 
 
 The third class of the list begins at 
 this point, extending through "good 
 report," in ver. 8, and consists of six 
 things by means of which Paul ad- 
 vanced his work, thereby commending 
 him as a minister of Christ. By^ — in 
 this class the preposition is changed 
 from in to through or by means of. 
 The armour, or weapons, of right- 
 eousness on the right hand and 
 on the left, both for offense and de- 
 fense, the shield of faith as well as the 
 sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:i6, 17) and 
 the spear of truth. 
 
 8. By honour, through, or by means 
 of glory, the highest kind of honor, 
 and dishonour, that cast upon him 
 
 by the enemies of God's cause. Through, 
 or by means of, evil report and good 
 report, defamation and praise. Not 
 only did the ai)Ostle pass through these 
 opposite experiences, but they resulted 
 in the furtherance of the gospel (Phii. 
 1 : 12). His conduct was such, and the 
 results were such, as to commend him 
 as God's servant (Gai. 1 : lo; 2 : 11 er.). 
 
 The fourth and last class of the list 
 commences here, ending with ver. 10, 
 and consists of seven striking contrasts 
 of the apparent and real condition of 
 Paul and his associates, each contrast 
 beginning with as. As deceivers 
 and yet true. Yet, in this and the 
 following contrasts, is not needed to ex- 
 press the sense. That God's enemies 
 should call them deceivers was really a 
 commendation, as well as the fact that 
 they were really true. 
 
 9. As unknown, regarded as ob- 
 scure persons by some (comp. oai. 1 : 22)^ 
 and yet Avell known, where he 
 labored in the churches (3 : 1, 2; 5 : 11). 
 As dying, so regarded from the stand- 
 point of his sufferings, infirmities, and 
 persecutions (4 : 10, 11 ; 1 cor. 4:9), and, 
 behold, we live (i:io; Acts 14 20); 
 as chastened, and not killed (an 
 allusion, perhaps, to Ps. 118 : 18), in 
 deep affliction and apparently chas- 
 tened of God, but not put to death. 
 
 ( Comp. 7:4; 12:7-9; Isa. 53 : 4. ) Afflictions 
 
 are not always chastisements, but often 
 opportunities for glorifying God (John 
 
 17 : 1; James 5 : ll), 
 
 10. As sorrowful, full" of sorrow, 
 so it seems to the world, who witness 
 our tears and anxieties, yet alway 
 rejoicing in the Lord (* : i7; Rom. 5: 
 3, 11; Phil. 4 : 4, 12). Thcrc is joy in the 
 Christian's tears ; though trials abound, 
 joy superabounds. As poor, needy 
 
366 
 
 II. COftlNTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 joicing ; as poor, yet making many 
 rich; 'as having nothing, and yet pos- 
 sessing all things. 
 
 Tlie apostle's warnings to, and affection, for 
 
 the Corinthian Christians, and his joy 
 
 on receiving the report of Titus. 
 
 11 O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open 
 
 12 unto you, •'our heart is enlarged. Ye 
 are not straitened in us, but ' ye are 
 
 13 straitened in your own bowels. Now 
 for a reeompencc in the same, (™I 
 speak as unto my cliildren,) be ye also 
 enlarged. 
 
 poor, yet making many rich ; as hav- 
 ing nothing, and yet possessing all 
 things. 
 
 11 Our mouth is open to you, O Corin- 
 
 12 thians, our heart is enlarged. Ye are 
 not straitened in us, but ye are 
 straitened in your own affections. 
 
 13 Now as a recompense in the same kind 
 (I speak as to my children), be ye also 
 enlarged. 
 
 i 1 Cor. 3 : 21, 22 ; James 2 : 5. 
 
 fc7 : 3. 
 
 1 12 : 15. 
 
 TO 1 Cor. 4 : 14, 15. 
 
 and penniless, and looked upon as 
 having nothing, and at the same 
 time making many rich with spirit- 
 ual blessings (l Cor. 7 : 29-31 ; Eph. 3 : 8, 16-19) , 
 
 and indeed possessing all things in 
 
 Christ, a boundless, an eternal, and a 
 heavenly inheritance (i Cor. 3 : 21-23; Rom. 
 8 : 32). A fitting climax of this wonder- 
 ful description. 
 
 11-13. An appeal for an affec- 
 tionate RESPONSE. 
 
 11. After the remarkable description 
 of his own sufferings in exercising his 
 ministrj', the way is prepared for this 
 powerful appeal. O ye Corinthi- 
 ans, the only place where they are 
 thus i)ersonally and pointedly addressed 
 in the two Epistles. Our mouth is 
 open unto you, full, frank, without 
 reserve, the outlet of a large overflowing 
 heart. " Out of the abundance of the 
 heart the mouth speaketh " (Matt. 12 : 34). 
 Our heart is enlarged, has been 
 and is enlarged, expanded in sympa- 
 thy, love, and interest for you. What 
 makes this the more remarkable in 
 Paul's case is that this enlargement 
 takes place notwithstanding the provo- 
 cations, opposition, and criticisms he 
 had received from them. (Comp. Gai. 
 4:19) Thislarge-heartedness and warm, 
 tender sympathy were among the secrets 
 of Paul's success. 
 
 12. Ye are not straitened, com- 
 pressed into a narrow space, in us, in 
 our hearts; tliere is ample room for 
 you ; but ye are straitened in 
 your own bowels, iji your oicn 
 hearts, or affections, and so you do not 
 respond as ye should to our love. The 
 fault is not in us, but in you. Your 
 hearts, your afiections, are not brojid 
 enough to receive us. The Hebrews 
 regarded the bowels as we do the heart. 
 
 as the seat of the tenderer affections, 
 and so the word is better rendered here 
 and in many places by heart or affec- 
 tions (Pliil. 1:8; 2:1; Col. 3 : 12, etc.). 
 
 13. NoAV for, or as, a recom- 
 pense in the same kind — that is, in 
 love (I speak as unto my chil- 
 dren, with paternal affection to chil- 
 dren who should return filial love), be 
 ye also enlarged in your hearts. 
 Return love for love. 
 
 Pail's Heart. Paul was eminently 
 a man of heart, and this was one secret 
 of his power over men. At Ephesus, 
 for the space of three years, he ceased 
 not to admonish every one niglit and 
 day "with all lowliness of mind and 
 with tears " ( Acts 20 : 19, 31 ). At Corinth 
 he was " in weakness, and in fear, and 
 in much trembling" (icor. 2:3). To 
 the Corinthians, in his Second Epis- 
 tle, he especially reveals his heart. 
 Whether afflicted or comforted, it was 
 for their consolation and salvation 
 (2 Cor. 1:6). " Out of mucli affliction 
 and anguish of heart," he wrote to them, 
 "with many tears" (2Cor. 2:4). His 
 mouth was open and his heart enlarged 
 unto them (2 Cor. 6:ii), How frankly, 
 courageously, yet tenderly, he addresses 
 his opposers at Corinth, fiice to face and 
 heart to heart (^ Cor. 10 : 1-11 : 3:<). How 
 full of love is his Epi.stle to the Philip- 
 pians, overflowing even to Christless 
 souls: "For many walk, of whom I 
 have told you often, and now tell you 
 even weeping, that they are the enemies 
 of the cross of Chri.st " ( vh\\. 3 : is). And 
 in his last Epistle, on the eve of mar- 
 tyrdom, how lovingly, as a father, does 
 he write to his spiritual son Timothy 
 with his final benediction : " The Lord 
 Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace 
 be with you" (2 Tim. 4 : 22). 
 
Ch. VI.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 367 
 
 14 ° Be ye not unequally yoked together 
 with unbelievers. For »\vhat fellow- 
 ship hath righteousness with unright- 
 eousness ? And what communion hath 
 
 15 light with darkness? And what con- 
 cord liath Christ with Belial ? Or what 
 part hath he that believeth with an in- 
 
 16 fidel ? And p what agreement hath the 
 temple of God with idols ? For i ye are 
 the temple of the living God ; as God 
 hath said, ^ I will dwell in them, and 
 walk in them; and I will be their God, 
 
 17 and they shall be my people. 'Where- 
 
 14 Be not yoked unequally with unbe- 
 lievers ; for what fellowship has right- 
 eousness with lawlessness ? And what 
 communion has light with darkness? 
 
 15 And what concord has Christ with 
 Belial ? Or what portion has a believer 
 
 16 with an unbeliever? And what agree- 
 ment has God's temple with idols? 
 For we are the living God's temple, as 
 God said, I will dwell in them, and 
 walk among them ; and I will be their 
 God, and they shall be my people. 
 
 n Deut. 7 : 2, 3 ; 1 Cor. 7 : 39 ; James 4:4. o 2 Chron. 19 : 2 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 21 ; Eph. 5 : 7, 11 ; 1 John 3 : 12, 13 
 
 p 1 Sam. 5 : 2, 3 ; 1 King 18 : 21 ; Matt. 6 : 24. 3 1 Cor. 3 : 16, 17. 
 
 r Exod. 29 : 45 ; Ezek. 37 : 26, etc ; Zech. 13 : 9. s See refs. Isa. 52 : 11. 
 
 14-7 : 1. Warning against evil 
 associations and exhortation to 
 INWARD HOLINESS. On accouut of the 
 abruptness of these verses and their 
 seeming want of connection with the 
 context, some have considered them a 
 part of a letter now lost and written 
 before our present first Epistle (i Cor. 
 5:9). Such a theory, however, is not 
 necessary. Paul had exhorted them 
 not to receive the grace of God in vain 
 (ver. 1) ; and after the digression in ver. 
 3-10, it was not unnatural for him to 
 urge their separation from unbelievers, 
 as a means of more effectively enjoying 
 the blessed results of the grace of God. 
 Besides, the apostle, having expressed 
 his warm aflection for them (ver. ii-is)^ 
 could get a full and hearty response 
 only as they separated themselves from 
 sin and sinners. 
 
 14, Be ye not unequally yoked 
 together with unbelievers, which 
 will be a hindrance to receiving and 
 enjoying the grace of God and to the 
 exercise of Christian affection. This is 
 to be limited not merely to marriages 
 of Christians to the heathen and the 
 unbelieving, although including them, 
 but must be extended to close and in- 
 timate relations and companionships. 
 The figure is taken from yoking to- 
 gether two animals of different species, 
 as the ox and ass (oeut. 22 : lo). They 
 were to avoid such association with un- 
 believers as would involve complicity 
 in their sins. For what fellowship, 
 what sharing (the word thus rendered 
 occurs only here in the New Testa- 
 ment), hath righteousness with 
 unrighteousness? lawlessness, which 
 was characteristic of heathen life. And 
 what communion hath light with 
 
 darkness? What has one in common 
 with the other? Light represents the 
 condition of the Christian (John 3: 19)^ 
 and darkness that of the heathen and 
 the unbeliever (4:4; Eph. 5:8). The mere 
 asking of such questions suggested their 
 answer. 
 
 15. What concord, agreement, 
 hath Christ ^vith Belial? rather, 
 Beliar, an epithet for Satan. Beliar is 
 found in Deut. 13 : 13 ; Judg. 19 : 22 ; 1 
 Sam. 25 : 25, and means ivorthlessness, 
 and appears to have been applied by 
 the later Jews to Satan, the prince of 
 evil spirits. Or what part, or por- 
 tion, hath he that believeth Avith 
 an infidel? hath a believer loith an 
 unbeliever f As there can be no com- 
 patibility between the two opposing 
 principles of truth and error, between 
 the heads of the two opposing kingdoms, 
 Christ and Satan, so there can be none 
 between the members of these king- 
 doms, believers and unbelievers. 
 
 16. What agreement, partner- 
 ship, hath the temple of God with 
 idols? The question suggests that 
 there were still some at Corinth who 
 were abusing their liberty (icor. 8:io) 
 and who needed to ' ' flee from idolatry " 
 (1 Cor. 10:14). For ye are, rather, we 
 are, the temple of the living God, 
 and therefore we should not enter into 
 any alliance with idols, (see notes on 1 
 Cor. 3 : 16 and 6 : 19. ) This i s Confirmed and 
 explained by the quotations from the 
 Old Testament which follow. The cita- 
 tion in this verse is a union of Lev. 
 26 : 11, 12 and Ezek. 37 : 27, quoted 
 freely and doubtless from memory. 
 The apostle infuses into them the gospel 
 idea, and applies to spiritual Israel 
 those predictions which referred pri- 
 
368 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VI. 
 
 fore come out from among them, and 
 be ye separate, saith the Lord, and 
 touch not the unclean thing; and 
 18 I will receive you, 'and will be a 
 Father unto you, "and j;e shall be 
 my sons and daughters, saith the Lord 
 Almighty. 
 
 17 Wherefore, come out from the midst of 
 them, and be separated, saith the Lord, 
 and touch not anything unclean ; and 
 
 18 I will receive you, and will be to 
 you a Father, and ye shall be to me 
 sons and daughters, saith the Lord 
 Almighty. 
 
 t Jer. 31 : 9; Rev. 21 : 7. 
 
 u See refs. Rom. 8 : 14-17. 
 
 marily to literal Israel. Compare our 
 Lord's words in John 17 : 21, 23; also 
 Kom. 9 : 25, 26 ; 1 Peter 2 : 9, 10. 
 
 17, 18. In these two verses Paul 
 drawls a conclusion and makes an ap- 
 plication in the language of Scripture. 
 He combines Isa. 52 : 11 ; 2 Sam. 7 : 14, 
 with Ezek. 20 : 33, 34; Isa. 43 : 6 ; 
 Hosea 1 : 10 ; Amos 4 : 13, quoting and 
 combining freely. Wherefore, since 
 God has promised to dwell in you and 
 walk in you and be your God, come 
 out from among them, and be ye 
 separate, let it be done at once and 
 let the act be complete. The prophet 
 had reference to the heathen ; the apos- 
 tle extends the reference to the wicked 
 and the unbelieving generally. And 
 touch not, do not continue to touch, 
 as in the pa.st, anything unclean. 
 
 ( Corup. 1 Cor. 5 : 10 and note.) There mUSt bc 
 
 a separation from both unholy people 
 and unholy things. This done, and I 
 (emphatic) will receive you, and 
 will be a Father unto you, I will 
 enter into the relation of a Father to 
 you, and ye shall be my sons and 
 daughters, ye shall enter into the 
 relation of sons and daughters to me. 
 
 ( Comp. John 17 : 15 ; Rev. 18 : 4 ; Lev. 11 : 8, 31-40 ; 
 
 F.zLk 11:20.) The Lord Almighty, 
 
 so the Hebrew "Lord of Hosts" is 
 translated in the Seventy, and so the 
 name of God frequently appears in the 
 
 Revelation (l : 8; 4:8; 11 : 17, etc.). In 
 
 these last three verses we have an illn,'?- 
 tration of the way in which the Old 
 Testament is frequently quoted in the 
 New. The writers often quote accord- 
 ing to sense and from memory, and 
 often blend together different passages, 
 and sometimes only give the general 
 sense of Scripture. All these are illus- 
 trated here. On these promises the 
 apostle grounds his exliortation in the 
 first verse of the following chapter. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 1. It is of the first importance, both for 
 salvation and for usefulness, that Chris- 
 tians be exhorted not to receive the grace 
 
 of God in vain (ver. 1 ; 1 Cor. 9 : 27 ; Heb. 
 12 : 14-17). 
 
 2. How much we owe to the interces- 
 sion of Christ (Ps. 2 : 8 ; Isa. 59 : 16 ; Heb. 
 7:25). 
 
 3. The day of salvation is of infinite 
 importance. To each individual it is the 
 " now " (ver. 2 ; Heb. 3 : 7-13). 
 
 4. The minister of the gospel should be 
 without reproach. Purity of character is 
 necessary to his highest success (ver. 3 ; 
 Matt. 10 : 16 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 32, 33). 
 
 5. The lives of ministers, and indeed of 
 all Christians, should commend them and 
 their works to their fellow-men (ver. 4; 
 Phil. 2 : 14-16 ; 1 Thess. 2 : 10-12). 
 
 6. How often and how greatly do the 
 bodily sufferings of Christians redound to 
 the good of the world and the glory of 
 God (ver. 4, 5; Rom. 5:3-5; Phil. 1 : 
 12-14). 
 
 7. A minister's success depends largely 
 upon a holy life, and a consecrated serv- 
 ice (ver. 6, 7 ; Mai. 2 : 1-7 ; 2 Tim. 2:3-5; 
 4:5). 
 
 8. We should seek to increase our effi- 
 ciency by eveiy instrumentality given us, 
 and by making the most untoward cir- 
 cumstances contribute to that end (ver. 
 7, 8 ; Phil. 3 : 7-11 ; 1 Peter 4:1; Ps. 76 : 
 10). 
 
 9. A wicked world presents a fine field 
 for exhibiting a true Christian character 
 and life (ver. 8-10; Phil. 2 : 15, 16). 
 
 10. The true estimate and worth of a 
 Christian is to be obtained by a deeper 
 view than that of outward circumstances 
 (ver. 10 ; 1 Sam. 16 : 7). 
 
 11. None but a minister or a pastor 
 can know a pastor's heart (ver. 11 ; 12 : 
 14; Gal. 4 : 19). 
 
 12. A people should return a pastor's 
 love. His best recompense is that they 
 enlarge their love toward him, obey 
 Christ, and be separated from the world 
 (ver. 13-17; 3 John 3, 4; Philem. 19-21). 
 
 13. The cause of Christ suffers unless a 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 369 
 
 7 HAVING ^ therefore these promises, 
 dearly beloved, ylet us cleanse our- 
 selves from all filthiness of the flesh 
 and spirit, ^perfecting holiness in the 
 fear of God. 
 
 2 Receive us ; » we have wronged no 
 man, we have corrupted no man, we 
 
 3 have defrauded no man. I speak not 
 
 7 HAVING therefore these promises, 
 beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from 
 every defilement of flesh and spirit, 
 perfecting holiness in the fear of 
 God. 
 
 2 Open your hearts to us ; we wronged 
 no one, we corrupted no one, we de- 
 
 3 frauded no one. I say it not to con- 
 
 z6 : 17, 18. y Ezek. 36 : 25. 26 ; 1 Peter 2 : 11 ; 1 John 3 : 1-3. 
 
 z Phil. 3 : 12-15 ; 1 Thess. 3 : 13 ; Heb. 12 : 14. o See refs. 1 Sam. 12 : 3, 4. 
 
 line of separation is distinctly made and 
 seen between Christians and unbelievers 
 (ver. 1^16 ; 2 John 11 ; 1 Tim. 5 : 22 ; Matt. 
 6 : 24). 
 
 14. Christians should avoid evil com- 
 panionships and evil associations (ver. 
 14-16; ICor. 15 : 33, 34). 
 
 15. Christians are God's temple. How 
 pure their hearts should be ; how clean 
 their consciences ; how holy their lives 
 (ver. 16; 2 Tim. 2 : 19-21). 
 
 16. There must be a separation from the 
 world, if we would enjoy the favor of 
 God (ver. 17 ; Matt. 16 : 24, 25). 
 
 17. The Christian alone among men en- 
 joys the true Fatherhood of God (ver. 17, 
 18; Rom. 8: 15, 16). 
 
 18. How unspeakable the privilege to be 
 a Christian, to be children of a king, and 
 heirs of a heavenly kingdom (ver. 18; 
 Rev. 1:6; Matt. 25 : 34). 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 Continuing the thought of the pre- 
 ceding chapter, Paul exhorts to inward 
 holiness (ver. i) ; and through the rest 
 of the chapter treats of the results of 
 his former Epistle, as he had learned 
 from Titus. He exhorts them to trust 
 him, and appeals to his uprightness 
 (ver. 2-4) . His affectioii for them proved 
 by his experience in Macedonia, re- 
 garding the coming of Titus, his anx- 
 iety for them, and the letter he had 
 written them, and his joy to hear that 
 it had resulted in their reformation 
 
 (ver. 5-16). 
 
 1. Having therefore these 
 promises, just quoted (6 : le-is), 
 dearly beloved, a tender and loving 
 epithet in harmony with 6 : 11, and 
 preparatory to the affectionate appeal 
 that follows. Let us cleanse our- 
 selves, a condition on which God 
 based his promise to receive them (s = it) 
 from all filthiness of the flesh 
 and spirit, better, from every defile- 
 
 ment of flesh and spirit, both outward 
 and inward, of word and act, of thought 
 and desire, from physical and spiritual 
 stains of sin. Perfecting holiness, 
 tlie positive side of the exhortation — 
 going on to complete holiness; to fol- 
 low after holiness is the work of a 
 Christian life (Heb. 12 : u). In the fear 
 of God, the feeling, the atmosphere 
 as it were, in which holiness is to be 
 pursued. A reverence for God and a 
 fear of offending him, are necessary to 
 our progress in sanctification (5:ii; 
 
 Matt. 10 : 28; 1 Peter 1 : 17). 
 
 2-16. Paul's appeal for their 
 full confidence and sympathy. 
 His joy at the good news brought 
 BY Titus regarding the effect op 
 HIS former letter. The change in 
 tone at this point of the Epistle, gives 
 force to the supposition that Titus had 
 just arrived from Corinth. See intro- 
 duction. 
 
 2* Having finished his exhortation 
 (6 : 14 ; T : i), Paul repeats his request of 
 6 : 13, in corresponding language. 
 Receive us — rather, Open your hearts 
 to us, make room for us in your affec- 
 tions. And there is no reason why you 
 should not heartily receive us. We 
 have wronged, rather, We wronged, 
 no man, while exercising our ministry 
 among you, we did no one injustice in 
 any way, we corrupted, or ruined no 
 man financially, we defrauded, we 
 overreached, or took advantage of no 
 
 one. ( Comp. 8 : 19, 20 : 12 : 14-16. ) In tllCSC 
 
 vivid expressions Paul probably had ref- 
 erence to charges that his opponents had 
 brought against him. They may have 
 misinterpreted his preaching, and his 
 conduct in matters of discipline, of 
 lodging among them and dealings with 
 them, and in gathering collections for 
 
 the poor. (Comp. lO : 7-11 ; 11 : 7 ; 1 Cor. 9:1-6.) 
 
 Some refer corrupted to corrupting 
 them by the preaching of false doc- 
 trine. ( Comp. 2 : 17 ; 11 : 3. ) But aS the tWO 
 
 other verbs denote, not inward, but 
 
370 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 this to condemn yon : for I have said 
 before, that ye are in our hearts '' to die 
 and live with you. "= Great is my ^x)ld- 
 ness of speech toward you, "i great is 
 my glorying of you : "1 am filled with 
 comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all 
 our tribulations. 
 
 For, f when we were come into Mace- 
 donia, our flesh had no rest, but s we 
 were troubled on every side ; without 
 tvere fightings, within tvere •> fears. 
 Nevertheless ' God, that comforteth 
 those that are cast down, comforted us 
 by k the coming of Titus ; and not by 
 his coming only, but by the consola- 
 tion wherewith he was" comforted in 
 
 demn you ; for I have already said, 
 that ye are in our hearts, to die to- 
 gether and to live together. Great is 
 my boldness toward you, great is my 
 glorj'ing on account of you ; I am filled 
 with consolation, I am made to abound 
 with joy, in all our affliction. 
 
 For even when we were come into 
 Macedonia, our flesh had no relief, but 
 we were afflicted in every way ; with- 
 out were fightings ; within were fears. 
 But God, who consoles the lowly, con- 
 soled us by the coming of Titus ; and 
 not by his coming only, but also by the 
 consolation with which he was con- 
 
 b 1 Thess. 2:8. c 3 : 12. 
 
 /2 : 13; Acts 20 : 1. 
 
 d 1 : 14 ; 9 : 2-4 ; 1 Cor. 1:4. e Rom. 5:3; Phil. 2 : 17 ; 1 Thess. 3 : 7-9. 
 y 4 : 8. /» 12 : 20, 21. t See refs. 1 : 3, 4 ; Jer. 31 : 13. fc 2 : 13. 
 
 outward injury, it is more natural to 
 understand this of external hurt or 
 ruin (1 Cor. 3:17), such as to bring to 
 beggary or want. 
 
 3. But Paul would not be misunder- 
 stood by what he had just said. His 
 words are not of condemnation, but of 
 love and perhaps a challenge against 
 reproach. I speak not this to con- 
 demn you, either directly or indi- 
 rectly, of any injustice. For I have 
 said before (5 11-13 ; e : 11-13) that ye 
 are in our hearts, in our affections 
 (Phil. 1 : 7), to die and live with you, 
 or, to die together and to live together — in 
 life and in death you will be in our 
 affection. No change in my circum- 
 stances or condition can alter my love 
 for you. An expression of highest 
 friendship. 
 
 4. For the first time in this Epistle 
 the first person plural is exchanged for 
 the singular when Paul is speaking of 
 himself. Great is my boldness of 
 speech (omit speech), my fearless coyi- 
 fidcnce, my bold assurance, toward 
 you, great is my glorying, to 
 others, on account of you (1 : i4: 3 : 2), 
 How then could he speak words of con- 
 demnation ? ( vor. 3. ) They surely would 
 not misconstrue his language. Ilis 
 heart was full to overflowing toward 
 them, and on their account to others ; 
 and more : I am filled with com- 
 fort, and encouragement, with the con- 
 solation wliich I have received by the 
 intelligence from you, through Titus, 
 who had come from Corinth. I am 
 exceeding joyful in all our trib- 
 ulation, / overflmv tcith joy in all 
 our affliction. A climax of feeling and 
 expression. The phrase, in all our 
 
 affliction, is to be joined to both of the 
 preceding clauses. 
 
 5. For, when, rather, For, even 
 n-he)i we were come into Mace- 
 donia. Not only in Troas was I filled 
 with anxiety (2: is), but in Macedonia 
 also I had no rest till I heard from 
 Titus. Our flesh (not merely the 
 body but our sensitive human nature, 
 our frail human self) had no rest, 
 or relief; but we were troubled, 
 hard pressed, afflicted on every side, 
 in every way, in everything. His mental 
 anguish took hold of his body, affected 
 his health ; everything was a burden. 
 Without were fightings, disputings, 
 and opposition from avowed unbeliev- 
 ers and Judaizing Christians. (Comp. 
 
 Acts 13 : 45: 14 : 4, 5. 19; 16 : 19, 20; 17 : 5-8. 13, 
 
 18-20.) Within were fears, for the 
 
 Corinthians, regarding the mission of 
 Titus, his reception at Corinth and the 
 result. The conflicts with tliose outside 
 the church doubtless also aroused fears 
 and anxieties. 
 
 G. Nevertheless God, that, who, 
 comforteth, and encourages (both 
 ideas are in the word), who consoles, 
 those that are cast down, those 
 who are brought low with grief, de- 
 pressed with sorrow, comforted, or 
 consoled, us by the coming of Ti- 
 tus, and his presence with us. (Coiup. 
 
 1 Thess. 3 : 6, 7.) 
 
 7. And not by his coming only, 
 
 and presence (comp. 2 : u), but by the 
 consolation wherewith he was 
 comforted, or consoled, in you, in 
 respect to you as a ground of consola- 
 tion. Titus was encouraged, consoled 
 by the conduct of the Corinthians ; and 
 the rehearsal of what he had seen and 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 371 
 
 you, when he told us j'our earnest de- 
 sire, your mourning, your fervent mind 
 toward me ; so that I rejoiced the 
 
 8 more. For i though I made you sorry 
 with a letter, I do not repent, though I 
 did repent : for I perceive that the 
 same epistle hath made you sorry, 
 
 9 though it were but for a season. Now I 
 rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, 
 but that ye sorrowed to '" repentance : 
 for ye we're made sorry after a godly 
 manner, that ye might receive damage 
 
 10 by us in nothing. For "godly sorrow 
 
 soled in you, when he told us your 
 earnest desire, your mourning, your 
 zeal for me; so that I rejoiced* the 
 more. Because, though I made you 
 sorry by my letter, I do not regret it, 
 though I did regret it ; for I see that 
 that letter made you sorry, though but 
 for a time. Now'l rejoice, not that ye 
 were made sorrj-, but that ye we're 
 made sorry to repentance ; for'ye were 
 made sorry after a godly manner, that 
 in nothing ye might receive harm from 
 
 J 2 : 2-4. 
 
 m Ezek. 18 : 27-30 : Jonah 3 : &-10. 
 
 n 2 Sam. 12 : 13 ; Matt. 26 : 75. 
 
 heard among them was consoling to 
 Paul. When he told us your ear- 
 nest desire for me, longing to see me 
 again among you, your mourning 
 
 for having grieved me so by tlie divi- 
 sions in the church, and especially in 
 regard to the incestuous person (i Cor. 3 : 
 3; 5:1), your fervent mind tOAvard 
 me, better, your zeal for me, in defend- 
 ing me against enemies. The First Epis- 
 tle had borne good fruit in their repent- 
 ance, in obeying his directions, and in 
 increasing their affection for him. So 
 that I rejoiced the more, on the 
 receipt of the good tidings. He had at 
 first been made glad by the arrival of 
 Titus ; but the good news made him the 
 more glad. 
 
 8. Paul proceeds to explain his " re- 
 joicing the more," with reference to 
 his First Epistle. For, or, Because, 
 though I made you sorry with a, 
 rather, the, letter, by means of my let- 
 ter, I do not repent, rather, regret 
 it, though I did i^egi-et it. The word 
 translated repent is a more superficial 
 and less noble word than the one usu- 
 ally used for repent, which means to 
 change our mind (next verse). It is 
 found in the New Testament only here, 
 Matt. 21 : 29, 32 ; 27 : 3, and Heb. 7 : 21. 
 The word regret best expresses its mean- 
 ing here. It properly expresses an after 
 care, concern, or anxiety for something 
 done, which may indeed attend true re- 
 pentance, but which may also be felt 
 where there is no radical change, as in 
 the case of Judas (Matt. 27 : 3). That an 
 inspired apostle in his human weak- 
 ness should have had a time when he 
 regretted that he had given the Corin- 
 thians pain, by his letter, with perhaps 
 no good results, is not strange. Inspi- 
 ration does not use a man as a mere 
 machine, the human element has a 
 
 place. And after the special im- 
 pulse of the Spirit passes away, he 
 may have the struggles and misgivings 
 common to his frail nature (ver. s; comp. 
 
 John the Baptist, Matt. 11 : 2 ; Jer. 1:6-9; Jonah 1:3; 
 
 4 : 1-11). The apostle now gives a reason 
 for what he had said in the first half of 
 this verse. For I perceive that 
 that epistle grieved you, though 
 but for a season. He feared lest 
 he had given unnecessary pain, and 
 his mind was not fully set at rest till 
 Titus arrived and he saw that God's 
 Spirit had ordered all things right and 
 for their highest good. Here we see 
 the tender and conscientious heart of 
 Paul. 
 
 9. Though for a time I felt misgiv- 
 ings and regret, Noav I rejoice, not 
 that ye were made sorry, I would 
 not have you think that for a moment, 
 your sorrow in itself gave me joy, but 
 that ye sorrowed, better, but that 
 ye were made sorry unto repentance, 
 unto a change of mind, which was at- 
 tended with such experiences and ref- 
 ormation as described below. Repent- 
 ance is a change of mind, of purpose, 
 feelings, and views, implying an ab- 
 horrence of and sorrow for sin, a turn- 
 ing to God, and hearty amendment of 
 conduct or reformation of life as the 
 fruits (Matt. 3 : 8-10). For ye were 
 made sorry after a godly man- 
 ner, literally, according to God, as 
 he commands and wills, that is with re- 
 pentance ( Rom. 8 : 27). That yc might 
 receive damage, or, suffer harm, 
 from us in nothing pertaining to sal- 
 vation. If they had not exercised this 
 sorrow they might have been spiritually 
 injured with a sorrow that " worketh 
 death" (ver. lo). 
 
 10, This verse confirms and explains 
 what he had just said of godly sorrow 
 
372 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VII. 
 
 worketh repentance to salvation not to 
 be repented of : "but the sorrow of the 
 world worketh death. 
 
 11 For behold this selfsame thing, that 
 ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what 
 carefulness it wrought in you; yea, 
 what clearing of yourselves ; yea, nhdt 
 indignation ; yea* what p fear ; yea, what 
 q vehement desire; yea, tvhnt ^zeal; 
 yea, what ^ revenge ! In all thing!' ye 
 have approved yourselves to be clear 
 
 12 in this matter. " Wherefore, though 1 
 wrote unto you, / did it not ^for his 
 cause that had done the wrong, nor for 
 his cause that suffered wrong, "but 
 
 10 us. For godly sorrow works repent- 
 ance to salvation, not to be repented 
 of ; but the sorrow of the world works 
 
 11 out death. For behold this very thing, 
 that ye were made sorry after a godly 
 manner, what diligence it wrought in 
 you ; yea, what defence of yourselves ; 
 yea, what indignation ; yea^ what fear ; 
 yea, what longing desire: yea, what 
 zeal ; yea, what avenging ! " In every 
 thing ye shcAved yourselves to be pure 
 
 12 ill the matter. So" then, though I wrote 
 to you, it was not on account of him 
 who did the wrong, nor of him wht) 
 suffered wrong, but that your care for 
 
 o Gen. 4 : 14 ; 1 Sam. 31 : 3-6 ; 2 Sam. 17 : 23 ; Matt. 27 : 4, 5. p Ver. 1 ; Ps. 2 : 11 ; Heb. 4 : 1. 
 
 gPs. 38:9; 42 : 1; Isa. 26: 8. r9 : 2. s Matt. 5 : 29, 30. « 1 Cor. 5 : 1. u 2 : 4 ; IJohn 3 : 18, 19. 
 
 and its negative effect. For godly i 
 sorrow, that sorrow which is accord- ' 
 ing to God's mind and will, Avorketh, 
 produces, repentance, a change of 
 mind, leading to salvation through 
 Christ, a salvation from sin, including 
 pardon, newness of life, peace, and j 
 reconciliation with God; not to be j 
 repented of, rather, not to be re- 
 gretted. (See on ver. 8.) Many refer this I 
 last clause to salvation, w4iich cannot ' 
 be attended with regret, or by a figure 
 of speech, by which a positive is af- ' 
 firmed by a negative meaning here : ' 
 salvation, affording supreme joy. ' 
 Others refer it to re]^€ntance, since we ; 
 cannot conceive of a salvation which is 
 attended with regret ; but a superficial 
 or false repentance must necessarily be 
 regretted. It seems to me that Paul 
 had the whole phrase in mind, repent- 
 ance to salvation, which in its nature 
 and results was attended not with re- 
 gret but joy. But the sorrow of 
 the world, such as the unregenerate 
 have, the opposite of godly sorrow, 
 worketh, produces, death, aliena- 
 tion from God and eternal death. A god- 
 ly sorrow abhors sin and is exercised on 
 account of sin as sin ; the sorrow of the 
 worhl is exercised in view of conse- 
 quences, and from fear of punishment, 
 and leads to remorse and despair. The 
 two are illustrated in the case of David 
 (Ps. 51) and Saul (i s.im. i5 : 24), Peter 
 
 (Lvike 22 : 62) and J udas (Matl. 27 : 3-5). 
 
 11. The apostle exhibits the good ef- 
 fects of godly sorrow in the Corin- 
 thians as a proof of what he had been 
 saying. For behold this selfsame 
 thins:, this very thing, etc., Avhat 
 carefulness, rather, what earnest- 
 
 ness, it wrought in you, to make 
 amends for previous negligence and in- 
 activity in removing offenses; this ear- 
 nestness is expanded in six partic- 
 ulars : yea, what clearing of your- 
 selves, or, defense of yourselves, to 
 Titus, and through him to me; yea, 
 what indignation against sin and 
 at themselves in view of the scandal in 
 the church ; yea, what fear of the 
 apostle's condemnation and rebukes 
 
 (ver. 15 ; 1 Cor. 4: 21) and of God's dis- 
 
 pleasure; yea, Avhat vehement, 
 longing, desire for me, to see me 
 (ver. 7) ; yea, what zeal to punisli tlie 
 offender, in behalf of God, for liis 
 glory; yea, what revenge, inflic- 
 tion of punishment ! This is one of 
 Paul's climaxes. Bengel notes that 
 two of these six particulars are in re- 
 gard to themselves, two in regard to the 
 apostle, and two in regard to the of- 
 fender. In everything ye have ap- 
 proved yourselves to be clear, 
 ye commended yourselves as pure in the 
 matter, regarding the incestuous person 
 which had so scandalized the church 
 (i Cor. 5 : i). The cliurcli liad acted as a 
 church, and through its majority had 
 inflicted needed discipline (2:5,6). 
 Tlie blessed effects of godly sorrow 
 were thus manifest. 
 
