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YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

THE LIBRARY OF THE
DIVINITY SCHOOL

Westminster Commentaries
Edited by Walter Lock D.D.
IRBLAMI) PROFESSOR OF THE EXEGESIS
Of HOLT SCRIPTURE

THE FIRST EPISTLE
TO
THE COEINTHIANS

THE FIRST EPISTLE
TO
THE CORINTHIANS

WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES
BY
H. L. GOUDGE M.A. D.D.
PRINCIPAL OF WELLS IUEOLOQICAL OOLLIOE

THIRD EDITION, REVISED

METHUEN & Co. Ltd.
36 ESSEX STREET W.C.
LONDON

First Published . . May 'COS
Stcond Edition ¦ ¦ February igog
Third Edition Revised . . April ign

PREFATORY NOTE BY THE GENERAL EDITOR
rriHE primary object of these Commentaries is to be
-*- exegetical, to interpret the meaning of each book of
the Bible in the light of modern knowledge to English
readers. The Editors will not deal, except subordinately,
with questions of textual criticism or philology; but taking
the English text in the Revised Version as their basis, they
will aim at combining a hearty acceptance of critical principles
with loyalty to the Catholic Faith.
The series will be less elementary than the Cambridge
Bible for Schools, less critical than the International Critical
Commentary, less didactic than the Expositor's Bible ; and it
is hoped that it may be of use both to theological students
and to the clergy, as well as to the growing number of
educated laymen and laywomen who wish to read the Bible
intelligently and reverently.
Each commentary will therefore have
(i) An Introduction stating the bearing of modern
criticism and research upon the historical character of the
book, and drawing out the contribution which the book, as a
whole, makes to the body of religious truth.
(ii) A careful paraphrase of the text with notes on the
more difficult passages and, if need be, excursuses on any

vi PREFATORY NOTE
points of special importance either for doctrine, or ecclesi
astical organization, or spiritual life.
But the books of the Bible are so varied in character that
considerable latitude is needed, as to the proportion which the
various parts should hold to each other. The General Editor
will therefore only endeavour to secure a general uniformity
in scope and character : but the exact method adopted in
each case and the final responsibility for the statements made
will rest with the individual contributors.
By permission of the Delegates of the Oxford University
Press and of the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press
the Text used in this Series of Commentaries is the Revised
Version of the Holy Scriptures.
WALTER LOCK

PREFACE
PT^HE purpose of the following commentary is explained by
-*- the prefatory note of the General Editor. It is intended
to interpret the meaning of the Epistle to English readers
in the light of modern knowledge, and in view of modern
problems and ways of thought. Commentaries may be of
many kinds. They may e.g. be devotional and homiletical,
and then the exact interpretation of the text will be made
subordinate to the purposes of teaching and exhortation.
Of this kind are the Homilies of S. Chrysostom upon this
Epistle, the Expository Lectures of F. W. Robertson, and the
volume in the Expositor's Bible by Prof. Marcus Dods.
Again, they may be primarily critical and exegetical, and then
the main object will be to bring out the exact force which
each word of the text would have for those to whom the
Apostle wrote. In this case anything like practical applica
tion will lie more or less in the background. Commentaries
of this kind on the First Epistle to the Corinthians are
both numerous and excellent. Not to mention general
commentaries on the NT. like those of Bengel, Alford, and
Wordsworth, or on S. Paul's Epistles like that of the Roman
Catholic commentator Estius, we have — to mention three of
the best — the special commentaries on this Epistle by Godet,
by Edwards, and by Evans in the Speaker's Commentary.
Beside these, we have the light thrown by general works
dealing with S. Paul like that of Conybeare and Howson,
and the books of Prof. Ramsay and others. It would indeed
have been absurd for the present writer to attempt to do

viii PREFACE
once again work already done so well. But books such as
these are not quite what is needed by the ordinary readers
of S. Paul in the present day, whether they be clergy or laity.
The best of these books need for their appreciation not only
a knowledge of Greek, but an exact knowledge of it, while the
main lines of S. Paul's teaching tend to be lost in a mass of
detail What the ordinary reader would seem to require is
something other than this. He wishes to understand what
S. Paul meant, and to see its bearing on the hfe and thought
of his own day. And, to tell the truth, he finds S. Paul
a somewhat bewildering writer. The Apostle's earnestness,
depth, practical wisdom, and spiritual force appeal to him
strongly. There are splendid passages, like the thirteenth
chapter of this Epistle, or the end of the fifteenth, which
seem to bear him away on their wings. There are individual
texts which are household words. But all this seems mingled
with much that does not at all equally appeal to him. There
are frequent references to historical conditions that he does
not understand, and to persons that are mere names to him.
There is much controversy, that seems to belong wholly to
an age that has passed away. There is a Christian mysticism,
that seems alien to the English mind. There are arguments,
which he finds unconvincing. More than this, however rever
ently he may approach S. Paul's writings, he cannot suppress
an uncomfortable suspicion that the foundation upon which
the Apostle builds is occasionally unsound. Can we, for
instance, use the Old Testament as S. Paul uses it, now that
we know so much that S. Paul could not know as to its origin
and character? Can we argue, as S. Paul argues, from the
Fall of man, in the light of the teaching of modern science ?
Can we really accept what seems at first sight to be S. Paul's
teaching in the first two chapters of this Epistle as to the
relation of faith to reason? Again, the modern reader of
S. Paul finds himself living in an atmosphere that is heavy
with controversy — controversy about the Church, the ministry,

PREFACE ix
the sacraments, the respective claims of faith and reason, of
authority and private judgment, and what not. And though
S. Paul's words bear upon all these things, it is difficult to see
exactly how they bear. The controversies of S. Paul's day
were not ours ; bis nomenclature is not ours. It is easy to
apply his words to ourselves, but not easy to know that we do
so justly. Now it is to readers such as these that the present
commentary addresses itself. It does not enter into minute
points of scholarship, though of course the present writer
has himself tried to consider them. It does not often refer
to explanations that the present writer believes to be erro
neous. But it does try to bring S. Paul's meaning into
relation with the thought of the present time, and to shew
how the one bears upon the other.
It may be well to explain what the present writer under
stands by that combination (to which the General Editor
refers) of "a hearty acceptance of critical principles with
loyalty to the Catholic Faith." He understands by acceptance
of critical principles that the meaning of a book of the Bible
is to be ascertained, speaking generally, by the same methods
as the meaning of any other book. " The things of the Spirit
of God," as S. Paul says, "are spiritually judged" (1 Cor.
ii. 14), but in the first instance we must deal with the words
of the Bible as we deal with any other words. We must
ascertain what S. Paul actually wrote by a comparison of the
best manuscript authorities; we must ascertain his meaning
by gaining light upon it from every available source; we
must in all cases face facts, whether or no they seem to us
consistent with what we have been accustomed to believe.
" In malice be ye babes, but in mind be men " (1 Cor. xiv. 20).
But the present writer does not understand by the acceptance
of critical principles that all that seems supernatural is to be
ruled out or explained away. It is to be ruled out, if the
facts can better be explained without it, but not otherwise.
He fully admits " the reign of law," but he believes, as S. Paul

x PREFACE
did, that the world being what it is through human sin, " in
terference " with it, if that word is to be used, by God for
redemptive purposes, was and is both natural and desirable.
Moreover, believing, on what seems to him abundant evidence,
that Jesus Christ was a supernatural Person, he expects to
find Him acting in a supernatural way both in His earthly
life, and in His continued activity in the Church which He
founded and sustains. Whether particular phenomena are
supernatural or not is a matter of evidence, not a matter of
" critical principles."
There is, secondly, the question of "loyalty to the Catholic
Faith." By that the present writer understands that he ap
proaches the study of the book as himself a member of the
Church of Christ; as one who believes that the Christian
religion, as generally understood in that Church, is true ; and
who expects to find S. Paul's language consistent with it. Such
presuppositions can only mislead us as to S. Paul's meaning,
if the presuppositions are untrue. We cannot avoid pre
suppositions of some kind ; our desire must be to have the
right ones. And it is well to point this out, because it seems
sometimes imagined that we are most likely to attain to the
real meaning of the books of Scripture, if we try to approach
them as if they were books that we had never seen before,
and which belonged to an unknown religion. There may no
doubt be a stage in the formation of belief, in which it is
advisable to do this. But it is a stage in which the real
meaning of the books is very unlikely to be fully understood,
since it presupposes a state of mind utterly unlike that of
the readers for which they were originally intended. The
Corinthians, to take the example before us, were members
of the Church of Christ, "in everything enriched in Him"
(1 Cor. i 5); they were men, to whom the faith had been
"delivered" (1 Cor. xv. 3), who were bound to "hold fast the
traditions " (1 Cor. xi. 2), and to pay respect to the mind of
other parts of the Church (1 Cor. xi 16). Above all, they were

PREFACE xi
men who had "received the Spirit," that they "might know
the things that are freely given to us by God" (1 Cor. ii. 12).
Obviously, then, the more we resemble them, the more likely
we are to understand what S. Paul said to them. Now all
this applies even in matters of detail. To be loyal to the
Catholic Faith implies, as this Epistle shews, a belief in the
Holy Ghost, and in the Catholic Church — a belief therefore
that the mind of the Church as a whole is better than any
individual mind, and that the view taken of any truth by
the Church as a whole will, if it can be ascertained, generally
prove to be the true view. Thus the present writer does not
pretend that the view which he takes as to S. Paul's meaning
is unaffected by what he may know of the general mind of
the Church. He expects, e.g., to find S. Paul's view of the
Church, or of the Eucharist, tor of the doctrine of grace —
to speak broadly — the Catholic, and not the Calvinistic view.
He does not — so he hopes — in any case put upon S. Paul's
words any but their natural meaning ; but he does maintain
that to ignore the general mind of the Church in interpreting
Scripture, is distinctly to ignore a most important part of the
available evidence as to what Scripture means.
In conclusion, he has to express his gratitude to the
General Editor for looking over the manuscript of this book,
and for many excellent suggestions. It must be understood,
however, that Professor Lock is in no way responsible in
detail for what the writer has said.
ELO.

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION
THE alterations made in this Third Edition are neither
very many, nor very important. The Additional Note
upon Divorce has been rewritten. There has been much
discussion upon this subject of late, and it seems even clearer
than before that the well-known words "except for forni
cation," which stand in the Matthaean account of our Lord's
teaching, are no words of His. But the question how they
came to be introduced can hardly be said to be satisfactorily
solved, and in the re-written note I have ventured to advance
what may be a new view as to the right solution of this
difficulty. In the notes upon Chs. XII and XIV, and in the
Additional Note upon the Gift of Tongues, I have tried
carefully to take account of the light which Dr Joyce, the
Warden of St Deiniol's Library, has thrown upon the subject
in his most valuable book, The Inspiration of Prophecy.
His criticism upon my view of ch. xiv. 32 seems to me
entirely just, and I have altered the note in accordance with
it. But far more important is the light which he has thrown
upon the whole subject by his knowledge of the working of
those "subliminal" faculties, which have been receiving so
much attention. If there are any people who read my book,
who have not read his, I should like most earnestly to
recommend them to study what he has written. May I take
this opportunity of thanking my many more than generous
reviewers? I have tried to profit by their words also.
Criticism has been especially directed against the suggestion
that the full Eucharistic gift was not bestowed upon the
Apostles in the Upper Chamber. The suggestion was but a
tentative one, and I have no desire to press it, but, as I still
think it worth making, I have allowed it to stand. I may be
quite in error, but the difficulty the suggestion was designed
to meet is a real one, and I haee not seen any other
satisfactory way of overcoming it.