 12. The apostle deduces the infer- 
 ence, that he wrote them his former 
 Epistle, not for any private considera- 
 tions, but to bring out tliis earnestness 
 and activity just described, there- 
 fore, accordingly then, though I 
 wrote you, I did it not for his 
 cause that had done the wrong 
 merely, nor for his cause that suf- 
 fered wrong, the fatlier of the in- 
 
Ch. VII.] 
 
 II. COEINTHIAXS 
 
 373 
 
 that ovir care for you in the sight of 
 God might appear unto you. 
 
 13 Therefore we were comforted in your 
 comfort; yea, and exceedingly the 
 more joyed we for the joy of Titus, 
 because his sj)irit »was refreshed by 
 
 14 you all. For if I have boasted any 
 thing to him of you, I am not ashamed ; 
 but as we spake all things to you in 
 truth, even so our boasting, which / 
 made before Titus, is found a truth. 
 
 15 And his inward affection is more abun- 
 dant toward you, whilst he remem- 
 bereth y the obedience of you all, how 
 ^ with fear and trembling ye received 
 
 us might be manifested to you in the 
 
 13 sight of God. For this cause we have 
 been consoled ; but in our consolation, 
 we rejoiced abundantly more at the 
 joy of Titus, because his spirit has 
 
 14 been refreshed by you all. For if in 
 any thing I have gloried to him of you, 
 I was not made ashamed ; but as we 
 spoke all things to you in truth, so also 
 our glorying before Titus was found to 
 
 15 be truth. And his tender affection is 
 more abundantly toward you, while he 
 remembers the obedience of you all, 
 how with fear and trembling ye re- 
 ceived him. 
 
 I Rom. 15 : 32. 
 
 y2 : 9; Phil. 2 : 12. 
 
 z Ver. 10, 11. 
 
 cestuous person (icor. 5:i), it was not 
 the private interests of individuals that 
 caused me to write you, it was rather 
 your good. Paul speaks of his chief 
 and primary motive in writing as if it 
 was his only motive. All else was sub- 
 sidiary. This passage would seem to 
 indicate that the father of the offender 
 was still alive. But that our care 
 for you, rather, according to the best 
 texts, But that your earnest care, or, ?'e- 
 gard, diligence, earnestness (the same 
 word as in ver. 11) for its {your and us 
 are emphatic) might appear, might 
 be manifested, unto you in the sight 
 of God, pure and upright in his sight. 
 His aim was the manifestation unto 
 themselves of their zealous regard for 
 him and his apostolic authority. In so 
 doing they would in the highest degree 
 show their faithfulness to Christ and 
 his cause, since he was an ambassador 
 of Christ, and represented Christ. And 
 this would result in the highest good 
 of all concerned. 
 
 13. The consoling effect of all this 
 upon Paul himself. Therefore, the 
 object of our writing having been ac- 
 complishecL we were, rather, tve have 
 been, comforted and encouraged, con- 
 soled. This should be followed by a 
 semicolon; and, according to the best 
 text, Paul continues, biU in, or upon 
 our, comfort, or consolation (added 
 to it), we rejoiced exceedingly more at 
 the joy of Titus (seever. 4), because 
 his spirit has been refreshed by 
 you all. The joy of Titus added 
 abundant joy to the apostle's consola- 
 tion, and Titus' joy resulted from the 
 refreshment his soul had received in 
 his intercourse with the Corinthians. 
 
 (Comp. on ver. 7.) 
 
 1 4. An additional reason for the apos- 
 
 tle's joy. For if I have boasted, 
 or gloried, anything to him of you, 
 I am not ashamed, rather, I teas 
 not put to shame, on his return and his 
 report, as if I had boasted falsely or 
 without cause. But as we spake 
 all things to you in truth, in all 
 our teaching and intercourse while 
 with you, even so our boasting, 
 or glorying, which I made before 
 Titus, is found, r2Lth.er, was found, 
 a truth. Paul had described their 
 true condition to Titus, that, notwith- 
 standing their divisions and disorders, 
 they were true at heart and had strong 
 regard and affection for himself, and 
 this he doubtless had said to encourage 
 Titus to perform the journey and the 
 mission, which might be an unpleasant 
 one. The repentance, the prompt obe- 
 dience, the strong affection, shown 
 toward Paul, and the kind reception 
 Titus received, proved the apostle's 
 words true. 
 
 15. The joyful result on Titus him- 
 self And his inward affection 
 (literally, bowels, as in 6 : 12, descrip- 
 tive of the tender thoughts and affection 
 of Titus) is now more abundantly 
 turned toward you, whilst he re- 
 membereth the obedience of you 
 all, hoAV, as shown by the fact that 
 with fear and trembling ye re- 
 ceived him, with self-distrust and 
 dread of doing wrong and anxiety to 
 please and obey the apostle. (See on i 
 Cor. 2:3.) The fear and trembling is not 
 descriptive of any awe that they had of 
 Titus, but of their obedience to Paul's 
 injunctions. This had deeply impressed 
 Titus, and the recollection of it intensi- 
 fied his affection toward them. 
 
 16, Paul abruptly concludes this 
 portion of the Epistle, which had been 
 
374 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 16 him. I rejoice therefore that "I have 
 coulidence in you iu all thinys. 
 
 16 I rejoice, that in everything I am of 
 good courage concerning you. 
 
 a 2 Thess. 3:4; Philem. 21. 
 
 of a personal character — his relation to 
 the Corinthians. Therefore should 
 be omitted, not being found in the most 
 ancient documents. Translate: / re- 
 joice that in everything I am of good 
 courage in you (vcr. 7). The ground of 
 his good courage was in them, in their 
 good conduct and their careful obedi- 
 ence of his word. Being thus made of 
 good courage by them, he could rejoice 
 concerning them, with good prospects 
 for their future. Having thus thor- 
 oughly settled the matter with the Co- 
 rinthians, he leaves it to attend to 
 other things in the next chapter. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. It is our duty to aim after holiness 
 and for its attainment. The promises of 
 God are both an encouragement and a 
 pledge (ver. 1 ; 1 : 20-22 ; 1 Peter 1 : 13-16). 
 
 2. Let us so live as to be able to appeal 
 to our conduct before our fellow-men in 
 proof of a blameless life (ver. 2 ; 1 Thess. 
 2 : 10-12). 
 
 3. We may defend ourselves against 
 wrong accusations, but it should be done 
 in a spirit of love and a willingness to 
 devote ourselves to the good of others 
 (ver. 3; IJohn 3 : 16). 
 
 4. The Christian life, and especially the 
 Christian ministry, has its great trials, 
 but also its overflowing joy (ver. 4-6; 
 James 5 : 10 ; E])h. 1 : 3 ; 1 Peter 1:8). 
 
 . 5. The faithful preacher at home, or the 
 missionarj' abroad, must expect seasons 
 of outward and inward trial ; but in all 
 God will bring a corresponding deliver- 
 ance (ver. 5 ; 2 : 13, 14 ; 2 Tim. 3 : 10-12). 
 
 6. God is the supreme source of all 
 consolation, and one important means is 
 through friends (ver. 6, 7; Acts 27:3; 
 28:15; Phil. 4 : 10). 
 
 7. Every true pastor has a deep interest 
 in the spiritual welfare of his people. 
 IIow cheering to the preacher's heart are 
 good reports from former fields of labor! 
 (Ver. 7 ; 1 Thess. 3 : 1-3, 6-9 ; Prov. 2.5 : 25.) 
 
 8. The inspiration of the sacred writers 
 was in harmony with the free exercise of 
 all their human faculties and feelings 
 (ver. 8 ; 12 : 1, 7 ; Gal. 2 : 11-13). 
 
 9. To give reproof is sometimes needful, 
 though painful. If done tenderly, and if 
 heeded, it will result in good and be pro- 
 ductive of joy to both the giver and the 
 receiver (ver. 8; Prov. 27 : 6, 9). 
 
 10. No damage ever comes from true 
 repentance. It is followed by reformation 
 of life and a present and eternal salvation 
 (ver. 9-11 ; Luke 3:8; Acts 11 : 18 ; 26 : 20). ' 
 
 11. Mere sorrow is not repentance. But 
 if exercised toward God, in view of sin 
 as against a holy God, it leads to repent- 
 ance (ver. 10; Ps. 51 : 4). 
 
 12. A worldly sorrow is distress only, 
 without looking to God for pardon and 
 salvation. It sometimes shortens life, or 
 leads to suicide, and always tends to 
 eternal death (ver. 11 ; Gen. 4 : 6-8, 13 ; 1 
 Kings 21 : 27-29). 
 
 13. True repentance is a real and posi- 
 tive change in one's feelings and views 
 in regard to God and sin. There comes to 
 be a hatred of sin, condemnation of self, 
 and an acknowledgment of God as right- 
 eous (ver. 11 : Ezra 9 : 6, 7; Job 42 : 6; 
 Luke 23 : 40-43). 
 
 14. We should especially aim to 
 strengthen the Christian life and develop 
 the Christian character of our brethren 
 (ver. 12; 3 John 2-4). 
 
 15. We may have a two-fold joy in 
 Christ's service : the joy of having done 
 good, and the joy that others, with us, 
 are doing and receiving good (ver. 13 ; 3 
 John 5-8). 
 
 16. Happy that man whose words are 
 above reproach ! (Ver. 14 ; 1 Peter 2 : 22.) 
 
 17. The renewed heart naturally goes 
 out in tender affection toward those who 
 manifest the evidences of true repentance 
 (ver. 15; Luke 15 : 21-24). 
 
 18. Faithful dealing and honest expla- 
 nations, where there are misunderstand- 
 ings, will generally be followed by the joy 
 and encouragement of renewed friend- 
 ship and increased affection (ver. 16; 
 Matt. 18 : 15). 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The second pakt of this Epistle, 
 the collection for the poor of the saints 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 375 
 
 The grace of giving to the poor Chris- 
 tians in Judea. 
 
 8 MOREOVER, brethren, we do you 
 to wit of the grace of God bestowed 
 
 2 on b the churches of Macedonia ; how 
 that <= in a great trial of aiiiiction ^ the 
 abundance of their joy and « their deep 
 poverty abounded unto the riches of 
 
 3 their liberality. For to their power, I 
 bear record, yea, and beyond their 
 
 8 AND we make known to you, breth- 
 ren, the grace of God which has been 
 bestowed in the churches of Mace- 
 
 2 donia ; that in much trial of affliction 
 was the abundance of their joy, and 
 their deep poverty abounded to the 
 
 3 riches of their liberality. For accord- 
 ing to their ability, I bear testimony, 
 
 6 Eom. 15 : 26. 
 
 c 1 Thess. 1:6; 2 : 14. 
 
 d Neh. 8 : 10-12. 
 
 e Mark 12 : 44. 
 
 at Jerusalem, begins here, and extends 
 to the end of the next chapter. In 
 these two chapters we have the most 
 extended discussion of the principles 
 of benevolence to be found in the Bi- 
 ble. Instead of a systematic treatment 
 we have an object Wesson, a case which 
 actually occurred, in which the duty, 
 principles, spirit, manner, and motives 
 of Christian giving are presented. It 
 should receive the special study of min- 
 isters, pastors, and members of our 
 churches. 
 
 Paul commences by adducing the 
 example of the Macedonian Christians 
 in the grace of giving, which he would 
 have the Corinthians imitate (ver. 1-6) ; 
 urges it also by the example of Christ 
 (ver. 7-11), that it be done willingly and 
 in fair proportion (ver. 12-15), He com- 
 mends to them the brethren who have 
 this business in charge as trustworthy 
 
 (ver. 16-24). 
 
 1-6. Paul PRESENTS THE Macedo- 
 nian CHURCHES IN THE GRACE OP 
 GIVING AS AN EXAMPLE TO THE 
 
 Corinthians. What precedes in this 
 Epistle was admirably adapted to in- 
 troduce the subject of benevolence. 
 Paul had expressed his deep affection 
 for them, and his confidence in their 
 faithfulness and readiness to do what- 
 ever he enjoined. They had complied 
 with his directions, and he had boasted 
 of them. All this was fitted to excite 
 them to liberality. 
 
 1. Moreover, brethren, we do 
 you to wit, rather, in more modern 
 English, ^?i(Z, brethren, we make known 
 to yon the grace, or favor, of God, 
 which has been bestowed on, better, 
 in, the churches, in the hearts and 
 manifested in the conduct of the mem- 
 bers of the churches of Macedo- 
 nia, the country north of Achaia. These 
 churches were those of Philippi, Thes- 
 salonica, and Berea. The grace of God 
 
 had, through the Holy Spirit, begotten a 
 like grace, a spirit oi favor, of liberality 
 in the hearts of the Macedonian Chris- 
 tians. Every good and perfect gift is 
 from God (James 1 : 17). The apostle 
 uses the word churches, since the liber- 
 ality exercised was a church act 
 through the members (vtr. 19), The ab- 
 rupt beginning of this chapter is ex- 
 plained by the fact that he had spoken 
 about it in his former Epistle, and it 
 was well known to the Corinthians 
 
 ( 1 Cor. 16 : 1-4 ; comp. Acts 24 : 17 ; Rom. 15 : 25-27 ) • 
 
 and that now, after completing the first 
 part of this Epistle, it was the upper- 
 most thing in Paul's mind (Gai. 2 : lo). 
 
 2, How this grace was manifested in 
 and among the Macedonians. I make 
 known to you (ver. i), how that in a 
 great trial, in much proof, of afflic- 
 tion was the abundance of their 
 
 joy (Acts 17 : 5; 1 Thess. 1 : 6; 2 : 14) ; and 
 
 their deep poverty abounded, 
 overflowed, unto the riches of their 
 liberality, into the w-ealth of open- 
 hearted generosity. The trial means 
 a test which was 2i2woof of their worth. 
 " In spite of their troubled condition 
 they had displayed great joy, and in 
 spite of their poverty they had dis- 
 played great liberality" (De Wette). 
 Macedonia had suffered severely from 
 civil wars between Csesar and Pompey, 
 between the triumvirs and Brutus and 
 Cassius, and between Augustus and 
 Marc Antony. There was much deso- 
 lation and distress. To give, under 
 such circumstances, indicated the grace 
 of God in their hearts. It was not so 
 much the amount as the proportion to 
 their means ; and this proportion was 
 so great that it was the very wealth of 
 generosity. 
 
 3. In this and the two following 
 verses the apostle gives a proof of their 
 super-abounding liberality. For to 
 their power, or according to their 
 
376 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 power, they were willing of themselves : 
 praying us with much intreaty that 
 we would receive the gift, and take 
 tipon us fthe fellowship of the minis- 
 tering to the saints. And this they did, 
 not as we hoped, but first sgave their 
 own selves to the Lord, ^ and unto us 
 by the will of God ; insomuch that ' we 
 desired Titus, that as he had begun, so 
 he would also finish in you the same 
 ''grace also. 
 
 Tlierefore, as 'ye abound in ever>' 
 thing, in faith, and utterance, and 
 knowledge, and in all diligence, and 
 in ™ your love to us, see " that ye abound 
 
 and beyond their ability, they gave of 
 their own accord ; with much entreatj* 
 beseeching of us the gmce and the 
 participation in the ministering to the 
 saints; and n(jt as we expected, but 
 themselves they gave first to the Lord, 
 and to us through the will of God. So 
 that we exhorted Titus, that as he had 
 before made a beginning, so he would 
 also finish among you this grace also. 
 But, as in everj-th'ing ye abound, in 
 faith, and speech, and knowledge, and 
 all diligence, and your love to us, see 
 that ye abound in this grace also. I 
 
 / Acts 11 : 28-30 ; 24 : 17 ; Rom. 15 : 25, 26 ; 1 Cor. 16 : 1, 3, 4. g Isa. 44 : 5 ; Rom. 14 : 7-9 ; 1 Cor. 6 : 19, 20. 
 h 1 Chron. 12 : 18 ; 2 Chron. 30 : 12. t Ver. 17 ; 9 : 5 ; 12 : 18. k Ver. 4, 19. 
 
 n Cor. 1 : 5; 12 : 13. m 7 : 7. n9:8. 
 
 ability, and beyond their power, 
 or ability, they were willing of 
 
 themselves, to give, they gave of 
 their own free choice. Under the in- 
 fluence of the Spirit and with the grace 
 of giving in their hearts, they gave be- 
 yond their means and of their own 
 choice. 
 
 4. That we Avould receive, 
 omitted by the best manuscripts. 
 Translate : beseeching of us with much 
 entreaty in regard to the grace of giv- 
 ing, and the participation of the minis- 
 tering to the saints. They besought 
 that they might exercise the grace of 
 liberality and have a share in this con- 
 tribution for the poor of the saints at 
 Jerusalem. A most remarkable exam- 
 ple. People too often need to be urged 
 to give according to their means, in- 
 stead of their entreating that they may 
 give even beyond tlieir means. Notice 
 that participation in Christian benefi- 
 cence is a privilege and joy to both the 
 giver and the receiver. (seeonRom. 15 : 26.) 
 
 5. And this they did, not as we 
 hoped, not simply as we expected, 
 but first gave their OAvn selves to 
 the Lord, to Christ, and unto us, 
 the apostle and his associates, to be at 
 
 their service (Acts 20 : 4; Col. 4 : lO-, Phil. 2 : 
 
 25, .30)1 an expression of self-surrender 
 and entire consecration to Christ and 
 his cause. And this was done by, or 
 through, the will of God, tlie Spirit 
 working in them and producing these 
 results (Acts 15 : 28). Such was God's will, 
 and through his will they did this 
 
 (1 Thess. 5 : is), 
 
 6. Application to the Corinthians. 
 Insomuch that we desired Titus, 
 
 rather, so that, in view of what the Mace- 
 donians had done, we exhorted Titus, 
 that as he had before begun, on his 
 first mission to the Corinthians (7:i4; 
 12:18), so he would, in his second 
 mission, also finish, or complete 
 among you, the same grace, better, 
 this grace, of liberality also, as well 
 as other labors for your good. Some 
 think Titus was one of the bearers of 
 the First Epistle (16:12), and perhaps 
 also of the second (ver. is). The act of 
 giving was an act of grace toward 
 others, and an exercise of a gracious 
 spirit. 
 
 7-15. Exhorts them to abound 
 in this geace, especially by the 
 example of christ ; giving will- 
 ingly and proportionately. 
 
 7. Therefore, rather, But (turning 
 away from the instruction given to 
 Titus to direct exhortation) ; as in 
 everything ye abound, especially in 
 the graces here named, in faith, exer- 
 cised actively and attended with good 
 to others (1 : 24) ; and utterance, or, 
 speech, aptness for speaking and reason- 
 ing; and knowledge, of the truth; 
 and all diligence, earnest zeal in 
 Christ's work (^ :ii) ; and your love 
 to us, received and abiding in us, 
 literally, the love from yoti in us. All 
 these were graces, since they were be- 
 gotten by God's grace and Spirit and 
 l)y them good was conferred upon 
 others. See that ye abound in this 
 grace of benevolence also. Giving 
 was the exercise of a gracious disposi- 
 tion for the good of others. It was the 
 product of the Holy Spirit. The ex- 
 cellent gifts of the Corinthians (1 Cor. 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 377 
 
 8 in this grace also. »I speak not by 
 commandment, p but by occasion of the 
 forwardness of others, and to prove 
 
 9 the sincerity of your love. For ye 
 know the grace of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, that, i though he was rich, yet 
 for your sakes •• he became poor, ^ that 
 ye through his poverty might be rich. 
 
 10 And herein »! give 'my advice: for 
 "this is expedient for you, who have 
 begun before, not only to do, but also 
 
 11 to be * forward a year ago. Now there- 
 fore perform the doing of it; that as 
 there was a readiness to will, so there 
 may be a performance also out of that 
 
 say it not by way of command, but 
 through the diligence of others prov- 
 ing also the sincerity of your love. 
 
 9 For ye know the grace of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, 
 for your sakes he became poor, that ye 
 through his poverty might become 
 
 10 rich. And I give my judgment in this 
 matter ; for this is profitable for you, 
 who made a beginning before otners, 
 not only to do, but also to will, a year 
 
 11 ago. And now finish the doing of it 
 also ; that as there was the readiness 
 to will, so there may be the finishing 
 
 Ver. 10 ; 1 Cor. 7 : 6, 12, 25. p9:2; Heb. 10 : 24. g John 1:1-4; 16 : 15 ; Col. 1 : 16, 17 ; Heb. 1 : 6-12. 
 
 r Matt. 8 : 20 ; 17 : 27 ; Luke 9 : 58 ; Phil. 2 : 6-8. s Rom. 8 : 17, 32 ; 1 Cor. 3 : 21, 22 ; James 2 : 5. 
 
 1 1 Cor. 7 : 25. u Prov. 19 : 17 ; Matt. 10 : 42 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 18, 19 ; Heb. 13 : 16. x9 : 2. 
 
 12 : 8, 9) were reasons for their excelling 
 in the noble grace or gift of Christian 
 beneficence. 
 
 8. But the apostle would not be mis- 
 understood ; he does not command, but, 
 by exhortation and through the ex- 
 ample of others, he would have them 
 abound in this grace as an exercise of 
 love. I speak not by command- 
 ment, by way of command. Paul does 
 not mean that he has no command of 
 God in the case, but that he does not 
 intend to command. He would not be 
 arbitrary; he did not dictate (ver. lO; 
 
 1 Cor. 7 : 25; Philem. 8, 9). But I SgCak 
 
 and urge this by occasion of the 
 forwardness of others, rather, 
 through the earnestness of others, which 
 I use as a test, proving also the sin- 
 cerity, or genuineness, of your love. 
 Paul would not coerce them to give, for 
 that would not be liberality on their 
 part. True benevolence must be vol- 
 untary. 
 
 9. He appeals to the greatest of all 
 examples, that of Christ, by whose 
 standard of love the benevolence of the 
 Corinthians and of all others could be 
 tested. For, in the exercise of this 
 grace for the good of others, ye know 
 the grace of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, who is both our Saviour and 
 Lord, whose example, love, and grace 
 are above all others and present a per- 
 fect standard; that, though he was 
 rich (John 1:1-3; Heb. 1:3), yet for your 
 sakes he became poor, or he beg- 
 gared himself (Phii. 2 :6-8), that ye 
 through his poverty might be 
 rich, gain spiritual wealth and be 
 heirs and joint heirs with him. Our 
 Lord's becoming poor has reference not 
 
 merely to his outward earthly poverty, 
 but to his emptying himself of his divine 
 majesty and glory (Phii. 2:7), and taking 
 upon himself the form of a servant (Matt. 
 8 : 17, 20) . Through him we become par- 
 takers of the divine nature (Eph. 3:i9; 
 Col. 2 : 2, 3 ; 2 Peter 1:4), and hcirs to a heav- 
 enly inheritance ( Eph. l : ll, IS; l Peter 1:4), 
 
 Such an example of self-renouncing 
 and self-sacrificing benevolence and 
 love, the apostle presents before the 
 Corinthians to test their love and Stim- 
 ulate them to a like renunciation. 
 
 10. This verse is closely connected 
 with ver. 8. The important and strik- 
 ing thought of ver. 9 is parenthetic. 
 And herein, in this matter, I give no 
 command, but, I give my advice, or 
 judgment (i Cor. 7 : 25). For this, giving 
 an opinion or judgment in the matter, 
 is expedient and profitable (icor. 
 6 : 12) for you, li'ho began before others, 
 a year ago, not only to icill but also to 
 do. To command would be an injustice 
 to you, ignoring the fact that you began 
 a year ago ; but to give my judgment as 
 to what is best to be done now, under 
 present circumstances, is expedient and 
 profitable for you. It appears that the 
 Corinthians had preceded the Macedo- 
 nians, not only in beginning the collec- 
 tion, but also in the purpose of making 
 it (9 : 2 ; 1 Cor. 16 : i), and Paul gives them 
 full credit before offering advice in the 
 matter. 
 
 11. Now therefore, rather, But 
 now, perform, complete, the doing 
 of it also ; carry out your resolution 
 at once, and finish the task according 
 to your ability. That as there was 
 a readiness toAvill, so there may 
 be a performance, the completion, 
 
378 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. VIIL 
 
 12 which ye have. For y if there be first 
 a willing mind, it is accepted according 
 to that a man hath, and not accord- 
 
 13 ing to that he hath not. For / mea7i 
 not that other men be eased, and ye 
 
 14 burdened : but by an equality, that 
 now at this time your abundance viay 
 be a supply for their Avant, that their 
 abundance also may be a supply for 
 your want: that there may be equal- 
 
 15 ity : as it is written, He that had 
 gathered much had nothing over ; and 
 lie that had gathered little had no 
 lack. 
 
 16 But thanks he to God, which put the 
 
 12 according to what ye have. For if 
 there be first the willing mind, it is 
 accepted according to what one has, 
 not according to what he has not. 
 
 13 For it is not that others may have 
 
 14 relief and ye di.stress ; but, by the rule 
 of equality, at this present time vour 
 abundance being a supply for their 
 want, that also their abun(iance may 
 become a supply for your want, tha't 
 
 15 there may be equality ;' as it is written. 
 He that gathered much had nothing 
 over, and he that gathered little did 
 not lack. 
 
 16 But thanks be to God, who puts the 
 
 y See refs. Exod. 25 : 2 ; Mark 12 : 43, 44 ; Luke 21 : 3 ; 1 Peter 4 : 10. 
 
 also out of that which yc have, 
 
 according to your means. The standard 
 of their giving was to be from their 
 possessions, according to their ability ; 
 and he would have them as ready to 
 perform as they were to Mill ; and by so 
 doing they would show the sincerity of 
 their love (ver. 7). 
 
 12. Explanatory of the last clause. 
 I say, "according to what ye have," 
 for if, as in your case, there be first 
 <Ae willing mind, the inclination, the 
 readiness (the same word as in ver. 11 
 and*19), it is accepted, by God, well 
 pleasing to him, according to what 
 one hath and not according to 
 that he hath not. The readiness is 
 personified which is accepted according 
 to the means it has, ( f^omp. Mark 12 : 41-44.) 
 God looks at the heart ; he asks not for 
 what is beyond our power. 
 
 13. Paul further explains that it is 
 not the object of the collection to dis- 
 tress the Corinthians in order to relieve 
 the saints at Jerusalem. For I mean 
 not that other men be eased, 
 rather, that others may have relief, in 
 this ca.se the saints at Jerusalem, and 
 ye burdened, distressed, in poverty. 
 Perhaps some might have supposed 
 that Paul was partial and over-much 
 anxious for his Jewish brethren. This 
 Paul denies and declares for the prin- 
 ciple of equality (next verse). 
 
 14. But by the principle of equal- 
 ity, that there may be fairness and 
 equitable dealing. Dean Stanley notes 
 the similarity between this passage and 
 several in the fifth book of Aristotle's 
 " I'^thics," in which the word is used in 
 the sense of fairness, reciprocal advan- 
 tage. That now at this time, in 
 the present crisis, your abundance 
 may be, or being, a supply for 
 
 their want, for their deficiency, that 
 their abundance may become at 
 some future time a supply for your 
 want; that there maybe equal- 
 ity, that there may be equitable deal- 
 ing on the principle of an equal pro- 
 portion. The supposition is that the 
 situation might at some time be re- 
 versed, the saints at Jerusalem prosper- 
 ous and they in distress, Paul evidently 
 has no reference to the spiritual bless- 
 ings which they would receive from the 
 Jews. These tliey had already received 
 (Rom. 15 : 27). Tlic wliolc discussion is 
 upon temporalities. 
 
 15. And this accords with Scripture, 
 As it is written (Exod. 16 : 18, freely 
 quoted from the Septuagint), showing 
 how God bestowed the manna according 
 to each man's need. He that gath- 
 ered much had nothing over ; 
 and he that gathered little had 
 no lack. In this miracle Paul sees 
 an acted parable, illustrating the prin- 
 ciple of equality, in that the gift to 
 every man was proportionate to his 
 wants. There is no communi.sm in this 
 passage (ver. 11-15). A man's property 
 is recognized as his own. He is to give 
 voluntarily and according to his means, 
 not into a common fund for everybody, 
 but for the relief of those in want. It 
 was for the necessities of the saints, but 
 not in the encouragement of idleness 
 
 (2 Thess. 3 : lO). 
 
 16-24. Titus and the two 
 brethren who have charge of 
 the business are trustworthy. 
 
 16. Paul returns to Titus, whom he 
 had mentioned in ver. 6, in order to 
 speak of his mission to the Corinthians, 
 Tiie thought of his earnest zeal for them 
 fills him with thanksgiving. Thanks 
 be to God, which put, better, who 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 II. COIIINTHIANS 
 
 379 
 
 same earnest care into the heart of 
 
 17 Titus for you. For indeed he accepted 
 » the exhortation ; but being more for- 
 ward, of his own accord he went unto 
 
 18 you. And we have sent with him » the 
 brother, whose praise is in the gospel 
 
 19 throughout all the churches ; and not 
 that only, but who was also ^ chosen of 
 the churches to travel with us with 
 this <= grace, which is administered by 
 us 'i to the glory of the same Lord, and 
 
 20 declaration of your ready mind : « avoid- 
 ing this, that no man should blame us 
 
 same diligence for you into the heart 
 
 17 of Titus. For he accepted indeed our 
 exhortation ; but being very zealous, 
 he went forth to you of his own accord. 
 
 18 And together with him we sent the 
 brother, whose praise in the gospel is 
 
 19 throughout all the churches ; and not 
 that only, but Avho was also appointed 
 by the churches, as our fellow-traveler 
 with this gift which is administered by 
 us, to further the glory of the Lord', 
 
 20 and our zeal ; being careful of this, 
 that no one should blame us as to this 
 
 zYeT.6. a 12: 18. 6 1 Cor. 16 : 3, 4. c Ver. 4, 6, 7 ; 9 : 8. d4: 15; 9:13. e 11 : 12 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 22. 
 
 is putting, the same earnestness into 
 the heart of Titus for you, that 
 is in me and which I have expressed 
 (ver. 8-15). Paul has Titus and the work 
 he is doing vi%adly before his mind. 
 
 17. A proof of Titus' earnest zeal in 
 their behalf. For indeed he ac- 
 cepted the, rather, our, exhorta- 
 tion, to complete the collection which 
 he had begun (ver. 6) ; hut being 
 more forward, very earnest, of his 
 own accord he went unto you. 
 Titus having returned from Corinth, 
 Paul may have exhorted him to stir up 
 the Corinthians by letter to complete 
 the collection. But being the more 
 zealous, he determined to go again to 
 Corinth and do the work personally. 
 Or it may mean that Titus was so 
 earnest in the matter that he went of 
 his own free choice independently of 
 the exhortation. The past tense would 
 rather indicate that he had already 
 gone when the apostle was writing. 
 Still, it may be the epistolary past, 
 according to Avhich the most recent 
 events are represented as they would 
 appear to the readers of the letter, in 
 which case Titus would have been one 
 of the bearers of this Epistle. 
 
 18. Commendation of the first com- 
 panion of Titus. And we have sent, 
 or more exactly, we sent, with him 
 the brother. Who this was it is im- 
 possible to say. It was however no 
 obscure member of a church ; nor could 
 it have been so prominent a fellow- 
 worker as Barnabas or Silas, since 
 they would not have been put subor- 
 dinate to Titus. According to the next 
 verse he was appointed by the churches 
 to travel with Paul and take the pro- 
 ceeds of the collection ; but there is no 
 evidence that either Barnabas or Silas 
 was a fellow-traveler of the apostle at 
 
 so late a date as this. If the brother 
 was a delegate of the Macedonian 
 churches, it was probably Luke (Acts 
 20 : 5), for he was at Philippi and trav- 
 eled with Paul. And the commendation 
 is befitting Luke, whose praise is in 
 the gospel, as a Christian worker, 
 throughout all the churches. 
 
 (Comp. Col. 4 : U; 2 Tim. 4 : 11.) But if lie WaS 
 
 an Ephesian delegate, then it was prob- 
 ably either Trophimus or Tychicus, 
 both of whom traveled with the apostle 
 
 (Acts 20 : 4). 
 
 19. Further information regarding 
 this brother who was sent with Titus to 
 Corinth. And not that only, but 
 who Avas also chosen, appointed, 
 by a formal vote (seenote ActsU: 23)^ of 
 the churches to travel with us 
 with this grace, this favor, or gift, 
 which is administered by us, 
 looked after and managed by us. The 
 whole matter of this collection was en- 
 trusted to them. From Acts 14 : 23, 
 1 Cor. 16 : 3, 4, and this verse, it ap- 
 pears that both officers and delegates of 
 churches were appointed by vote of the 
 local church. It was the custom among 
 them, as among the Greeks, to vote by 
 show of hands. The object of this ap- 
 pointment and the ministration of this 
 matter of grace, was to the glory of 
 the same Lord, etc., rather, accord- 
 ing to the best text, to the glory of the 
 Lord and our earnest readiness, that is, 
 our readiness and zeal. It was in order 
 to subserve and further the glory of the 
 Lord and their readiness to undertake 
 and accomplish the work. How this 
 was done is told in the next two verses. 
 
 20. He would avoid suspicions which 
 were detrimental to Christ's glory and 
 to their reputation. Avoiding this, 
 rather, taking care of this, that no 
 man should blame us in this 
 
3S0 
 
 II. CORINTHIAXS 
 
 [Ch. VIII. 
 
 in this abuiuianoe which is adminis- 
 
 21 tered by us : f pr\>vidiug for houest 
 things, hot only in the sight of the 
 Ix^rd, but ali^o "in the sight of men. 
 
 22 And we have sent with them our 
 bivther, whom we have oftentimes 
 pmveil diligent in many things, but 
 now much more diligent. up»-»n the 
 great eontidenee which 1 hair in vou. 
 
 23 Whetlier any do inquire of Titus, he iV 
 my partner and fellowhelper (.Hmcern- 
 ing vou: or our brethren In iitquircd 
 (if, they art' sthe messengers of the 
 churcHes, and the glory of Christ. 
 
 24 Wherefore show ye to them, and before 
 tlie churches, '>tfie pixxn" of your love, 
 and of oiu: ' boasting on your behalf. 
 
 IxHuity which is administereii by us: 
 
 21 for we provide for w hat is honorable, 
 not only in the sight of the Lc»rd. but 
 
 22 also in the sight of men. And we sent 
 with them our bmther. w hom we have 
 often in many things pn^vevl to l»e 
 diligent, but now much more diligent, 
 thnuigh the great confidence which he 
 
 23 hivs tinvanl you. As to TitiL<. he is my 
 ^xirtner. and' in reganl to you a fellow"- 
 worker: lis to our brethren, they are 
 messengers of the chuirhes. tlie "gl»^rv 
 
 24 of ihnst. Theivfore sliow towari^ 
 them Ivfore tlie chun.'hes. the pitx>f of 
 vour love, and of oiu- glorving on your 
 behalf. 
 
 f Rom. VI : 17 : 14 16 : Phil. 4 : S : Col. 4 
 
 1 Peter 2 : IJ. ff Phil, i : 2S. h V, 
 
 i T : 14 : 9 : S. 
 
 abiiniiancef aj? to this crreat liberality, 
 Avhioh is admiuistered, nianage^l. 
 
 sujH?rinteiuleil. by us, Paul's caretiil- 
 uess and wistloni in this financial mat- 
 ter is shown in the appointment of this 
 well-known and highly trustet.i brother 
 to aecommny Titus. lie thus avoidtnl 
 all possible cluirges or suspicions of 
 dishonesty in adniinisteriug the trust. 
 How necessary this precaution was may 
 be inlerretl tVoin 12 : 17. 18. 
 
 21. Paul adds a personal reason for 
 this carefulness. Providiu? for 
 honest thinssi. rather, acconiiug to 
 the most approveii reading. For ire are 
 accustomed to proride, take thought, 
 care, for things honorable, praisewor- 
 thy, mor.illy go*xl. noble, not only in 
 the sitrht of the Lord, who sees 
 both the appearance and the heart. 
 but also in the sight of men, who 
 see only the conduct antl the outer life, 
 which "therefore should be above sus- 
 picion. To appear right as well as to 
 be riglit. is necessaiy l>otli before Inxl 
 and men. Honest had this wider mean- 
 ing when our Common version was 
 matlc. 
 
 22, Commendation of tlie second 
 companion of Titus. And we have 
 sent, more exactly, nr sent, Avith 
 them, Titus and his companion (^r 
 18). onr brother, whom we have 
 ortentimes proved diliirent, tested 
 and proved to be eanu.sf, in many 
 thinsrs, but now much more dil- 
 igent, or, tamest, through the great 
 eontidenee which he has toiranl 
 you. This brother had doubtless been 
 at Corintli. and would be esi^ei'ially ac- 
 ceptable to the Corinthians, in whom 
 he had so much eontidenee. Who he 
 
 was is wholly unknown. It may have 
 been Trophinius or Tychicus. (see on 
 
 rer. IS.) 
 
 23. A general commendation of the 
 thive brethren. \> hether any do in- 
 quiiv co»cerning Titus, he is my 
 partner, a shai-er of my labors and 
 cares, and fellow helper, or irorker, 
 with me, in naurd to pou. Or eon- 
 eeniing our brethren,"the two above 
 meiitioiuii. they are the messen- 
 gers of the churches (both api>ear 
 to have been appointtxl ; comp. ver. 19). 
 And, sluMild be omitttnl. They are, 
 the glory of Christ, in their work 
 and life they bring glory to Christ 
 (M:ut. 3 : 16), aiid ill tlicir jierson and 
 character they manifest his Spirit, ho- 
 liness, and power (•" is; r.:ii. i:34: .\cts 
 31:19. .'0^. Notice that the word trans- 
 lated nu'ssengers is apostles, when useti 
 othcially. It is hei-e applieil to these 
 deleg:Ucs, since they were sent by the 
 churches, the wonl apostle in the orig- 
 inal meaning ont- sent. 
 
 24, Thtrrfore. shew ye to them 
 (omit and) before the churches, 
 of which they are representatives, and 
 who would reiv>rt their reception and 
 their success to tluv^e w ho cominissioncil 
 tiuni. the proof of your love, your 
 Christian love to them, and, by your 
 ccvoperation in raising the collection, 
 your love to the i>oor. and the proof of 
 our boasting, or glori/ing, on your 
 behalf, give pnof that our boasting 
 was well groundtHl and true, (sw on 
 9 1-4) The Corinthians would show 
 this by their spirit and conduct. While 
 we are not to give to be seen of men 
 (M»tt. 6: 1. a), it is projuM' to i^et an ex- 
 ample to otliers of Christian liberality. 
 
Ch. VIII.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 381 
 
 IXTER-CHURCII RELATIONS, Paul 
 
 recognized all believers and churches 
 as belonging to a common brotherhood. 
 He wrote not only to the Corinthians 
 but "to all that call upon the name of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ in everyplace" 
 (1 Cor. 1 : 2, 3). Uc asscx'iatcd all'these to- 
 gether in one kingdom and one family, 
 in the expressions, ''our Lord," '" uur 
 Father." He would have the churches 
 on an equality with one another (2Cor. 
 12 : 13) and uniform in their practices 
 
 (1 Cor. 11 : 2: U : 34 ; 16 : 1 ) , like lUembcrS of 
 
 a family, independent yet dependent, 
 with certain relations, duties, and obli- 
 gations. Thus he would have them ex- 
 ercise a courteous and brotherly spirit 
 toward one another (i Cor. le : i9), and 
 exchange acts of kindness (Coi.4:i6). 
 Churches also gave and received letters 
 of commendation (2Cor. 3:i). Certain 
 churches also united in appointing 
 messengers to take the donations to the 
 poor of the saints at Jerusalem (2 Cor. 8 : 
 19.23). The church at Antioch sent 
 Paul, Barnabas, and others to consult 
 the apostles and the church at Jeru- 
 salem, and these latter returned a letter 
 of advice with messengers to Antioch 
 and to the churches of Syria and Ci- 
 
 licia (Acts 15 : 22. 23 ; conip. Rom! 16 : 1. 2). 
 
 Paul's Relation to the 
 Churches. Paul nowhere speaks of 
 himself as an officer of any particular 
 church. His relationship to the 
 churches, which he emphasized, was 
 spiritual : That of a father in 1 Cor. 
 
 4 : 15, " Yet have ye not many fathers ; 
 for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you 
 through the gospel " ; that of an apostle 
 in 1 Cor. 9:2, " If I be not an apostle 
 unto others, yet doubtless I am to 
 you " ; that of an ambassador in 2 Cor. 
 
 5 : 20, " Now then we are ambassadors 
 for Christ, as though God did beseech 
 you by us." Paul's authority was that 
 of the truth, that of an inspired man, 
 and of a preacher of the gospel. (Comp. 
 1 Peter 5 : 1-3.) All tliis weut to make him 
 the missionary that he was. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. A true spirit of Christian benev- 
 olence is indicative of the favor of God. 
 Fallen man is naturally selfish. The 
 grace of God is needed to make him truly 
 liberal (ver. 1 : Ps. 112 : 9 : 1 John 3 : 17)." 
 
 2. Aflflictions open the heart. Joy and 
 
 true liberality are generally united (ver. 
 2, 3 ; Rom. 5 : 3 ; 1 Kings 17 ": 11-14). 
 
 3. An encouragement to weak churches. 
 The afflicted and the poor are often the 
 most liberal (ver. 2. 3 ; Mark 12 : 43, 44). 
 
 4. It is a great privilege to give and 
 participate with the truly benevolent. 
 Think of the Macedonians beseeching the 
 privilege ! How many in our day would 
 rather beg to be excused ! (Ver. 4 : Heb. 
 6: 10; Acts 20: 35.) 
 
 5. Our first gift to the Lord and his 
 cause should be ourselves. Herein is the 
 secret of true benevolence (ver. 5; Rom, 
 
 12 : 1 : Prov. 23 : 26). 
 
 6. Christian giving is a grace, received 
 from God, exercised toward others (ver. 
 6 ; Heb. 13 : 15, 16 ; Acts 2 : 43-46). 
 
 7. The grace of giving can be cultivated 
 like any other grace (ver. 7 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 
 17-19: Eph. 4 : 28). 
 
 8. The Christian character is incom- 
 plete without the grace of beneficence 
 (ver. 7 : 1 Thess. 3 : 12, 13 ; 1 John 3 : 17). 
 
 9. The sincerity of our love should be 
 tested by our Christian beneficence (ver. 
 8, 24: James 2 : 14-16). 
 
 10. The benevolence of others and espe- 
 cially the example of Christ should stim- 
 ulate within us the grace of giving (ver. 
 8, 9: 9:2). 
 
 11. The grace of beneficence should be 
 exercised in an earnest and ready spirit, 
 in deeds, not mere words (ver. 10, 11 ; 2 
 Sara. 24 :24: Acts 16 : 15). 
 
 12. Christian giving should be volun- 
 tarj- (ver. 12 : 9:7: Exod. 35 : 21, 22). 
 
 13. Christian giving should be in honest 
 proportion to one's means (ver. 12-14 ; 1 
 Cor. 16:2; Deut. 16 : 10, 17). 
 
 14. The exercise of the true spirit of 
 Christian benevolence is pleasing to God, 
 and will be rewarded (ver. 12-14 ; Heb. 
 
 13 :16; Matt. 10:42). 
 
 15. The grace of benevolence should be 
 justly and mutually exercised (ver. 13, 
 14; Gal. 6: 2. 5). 
 
 16. God's dealings with men should in- 
 struct us in regard to our exercise of be- 
 neficence toward others (ver. 15; Matt. 
 5 : 45, 46). 
 
 17. The grace of beneficence in the 
 heart of Christians is a cause of thanks- 
 giving to God (ver. 16, 17 : 9 : 11, 12). 
 
 18. A good reputation as well as a good 
 
382 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 9 FOR as touching t the ministering to 
 tlie saints, it is supxTtluous for me to 
 
 2 write to you. For I know ' the forward- 
 nesis of your mind, ™ for which I boast 
 of you 'to them of Macedonia, that 
 " Acliaia was ready a year ago ; and 
 your zeal hath provoked very many. 
 
 3 Yet have I sent the brethren,' lest our 
 boasting of you should be in vain in 
 
 9 FOR concerning the ministering to 
 the saints, it is superfluous for me to 
 
 2 write to you. For I know your readi- 
 ness of m'ind, of which I glory on your 
 behalf to the Macedonians, that Achaia 
 has been prepared for a year past ; and 
 your zeal stirred up the greater part of 
 
 3 them. But I sent the brethren, in 
 order that our glorying on your behalf 
 might not be made'void in this respect ; 
 
 k See refs. 8:4; Gal. 2 : 10. 
 
 o8 :6, 17, 18, 22. 
 
 character is invaluable to a Christian 
 minister (ver. 18, 22 ; 1 Tim. 3:7). 
 
 H>. The apostolic churches were con- 
 gregational in government (ver. 19 ; 2:6; 
 Acts 15: 4, 22). 
 
 20. The apostolic churches were frater- 
 nal in their intercourse with one another. 
 Co-operation in beneficence was a bond 
 of union (ver. 19, 23 ; Col. 4 : 16 ; Acts 15 : 
 22, 23). 
 
 21. Ministers should exercise great care 
 and caution in financial matters (ver. 20, 
 21; Acts 6: 2-4; Titus 1 : 7). 
 
 22. The Christian should live from two 
 standpoints — G o d w a r d and man ward 
 (ver. 21; Acts 24 : 16). 
 
 23. Christian ministers should co-ope- 
 rate with one another, and exercise broth- 
 erly affection (ver. 23; Rom. 16 : 9, 21 ; 1 
 Cor. 16 : 12, 15, 16). 
 
 24. We should all strive so to live as to 
 be " the glory of Christ " (ver. 23 ; 3 : 18 ; 
 ICor. 6:20; Acts 4:13). 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Continuing on the exercise of the 
 Christian grace of benevolence, Paul 
 urges the Corinthians to sustain his 
 hoasts of them (ver. 1-5) ; reminds them 
 of the rich lilessings which will be re- 
 turned to them (ver. G-11); and which 
 will come to others and redound to the 
 glory of God (ver. 12-1.5). 
 
 1-5. Paul expkksses confidence 
 IN THE Corinthians, and urges 
 
 THEM TO Sl'STAIN HIS BOASTS OF 
 THEM. 
 
 1. With great (k'licacy the apostle 
 returns to the colk'ction, and. to spare 
 their honor, touches it iiKlirectly, For, 
 connects this ch).scly witli " tlie proof of 
 their love" in their reception of the 
 delegates (8:24). Ji'or as touching, 
 or concerning, the ministeriii;? to 
 the saints, the making of tlie collec- 
 tion and conveying it to tlie saints at 
 
 Jerusalem, it is superfluous for me 
 to Avrite to you (the present has the 
 sense of continued action), to he tenting 
 you, to write further to you. A collec- 
 tion was assured ; there was no neces- 
 sity to write ahout that. But he would 
 write about their reception of the dele- 
 gates, and about having the collection 
 all ready when he himself should come. 
 He had not lost faith in his Corinthian 
 brethren ; he did not doubt their will- 
 ingness ; but he was earnestly desirous 
 to have his boasting made good. (See 
 next two verses. ) 
 
 2. It is superfluous, For I know 
 the forwardness of your mind, 
 your readiness (9: 12), for which I 
 boast, / am glorying concerning you, 
 to them of Macedonia. Paul was 
 at that time in Macedonia. His boast 
 was, that Achaia was ready, to 
 make and forward the collection, a 
 year ago. Paul probably reckons 
 time as a Jew, meaning about the same 
 as last year, with us. The Jewish civil 
 year began late in September, the ec- 
 clesiastical year late in March. It was 
 now autumn at the time of his writing. 
 He probably uses the ecclesiastical year, 
 in which case the Corinthians were 
 ready to make their efibrt before the 
 preceding Passover. The eftect of this 
 boasting on the Macedonians was, your 
 zeal hath provoked, stirred up, 
 stimulated, very many, the greater 
 part of them, to contribute liberally 
 and promptly. 
 
 3. But as a wise precaution he had 
 sent the brethren, so that there might 
 be no disappointment or shame on the 
 part of any. Yet have I sent, rather. 
 But I sent, the brethren, Titus and 
 the two messengers of the churches 
 (8:18.22), lest our ground of boasting 
 ?■» your behalf should he made void in 
 this respect, in respect to the collection. 
 Paul expected a collection, but he 
 feared that it would not be so large or 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 383 
 
 this behalf ; that, as I said, pye may be 
 
 4 ready: lest haply if i they of Mace- 
 donia come with ine, and find you un- 
 prepared, we (that we say not, ye) 
 should be ashamed in this" same con- 
 
 5 fident boasting. Therefore I thought 
 it necessarj" to exhort the brethren, 
 that they would go before unto you, 
 and make up beforehand your Oxninty 
 whereof ye had notice before, that the | 
 same might be ready, as o matter of ; 6 
 bounty, and not as of eovetousness. j 
 
 6 sBat this I say. He which soweth 
 sparingly shall reap also sparingly ; 
 and he which soweth bountifully shall 
 
 7 reap also bountifully. Every man ac- 
 
 that, as I said, ye may be prepared ; 
 lest perchance, if Macedonians come 
 with me, and find you unprepared, we 
 (that we say not, ye) should be put to 
 shame in this confidence. 
 
 I thought it necessary therefore to 
 exhort the brethren, that they should 
 go before to you, and make up before- 
 hand your previously promised bounty, 
 that this may be ready as a matter of 
 bounty and not as eovetousness. But 
 as to this, he that sows sparingly will 
 also reap sparinglj- ; and he that sows 
 bountifully will also reap bountifully ; 
 but let each one give as he has piir- 
 
 p 1 Cor. 16 : 2. q Acts 20 : 4. r Gen. 33 : 11 ; 1 Sam. 25 : 27 ; 2 Kings 5 : 15. 
 
 s Prov. 11 : 24, 25 ; Eccl. 11 : 1, 6 ; Luke 6 : 38 ; 19 : 16-26 ; Gal. 6 : 7-9. 
 
 SO promptly taken, as he had led the 
 Macedonians to expect. That, as I 
 said, in the preceding verse, ye may 
 be ready, prepared, with a suitable 
 collection. 
 
 4. Lest haply, perchance, if any 
 of Macedonia come with me, as 
 company, or as bearers of the Macedo- 
 nian collection, and find you un- 
 prepared, the collection unfinished 
 (9:6), we, emphatically, who boasted 
 of you (the reason that we say not, 
 ye, is because we would treat deli- 
 cately your sense of honor, yet you 
 who so long ago began so promisingly 
 are the most concerned in the matter), 
 and so we who boasted of you should 
 be ashamed in this same confi- 
 dent boasting, rather, according to 
 the better text, in this confidence, which 
 we have had in you. Notice here as 
 well as elsewhere in this Epistle how 
 delicately, frankly, and gentlemanly, 
 the apostle writes. From this verse 
 some have inferred that the brethren 
 sent previously (8:18,22) Avere not 
 Macedonians. True Luke was not 
 strictly a Macedonian (Acts 16: 10). But 
 it is quite probable that Jason, a Thes- 
 salonian, and Sopater, a Berean, ac- 
 companied Paul to Corinth (Rom. le : 21 ; 
 
 Acts IT : 5; 20 : 4). 
 
 5. Therefore, in view of what I 
 have just said, I thought it neces- 
 sary to exhort the brethren, Titus 
 and the two others, that they should 
 go before me unto you, and 
 make up beforehand, before my 
 coming, your bounty, rather, your 
 previously promised bounty. The word 
 before is thus thrice repeated emphat- 
 ically, as though he had said, "My 
 
 watch\vord is. Beforehand, Beforehand, 
 Beforehand^' (Stanley). Bounty, \\t- 
 erally, a blessing, in word and deed, a 
 benediction, a benefit, a gift. "It 
 blesses him that gives and him that 
 takes." It had been i^romised the year 
 before by the Corinthians, and pre- 
 viously announced by Paul to the 
 Macedonians. Whereof ye had no- 
 \ tice before, should be according to 
 the best manuscripts, your previously 
 promised, or announced, bounty, as 
 above. The object of the brethren going 
 to Corinth was not only to get the col- 
 lection ready, but, that the same 
 might be ready, as a matter of 
 bounty, as a blessing, an act of real 
 benevolence, and not as of eovet- 
 ousness, not a gift which betrays the 
 giver's eovetousness. A liberal and a 
 grudging spirit is contrasted in the 
 next verse. 
 
 6-11. Liberal and cheerful 
 giving will be rewarded. 
 
 6. Giving is like sowing and reaping, 
 it brings a rich harvest to those who ex- 
 ercise it. But this I say, or But as to 
 this matter of giving, He which, that, 
 soweth sparingly unll reap also 
 sparingly; and he which, that, 
 soweth bountifully, scattering bless- 
 ings, toill reap also bountifully, 
 attended with blessing. The reaping 
 will correspond with the sowing. ( Comp. 
 
 Gal. 6:7; Prov. 11 : 18.) ChrySOStOm notCS 
 
 that as in the harvest, so in giving we 
 receive more than we give (Acts 20:35). 
 Paul would have them give in a spirit 
 of liberality. 
 
 7. Paul continues to enforce the spirit 
 in which we should give — freely and 
 willingly. Every man according 
 
384 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 cording as he pur]:)oseth in his heart, ' 
 so let him give; 'not grudgingly, or of 
 necessity: for "God loveth a cneerful 
 
 8 giver. » And God iS able to make all 
 grace abound toward you ; that ye. 
 always having all suflficiency in all 
 things, may abouml to everj- good work : 
 
 9 as It is written, He hath dispersed 
 abroad; he hath given to the poor: 
 his righteousness rcmaineth for ever. 
 
 10 Now he that ministereth seed to the 
 sower both minister bread for your 
 food, and multiply your seed sown, and 
 increase the fruits "of your j righteous- 
 
 posed in his heart, not grudgingly or 
 of necessity, for God loves a cheerful 
 S giver. And God is able to make every 
 grace abound toward you ; that ye, 
 always having all suflficiency in everj'- 
 thing, may abound toward every good 
 
 9 work ; (as it is written : 
 
 He scattered, he gave to the j)oor ; 
 His righteousness abides forever :) 
 
 10 and he who supplies seed to the sower 
 and bread for food, will supply and 
 multiply your seed for sowing, and in- 
 crease the fruits of your righteousness ; 
 
 f Deut. l.T : 7-11. 
 X Ps. 84 : 11 ; Prov. 3 : 9, 10 ; 
 
 i( 8 : 12 ; Exod. 25 : 2 ; 35 : 5 : Acts 20 : 35 ; Rom. 12 : 8. 
 24, 25 ; Mai. 3 : 10 ; Phil. 4 : 18, 19. y Hosea 10 : 12 ; .Matt. 6:1. 
 
 as he purposeth in his heart, a 
 
 deliberate and cordial exercise of the 
 will, as he has before determined, so 
 let him give ; not grudgingly, not 
 from a regretting and unwilling heart, 
 or of necessity, from constraint, or 
 simply because he feels that he must 
 
 give (Matt. 19 : 20-22; Ueut. 15 : 10). For 
 
 God loveth a cheerful giver, one 
 
 who is prompt and joyous in doing it, 
 A warm and joyous heart, if it has any- 
 thing to give cannot do otherwise. This 
 is quoted from the Septuagint ( Prov. 22 : 8), 
 but it is wanting in the Hebrew (Exod. 
 
 25 : 2; comp. Rom. 12 ; 8). 
 
 8. In this and the two following 
 verses the apostle encourages benefi- 
 cence with the assurance of God's help. 
 And God is ahle to make all, 
 better, every, grace, every favor and 
 gift of his kindness, to abound 
 toward and in you, with special 
 reference to earthly blessings and the 
 collection; that ye, always having 
 all sufficiency m everything, a suf- 
 ficiency of the necessities of life, may 
 abound to every good work — in 
 every act of benevolence God will grant 
 you the means and the disposition for 
 exercising beneficence. You need not 
 fear being reduced to want by your 
 lil>erality. Notice how strongly Paul 
 y>uts it, a/l sufficiency in everi/fhing. 
 The word sufficiency is translated con- 
 tentment in 1 Tim. 6 : 6, and its meaning 
 is explained b.v 1 Tim. 6:8," Having 
 food and coveriuLr. with these we shall be 
 content," or sufficiently satisfied, (fomp. 
 Phil. 4: 11.) It is the simple necessities 
 of life with which a consecrated and 
 gracious state of mind is satisfied. All 
 besides is regarded as superfluous, to be 
 given when the needs of others require 
 
 it. Some have noted Paul's use of " pur- 
 poseth" (ver. 7) and of "sufficiency" 
 (thisver.) as in Aristotlc, inferring his 
 acquaintance with the writings of that 
 famous philosopher. 
 
 9. And the Scripture will be verified 
 in your case. As it is written, quoted 
 from Ps. 112 : 9 (Septuagint version). 
 He, the man who fears the Lord, hath 
 dispersed, or scattered, abroad, like 
 one sowing seed ; he hath given to 
 the poor, to the laboring poor is 
 meant, the needy; his righteous- 
 ness remaineth, or abides, for ever. 
 The scattering of good things and the 
 giving to the worthy poor were proofs 
 of his righteousness, his gracious good- 
 ness. And such righteou-sness abides ; 
 what is given thus is not lost ; it will 
 live in its blessed efiects and will be 
 held in everlasting remembrance. The 
 blessing of God thus attends him. This 
 verse is parenthetical, but not the next, 
 as in the Common version. 
 
 10. This is connected with ver, 8, 
 modified by the quotation in ver. 9, It 
 is not a prayer, as in the Common ver- 
 sion, but a promise. Now he that 
 ministereth seed, rather. And he 
 who supplies seed for the sower aiid 
 bread for food (words quoted from Isa, 
 55 : 10), still keeping up the figure of 
 sowing, will supply and multiply 
 your seed sown, the money, the 
 gifts of your collection, and increase 
 the fruits of your righteousness. 
 The al)Ove translation accords with the 
 best text. God will supply and multi- 
 ply the seed for works of mercy; and 
 as the seed grows into an abundant 
 harvest, so he will increase the Iiarvest 
 of righteousness, tlie blessings of multi- 
 plied human joy, and of lessened hu- 
 
Ch. IX.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 385 
 
 11 ness ; being enriched in every thing 
 tx) all bountifulness, » which causeth 
 
 12 through us thanksgiving to God. For 
 a the administration of this service not 
 only ^ supplieth the want of the saints, 
 but is abundant also by many thanks- 
 
 13 givings unto God ; whiles by the ex- 
 periment of this ministration they 
 "glorify God for your professed subjec- 
 tion unto the gospel of Christ, and for 
 your liberal <^ distribution unto them, 
 
 14 and unto all 7nen ; and by their prayer 
 for you, which long after you for 
 
 11 ye being enriched in evei-ything to all 
 liberality, which works through us 
 
 12 thanksgiving to God. Because the 
 ministry of this service not only fully 
 supplies the wants of the saints, but 
 also aboimds through many thanks- 
 
 13 givings to God, while through the 
 proving of you by this ministration 
 they glorify God on account of your 
 obedience to your confession in re- 
 spect to the gospel of Christ, and for 
 the liberality of the contribution to 
 
 14 them, and to all ; they also, with sup- 
 
 zl:l\: 4 : 15. 
 
 a Ver. 1 ; 8 : 4. 
 
 5 8 : 14. 
 
 c Matt. 5 : 16. 
 
 d Heb. 13 : 16. 
 
 man sorrow. God will increase the 
 means and the blessed results of doing 
 good. Both temporal and spiritual 
 blessings are included. Notice how 
 Paul progresses in his words of en- 
 couragement. In ver. 8, God is able; 
 in this verse, he also will do it — words 
 of promise and encouragement. 
 
 11. The way in which this promise 
 will be fulfilled in actual experience. 
 Being enriched in everything to 
 all bountifulness, to all liber- 
 ality (the same word as at the end of 
 8:2); here is the seed, the financial 
 means and disposition for doing good ; 
 which causeth, or workefh, 
 through us, who convey the gifts, 
 thus representing our sowing ; thanks- 
 giving to God, on the part of those 
 who receive it, which is a fruit of right- 
 eousness. The promise in these verses 
 is not to be limited to either temporal 
 or spiritual blessings, but includes 
 both in different degrees according to 
 circumstances. The tendency of right- 
 eousness is to blessedness; of evil to 
 misery. In this life righteousness pro- 
 duces a hundred-fold more enjoyment 
 than does unrighteousness. Even in 
 this world it generally pays to do right, 
 A liberal spirit and liberal acts meet 
 generally with the approval of men, 
 and have a softening effect upon the 
 deserving recipient. There are many 
 instances in our day of temporal bless- 
 ings attending benevolent acts. 
 
 12-15. LlBEKALITY RESULTING IX 
 THE GOOD OF OTHERS AND REDOUND- 
 ING TO God's glory. 
 
 12. Starting from the preceding 
 clause the apostle explains and expands 
 the thought. For the administra- 
 tion of this public religious serv- 
 ice, or offering by the contributors 
 
 (see on Rom. 15 : 27), nOt OUly SUp- 
 
 plieth, filling up the measure of the 
 temporal want of the saints, but 
 is abundant also, or also abounded, 
 through many thanksgivings unto 
 
 God, overflowing in other good results 
 through the many thanksgivings that 
 it causes to be sent up to God. It thus 
 results in the glory of God (* : is and next 
 
 verse), 
 
 13. The recipients of these benefac- 
 tions glorify God on tw^o accounts. 
 Whilfe by the experiment, or 
 proof, of this ministration, or sei^v- 
 ice of beneficence, they glorify God. 
 Their beneficence was a proof of the 
 Christian character of the Corinthians 
 (2:9; 2:8) ; and tliis led the recipients 
 of it to glorify God, (1) for your pro- 
 fessed subjection unto the gos- 
 pel of Christ, for the obedience ye 
 render to that which ye profess concern' 
 ing the gospel of Christ. Their acts 
 agreed with their profession. They 
 showed they w'ere Christians in fact as 
 well as in name. And (2) for your 
 liberal distribution unto them 
 and unto all men, for the open- 
 hearted liberality of your contribution 
 unto them and to all men, equally ready 
 and applicable to others as to them. 
 The Avord contribution (Rom. i5:26) has 
 in it the idea of sharing, participating 
 W'ith. The saints at Jerusalem will 
 give glory to God for that common 
 sharing or fellowship with them and 
 with all Christians, which their liber- 
 ality displays. It was not so much the 
 greatness of the contribution, as the 
 spirit in which it was made. (See next 
 verse.) 
 
 14. Thankfulness leads them to pray 
 for and to long after their benefactors. 
 And by their prayer for you, 
 rather, \Miile they themselves also, the 
 saints at Jerusalem, tvith supplication 
 
386 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. IX. 
 
 the exceeding "^ grace of God in you. 
 15 Thanks be unto God f for his unspeaka- 
 ble gift. 
 
 plication for you, longing after you on 
 account of the exceeding grace of God 
 15 upon you. Thanks be Ui God for his 
 unspeakable gift! 
 
 /John 3 : 16; Rom. 6 : 23. 
 
 on your behalf, long after you, longing 
 with pious, grateful love for personal 
 acquaintance and fellowship with you, 
 on account of the exceeding grace of 
 God tipon you, bestowed by God and 
 evidenced by your liberal contribu- 
 tions. Paul begins this discussion 
 (8:1) and ends it with a reference to 
 the grace of liberality, given by God 
 and exercised by Christians. Grace 
 makes cheerful and liberal givers. 
 Christian giving is first of all the ex- 
 ercise of the heart. Paul emphasizes 
 the spirit of giving ; it is a religious 
 exercise, the outgoings of love to Christ 
 and to our fellow-men. Large con- 
 tributions are desirable, but the right 
 spirit in giving is of the utmost impor- 
 tance. 
 
 15. An outburst of thanksgiving. 
 As the apostle contemplates the hearty 
 thanksgivings of the Jerusalem saints, 
 and the evident power of the gospel of 
 Christ upon the Corinthians, and all 
 originating in and carried out by the 
 grace of God, his own heart overflows 
 with thankfulness for the supreme gift 
 of God, which includes and insures all 
 the blessings of his grace. Thanks 
 be unto God for his unspeakable 
 gift. This can be none less than 
 Christ, who is the source and channel 
 of all gospel graces. No other gift is 
 so unspeakable. As in 8:9, so here, 
 the apostle almost involuntarily turns 
 to Christ as a Saviour, God's gift to the 
 
 world. (Comp. Rom. 8 : 32, 34, 39 : 11 : 33 ; .Tohn 
 
 3:16.) "This exquisite and resistless 
 outburst of thanksgiving for that gift 
 which not only transcends all our giv- 
 ings l)ut originates them all, is as sub- 
 lime as it is suitable at tlie close of the 
 whole subject of the collection for the 
 poor saints of Jerusalem " (Principal 
 Brown). 
 
 Grecian Christianity and Mace- 
 donian Liberality. The Gentile 
 Christianity of apostolic days may be 
 styled Grecian. The Greeks were the 
 leaders of religious, as well as of intel- 
 lectual, tliought. The Septuagint ver- 
 sion of the Old Testament in Greek 
 
 bore a rich harvest iij proselytes to 
 Judaism, in right conceptions of God, 
 and in the reception of the gospel. The 
 Gentile chui'ches were largely composed 
 of Grecian converts. We see here the 
 importance of the Bible as an instru- 
 mentality in evangelization, and of its 
 general distribution among the people. 
 In both the eighth and ninth chapters, 
 Paul uses the Scriptures in enforcing 
 Christian beneficence. 
 
 The Greeks of Macedonia furnish the 
 most remarkable example of benevo- 
 lence to be found in the Scriptures. Its 
 characteristics are well worth our study. 
 (1) They made their greatest offering 
 first (themselves), and then continued 
 their gifts of service and money. In our 
 day Christians generally begin with the 
 smaller oflerings, and need to be edu- 
 cated up to giving themselves fully to 
 the work. (2) They gave out of the 
 abundance of their poverty, and not out 
 of a superabundance of worldly goods. 
 (3) They willingly exceeded their abil- 
 ity in giving, and not as is too often the 
 case, did their ability exceed their will- 
 ingness, (4) They were urgent to be 
 allowed to give; they besought the 
 privilege and the opportunity ; while 
 those who received their offerings were 
 reluctant to accept them, knowing 
 their deep poverty. (5) Their gifts were 
 valued not according to the amount 
 given, but according to the willingness 
 and cheerfulness manifested. (6) And 
 to crown all, they regarded giving not as 
 something to be dreaded and evaded, but 
 as a grace and a blessing to be desired 
 and cultivated. They doubtless found 
 that increase comes not by keeping, 
 but by giving ; that the way to get more 
 is to give more. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. Christian benevolence is not merely 
 giving a contribution or making a collec- 
 tion. Its spirit, manner, object, propor- 
 tion, and system must be taken into ac- 
 count (ver. 1-4, 6, 7 ; 8 : 12 ; 1 Cor. 16 : 1). 
 
 2. It is proper to refer to the benevolence 
 of a church or an individual, in order to 
 
Ch. X.] II. CORmXHIANS 387 
 
 Paul's vindication of his apostolic authority 
 and character. 
 
 10 NOW B I Paul myself beseech you ^ by 
 
 10 NOW I, Paul, myself beseech you 
 
 g Rom. 1-2 -.1. h Zech. 9:9; Matt. 11 : 29. 
 
 excite benevolence in others (ver. 2 ; 8 : 
 2-4 ; Acts 11 : 29, 30). 
 
 3. Agents for developing the benevo- 
 lence of churches and gathering collec- 
 tions are scriptural, necessary, and useful 
 (ver. 3, 5 ; 8:6, 16, 24 ; Rom. 15 : 25, 31). 
 
 4. Agents for benevolent contributions 
 should themselves be benevolent, active 
 as Christian workers, and held in honor 
 among the churches (ver. 3 ; 8 : 17-19, 
 22, 24). 
 
 5. It is proper and right to stimulate the 
 benevolence of Christians and churches 
 by appealing to their sense of honor, and 
 the esteem and confidence of others in 
 them (ver. 3-5 ; 8 : 22, 24). 
 
 6. Churches should live up to their en- 
 gagements in financial and benevolent 
 matters, exercising a prompt, generous, 
 and loving spirit (ver. 5; Phil. 4 : 10, 
 15-17; ICor. 13 : 1). 
 
 7. The abundant reward of giving to 
 the Lord is a scriptural motive for 
 Christian beneficence (ver. 6, 7 ; Ps. 41 : 1 ; 
 Prov. 19 : 17 ; 22 : 9 ; Luke 6 : 38). 
 
 8. Christian giving should be deliberate, 
 of free choice, cheerfully, honestly, and 
 conscientiously carried out (ver. 7 ; Eph. 
 4 :28; Acts 5: 2-4). 
 
 9. We should not wait to become rich 
 before we exercise liberality. We should 
 rather give a part to God's service and 
 expect his help and blessing (ver. 8-10; 
 Exod. 35 : 21-29 ; Prov. 11 : 24, 25 ; 28 : 27 ; 
 Eccl. 11 : 1). 
 
 10. The gift of a good man is his me- 
 morial ; the evidence also of God's help 
 and grace (ver. 9 ; Acts 10 : 4 ; James 1 : 17). 
 
 11. Riches are not bestowed for luxury 
 and self-gratification, but for doing good 
 to others, blessing the world, and for the 
 glory of God (ver. 11, 12 ; Luke 16 : 9 ; 1 
 Tim. 6 : 17-19 ; 1 Chron. 29 : 3, 14, 17). 
 
 12. The spiritual blessings of benefi- 
 cence far exceed its temporal blessings 
 (ver. 12 ; Matt. 25 : 40 ; Luke 16 : 9 ; Heb. 
 13 :16). 
 
 13. A beneficent spirit is necessary to a 
 consistent Christian profession (ver. 13; 
 James 2 : 14-16 ; 1 John 3 ; 17). 
 
 14. The gratitude and prayers of those 
 who receive our benefactions often more 
 than compensate us for our gifts (ver. 14 ; 
 Acts 9: 36-41). 
 
 15. Jesus Christ is God's greatest gift, 
 and our greatest motive for giving to 
 others (ver. 15 ; 8:9: 5 : 14). 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 With this chapter begins the third 
 AND LAST PART of this Epistle, in 
 which Paul defends himself against 
 certain opponents and false teachers in 
 the church, and vindicates his apostolic 
 autliority and personal character. The 
 change from the conciliatory and affec- 
 tionate tone, in the former part, to 
 sternness and severity in tliis part, is 
 very remarkable. It may l)e explained : 
 (l)'That Paul up to this point had 
 associated Timothy and perhaps others 
 with him in matters of more general 
 interest, but now he turns to a matter 
 personal to himself. (2) That before 
 this he had addressed the better dis- 
 posed of the church, who were in the 
 majority, while now he addresses those 
 who were disposed to make light of his 
 apostolic character and authority. (3) 
 That in writing he is not careful to sep- 
 arate them into distinct classes, but ad- 
 dresses them generally, the application 
 and persons meant being evident in 
 either case. So the preacher in popular 
 discourse often addresses the people as 
 a whole, while the application is in- 
 tended and understood to be for various 
 classes. 
 
 In this chapter the apostle defends 
 himself against the charge that he is a 
 different man when absent from what 
 he is when present ; and at the same 
 time he maintains the reality of his 
 apostolic authority. Though weak and 
 gentle he declares that he has spiritual 
 power which he will exercise when 
 needed (ver. i-e) ; that his apostolic au- 
 thority is a reality (ver. 7-11); and that 
 he does not imitate the false pretences 
 of his opponents (ver. 12-I8). 
 
 1-6. The spiritual nature and 
 power op his apostolic ministry. 
 