INTRODUCTION
Corinth, when S. Paul wrote, was one of the first cities of the
Roman Empire. The great days of Greece were over; Rome
ruled supreme over all. But Corinth was greater in some respects
than it had ever been. Greece and Asia Minor were in the very
heart of the world, and Corinth was the first city of Greece. If
Athens was superior in intellectual activity, it was superior in
nothing else. In size, in commerce, in general importance, Corinth
stood supreme. Its position was in itself enough to make it so.
Standing as it did on the south-west of the narrow isthmus, which
connects Northern Greece with the Peloponnese, it was the meeting-
point of the roads from the North and the South. Still more, its
position close to both the eastern and the western seas, made it a
most important station on the great trade-route between Rome
and the far East. The ancients were not good navigators. Cape
Malea, at the extreme South of Greece, like the Cape of Good Hope
in later centuries, was especially dreaded. It was safer, as well
as shorter, to sail up the Corinthian Gulf, trans-ship the cargo — or if
the vessel were small, haul it bodily across the isthmus — and begin
the voyage afresh from Cenchreae, the port of Corinth on the eastern
side. Thence it was an easy journey to Ephesus on the opposite
side of the Aegean Sea, and so by the great Roman road on past
Antioch of Pisidia, Lystra, Derbe and Tarsus, to Antioch of Syria
and the furthest East. From Corinth, also, the trading ships would
go to Thessalonica (the modern Salonica) to the North, and to
Alexandria, the great trading and university city of Egypt. And
we must not forget how intensely important in S. Paul's time were
the Eastern lands of the Mediterranean. The Saracen and the Turk
were not yet. Asia, as the westernmost province of Asia Minor was
called, was the richest and most populous province of the Empire.
Alexandria was the second city of the world. Greece and Asia Minor

xiv INTRODUCTION
were in the closest connection. Alexander had spread Greek influence
widely over the East, and the East in its turn had greatly influenced
the West, especially in the matter of religion. When S. Paul
(Ac. xvi. 11, 12) crossed from Troas in Asia Minor to Neapolis
in Macedonia, there would be no thought in his mind of passing
from one continent to another. He was but passing from one
province to another province most closely associated with it.
But the Corinth of S. Paul's day was not the old Greek city.
That had been utterly destroyed by the Romans in b.o. 146,
after the war between Rome and the Achaean league, partly no
doubt because of its strength as a fortress, partly also, it must
be feared, from the jealousy of the Roman merchants. For a
hundred years it had lain desolate. Then, in B.o. 46, it had been
refounded by Julius Caesar as a Roman colony, under the name
of Colonia Laus Julia Corinthus. The colonies of the Romans
were not, like our modern colonies, tracts of land occupied by
settlers going out on their own initiative. They were cities
systematically founded by the state, and inhabited by her citizens.
Other men might live there, but they were simply resident strangers,
with no share in the government. So it was with Philippi (Ac. xvi.
12), and so it was with the Corinth of S. Paul's day. In theory
it was a Roman city. No doubt by the time that S. Paul planted
the Church there, Roman citizens formed but a small part of the
inhabitants1. Already, the descendants of the original settlers
would have begun to melt into the far larger Greek population.
But in theory it was a Roman city still. Here was the usual
residence of the Roman governor of Achaia, the province which
included nearly all that we should now call Greece. It is thus
that Gallio is found here (Ac. xviii. 12). Here would live the
members of his suite, and many another Roman settled in the
city as a merchant or a banker. When in 1 Cor. i. 26, S. Paul
speaks of the powerful and noble, who were not, as a rule, among
the first to accept the Gospel, it would probably be the Romans
that he would have chiefly in view.
But Corinth was in reality a cosmopolitan city, like San
Francisco to-day. Men of Greek blood would predominate, but
Corinth was the least Greek of Greek cities, as it was the least
Roman of Roman colonies. It was the first, and one of the few
' We find no stress laid upon the Roman character of Corinth, as is the
ease with Philippi (of. Eamsay in Expositor, 1900, p. 106).

INTRODUCTION xv
Greek cities, to admit the cruel games of the amphitheatre. Its
most characteristic worship, as we shall see, was Eastern rather
than Greek. Among its 600,000 inhabitants, vast numbers would
be slaves of Eastern blood, and Easterns of many nationalities would
be found even among its freemen. Among others there would
be a large colony of Jews. Every great city of the Empire had
its Ghetto. At Rome, there were between 20,000 and 30,000 in
the Apostolic age, with seven synagogues, and three cemeteries.
If S. Paul, as he at one time intended, ever went on to Spain,
he found them there also. At Alexandria, they formed an eighth
part of the whole population. At a great trading city like Corinth,
they were sure to be found in large numbers, and, when S. Paul
came, their numbers were no doubt considerably swelled by the
edict of Claudius, banishing them from Rome (Ac. xviii. 2. Cf.
Suet. Claud. 25). This dispersion of the Jews was in many ways
a valuable preparation for the Gospel. Bad as the personal influence
of the Jews might be (Rom. ii. 24), they took with them everywhere
the Greek version of the O.T. Scriptures and brought many of the
Gentiles to the knowledge of them, while in many cases the Gentiles
passed on to a religious ^association, more or less close, with the
Jews themselves. Wherever S. Paul went, he found an audience
ready to listen to him and in part prepared for his preaching.
His task was thus far less difficult than the task of a missionary
in India or China to-day.
What then were the main characteristics of Corinth? It was
a city of pleasure, a city of trade, a city of very varied thought
and interests.
(a) It was a city of pleasure, perhaps the most immoral city
in the world. The characteristic worship of Corinth had been
tnaToT~thelsea-god Poseidon, now it was the worship of Aphrodite,
the goddess of lust. Thousands of courtesans were attached to
her temple. The worship of Aphrodite at Corinth was, like the
worship of Artemis at Ephesus, an Eastern worship under a Greek
name. What must have been the condition of a city, where such
was the religion? We may be appalled by the vice of Paris, or
Vienna, or London in our own time, but at least it is not consecrated
by religious sanctions. At Corinth, as in India to-day, it was so.
Thus Corinth was the chosen resort of the vicious. A " Corinthian,"
as in the days of the Regency in England, was a synonym for a
man of pleasure. On the stage, the Corinthian was usually repre-

xvi INTRODUCTION
sented drunk. S. Paul's terrible indictment of heathen vice
(Rom. i. 21-32) was written from Corinth. Indeed, sexual vice was
there almost a matter of course. To a great extent it was so among
the heathen in general. We are startled, as we read Ac. xv. 20,
28, 29, to find the prohibition of impurity joined with the pro
hibition of various sorts of food. But to the Gentile Christians
of Syria and Cihcia, to abstain from fornication would appear just
as much a concession to the Jewish law as to abstain from " things
strangled." Their own conscience would at first condemn the one
almost as little as the other. So it was no doubt at Corinth.
To avoid the company of the vicious would be absolutely to go
out of the world (1 Cor. v. 9, 10). Now all this affected the mind
of the Corinthian church. Christians were found to maintain that
fornication was just as much a thing indifferent as the kind of food
that was eaten (vi. 12-14) ; and S. Paul, who will not base morality
on the Jewish law, has carefully to prove the necessity of purity
from Christian principles. So also, we shall not expect to find
marriage regarded at Corinth from a very lofty standpoint, or
S. Paul opening to the Corinthians his highest teaching about it.
A society must have risen above the Corinthian standard, before
the highest ideal of married life becomes even intelligible. The
first impulse of a Christian, who has come to see the horror of vice,
is a reaction towards asceticism. S. Paul escaped this pitfall but
the early Church, in spite of his teaching, to a great extent did not.
(b) It was a city of trade. The Corinthians had the virtues,
and the vices of traders — activity, earnestness, initiative on the
one hand, love of money, love of comfort, self-complacency, suspi
ciousness of others on the other. This too, as becomes plain in
S. Paul's Epistles, affected the Corinthian church. It was full
of life and vigour; nowhere did Christians take a fuller part for
themselves in all the activities that the Spirit had made possible
for them. Yet nowhere has S. Paul to speak more strongly of
the sins of covetousness and litigiousness (v. 10, 11 ; vi. 1-10),
nowhere was there such shrinking from self-denial (iv. 8-13), no
where was S. Paul so little trusted, or his sacrifices so little
appreciated (ix. 1-19 ; 2 Cor. i. 17 ; xii. 14-18).
(c) It was a city of great intellectual activity. The Greeks,
even in their great days, had been over prone to faction and idle
discussion. Faction indeed was their ruin. The cities of Greece
would never combine permanently. For a moment they might do so,

INTRODUCTION xvii
in face of some overpowering danger, but that was all. Thus they
fell a prey to Macedon first, and to Rome afterwards. Even within
the cities themselves there was continual faction, Corcyra, a colony
of Corinth, affording the worst known example. Under the Roman
rule, Athens, which was allowed greater liberty than any other
Greek city, abused its liberty to perpetuate the evil. So also,
among the more intelligent Greeks, the very loss of national and
city life turned the mind to the discussion of intellectual problems.
In Greece, as in Germany in more modern days, the time of national
prostration was the time of devotion to philosophy. At Corinth,
it was especially so. The city, splendidly rich in works of art,
was rich also in halls of rhetoric and schools of philosophy.
Travelling professors and lecturers were common. Yet all this
activity left little or no result. The Greece of the great days has
given us some of the noblest literature in the world ; the Greece
of S. Paul's day has given us little of permanent value. Corinth
itself has left us nothing at all. The Greeks loved disputation for
its own sake as the Hindoos love it to-day. Just as the gymnastic
of the body, in spite of their devotion to it, utterly failed in S. Paul's
time to rear a manly race, so the gymnastic of the mind failed to
rear an intellectually fruitful race. This spirit of disputation could
not but pass over to the Corinthian church. It was a church,
as we shall see, torn by factions (1 Cor. i. 11, 12) ; a church where
"excellency of speech and wisdom," fine language and pretentious
philosophy, were far more regarded than the truth and power of the
message delivered (ii. 1) ; a church, which, more than all others,
needed to learn that " the kingdom of God is not in word, but in
power " (iv. 20). The Corinthian, like the Indian babu of modern
days, was willing enough to listen to the Christian missionary, but
" would he please to bring in as many idioms as possible 1" Now all
this must be remembered as we read the early chapters of the First
Epistle to the Corinthians. The fine language that S. Paul despises
is not the lofty eloquence of Isaiah, or even of Demosthenes ; the
philosophy is not the philosophy of Plato, or even of Seneca—
S. Paul could have sympathised with these; it is rather the
empty word-play and philosophic dilettantism of the Corinthians
of his own day. High standards had passed away. The Corinthians,
as S. Paul says of some of their teachers, measured themselves simply
by themselves (2 Cor. x. 12), and empty self-conceit was the
result. o. b