 1. Now I, Paul, myself, person- 
 
388 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 the meekness and gentleness of Christ, 
 ' who in presence [or, in outward ap- 
 pearance] am base among you, but be- 
 ing absent ^ am bold toward you : but 
 
 2 mg 
 
 I beseech you, 'that I may not be bold 
 when I am present with that confi- 
 dence, wherewith I think to be bold 
 against some, which think of vis ™ as if 
 we walked according to the flash. For 
 though °we walk in the flesh, owe do 
 not war after the flesh: (pfor the 
 weapons of our warfare are not carnal, 
 but <i mighty through God 'to the pull- 
 
 through the meekness and gentleness 
 of Christ, who in your presence indeed 
 am lowly among you, but being absent 
 am of good courage toward you ; but I 
 entreat, that I may not when I am 
 present be of good courage with the 
 confidence, wherewith I think to be 
 bold against some, Avho think of us as 
 walking according to the flesh. For 
 though walking in the flesh, we do not 
 war according to the flesh; (for the 
 weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, 
 but mighty before God to the casting 
 
 < See refs. ver. 10. k 13 : 2 ; Rom. 15 : 15. n2 : 20 ; 
 
 13 : 10; 1 Cor. 4 : 21. >« 12 : 13-19. 
 
 n Acts U : 15. o Gal. 2 : 20 ; 2 Tiin. 2 : 3, 4. 
 
 p Eph. 6 : 13-18 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 8. 
 
 g 13 : 3, 4 ; Rom. 15 : 19. 
 
 r Jcr. 1 : 9, 10. 
 
 ally, turning my attention to most im- 
 portant personal matters. Every word 
 IS emphatic. Beseech you, I myself, 
 such as I am, personally entreat and 
 exhort yon (both ideas are included in 
 the verb). His entreaty partook also 
 of the nature of an exhortation. By 
 the meekness, mildness, and kind- 
 ness (Matt. 11 : 29), and gentlcness, 
 clemency "sweet reasonableness" (Acts 
 24 : 4), of Christ, which traits of char- 
 acter he uses as a motive, and as if he 
 would add. Do not force me to adopt a 
 treatment unlike Christ. These traits 
 so reniarkal»le in Christ's character, 
 and so far as possessed by myself, are 
 nitt of me naturally but of Christ. 
 Who in your presence am base, 
 lowly, humble, among you, but be- 
 ing absent am bold, of good coiir- 
 aqe, or courageous, tOAvard you. 
 Tliere is probably an alhision to the 
 language of liis opponents and their 
 estimate of him (vir. lo). We are not to 
 infer, liowever, from this verse that 
 Paul had an inferior personal appear- 
 ance. 
 
 2. But I beseech, better, Yea, I 
 pray, or entreat yon (a diiferent verb 
 from "beseech" of ver. 1), that by 
 your influence and conihict you may 
 make it possible that I may not 
 1 avc occasion to be bold, courageous, 
 when I am present, at my next 
 visit, with that eonrtdenoe where- 
 with I think to be bold against 
 some persons which think of us 
 as if we walked according to the 
 flesh, like worldly, unconverted men, 
 moved l)y worldly motives and seeking 
 selfish interests. Two difterent verbs 
 are translated hold; the first implies 
 good courage in himself, the second bold- 
 ness towanl others. Notice Paul's diffi- 
 
 culty was not \n.i\\ the church, but with 
 the certain persons who might mislead, 
 or improperly influence the churcli. 
 What Paul had in mind to do when he 
 arrived at Corinth he does not defi- 
 nitely say. But from what follows it 
 appears that he intended to use spiritual 
 weapons, which would consist largely 
 in the authoritative preaching of the 
 gospel. This would result in leading 
 to complete obedience, and in freeing 
 the church from unworthy members 
 and false teachers, and in the necessary 
 exercise of discipline. 
 
 3. Explanatory of what he had just 
 said. For though Ave "walk not 
 according to the flesh" (^er. 2), we do 
 indeed Avalk in the flesh, we pos- 
 sess mortal bodies, fleshly natures witli 
 their infirmities, yet, we do not war 
 after, according to, the flesh, ac- 
 cording to the principles of worldly, 
 unregenerate men. The figure of a 
 warfare in the Christian life is common 
 with Paul. More commonly it is ap- 
 plied to the conflict between the old 
 and new man in tlie Christian soul. (See 
 
 Rom. 7 : 14-25 ; Gal. 5 : 16-18 : 1 Cor. 9 : 26 ; Col. 3 : 
 
 5-13.) The warfare here is against sin 
 and evil around us in the world, (i Tim. 
 
 1 : 18 ; 6 : 12; 2 Tim. 2 : 3, 4 ; 4:7.) 
 
 4. We do not war according to the 
 flesh (ver. 3). For the weapons of 
 our warfare are not carnal, of tlie 
 flesh, fleshly, they are not such as the 
 world and worldly men use, hence it is 
 implied that they are spiritual. The 
 word weapons is the heavy armor, not 
 merely the weapons in actual warfare, 
 but figuratively the means, the craft, 
 the devices, and the hypocritical policy 
 which the world uses in warfare. But 
 the weapons, or heavy armor of our 
 warfare are mighty through, rather, 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 II. COKINTHIANS 
 
 389 
 
 5 ing down of strong holds;) ^ casting 
 down imaginations, and every high 
 thing that exaltetli itself against the 
 knowledge of God, and bringing into 
 captivity every thought to the obedi- 
 
 6 ence of Christ ; ' and having in a readi- 
 ness to revenge all disobedience, when 
 "your obedience is fulfilled. 
 
 7 ^ Do ye look on things after the out- 
 ward appearance ? y If any man trust 
 to himself that he is Christ's, let him 
 of himself think this again, that, as he 
 is Christ's, even so are *M'e Christ's. 
 
 down of strongholds ; casting down 
 imaginations, and every high thing 
 that exalts itself against the knowledge 
 of God, and bringing every thought 
 into captivity to the obedience of 
 Christ ; and being in readiness to 
 avenge everj^ disobedience, when your 
 obedience is made complete. 
 
 Ye look on the things that are after 
 the outward appearance. If any one 
 trusts to himself that he is Christ's, let 
 h^m consider this again with himself, 
 that, as he is Christ's, so also are we. 
 
 s 1 Cor. 1 : 19, 27-29. < 13 : 2, 10 ; 1 Cor. 5 : 3-5. 
 
 X 1 Sam. 16 : 7 ; John 7 : 24 ; Rom. 2 : 28, 29. y 1 Cor. 14 : 37. 
 
 m2 : 9; 7 : 15. 
 
 aril : 23; 1 John 4 : 6. 
 
 before, God, that is, in his sight. They 
 are not such as are counted powerful 
 among men (i cor.i : 21-25), but are 
 mighty in God's estimation and accord- 
 ing to the principles of his warfare. In 
 the Divine view they are powerful to 
 the pulling down, more exactly, 
 the casting down, of strong holds, to 
 the demolition of the spiritual fortifica- 
 tions of false doctrines and erroneous 
 opinions and practices. (For a descrip- 
 tion of this armor see Eph. 6 : 10-17 ; 
 IThess. 5:8.) 
 
 5. The preceding thought expanded 
 and explained. The warfare is carried 
 on (1) in casting down, (2) bringing 
 into captivity, and (3) inflicting punish- 
 ment on the disobedient. Casting 
 down imaginations, the i-easonings 
 of philosophers which are inimical to 
 Christ, and, so far from being true, are 
 but the imaginations of men ; and 
 every high thing, or lofty rampart, 
 that exalteth itself, or is erected, 
 against the knowledge of God, 
 as it is revealed in the gospel. In this 
 conflict Paul brings the wisdom of God 
 against the wisdom of this world. The 
 worldly wise regard the knowledge of 
 God as foolishness. But the true char- 
 acter of their reasonings, as vain im- 
 aginings and conceited opinions, are 
 brought to light by the Spirit, and 
 demolished by the truth of God _( 1 Cor. 
 2:4), And bringing into captivity 
 every thought, every evil in the 
 mind, evil devices and purposes, to 
 the obedience of Christ, into sub- 
 jection to him. Tlie figure of a warfare 
 is still continued. The thoughts are 
 the captives and obedience the fortress 
 where they are brought into submission 
 to Christ. 
 
 6. And having in a readiness. 
 
 rather, and being in readiness, to re- 
 venge, or^u>?/sX, all disobedience, 
 when your obedience is fulfilled, 
 
 is made complete, when all of you have 
 obeyed who will obey. Paul would 
 give ample opportunity for the gospel 
 to do its work. He entreated, exhorted, 
 and rebuked, in order that he might 
 not use sharpness when he came (is : 10). 
 But having done all he could he pro- 
 posed not to spare those who persisted 
 in their opposition (i3 : 2). How he would 
 do this is left to the Corinthians to infer, 
 probably by the exercise of his apostolic 
 authority in delivering the obstinate 
 over to Satan, and enjoining upon the 
 church their excommunication (ver. ii; 
 
 1 Cor. 5 : 4, 5). 
 
 7-18. His apostolic ArxHORiTY 
 
 A REALITY, TNLIKE THE FALSE PRE- 
 TENSES OF HIS OPPONENTS. 
 
 7. Do ye look on things after 
 the outward appearance ? or, on 
 
 that which lies before the eyes? But 
 judging in this manner, I can appeal to 
 external things to show that I have as 
 close a connection with Christ as any 
 others have. Some translate this as a 
 direct statement. Ye look on things, etc. 
 Others translate as an imperative. 
 Look at that which is plainly before 
 yonr eyes, and see the genuineness of 
 my mission. This does not suit the 
 connection as well as the other two 
 renderings. The first, however, which 
 makes it a question seems to me prefer- 
 able. If any man trust to himself, 
 having confidence in himself, that he 
 is Christ's, that he belongs to him, 
 having reference perhaps to some 
 Judaizing teachers in the Corinthian 
 church, who claimed a special near- 
 ness or connection with Christ (i Cor. 
 1 : 12) ; if this be so, let him with him- 
 
390 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 8 For though I should boast somewhat 
 more ^of our authority, which the 
 Lord hath given us for edification, and 
 not for your destruction, ^ i should not 
 
 9 l>e a.shanied. That I may not seem as 
 
 10 if I would terrify you by letters : for 
 his letters, say they, are weighty and 
 powerful; but «/iJ.s' bodily presence is 
 weak, and his <isj)eech contemptible. 
 
 11 Let ^such an one think this, that, such 
 as we are in word by letters when we 
 
 8 For even if I glorj' somewhat more 
 abundantly concerning our authority, 
 which the' Lord gave us for building 
 you up, and not for casting you down, 
 
 9 I shall not be put to shame ; that 1 
 may not seem as if I would terrify you 
 
 10 through my letters. For his letters, 
 says one. are weighty and strong ; but 
 his bodily presence is weak, and his 
 
 11 speech despicable. Let such a one 
 consider this, that such as we are in 
 
 a 13 : 10. 6 7 : 14 ; 12 : 6. 
 
 c 12 : 5, 7, 9 ; 1 Cor. 2:3; Gal. 4 : 13. 
 e 13 : 2, 3, 10. 
 
 dll : 6; 1 Cor. 1 : 17 ; 2 : 1, 4. 
 
 self think, consider, this again, 
 that, as he is Christ's, even so 
 
 are we, in no sense are we inferior to 
 him. If any one has come to this de- 
 cision in his own mind, let him recon- 
 sider it with himself. He could belong 
 to Christ in no sense that Paul did not. 
 He could not claim superior power or 
 authority to the apostle. The best text 
 has with himself, as above, and omits 
 Christ's at the end of the verse. 
 
 8. Paul proceeds through the rest of 
 the Epistle to maintain his apostolic 
 authority. And first he intimates that 
 his authority was greater than he had 
 hitherto asserted among them. And 
 this claim for myself is true, For 
 though, or according to the preferable 
 text, For even if I should boast, or 
 glory, somewhat more abundantly 
 than I have done, of our authority, 
 which the Lord gave for edifica- 
 tion, for building you U]), and not 
 for your destruction, not for cast- 
 ing you down, I shall not be put to 
 shame, as a vain boaster. Facts will sus- 
 tain and results will justify my glorying. 
 The comparison has reference not to 
 the l)oasts of his opponents, but to the 
 boast made in ver. 3-(). Notice that 
 his apostolic authority was given for the 
 building up of Christians and churches, 
 not for their destruction. (Comp. 2:2, 3; 
 7 : 8-11.) Us is omitted by the best man- 
 uscripts, l)ut is found in many others. 
 
 9. Even in greater glorying I shall 
 not be put to shame, That I may 
 not seem, or appear, as if I would 
 terrify you by my letters. The 
 Lord who gave me authority will save 
 me from l)eing made ashamed, and 
 from seeming to be a man of terrific 
 words in letters without corrcsi)onding 
 power when present. It would be 
 shown that he was not a braggart, and 
 that he wrote not to terrify and destroy, 
 
 but rather as he had just said, to build 
 up, Alford and some others would 
 supply something, thus: "I say this, 
 because I wish not to seem as if I would 
 terrify you with my letters." But the 
 former construction seems more faith- 
 ful to the original, and is favored by 
 Meyer and others. 
 
 10, Paul had good reason for making 
 the reference he did to his letters. For 
 his letters, say they, rather, says 
 one, the language of an opposer, are 
 weighty and pow erful, strong, able, 
 impressive, forcible, and commanding 
 respect, but his bodily presence is 
 weak, w^anting in power and energy, 
 manliness, and dignity, and his 
 speech contemptible, is of no ac- 
 count, such as to i)e despised. It must 
 be borne in mind that this is the exag- 
 gerated language of his opponents. The 
 traditions that he Avas short in stature, 
 and that his body was disfigured by 
 some lameness or distortion are of no 
 value. The comparison of Barnabas to 
 Jupiter, and Paul to Mercurj', by the 
 people of Lystra (Acts u -. 12) implies that 
 he was at least of fair l)odily presence, 
 though the less commanding of the two. 
 The efficiency of his work, his unceas- 
 ing labors for many years, his long 
 journeys and great exposures, are 
 proofs that he was not a man of feeble 
 constitution. Doubtless there was some 
 ground for such objections to him by 
 his enemies, such as weakness of voice, 
 or infirmity induced by exposures and 
 
 overwork. (Comp. 12 : 7 : 1 Cor. 2:3: Gal. 4 : 
 
 13. u.) That he rose at times to heights 
 of eloquence is evident from Acts 17 : 
 22, ff. ; 2t) : 24. 
 
 11. Let such an one, who speaks 
 in this way, think this, consider, cal- 
 culate on this, that, such as we are 
 in word by letters when we are 
 absent, such will we be also in 
 
Ch. X.] 
 
 II. COEINTHIANS 
 
 391 
 
 are absent, such ivill we be also in deed 
 when we are present. 
 
 12 f For we dare not make ourselves of 
 the number, or compare ourselves with 
 some that commend themselves ; but 
 they measiu-ing themselves by them- 
 selves, and comparing themselves 
 among themselves, s are not wise. 
 
 13 ^ But Ave will not boast of things with- 
 out our measure, ^but according to the 
 measure of the rule which God hath 
 distributed to as, a measure to reach 
 
 14 k even unto you. For we stretch not 
 ourselves beyond our measure, as 
 though we reached not unto you : i for 
 we are come as far as to you also in 
 
 15 preaching the gospel of Christ : not 
 
 word through letters when absent, 
 such will we be also in deed when 
 present. 
 
 12 For we have not the boldness to pair 
 or compare ourselves with some of 
 those who commend themselves ; but 
 they, measuring themselves among 
 themselves, and comparing themselves 
 with themselves, are without under- 
 
 13 standing. But we will not glory be- 
 yond our measure, but according to the 
 measure of the limit which God divided 
 to us as a measure, to reach even to 
 
 14 you. For we do not stretch ourselves 
 beyond our measure, as if we reached 
 not to you ; for as far as to you also did 
 
 15 we come, in the gospel of "Christ; not 
 
 /5 : 12; Prov. 25 : 27. 
 ft 1 : 14. 
 
 g Prov. 26 : 12. A Ver. 15 ; Prov. 25 : 14. t Matt. 25 : 15 ; Rom. 12 : 6. 
 I Acts 18 : 1, 4 ; 1 Cor. 3 : 5, 10 ; 4 : 15 ; 9 : 1. 
 
 deed when we are present. We 
 
 do not, and we will not, play such a 
 double part as this. We will not act 
 the coward when present. This verse 
 is proof that the language of his en- 
 emies was exaggerated, that he was not 
 so weak and despicable as they repre- 
 sented. 
 
 12. The apostle confirms what he 
 had just said and rebukes his adver- 
 saries for their standard of judgment. 
 For we dare not, tve are not bold, or 
 we do not venture, to make ourselves 
 of the number, or compare our- 
 selves Avith some, etc. Paul im- 
 plies that there is a certain boldness or 
 venturesomeness in self-praise, which 
 he has not the hardihood to undertake. 
 There is a play upon words here, com- 
 mon with Paul (i : 13; 3 : 2) : we venture 
 not to judge ourselves among, or to judge 
 ourselves with, some of those, that 
 commend themselves. AVe do not 
 belong to that class of persons ; we do 
 not compare ourselves with ApoUos or 
 Cephas, nor commend ourselves as do 
 our adversaries (3 : i ; i cor. i : 12). But 
 they, measuring themselves by, 
 rather, among, themselves, among 
 persons of their own class and by their 
 own standard, and comparing, or 
 judging, themselves among, with, 
 themselves, making their own esti- 
 mate of excellence a sifandard, are not 
 wise, are without understanding, 
 guilty of folly. Self-measurement Avas 
 a false, foolish, and delusive standard. 
 Calvin applies this Avhole passage to 
 the monks in his day, Avho Avhile igno- 
 rant Avere held to be learned, and veri- 
 fied the old proverb, "Ignorance is 
 
 bold," because they measured them- 
 selves by themselves. 
 
 13. But we, in contrast to these 
 self-commenders, will not glory 
 without our measure, beyond our 
 limit, immeasurably, but according 
 to the measure, or^Ae limit, of the 
 rule, better, of the sphere, of actiAaty 
 and labor, which God hath dis- 
 tributed, apportioned to us, as a 
 measure, or limit, to reach even 
 unto you. There is no limit to the 
 commendation of those Avho measure 
 themselves by themselves. They may 
 go on immeasurably as far as self-con- 
 ceit and vainglory Avill take them. 
 Paul's standard Avas the one God gave 
 him, and that Avas within the limit of the 
 sphere of his OAvn labors. God had giA'en 
 him his work as an apostle to the Gen- 
 tiles, and his fields of labor ; so that the 
 boundary line of his sphere reaches unto 
 the Corinthians, who Avere converted 
 under his ministry and OAved the exist- 
 ence of their church to his labors (3 : 2, 3 ; 
 
 1 Cor. 3 : 6. 10: 9 : 2). 
 
 14. Explanatory. For we stretch 
 not ourselves beyond our meas- 
 ure, beyond the prescribed limit, over- 
 much, as though, better, as if, we 
 reached not unto you ; for we 
 are come, rather, toe came, as far 
 as to you also in preaching the 
 gospel of Christ. The line and 
 measure of his labors, giA'en him by 
 God, extended to them, and there Avas 
 no need of any effort on his part in 
 claiming them within his sphere of 
 gospel activity. It is also implied that 
 he was the first to preach the gospel to 
 them. He had traveled from place to 
 
392 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. X. 
 
 toasting of things without our measure, 
 that is, ™of other men's labours; but 
 having hope, when your faith is in- 
 crea.'^ecl, that we shall be enlarged by 
 you according to our rule abundantlj', 
 
 16 to preach the gospel in the regions be- 
 yond you, and not to boast in another 
 man's line of things made ready to our 
 
 17 hand. ■> But he that glorieth, let him 
 
 18 glory in the Lord. For <> not he that 
 commendeth himself is approved, but 
 pwhom the Lord commendeth. 
 
 glorj-ing beyond our measure in other 
 men's labors; but having hope that as 
 your faith increases, we shall be en- 
 larged among you according to our 
 
 16 limit to further abundance, so as to 
 preach the gospel in the regions beyond 
 you, not to glory within the limits as- 
 signed to another of things made ready 
 
 17 to our hand. But he that glories, let 
 
 18 him glory in the Lord. For not he that 
 commends him.'^elf is approved, but he 
 whom the Lord commends. 
 
 m Rom. 15 : 20. 
 
 H Jer. 9 : 23, 24 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 31 ; Gal. 6 : 14. 
 p Rom. 2 : 29 ; 1 Cor. 4 : 5. 
 
 o Prov. 21:2; 27 : 2 ; Luke 16 : 15. 
 
 place, gathering converts, until he had 
 reached Corinth, at that time the far- 
 thest point he had gone westward. 
 
 15. The apostle repeats a thought at 
 the beginning of ver. 13, but here di- 
 rected against false teachers. Not 
 boasting, etc., Kot glorying withoid 
 measure in other men's labours, 
 as do some disturbers among you. Such 
 haying come to Corinth gloried in the 
 fruits of Paul's labors as if they were 
 their own. But Paul made it his aim 
 to preach the gospel where Christ was 
 not named, so as not to build on an- 
 other's foundation ( Rom. 15 : 20) . His 
 preaching at Rome after this, and his 
 writing to the Christians there, were 
 but a partial exception ; for he pro- 
 posed only to take Rome on his way to 
 Spain (Rom. 15 : 24). Bcsidcs, the church 
 at Rome does not appear to have been 
 founded by any particular one, but to 
 have been gathered from persons who 
 came thither from all parts of the em- 
 pire, among whom were some of Paul's 
 own converts. As a prisoner at Rome 
 he was shut off as it were to preaching 
 the gospel in that city. But, while 
 persisting in observing the rule laid 
 down in ver. 13, having hope, when 
 your faith increases (with their in- 
 creased faith there would be increased 
 growth, less need of apostolic watch- 
 care, and increased usefulness both to 
 them and to him), that we shall be 
 enlarged by, rather, among, you, 
 made more and more efficient in apos- 
 tolic labors, according to our rule 
 abundantly, according to our pre- 
 scribed sp ft ere of act'] vhy (^cr. n)^ super- 
 al)ounding and extending our field of 
 labors. He identifies himself with liis 
 work. He is enlarged as his work is 
 enlarged, and that enlargement at Cor- 
 inth depended on their faith. 
 
 I 16. The result of this enlargement 
 
 would be. To preach the gospel in 
 
 the regions beyond you, such as 
 
 Italy and Spain (Rom. 15 : 19, 24, 2s); and 
 
 also, not to boast in another 
 
 man's line, or not to glory iinthin an- 
 
 : other's sphere, of things made ready 
 
 i to our hand. Notice how frequently 
 
 the apostle alludes to, and emphasizes, 
 
 the practice of some who glory in the 
 
 results, upon fields and to labors, not 
 
 j their own. 
 
 I 17. In contrast to the self-glorying 
 i of his opponents Paul gives the true 
 : and Divine rule. But he that glo- 
 rieth, let him glory in the Lord, 
 I who is the source of all success (1 Cor. 
 [3:6.7). This is a free quotation from 
 Jer. 9 : 24, and it also occurs in 1 Cor. 
 I 1 : 31. As an example of Paul's glory- 
 i ing in the Lord, see 1 Cor. 15 : 10 ; 2 
 ' Cor. 12 : 9, 10. He found it necessary 
 [ at times to assert his apostolic charac- 
 ter and claims, and to refer to his 
 works, but while he did this he ascribed 
 all the glory to God. 
 
 18. Paul's comment on the preceding 
 verse. A reason and an application. 
 For not he that commendeth 
 himself is approved, stands the test 
 of trial, and stands approved as a faith- 
 ful servant (2 Tim. 2:15), but Avhom 
 the Lord commendeth, by the 
 deeds done through him (3:2,3). Tlie 
 Lord's commendation whether by word 
 or deed is according to truth and right- 
 eousness. "This will surely be the final 
 verdiat in regard to us all, whatever 
 men may .say of us now" (BoiSE). 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 1. No Christian character is properly 
 balanced without a Christlike meekness 
 and gentleness (ver. 1; Matt. 11 : 29; 1 
 Tim. 2 : 15). 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 393 
 
 Paul's defence against the charges of 
 false teachers. 
 
 11 WOULD to God ye could bear with 
 
 11 Would that ye could bear Avith me in 
 
 2. Formative church discipline is more 
 important than corrective. Proper train- 
 ing will in most cases render corrective 
 discipline needless (ver. 2 ; 2 Tim. 1 : 5, 7 ; 
 Titus 2 : 11, 12). 
 
 3. Yet we must not shrink from disci- 
 plining offenses when necessary (ver. 2, 6 ; 
 ICor. 5:3-7; 1 Tim. 1 : 20). 
 
 4. The fact that Christians are in the 
 Avorld necessitates a warfare (ver. 3-5: 
 John 17 : 16). 
 
 5. The Christian is to use the spiritual 
 weapons of truth. He must not call to 
 his aid the sword, or worldly devices and 
 intrigues, for the extension of the Re- 
 deemer's kingdom (ver. 4, 5 ; 1 Tim. 1 : 
 18, 19). 
 
 6. Christ is our Captain in the Christian 
 warfare, and victory over error and all 
 spiritual evils is certain (ver. 5 ; Heb. 2 : 
 10; ICor. 15 : 24). 
 
 7. Our encouragement in this warfare is 
 in God. Our weapons are mighty through 
 him (ver. 5, 6 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 27-29 ; Judg. 7 : 
 18, 20). 
 
 8. Not the outward appearance, but the 
 heart and inward graces and gifts of the 
 Spirit, determine the character of Chris- 
 tians and of ministers (ver. 7 ; John 7 : 24 ; 
 
 1 Sam. 16 : 7). 
 
 9. The authority and Avork of the gospel 
 ministry is not for disciplining offenses, 
 but in preaching and teaching and build- 
 ing up the cause of Christ (ver. 8, 14, 16 ; 
 John 21 : 15, 17). 
 
 10. It is unbecoming the Christian and 
 especially the gospel preacher to try to 
 pass for Avhat he is not (ver. 9 ; Matt. 23 : 
 3, 25, 26). 
 
 11. The letters of Paul are remarkable 
 in doctrine, argument, force, pathos, in- 
 dividuality, and instruction (ver. 9, 10; 
 
 2 Peter 3 : 15, 16 ; 2 Tim. 3 : 16). 
 
 12. Paul AA^as remarkable for his humil- 
 ity and honesty (A^er. 9-11 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 6-10). 
 
 13. They Avho assume that the standard 
 of moral excellence is in themselves, in- 
 stead of in God and his truth, are striking 
 examples of pride and folly (ver. 12, 17 ; 
 Prov. 30 : 12, 13 ; 26 : 12 ; Rev. 2:2). 
 
 14. God assigns to each one of his chil- 
 
 dren his mission and sphere of labor (ver. 
 13-16 ; Matt. 25 : 14, 15). 
 
 15. It should be our aim to enlarge our 
 usefulness as far as* possible for Christ 
 and his cause (\'er. 14-16 ; Acts 26 : 20-22 ; 
 Rom. 1 : 13, 15; 15 : 19, 20). 
 
 16. There is a dependence and an inter- 
 dependence among Christians in their 
 spiritual groAvth and usefulness (\'er. 15 ; 
 Rom. 14 : 7). 
 
 17. A missionarj'^ spirit and a Avilling- 
 ness to preach Christ to those AA^ho ncA'er 
 heard of him, and to spend a life in lator 
 and sufferings in extending the gospel, 
 are apostolic, and make ministers in our 
 day, in a high and noble sense, successors 
 of the apostles (ver. 14-16 ; Matt. 28 : 20). 
 
 18. God is the absolute good, the source 
 and standard of moral excellence (ver 17, 
 18 ; Mark 10 : 18 ; Rev. 15 : 4). 
 
 19. Self-estimates are deceptive. The 
 Divine estimate and approval will stand 
 the test of time and eternity (ver. 18 ; 
 Rom. 2:29: Gal. 1 : 10). 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Paul defends himself against his ac- 
 cusers, who appear to have been Juda- 
 izing, false teachers (ver. 22). He be- 
 gins the chapter by apologizing for his 
 boasting which he indulged in because 
 of his interest in his converts (ver. i-e), 
 his disinterested love (ver. 7-11), and his 
 desire to guard them against dishonest 
 men (ver. 12-15). He proceeds to show 
 that he is equal to his opponents as to 
 race (ver. 16-22), and superior to them in 
 labors, sufferings, and deliverances 
 
 (ver. 23-33). 
 
 1-15. The apostle apologizes 
 for his boasting. 
 
 1. Translate according to the best 
 text : Would that ye would bear from 
 me a little folly, in boasting. Paul's 
 sensitive nature recoils from speaking 
 in praise of himself, but his opposers 
 compelled him in self-defense. (A'er. le- 
 
 18 ; 12 : 11 ; 1 Cor. 3:1.) In the light of 10 : 
 
 17, 18, it seemed foolish ; and he speaks 
 as if in doubt as to Avhether they Avould 
 bear with him. And so to his wish he 
 adds a request, and indeed, or nay, 
 indeed, I beseech you, bear with me, 
 
394 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 me a little in imy folly: and indeed 
 
 2 bear with me. For I am ^ jealous over 
 you with godly jealousy : for « I have 
 esixjused you to one husband, 'that I 
 may present yoti "as a chaste virgin to 
 
 3 Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, 
 as I the serpent beguiled Eve through 
 his subtilty, so yovu- minds j should be 
 corrupted from' the simplicity that is 
 
 4 in Christ. For if he that cometh 
 preacheth » another Jesus, whom we 
 have not preached, or // ye receive 
 » another spirit, which ye have not re- 
 ceived, or 1^ another gospel, which we 
 have not accepted, ye might well bear 
 
 a little folly! Nay, indeed ye do bear 
 
 2 with me. For I am jealous over vou 
 with a godly jealousy ; for I betrothed 
 you to one hasband,'that I may present 
 
 3 a pure virgin to Christ. But I fear, 
 lest by any means, as the serpent de- 
 ceived Eve in his craftiness, so your 
 minds should be corrupted from your 
 singleness and purity toward Christ. 
 
 4 For if indeed he that comes preaches 
 another Jesus, whom we did not preach, 
 or if ye receive a different spirit, which 
 ye did not receive, or a different gospel, 
 which ye did not receive, ye might 
 
 q Ver. 16, 17, 19, 21 ; 5 : 13 ; 12 : 11. r Phil. 1:8. s Hosea 2 : 19, 20. t Eph. 5 : 27 ; Col. 1 : 28. 
 
 u Lev. 21 • 13. X Gen. 3 : 4, 13 ; John 8 : 44. y Col. 2 : 4, 8, 18 ; 1 Tim. 4 : 1 ; 2 Peter 3 : 17. 
 
 z Acts 4: 12. a 1 Oor. 12 : 4-11. 6 Gal. 1 : 7, 8. 
 
 for I am jealous, etc. ( next ver. ) . Most 
 later interpreters, however, take the 
 verb in the indicative instead of the 
 imperative, thus: But, indeed, you do 
 hear ivith me; some perhaps at Corinth 
 had said, "His foolishness is unbear- 
 able," and yet the church bore with him. 
 The first construction, however, seems 
 to me to suit the connection better. 
 
 2. For I am jealous over you 
 with a godly jealousy, a pure, god- 
 like jealousy, earnestly desirous that 
 you should not be led astray, and solic- 
 itous for your final salvation. For I 
 espoused you, / betrothed you 
 (referring to the engagement rather 
 than to the actual marriage), to one 
 husband, to whom alone you are to 
 remain faithful, that I may present 
 you a chaste, a pure, virgin to 
 
 Christ (comp. Eph. 5 : 2.5; Kev. 19 : 7-9). Paul 
 
 had been the means of their conversion. 
 Like John the Baptist he represents 
 himself as the friend of the bridegroom 
 (John 3 : 29), who oftcu took an important 
 part in negotiating and arranging the 
 marriage. As such he had secured, as 
 it were, the Corinthian cliurch as the 
 bride of Christ. Hence he felt a deep 
 concern and a weighty responsibility 
 in their behalf, that they should not be 
 
 unfaithful. (Comp. Isa. .')4 : 5: Jor. 3 : 14: Hosea 
 
 2:19,20.) His own honor, their honor 
 and highest interest, and Christ's glory, 
 were all involved. 
 
 3. As Satan led Eve astray, so the 
 apostle fears that the Corinthians will 
 be led astray by Satan's emissaries, the 
 false teachers. But I fear, lest by 
 any means, as the serpent, repre- 
 senting Satan ( Kev. 12:9), beguiled 
 FjXO, deceived her, through his sub- 
 
 tilty, craftiness, so your minds, or 
 thoughts, should be corrupted, and 
 turned away, from the simplicity, 
 
 and, according to the preferable text, 
 purity toward Christ. Simplicity 
 means that which is unmixed, unadul- 
 terated ; purity is chaste faithfulness to 
 him. The whole phrase therefore means 
 single-minded loyalty to Christ. The 
 Corinthian church is mentioned in 
 ver. 2 as the bride, and to preserve the 
 figure Eve is mentioned here, instead 
 of Adam, as in Rom. 5 : 12 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 
 22. Paul sees tlie danger of the Corin- 
 thians being led away from Christ by 
 the manifold and strange teachings of 
 Judaizing or other erroneous teachers 
 
 (Heb. 13 : 8,9). 
 
 4. The apostle gives a reason for this 
 fear, in that they were willing to en- 
 dure the false preaching of his oppo- 
 nents. The passage is a difiicult one, 
 and may be translated and expressed 
 thus: For if indeed he that comes, rep- 
 resenting the fiilse teachers in general, 
 or perhaps the prime mover, proclaims 
 another Jesus, another deliverer. Sav- 
 iour, whom we did not preach, or if ye 
 receive a different spii'^it, which ye did 
 not receive at first, or a different gospel 
 which ye did not receire and accept at 
 the first, if he indeed preaches another 
 gospel altogether, a new and a bettor 
 one, if it were possible to do this, you 
 might well endun' if. But this is not 
 so; for he professes to proclaim the 
 same Jesus the same Spirit, and the 
 same gospel, only he opposes and de- 
 preciates the authority of him from 
 whom you first received it. Therefore 
 you should not willingly listen to liim, 
 for I do not fall behind "the most em- 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 395 
 
 5 with him. For I suppose <= I was not a 
 whit behind tlie very chiefest apostles. 
 
 6 But though ^ I be rude in speech, yet 
 not « in knowledge ; but ^ we have been 
 thoroughly made manifest among you 
 in all things. 
 
 7 Have I committed an offence ein 
 abasing myself that ye might be ex- 
 alted, because I have preached to you 
 
 5 well bear with it. For I reckon that I 
 am in no respect behind those pre- 
 
 6 eminent apostles. And though I be 
 rude in speech, yet I am not in knowl- 
 edge ; but in everything we have mani- 
 fested it among all, in respect to you. 
 
 7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling 
 myself that ye might be exalted, be- 
 cause I preach to you the gospel of 
 
 c 12 : 11, 12 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 10. d See refs. 10 : 10. e Eph. 3 : 4. 
 
 </ 10 : 1 ; 12 : 13 ; Acts 18 : J-3 ; 1 Cor. 9 : 3-18. 
 
 /4 : 2; 5 : 11 ; 12 : 12. 
 
 inent apostles" (ver. 5), and much less 
 the "false apostles" (ver. 13), except in 
 rhetorical display ( ver. 6 ; 1 Cor. 2:1-4) ; 
 and surely not in gospel knowledge 
 and frank, open conduct (^er. 6), nor in 
 toil and suifering (ver. 22, ff.). 
 
 Paul is very generally regarded by 
 expositors as speaking here ironically, 
 thus: nobly would ye bear with him! 
 with reference to the ready reception 
 given the false teachers. But it is not 
 necessary to suppose irony since it can 
 be very naturally explained without it. 
 In the strong, impassioned language of 
 Paul the temptation is very great to in- 
 troduce the element of irony, where it 
 is possible, to explain difficulties. It 
 seems to me that this has sometimes 
 been carried too far. 
 
 5. The sum of Paul's boasting stated. 
 For, confirmatory of the thought im- 
 plied in the preceding verse. You 
 should not readily listen to these false 
 teachers, for I suppose, rather, I 
 consider, judge (a deliberate opinion), 
 I was not a whit behind the very 
 chiefest apostles, better, that I am 
 in nothing inferior to the most eminent 
 apostles (Thayer's Lex. ). Ancient inter- 
 preters refer this to Peter and John or 
 to the rest of the Twelve. This is in 
 harmony with Gal. 2 : 6-14. It may 
 however be regarded not as a personal 
 reference, but a general statement. No 
 apostles anywhere could claim superi- 
 ority to him. Later interpreters, how- 
 ever, more generally refer the words 
 here to the false teachers, the opposers 
 of Paul, and translate here and in 12 : 
 11, those pre-eminent, or, overmuch apos- 
 tles, implying censure and a tinge of 
 irony. But the first interpretation really 
 includes all. If he was not inferior to 
 the most eminent apostles, then he was 
 superior to any less eminent and to all 
 who might aspire to and claim apos- 
 tolic authority and power. 
 
 6. He explains more particularly 
 
 what he had just asserted, conceding 
 one point, and this largely for sake of 
 argument. But though I be rude 
 in speech, as my opponents affirm, un- 
 skilled in eloquence, laying no claim to 
 that rhetorical finish which is learned 
 in schools. Rude does not mean that a 
 person has not natural eloquence, for 
 Paul was an impressive and powerful 
 speaker (Acts 19 : s ; 24 : 10, etc. ), but that he 
 did not use the methods of professional 
 orators. Though indeed unskilled, un- 
 professional in speech, yet I am not 
 in knowledge, of the gospel and 
 Divine things (Eph. 3:4); and I could 
 dwell upon this, but we have been 
 thoroughly made manifest, 
 rather, according to the preferable text, 
 but in everything u'e have manifested it, 
 the fact that we are not deficient and 
 unskilled in our knowledge of Christ 
 and the gospel; we have manifested 
 this among all men in relation to you. 
 Our teaching among you is generally 
 known, and the benefit you have re- 
 ceived from us (1 Cor. 1 :5, 6), "They 
 are his ' Epistles known and read of all 
 men ' ; and by their knowledge of the 
 truth, he shows among all men his 
 knowledge as a teacher" (Gould; 3:2). 
 He needs to say no more regarding his 
 apostolic knowledge of Divine revela- 
 tions and spiritual truths. It was evi- 
 dent to all, 
 
 7. Have I committed an of- 
 fence, rather. Or, turning to another 
 objection of his opponents, did I com- 
 mit a sin, inconsistent with my apos- 
 tolic claims, in abasing myself, in 
 working for a living instead of enjoy- 
 ing my privilege as an apostle in re- 
 ceiving support from you ( i Cor. 9 : 4-15 ; 
 Acts 18 : 3) , that ye might be exalted, 
 from the degradation of heathenism to 
 the high moral position of Christian 
 salvation, because I preached to 
 you the gospel of God freely, 
 gratuitously f without cost? A pointed 
 
396 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 8 the gospel of God freely? I robbed 
 other churches, taking wages 0/ them, 
 
 9 to do you service: and when I was 
 present with you, and wanted, ^ I was 
 chargeable to no man (for that which 
 was lacking to me ' the brethren which 
 came from Macedonia supplied) ; and 
 in all things I have kept myself ^ from 
 being burdensome unto you, and so 
 
 10 will I keep myself. 'As the truth of 
 Christ is in me, ™ no man shall stop me 
 of this boasting in the regions of 
 
 11 Achaia. ^Vhe^etore? ° because I love 
 12voun()t? God knoweth. But "what I 
 
 do, that I will do, p that I may cut off 
 
 8 God without cost ? I robbed other 
 churches, taking wages of them, that 
 
 9 I might minister to you. And when I 
 was present with you, and lacked, I 
 was a charge to no one ; for what was 
 lacking to me the brethren when they 
 came from Macedonia supplied ; and 
 in every thing I kept myself from be- 
 ing burdensome to you, and so will 
 
 10 keep myself. As the truth of Christ 
 is in me, this glorj-ing shall not be 
 stopped against me in the regions of 
 
 11 Achaia. Why? Because I love you 
 
 12 not? God knows. But what I do, 
 and will do, is that I may cut off the 
 
 h I Thess. 2 : 9 ; 2 Thess. 3 : 8, 9. i Phil. 4 : 10, 14-16. 
 
 m 1 Cor. 9 : 15. n 6 : 11, 12 ; 7 : 3 ; 12 : 15. 
 
 kl2 : 14, 16. 
 o Ver. 9. 
 
 ?Rom. 1 : 9; 9 : 1. 
 p 1 Cor. 9 : 12. 
 
 question, the natural answer of which 
 would be: By no means; you committed 
 no sin, but rather showed your disin- 
 terested love (vt-T. n). But it would seem 
 that his enemies had reproached him 
 for this exhibition of unselfishness, and 
 used it as an argument against his apos- 
 tolic authority. They themselves had 
 exacted pay for their services (ver. 20), 
 and so far from entering into and ap- 
 preciating Paul's feelings, they charged 
 it to a consciousness that he was not an 
 apostle. 
 
 8. I robbed, despoiled, as it were, 
 other churches, taking wages, 
 Avliich some might think unfairly taken 
 (Phil. 4 : 15-18), to do you scrvice, that 
 I might minister to yon. A strong state- 
 ment of fact. lie received from other 
 churolies what tliey were not really 
 called upon to supply ; and what the 
 Corinthians were l)ound to furnish as 
 much aa any others. Why he did this 
 is told in ver. 12. The word translated 
 wages is not the usual word for pay for 
 services, but one used of the aUowance 
 or rations given to soldiers (LukeSiU; 
 1 Cor. 9:7), and here equivalent to sup- 
 port, the means of subsistence. All he 
 got was a bare support, and what he 
 needed above his earnings (iCor. 9:6) 
 was received from others (next ver.). 
 
 9. And when I Avas present 
 with yon, and wanted, liaving 
 fallen beliind in my resources, I was 
 chargeable, / was a burden, to no 
 man : for, to explain how this was, 
 that which was lacking to me, 
 the deficiency which I failed to earn, 
 the brethren, perhaps Timothy and 
 Silas (Acts 17 5), which came from 
 Macedonia supi)lied. Aiid in 
 
 everything I carefully kept myself, and 
 will keep myself, from being a burden 
 to you. Such had been his practice to- 
 ward them, and he proposed for reasons 
 to be given to persist in the practice. 
 
 10. That he will in the future con- 
 tinue in this course he most solemnly 
 declares. As the truth of Christ is 
 in me, existing in me and making me 
 truthful as he is truthful, no man 
 shall stop me of this boasting, 
 or glorying, by any strong or violent 
 measure that may be adopted, in the 
 regions of Achaia. (seei cor. 9 : is, 
 19, and note.) The word tran.slatcd stop 
 signifies to fence in, hedge in, and is 
 used of stopping the mouth in Rom. 3 : 
 19; Heb. 11 : 33. Xo insinuations 
 charges, and efforts of opposers shall 
 stop me in this glorying, nor shall any 
 argument from my conduct prove that 
 my glorying is empty. 
 
 11. Wherefore? Why hold so 
 tenaciously to this resolution, to receive 
 nothing from them? He answers this 
 first negatively. Because I love 
 you not? God knoweth. A prac- 
 tical and most solemn denial. The 
 question itself suggests his po.sitive af- 
 fection for them. God knew that there 
 was no lack of love, and how great his 
 love for them. He thus anticipates any 
 suspicion that his conduct arose from 
 any coldness or distrustfulness on his 
 part. Love indeed willingly accepts 
 gifts from loved ones. But he had other 
 reasons aside from any lack of love, 
 for not doing thus, which he proceeds 
 to give. 
 
 1^. He answers the question, Where- 
 fore (ver. 11), positively. But what I 
 "do, that I will do, or, But 2vhat I do 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 397 
 
 occasion from them which desire occa- 
 sion ; that wherein they glory, they 
 may be found even as we. 
 
 13 For such q are false apostles, '■deceit- 
 ful workers, transforming themselves 
 
 14 into the apostles of Christ. And no 
 marvel ; for ^ Satan himself is trans- 
 
 15 formed into an angel of light : there- 
 fore it is no great thing if his ministers 
 also be transformed as the ministers 
 of righteousness ; * whose end shall be 
 according to their works. 
 
 occasion of those who desire an occa- 
 sion, that wherein they glory they may 
 
 13 be found even as we. For such men 
 are false apostles, deceitful workers, 
 transforming themselves into apostles 
 
 14 of Christ. And no wonder ; for Satan 
 himself transforms himself into an 
 
 15 angel of light. It is no great thing 
 tlien, if also his ministers transform 
 themselves as ministers of righteous- 
 ness ; whose end will be according to 
 their works. 
 
 q Rom. 16 : 18 ; Gal. 1 : 7 ; 2 Peter 2 : 1 ; 1 John 4:1; Rev. 2:2. r Titus 1 : 10, 11. 
 
 s Ver. 3 ; Matt. 4 : 1-10. t Phil. 3 : 19 ; 2 Peter 2 : 3, 13-22. 
 
 and loill do is, that I may cut off the 
 occasion from them which desire 
 an occasion against me, to depreciate 
 me and magnify themselves. That, 
 ill order that, Avherein they glory, 
 they may be found even as we, 
 "that we may both be judged fairly ac- 
 cording to the actual facts" (Boise). 
 They shall have no occasion for saying 
 that I preach for money. And in re- 
 gard to the claim of support wherein 
 they glory they shall be estimated even 
 as we. Their selfish and aggrandizing 
 spirit would not stand the test a mo- 
 ment in comparison with the unselfish 
 and disinterested principle upon which 
 the apostle acted. If they continued to 
 receive pay for services they would 
 suflFer disadvantage in comparison with 
 him ; or they would be compelled to act 
 upon the same disinterested principle 
 as he, which they were not likely to do. 
 This is a difficult passage, and a num- 
 ber of interpretations are given by ex- 
 positors. The above seems to me the 
 preferable one. 
 
 13. A reason for the statement in the 
 preceding verse. For such persons 
 as they who desire an occasion or a 
 handle to use against me, are false 
 apostles, professing to be commis- 
 sioned by Christ when they are not 
 (Rev. 2 :2), de ceitful workers, 
 crafty, dishonest, pretending to be de- 
 voted to the gospel but seeking their 
 
 own selfish ends (2 : 17; Rom. 16 : 17, 18; 
 
 Gal. 6 : 12), transforming themselves 
 into (omit the) apostles of Christ. 
 
 It is their habit (present tense) to as- 
 sume the appearance and air of apostles 
 of Christ. But judged fairly and ac- 
 cording to actual facts (ver. 12) their 
 mask will be stripped off (Rev. 2 : 9, 13). 
 Apostles — those who trace back their 
 authority and commission to Christ, 
 
 instead of to any church ( Acts 1 : 21, 22 ; Gai. 
 
 1^1). 
 
 14. And no marvel, it is not a 
 strange thing, for Satan himself is 
 transformed into, assumed the ap- 
 pearance of, an angel of light (2 : u; 
 10:7). It would be hard to speak of 
 Satan more strongly as a person than 
 is done here. Angels of light are thus 
 designated, because of the brightness 
 which surrounds them (Acts 12 : 7; ps. 
 104 : 4) ; and because they are the mes- 
 sengers of God who is light and dwells 
 in light (1 John 1 : 5 ; 1 Tim. 6 : 16) ; and be- 
 cause they convey spiritual light, 
 knowledge, and truth. As opposed to 
 the angels of light Satan is of the king- 
 dom of darkness, practising the deeds 
 of darkness in deceiving and seducing 
 
 men (4 = 6; Acts 26 : 18 ; Col. 1 : 13 ; 2 Thess. 2:9; 
 
 Rev. 12 : 9). Notice Satan does not come 
 to us as Satan ; he comes with false 
 
 colors (Gen. 3: 1-6). 
 
 15. Therefore it is no great 
 thing if his ministers, his servants, 
 
 also, as well as he, transform them- 
 selves, as the ministers of right- 
 eousness, assume to themselves the 
 appearance of servants of righteousness 
 (Rom. 6:18), dcvotcd to riglitcousness as 
 
 it is in Christ (S : 21 ; Rom. 1 : 17). Right- 
 
 eousness is a condition of Christ's king- 
 dom and represents a power which is 
 opposed to Satan (6:7,14). Whose 
 end shall be according to their 
 w^orks, according to their deeds as 
 they actually were, not according to 
 the outward appearances they had as- 
 sumed. Being Satan's servants they 
 must receive his wages (rwu.6 :23; Phii. 
 3 : 19). The word end is significant, the 
 final fate or destiny, pointing to an un- 
 changing future, with no hope of being 
 restored and eventually saved (Rom. 2: 
 
 6-11 ; Phil. 3 : 19 ; Prov. 24 : 12). 
 
398 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 16 "T say ;if?ain, Ixit no man tliink me a 
 fool ; if other wise, jet as a fool reeeive 
 me, that I may boast myself a little. 
 
 17 That whieh I speak, » 1 speak it not 
 after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, 
 
 18 in this confidenee of boasting, j See- 
 ing that many glory after the flesh, ^ I 
 
 19 will glory also. For ye suffer fools 
 gladly, "seeing ye yourselves are wise. 
 
 20 For ye suffer, *• if a man bring you into 
 bondage, if a man devour you, if a man 
 
 16 I say again, let no one think me 
 foolish" ; but if ye do, yet receive me 
 
 '■ even if as foolish, that 1 too may glory 
 
 17 a little. What I speak, I sf^eak "not ac- 
 cording to the Lord, but as if in folly, 
 
 18 in this confidenee of glorying. Since 
 I many glory according to the flesh, I 
 I 19 al.so will glory. For ye gladly bear 
 I with the foolish, being yourselves 
 i 20 wise. For ye bear with it, if one 
 j brings you into bondage, if one devours 
 
 u Vlt. 1 ; 12:6, 11. 
 
 Jl Cor. 7 : 6, 12. 
 a 1 Cor. 4 : 10. 
 
 3/ Ver. 21-23 ; Phil. 3:3.4. 
 6 Gal. 2:4; 4:9. 
 
 z 12 : 0, 6, 9, 11. 
 
 16-33. Equal to his opponents 
 as to race; superior to them in 
 sufferings. 
 
 16. I say a§rain. Paul has made 
 three attempts to begin his glorying. 
 First (10 :T), he stops to give attention 
 to the empty glorjang of his opponents ; 
 second ( ii : i ) , he pauses to express his 
 anxiety for his converts under the 
 influence of false teachers; and third 
 (11:6), he again stops to answer the 
 charge arising from not accepting sup- 
 port. Now he returns to tlie point and 
 expresses himself fully as far as 12 : 13. 
 Let no man think me a fool, 
 think me foolish, senseless, acting with- 
 out reflection. He shrinks from self- 
 praise as unbecoming. He feels hu- 
 miliated that he is compelled so to do 
 (12 : 11). If otherwise, or if ye do 
 think in*, foolish, yet as a fool re- 
 ceive me, yet receive me even if ye 
 do regard me as foolish, that I may 
 boast myself, that I too, as trell as 
 they, may gloinj a little. There seems 
 to be an implied contrast : others are 
 allowed to boast much, surely I may 
 boast a little. 
 
 17. He enlarges on this boasting a lit- 
 tle. That which I speak, I speak 
 it not after the manner of the Lord 
 Jesus, or according to the Lord, (s^e sim- 
 
 il.ar expressions, 1 : 17 ; 10 : 3 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 32. ) Sclf- 
 
 praise was not according to the example 
 and spirit of Christ (Matt, ii : 29; Luke n : 
 
 10: Rom. 15 : 3, 5; Phil. 2:5; 3:3), and aS im- 
 plied by this manner of speaking, Mas 
 not through any direct instruction 
 from him. (Comp. i"cor. 7 : 12. 2.5, 4o.) But, 
 I speak, as it were foolishly, as if 
 in a iitaiQ of foolishness, in this con- 
 fidence of boasting, in tlic assur- 
 ance that I have in this glorying. In 
 this Paul displays great humility, and 
 he ascribes all glory to God (10:13,17), 
 so that there was nothing wrong in his 
 
 self- glorying. "Like an oath, self- 
 praise may under certain circumstances 
 become necessary, especially for those 
 who, like St. Paul, have the public 
 duties of a sacred ministry to dis- 
 cliarge" (Wordsworth). He does it 
 in self-defense and for the good of his 
 converts. He stoops as it were to their 
 weakness and suits his argument to 
 their carnal ideas. 
 
 18. He begins his gloi-ying, and he 
 gives a reason for so doing. Seeing 
 that many glory after the flesh, 
 after the manner of worldly men who 
 look only at the outward, and boast of 
 birth, race, and wisdom, I will glory 
 also, which he does beginning with 
 ver. 22. If they have done it from 
 unworthy motives, and with so much 
 effect upon you, I also will do it, im- 
 pliedly with worthy motives. As if he 
 had added : Not in what I have done, 
 but in what I have suffered, and in 
 God's grace to me. He uses arguments 
 which were found to be suited to them. 
 " What is allowed to many, is the more 
 easily granted to one " (B'engel). 
 
 19. A reason, humorously put, why 
 they should bear witli him in glorying. 
 For ye suflTer, or gladly bear with, 
 fools, those without understanding, 
 deficient in intelligence, seeing ye 
 yourselves are wise, intelligent. 
 It is characteristic of intelligent men to 
 bear with those who are deficient in 
 understanding. 
 
 20. Further reasons why they should 
 bear with him. Paul humorously refers 
 to their forl>earance with others, in view 
 of which they would surely bear with 
 him. For ye suflTer, or hear icith it, 
 if a man, doubtless a reference to 
 their false teachers, bring you into 
 bondage, lording it over you and 
 binding you to a blind obedience ; if a 
 man devour you, selfishly strips you 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 399 
 
 take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a 
 
 21 man smite you on the face. I speak as 
 concerning' reproach, ^as though we 
 had been weak. Howbeit ^ whereinso- 
 ever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I 
 
 22 am bold also. Are they Hebrews ?' « so 
 am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. 
 Are they the seed of Abraham ? so am I. 
 
 23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak 
 as a fool) I am more ; fin labours more 
 abundant, sin stripes above measure, 
 in prisons more frequent, ''in deaths 
 
 you, if one takes you captive, if one ex- 
 alts himself, if one beats you on the 
 
 21 face. I say it as a dishonor, as though 
 we had been weak. But in whatever 
 any one is bold (I say it in folly), I 
 
 22 also am bold. Are they Hebrews ? So 
 am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. 
 Are they Abraham's seed? So am I. 
 
 23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak 
 as beside myself,) I am more ; in labors 
 more abundantly, in prisons more 
 abundantly, in stripas above meas- 
 
 c 10 : 10. d Phil. 3:4. e Acts 22 : 3 ; Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3 : 5. / 1 Cor. 15 : 10. 
 
 5 6 : 4. 5 : Acts 9 : 16 : 20 : 23 ; 21 : 11. ft 6 : 9, 10 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 30-32. 
 
 of your goods; if a man take of 
 you, rather, take you captive, like a 
 hunter, if by craft he ensnare and catch 
 you, and thus satisfies his ambition or 
 avarice; if a man exalt himself, 
 assuming airs of superiority ; if a 
 man smite you on the face, treat- j 
 iug you rudely in the exercise of au- i 
 thority. This was the climax of for- j 
 bearance. That such acts of presump- 
 tion and violence might be committed, 
 by arrogant teachers in the early 
 churches, may be inferred from the | 
 command in 1 Tim. 3 : 3 and Titus 1 : i 
 7. that a bishop or pastor must not be 
 
 a striker." (Comp. Matt. 5 : 39 ; LukL' 22 : 64 ; 
 Acts 23 : 2; 1 Kings 22 : 24.) 
 
 21. I speak as concerning re- 
 proach, better, / say it as a reproach, 
 or hy way of self-disparagement, as 
 though it were a fact that Ave had 
 been weak when among you, and in 
 our relation to you since then ( lo : lo : 
 1 Cor. 4 : 10). He had represented himself 
 as weak and as nothing in contrast to 
 the arrogant assumptions of the false 
 teachers (ver. 16-20). I have so spoken 
 indeed, hut wherein any is bold, (I 
 speak foolishly, in foolishness, as 
 my enemies would say), I am bold 
 also, in speech. Whatever these men 
 can glory in, I can glory in the same. 
 And as a proof he enters upon an 
 eloquent and wonderful description of 
 his ministerial labors (ver. 22-27). 
 
 22. Hebrews are they? bearing 
 that ancient and most venerable na- 
 tional name, and attached to their na- 
 tionality and their language (Acts6:i; 
 21:40; 22:2; Phil. 3:5). So am I a He- 
 brew. Israelites are they ? belong- 
 ing to the theocracy and attached to 
 their covenant privileges as God's 
 
 people (Rom. 9 :4; Acts 13 : 16 : 21 : 28). SCCd 
 
 of Abraham are they? descendants 
 
 of the father of the faithful and sharers 
 in the Messianic promises (Rom. 9:7; ii : 
 
 1 : comp. Acts 22 : 3 ; Phil. 3:5). Paul repCatS 
 
 the vocabulary of their boasting. 
 It is evident that they were Jewish 
 teachers. 
 
 23. Ministers, or servants, of 
 Christ are they? specially connected 
 with Christ in their service for him? 
 peculiarly his servants, his ministers? 
 With stronger language Paul exclaims, 
 (I speak as a too!,) rather, as one 
 beside himself, out of his senses. In 
 great humiliation he is compelled to 
 speak of his ministerial labors and suf- 
 ferings. In God's sight all boasting is 
 
 excluded (Luke n :10; Rom. 3:27) ; but 
 
 facts were facts, and he is compelled to 
 appeal to them in self-defense, and 
 against the glorification and preten- 
 sions of his opposers (12:11). I am 
 more, in a much greater degree am I 
 a servant or minister of Christ. " I am 
 that pre-eminently" (Boise). In a 
 graphic statement of facts Paul gives 
 a proof of this. He points to a life 
 without precedent in the world. " Self- 
 devotion for some special national cause 
 had been often seen before ; the career 
 of Socrates was a lifelong service to hu- 
 nianity ; but a continual self-devotion, 
 involving hard-ships like those here de- 
 scribed, and extending over so long a 
 period, and in behalf of no local or 
 family interest, but for the interest of 
 mankind at large, was down to this 
 time a thing unknown" (Stanley). 
 In labours, hard and troublesome, 
 
 more abundant (1 Cor. 15 : 10 ; Acts 20 : 20, 
 
 31, 34: Rom. 15:19), in stripcs abovc 
 measure (ver. 24), in prisons more 
 frequent, or more abundantly (Acts 
 16:23), in deaths oft, in the midst 
 of death and in imminent danger of 
 
 death (Acts 14 : 19 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 31 ; 2 Cor. 1 : 9, 10 ; 
 
400 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 24 oft. Of the Jews five times rcceivecl I 
 
 25 ' forty stripes save one, thrice was I 
 J beaten with rods, ^onee wa,s 1 stoned, 
 tliriee I i suffered shipwreck, a night 
 
 26 and a day I have been in the deep ; in 
 journevin^s often, in perils of waters, 
 in perils of robbers, «> in perils by mine 
 own countrymen, "t// perils by the 
 heathen, in perils in the city, m perils 
 in the wilderness, in perils 'in the sea, 
 
 27 in i)erils among false brethren ; in 
 
 24 ure, in deaths often ; from the Jews 
 five times I received forty stripes 
 
 25 save one ; thrice I was beaten with 
 rods ; once I was stoned ; thrice I 
 suffered shipwreck ; a night and a day 
 
 26 I have spent in the deep : in journey- 
 ings often, in perils of rivers, in perils 
 of robbers, in perils from my country- 
 men, in perils from the heathen, in 
 perils in the city, in perils in the 
 wilderness, in perils in the sea, in 
 
 J Deut. 25 : 3. 
 
 j Acts 16 : 22, 23 ; 21 : 32. k Acts 14 : 19. 
 
 I Acts 27 : 41. 
 
 
 m Acts 9 
 
 23-25 ; 13 : 50 ; 14 : 5 ; 17 : 5 ; 20 : 3 ; 21 : 28-31 ; 23 
 n 1 : 8-10 ; Acts 14 : 5 : 16 : 19-24 ; 19 : 23-41. 
 
 10, 11 ; 25 : 3. 
 
 
 4:11). From this and the verses that 
 follow it appears how little of Paul's 
 life we have in the Acts of the Apostles. 
 But though this account goes far be- 
 yond that of the Acts, yet it is remark- 
 able that there is nothing here that 
 contradicts that narrative. The inci- 
 dental agreements, and the differences 
 w i t h o u t contradictions, confirm the 
 truthfulness of Luke and Paul. Unlike 
 most biographies of heroes and saints, 
 the memoirs of the apostle underrate 
 instead of averrate his labors and suf- 
 ferings. 
 
 24. In this verse and the next Paul 
 specifies instances of the " stripes above 
 measure" and of "deaths oft," of 
 the preceding verse. Of the Jcavs 
 five times received I forty stripes 
 save one (Matt, lo : 77). None of these 
 are mentioned in the Acts. Jewish 
 law forbade the inflicting of more than 
 forty stripes. One below that number 
 was given lest by mistake the pre- 
 scribed number should be exceeded. 
 (.ToSEPHUS, Antiq., IV., 8, 21.) 
 
 25. Thrice was I beaten with 
 rods. Only one of these is mentioned 
 in the Acts, that at Philippi (Actsie: 
 22,23). This was a Roman punish- 
 ment; inflicting stripes a Jewish. It 
 was not unusual for death to result 
 from the stripes or the rods; and so 
 these may also be included in the state- 
 ment "in deaths oft." Once Avas I 
 stoned, at Lystra (Actsu: 19). Clem- 
 ent of Rome, a friend of Paul 
 (Phil. 4: 3)^ in his fii-st "Epistle to the 
 Corinthians," written perhaps, A. D. 
 90, says that Paul " was imprisoned 
 seven times, was whipped (or put to 
 flight), was stoned," Thrice 1 suf- 
 f e r e d shipwreck. We have no 
 account of these. That in Acts 27 oc- 
 curred after this. A night and a 
 
 day, a period of twenty-four hours, 
 beginning with sunset, I have been, 
 rather, / have spent, in the deep, 
 clinging probably to some piece of the 
 wreck and exposed to the dangers of 
 the ocean. The expression implies a 
 vivid remembrance of the event. 
 
 26. The last two verses were some- 
 what parenthetical. This verse re- 
 sumes the line of thought in ver. 23. 
 "I am more," in a much greater de- 
 gree a minister of Christ — in, or hy, 
 journeyings often ; the Acts gives 
 some of these ; he was now on his third 
 general missionary tour. In perils of 
 
 j waters, dangers 0/ ?'«"f;'s, overflowing 
 I at times and bridges were rare, dan- 
 j gerous to ford, quite impassable. He 
 ' may have met such dangers in Para- 
 phylia and Pisidia in his first mission- 
 ary journey (Acts 13 : 13, 14, anil note). Of 
 
 robbers, who infested mountainous 
 and sparsely settled regions. (Comp. 
 Lukeio:3o.) By my OAvn country- 
 men, the Jews, who often sought his 
 life, and were ever on liis track to 
 arouse persecution (Acts 9 : 25, 29; 17 : 5, 13 ; 
 18:12, etc.). By the heathen, as at 
 Lystra, Philippi, and Ephesus (Acts 
 
 14 : 19; 16 : 19-22; 19: 23-34). In the City, 
 
 as at Damascus (vor. 32) and at Jeru- 
 salem (Acts 9 : 28, 29), in thc Avildcr- 
 ness, a desert, an uninhabited region, 
 where he was exposed to hunger and 
 thirst, lieat and cold, as well as to rov- 
 ing bands of robbers. (Comp. Gai. 1 : n.) 
 In the sea, from pirates and from 
 long voyages, aside from shipwrecks. 
 Among false brethren — .Judaizing 
 teachers and those pretending to l)e dis- 
 ciples or apostles of Clirist (ver. 13: Oal. 
 
 2:4). This last is a climax. Almost 
 anything could be better endured than 
 
 this (Ps. 55: 12-14). 
 
 27. In weariness, labor, toil, and 
 
Ch. XI.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 401 
 
 weariness and painfulness, oin watch- 
 ings often, Pin liunger and thirst, in 
 fastings often, in cold and nakedness : 
 
 28 beside those things tliat are without, 
 that which cometh upon me daily, 
 
 29 1 the care of all the churches. ^ Who is 
 weak, and I am not weak? Who is 
 offended, and I burn not? 
 
 30 If I must needs glory, « I will glory 
 of the things which concern mine in- 
 
 27 perils among false brethren ; in toil 
 and hardship, in sleeplessness often, 
 in hunger and thirst, in fastings 
 
 28 often, in cold and nakedness. Apart 
 from the things which I omit, there 
 is that which comes upon me daily, 
 
 29 anxiety for all the churches. Who 
 is weak, and I am not weak? Who 
 is caused to stumble, and I do not 
 
 30 burn? If I must needs glory, I will 
 glory of things which belong to my in- 
 
 o 6 : 5 ; Acts 20 : 31. pi Cor. 4 : 11. g See Acts 15 : 36, 41 ; 18 : 23 ; 20 : 18, etc. 
 
 r 1 Cor. 8 : 13 ; 9 : 22. s 12 : 5-10. 
 
 painfulness, travail, hardship 
 (2 Thess. 3:8, the same words in the 
 original); in Avatchings often, 
 
 sleepless nights through anxiety, busi- 
 ness, or suffering (Acts 17 : lO ; 20 : 11, 31) ; 
 
 in hunger and thirst, when travel- 
 ing, in desert places, in poverty, and 
 unable to obtain the necessities of life 
 
 (1 Cor. 4 : 11; Phil. 4 : 12) ; in faStiUgS 
 
 often, voluntary self-denials in con- 
 nection with prayer (6:5: i Cor. 9 : 27). 
 Thus we have brought to view compul- 
 sory and voluntary fasting. In cold 
 and nakedness, exposed to the cold 
 of winter with scanty clothing. Abso- 
 lute nakedness is not here meant, but a 
 want of sufficient clothing. What a 
 contrast to Jewish rabbis, who sought 
 the best of everything (Matt. 8 : 20; 23 : 6). 
 28. The list could be extended ; but 
 Paul desists with a comprehensive sum- 
 mary of what remains. Beginning a 
 new sentence he .says, Besides 
 those things that are without, 
 rather, Besides the things omitted, in 
 the preceding list, that which com- 
 eth upon me daily, the care, 
 better, the anxiety, or solicitude, for 
 all the churches I have planted. 
 He felt his responsibility as an apostle 
 and missionary. As our modern mis- 
 sionaries have a deep anxiety for the 
 churches they have gathered, counsel- 
 ing, directing, and exercising a care 
 for them, so it was with Paul (Gai. 2:7). 
 His visits to them and his Epistles 
 evince this, especially do his Epistles to 
 the Galatians and the Corinthians. An- 
 other very ancient reading is, there is to 
 me the daily pressure, anxiety for all 
 the churches. This represents the Latin 
 Vulgate and the most ancient Greek 
 manuscripts of the fourth century. 
 The other represents the Peshito Syriac 
 version of the second century and some 
 ancient manuscripts. I incline to this. 
 
 29. Paul briefly explains his care 
 and anxiety. Who is w^eak among 
 all my converts in the churches, and 
 I (emphatic) am not weak with 
 him? Who is offended, is caused 
 to stumble, and I (emphatic) burn 
 not, in pain with and for him. The 
 word burn expresses strong feelings, 
 here sympathetic pain or grief. He 
 took upon himself their individual 
 anxieties (Rom. i5;i). "The verse is 
 very instructive and suggestive on vi- 
 carious sufferings" (Gould. Comp. 
 Matt. 8 : 17). How true Paul's words 
 were, in his own experience, may be 
 seen in such passages as 2 : 5-11 ; 1 
 Cor. 5:1; 6:1; 7:1;8:1; 9: 22; 
 10 : 33 ; Phil. 4 : 2, 3. 
 
 30. Paul, in conclusion, touches 
 upon the nature of his boasting, so dif- 
 ferent from that of his opponents. If 
 I must needs glory, if it is neces- 
 sary as it appears to be, I Avill glory 
 of the things which concern 
 mine infirmities, pertaining to my 
 weakness (12 : 5, 9 ; is : 9), Such weak- 
 ness as that manifested in sufiering, 
 patience, endurance, sympathy, and 
 self-sacrifice, stood out in bold contrast 
 to the pretended strength and self-as- 
 sertion of the false apostles who op- 
 posed him (ver. 20). These exhibitions 
 of things belonging to his weakness he 
 had already mentioned, and would also 
 further speak of. In him was a living 
 exemplification of the beatitudes (Matt. 
 
 5:1-12). 
 
 31. Having spoken of his suflferings, 
 self-sacrifices, burdens, and intense 
 sympathies for others, and his glorying 
 in the things which pertaineth to his 
 infirmities, he solemnly asserts their 
 truthfulness. It was so different from 
 the common glorying among men, that 
 he may have felt that many would not 
 appreciate his deep feelings, and would 
 
 2A 
 
402 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XI. 
 
 31 firmities. » The God and Father of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ," which is blessed for 
 
 32 evermore, knoweth that I lie not. »In 
 Damascus the governor under Aretas 
 the king kept the city of the Damas- 
 cenes with a garrison, desirous to ap- 
 
 33 prehend me: and through a window 
 in a basket was I let down by the wall, 
 and escaped his hands. 
 
 31 firmity. The God and Father of our 
 Lord jesas who is blessed forevermore, 
 
 32 knows that I lie not. In Damascus, 
 the governor under Aretas the king 
 kept guard over the city of the Damas- 
 
 33 cenes to arrest me ; and through a 
 window I was let down in a basket 
 through the wall, and escaped his 
 hands. 
 
 ( 1 : 23 ; Rom. 1:9; Gal. 1 : 20 ; 1 Thess. 2 : 5. 
 
 u Rom. 9 : 5. 
 
 X Acts 9 : 24, 25. 
 
 listen to his words with astonishment 
 or with doubt. The God and Father 
 of our Lord Jesus (omit Christ) 
 who is blessed forevermore, 
 knoweth that I lie not in regard to 
 the things of which I am speaking. 
 This solemn afftrmation is in keeping 
 with the fervid character of the whole 
 passage. It is thrown in somewhat in- 
 dependently after the manner of Paul, 
 having reference to both what precedes 
 and what follows. Compare similar af- 
 firmations (Rom. 9:1-4; Gal. 1 : 20 ; 1 Tim. 2:7). 
 
 32. He gives an instance of per- 
 sonal suffering and deliverance in his 
 early ministry which is a sample of 
 many others. Some think he began 
 here a historical account of his suffer- 
 ings, which for some reason he did not 
 continue. In Damascus, situated at 
 the base of the Anti-Lebanon moun- 
 tains, one hundred and thirty-three 
 miles northeast of Jerusalem and fifty 
 miles east of the ^lediterranean. (See 
 note on Acts 9 : 2.) The govemor, the 
 ethnark, or ruler of a nation}, a title of 
 a provincial governor. Under Are- 
 tas, the king, of Arabia Pet r sea, 
 whose daughter had been divorced by 
 Herod Antipas in order that he inight 
 marry Herodias, his brother Philip's 
 wife (Matt. 14 : 3-5). It sccms probable 
 tiiat in the changes following the death 
 of the Emperor Tiberius, A. D 37, Are- 
 tas got possession of Damascus and 
 held it a year or more till a. d. 38 or 
 30. (See Clark's " Harmonic Arrange- 
 ment of the Acts," 'i'i 10, 17, notes, pp. 
 170, 174.) Kept, was gudrdiug, the 
 city of the Damascenes, desirous 
 to apprehend me. In Acts 9 : 23, 
 24, we learn that the .Tows plotted to 
 kill Paul, and were watching the gates 
 of the city day and night. They doubt- 
 less acted in concert with the guard of 
 the governor. This made the escape of 
 Paul the more difficult and the more 
 wonderful. Many manuscripts omit 
 desirous. 
 
 33. And through a window in 
 a basket, made of ropes, I was let 
 
 down by, through an opening in, the 
 wall and escaped his hands. 
 