xviii INTRODUCTION
Hither, then, probably in the autumn of a.d. 50', came S. Paul.
We find an account of his work in Ac. xviii. 1-18 ; 1 Cor. i.
14-17, 26; ii. 1-4; xv. Iff. No better centre could have been
found. If from Thessalonica the word of the Lord and the
story of the reception of the Gospel " sounded forth " everywhere
(1 Th. i. 8), still more would they do so from Corinth. But S. Paul,
it would seem, did not at first intend to make Corinth one of the
great scenes of his activity (Ac. xviii., cf. v. 1 with v. 5). His heart
was still in Macedonia, to which he had been especially called
(Ac. xvi. 9, 10), and he was expecting to return thither (1 Th.
ii. 17, 18). This providential guidance of S. Paul as to the spheres
of his work is again and again to be noticed in the Acts (cf. xi.
25, 26 ; xvi. 6-10). It was not that he formed and carried out
a scheme of evangelisation ; it was simply that God knew the best
places for his activity, and led him to them. So it was at Corinth.
On his arrival there S. Paul turned naturally to the Jews' quarter,
perhaps seeking out especially the bazaar of the tent-makers. Every
Jew, however well-born, was taught a trade, and S. Paul had learned
tent-making, the special trade of his native city Tarsus. The
meeting with Aquila and Priscilla (Ac. xviii. 2 ; cf. note on 1 Cor.
xvi. 19), perhaps already converted at Rome, gave him the oppor
tunity he needed of supporting himself while at Corinth (cf. 1 Cor.
ix. 6, 12-18). S. Paul began his work, as usual, by an appeal to the
Jews, and to those of the Greeks who were already associated with
them (cf. 1 Cor. ix. 20). He made use of the privilege, that every
learned Jew possessed, of addressing his fellow-countrymen in the
course of the weekly synagogue worship. Of the character of his
preaching he has himself told us (see 1 Cor. i. 17-25 ; ii. 1-5)
He made no attempt at the fine language and philosophy, which
were so admired at Corinth. His preaching was the simple an
nouncement of what God had done for man by the work of the
Lord. Jesus Christ, and Him a crucified man — that was the one
subject of his message, and the one power upon which he relied
was the power of the Spirit driving the message home, and using
it to transform the fives of men. Argument there might be
(Ac. xviii. 4), but it was not argument for its own sake ; it was
argument directed to produce practical conviction. Silas and
Timothy now joined him from Macedonia, and took part in the
1 The dates followed in this commentary are those of Mr Turner (Article on
Chronology of N.T. in Hastings, Diet, of the Bible).

INTRODUCTION xix
work (2 Cor. i. 19). Apparently they brought with them funds
from the Macedonian churches, which would enable S. Paul to give
more time to his evangelistic work (2 Cor. xi. 9). They found him
absorbed in preaching (Ac. xviii. 5). His appeal at this period
was to the Jews ; he was testifying that the Messiah for whom they
were looking was none other than Jesus (cf. Ac. xiii. 16-41). But
this appeal, as so often, was a failure ; it was met by determined op
position and abuse, probably even by blasphemy of the Lord Whom
he preached (cf. 1 Cor. xii. 3), and S. Paul solemnly disclaimed all
further responsibility, and announced his intention of dealing with
the Gentiles for the rest of his stay in Corinth. He turned to a
proselyte to Judaism, named Titus, or Titius Justus, whose house
adjoined the synagogue. His name, like the names of many other
Corinthian Christians of whom we hear (Rom. xvi. 21-23 ; 1 Cor.
xvi. 17), was Roman; and he may 'well have been one of the
privileged citizens of Corinth. Here, in the house of Justus,
S. Paul continued his preaching, many of the Corinthians coming
forward for baptism. Crispus (cf. 1 Cor. i. 14), the head of the
Jewish synagogue, also joined the Church, and S. Paul baptized him
with his own hands.
It is at this point that S. Luke tells us of the vision of
encouragement vouchsafed by the Lord to S. Paul (Ac. xviii. 9, 10).
We can see how much it must have been needed. The two Epistles
to the Thessalonians were written at this time, and they shew us
the danger in which S. Paul felt himself to be from the hostility
of the Jews (1 Th. ii. 15, 16 ; 2 Th. iii. 1, 2). The Jews were
always hostile to S. Paul, not merely because of their dislike of
the doctrines he preached, but also no doubt because of the large
number of their Gentile supporters, whom he drew away from them.
At Corinth, where S. Paul was carrying on his work close to their
own synagogue, and in the house of a former supporter of their own,
their annoyance would be extreme. Beside this, it was needed
that S. Paul should recognise that Corinth was to be a great and
permanent sphere of his work. The vision of the Lord did all
that was necessary. It told the Apostle that the Lord was with
him, as truly as God had been with His servants of old (note the
reference to Is. xliii. 5 ; Jer. i. 8, etc.), and that his safety was
assured ; it encouraged him to speak, by telling him that there
were many in the city, whom the Lord already counted among His
special people, and who would be members of His Church, when the
62

XX

INTRODUCTION

opportunity was given to them. S. Paul, then (Ac. xviii. 11),
settled down for a prolonged stay in Corinth, which lasted till the
spring of a.d. 52. On the whole, he was more successful with
the poorer than with the wealthier and more influential classes
(1 Cor. i. 26-30), but a Church was built up powerful in numbers,
and rich in spiritual gifts, though bearing in many ways the stains
of the corrupt society from which it had sprung. The work also
spread from Corinth itself to its Eastern harbour Cenchreae (Rom.
xvi. 1), and even to the province of Achaia as a whole (2 Cor. i. 1).
It was probably towards the end of the eighteen months spent at
Corinth (cf. Ac. xviii. 18), that the hatred of the Jews culminated in
their rising as a body against him, and bringing him before Gallio,
the Roman governor of Achaia (Ac. xviii. 12 ff.). The charge seems
to have been purposely indefinite. S. Paul, they said, was per
suading "men to worship God contrary to the law." To what
law they referred does not appear. Judaism was among the
religions which enjoyed full toleration by the Empire; as long
as Christianity appeared to the Romans to be simply a form of
Judaism, it enjoyed equal toleration. Either then the Jews main
tained that Christianity was a new religion (cf. Ac. xvi. 20, 21),
or they charged S. Paul with interfering in an unwarrantable manner
with their own. Gallio took emphatically the view that the Roman
government was not concerned in the question, Christianity being
merely a form of Judaism. The Jews had the right to take
cognisance themselves of offences against their law by members
of their own nation, and they must see to the matter. He cleared
the court by his lictors, and, according to the more probable reading
in Ac. xviii. 1 7, allowed the populace publicly to beat the Jewish leader.
This action was an important precedent. It meant that S. Paul
was free to preach as he would in the province, and thus it
anticipated his acquittal at Rome by Nero later on. Rome was
as yet no enemy to the Christian Church, though it was soon to
become so. We find in S. Paul's Epistles no hostility to the
Imperial government, like that which we find in the Revelation
of S. John. S. Paul left not long after, and began his homeward
voyage to Syria.
This, as far as we know, was S. Paul's only visit to Corinth
before the despatch of the First Epistle to the Corinthians. That
Epistle was apparently written in the spring of a.d. 55. Of the
history of the Corinthian church in the intervening period, we know

INTRODUCTION xxi
scarcely anything, except from the Epistle itself. The important
passage is 1 Cor. i. 10 ff. (cf. iii. 3 ff). Here we find the church,
though maintaining its outward unity, divided by the attachment
of its members to various teachers. But of the exact character of
the party-divisions it is not easy to be certain. It is plain from
1 Cor. iv. 6, that the great difficulty did not lie with the respective
supporters of S. Paul and Apollos. Of Apollos we hear in Ac.
xviii. 24—28. He was a Jew of Alexandria, once a follower of the
Baptist, who had received at Ephesus full Christian instruction
from Priscilla and Aquila. Thence he had passed over to Corinth,
with a commendatory letter from the Ephesian Christians, and
(as some mss. state) at the invitation of some members of the
Corinthian church itself. At Corinth, his learning and eloquence
and knowledge of the Scriptures proved of the highest value in
the controversy with the Jews. Apparently he did not bring many
fresh converts into the Church (1 Cor. iv. 15), but he was most
successful in reducing the Jews to silence, and greatly helped the
faith of the Corinthians by doing so (1 Cor. iii. 5, 6). There would
be many at Corinth, who would be captivated by the talents of
Apollos, and far prefer his preaching to S. Paul's (cf. 2 Cor. x. 10),
but there would be little likelihood of serious division arising in
the church from this source. The real hostility probably lay,
as in the churches of Galatia, between those who were faithful to
S. Paul's teaching and the followers of teachers who desired to
subject the Gentile converts to the burden of the Jewish law.
The question of the relation of Gentile converts to the law of Moses
had been decided in the sense favourable to liberty at the Conference
of Jerusalem in a.d. 49 (Ac. xv. 1-29), but the extreme Pharisaic
party in the Church were far from accepting that decision. They
seem to have organised a regular counter-mission, headed by some
one of great authority (cf. Gal. v. 10), with the object of inducing
the Gentile converts to accept the burden of the law. Their success
in Galatia is well known, and it was only natural that they should
pass on to the other churches of S. Paul. That they actually did so,
and that their followers were the " Christ "-party of 1 Cor. i. 12,
seems plain from the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. In that
Epistle S. Paul has to defend his Apostolic position and authority
against the contemptuous denial of it by his opponents, just as he
does in the Epistle to the Galatians (compare Gal. i. 1 1— ii. 21
with 2 Cor. x., xi., xii., and the Epistle generally), and it seems

xxii INTRODUCTION
clear that his opponents based their attack upon his authority
upon some claim to a special connection with Christ Himself (cf.
2 Cor. x. 7 ; xi. 13). Either they would lay stress upon the Lord's
obedience to the law during His earthly life, or there was some close
connection, by blood or otherwise, between the Lord and those
whom they claimed as their leaders (cf. 2 Cor. v. 16). S. James,
the head of the church of Jerusalem, was, we know, the Lord's
" brother," and it is not unlikely that the false teachers made use of
his name (cf. Ac. xv. 2 and 24 ; Gal. ii. 12). These then were
S. Paul's great opponents. The party of Cephas (1 Cor. i. 12)
would be of far less importance ; indeed the use of the Aramaic
name Cephas, instead of Peter, suggests that it consisted of those
who had come into contact with S. Peter upon Palestinian ground ;
the real struggle lay between the adherents of S. Paul and the
adherents of the Pharisaic counter-mission. It was at Corinth
evidently a personal struggle, a struggle for the position and
authority of S. Paul himself. The Apostle does not in either
Epistle to the Corinthians enter at length, as in the Epistles to
the Galatians and Romans, into the doctrinal principles at stake.
When the First Epistle was written, this conflict was yet in its
infancy; the divisions that it had brought were as yet far more
important than the repudiation of S. Paul himself; but before the
Second Epistle was written it had assumed much greater proportions,
and threatened the very life of the Corinthian church.
With this later stage of the controversy we are not here
concerned. When S. Paul wrote in a.d. 55, the party-divisions
were only one of the subjects with which he had to deal. We find
ourselves in the midst of a correspondence between S. Paul and
his converts. S. Paul had written at least one letter, which has
not been preserved (cf. 1 Cor. v. 9) ; the Corinthians also had
written to S. Paul (l Cor. vii. 1) ; S. Paul's letter, our so-called
First Epistle, deals partly with the questions raised by the latter,
partly with matters of which S. Paul had heard by other means.
S. Paul was at Ephesus (xvi. 8), drawing to the end of that stay
to which he refers in Ac. xx. 31, and of which we have the record
in Ac. xix. 1-xx. 1. Intercourse between Ephesus and Corinth
was perpetual, since Ephesus was the next station to Corinth on
the great route from Rome to the East (see p. xiii.), and S. Paul
had just received news of the Corinthian church from members
"of the household of Chloe" (1 Cor. L 11) and no doubt from the