 The house and wall were so connected 
 that he might be said to be lowered in 
 a basket through the window and 
 through the wall. Perhaps the win- 
 dow belonged equally to the house and 
 
 the wall (Comp. Jush. 2 ' 15; 1 Sam. 19 : 12, aud 
 
 note on Acts 9 : 25. ) Later, iufidcls ridiculcd 
 Paul as "a basket escaper." But the 
 mode of his escape shows how great 
 his danger, his helpless condition, and 
 his great extremity. In these exhibi- 
 tions of his weakness he gloried, for his 
 deliverance was manifestly of the Lord. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. Boasting in general is folly — the fruit 
 of pride. But self-praise, when it accords 
 with truth, is sometimes necessary for 
 Christ and his cause (ver. 1 ; Acts 5 : 36 ; 
 2 Cor. 10: 15). 
 
 2. The church, the "Lamb's wife," 
 should be pure, having a converted and 
 consecrated membership (ver. 2 ; Rev. 
 19:7; 21 : 9). 
 
 3. There is great danger that churches 
 be led away from the .simplicity and 
 purity of Christ, in doctrine, in worship, 
 and in practice and life (ver. 3 ; Jude 3 ; 
 1 Tim. 2 : 1-3, 8-10). 
 
 4. The way of salvation through Christ 
 is as perfect as it can be, and any change 
 in the gospel will be for the worse (ver. 
 4; ICor. 3: 11). 
 
 5. Paul's apostleship was pre-eminent 
 in labors, sufferings, successes, and rev- 
 elations (ver. 5, 2:?-28; 12 : 2-4). 
 
 6. In the apostleship of Paul we learn 
 that God does not always follow a mii- 
 form order in calling men into the min- 
 istry (ver. 5 ; Luke 6 : 12 ; Gal. 1 : 1, 12). 
 
 7. Paul was pre-eminent in knowledge 
 and spiritual attainment.'^. His thirteen 
 Epistles bear witness to this (ver. 6). 
 
Ch. XIL] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 403 
 
 8. The sacrifices and unselfishness of 
 devoted ministers are often misjudged 
 (ver. 7-9 ; Rom. 15 : 3). 
 
 9. Ministers of the gospel are entitled to 
 support ; but under certain circumstances 
 they may feel it a dutj'' and privilege to 
 preach without compensation (ver. 9-11 ; 
 Luke 10: 7; 1 Cor. 9 : 13-19). 
 
 10. Ministers should be specially care- 
 ful in their money matters. They should 
 guard against a grasping spirit for high 
 positions and large salaries (ver. 10-12; 
 
 1 Tim. 3:4). 
 
 11. Selfishness, deceit, and crafty 
 methods are characteristic of false 
 preachers and impostors (ver. 13 ; 2 Peter 
 
 2 : 1-3). 
 
 12. Satan is a real person, possessing 
 great power and practising skillful arts 
 (ver. 14 ; 2 : 11 ; Rev. 12 : 9 ; 1 Peter 5 : 8). 
 
 13. True piety is deeper than outer 
 appearances (ver. 13-15 ; 10 : 3-6 ; John 
 7 : 24). 
 
 14. It is a sad fact that Satan has some 
 ministers among the followers of Christ 
 (ver. 15: Rev. 2:9). 
 
 15. In speaking of ourselves we should 
 exercise humility, care, and moderation 
 (ver. 16; 12 : 5). 
 
 16. We may be in the spirit of Christ, 
 though we may be compelled to act un- 
 like Christ (ver. 17, IS). 
 
 17. Self-conceited people are very liable 
 to be inconsistent in their treatment of 
 others (ver. 19, 20). 
 
 18. A true man has no reason to be a 
 coward. A man in the right can well 
 exercise boldness (ver. 21 ; Prov. 28 : 1 ; 
 IThess. 2:2), 
 
 19. A good and noble ancestry is to be 
 greatly prized ; but a good character is of 
 greater value (ver. 21, 22). 
 
 20. The preacher of the gospel should 
 aim to be a true minister of Christ, not 
 merely in name but also in deed ; not 
 alone in words, but in results (ver. 23). 
 
 21. Christianity has cost great sufferings. 
 The blood of the martyrs has been the 
 seed of the church (ver. 23-27). 
 
 22. How slight our trials, sufferings, and 
 labors for Christ, as compared with Paul's 
 (ver. 23-27). 
 
 23. What Paul endured proved not only 
 his sincerity, but also his truthfulness in 
 recording the facts which lie at the foun- 
 
 dation of the Christian religion (ver. 23- 
 27; 1 Cor. 15:1-8; Gal. 1:1). 
 
 24. Missionaries among the heathen 
 have great responsibilities in connection 
 with their converts and churches, as to 
 matters of daily life, habits, order, and 
 discipline (ver. 28, 29). 
 
 25. The preacher of the gospel should 
 be a man of large sympathies, who can 
 make the cares of others his own (ver. 29 ; 
 Titasl : 8, 9). 
 
 26. It is the glory of the Christian re- 
 ligion that it takes hold of the weaknesses 
 of men, and teaches sympathy with the 
 joj's and sorrows of the lowly (ver. 30, 31 ; 
 12 : 10). 
 
 27. The Christian is a true man, and in 
 rich experiences can appeal to God for 
 their truthfulness (ver. 31 ; Rom. 1:9). 
 
 28. There are times when it is proper to 
 appeal to God in attesting our truthful- 
 ness (ver. 31 ; Heb. 6 : 17, 18). 
 
 29. The Christian should be willing to 
 suffer for Christ (ver. 23-33 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 33 ; 
 11 : 1; 1 Peter 4: 16). 
 
 30. " No man of the apostolic period had 
 more thorough acquaintance with trials 
 and sufferings than Paul ; yet he says 
 that 'the sufferings of this present time 
 are not worthy to be compared with the 
 glory which shall be revealed'" (Pen- 
 dleton). (Ver. 31-33 ; Rom. 8 : 18). 
 
 31. God knows how to deliver his 
 people; yet we should use all proper 
 means in our power, and not depend on 
 God to do for us what we can do for our- 
 selves (ver. 32, 33 ; Acts 23 : 17, ff. ; 27 : 
 43, 44). 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Continuing his defense, Paul shows 
 his superiority to his opponents in the 
 abundance of revelations given him 
 (ver. 1-6), followed indeed with contin- 
 ued sufferings, but with a Di^ane prom- 
 ise of needed grace (ver. 7-10); and 
 lastly he notices that they had com- 
 pelled his boasting, and that the signs 
 of his apostleship were wrought among 
 them and ought to have secured their 
 commendation (ver. 11-13). Paul now 
 begins the conclusion of his Epistle 
 by asserting that he will still act disin- 
 terestedly and honestly (ver. 14-18), and 
 that his object is their reformation 
 
 (ver. 19-21). 
 
404 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 12 IT is not expedient for me doubtless 
 y to glorj'. I will come to » visions and 
 
 2 revelations of the Lord. I knew a man 
 a in Christ above fourteen years ago, 
 (whether in the body, I cannot tell ; or 
 whether out of the IxKly, I cannot tell : 
 God knoweth :) such an one caught up 
 
 3 to the third heaven. And I knew such 
 a man, (whether in the body, or out of 
 the body, I cannot tell : God knoweth ;) 
 
 4 how that he was caught up into '> para- 
 dise, and heard unspeakable words, 
 
 13 I MUST needs glory though it is not 
 profitable ; but I will come to visions 
 and revelations of the Lord. 
 
 2 I know a man in Christ, fourteen 
 years ago (whether in the body I know 
 hot, or Avhether out of the body I know 
 not, God knows), such a one caught up 
 
 3 even to the third heaven. And I know 
 such a man (whether in the lx)dy 
 or apart from the body I know not, 
 
 4 God knows), that he was caught up 
 into paradise, and heard unspeakable 
 
 y 11 : 16-30. 
 
 z Num. 12:6; Ezek. 1:1; Acts 9 : 10 ; 22 : 17. 
 b Luke 23 : 43. 
 
 a : 17 ; Rom. 16 : 7 : Gal. 1 : 22. 
 
 1-10. Paul's ABrxDANT revela- 
 tions FOLLOWED BY TEIALS AND 
 DIVINE ASSLRANCES. 
 
 1. It is not expedient for me 
 doubtless to glory. The Greek 
 text here is confused. According to 
 tliat now preferred by the highest au- 
 thorities, it should read, / Diust needs 
 glory. I am compelled to continue 
 glorying by the conduct of others, 
 though it is not profitable, it is not to 
 my advantage, it adds nothing to my 
 personal glory, it is dangerous also and 
 distasteful to me, and I only do it from 
 necessity in self-defense. So ceasing to 
 give instances of great trials and deliv- 
 erances, Avhich he might have multi- 
 plied into a long catalogue, he turns 
 away to supernatural experiences, di- 
 rectly from the Lord. But I Avill 
 come to visions and revelations 
 of, tliat is, from, the Lord, Jesus 
 Christ. ]'isions are appearances seen, 
 whether awake or asleep ; revelations 
 are mental and spiritual disclosures of 
 facts, truths, and things to the soul, 
 which may or may not be connected 
 with and result from visions (Actsi6:9: 
 
 26 : 19; Gal. 1 : 12, 16; Eph. 3:3). 
 
 2. I knew a man in Christ, a 
 
 Christian. Paul modestly speaks of 
 himself in the third person. That he 
 refers to himself is evident from verses 
 five to seven, in wliich he makes tlie 
 case his own and assumes that these 
 revelations were made to himself. 
 Translate, / know a nuDi who fourteen 
 years ago {whether in the body, I know 
 not, or whether out of the body, in a dis- 
 eml)odied state, / kno^v not, God 
 knows). He was certain of what he 
 saw and heard, but he was doubtful 
 whether the catching up was simply of 
 the spirit, or of the whole man, body 
 and spirit, that was known only to 
 
 God. Such a one caught up to, 
 
 even to, as far as, the third heaven. 
 
 Some of the Jewish rabbins held that 
 there were several heavens, some two, 
 others as many as seven (oeut. io:u). 
 It does not appear that Paul speaks 
 here according to either view, but that 
 by the third heaven he means the high- 
 est heaven, the immediate and glorious 
 presence of God ( Heb. 9 : 11, 12, 24 ; Eph. 1 : 
 
 20; Heb. 4: 14: 7: 26). It waS in A. D. 57 
 
 when Paul wrote this ; and according to 
 the Jewish mode of reckoning time the 
 fourteen years take us back to a. d. 44, 
 when Paul and Barnabas visited Jeru- 
 salem from Antioch (Actsll :30: 12 : 25) ; 
 
 or perhaps to Antioch after their re- 
 turn, when they were separated for 
 apostolic and missionary work (ach 
 
 13 :3). 
 
 3, 4. The third verse repeats the 
 idea of the second verse. Such a 
 man, one in Christ and caught up 
 even to the third heaven. How that 
 he Avas caught up into paradise, 
 the abode of the righteous dead until 
 
 the resurrection (Luke 23: 43 and note ; Rev. 
 
 2:7). Some have thought paradise a 
 more exalted place than the third 
 heaven, but this is not possible if the 
 third heaven is the immediate presence 
 of God. Others regard paradise and 
 the third heaven one and the same. 
 But the conjunction And, beginning 
 the third verse, indicates a statement 
 of an additional fact, and together with 
 the prepositions to and into (as far as, 
 the tliird heaven and /»/o paradise) in- 
 dicate tliat the terms are not identical. 
 The conception appears to be of para- 
 dise being lower than the tliird heaven, 
 but joining upon it. Tliere is but one 
 vision meant here; but it is the more 
 definitely located in this verse. (Comp. 
 
 Ezek. 3 : 14 ; 11 : 1 ; 43 : 5.) Aud heard UU- 
 
Ch. XII.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 405 
 
 which it is not lawful for a man to 
 
 utter. 
 
 5 Of such an one will I glory : « yet of 
 myself I will not glory, but in mine 
 
 6 infirmities. For "i though I would de- 
 sire to glory, I shall not be a fool ; for 1 
 will say the truth : but now I forbear, 
 lest any man should think of me above 
 that which he seeth me to he, or that he 
 heareth of me. 
 
 7 And « lest I should be exalted above 
 measure through the abundance of the 
 revelations, there was given to me a 
 f thorn in the flesh, s the messenger of 
 Satan to buffet me, lest I should be ex- 
 
 words, which it is not lawful for a man 
 to utter. 
 
 5 On behalf of such a one I will glory ; 
 but on my own behalf I will not glory, 
 
 6 save in my infirmities. For if I should 
 desire to glory, I should not be foolish, 
 for I should be speaking the truth ; but 
 I forbear, lest any one should reckon 
 of me above what he sees me to be, or 
 
 7 hears from me. And that I might not 
 be exalted overmuch by the abun- 
 dance of the revelations, there was 
 given to me a thorn in the flesh, a 
 messenger of Satan to buffet me, that 
 I should not be exalted overmuch. 
 
 c 11 : 30. 
 
 d 10 : 8 ; 11 : 16. 
 
 e 1 Tim. 3 : 6. /See refs. Num. 33 : 35 ; Gal. 4 : 13, 14. 
 
 3 Job 2 : 7 ; Luke 13 : 16. 
 
 speakable words, not to be spoken 
 on account of their sacredness, which 
 it is not lawful, or permitted to, a 
 man to utter. "There are some 
 things in this world too low to be 
 spoken of, and some things too high. 
 You cannot discuss the latter without 
 vulgarizing them" (F. W. Robert- 
 son). The vision was intended for 
 Paul, not for others. A like reticence 
 was observed by Rev. Wm. Tennent 
 (died at Freehold, N. J., 1777), who 
 when a young man had a trance which 
 lasted three days, during which time 
 he said he heard "unutterable things." 
 Such examples are in striking contrast 
 to Mahomet and many others, who have 
 given full details of the things they 
 profess to have seen in their ecstasies. 
 
 5. Of such a one, who had been 
 lifted out of himself, as it were, into this 
 exalted condition, Avill I glory; yet, 
 or hut, of myself as I now am in my 
 ordinary weak condition, I will not 
 glory except in my infirmities, or 
 weaknesses (ii:3o). In that extraordi- 
 nary condition he was not his active, 
 but passive self, wrought upon and glo- 
 rified by God. Between such a one, 
 and himself of every-day life and ex- 
 perience, he saw a marked distinction. 
 While he might glory in the one, he 
 could not in the other, save in those 
 things which indicated weakness and 
 humility. This was indeed a rebuke 
 to the self-assertion and boasting. of his 
 opposers. 
 
 6. For though I would, rather, 
 should, desire to glory respecting 
 myself, as it is implied (in ver. 5) that I 
 might glory, still I shall not he a 
 fool, rather, I should not be foolish, for 
 I should speak the truth ; what I say 
 
 will accord with fact. But I for- 
 bear; he refrains from this glorying 
 because he would have no one over- 
 estimate him. Lestany man should 
 think of me, estimate me, above that 
 which he seeth me to be, and that 
 which he heareth of, rather, from, 
 me. He would have people judge of 
 him by coming into personal contact, 
 from seeing and hearing him, by his 
 conduct, and the message and words he 
 uttered, 
 
 7. Paul relates a humbling experi- 
 ence in which the grace of God was dis- 
 played in connection with his weak- 
 ness. And in these circumstances as 
 implied in the preceding verses, lest I 
 should be exalted above meas- 
 ure, or overmuch, and become proud 
 and boastful, through the abun- 
 dance of the revelations, which I 
 have spoken of (thus identifying the 
 experiences of ver. 2-4 as his own), 
 there was given me a thorn, a 
 sharp splinter, in my flesh, ora sharp 
 stake piercing my flesh, a messenger 
 of Satan, perhaps with reference to 
 Job's trial when Satan smote his flesh 
 (Job 2: 5, 7), to buffet mc, to pierce 
 and maltreat me, lest I should be 
 exalted overmuch. The discipline 
 and its purpose was of God, though 
 Satan was permitted to act as the in- 
 strument. What this thorn or pointed 
 stick was has been much discussed, but 
 never definitely settled. From the 
 statement that it was in the flesh, and 
 that he was buffeted thereby, it is nat- 
 ural to infer that it was some physical 
 malady, painful, like a continual jp?erc- 
 ing of the flesh with a thorn. Per- 
 haps Paul refers to it in his Epistle to 
 the Galatians by the "infirmity of the 
 
406 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 8 alted above measure. '' For this thing 
 I besought the Lord thrice, that it 
 
 9 might depart from me. And he said 
 unto me, ' My grace is sufficient for 
 thee : '' for my strength is made per- 
 fect in weakness. Most gladly there- 
 fore ' will I rather glory in my infirmi- 
 ties, •" that the power of Christ may 
 
 10 rest ujx)n me. Therefore ° I take pleas- 
 ure in infirmities, in reproaches, in ne- 
 cessities, in persecutions, in distresses 
 »for Christ's sake: pfor when I am 
 weak, then am I strong. 
 
 8 Concerning this I besought the Lord 
 thrice, that it might depart from me. 
 
 9 And he has said to me, My grace is 
 sufficient for thee ; for riiy power 
 is made perfect in weakness. Most 
 gladly therefore will I rather glory 
 in my infirmities, that the power of 
 
 10 Christ may abide on me. Wherefore I 
 take pleasure in infirmities, in re- 
 proaches, in necessities, in persecu- 
 tions, in distresses for Christ's sake : 
 for when I am weak, then I am power- 
 ful. 
 
 h See Deut. 3 : 23-27 ; Matt. 26 : 39-44. i 3 : 5 ; Isa. 43 : 2 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 13. 
 
 klsa.. 40 : 29-31 ; Phil. 4 : 13 ; Heb. 11 : 34. ill : 30. ml Peter 4 : 13, 14. n7 : 4 ; Rom. 5 : 3. 
 
 o Man. 5 : 11 ; 1 Cor. 4 : 10. p 13 : 4 ; Ps. 37 : 39 ; Hab. 3 : 17-19. 
 
 flesh" and the "temptation in the 
 flesh " (Gal. 4 : 14), in which case it may 
 have been some inflammation of the 
 eyes (oai. * : is), brought on by exposure 
 and fatigue in his travels in Asia 
 Minor. And Gal. 6 : 11 may also con- 
 tain a reference to this weakness of his 
 eyes when he speaks of the ' ' large let- 
 ters he wrote with his own hand." 
 The Corinthians probably knew what 
 Paul meant, and it is enough for us to 
 know that it was some trying and pain- 
 ful aflliction, 
 
 8, For this thing, or concerning 
 this, I besought the Lord thrice, at 
 three different times in earnest pleadings 
 (comp. our Lord's praying thrice in 
 Gethsemane, Matt. 26 : 36-39), that it, 
 the thorn, or according to some, that he, 
 the messenger or angel of Satan, might 
 depart from me. Lord here means 
 Christ. In the answer (vcr. 9) "my 
 strength," or power, is promised, which 
 Paul says is "the power of Christ," 
 Like Stephen, Paul calls on the Lord 
 
 Jesus (Acts 7 : 59 ; comp. Luke 23 : 42, 46) . Such 
 
 prayers as those of our Lord and of 
 Paul were the cries of weak humanity, 
 and perfectly right if made in submis- 
 sion to the Divine will. 
 
 9. Twice he prayed without an an- 
 swer; the third time the answer came. 
 And he said to me, more exactly, 
 and he hath said to mc, implying that 
 the beneficent results of the answer 
 still continued to him. How Christ 
 said this we are not told, whether in a 
 vision or througli an inner voice. My 
 grace is sutticient for thee. Leave 
 all to me. My gracious favor imparted 
 to thee will be enough. Even that 
 which seems a hindrance will be made 
 to thee a source of strength. For (in- 
 
 troducing the reason why Christ's grace 
 was enough) my strength, better, nnj 
 poiver, is made perfect in Aveak- 
 
 ness, it is developed and fostered by 
 it in my disciple as it was in me (Heb. 5 .- 
 
 7-9; comp. Rom. 5 : 3-5). TllUS tllC Lord's 
 
 power, exhibited in spiritual strength,^^ 
 is the most conspicuous in physicaL 
 weakness. Christ gave him not what 
 he asked, but what was better than he 
 asked. Most gladly therefore, in 
 view of this answer and its comforting 
 assurances, this grace and its suffi- 
 ciency, will I rather glory in my in- 
 firmities that the power of Christ 
 may rest, may abide, upon me, 
 literally, may fix a tent over me ; that 
 is, that the power of Christ may come 
 down and dwell in me and pervade my 
 whole being, working and giving me 
 help. (Comp. John 1 : 14.) If he gloried in 
 his own strength he could not receive 
 power from Christ ; but if by empha- 
 sizing his infirmities he gave God all 
 the glory, then could the power of 
 Christ have its abode upon him and be 
 an ever-abiding force within him. 
 
 10. In this verse Paul gives one of 
 his triumphant conclusions. There- 
 fore I take pleasure in infirm- 
 ities, in bodily weaknesses, in 
 reproaches, or insults, in neces- 
 sities, necessitous circumstances, in 
 persecutions, in distresses, great 
 straits (see on 6: 4), for Christ's sake. 
 All these things he endured in belialf 
 of Christ, and for the promotion of his 
 cause and glory. And for this reason : 
 For when I am weak, in myself, 
 then am I strong, rather, potrrr/;//, 
 through Christ's power upon me and in 
 me. I am powerful in enduring and 
 overcoming, Paul was not merely re- 
 
Ch. XII.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 407 
 
 11 I am become i a fool in glorying ; ye 
 have compelled me : for I ought to 
 have been commended of you : for ^ in 
 nothing am I behind the very chiefest 
 
 12 apostles, though ^ I be nothing. * Truly 
 the signs of an apostle were ■wrought 
 among you in all patience, in signs, 
 
 13 and wonders, and mighty deeds. For 
 what is it wherein ye were inferior to 
 other ch'tU'ches, except it be that " I my- 
 self was not burdensome to you? for- 
 give me ^ this wrong. 
 
 11 I have become foolish ; ye compelled 
 me. For I ought to have been com- 
 mended by you; for in nothing was 
 I behind these pre-eminent apostles, 
 
 12 though I am nothing. Truly the signs 
 of an apostle were wrought among 
 you in all patience, by signs, and 
 
 13 wonders, and miracles. For what is 
 there, wherein ye were made inferior 
 to the rest of the churches, except 
 that I myself was not a charge to you? 
 Forgive me this wrong. 
 
 g 11 : 1, 16, 17. r 11 ; 5 ; Gal. 2 : 6-14. 
 
 1 6 : 4-10 ; Rom. 15 : 18, 19 ; 1 Cor. 9 : 2. 
 
 s 1 Cor. 15 
 Mil :8, 9. 
 
 8, 9 ; Eph. 3 
 a;ll : 7. 
 
 signed to sufferings, enjoying the 
 peaceful fruits of resignation; but he 
 also took pleasure in trials, because 
 Christ was glorified thereby, and thus 
 partook of the higher joys of Christ's 
 glory and victorious work (Rom. 7 : 24, 25). 
 11-13. They had compelled his 
 boasting, though the signs of his 
 apostleship weee among them. 
 
 11. Paul is now drawing to the 
 close of his long, animated self-defense, 
 and as he looks over what he had writ- 
 ten, he says, I am become a fool, 
 better, / have become foolish, in thus 
 glorying. The meaning is expressed 
 by the words, in glorying, but they 
 are wanting in the best manuscripts. 
 But his apology is, ye have com- 
 pelled me, by your misjudgments of 
 me and your conduct toward me, and 
 the consequent spiritual danger to your- 
 selves. In other words, the blame is 
 not mine, but yours. For, instead of 
 being compelled to defend myself, I 
 ought to have been commended 
 by you. Both /and you are emphatic. 
 They had had abundant evidences of 
 his apostleship ; for in nothing am 
 I, rather, 2vas I, behind the very 
 chiefest apostles, the most eminent 
 apostles (see on 11 : 5), whcii I was amoug 
 you, though I be nothing in my- 
 self (1 Cor. 15 :8-10). 
 
 12. But though Paul speaks most 
 humbly of himself, yet the grace of God 
 had wrought mightily through him. 
 Truly the signs of an apostle, of 
 one who is truly such, were wrought 
 among you in all patience, endur- 
 ance, steadfastness, in, or by, signs, 
 wonders, and mighty deeds. The 
 three words in the original are those 
 which denote miracles; see "Notes on 
 Matthew," introductory note to chap- 
 ter 8. Paul brings to view two kinds 
 
 of evidences of his apostleship, his en- 
 durance for Christ's sake which was 
 inward, and the miracles which w^ere 
 the outward credential of his mission 
 from Christ. And these two were 
 united in him ; and both were essen- 
 tial — the signs and the spirit in which 
 they were wrought. Notice he does not 
 say " I endured," for that was of grace, 
 nor "I wrought," for that was of God. 
 
 13. And to justify what he had just 
 said, and to answer every objection, he 
 asks. For Avhat is it wherein ye 
 were made inferior to other 
 churches, in comparison with the rest 
 of the churches, except that I my- 
 self was not burdensome to you? 
 He had not done less work, nor per- 
 formed less miracles, among them than 
 among others. The only possible dis- 
 paragement of them was that he had 
 not been chargeable to them, which was 
 his right (i Cor. 9 : i-e). In this respect 
 they had indeed been made inferior to 
 the other churches. He had treated 
 them as poor, unable, or unwilling. 
 And this receiving pay, it would seem, 
 had been made by his opponents one of 
 the signs of an apostle. He had done 
 wrong in their eyes, and it had really 
 been productive of some wrong among 
 them, while the apostle had done it with 
 good intentions and for good reasons 
 (11:7, ff.). It was a small matter, and 
 he already had justified his conduct 
 (11:11,12). Yet he adds, doubtless in 
 gentle irony, forgive me this 
 w^rong, tMs injustice, whatever there 
 may have been, in doing you such a 
 favor as preaching to you the gospel for 
 nothing. 
 
 14-31. Will still continue to 
 act disintekestedly and hon- 
 estly ; his object their reforma- 
 TION. 
 
408 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 Concluding exhortations, warnings, and 
 salutations. 
 
 14 y Behold, the third time 1 am ready 
 to come to you ; and I will not be 
 burdensome to you ; for * I seek not 
 yours, but you : a'for the children ought 
 not to lay up for the parents, but the 
 
 15 parents for the children. And ^I will 
 very gladly spend and be spent efor 
 you [(rirrk, your souls] ; though «Hhe 
 more abundantly I love you, the less I 
 be loved. 
 
 16 But be it so, « I did not burden you : 
 nevertheless, being crafty, I caught 
 
 14 Behold, this is the third time I am 
 ready to come to you; and I will not 
 be a charge to you ; for I .seek not 
 yours, but you ; for the children ought 
 not to lay up for the parents, but the 
 
 15 parents for the children. And I will 
 most gladly spend and l)e spent for 
 your .souls ; if I love you more abun- 
 dantly, am I to be loved the less? 
 
 16 But be it so, I was not myself a charge 
 to you ; but yet, being crafty, I caught 
 
 yi 
 
 15-18 
 
 ,23 
 
 ; 13 
 
 : 1 ; 1 Cor 
 
 16 
 
 5-7. 
 
 
 z Acts 20 
 
 33 
 
 1 Cor. 10 
 
 :33; 
 
 1 Thess. 2 
 
 : 19 
 
 20 
 
 1 Peter 5 
 
 : 2-4. 
 
 a 
 
 Prov. 
 
 13: 
 
 22; 
 
 1 Tim. 5 : 
 
 8. 
 
 6 PhU. 2 
 
 . 17 ; 1 Thess. 
 
 2 :8. 
 
 c 7 : 3 ; John 10 
 
 10, 
 
 11; 
 
 2 Tim. 2 : 
 
 10. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 d6 : 
 
 12, 13. 
 
 
 ell : 
 
 9. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 14. Paul here begins the conclusion 
 of the Epistle. Behold, this is the 
 third time I am ready to come to 
 you. Some take this to mean the third 
 intention of his coming, having been 
 but once before, and that his intention 
 had not been carried out but once 
 (i : 15-17). But the most natural mean- 
 ing is that he had visited Corinth twice 
 before, and this is confirmed by 13 : 1. 
 When his second visit occurred we do 
 not know. It must have been before he 
 wrote the lost Epistle mentioned in 1 
 Cor. 5 : 9, possibly during the first 
 eighteen months of his residence at 
 Ephesus. But it seems to me better to 
 suppose that a period of two or three 
 months elapsed between the eleventh 
 and twelfth verses of the eighteenth 
 chapter of the Acts (on which see 
 notes), when Paul left Corinth to go into 
 Macedonia by way of Athens ; but not 
 completing his intended journey he 
 comes back to Corinth a second time. 
 
 (Comp. 1 Thess. 2:17, 18; 3:1.) This WOUld 
 
 make Acts 18 : 12-18 descriptive of his 
 second visit. Confirmatory of this is 
 the probability that this visit occurred 
 before the coming of Apollos to Corinth 
 ( Acts 19 : 1 ; 1 Cor. 3:6). Paul was probably 
 at Corinth in a. D, 55; and from the 
 First Epistle to the Corinthians we can 
 hardly suppose that he and Apollos 
 were there at the same time, or that he 
 came there after Apollos. So this sec- 
 ond visit would come before he came to 
 Ephesus on his third journey ( Acts 19 : i ). 
 (See this more fully discussed in 
 "Clark's Harmonic Arrangement of 
 the Acts," pp 216-218.) 
 
 And I Avill not be burdensome, 
 a charge, to you, as he had not been 
 
 on his two previous visits (ii:9). He 
 proposed to continue the exercise of 
 this disinterested alFection. And the 
 reason he gives : For I seek not 
 yours, your money and your praise, 
 but you, your souls for Christ, your 
 salvation through him. And he justi- 
 fies this conduct from the relation of 
 parents to children, and the duty of the 
 former to the latter. Not the children 
 should lay up for their parents, but 
 the parents for the children. The 
 Corinthians were his spiritual children 
 (1 Cor. 4:15); and he was laying up for 
 them the spiritual treasures of the un- 
 searchable riches of Christ's kingdom 
 
 (Eph. 2:7; 3:8; Rom. 11 : 33). 
 
 15. And it was a matter of joy to 
 Paul to do this. And I will very 
 gladly, that is, most gladly, spend 
 whatever I have and be spent tvhoUy, 
 time, strength, and even life itself, 
 be utterly icorn out, for you, rather, 
 for your souls. Most gladly would he 
 consecrate his money, strength, and 
 life for their salvation. The rest of 
 this verse is a question, according to 
 the most approved text : If I love you 
 more abundantly, am I to be loved the 
 lessf Am I to be misjudged and cen- 
 sured as some of you have done? and 
 thus be less esteemed and loved ? The 
 implied answer is. By no means ; but 
 you should be loved the more. This 
 passage shows how intense was Paul's 
 allection for his converts, and how he 
 yearned for their love. 
 
 16. But be it so, you may say; 
 let it be regarded as a settled fact. I 
 have made out my case. I did not 
 myself burden you. You admit that 
 it was all right. Nevertheless, or 
 
Ch. XII.] 
 
 II. COEINTHIANS 
 
 409 
 
 17 you with guile. ^ Did I make a gain of 
 you by any of them whom I sent unto 
 
 18 you? ' el desired Titus, and with him I 
 sent a >> brother. Did Titus make a 
 gain of you? Walked we not in the 
 same spirit? Walked we not in the 
 same steps ? 
 
 19 i Again, think ye that we excuse our- 
 selves unto you? ''We speak before 
 God in Christ : ' but we do all things, 
 
 20 dearly beloved, for your edifying. For 
 I fear lest, when l' come, l" shall not 
 find you such as I would, and that ™ I 
 shall' be found unto you such as ye 
 would not : lest there be debates, envy- 
 
 17 you with guile. Did I make gain of 
 you, through any of those whom I 
 
 18 have sent to yoii? I exhorted Titus 
 [to go] , and sent with him the brother. 
 Did Titus make gain of you ? Did we 
 not walk in the same spirit ; did Ave 
 not in the same steps? 
 
 19 Do ye all this time suppose that we 
 are excusing ourselves to you? Be- 
 fore God in Christ we are speaking ; 
 and all, beloved, for building you up. 
 
 20 For I fear, lest perhaps, when I come, 
 I should find you not such as I wish, 
 and that I too "should be found by you 
 such as ye wish not ; lest there snould 
 
 /7 :2. 
 
 Sr8:6, 16, 22. ft8 : 18. 
 
 no : 8 ; 1 Oor. 10 : 33. 
 
 i5 : 12. fcll : 31; Rom. 9 : 1. 
 
 ml3 : 2, 10; 1 Cor. 4 : 21. 
 
 But, some one may think and perhaps 
 say, being cra-fty , cinining, I caught 
 you Avith guile, by artifice and 
 deceit, making gain of you through 
 others ; implying perhaps, getting 
 money under pretext of a collection for 
 the poor saints at Jerusalem. Paul is 
 not describing his own course of con- 
 duct ; but referring to a possible in- 
 sinuation of his adversaries, which he 
 proceeds in the next verse to refute. 
 This was a perfectly natural suggestion 
 for a suspicious, worldly-minded Chris- 
 tian professor to make, one who had 
 some dislike to Paul, and who could 
 not appreciate his seli-sacrificing spirit 
 and disinterested love. 
 
 17. Paul appeals to the conduct of 
 Titus and his companions at Corinth, 
 as a refutation of a possible charge that 
 he had sought in an underhanded way to 
 obtain money of the Corinthians. Did 
 I make a gain of you, take advan- 
 tage of you, by any of them Avhom 
 I have sent unto you ? Did I 
 through them get money or any per- 
 sonal advantage of you ? The question 
 requires a negative answer. 
 
 18. I desired, rather, exhorted, 
 Titus to go, and with him sent a, 
 literally, the, brother (8 : 18-22). Did 
 Titus make a gain of you? did 
 he overreach and take advantage? 
 Walked we not in the same 
 spirit of self-sacrifice and disinter- 
 ested love ? Walked we not in the 
 same steps, showing the same unsel- 
 fish conduct ? Both of these questions 
 imply an affirmative answer. Paul ap- 
 peals to facts which were unanswer- 
 able. The conduct of Paul and his 
 messengers was in perfect accord. The 
 brother spoken of was doubtless one 
 
 well known to the Corinthians. Titus 
 had just returned from a visit to them, 
 reporting their penitence (7:6). 
 
 19. Paul has concluded his defense 
 of himself. He now guards them from 
 supposing that he stood before them in 
 judgment, or that they were his judges. 
 Again, or according to the preferable 
 text, Have ye long been thinking that 
 we are excusing, justifying, ourselves to 
 youf Have you all the time that I 
 have been defending myself supposed 
 that I Avas at all accountable to you, 
 and that our own reputation was the 
 chief thought in our minds? Most 
 solemnly does he correct any such erro- 
 neous idea. We speak before God 
 in Christ. It is in the presence of 
 God, who is his judge, that he as a 
 Christian in fellowship with Christ 
 speaks these things. He had not been 
 Avriting in a human, selfish spirit, but 
 as one spiritually united with Christ, 
 (comp. 1 :i8, 23; 2 :n.) But we do_, or 
 speak, all things for your edify- 
 ing, for your good and for building 
 you lip in your Christian faith and life. 
 His defense had not been for personal 
 and selfish ends ; it was not for his own 
 reputation, but for their spiritual up- 
 building. 
 
 20. This verse is confirmatory of 
 the preceding. There is much need 
 that I do this for your edification. 
 For I fear lest possibly when I 
 come I shall not find you such 
 as I Avould, but such as are described 
 in the latter part of this verse; and 
 that I shall be found unto you 
 such as ye would not, an apos- 
 tle of Christ exercising apostolic au- 
 thority, as described in the next verse. 
 Lest there be debates, rather. 
 
410 
 
 11. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XII. 
 
 ings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whis- 
 21 perings, swellings, tumults: and lest, 
 •when I come again, my God " will hum- 
 ble me among you, and tfiat I shall 
 bewail many ""which have sinned 
 already, and have not repented of tlie 
 uncleanness and p fornication and las- 
 civiousness which they have com- 
 mitted. 
 
 be strifes, jealousy, wi aths, party spirit, 
 backbitings, whisperings, swellings, 
 21 tumults ; lest, w hen 1 come figain, my 
 God should humljJe me before you, 
 and I should mourn for many of those 
 who have sinned V>efore, and repented 
 not of the uncleanness, and fornica- 
 tion, and wantonness, which they 
 practiced. 
 
 n 2 : 1-4 ; Phil. 3 : 18, 19. 
 
 13 : 2. 
 
 pi Cor. 5 : 1. 
 
 Strifes; envyings, jealousy; wrath, 
 angry passions; strifes, party spirit; 
 backbitings, defamation ; whis- 
 perings, secret slanders; swellings, 
 puffings up of soul; tumults, dis- 
 turbances and disorders. What a ter- 
 rible condition among these Corinthian 
 converts do these words describe as to 
 their conduct and their relation one to 
 another (icor. i:ii). 
 
 21. I fear (ver. 20) lest Avhen I 
 come again, my God (recognizing 
 God's close personal relation to myself 
 in this matter) should humble me 
 before you, should make me blush 
 and suffer mortification in respect to 
 your impurities. The apostle felt that 
 there was enough possibility of this to 
 make him anxious, and that too among 
 those who had professed conversion un- 
 der his ministry. And that I should 
 bewail mcmy of those trho have singled 
 before, and have not repented of 
 tlie uncleanness and fornica- 
 tion and lasciviousness, licen- 
 tiousness, which they have com- 
 mitted, ox practised. The sins of im- 
 purity connected with their private 
 lives are here distinguished from those 
 sins mentioned in the preceding verse. 
 These sins of sensuality show the in- 
 fluence of Corinthian morals upon the 
 Corinthian church ; and they appear to 
 have been common (1 Cor. s": 1 ; 6 : 12-20), 
 and some had not repented. The apos- 
 tle was willing to forgive offenders 
 when they Iiad abandoned their sin. 
 But if any sliould be made the subject 
 of church discipline and excluded, it 
 would be a ground of sorrow^ to the 
 apostle ; and he would mourn for them 
 if he should be compelled to exercise 
 apostolic authority in the matter (1 tor. 
 
 f) : 3-7 ; 2 Cnr. 7 : « ). T ll (^ apoStlc llOpcd 
 
 that those who had sinned brfore his 
 writing would, after his letters were re- 
 ceived, repent of their sins before his 
 coming among them. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. It is always safe to glory in what 
 Christ has done for us (ver. 1 ; Gal. 6 : 14). 
 
 2. Paul believed that the soul is the 
 man, and that it can act apart from the 
 body (ver. 2, 4 ; Phil. 1 : 20-23). 
 
 3. We can learn much of the future life 
 and of heaven from the Scriptures. Yet 
 let us beware against being wise beyond 
 what is written (ver. 2-4 ; 5:1-4; Rev. 
 21: 1, ff. ; Deut. 29 : 29). 
 
 4. There is a conscious state between 
 death and the resurrection (ver. 4 ; 5:8; 
 Luke 23 :43). 
 
 5. We may well glory in infirmities 
 when they bring us great blessings, and 
 draw us nearer to Christ (ver. 5 ; Col. 1 : 
 24; Phil. 3 : 10). 
 
 6. If Christ gives us special favors of his 
 presence and spirit, we should give him 
 corresponding honor in our lives. And 
 we should be willing to be judged by our 
 fellow-men according to our conduct, 
 rather than any real or supposed revela- 
 tions that we have enjoyed (ver. 6 ; Acts 
 20 : 18, 35). 
 
 7. Christians are in special danger of 
 spiritual pride, and must guard against it. 
 One of the designs of afflictions is to pro- 
 duce humility (ver. 7; 1 Tim. 3 : 6; 1 
 Peter 5 : 5-7 ; Dan. 6 : 20-23). 
 
 8. Wc should bring all our trials and 
 afflictions to the Lord earnestly yet sub- 
 missively (ver. 8 ; 2 Sam. 12 : 16-20 ; Mark 
 14 : 32-41). 
 
 9. The Lord answers prayer, but often 
 in his own way, which is better than ours 
 (ver. 9 ; Deut. 3 : 23-27 ; Job 42 : 1-6). 
 
 10. Christians are not losers but rather 
 gainers through trials ; they may well re- 
 joice (ver. 10 ; Rom. 5 : 3-5). 
 
 11. Humility is an ornament to the 
 greatest saint (ver. 11, 12; Col. 3 : 12; 1 
 Peter 5: 5). 
 
Ch. XIII.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 411 
 
 13 THIS is 1 the third time I am coming 
 to you. 'In the mouth of two or three 
 witnesses shall every word be estab- 
 
 2 lished. » I told you before, and foretell 
 
 13 THIS is the third time I am coming 
 to you. At the mouth of two wit- 
 nesses, and of three, shall every word 
 
 2 be established. I have before said, 
 
 q 12 : 14. 
 
 r See refs. Deut. 17 : 6. 
 
 slO : 2; 1 Cor. 4 : 19-21. 
 
 12. How painful to many a pastor's 
 heart are the misjudgments of his hearers, 
 and their lack of appreciation of his self- 
 denying love (ver. 11, 15). 
 
 13. Those for w'hom we do the greatest 
 kindness sometimes appreciate it the 
 least (ver. 13). 
 
 14. While ministers of Christ can claim 
 a competent support, their great object 
 should be the present and final salvation 
 of their hearers (ver. 14 ; Acts 20 : 33 ; 
 John 10: 11; 1 Cor. 10 : 33). 
 
 15. The faithful minister deserves the 
 deepest love of his people. Yet even 
 though he receive ingratitude, he should 
 gladly employ his time and strength for 
 their souls in obedience to Christ (ver. 15). 
 
 16. The best of men are exposed to slan- 
 ders and evil surmisings (ver. 16 ; Matt. 
 10 : 24, 2-5). 
 
 17. It becomes ministers to be very care- 
 ful in their financial matters (ver. 17, 18 ; 
 ICor. 16:3, 4). 
 
 18. It should be the aim of the Chris- 
 tian always to live in the full conscioiLs- 
 ness of doing right (ver. 18; Acts 23 : 1). 
 
 19. The minister should be frank and 
 honest, laboring unselfishly for Christ 
 and his cause (ver. 19 ; 5 : 13, 14). 
 
 20. Open and private sins, such as Paul 
 names, deserve the severest penalties of 
 church discipline (ver. 20, 21 ; 1 Cor. 5 : 
 4-7; 6: 16-18). 
 
 21. It is a joy to the pastor to have his 
 converts walk in the truth ; but it is a 
 cause of deep sorrow to see them turn 
 back into sin (ver. 21 ; Phil. 3 : 18, 19; 3 
 John 4). 
 
 22. Exclusion from the church should 
 be inflicted in obedience to Christ, for the 
 good of the church, in a spirit of sorrow 
 and of love, and in prayer for the repent- 
 ance of the offender (ver. 20, 21 ; 13 : 1-3 ; 
 Matt. 18 : 17 ; 1 Cor. 5:4:2 Cor. 2 : 5-8). 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Paul continues to dwell upon his 
 apostolic conduct w hich he proposes to 
 exercise toward them. When he comes 
 
 he will enforce discipline (ver. i-4) ; 
 he exhorts them to self-examination 
 (ver. 5, 6); prays for their perfection 
 (ver. 7-9), and writes now in order to 
 avoid severity when he comes (ver. lo). 
 He concludes with exhortations, salu- 
 tation, and an invocation (ver. ii-u). 
 
 1-10. The exercise of his apos- 
 tolic AUTHORITY AT HIS THIRD COM- 
 ING TO Corinth. Discipline will be 
 enforced. Hence they should examine 
 themselves ; and he prays that they 
 may stand the test. 
 
 1. Paul affirms the certainty of his 
 coming. This is closely connected with 
 the preceding chapter. This is the 
 third time I am coming to you. 
 The language is positive, and implies 
 that he had visited Corinth twice be- 
 fore. The second visit is not defi- 
 nitely referred to in the Acts. (See note 
 on 12:14.) In the mouth, upon the 
 oral testimony, of two or three wit- 
 nesses, of tu'o witnesses and of three, 
 shall every Av^ord be established. 
 This is quoted from Deut. 19 : 15. His 
 two previous visits, with his own testi- 
 monies and warnings, were like two 
 witnesses ; and his third visit would be 
 the confirming evidence of the preced- 
 ing two. This has been the usual in- 
 terpretation. But Meyer and some 
 others understand that Paul proposes 
 at his next visit to resort to the strict- 
 est legal proceedings. The usual inter- 
 pretation seems to be the preferable one. 
 His several visits were indeed repeated 
 testimonies to the truth and against 
 offenses and w^ere suggestive of this 
 Scripture, and were illustrated by it. 
 Yet the language implies that he would 
 proceed to the discipline of oifenders. 
 Not that he would do it alone, for this 
 power belonged ordinarily to the church 
 
 (Matt. 18:16; 1 Cor. 5:12, 13), and CVCU in 
 
 the exercise of apostolic authority he 
 did not act altogether independently of 
 
 the church ( l Cor. 5:3-5), 
 
 2. His repeated visits were not only 
 in the nature of testimonies to them for 
 the trutli, but also as arguments for 
 their obedience. I told you before, 
 during my second visit, and noivfore- 
 
412 
 
 11. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XIII. 
 
 you, as if I were present, the second 
 time ; and being aUsent now I write to 
 them which heretofore have sinned, 
 and to all other, that, if I come again, 
 
 3 I will not spare : since ye seek a proof 
 of Christ 'speaking in me, which to 
 you- ward is not weak, but is "mighty 
 
 4 in you. » For though he was crucified 
 through weakness, yet Jhe liveth by 
 the fKiAver of God : for » we also are 
 weak in him, "but we shall live with 
 him by the power of God toward you. 
 
 5 •» Examine yourselves, whether ye be 
 
 and now say beforehand, as when I 
 was present the second time, so also 
 now being absent, to those who hereto- 
 fore have sinned, and to all the rest, 
 that if I come again I will not spare ; 
 
 3 since ye seek a proof of Christ who is 
 speaking in me, who toward you is not 
 
 4 weak, but is powerful in you. For he 
 was crucified through weakness, yet 
 he lives through the power of God. 
 For we also are weak in him, but we 
 shall live with him through the power 
 
 5 of God toward you. Try your own 
 selves, whether ye are iii the faith ; 
 
 tMatt. 10 : 20; 1 Cor. 5 : 4; 9 : 1, 2. ?i 12 : 12. x Phil. 2 : 7, 8 ; 1 Peter 3 : 18. y Eph. 1 : 19, 20. 
 «See 4 : 7-12 ; 10 : 3, i. oRom. 6 : 8-11 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 11, 12. 6 See refs. 1 Cor. 11 : 28. 
 
 tell you, as if, rather, as token I was, 
 present the second time, even noic 
 being absent I write to them 
 Avho heretofore have sinned (the 
 same words translated sinned, already 
 or before, in 12 : 21), and to all the 
 others, all the other members of the 
 church who might need warning on ac- 
 count of danger from, or some connec- 
 tion with those who had sinned, or who 
 needed exhortation to firmness and 
 obedience (1:23,24); that if I come 
 again I Avill not spare, I will not 
 be lenient as in my second visit, but 
 will see that discipline is faithfully ex- 
 ercised. His indulgence had led some 
 to charge him with vacillation and 
 weakness (10 : 1,10); but now he as- 
 sures the whole church that at his next 
 coming he will act with firmness. The 
 words, I write, are wanting in the 
 most approved text and should be 
 omitted. 
 
 3. This verse is closely connected 
 with the preceding. It justifies and 
 gives a reason for what Paul had just 
 declared : / will not spare, since ye 
 seek a, the, proof of Christ speak- 
 ing in me — since ye seek a proof of the 
 power of the indwelling Christ who 
 speaks in and through me, ye shall 
 have a full proof of it. On proof, see 
 on 2:9; comp. Acts 13 : 9-11. Paul 
 conceives of himself as in a living 
 union with Christ, who dwells in him 
 and exerts his power through him. 
 Which, who, to you-ward is not 
 weak, in gifts and miracles, in cor- 
 recting and punishing, but is mighty 
 in you, powerful in intlicting pun- 
 ishment on those who remain impeni- 
 tent. Some of them had by their 
 conduct challenged, as it were, his 
 apostolic authority and the power of 
 
 Christ in him. It was dangerous, Paul 
 intimates, thus to provoke Christ, who 
 spoke through him, whose power was 
 also in the church and among them for 
 exercising discipline and punishing 
 offenders (.Matt, is : 20), 
 
 4. According to the best text, 
 though should be omitted. Trans- 
 late : For to confirm what I have said 
 regarding Christ's power, he was (dso 
 crucified through weakness, hav- 
 ing emptied himself of his glory and 
 voluntarily assumed our human nature 
 with all of its infirmities (8:9; Phii. 2:7,8; 
 Heb. 2 :9, 10. n, 18) ; yet he Uves through 
 the power of God, having been raised 
 from the dead and exalted to glory by 
 Divine power where he ever liveth (Phii. 
 
 2 : 9, 10; Rom. 1 : 3, 4; Eph. 1 : 20-22). For, tO 
 
 give a reason and to illustrate, we 
 also are weak in him, in the same 
 manner as he was, weak and for- 
 bearing, having voluntarily laid aside 
 our power in sparing you ; but we 
 shall live with him in the same 
 manner as he lived, by, or through, the 
 power of God toward you, when 
 we come among you (ver. 3), It will be 
 evident to the Corinthians that the 
 power of God is working in and through 
 the apostle. Notice how he identifies 
 himself with Christ, in him, with 
 him, both in his weakness and in his 
 
 strength. (Comp. 4 : 10-12 : 10 : 4-6 ; Gal. 6 : 17 ; 
 
 1 Cor. 1 : 18. ) Hc had indeed been weak 
 among them, but upon his coming 
 again he would assume such authority 
 and power as comes from a union with 
 and as conferred by the risen and glori- 
 fied Christ. 
 
 5. Instead of testing and proving 
 me to see whether Christ is in me, ex- 
 amine, tt^, test, yourselves (em- 
 phatic), whether ye be, rather, are, 
 
Ch. XIIL] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 413 
 
 in the faith ; prove your own selves. 
 «Know ye not your own selves, "^how 
 that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye 
 
 6 be e reprobates? But I trust that ye 6 
 shall know that we are not reprobates. 
 
 7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil ; 7 
 not that we should appear approved, 
 but that ye should do that which is 
 f honest, though % we be as reprobates. 
 
 8 For we can do nothing against the 
 
 9 truth, but for the truth. For we are 
 
 prove your own sel ves. Or know ye not 
 your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in 
 you, unless ye are reprobate indeed. 
 But I hope that ye will know, that we 
 are not reprobate. 
 
 Now we pray to God that ye do no 
 evil ; not that we should appear ap- 
 proved, but that ye may do what is 
 good, though we be as reprobate. For 
 we have no power against the truth, 
 but for the truth. For we rejoice, 
 
 c 1 John 3 : 14, 19, 24. 
 
 d 6 : 16 ; John 6 : 56 ; Rom. 8 : 10 ; Gal. 2 : 20. 
 /Rom. 12 : 17. g\ Cor. 4 : 9-13. 
 
 el Cor. 9 : 27. 
 
 in the faith, whether you are actu- 
 ally united to Christ by a living faith, 
 whether you are true Christians or not. 
 Not only try yourselves, but as a result 
 of the trial, prove yourselves, make 
 it plain in your own consciousness and 
 by your fruits as to whether Christ is in 
 you. Know ye not, rather. Or, if 
 you hesitate about doing this, know ye 
 'not as to your own selves, that Jesus 
 Christ is in you, by the indwelling 
 of the Holy Spirit, except ye be 
 reprobates, unless ye are reprobate 
 indeed, unable to stand the test, and 
 thus shown to be hypocrites, mere pre- 
 tenders. But such a supposition is not 
 to be thought of, either by him or by 
 them. The word translated reprobates, 
 means those not approved, descriptive 
 of those who liave been tried and found 
 wanting, and hence rejected (i Cor. 9 : 27). 
 The thought of the apostle here is : If 
 ye prove your true discipleship, then 
 you will prove that I, who taught you, 
 am a true apostle. If you are not spu- 
 rious Christians we are not spurious 
 
 apostles. ( Comp. 3 : 2 ; 1 Cor. 9:2.) 
 
 6. But whatever may be the result 
 of your trying and testing yourselves, 
 I trust, I cherish the hope, that ye 
 shall know that we are not rep- 
 robates, unable to stand the proof of 
 our apostleship, when we were among 
 you, but able to give the evidence of 
 Christ speaking in and through us, and 
 thus entitled to the apostolic authority 
 that we claim. We, is emphatic. Paul 
 contrasts the testimony of their Chris- 
 tian character and the testing of his 
 apostolic authority. In any case he 
 believes the latter will stand. 
 
 7. The apostle prays that the Corin- 
 thians may be directed aright, so that 
 there will be no need of exercising au- 
 thority in severity (ver. 4). In this he 
 has no selfish ends, but their good. 
 
 Now I pray, according to the best 
 text, we pray, first negatively, that ye 
 do no evil, individually and as a 
 church in these matters, obtaining a 
 complete victory over whatever is 
 wrong, not that we should appear 
 approved, not for any personal ends 
 of our own. Approved, having stood the 
 test, the opposite of reprobate. But, 
 we pray in the second place positively, 
 that ye should, rather, may do or 
 practise, that which is honest, groocZ, 
 honorable, though we be as repro- 
 bates, ?^o»g'A we be aiyparently unable 
 to stand the proof. The apostle wishes 
 the Corinthians to do what is right in 
 the sight of God, even though he him- 
 self should appear unapproved in the 
 judgment of men. He would sacrifice 
 his own reputation for their good. ( comp. 
 
 Rom. 9:1-3.) 
 
 8. Reason and explanation of Paul's 
 aim as just expressed. For we cau 
 do nothing, more exactly, For we 
 have no poiver, of Christ speaking in 
 and through us (ver. 3), no apostolic 
 power, against the truth of the 
 gospel, but for, in behalf of, the 
 truth, in its spread and furtherance. 
 Paul had been speaking of the poiver 
 which he had received from Christ; 
 and the truth is that which is brought 
 to view and embodied in the gospel. 
 He had not received this power to exer- 
 cise in his own interests against the 
 truth, but only in its behalf for the 
 glory of God. Hence the discipline of 
 the church is valid only as it is in ac- 
 cordance with the truth. Whatever it 
 binds on earth is not bound in heaven, 
 if contrary to the truth. 
 
 9. The assertion of the preceding 
 verse confirmed by the subjects of the 
 apostle's joy and prayer. For, in ac- 
 cordance with these principles and mo- 
 tions, we are glad, better, we rejoice. 
 
414 
 
 II. COKINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XIII. 
 
 glad, h when we are weak, and ye are 
 strong: and this also we wish, ^even 
 
 10 your perfection. ''Therefore I write 
 these things being absent, lest being 
 present 1 should use sharpness, ' accord- 
 ing to the ix)wer which the Lord hath 
 given me to cdilication, and not to de- 
 struction. 
 
 n Finally, brethren, farewell. ™ Be per- 
 fect, ° be of good comfort, " be of one 
 mind, plive in peace; and the God of 
 love land peace shall be with you. 
 
 when we are weak, and ye are power- 
 ful ; this akso Ave pray for, even your 
 
 10 perfection. For this cause I write these 
 things while absent, tjiat when present 
 I may not deal sharply according to 
 the authority which the Lord gave 
 me for building up, and not casting 
 down. 
 
 11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be per- 
 fect, be of good comfort, be of the 
 same mind, be at peace ; and the 
 God of love and peace will be with 
 you. 
 
 ft 1 Cor. 4:10. i Phil. 3 : 12-15 ; Heb. 6 : 1 ; 13 : 20, 21. tl2:20, 21. UO : 8. m See refs. Matt. 5 : 48. 
 n 2 Thess. 2 : 16, 17. o See refs. Rom. 12 : 16. j> Gen. 45 : 24 ; Rom. 12 : 18. q Rom. 15 : 33. 
 
 when we are weak, seeming to be 
 weak, having no occasion to exercise 
 our power in the exercise of discipline, 
 and ye are strong in Christian 
 graces, powerful in piety, requiring no 
 exercise of our authority. Paul does 
 not say that the Corinthians are really 
 strong, but that he rejoices when they 
 are strong. And this, that ye may be 
 strong, we also wish, better, pi-ay 
 for, even your perfection, your 
 complete retbrmatiou, the perfecting, 
 the complete setting in order, of Chris- 
 tian conduct and life. (comp. i Cor. i : lO: 
 Gal. 6:1; Eph. 4 : 12.) In that case there 
 would be no need of giving proof of his 
 apostolic authority in reference to of- 
 fenders, and in discipline (ver. 3). 
 
 10. Therefore, or On this account, 
 because I wish you to liecome strong in 
 piety and perfected in conduct and life, 
 I write these things, this Epistle, 
 especially the last part of it, being 
 absent, lest being present, I 
 should use sharpness (ver. 2; i :23), 
 that when present I may not use 
 severity, according to the poAver, 
 or authority which the Lord gave me 
 when he called and coniiuissioned me 
 as an apostle ( Acts26 : 16-18), for edifi- 
 cation, building up, and not for 
 hcstmctiorx, casting down (10 : 8), such 
 as might result from discipline and 
 judgment. JTe uses this severity in 
 writing, hoping to accomplisli their 
 reformation, so tliat lie will have no 
 necessity to use it when becomes. And 
 he did not wish to do anything when 
 he came which might appear like cast- 
 ing out converts or pulling down 
 churches. Paul u.ses his favorite figure 
 of a builder (5 : 1 : 1 Cor. 3 : 10). His great 
 work was to gather and build up con- 
 verts and churches. Discipline and 
 
 punishment were at times a necessity 
 (which should be exercised for the good 
 of the individual and the church) ; but 
 as with the Lord, it was not the object 
 
 of his work ( John 3 : 17 ; 12 : 47 ) . 
 
 11-14. Closing words. 
 
 11. Closing exhortation. The kind 
 and tendei" spirit which had begun to 
 show itself in the preceding verses, is 
 now more prominently manifested in 
 friendly admonition, Avhich, if fully 
 obeyed, would make the exercise of se- 
 vere measures unnecessary. Finally, 
 as to what remains to be said, breth- 
 ren, used only four times in this Ej^is- 
 tle, indicating here the importance of 
 what he was .saying, and the afleetion- 
 ate spirit in which he spoke; fare- 
 well, 70t/ to you, fare you well in the 
 Lord (Piiii- 3 : 1 ; 4 : 4). It was common 
 to use this word at the beginning of 
 letters in the sense of greeting (Acts 15 : 
 23; 23 : 26), and in salutations in the 
 
 sense of hail (Luke l : 28 ; Mark 15 : 18). It is 
 
 fitting here in the beginning of closing 
 and encouraging words. Be perfect, 
 go on in perfecting your conduct and 
 life (ver. 9); bc of good comfort, 
 combining the ideas of encouragement 
 and comfort; be of one mind, think 
 as it were the same thing, be harmo- 
 nious in thought and sentiment (Rom. 12 : 
 16; Phil. 2:2) ; live iu pcace with one 
 another, let there be no discord (icor. 
 1 : 10) ; and the God of love and 
 peace, who is the author and giver 
 of these graces (1 cor. u : 33; Heb. 13 : 20; 
 Jude2), shall be with you — you shall 
 enjoy communion with God through 
 the Holy Spirit, and shall be kept con- 
 tinually united in love and peace. Joy, 
 comfort, peace, and love are all fruits of 
 the Spirit («ai. 5 : 22). If they follow the 
 promptings of the Spirit, which accord 
 
Ch. XIII.] 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 415 
 
 12 r Greet one another with an holy kiss. 
 
 13 All the saints salute you. 
 
 14 ^ The t grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and the love of God, and "the com- 
 munion of the Holy Ghost, be with you 
 all. Amen. 
 
 The second Epistle to the Corinthians 
 was written from Philippi, a city of 
 Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas. 
 
 12 Salute one another with a holy kiss. 
 
 13 All the saints salute you. 
 
 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and the love of God, and the com- 
 munion of the Holy Spirit, be with 
 you all. 
 
 rSee refs. Rom. 16 : 16. sSee Num. 6 : 23-27 ; Rom. 16 : 24. « John 1 : 16, 17. wRom. 8 : 9, 14-16. 
 
 with the preceding exhortations, then 
 they have the promise and assurance 
 that the God of love and peace will be, 
 and continue to be, with them. All of 
 the preceding imperatives are in the 
 present tense, denoting continued 
 action. God's presence produces love 
 and peace, and we must have love and 
 peace to enjoy his presence. Hatred 
 and discord will drive the Spirit from 
 us. The exhortation in all its parts was 
 especially suited to the Corinthians. 
 
 12. Closing salutations. Greet, or, 
 salute, one another with a holy 
 kiss. The same as in 1 Cor, 16 : 20, 
 on Avhich see note. If on reading the 
 Epistle they would thus express their 
 brotherly love for one another the effect 
 would be good. 
 
 13. All the saints, in the vicinity 
 and the church -where he was in Mace- 
 donia, salute you. Doubtless Paul, 
 in a measure at least, unburdened his 
 heart to his brethren in Macedonia, 
 and made known his anxieties to them. 
 Their interest and love would be kin- 
 dled by Paul's. 
 
 14. Closing benediction. This is the 
 fullest of Paul's benedictions and 
 comes fitly at the end of the Epistle in 
 which he the most fully opens and un- 
 burdens his heart. It is rather an invo- 
 cation, since its closing words are in 
 the form of a prayer, and not of a 
 blessing. In its three parts it recog- 
 nizes the personality and deity of the 
 Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in 
 their gracious relations to the believer 
 
 and the church. (Comp. noteonRom. l : ".) 
 
 The grace, or favor, of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ (notice the fullness of 
 the title), the Lord and head of the 
 church, through whom all the blessing 
 of salvation reaches us, the love of 
 God the Father, the author and source 
 of redemption (Johns : le) whose love is 
 shed abroad in our hearts (Rom. 5:6), 
 and the communion, the participa- 
 tion and fellowship, of the Holy 
 
 Ghost, Spirit, in his indwelling and 
 sanctifying presence and power (Rom. 
 8 : 9-11, 14-16), be with you all, the err- 
 ing, the opposer, the gainsayer, as 
 Avell as the faithful and obedient. How 
 overflowing the apostle's loving heart, 
 though he had used severity. " Love 
 is ascribed to the Father as the source 
 from whence the grace of Christ pours 
 itself forth as a stream, producing 
 brotherly commtmion among believers 
 in the Holy Spirit. That the Son ob- 
 tains first mention is explained by the 
 fact that divinity reveals itself imme- 
 diately to man in Christ ; the Son first 
 guides him to the Father, and his life 
 is finally perfected in the communion 
 of the Holy Spirit" (Olshausen). 
 
 Amen, is omitted by the highest 
 critical authorities. The subscription, 
 except simply To the Corinthians, is 
 wanting in the oldest and best manu- 
 scripts, and is of no authority. 
 
 AVe may reasonably conclude that the 
 effect of this letter was good, from Rom. 
 15 : 25-27 and Acts 20 : 2, since soon 
 after this Paul went to Corinth and re- 
 mained there three months, as it w^ould 
 appear, in peace, which he could hardly 
 have done if this letter had not pre- 
 pared the way. No trace of opposition 
 is afterward found in the Corinthian 
 church to the apostolic claims of Paul. 
 According to the Epistle of Clement, 
 written shortly after the apostle's 
 death, there were divisions in the Cor- 
 inthian church, but Paul was held in 
 affectionate remembrance. 
 
 Practical Remarks. 
 
 1. Churches should exercise discipline 
 firmly, kindly, and faithfully, not upon 
 suspicions and prejudice, but upon clear 
 evidence, according to the offenses com- 
 mitted (ver. 1. 2 ; 1 Cor. 4 : 20, 21). 
 
 2. If the preacher would have Christ 
 speak through him, let him be in fellow- 
 ship with Christ through the indwelling 
 
416 
 
 II. CORINTHIANS 
 
 [Ch. XIII. 
 
 Spirit and an exiterimontal knowledge of 
 the word (ver. 8 ; John 16 : 13 ; 17 : 14, 17, 
 23; IJohn 1 : 3). 
 
 3. The preacher's authority is that of 
 the truth, and thereby he gives evidence 
 of Christ speaking in and througli him 
 (ver. 3, 8; 4:3). 
 
 4. Christ in his sufferings identified 
 himself with us, and in his life and exal- 
 tation we are identified with him (ver 4; 
 1 Peter 3 : 18 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 11, 12). 
 
 5. In view of human imperfections and 
 the importance of true personal religion, 
 we should frequently examine ourselves 
 (ver. 5; 1 Cor. 11:28; 3:13). 
 
 6. The Christian may know whether he 
 is a true child of God (ver. 5, 6 ; 2 Tim. 
 1 : 12 ; 1 John 3 : 14, 19, 24 ; 4 : 16). 
 
 7. The minister should unselfishly seek 
 the highest good of his people whatever 
 may be the estimate in which he himself 
 is held (ver. 7, 9; 12: 14). 
 
 8. If the preacher turns aside from the 
 gospel system of truth, he exceeds his 
 commission and is without authority 
 (ver. 8 ; Mark 16 : 16, 17 ; Isa. 8 : 20). 
 
 9. Christian perfection consists not so 
 much in sinlessness, as in the symmet- 
 rical development of Christian character 
 (ver. 9, 11; 2 Peter 1 : 5-8). 
 
 10. Whatever authority Christ may have 
 given us, as churches or individuals, we 
 should use it carefully and wisely under 
 the guidance of the Spirit according to 
 the word (ver. 10 ; 10 : 8 ; Matt. 10 : 16, 20). 
 
 11. When Christians love one another 
 and live in peace, then they may expect 
 the God of love and peace to be with 
 them (ver. 11 ; Rom. 15 : 5, 6). 
 
 12. The closing verse of this Epistle is a 
 prayer, and it teaches us that it is proper 
 to pray to the Son and the Spirit as well 
 as to the Father (ver. 14 ; Acts 7 : 59 ; Jude 
 20, 21; Rom. 8: 26). 
 
 13. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 
 stand on an equality with one another, 
 each bearing a distinctive relation to the 
 Christian and to his salvation (ver. 14 ; 
 Matt. 28:19; Phil. 2 : 6). 
 
 14. Salvation comes to us from God the 
 Father, through God the Son, and by God 
 the Holy Spirit (ver. 14 ; John 3 : 5-17). 
 
 CORINTH UNEARTHED. 
 
 Much of the Corinth of Paul's day 
 has for centuries lain out of sight be- 
 neath the rubbish and the soil. Several 
 standing columns of a Doric temple 
 have been almost the only trace of the 
 Greek city. Of great interest and im- 
 portance, therefore, have been the ex- 
 plorations made in Corinth, the past 
 year, 1896, by Americans under the 
 guidance of Dr. R. B. Richardson. 
 Much has been done in determining 
 the site of the agora, and preparing the 
 way for future excavations. The well- 
 worn steps of the stairs which gave 
 access to the seats of the ancient theatre 
 have been discovered. Within two hun- 
 dred feet of the present village a tomb 
 
 was found, containing relics from pre- 
 historic times — vases of marvelous pat- 
 tern and of most ancient chromatic 
 treatment. What hopes from archa- 
 ological research in old Corinth are 
 aroused! May we not have confirma- 
 tions of Luke and Paul in the Acts and 
 the EpivStles? Perhaps we may learn 
 more of the proconsul Gallio, or of 
 Erastus the public treasurer of Corinth, 
 or of Gains the host of Paul, or of the 
 synagogue with the rulers Crispus and 
 Sosthenes, or of Chloe and Stephanas, 
 or of Paul's lost epistle, or of his unre- 
 corded second visit to the Corinthians. 
 Much of this and of many others may 
 yet come to light. 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 
 Abba, Father, 106. 
 
 Abraham : justified by faith, 63 ; his gseat 
 faith, 66, 67 ; while yet uucircumcised, 
 65 ; circumcision a consequeuce of his 
 faith, 65; a seal of his righteousness, 
 65 ; a father of the faithful, 65-67 ; heir 
 of the world, 66; his faith and the 
 promise, 66 ; a father of many nations, 
 67 ; believing in hope against hope, 67 ; 
 a pattern to believers, 68. 
 
 "Absent from the body," "present with 
 the Lord," 356. 
 
 Accursed from C)Sirist, 117. 
 
 Adam : meaning of, 75 ; relation of, to the 
 race, 75, 76, 77; type of Christ by con- 
 trast, 77; similitude of his transgression, 
 77. 
 
 Adam to Moses, death reigned from, 77. 
 
 Adoption, spirit of, 106. 
 
 Amplias, 181. 
 
 Analogy between Adam and Christ, 75, 78. 
 
 " Anathema Maranatha," 325. 
 
 Andronicus, 18i3. 
 
 Angels, Christian judging, 223. 
 
 Apollos, referred to, 323. 
 
 Apostolic benediction, 415. 
 
 Apostolic ministry of Paul : defense of, 
 387-389 ; its weapons and its warfare, 
 388 ; its authority real, 3A9 ; unlike that 
 of his opposers, 389-392 ; false standard 
 of judgment upon, 391; built not on 
 others' foundations, 392 ; sufferings of, 
 400 ; caring for the churches in, 401 ; de- 
 liverance at Damascus for, 402 ; visions 
 and revelations connected with, 404; 
 signs of among the Corinthians, 407; 
 its authoritative exercise, 411, 412. 
 
 Apelles. 181. 
 
 Aquila: mentioned, 179, 180; church at 
 his house, 180, 324. 
 
 Aretas, 402. 
 
 Aristobulus : mentioned, 181 ; early mis- 
 sionary to Britain, 181. 
 
 " Armor of light," 158. 
 
 Atonement, the: Practical Remarks on, 
 61, 62, 114 ; relation of to the race, 80. 
 
 Baal, 136. 
 
 Baptism : a burial, 83 ; a likeness of death, 
 84 ; a likeness of resurrection, 84 ; a like- 
 ness of death to sin and a new life, 83- 
 85 ; an intelligent act, 263. 
 
 Baptism as a figure: described, 85, 86; a 
 symbol, 86 ; a sign, 86 ; an antitype, 86 ; 
 not as a seal, 86. 
 
 " Baptized for the dead " : different inter- 
 pretations of, 311 ; the preferable view 
 of, 312. 
 
 "Baptized into his death," 83. 
 
 Baptized, unto Moses: meaning of, 255: 
 in the cloud and in the sea, 255 ; Prac- 
 tical Remarks on, 263. 
 
 " Barbarian," 31. 
 
 " Beholding as in a glass the glory of the 
 Lord," 347. 
 
 Believers not under law but under grace, 
 91, 92. 
 
 Benevolence: defined, 178; remarks on, 
 320, 326. 
 
 " Be ye reconciled to God," 361. 
 
 Bible, The : Practical Remarks on, 61. 
 
 Body of believers : a temple of the Holy 
 Spirit, 327 ; Practical Remarks on, 228. 
 
 Body, a living sacrifice, 149. 
 
 "Brethren," 30. 
 
 Building on Christ: the builders thereon, 
 206; Christ the foundation, 206; tried 
 by fire, 207 ; saved through fire, 207, 210. 
 
 " Body of this death," 100. 
 
 " Called according to his purpose," 111. 
 
 Calling: from God, 28; internal and ex- 
 ternal. 28. 
 
 "Carnal," 204. 
 
 Carnally minded, 104. 
 
 Casuistry : the kingdom of God and, 166: 
 no code of laws laid down for, 167 ; prin- 
 ciples and knowledge of furnished for 
 
 2B 417 
 
418 
 
 GENERAL INDEX 
 
 deciding in reference to human con- 
 duct, 167 ; in marked contrast to papal 
 subtleties and Jesuitical subterfuges, 
 167. 
 
 Character building, 207, 210. 
 
 Charity, grace of. See Love, 286. 
 
 " Chief est apostles," 395. 
 
 Children, "unclean," "holy," 232. 
 
 Chloe, house of, 192. 
 