INTRODUCTION xxiii
Corinthian Christians Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus also
(xvi. 17). The news was so serious, that prompt dealing was
necessary. Unable immediately to go to Corinth himself (xvi. 8, 9),
or to induce Apollos to go (xvi. 12), S. Paul sent off Timothy
to travel through Macedonia to Corinth (iv. 17 ; xvi. 10. Cf.
Ac. xix. 22), and meanwhile despatched his letter directly across
the sea.
We are now in a position to turn to the Epistle itself. But
there is a preliminary question to be faced. Is the Epistle, as
we have it, an authentic Epistle of S. Paul? Till a few years
ago, it might almost have been said, that no one had ever doubted
it. The great critics of Germany, who have held so many of the
writings of S. Paul to be spurious, have regarded the Epistles to
the Galatians, Corinthians, and Romans as the undoubted work of
S. Paul, by which all other Epistles ascribed to him must be judged.
The First Epistle to the Corinthians has every possible mark of
authenticity. To take first the external evidence, we notice: —
(a) It is contained in all the best manuscripts of the N.T.
and in the earliest versions. The mss. NBADLE have it in its
entirety. It is contained in the early Syriac, Coptic, and Latin
versions of the N.T. There is reason to believe that in some
early collections of S. Paul's Epistles the two Epistles to the
Corinthians stood at the head, as the nucleus round which the
others gathered. There is no MS., or ancient version, which throws
doubt upon any part of the Epistle.
(b) The Epistle stands alone in the number and excellence
of the attestations which it finds in early Christian writers. The
earliest Christian writing which we have outside the N.T., not only
echoes the language of the Epistle again and again, but even
formally appeals to it. "Take up," writes S. Clement of Rome
to the Corinthians, probably before the end of the first century,
" the Epistle of the blessed Paul the Apostle. What wrote he first
unto you in the beginning of the Gospel ? Of a truth he charged
you in the Spirit concerning himself and Cephas and Apollos,
because that even then ye had made parties" (Epistle to the
Corinthians xlvii. 1). These words, probably written earlier than
the last writings of S. John, prove not merely that at that time
S. Clement knew the Epistle as S. Paul's, but that the Corinthians
also possessed the Epistle, and knew it to be his. Or take the

xxiv INTRODUCTION
writings of two other men, who, like S. Clement, are reckoned among
the Apostohc Fathers. About a.d. 112 S. Ignatius of Antioch was
on his way to Rome to die in the amphitheatre. On his journey
he wrote letters to the Roman Christians and to many of the
churches of Asia Minor. His language frequently reminds us of
1 Cor. Thus, writing to the Ephesians, he says, " Let my spirit be
an offscouring for the Cross, which is indeed a stumbling-block to the
unbelievers, but to us salvation and hfe eternal. Where is the
wise? Where is the disputer? Where is the boasting of those
who are called prudent?" (To the Ephesians xviii. 1). No one
can read this, and doubt that S. Ignatius knew S. Paul's words
in 1 Cor. iv. 13 and i. 20-24. So with S. Ignatius' contemporary,
S. Polycarp of Smyrna. We have a letter of his written to the
church of Philippi about the time of the martyrdom of S. Ignatius.
Here not only do we find echoes of the Epistle, but S. Paul is
mentioned by name. "Do we not know," he writes, "that the
saints shall judge the world, as Paul teaches ? " (To the Philippians
xi. ; cf. 1 Cor. vi. 2). So also we find echoes of S. Paul's Epistle
in the early Letter to Diognetus. And when we pass on to the
great writers of the second half of the second century, of whom
we have such abundant remains, S. Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria,
and Tertullian, the very fullest knowledge of the Epistle is shewn.
Tertullian, in writing against the heretic Marcion, goes through it
chapter by chapter to the end of the fifteenth, and evidently only
omits the sixteenth chapter because its personal references did not
bear upon his purpose. Now these writers practically give us the
witness of the whole Church in their day. S. Clement speaks for
Rome, S. Ignatius for Syria, S. Polycarp for Asia Minor and the
immediate disciples of S. John, Clement of Alexandria for Egypt,
Tertullian for North-west Africa, and S. Irenaeus for Gaul. The
whole Church, then, from the first accepted the Epistle as S. Paul's.
But, beside this, we have the internal evidence of the Epistle
itself. The Epistle bears throughout the impress of S. Paul's
powerful personality ; it fits in perfectly with all that we know of the
circumstances of the Corinthian church ; it presupposes throughout
S. Paul's doctrinal system. In the first place, it bears the impress
of S. Paul's personality. " The style," it has been well said, " is the
man." No one could write as S. Paul writes but S. Paul himself.
We see a man at a white heat of earnestness. As he dictates the
Epistle to his amanuensis, he seems throughout present in spirit

INTRODUCTION xxv
(cf. v. 3) with those to whom he speaks. He is full of affection
for them (iv. 14 ; x. 15 ; xvi. 17), full of praise for all that is good
in them, even while he has to blame (i. 4-10 ; xi. 2) ; yet he is
stern and fiery in his denunciation of moral evil (i. 13 ; iv. 7 ;
v. 1-6; vi. 1—11 ; xvi. 22), caustic and ironical in dealing with
conceit and shallowness (iv. 8-10 ; xv. 36). He is keenly sensitive,
as one so full of affection could not help being, to the ingratitude
of the Corinthians towards himself, and their failure to recognise
the sacrifices he has made (iv. 10-13 ; ix. 2-12, 15-23). Thus the
very language which he employs is character! stie of his personality.
There is nothing artificial about it. Thought follows thought so
rapidly, that his sentences become overloaded, and hard to dis
entangle (e.g. i. 4-8) ; he begins a sentence, before he quite knows
how he will finish it (xv. I, 2) ; he becomes obscure in his very
earnestness (e.g. ix. 15-18). Now no forger could write in such
a style as this, still less maintain it through sixteen chapters. He
might indeed copy what S. Paul has said in other Epistles — there
is a very short forged Epistle, accepted by the Armenian church,
in which this is done — he might use S. Paul's favourite words and
parody his peculiarities. But this would be all ; he could not re
produce the spirit that breathes in such a writing as this. Or,
again, consider how the Epistle fits in with all that we know of
the circumstances, and the historical situation. This has been
illustrated already. We have seen e.g. how exactly the character
and the dangers of the Corinthian church correspond with all that
we know of the people themselves, and the circumstances in which
they were placed (see pp. xv.-xvii.). Yet no forger would venture
to represent a Christian church in such a way. But more than this.
Profoundly wise as we can see S. Paul's teaching to be, it is not
at all the teaching that a forger would have ascribed to him. Who
would have represented him, in face of the divisions at Corinth,
as singling out his own partisans for special blame (i. 13)? Who
would have ascribed to him a decision as to the idol-meats, which,
wise as it was under all the circumstances, differed both from that
of the Conference of Jerusalem, and from that of the later Church
(compare viii. 25-27 with Ac. xv. 29 and Rev. ii. 20) ? Who would
have given a view of the resurrection of the body, most deep and
spiritual indeed, but quite diverse from the view which afterwards
came to prevail (xv. 35 ff.) ? Or consider again, as Paley has
pointed out, how minute and how undesigned is the agreement

xxvi INTRODUCTION
between the statements in the Epistle and those in the Acts of the
Apostles. Compare the references to Apollos in 1 Cor. iii. with
what we learn of him in Ac. xviii. 24-xix. 1, or the statements
as to the movements of S. Paul's companions in 1 Cor. iv. 17,
xvi. 10 with Ac. xix. 22. Or notice — and this is perhaps the best
example of all— how the exceptions which S. Paul tells us that he
made to his rule of not personally baptizing his converts (1 Cor. i.
14—16) are explained by what we learn as to those exceptions from
1 Cor. xvi. 15, Ac. xviii. 8, and Rom. xvi. 23. Such indications
of truth would never be found in a forgery. Either the forger
would betray himself by historical blunders, or he would, in order to
avoid them, content himself with slavishly reproducing the state
ments of other writings. Once more, consider how S. Paul's doctrinal
system is presupposed, and this without any mere copying of his
other letters. Take, for instance, his characteristic doctrine of
justification by faith, which is so fully worked out in the Epistles
to the Romans and Galatians. There is no reproduction in our
Epistle of the teaching given there, yet the doctrine is presupposed
throughout. It is presupposed e.g. in i. 21, 22, where faith in
Christ crucified is contrasted with human " wisdom " as the
means of salvation; in i. 30, where Christ Himself is spoken of
as "wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and
redemption " ; in xv. 56, where the law, so far from being a means
of salvation, is described as "the power of sin" (cf. Rom. vii.).
Still more, it is presupposed in the stress laid throughout upon
union with Christ (i. 2, 4, 5 etc.), and in S. Paul's care never to
deal with the moral evils at Corinth by reference to the law of
Moses, but always by appeal to specially Christian principles (e.g.
v. 7, 8 ; vi. 2, 15-20). Or take a very dissimilar example, — an
example where the Epistle to the Corinthians gives fuller teaching
than that of any other Epistle, — the doctrine of the resurrection
of the body (ch. xv.). At first sight the teaching seems entirely
new. But the more we understand it, the more we see that it is
simply the working out of the doctrine of the other Epistles, that
Christ's salvation is a complete salvation, transforming even now the
spiritual being of Christians, and passing on to transform in time
their bodies also (cf. Rom. viii. 11, 23-25). Now all this is utterly
beyond a forger's power. A forger might reproduce S. Paul's state
ments, but he could neither write as presupposing them, nor could
he develope them as is here done.

INTRODUCTION xxvii
Thus it is not surprising that this Epistle has ever been regarded
by almost all as the undoubted work of S. Paul. Practically, it is
only in the last few years that a dissentient voice has been heard.
Of late, however, there have been writers, of whom Prof. Steck of
Berne is the most important, who have denied the Pauline author
ship even of the Epistles which all other critics have agreed in
ascribing to him. On what, then, are such doubts based? It is
urged, in the first place, that these Epistles presuppose a knowledge
of later writings, especially of the Synoptic Gospels. These Gospels,
as we have them, are no doubt later than S. Paul. If therefore
S. Paul's Epistles presuppose a knowledge of them, these Epistles
cannot really have been written by him. But S. Paul's Epistles
presuppose no such knowledge. Steck urges, for instance, that
1 Cor. xi. 23-25 looks back to Luk. xxii. 19, 20, and 1 Cor. xv.
4-7 to the Gospel accounts of the Resurrection. Now the first
instance is a particularly unfortunate one, because the relation
between the two passages is probably exactly the opposite to that
which Steck supposes. Luk. xxii. 19, 20 does not seem to be
the original text of S. Luke's Gospel at all ; it is the text as filled
out by reference to 1 Cor. xi. 23-25. But even were this not so,
Steck's argument would be of no value. Does he really suppose that
no member of the early Church could know anything of what the
Lord said or did, unless he had read it in a Gospel? On the
contrary, there is excellent evidence that the life and words of the
Lord were known by oral tradition from the first, and were the
great subject of Christian instruction (cf. Luk. i. 1-4). Is it
conceivable that S. Paul, celebrating the Eucharist perpetually, did
not know our Lord's words of institution ? Or that, with his whole
faith built upon the Resurrection, he never took the trouble to
inform himself as to the appearances of the Risen Lord ? The real
problem in 1 Cor. xv. 4-7 is not to account for the extent to which it
runs parallel to the Gospels, but to explain why it does not run more
parallel to them than it does. Again, Steck urges that this Epistle
shews a literary dependence upon the Epistle to the Romans, though
if the Epistles are S. Paul's, the latter was subsequent to the former.
Thus he suggests that 1 Cor. vii. 39 looks back to Rom. vii. 1, 2 ;
1 Cor. xii. 4-11 to Rom. xii. 4-8 ; 1 Cor. xv. 56 to Rom. vii. 8-13 ;
and above all, 1 Cor. iv. 6 to Rom. xii. 3. A comparison of the
passages is sufficient to shew the futility of the argument. Does a
writer, writing to two different correspondents, never express the same

xxviii INTRODUCTION
thought to both ? The only reason that could be given for supposing
such a dependence would be that the passages quoted come in
awkwardly in our Epistle, or are inappropriate to the readers for
whom it is intended. But in no instance is this in the least the
case. As to 1 Cor. iv. 6, see note on that passage. Is it possible
that, in face of the overpowering evidence of S. Paul's authorship,
anyone can rely upon such arguments as these ? The real difficulty
to such writers lies deeper. Regarding as they do S. Paul's doctrine
as to our Lord's Person as entirely false, they find themselves
unable to believe that one so little removed in time from the
historical Jesus could possibly have held it to be true. Steck e.g.
lays stress upon 1 Cor. viii. 6, x. 4, and xv. 47, and asks how the
historical Paul could possibly have written such words. This is
a most natural question for one who does not himself believe.
Christians will gladly commend it to those critics who believe
with Prof. Steck as to our Lord's Person, and with themselves
as to the authenticity of the Epistle. How, if our Lord be but
man, could one like S. Paul — a member of that Jewish race which
had so great a horror of any confusion between man and God, a man
who knew the Hfe of the historical Jesus, and had possibly himself
seen Him — how could such a man write as he does in 1 Cor. viii. 6,
x. 4, and xv. 47 ? But to the Christian, the answer is easy. S. Paul
speaks as he does, because such words are true, and he knew them
to be so. The claims that S. Paul makes for the Lord are the
claims which the Lord had made for Himself, and which had been
justified by His Resurrection from the dead, and by all that He
had been found to be both before and after it.
We conclude then, without any hesitation, that our Epistle is an
authentic writing of S. Paul.
How profoundly interesting then in a variety of ways must such
an Epistle be !
(a) The Epistle is a great source of doctrine, all the more
valuable, in some respects, because it is not primarily, Hke the
Epistles to the Romans and Galatians, a doctrinal Epistle. In the
Epistles to the Romans and Galatians, S. Paul's mind is dominated
by one great truth ; in this it is not so. No doctrine is worked
out at length, except that of the Resurrection of the Body, but the
whole faith is in S. Paul's mind, and he keeps appealing first to
one part of it, and then to another, as the practical needs of the

INTRODUCTION

XX1X

Corinthians demand. We see Christian doctrine, not as an abstract
scheme, but in its practical working — the very way in which we
can best understand it. But when we come to piece together what
S. Paul says, we find the same faith as that by which we live to-day.
Here and there, it may be, we should express ourselves differently.
The Second Advent, we now know, was not so near as S. Paul
thought it; we use the O.T. somewhat differently from the way
in which S. Paul used it ; but the faith is the same.
Take, for example, firstly, the doctrine of God. We do not,
of course, find the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity formulated by
S. Paul in the language of the Athanasian Creed. That doctrine
is held as yet implicitly rather than expHcitly. Language like that
of the Athanasian Creed might be necessary at a later time, when
the definiteness of statement, with which false teachers placed their
views before the world, forced the Church to define, where she would
have preferred simply to adore. But that the doctrine was held
implicitly by S. Paul, no one, who seriously considers his language,
can easily doubt. Above and beyond all, there is God the Father.
When in this Epistle S. Paul uses the word "God," it is the
Father Who is always intended. Wondrous as is the language which
S. Paul employs, in speaking of the Son and of the Spirit, he is
always faithful to the principle, which the early Greek theologians
called the " Monarchy " of the Father. Thus he says that " Christ
is God's" (iii. 23), and that "the head of Christ is God" (xi. 3).
The Father is the ultimate source of all creation (viii. 6) and its
final end (xv. 28). It is His eternal purpose that is being gradually
realised (ii. 7); it is His wise providence that is seen at work in
human history (i. 21). So, also, in the work of redemption all
proceeds ultimately from the Father. It was He Who raised up
Christ (xv. 15), and Whose wisdom and power is seen at work in
Him (i. 24). If Christ "was made unto us wisdom... and righteous
ness and sanctification and redemption," it is still "from God"
that He is so (i. 30). It is His grace that is given to us in the
Lord (i. 3, 4 ; xv. 10), His power that is at work in the Church
(ii. 5). From Him come the calling of Christians into that Church
(i. 9 ; vii. 15), their growth (iii. 6, 7), and all the blessings which
belong to them (ii. 12). It is He Who bestows special offices in
the Church (i. 1 ; xii. 28 ; xv. 10). It is upon His faithfulness
that our confidence rests (i. 9 ; x. 13). Thus all must be done to
His glory (x. 31), and to Him praise for all must ever ascend

xxx INTRODUCTION
(i. 4 ; xv. 57). S. Paul certainly is no Tritheist ; the Son and the
Spirit never obscure the Father for a moment. And yet there is
no doubt whatever as to S. Paul's faith both in the Son and in the
Spirit. Our Lord's Divinity is everywhere presupposed. He is
God's Son and our Lord (i. 9), the Lord of glory (ii. 8), the in
strument of creation and redemption (viii. 6), "the head of every
man" (xi. 3). His name is joined with that of the Father as the
source of grace and peace (i. 3) ; language is unhesitatingly applied
to Him, which is used in the O.T. of God only (i. 2, 8). He was
the source of Israel's support in the wilderness (x. 4) ; it was against
Him that Israel sinned (x. 9). So in the Church everything depends
upon Him. He is the one foundation (iii. 11), upon Whom all is
built. It is into His Name, into union with Him, that we have
been baptized (i. 13). It is " in Him," as those included in Him,
and sharing all that He possesses, that we enjoy every spiritual
blessing, — God's grace (i. 3), consecration to God (i. 2), righteousness
and sanctification and redemption (i. 30 ; cf. vi. 11). All things
are ours, if we are Christ's (iii. 22). Thus it is that the central
thing in the profession of Christian faith is the lordship of Christ
Himself (xii. 3). The Apostles are His representatives (i. 1, 17),
His servants (iv. 1) ; it is He Who gives them their success (iii. 5).
In His Name they appeal to men (i. 10) and exercise discipline (v. 3-5).
He is the supreme Law-giver (vii. 10 ; ix. 14; xi. 23 ; cf. ix. 21) and
present Ruler of the Church (xi. 32). He is gradually putting down
all hostile forces, and bringing the universe back to its allegiance
to God (xv. 25 ff. ; cf. ii. 6). It is to His return that thought is
ever directed (i. 7 ; xi. 26) ; He is the future Judge (iv. 4, 5), and
life is lived and work done in the continual remembrance of His
judgment (i. 8 ; iii. 13-15 ; iv. 2 ff.). So, again, we find that
S. Paul everywhere presupposes the CathoHc doctrine of the Holy
Spirit. He is "the Spirit of God" (ii. 11) ; regarded in His relation
to us, "the Spirit which is of God" (ii. 12). He is the source of
revelation (ii. 10, 12 ; xii. 7), the source of the very words in which
the Apostle defivers his message (ii. 13). From Him proceed all the
varied gifts of the Church (xii. 4ff.). Yet He is not regarded as
a mere emanation from God ; He is personal. He is said to search
the deep things of God (ii. 10), and personal will is ascribed to
Him (xii. 11). All this is precisely the doctrine of the Church.
Again, if we consider what S. Paul really presupposes as to the
relations One to Another of Father, Son and Spirit, we find the same

INTRODUCTION xxxi
thing. The unity of the Godhead is as clear as the divinity of the
Son and of the Spirit. How close is the relation between the Father
and the Son, between the action of the One and the action of the
Other, has already appeared (cf. i. 3 ; iii. 23 ; viii. 6) ; and the
same is apparent, when we consider what is said as to the action
of all Three. The baptism, consecration, and justification of
Christians, which took place "in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ," took place also "in the Spirit of our God " (vi. 11) ; if the
spiritual gifts come from the Spirit (xii. 4ff.), we are nevertheless
"enriched in" Christ (i. 5), since it is the body of Christ, which
is the temple of the Spirit (vi. 15-19) ; in the bestowal of such
gifts, Father, Son, and Spirit act together (xii. 4-6). And once
more, if we consider carefully S. Paul's language and argument
in ii. 14-16, we find that the mind of the Spirit is one with the
mind of Christ, and the mind of Christ with the mind of God (see
notes ad foe). Now what is maintained is that all this presupposes
that the Catholic doctrine of the Trinity was held implicitly by
S. Paul. He does not state the doctrine, as the later Church has
stated it ; but he uses language which is consistent with the doctrine
as held by the Church, and which scarcely any other doctrine would
satisfy. We pass on to consider S. Paul's doctrine of man. This is
most closely connected with his doctrine of God. The revelation
which God has given to us of Himself has been given, not to satisfy
our curiosity, but for practical purposes. He is revealed in con
nection with human character and human needs. Now S. Paul's
doctrine of man is a very lofty one. He is " the image and glory
of God " (xi. 7) even in his fallen condition. Sin has marred the
image, but not obliterated it. Death was no part of God's original
intention for man, at all events in the form in which we know it
(xv. 21). At the same time, man at his best could not by himself
reach the spiritual perfection for which he was intended (xv. 45-49,
notes) ; that could not be without the quickening touch of the
glorified humanity of the Lord. Practically, however, we are con
cerned with man in his fallen condition. The doctrine of the Fall
is not worked out in this Epistle, as in the Epistle to the Romans,
but it is presupposed throughout. Thus it is that man in his natural
condition cannot receive, or appreciate the higher spiritual truths
(ii. 14), and by himself, in spite of all his efforts, attains to no true
knowledge of God (i. 21). Thus it is also that he lies under