 Christ: the seed of David, 26; the Son of 
 God, 27 ; the Spirit of holiness, 27 ; his 
 resurrection, 27 ; his gospel, 32 ; in Rom., 
 chap. 1, see Practical Remarks, 40; a 
 propitiatory sacrifice, 58 ; delivered for 
 our offenses, 69 ; raised for our justifica- 
 tion, 69 ; our substitute, 72, 73 ; head of 
 the race. Practical Remarks, 81 ; holding 
 a two- fold relation of servant and Son, 
 170; "a minister of the circumcision," 
 170; his relation to the Gentiles, 170, 
 171 ; his kingdom and reign, 309 ; deliv- 
 ering up the kingdom to the Father, 
 309; all enemies put under him, 310; 
 one with the Father, 311; Adam and, 
 contrasted, 74 : crucified, preaching of, 
 199 ; death of, relation to the race, 79 ; 
 the death of, the death of all, 358 ; " the 
 end of the law for righteousness," 128, 
 129 ; grace of, abounding, 78, 80 ; inter- 
 ceding for us, 112 ; his inseparable love, 
 113 ; "our Pa.ssover," 219; as presented 
 by Paul the same as Christ of the four 
 Gospels, 304; in regard to his person, 
 301 ; his character, 304 ; his doctrine, 304 ; 
 words and phrases of, 304; our substi- 
 tute, our sin-bearer, 261, 263 ; the un- 
 speakable gift, 386. 
 
 Church : its general and particular mean- 
 ing, 283 ; Practical Remarks on, 285 ; 
 discipline, 341, 342, Practical Remarks: 
 formative and corrective, 338; when 
 valid, 413 ; its government, 221 ; divinely 
 organized, 221 ; democratic and inde- 
 pendent, 221 ; Dr. Alexander Carson on, 
 221. 
 
 Church at Corinth : embraced what, 189, 
 190; divisions of, 192; the party of 
 Paul in, 192 ; of Apollos, 192 ; of Cephas, 
 192 ; of Christ, 192 ; character of its 
 members, 196 ; moral disorders in, 217 ; 
 slack in discipline, 218; should have 
 enforced discipline, 219-221 ; Practical 
 Remarks on, 221, 222. 
 
 Churches and Christians, temples of God, 
 208. 
 
 Christian, The: in relation to law and to 
 grace, 102 ; his complete, ultimate vic- 
 tory, 113 ; through Christ, 114. 
 
 Christians : belong to God, 209 ; Practical 
 Remarks on, 210 ; all things belong to 
 them, 209 ; stewards of the mysteries of 
 God, 210, 211 ; how designated in the 
 Epistles and elsewhere, 31 
 
 Christian benevolence, Practical Remarks 
 on, 386, 387. 
 
 Christian experience : as related to bap- 
 tism and admission to the church, 361 ; 
 conversion and evidences of repent- 
 ance should be required, 362. 
 
 Christian liberty : abused, 225 ; somethings 
 lawful but not expedient, 225 ; Practical 
 Remarks on, 228 ; Paul's use of, 246, ff. ; 
 its relation to Paul's marriage, 247 ; 
 Paul's support by the churches, 247-249 ; 
 his self-support, 250, 251 ; Paul's becom- 
 ing all things to all men, 251, 2-52 ; Paul's 
 bearing toward persons of weak con- 
 science, 261. 
 
 Circumcision : cannot save, 48, 49 ; in the 
 flesh and in the heart, 49 ; as a sign, 48 ; 
 Practical Remarks on, 50, 51 ; a seal of 
 Abraham's faith, 65 ; a token of God's 
 covenant, 65 ; baptism did not take place 
 of, 70 ; nothing in itself, 234. 
 
 Civil government: subjection to, 156; 
 rulers in, 156 ; limit of its power, 157 ; 
 accountable to God, 156, 160; paying 
 tribute to, 157 ; demands of, and the law 
 of love, 157, 158; motives of obedience 
 to, 158. 
 
 " Coals of fire on his head," 154. 
 
 Collection: for the saints, 320, 321; at 
 stated times and proportionate, 321, 326. 
 
 " Comforted together," 30. 
 
 " Communion of the blood of Christ," 259. 
 
 " Comparing spiritual things with spirit- 
 ual," 202. 
 
 Condemnation, no, to the believer, 102. 
 
 Confession and faith, 130, 131. 
 
 Conflict within the Christian, 99-101. 
 
 Conscience : its use of, in the New Testa- 
 ment, 244, 245 ; its modern use, 244 ; its 
 ancient use, 244 ; its supreme authority, 
 245 ; liberty of, 245, 261. 
 
 Contribution : a participation with others, 
 175; for the poor saints at Jerusalem, 
 175 ; duty of, from Gentiles to Jews, 176 ; 
 a bond between Jewish and Gentile 
 churches, 176. 
 
 Corinth ; the city of Paul's day, xv ; con- 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 
 419 
 
 dition of the church at, xv ; subsequent 
 history of, xv, 415 ; unearthed, 416. 
 
 Corinthians, Epistles to : xv ; confirmed by 
 the Acts, xiv; practical uses of, to 
 churches, xxi ; to the ministry, xxi ; to 
 our age and country, xxii. 
 
 Corinthians, First Epistle to: discussed, 
 XV ; its title, occasion, and design, xvi ; 
 time and place of writing, xvi ; features 
 of, xvii ; contents and analysis, xvii. 
 
 Corinthians, Second Epistle to : consid- 
 ered, XX ; its title, occasion, and object, 
 XX ; characteristics of, xxi ; contents 
 and analysis of, xxii ; its title, 189. 
 
 Corinthians: why Paul delayed visiting 
 them, 331-333 ; Paul would not come to, 
 in sorrow, 335. 
 
 Corrupting : the word of God, 341 ; Prac- 
 tical Remarks, 342. 
 
 Covenants made with Abraham, Remark 
 11, pp. 69, 70. 
 
 "Creature" or "creation": meaning of, 
 107 ; subject to vanitj-, 108 ; delivered 
 into the liberty of the children of God, 
 108, 109; groaning and travailing in 
 pain, 109. 
 
 " Cupof the Lord " and " cup of demons," 
 260, 261. 
 
 Dangers from a scientific spirit, 196. 
 
 David, justified by faith, 64. 
 
 Deaconess : Phoebe, 179 ; Prisca, 180 ; Per- 
 
 sis, 181 ; Practical Remark on, 186. 
 " Death unto death, a savour of," 340. 
 " Delight in the law of God," 99. 
 Depravitj', human, Practical Remarks, 41. 
 Divine government explained, 44. 
 "Doubtful disputations," 161. 
 
 " Earnest expectation," 108. 
 
 "Earnest of the Spirit," 333. 
 
 Election and foreknowledge, 126, 127. 
 
 Election of grace, 137. 
 
 Elijah and the seven thousand, 136. 
 
 Enemy, treatment of an, 154. 
 
 Epenetus, 180. 
 
 Epistles: in general, v; of Peter, Paul, 
 and John, v ; relation of, to the Gospels, 
 V ; relation of, to the Old Testament, v ; 
 addressed to Christians, v ; chrono- 
 logical order of, vi. 
 
 Epistles to the Corinthians : their gen- 
 uineness, xiv ; confirmed by undesigned 
 coincidences in the Acts, xiv ; the two 
 Epistles compared, xvii ; special uses, 
 
 xxi; addressed to churches, 28; to 
 saints, 28. 
 
 Epistle, First, to the Corinthians : to whom 
 addressed, xiv ; reasons for writing, 
 xvi ; design of, xvi ; time and place of 
 writing, xvi ; features of, xvi ; contents 
 and analysis, xvii ; its title, 189 ; super- 
 scription to, 326. 
 
 Epistle, Second, to the Corinthians: to 
 whom addressed, xiv, xx ; place of 
 writing, xx ; occasion and object of, 
 XX ; its characteristics, xxi ; contents 
 and analysis of, xxii ; its title, 327 ; salu- 
 tation, 327 ; words of gratitude, 327-329 ; 
 its effect on the Corinthians, 415. 
 
 Epistle to the Romans: Paul its author, 
 viii ; its last five chapters, viii ; to whom 
 addressed, viii; when and where writ- 
 ten, X ; its occasion and design, x ; con- 
 tents of, xi ; analysis of, xii ; its theme, 
 32 ; its end, 177, 186 ; not all written at 
 once, 177. 
 
 Erastus, 215. 
 
 Erastus, treasurer of Corinth, 184. 
 
 Eternal life, 43. 
 
 Ethics: Paul's, 154; ultimate ground of 
 obligation in, 154. 
 
 Ethics, Paul's Christian : of the State, 159 ; 
 of the family, of State and Church, 159 ; 
 are fundamental principles, 159 : their 
 basis in the will and law of God, 159 ; 
 government as to, may be perverted, 159. 
 
 Evil associations, warning against, 367. 
 
 " Evil communications corrupt good man- 
 ners," 313. 
 
 Evil, overcoming with good, 154. 
 
 Experience, Christian: Practical Re- 
 marks, 101. 
 
 Faith : considered. 27, 33 ; of Roman Chris- 
 tians, 29 ; advance in, 32 ; live by, 33 ; in 
 Christ is faith in God, 68, 69 ; confession 
 and, 130, 131 ; saving, 135 ; a guide to con- 
 science, 168. 
 
 False teachers : at Rome, 183 ; to be avoid- 
 ed, 183 ; Practical Remarks on, 186, 187. 
 
 "Farewell," 414. 
 
 " Fleshly tables of the heart," 343. 
 
 " Form " or " mold of doctrine," 88. 
 
 Food, sacrificed to idols : subject of, con- 
 sidered, 240, ff. ; the question of eating 
 it to be settled by love, 241 ; to the en- 
 lightened Christian a matter of indiffer- 
 ence, 242 ; the question of, with regard 
 to the infirmities of the weak, 243, 261 ; 
 
•420 
 
 GENERAL INDEX 
 
 Remarks, 245; Paul illustrates usage 
 concerning, by his own conduct, 246-251. 
 
 Fornication : treated of, 226 ; flee, 227 ; 
 Practical Remarks, 228. 
 
 Fortunatus and Achaicus, 324, 
 
 " From faith to faith," 32. 
 
 Gentiles : called, 139-141 ; the wild olive, 
 141; their relation to Israel, 142; their 
 need of humility, 142 ; fullness of, 143. 
 
 Gentile ministry of Paul : spoken of, 173 ; 
 from Jerusalem to Illyricum, 173 ; not 
 builded on another's foundation, 174; 
 consistent with visiting Rome, 175. 
 
 Gifts, Spiritual : use of, 151 ; of prophecy, 
 151 ; of teaching, 151 ; of exhortation, 
 giving, ruling, 151. 
 
 Giving : grace of, 375, 376 ; the Macedonian 
 churches an example of, 375 ; a mutual 
 participation, 376; should abound in 
 all, 376 ; Christ's example of, 377 ; should 
 be willing, 378 ; should be proportionate, 
 378 ; among the Corinthians, 382, 383 ; 
 was to be liberal and cheerful, 383, 384 ; 
 God's help in, 384 ; resulting in the good 
 of others, 385 ; and God's glory, 385 ; 
 brings blessings on the giver, 386; all 
 traced to Christ, 386; among Macedo- 
 nians, 386 ; Remarks on, 381, 382. 
 
 Glorification of God's children certain, 112. 
 
 Glory, honor, immortality, 43. 
 
 "Glory of God," 57. 
 
 God : revelation of, 35 ; invisible things 
 of, 35; his eternal power, 36; "blessed 
 forever," 117 ; dealing with the Jews and 
 bringing good out of evil, Remark 11, p. 
 147 ; gifts and calling of. without repen- 
 tance, 144 ; no respecter of persons, 44 ; 
 just and the justifier of sinners, 59; 
 hardening the heart, 121 ; prerogative 
 and rights of, as Creator, 122 ; long-suf- 
 fering and wrath of, 123 ; " riches of glory 
 in," 123; sovereignty of and man's free 
 agency, 127 ; three-fold revelation of, 
 35 ; wondrous wisdom and knowledge 
 of, 146. 
 
 "God of hope," 171. 
 
 Godly sorrow, good results of, 372. 
 
 God's wrath: how revealed, 35; against 
 what, 35; in giving men over to their 
 own passions, 37, 38 ; Remarks on, 41. 
 
 " Good that I would I do not," 98. 
 
 Goodness of God: despised, 42; to load 
 men to repentance, 42 ; Practical Re- 
 marks on, .50. 
 
 Gospel, The : adapted and designed for all, 
 129 ; should be preached to all, 132, 135 ; 
 Practical Remark on, 12; contains the 
 true wisdom, 200 ; spiritually discerned, 
 203 ; the law and, in harmony, 61, 
 
 Grace: defined, 29; under, 87; illustrated 
 by the marriage relation, 91, 92. 
 
 Grace and works exclusive of each other, 
 137. 
 
 Grecian Christianity and Macedonian lib- 
 erality, 386. 
 
 "Greek," 31. 
 
 Hardships of the Christian ministry re- 
 ferred to, 364, 365. 
 
 Heathen: without excuse, 36; degrada- 
 tion of, 36, 37, 38 ; picture of in Rom. 1, 
 21-32, 38 ; condemned by their own con- 
 sciences, 39, 40, 
 
 Hermes, 182. 
 
 " Hold the truth in unrighteousness," 35. 
 
 "Holy," 40. 
 
 Holy kiss, 325. 
 
 Holy Spirit, The: 72, 105; and Spirit of 
 Sonship, 106; distinguished from our 
 spirit, 106; witnessing with our spirit, 
 106 ; helping our infirmities, 110 ; Prac- 
 tical Remarks on, 204 ; in the Old Dis- 
 pensation, 300 ; in the New, 300 ; in the 
 tw-o contrasted, 300, 301 ; at Pentecost 
 and now, 301. 
 
 Honest— honorable, 153, 155, 
 
 Hope : saved by, 109 ; distinguished from 
 faith, 110. 
 
 Hospitality, 152, 155. 
 
 Idolatry : in Greece, Egypt, and Rome, 37 ; 
 in the heart and life, 37 ; flee from, 258 ; 
 inconsistent with communion and fel- 
 lowship at the Lord's Supper, 259, 260; 
 involved in idols' feasts, 260, 261. 
 
 Imprecations in Scripture, 138. 
 
 Impute, imputed, 64, 65, 76. 
 
 Incestuous man at Corinth, 217; r»enitent, 
 336; Paul advises his forgiveness, 336. 
 
 Infant salvation. Practical Remark, 81, 
 
 Infirmity of your flesh, 88. 
 
 Inter-church relations, independent, yet 
 dependent, 380, 381. 
 
 Inward holiness, exhortations to, 368, 369. 
 
 "Inward man," 99. 
 
 Isaac and Ishmael, 119. 
 
 Israel rejected and Gentiles called, 139, 
 140. 
 
 Israel ; savable, yet unsaved, 128 ; at fault. 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 
 421 
 
 125 ; and prophecy, 124, 125 ; not wholly 
 passed over, 136; conversion and at- 
 tendant blessings on, 140, 145 ; Remarks, 
 147, 148 ; restoration of, 143-146 ; restora- 
 tion of, foretold, 145 ; restoration of, be- 
 ing fulfilled, 145 ; hardness of, 143 ; cove- 
 nant with, 144 ; election of, 144 ; and 
 Gentiles, 143 ; praise to God for, 146 : 
 what we owe to, in religion, in govern- 
 ment, 148. 
 
 Israelites mentioned, 117 ; their privileges, 
 117. 
 
 Isthmian games : introduced, 252 ; illus- 
 trating the Christian race, 252, 253 ; il- 
 lustrating how Paul strove for the mas- 
 tery, 253 ; Practical Remarks, 254. 
 
 Jew, The : first in privilege, 32, 44, 51 ; 
 knowing the law, but not keeping it, 
 46-48. 
 
 Jews and Gentiles alike sinners and con- 
 demned, 51-54. 
 
 Judging others, 212. 
 
 Judgment, The : Practical Remarks on, 50 ; 
 God righteous at, 53, 54. 
 
 Judgment seat of Christ, 357. 
 
 Judgment of self, should be impartial, 150, 
 151. 
 
 Junia, 180. 
 
 Justification: what? 34, 60; how used by 
 Paul, 34 ; as an act of God, 34 ; its gratu- 
 itous nature, 57 ; its ground, the redemx> 
 tion and sacrifice of Christ, 58, 59; its 
 object, that God may save sinners, 59; 
 its results exclude boasting, 61 ; results 
 on indi\aduals, 71-73 ; results on the 
 race, 74, ff. 
 
 "Justification," a divine requirement, 34. 
 
 Justification by faith : illustrated by Abra- 
 ham, 62; by David, 64; Practical Re- 
 marks on, 69 ; results in peace with God, 
 71 ; moral influence of, 82 ; does not lead | 
 to sin, 83 ; leads to holiness, 89, 90, 93 ; | 
 of life, 79. 
 
 " Justified " or " freed from sin," 84. | 
 
 "Justified— glorified," 111. I 
 
 "Justify," use of the word by Paul, 34; I 
 importance of understanding this and 
 kindred Avords, .33, 34. 
 
 Justice of God : vindicated in passing over 
 Israel, 118, ff. ; designed for wise and 
 merciful ends, 120 ; illustrated by Jacob 
 and Esau, 119 ; dealing with Pharaoh, 
 120; enduring with vessels of wrath, 
 128; a remnant saved, 124. 
 
 Keeping the law. and circumcision, 48. 
 
 Kingdom of God : a reality, 216 ; its rela- 
 tion to individuals and churches, 216 ; 
 its relation to the world, 216 ; opposed to 
 all unrighteousness, 224; not in food 
 and drink, 164 ; in righteousness, peace, 
 joy, 164, 165, 167 ; has to do with all the 
 affairs of men, 167, 168, Remark 19. 
 
 Kiss, holy, 182 ; Practical Remark, 186. 
 
 Law, The: of Moses, 44; design of, 80; 
 without, 44; justified by, 44; in the 
 heart, 45 ; cannot save, 46 ; none justified 
 by the deeds of, 55 ; established by the 
 gospel, 61; is it sin? 94; its effect on a 
 sinner, 95, 96 ; holy, just, and good, 96 : 
 how it makes sin appear, 96 ; what it 
 could not do, 103 ; two-fold in the Chris- 
 I tian, 99. 
 
 Law and grace, 87 ; Practical Remarks, 90, 
 91, 101. 
 
 "Law of sin," 99. 
 
 " Law of sin and death," 103. 
 
 Lawsuits by Christians : before heathen 
 tribunals, 222 ; inconsistent, 222, 223 ; 
 should be settled in the church, 223 ; 
 Practical Remarks, 228. 
 
 •• Letter killeth," 344. 
 
 Liberty, gospel and Christian, 168. 
 
 " Life unto life," a savor of, 340. 
 
 Living peacefully with all, 154. 
 
 Lord's Supper : Practical Remarks on, 263, 
 264, 276 ; its proper observance, 269-274 ; 
 its relation to social and church life, 
 274, 275. 
 
 Love : the greatest of gifts, 286-288 ; essen- 
 tial to religion, 286 ; characteristics of, 
 287 ; fulfilling the law, 158 ; Practical Re- 
 marks on, 290; unfeigned, 152 ; duties 
 growing out of, 152 ; brotherly, 152, 1.55. 
 
 Love of God : in our hearts, 72 ; for us, 73. 
 
 Love-feasts, 270, 271. 
 
 " Made the righteousness of God in him," 
 361. 
 
 Man, the natural, 203. 
 
 Man and woman equal, 268. 
 
 Marriage : Paul on, 239 : rather than ascet- 
 icism, or celibacy of the clergy, 239 ; Re- 
 marks, 239, 240 ; divorce and celibacy 
 related to, 228, ff. : when good, 229, 230 : 
 relations in, that are not sinful should 
 not be disturbed, 233, 234; second, of 
 women, 238, 239 ; only in the Lord. 239. 
 
 Married, The : advice to, 230, 237 ; as to 
 
422 
 
 GENERAL INDEX 
 
 the divorce or separation of, 231, 232; 
 one of, an unbelieving husband or wife, 
 232. 
 
 Minded : carnally, 101 ; spiritually, 104. 
 
 Minister, A, of Jesus Christ : referred to, 
 172; ministering in sacred things, 172; 
 not sacerdotal, 172 ; offering up the Gen- 
 tiles, 172. 
 
 Ministers, Christian : superior to Moses, 
 346, 347 ; Remarks on, 348 ; their bodily 
 weakness, 350-352 ; spiritual power and 
 dignity of, 350-352 ; sustained by a hope 
 of a glorious immortality, 352-354; 
 cheered in view of a glorified body, 354- 
 356; having the earnest of the Spirit, 
 356 ; exercised in view of the judgment, 
 357 ; constrained by the love of Christ, 
 358, 359 ; their ministry one of reconcil- 
 iation, 360, 361 ; ambassadors of Christ, 
 361 ; alms and work, 363, 364. 
 
 Ministers should be careful in money 
 matters, 380, 403. 
 
 Ministry : a stewardship. 211 ; Practical 
 Remarks on, 216. 
 
 Ministry of the Spirit, glorious, 344. 
 
 Miraculous gifts, 30. 
 
 Missionaries : spoken of, 132 ; need of, 133 ; 
 duty to send, 135 ; Remarks, 147, 148. 
 
 Moral actions and character, 167, 168. 
 
 Moral disorders in church at Corinth, 217. 
 
 Mosaic Law, design and effect of, 80. 
 
 "Mystery," 201. 
 
 "Mysteries of God," 211. 
 
 Narcissus, some of that name, 181. 
 Nations, Gentiles or heathen, 28. 
 Necessity, laid upon Paul to preach, 250. 
 Nereus and his sister, 182. 
 New birth and reconciliation of men. 360; 
 
 Practical Remarks, 363. 
 No condemnation to the believer, 102. 
 
 Olympas : mentioned, 182 ; church at house 
 of, 182. 
 
 Ordinary spiritual gifts, most highly 
 prized, 30. 
 
 " Our earthly house of this tabernacle " : 
 treated of, .354 ; gives place to " a build- 
 ing of God, a house not made with 
 hands," 354, 355. 
 
 "Owe no man anything," 157; see Prac- 
 tical Remark 11, p. 160. 
 
 Paradise, 404. 
 
 Paul : meaning of, 25 ; and Saul, 25 ; 
 
 birth, training, and mental character of, 
 vi ; as writer of Epistles, vi ; writing 
 out of his own experience, vii ; by reve- 
 lation, vii ; with love for the truth, vii ; 
 with intense love for souls, vii ; with 
 vehemence, vii ; of the nature of oral 
 discourse, vii ; Epistle of, to the Ro- 
 mans, viii ; to the Corinthians, xv ; and 
 P'irst Corinthians, xv ; and Second Cor- 
 inthians, xix; a servant of Jesus 
 Christ, 25 ; an apostle, 26, 27, 189 ; his 
 salutation to the Romans, 25, 28 ; his in- 
 scription to the Romans, 26, 28; set 
 apart to preaching. 26 ; introduction of, 
 to Romans, 29 ; appropriating God to 
 himself, 29 ; his purposed visit to Rome, 
 30 ; object of his visit, 30, 31 ; a debtor 
 to all men, 31 ; his obligation and readi- 
 ness, 32 ; not ashamed of the gospel, 32 ; 
 the gospel preached by, 32 ; his view of 
 the human race, 34 ; his exi)erience as a 
 sinner, 95 ; his experience as a Chris- 
 tian, 100; his eloquence, 112, 114; his 
 love for his people, 116, 128; a Benja- 
 minite, 136 ; his preaching, 147 ; his 
 ethics, 148 ; his ethics of the State, 159 : 
 his views of casuistry and the kingdom of 
 God, 166 ; apostleship of, to the Gentiles, 
 172-174 ; his ministry not sacerdotal, 
 172 ; his proposed journey to Spain, 174 : 
 his vLsit to Rome on his way, 176 ; his 
 many friends at Rome, 182, 183 ; his mis- 
 sion to preach rather than to baptize, 
 193; how he preached, 193; his humil- 
 ity, 212; his exercise of apostolic au- 
 thority, 216; bis apostleship to the 
 Corinthians, 246 ; his freedom and self- 
 denial, 2.51 ; buffeting his body, 253 ; re- 
 ceiving from the Lord, as to the Lord's 
 Supper, 271 ; his dying daily, 312 ; fight- 
 ing with wild beastvS at Ephesus, 312 ; 
 proposed visit to Corinth, 321 : tarrying 
 till Pentecost, 322 ; salutation with his 
 own hand, 325; affliction of, in Asia, 329; 
 deliverance of, at Damascus, 402 ; caught 
 up to the third heaven, 404 ; his thorn 
 in the flesh, 405; besought the Lord 
 thrice, 406 ; affection of, for the Corin- 
 thians, 370. 
 Paul's boasting : apologizes for it, 393 ; for 
 the sake of his converts, 394 ; through 
 disinterested love, 395, 396 ; as to equal- 
 ity with his opponents respecting race, 
 398 ; of being superior to them in labors, 
 suffering, and deliverances, 399-402 ; as 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 
 423 
 
 to his infirmities, 405,. 406 ; compelled by 
 the Corinthians, 407. 
 
 Paul's feelings in view of approaching 
 dissolution, 357. 
 
 Paul's heart, 366. 
 
 Paul's letters and bodily presence, 390. 
 
 Paul's ministry : accredited by his con- 
 verts, 342 ; its sufficiency of God, 343 ; 
 "triumphing in Christ," 339. 
 
 Paul's relations : to the churches, 381 ; 
 not as an officer, but as a father, as an 
 ambassador, a missionary, 381. 
 
 Paul's visits: second, to the Corinthians, 
 408; his third visit, 408; had not been 
 burdensome, 407 ; and would not be, 
 408 ; and his fears and wish regarding 
 the Corinthians, 410 ; in the exercise of 
 apostolic authority, 411 ; Christ speak- 
 ing through him therein, 412. 
 
 Peace, 29. 
 
 Persis, perhaps a deaconess, 181. 
 
 Persecutor, treatment of, 153. 
 
 Phoebe of Cenchreae, deaconess, 178, 179. 
 
 Prayer, the Spirit making intercessions, 
 lib. 
 
 Preacher, The : office and message of, 361. 
 
 Preachers and missionaries, 132, 133. 
 
 Preachers and teachers : servants and 
 workmen, 205 ; fellow- workers with God, 
 206. 
 
 Preachers should be supported by the 
 churches, 248, 249. 
 
 Preaching of the cross : considered, 194- 
 196 ; its effect, 195 ; foolishness of, 195 ; 
 Practical Remarks upon, 198. 
 
 Preaching of Paul: doctrinal, experi- 
 mental, and practical, 147 ; a lesson for 
 this day, 147 ; the effect of such preach- 
 ing on all classes, 147. 
 
 "Predestinate," 111. 
 
 Priscilla, 179, 324. 
 
 " Propitiation," not the mercy -seat, but a 
 propitiatory sacrifice, 58. 
 
 Prophesying ; direction concerning, 297 ; 
 women and, 298. 
 
 Quartus, 1^. 
 
 " Quicken your mortal bodies," 105. 
 
 Reconciliation : meaning of, 74 ; two sides 
 of, 74 ; in God and in men, 360j; the 
 word of, 360. 
 
 Redemption : in Christ, 57 ; of our body, 
 109 ; Practical Remarks, 114. 
 
 "Repent" and " regret," 371. 
 
 Repentance : true and false, 371, 372 ; 
 proof of the true, 372, 373. 
 
 Resurrection of Christ : a historical fact, 
 303-306 ; the theme of Pavil's preaching, 
 303 ; implies the resurrection of all be- 
 lievers, 306-308 : the resvurrection denied 
 by whom, 306, 307 ; essential to the 
 scheme of redemption, 308-310; the di- 
 vine order, 309 ; fortified by an appeal 
 to the lives of believers, 311-313 ; manner 
 of, 313 ; illustrated by inanimate and 
 animate creation, 314 ; nature of, 316 ; 
 results of, 317-319 ; necessary to our sal- 
 vation, 25 ; Practical Remarks on, 70, 
 319, 320. 
 
 Retribution, 44. 
 
 Revolution, the right of, 159, Practical Re- 
 marks 6, 7, pp. 159, 160. 
 
 "Righteous" or "just," its use by Paul, 
 33. 
 
 "Righteousness": its meaning in Paul's 
 writings, 33 ; of God, 32 ; of faith, 129 ; 
 of the law, 129. 
 
 Righteousness of God : noticed, 56 ; de- 
 clared for the remission of sins, 59. 
 
 Righteousness and salvation alone 
 through faith, 56-60. 
 
 Rock, that, was Christ, 256. 
 
 Roman Empire, 29, 
 
 Romans, Epistle to: considered, viii; its 
 title, 25 ; to whom addressed, viii ; when 
 and where written, x ; occasion and 
 design of, x ; contents of, xi ; design of, 
 xii ; its theme, 34 ; its main divisions, 
 84 ; its doxolog>', 185 ; superscription, 186. 
 
 Rome : in the days of Nero ix, xi, 31 ; 
 composition of the Christian c®ngrega- 
 tion at, ix ; origin of Christianity at, ix ; 
 the language of the saints principally 
 Greek at, x ; Paul's visit to, 31, 32, 176. 
 
 Rufus, of, 181, 182. 
 
 "Saints": defined, 28, 31; perseverance 
 of, 115. 
 
 Salvation by works and by grace opposite 
 of each other, 63. 
 
 Sanctification : progressive, 89 : in con- 
 nection with justification, 102. 
 
 Satan an angel of light, 397. 
 
 Second Corinthians : considered, 327 : sal- 
 utation of, 322 ; its good results, 415. 
 
 Scriptures, Holy : reference to, 26 ; given 
 for our instruction, 169. 
 
 Science and religion, the mutual helpful- 
 ness of, 196. 
 
424 
 
 GENERAL INDEX 
 
 "Sealed us— the earnest of the Spirit," 
 333. 
 
 Self-confidence, danger of, 258. 
 
 Self-consecration: to God, 149; must ex- 
 tend to both soul and body, 150 ; in the 
 diligent use of gifts and graces, 150. 
 
 Self-restraint : needful for spiritual safety, 
 252 ; Israel's lack of, a warning, 255-258. 
 
 " Serve the law of sin," 100. 
 
 Seventh chapter of Romans: its applica- 
 tion, 91 ; who speaks in, a regenerate 
 or an unregenerate man? 93, 94, 96, 97; 
 Paul speaking from experience therein, 
 93 ; applies to one in his unregenerate 
 state, 94-97 ; applied to regenerate state, 
 96-101 ; discussing under law and under 
 grace, 91, 94. 
 
 Sin : meaning and use, 75 ; its nature, 
 75, 76 ; and death, 75 ; as transgression, 
 as filthy, and a crime, 64 ; of Adam and 
 the race, 75-77 ; universality of, 76 ; im- 
 puted between Adam and Moses, 76; 
 against what law, 77. 
 
 Sinfulness of men, universal, 54, 55. 
 
 Sinners : includes all men, 54 ; all guilty 
 before God, 55 ; in condemning others, 
 condemn themselves, 41 ; cannot escape 
 through God's justice nor through de- 
 spising his goodness, 42 ; no escape for, 
 through the law, 46-48 ; none saved, by 
 •circumcision, 48 ; wages of, death, 89, 90. 
 
 "Sister," 31. 
 
 "Sold under sin," 98. 
 
 Song: devotion in song all important, 
 293, 301 ; an old precept, 294. 
 
 Sons of God, 106. 
 
 Sonship of the Christian : shown in spirit 
 and word, 106; testified by the Holy 
 Spirit, 106 ; implies heirship, 107 ; implies 
 joint-heirship with Christ, 107. 
 
 Sonship, spiritual, 115. 
 
 Sosthenes, perhaps an amanuensis of 
 Paul, 189. 
 
 Sowing and reaping, 283, 284. 
 
 Speaking after the manner of men, 88. 
 
 Spirit of holiness, 27. 
 
 " Spirit giveth life," 344. 
 
 Spirit of Christ in the Old Testament, 346. 
 
 Spiritual gifts: considered, 30, 277; their 
 diversity, 278; their unity, 280; illus- 
 trated by the human body, 281; supe- 
 riority of some of to others, 290-294 ; 
 their relation to unbelievers, 295-296; 
 decency and order in, 296. 
 
 Spiritually minded, 104. 
 
 Stephanas : spoken of, 193, 324 ; house- 
 hold of, 193. 
 
 "Stewards," 211. 
 
 Strong, Dr. A. H. : on Epistle to Romans, 
 33 ; on faith linking us to Christ, 57. 
 
 Strong brethren: duties of to the weak, 
 164, 168, 169; should avoid giving of- 
 fense, 160-164 ; should exercise self-sac- 
 rifice for, 165 ; should walk charitably, 
 164 ; should not destroy him for whom 
 Christ died, 165 ; the rule in such cases, 
 165 ; from the example of Christ, 169. 
 
 Style, peculiarities of Paul's, 25, 41. 
 
 Substitution, 73. 
 
 Sufferings, present : referred to, 107 ; en- 
 couragement in, 107-114 ; outweighed 
 by future glory, 107, 108; all working 
 for our good. 111. 
 
 Sympathy, exercise of, 153. 
 
 " Swallowed up of life," 355. 
 
 Temptation, deliverance in, to the believ- 
 ing and watchful, 258. 
 
 Tertius, an amanuensis of Paul, 184. 
 
 Timothy : considered, 184, 322, 327 ; sent 
 to Macedonia and Corinth, 215. 
 
 " The time is short," 236. 
 
 Third heavens, 404. 
 
 Thorn in the flesh, 405. 
 
 Titus : mentioned, 339 ; in Corinth, 376, 
 378, 379, 382; and the brother whose 
 praise is in all the churches, 379 ; repre- 
 senting the churches, 379; Paul's part- 
 ner, 380. 
 
 Tribulation, its effect on character and 
 life, 72. 
 
 Troas, 339 ; Paul's anxiety at, 339. 
 
 Tutor, 214. 
 
 Unbelieving husband: sanctified by the 
 believing wife, etc., 232; maybe con- 
 verted by, 233. 
 
 Unclean food, nothing in itself, 164 ; ac- 
 cording to one's estimate, 164, 166. 
 
 "Ungodliness" and "unrighteousness" 
 of men, 35, 37. 
 
 nimarried. The : advice to, 230 ; to remain 
 as they are, under threatening calami- 
 ties, 235 ; to be without care and worldly 
 enticements, 2;?7. 
 
 Unmarried daughters, duty of parents to, 
 238. 
 
 Urbane, 181. 
 
 Vengeance belongs to God, not to men, 
 154, 155. 
 
GENERAL INDEX 
 
 425 
 
 " Vessels of wrath," 123. 
 
 Visit to Rome : Paul's considered, 176 ; the 
 spirit in which the apostle would make, 
 176 ; his ministry therein, 176, 177. 
 
 Victory of the Christian: is sure, 100; 
 through Christ, 100, 114. 
 
 Walking by faith, not by sight, 356. 
 
 "Washed," "justified," " sanctified," 224, 
 225. 
 
 W' eak brethren : duties to, 160 ; exercise 
 of mutual forbearance toward, 160, 161 ; 
 to be considered in regard to food, 161 ; 
 and days, 161, 162 ; must give account to 
 God, 163 ; duties of the strong to self- 
 sacrifice for the weak, 163, 164 ; mutual 
 duties, 170. 
 
 " Whatsoever is not of faith is sin," 166. 
 
 " Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is 
 liberty," 347. 
 
 Wisdom of God: considered, 194; true 
 wisdom revealed in the gospel, 201. 
 
 "Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, 
 and redemption," 197. 
 
 Women : condition of among the He- 
 brews, 299 ; under Christianity, 299. 
 
 Woman : in church work, 302 ; her con- 
 duct and dress at public services, 265- 
 268; her relation to man, 265, 268; her 
 equality with man, 268 ; head of, cov- 
 ered while praying or prophesying, 266 ; 
 covered because of the angels, 268. 
 
 Women and Paul, Practical Remarks, 186. 
 
 World by wisdom : not knoAving God, 195 ; 
 renounced for true wisdom, 208. 
 
 Worship : in prayer and song, 293 ; should 
 guard against ritualism ; must not mis- 
 take aesthetic emotion for devotional 
 feeling, 293. 
 
 " Works of darkness," 158. 
 
 Works and faith, salvation by, contrasted, 
 63. 
 
 Wrath : considered, 43 : of God, 34, 52. 
 
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