xxxn

INTRODUCTION

sentence of death (xv. 22). The whole human race has, as it were,
fallen " in Adam " (xv. 22) ; the fount of humanity is tainted at
its source, and all that flows from it shares the taint. But S. Paul
does not dwell upon this ; he speaks of fallen man but to point the
contrast with man redeemed, and to shew the necessity of redemp
tion. That redemption is bound up, as has already been seen, with
union with Christ Himself. Sometimes, indeed, as in i. 3, the
Lord is regarded as an external source, from which blessing flows
to us; far more often, the whole Church is regarded, as it were,
as included in Christ, and thus as sharing all that He possesses.
Everything that the Christian does or suffers is thought of as taking
place in Christ (iv. 10, 15, 17 ; ix 1, 2 ; xv. 18, 31, 58). So
it is also that salvation is not primarily regarded as a blessing
bestowed upon individuals as such. It is bestowed upon the Church,
the corporate body that is in union with Christ, and individuals
share in it by being members of that Church (xii. 13). How then
does this blessing actually become ours? Firstly, Christ must be
preached. On this S. Paul lays great stress in the early part of the
Epistle. The Gospel is regarded as itself a Divine power (i. 18),
and is at times almost personified. It is not a philosophy, it is
a proclamation of facts, of what God has done for men by the work
of Christ (i. 22-24 ; ii. 1, 2), a proclamation instinct with Divine
Hfe (ii. 4, 5 ; cf. i. 25). This proclamation, with its offer of salva
tion, must be accepted by faith. It is those who believe whom it is
God's good pleasure to save (i. 21); the "testimony of Christ"
must be "confirmed" among men, before God's grace and God's
gifts can be theirs (i. 4-6). And this faith is no indefinite thing.
It includes belief in the historical facts of Christ's life and work
(xv. 11) and the interpretation of those facts which the Scriptures
enabled the Apostles to give (xv. 3). This historical Gospel men
must receive ; they " stand " in it, and " are saved " by it (xv. 1,2);
if they lose their hold on it, they lose their hold on salvation also
(xv. 2 ; cf. xvi. 13). S. Paul does not in this Epistle work out the
place of faith in the Christian scheme, but we see by passing
allusions what that place is. Normally, faith is the first step.
But then this faith leads on to baptism. If it is faith which renders
union with Christ possible, and maintains that union when it has
been given, it is in baptism that this union is actually bestowed.
By baptism we are incorporated into the glorified humanity of the
Lord through the operation of the Holy Ghost (xii. 13). It is

INTRODUCTION xxxiii
an act of faith in the divine mission of Christ, an acknowledgment
of Him as our leader, the beginning of a new life which wiH accept
His rule, and thus parallel to that crossing of the Red Sea by which
Israel similarly professed its faith in Moses (x. 2). And with
baptism, probably not without thought of the accompanying laying
on of hands, the gift of the Spirit is closely associated (x. 2; xii. 13).
It is to the time of baptism, with its profession of faith and
accompanying gift of the Spirit, that S. Paul ever looks back as
the beginning of the Christian life (i. 4, 5, 13 ; vi. 11). Hence
forward men are "called saints," consecrated in Christ Jesus
(i. 2), washed, consecrated, and justified (vi. 11), members of the
glorified body of Christ (vi. 15 ; xii. 27), and so the temple of the
Spirit (iii. 16; vi. 19). They are members of the one "church of
God " (i. 2 ; x. 32 ; xi. 22), and trust to His faithfulness to complete
the work which He has begun (i. 8, 9 ; cf. iii. 6-9). They feed Hke
Israel of old upon the spiritual food of the sacrificed body and
blood of the Lord (x. 3, 16), they are closely united by that on which
they feed (x. 17), and one day salvation will be consummated by
the transformation of the body into the likeness of the body of the
Risen Lord (xv. 49 ff.).
Thus far salvation has been regarded simply as the gift of God
received by faith. But S. Paul makes it quite clear that the
salvation thus bestowed is but a probationary salvation. Human
correspondence, caution and faithfulness are all necessary, if this
salvation is not to be forfeited. That continuous faith is necessary
we have already seen (xv. 2). But moral correspondence is also
needed. Wilful unrepented sins lead to the forfeiture of God's
kingdom (vi. 9, 10) ; the blessings of God no more render members
of the Church safe, than they rendered Israel of old (x. 1-11) ; God's
faithfulness is shewn, not in protecting us from temptation, but in
making a way of escape from it (x. 13). Thus even S. Paul himself
is not yet safe (ix. 27) ; he must strain every nerve, and take every
precaution (ix. 24 ff.). And the whole Epistle is full of earnest appeal
to the Corinthians to do the same, to lay aside their self-conceit and
over-confidence, to purge out the evil that is among them, and
act as those, who are indeed gloriously blessed, but who need to
shew the utmost diligence, if they are not at last to lose their

These are but illustrations of the doctrinal importance of the
Epistle, and many others might be found. Of S. Paul's doctrine of

xxxiv INTRODUCTION
the Eucharist and of the Resurrection of the Body mention will be
made at length in the notes.
(b) We pass on to consider the value of the Epistle as a picture
of the Hfe and organisation of an early Christian community. Here
the Epistle stands pre-eminent ; it might almost be said that it tells
us more than all the rest of S. Paul's Epistles taken together.
What then do we see ? We see men, partly of Jewish and partly
of Gentile descent, partly slaves and partly free, yet forming one
corporate body plainly distinct from the rest of the world about them.
" The Church " is just as much a distinct part of the Corinthian
population as are "the Jews" or "the Greeks" (x. 32). Members
of the Church do not indeed avoid all intercourse with the rest of
the world. They will go out to dinner with their heathen neighbours
(x. 27) ; some of them have carried their freedom so far as to join
in the pubfic banquets held in idol temples (viii. 10) ; but they
form a distinct body nevertheless, and ought to be more distinct
than they are. Thus S. Paul shews the strongest repugnance to
their taking part in litigation in the public courts (vi. 1 ff.), regarding
it as a disgrace to the Church that they should not be able to settle
their disputes among themselves, but display their covetousness
before the eyes of unbelievers. How then is "the Church" at
Corinth distinguished from the rest of the world ? It has a divine
Hfe that the rest of the world has not, and with it beliefs that the
world does not share, and a moral standard to which the world does
not rise. Outwardly it is marked off by a special worship, special
institutions, and a special organisation. Of the deeper differences
from the world nothing need here be said. What these are has
already appeared in the doctrinal teaching of the Epistle. Here
we deal simply with the external differences. We note, then,
firstly that there are regular meetings for religious worship and
social intercourse. These evidently take place in the evening
(xi. 20, 21), and include a common meal, reproducing the last supper
of the Lord with his Apostles, and a celebration of the Eucharist1.
To this meal the individual members bring contributions, in which
aU ought to share alike. But there seems a tendency for each to
consume the food which he himself has brought, and thus deprive
the poorer members of the Church of their rightful portion (xi.
20-22). Beside these meetings, which would of course be confined
to baptized Christians, there are others which are not (xiv. 23).
1 Cf. Tertullian, Apology, 39.

INTRODUCTION xxxv
These would more or less resemble the synagogue-worship of the
Jews, to which also strangers were admitted. We hear of common
prayer, in which the congregation join by the Amen at the close
(xiv. 16), of distinctions more or less definite between those who
lead the worship and those who do not (xiv. 16), of questioning
and discussion of the teaching given, not confined to the men,
as it should have been (xiv. 34, 35), and of a ceremonial kiss of
peace (xvi. 20). At such meetings, baptisms would probably take
place, and any corporate action, like the solemn excommunica
tion of an unworthy member (v. 4-7). But the most striking
feature of these meetings would undoubtedly be the use of the
spiritual gifts bestowed upon the various members of the Church,
especiaUy those of prophecy or inspired preaching, and of speaking
with tongues (xii. 7-11). Of the latter, fuU mention will be made
in its place. Here we notice simply the great confusion evidently
brought about by the unregulated use of these gifts (xiv. 23, 26)
and the real spiritual power manifested in them both for the
edification of the Church and the conviction of those outside (xiv.
3—19, 24, 25). It is exceedingly striking to notice how thoroughly
instructed the Corinthian church was. Not only does the frequency
of S. Paul's appeals even to the less known parts of the O.T. suggest
that it was well known, even to the Gentile converts (e.g. iii. 19, ix. 9,
xiv. 21), but his whole manner of writing presupposes that the great
truths of the faith are not only understood, but grasped in so Hving
a way, that they can be effectual motives for morality (i. 10, 13 ;
vi. 13-20). It is especially remarkable that the great and deep
doctrine of union with Christ is everywhere presupposed as a truth
accepted and realised by the whole Church. No doubt, this was
mainly due to S. Paul's own teaching, but we must not forget
the teaching continuaUy going on in the Corinthian church
itself. Again, the Epistle teaches us much as to the ministry and
organisation of the Church. We find that the local church of Corinth
is not regarded by S. Paul as an independent and self-governing
body. It is but a part of the universal Church (xii. 28), and must
pay respect to the mind of the other local churches which make
up that Church (xi. 16; xiv. 33-36), and to the "traditions"
as to doctrine and worship committed to it (xi. 2). Beside this,
there is, under the supreme authority of the Lord Himself (vii. 10),
the Apostohc authority of S. Paul, the spiritual father of the
c2

XX xvi

INTRODUCTION

Corinthian church (iv. 15). He possesses the right to claim main
tenance (ix. 1-14). Though in a true sense he belongs to the church,
rather than the church to him (iii. 22), he claims a wide authority
nevertheless. He will rule by love, if that may be, but the power
of stern discipline lies ever in reserve (iv. 21). It is he who in the
first instance decides upon the excommunication of the incestuous
Corinthian (v. 3) ; it is for him to settle a question of moral duty,
which the words of the Lord do not completely cover (vii. 12 ff.),
and to make rules for the churches generaUy (vii. 17). The Apostles
are clearly marked off from others as the highest order in the
Church (xii. 28, 29), and S. Paul insists on his own position as one
of them (i. 1 ; ix. 1, 2). But when we try to ascertain the facts as
to the lower orders of the ministry at Corinth, some difficulty arises.
It was S. Paul's custom to ordain presbyters in the churches which
he founded (Ac. xiv. 23 ; xx. 17), and there is no reason to suppose
that he had not done so at Corinth. Why then do we find no direct
mention either of presbyters, or of deacons, as we do in Phil. i. 1 ?
Why does S. Paul not refer to their authority, when he deals with
the disorder in the church, as he does in 1 Th. v. 12-14 ? Cf. Heb.
xiii. 17 ; 1 Pet. v. 1-5. The true answer seems to be that it was
precisely those who held office in the church that were responsible
for its disorder. The most gifted were themselves the offenders, and
it would be the most gifted who would hold the offices of presbyter
and deacon. S. Paul does not indeed mention in chs. xii.-xiv.
the regular orders of the ministry, nor should we expect him to do
so. It was not the possession of office, but the possession of
spiritual gifts, which was the occasion of disorder. But we see in
Ac. vi. 3-5 that spiritual gifts were sought in those chosen to be
deacons, as they would doubtless also be in those chosen to be
presbyters. The prophets and teachers of xii. 28 would not be
distinct from the presbyterate and diaconate, but themselves,
perhaps in all cases, presbyters or deacons. When a man possesses
gifts so remarkable as those found among the Corinthians, it is those
gifts to which attention is directed. We ourselves speak of men
like the late Father Ignatius as mission preachers — " prophets " or
"evangelists " S. Paul might have called them — we do not ordinarily
refer to them as priests or deacons. Still less would S. Paul be
likely to describe the prophets of the Corinthian church by the formal
offices which they held, at a time when the very titles of these
formal offices were unfixed, and their exact duties probably diverse

INTRODUCTION xxxvii
in one place and another. We may find a somewhat parallel case
in xvi. 15, 16. There S. Paul's language speaks of submission to the
house of Stephanas, not in view of any regular office held by its
members, but in view of the actual good work done by them. Thus
what we see at Corinth is the Christian ministry in the making.
There are real distinctions of office between one and another — even
salaries seem spoken of in ix. 12 — but at present attention is concen
trated on the exercise of gifts rather than on the exercise of office, on
the work done rather than on the outward call to do it. A little later
the case is altered. When S. Clement of Rome writes to the Corin
thians, he says nothing of Christian prophecy : his appeal is rather to
the principle of order, as exemplified in the regular ministry of the
Church. (c) A third example of the value of the Epistle may be found
in its importance for Christian evidences. Here, again, the Epistle
is one of the most valuable books in the N.T. It gives us the
earliest account which we possess of the evidence for our Lord's
Resurrection (xv. 3-8. Cf. notes pp. 137 — 142). This evidence is
aheady carefuUy arranged ; S. Paul had " received " it, and himself
handed it on to the Corinthians. At the same time we see that the
conception held at this very early time of the Risen Body of the Lord
was identical with that found in the Gospels (cf. notes pp. 155, 156).
The Epistle shews us again and again the reality of the divine
powers at work in the Church (ii. 4, 5 ; v. 5 ; xii. 1 ff. ; xiv.). S. Paul
makes no attempt to prove the existence of these to sceptical
Corinthians ; he assumes their existence as a fact of which their
own experience left no room for doubt. It shews, as has been seen
already (pp. xxix. ff.), that the great doctrines of the Christian faith
were not a later growth, but held as we hold them from the very first.
It gives us a confidence in S. Paul's testimony, such as perhaps no
other writing of his gives us to the same degree, since it shews him
to us, not merely as a saint and a religious teacher, but as a man
of the utmost practical commonsense, who knows what evidence
means, whose reasoning is as sound as it is subtle (cf. pp. 159 — 162),
and who is so far from being a mere enthusiast, that he can deal on
the broadest principles with the points of casuistry and morals that
arise. It gives us fresh confidence in the Christian faith, since we
see how the principles which it supplies can be turned to account
in deafing with the practical and theoretical difficulties of such
a city as Corinth. It gives us, in the 15th chapter, an admirable
example of how merely speculative difficulties are to be met, by an

xxxviii INTRODUCTION
appeal to facts, by appeals to analogy, and by a broader exposition
of the real content of the Christian faith.
(d) Lastly, there is the value of the Epistle as a help to pastoral
and missionary work. Here, if we except the Pastoral Epistles, the
First Epistle to the Corinthians is pre-eminent. We see S. Paul
possessed with the highest sense of the reality and responsibility of
his work (iii. 10-17 ; iv. 2-4), making every sacrifice for it (ix
15-23), straining every nerve in accomplishing it (ix. 24-27), and
yet never forgetting that the work is God's rather than his own
(iii. 5-9 ; iv. 1), and that only by the grace of God (xv. 10) and
the power of the Spirit (ii. 4, 5, 13) can it ever be done. We hear
him, as he sets forth the true subject and method of evangelistic
preaching (i. 17-25 ; ii. 1-5), as they stand opposed to what men
now, as then, are inclined to demand ; as he points out the prin
ciples that should govern the action of a Christian teacher in the
gradual revelation of the higher Christian truth (ii. 6— iii. 4) ; as he
uses the great truths of the faith as the basis of Christian morality
(i. 13 ; v. 7, 8 ; vi. 12-20). So also we have a great example of the
principles, by which the Hfe and worship of the Church should be
regulated. We see S. Paul in his love of unity (i. 10 ff), in his
love of order (xiv. 26-33), in his preference of utiHty to display
(xiv. 1 ff), in his respect for natural seemHness (xi. 13-15) and the
general practice of the Church (xi. 16 ; xiv. 33), in his wise dealing,
equally free from rigorism and from laxity, with the difficult pro
blems connected with the relation of the Christian community to
the heathen society around (v. 9-12 ; viii. ; x.). To missionaries his
words are especially valuable — to those above all, who are called to
deal with those Indian peoples, who so greatly resemble the Corin
thians. But they are scarcely less so to ourselves at home. For we
English Christians also are like the Corinthians in many things :
Hke them in our divisions, like them in our absence of effective
discipline, Hke them in our self-satisfaction and our forgetfulness of
our true relation to the whole Church of Christ.
Analysis of the Epistle.
No Epistle of S. Paul is more easily analysed. He writes in
answer to a letter received from his converts, and takes up one by
one the questions which their letter has raised. At the same time,
he finds it necessary to deal with «ome matters, about which they

INTRODUCTION xxxix
had not spoken, but of which he knew either through Corinthian
Christians then at Ephesus (i. 11), or by common report (v. 1).
Of these he speaks in chs i.-vi., passing in vii. 1 to the letter of
the Corinthians. The repeated words "Now concerning" (vii. 1;
viii. 1 ; xii. 1 ; xvi. 1 ; cf. xvi. 12, where the Greek is the same)
probably mark the introduction of the various subjects which they
had raised. But here too S. Paul at times leaves their letter
to refer to other questions. Thus in xi. 2, it would seem that the
words, in which the Corinthians had spoken of their faithfulness to
Christian traditions, lead S. Paul to speak of matters in which he
had heard that they had not been faithful to them (cf. xi. 18). Thus,
again, it does not appear that the letter of the Corinthians had raised
the question of the resurrection of the body (ch. xv.). But S. Paul
knew that heresy had arisen, and so, having just dealt with Christian
preaching, he goes on to speak of the subject on which some had
taught erroneously. For ourselves, however, the Epistle may per
haps best be divided, as Godet divides it, into four sections, deaHng
respectively with the divisions of the Corinthian church, with moral
questions, with questions connected with public worship, and with
the doctrinal question of the resurrection of the body. Beside these,
we shall have the introduction and the concluding words.
i. 1-3. Address and salutation.
4-9. Introductory thanksgiving. The present blessings and
future prospects of the church of Corinth.
First section of the Epistle. The divisions of the church of
Corinth and their causes. Here S. Paul refers to the news brought
to him by Corinthian Christians, i. 10-iv. 21.
i. 10-17. General exhortation to unity. The report which has
reached the Apostle. He disclaims the false position
ascribed to him.
18-25. God's method of salvation a rebuke to human self-
sufficiency. The Gospel a proclamation to be received
with faith. It comes not commended by the outward force
or the human wisdom, which the world asks, though it
proves to have a higher wisdom and power of its own.
26-31. God's choice of members for His Church a further
rebuke to human self-sufficiency. On Him we depend,
and in Him alone we should glory.

xl INTRODUCTION
ii. 1-5. S. Paul's preaching an iUustration of both these prin
ciples, his subject illustrating the one, and his weakness
the other.
6-16. Not that the Apostles have no wisdom to offer. Their
wisdom, however, is (a) God's, not the world's, (b) revealed
by the Spirit, Who alone can fathom it, and imparted to
others in words which He inspires, (c) only to be received
by those who possess the spiritual mind.
ui. 1-4. The divisions of the Corinthians prove their incapacity
for receiving this wisdom.
5-9. The true position of Christian teachers. The work
is God's rather than theirs.
10-17. The responsibility of those who continue S. Paul's work.
They must (a) build upon the one foundation — Jesus the
Messiah ; (b) take care that what they build is worthy of
forming part of God's temple ; (c) be sure that they do
build, and not destroy. The future consequences to them
selves of their action.
18-23. Further warning to teachers and taught against de
pendence upon the wisdom of the world. Teachers belong
to the Church, not the Church to them.
iv. 1-5. Return to the subject of the true position of Christian
teachers. It is faithfulness which is asked of them.
Christ's judgment of them alone is final and accurate.
We must not anticipate it.
6-13. Direct attack upon the pride of the Corinthians. The
Corinthians are not the authors of their own spiritual or
mental attainments. But they seem to think the full
glory of the Messianic Kingdom theirs already, while the
Apostles so suffer as to be a spectacle to the uni versa
14-16. Change from irony to affectionate appeal. S. Paul is
the spiritual father of the Corinthians ; — let his children
resemble him.
17-21. Timothy is on his way to them, and S. Paul will
shortly follow. With him the divine power will be
everything. Must he exercise stern discipHne? It is
for them to say.
Second section of the Epistle. Moral corruptions and moral
problems, v. 1-xi. 1. S. Paul begins with a report which has
reached him (v. 1).

INTRODUCTION xii
v. 1-8. A case of incest in the church of Corinth. Excom
munication necessary. S. Paul pronounces sentence, but
the church must join with him in carrying it out.
Tolerated evil corrupts the whole body and profanes the
Passover festival of their Christian life.
9-13. Limits to the duty of separating from the ungodly.
They must be avoided, if members of the Christian
brotherhood. Thus the case before them must be sternly
dealt with.
vi. 1-8. Members of the church may not have recourse to
heathen courts of justice. Lawsuits disgrace the Church
by their very existence; let them at least be decided
within her borders.
9-11. Injustice — and indeed all gross sins — exclude from
the Kingdom. Baptism has washed away their stains.
How inconsistent then to return to them !
12-20. The limitations of Christian Hberty. Fornication in
consistent (a) with the highest purpose of the body, — the
Lord's service; (b) with its future, — a resurrection Hke
the Lord's; (c) with our incorporation into Christ;
(d) with the indwelling of the Holy Ghost ; (e) with the
rights of the Lord Who bought us.
vii. 1-7. S. Paul begins to deal with questions asked in the
letter of the Corinthians. Firstly, are married persons
to cohabit after conversion ? Yes ; any other course is
morally dangerous. Marriage is a contract, and to inter
rupt the normal relations without common consent is a
breach of it. Interruption should be only by common
consent, temporary, and for a devotional purpose. Not
but what S. Paul would prefer ceHbacy, — but that demands
a special gift.
8, 9. Should unmarried persons not under the authority of
others marry ? Celibacy is morally beautiful, but marriage
is better, where ceHbacy involves a dangerous struggle.
10, 11. Is divorce aUowable for married Christians ? There
should be no divorce. In the extreme cases, which justify
separation, there must be no remarriage.
12-16. When a person previously married is converted, may
the old relations continue with a heathen partner ? Yes ;

xiii INTRODUCTION
the Christian is not to make the separation. If however
the heathen makes it, so be it. The Christian in this case
is free.
17-24. The general principle. Glorify God where His call
found you. This applies to questions of race and social
status, as well as to marriage.
25-38. Ought Christian fathers to give their daughters in
marriage? S. Paul hesitates. Under present circum
stances, Christians may do best if they avoid forming
fresh ties, but they have full liberty in the matter. The
Lord's return will be soon, and we must sit loosely to all
that is of this world. The unmarried are less distracted
in the Lord's service. But S. Paul would not press too
hardly.
39, 40. A widow may marry again if it is a Christian whom
she marries. But it is better to remain as she is.
viii. 1-13. The question of idol-meats. We must consider not
what knowledge might justify, but what love requires.
Idols are nothing to Christians, but all cannot so regard
them. To eat such meat brings no spiritual advantage,
and by doing so, we may embolden a less enlightened
brother to disobey bis conscience, and thus destroy him.
Sooner than thus sin against Christ, do without meat
altogether.
ix. 1-18. Consider S. Paul's own example. He too claims
freedom ; and has every right to the title of ' Apostle.'
Yet he refuses maintenance at the hands of the
Corinthian church. On every ground he has the right to
claim it, — the example of the Apostles and of all
labourers, the words of the law, his claims to gratitude,
the example of other teachers among the Corinthians
themselves. Yet he has waived his right, and bears
anything rather than hinder the Gospel. Those who are
engaged in the temple service Hve by it, and the Lord
ordained that those who preach the Gospel should do
Hkewise. Yet S. Paul does not do so, and will die rather
than be deprived of that wherein he glories. Preach he
must, for God's call has been laid upon him ; more than
this is necessary, if he hopes for a reward.

INTRODUCTION xliii
19-23. Further examples of S. Paul's self-sacrifice. The free
man has become the slave of all, adapting himself to the
prejudices of all, that he may save some of them.
24-27. The need of straining every nerve in the Christian
race. In the public games, the utmost exertion and the
strictest temperance are needed to gain a prize, though it is
not, like ours, imperishable. So S. Paul never loses sight
of his purpose, and treats his body with the utmost
severity, lest he should be rejected after all.
x. 1-5. Let the Corinthians consider the example of Israel.
At the beginning of their national existence, God's
blessings were lavished upon an, but the greater part of
them did not please God, and were overthrown in the
wilderness.
6-11. This example appHed to the Corinthians. The ex
periences of Israel were intended for our instruction.
Five instances.
12-14. Thus there must be no over-confidence. God's faith
fulness is our security against overwhelming temptation.
But flee from idolatry.
15-22. The doctrine of the Eucharist condemns participation
in idol-feasts. To partake of the Eucharist is to partake
of the Body and Blood of Christ ; to partake of an idol-
sacrifice is to have fellowship with demons. The two are
inconsistent.
23-xi. 1. The practical decision. Christian liberty is limited by
the duty of seeking the good of others. We need not
trouble ourselves under ordinary circumstances about the
previous history of our food. But if the idolatrous source
is pointed out to us, we must abstain for others' sake.
Do all to God's glory. Give no offence to any one, but
seek the salvation of all, as the Apostle does.
Third section of the Epistle. Questions connected with pubHc
worship, xi. 2-xiv. 40.
xi. 2-16. The use of the veil. Faithful as the Corinthians are
to the traditions committed to them, they must not forget
the principle of subordination. In pubHc worship men and
women must attire themselves in accordance with it. Women
must be veiled, since men, their immediate superiors, are

xliv INTRODUCTION
present. Man and woman are mutually dependent, but
woman was both " taken out of" man and created for him.
Nature itself should teach women to be covered. Then-
long hair is their glory. Let the Corinthians respect the
general practice of other churches.
17-34. Disorder at the love-feasts. S. Paul censures the di
visions which here shew themselves. The supper that they
eat is not the Lord's, since there is selfishness, excess, and
disregard of the poor. The Apostle, to shew the sacredness
of the feast, repeats the words of the Lord, in instituting
the Eucharist which closes it. The Eucharist is a procla
mation of the Lord's death. Unworthy participation is a
sin against the Body and Blood of the Lord, and brings
judgment with it, as the Corinthians have found. Let
them judge themselves, and the chastening judgment of
the Lord will not be necessary. Let them shew mutual
consideration, and eat for the satisfaction of hunger at
home.
xii. 1-3. The right use of spiritual gifts. All inspiration does
not proceed from the Holy Spirit. The proof of His
activity is the glorification of Jesus.
4-11. Spiritual gifts are diverse, but the Divine source is
One. Their purpose is the edification of the Church.
S. Paul then illustrates this diversity, and shews that
the distribution of the gifts depends simply upon the wiU
of the Spirit.
12-31. The Church is an organism, like the human body. All,
whatever their outward differences, were baptized into one
body and made to drink of one Spirit. All the members
are necessary to the weU-being of the whole. None must
be discouraged, because their office is humble ; none must
despise others, because their office is lofty. God's purpose
is mutual sympathy in suffering and in honour. Thus in
the Church, there is a gradation of offices, and not one
that aU can claim. Let the Corinthians long for the
greater gifts, though there is something better even than
they.
xiii. 1-13. The praise of love, as it stands contrasted with the
spirit of the Corinthian church. All gifts, even at their

INTRODUCTION xlv
highest, are useless to the possessor without love. Without
it he may possess much, but is himself nothing. Love's
characteristics. It is eternal, while emotional and intel
lectual gifts will pass away. Nay more. Though faith,
hope and love are alike eternal, love is greater than faith
and hope combined.
xiv. 1-19. Thus love is the true quest. Yet spiritual gifts should
be desired too — especially inspired preaching. This is
superior to speaking with tongues, since it edifies the
Church. He who possesses the gift of tongues should
pray for power to interpret his utterance. Otherwise,
though his spirit prays, his understanding is unfruitful.
20-25. Further arguments for the superiority of prophecy.
God speaks to unbelievers by foreign languages, as Isaiah
shews; believers He addresses by preaching. Let the
Corinthians consider the effect of their worship upon
those who come to it from without.
26-33. Practical directions for the exercise of gifts. The
present confusion must cease, and regard be had to the
common advantage. The gift of tongues must be exercised
in private, unless the utterances can be interpreted. Even
if they can be, three at most may exercise the gift at any
one assembly. So with inspired preaching. Not more
than three may speak at a single assembly, and one must
give way to another. Those who do not at the time speak,
must be content to judge of what the others say. God
loves order.
34-36. Women in the church-assemblies must be silent, and
the Corinthians be satisfied to foUow here the general
practice of the Church.
37—40. Conclusion of this subject. Let those who claim inspira
tion acknowledge the Apostle's. His directions summarized.
Fourth section of the Epistle. The Resurrection of the Body.
xv. 1-58.
xv. 1-11. The historic facts of the Gospel, as preached by all the
Apostles alike. The evidence for the Resurrection over
powering both by the number and importance of the
witnesses.
12-19. Acceptance of the Gospel inconsistent with the denial

xlvi INTRODUCTION
of the possibility of resurrection. Such denial must in
clude the denial of the Resurrection of Christ, and if that
be denied, Apostohc preaching and Christian faith are alike
vain. In this case the Apostles are false witnesses of God,
Christians are yet in their sins, the Christian dead have
perished, and the most glorious hopes are doomed to the
completest disappointment.
20-28. The Resurrection a necessity because of the Fall. The
man Christ must recover for us aU that the man Adam lost.
Till this be done, the mediatorial kingdom of Christ cannot
be defivered into the Father's hands. The universal lordship
of Christ implies conquest over death, and this cannot be,
while the body is left unredeemed. The final consummation.
29-34. Minor arguments. Christian practice implies belief in
the resurrection. Appeal for moral earnestness.
35-49. The inteUectual difficulty. The resurrection finds an
analogy in the relation between a plant and its seed. The
new organism proceeds from God's creative power, though
the seed determines what the plant will be. The new
wiU not be identical with the old, though it will have a
real connection with it. The future spiritual contrasted
with the present earthly body. There are two types of
humanity — Adam and the glorified Christ. Our present
bodies correspond to that of the former ; our future bodies
wiH correspond to that of the latter.
50-57. The case of those who will be aHve at the Lord's return.
They too must pass through a great change. The promised
abolition of death involves their putting on of immortality.
Christ has conquered death and sin, and His victory will
be ours.
58. Practical exhortation.
Concluding words, xvi. 1-24.
xvi. 1-4. Collection for the church of Jerusalem. How it is to
be made and forwarded.
5-9. S. Paul's immediate plans.
10-12. Timothy and ApoUos.
13-18. Final directions. Respect to be paid to Christian
labourers.
19-24. Salutations and conclusion.

INTRODUCTION xlvii
Boohs valuable for the study of this Epistle.
General commentaries on the N.T.
*Bengel ; Alford.
Special commentaries on this Epistle.
*Edwards. Perhaps the best of all. Very independent, and much
more valuable than most commentaries in bringing the Epistle
into relation with general religious thought.
Godet. Interesting and spiritual, but not very good in critical scholar
ship.
Evans (in The Speaker's Commentary). Full of exact scholarship, but
perhaps tending to overpress what the writer regards as the
exact meaning of the Greek at the expense of the general
context.
Findlay (in The Expositor's Greek Testament). Very careful, and (as
the latest commentary) taking most account of recent work
on the Epistle. Difficult, however, for the general reader.
Lightfoot (in Notes on Epistles of S. Paul). This only deals with
chs. i.-vii., and lacks the author's final revision.
Kamsay, Historical Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians
(published in The Expositor, 6th Series). Interesting and sug
gestive. But the restricted character of the writer's aim seems
sometimes to result in conclusions not justified by the evidence
as a whole.
Stanley. Very rich in illustration, but lacking in sympathy with the
deeper side of S. Paul's mind.
*Milligan, The Resurrection, of the Body. An admirable exposition of
ch. xv.
Expository lectures on this Epistle.
S. Chrysostom's Homilies. Excellent, and still most useful.
Robertson (F. W.), Expository Lectures on 1 and 2 Corinthians.
Admirable in many ways, but marred at times by the special
doctrinal views of the writer.
Dods, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (in The Expositor's Bible).
General books.
Conybeare and Howson, The Life and Epistles of S. Paul.
Ramsay, S. Paid the Traveller and Roman Citizen.
* An asterisk denotes that the book is specially valuable.

xlviii INTRODUCTION
General books (cont.).
•Knowling, The Witness of the Epistles. This contains an excellent
discussion of the latest Continental criticism on this Epistle.
Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles (in The Expositor's
Cheek Testament).
Smith's Dictionary of the Bible (2nd Edition). Article on this Epiatle
(by Plummer).
Hastings' Bible Dictionary. Article on Corinth (by Ramsay) and on
this Epistle (by A. Robertson).
* An asterisk denotes that the book is specially valuable.

I. CORINTHIANS

I. 1 Patjl, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ
2 through the will of God, and Sosthenes aour brother, unto
1 Gr. the brother.

I. 1-3. Address and salutation.
In the letters of the ancients, the
names of the writer and recipient
stand side by side at the beginning
(Ac. xxiiL 26), an expression of
good wishes following. But S. Paul
is not satisfied with a bare greeting.
S. Paul and the Church are not as
others, nor do they greet one another
as others greet. Thus the Apostle's
words set forth what he is "in Christ,"
what the Church is, and in what the
Christian blessings consist. The
Corinthians were forgetting the
holiness and the unity of the Church ;
S. Paul will remind them of both.
1. called... mil of God. "Called,"
as S. Paul uses the word, means
"called and obeying the call" Cf.
vv. 2, 24, 26. Contrast the usage of
the Gospels (Mt. xxii. 14). An Apo
stle is a man "sent forth " as the repre
sentative of another, and empowered
to act in his name. The Apostles
were as really the representatives
of Christ, as He is of the Father
(Jn. xiii. 20; xx. 21). S. Paul claims
to be "Jesus Christ's Apostle," and
that "through the will of God," as
really as the Twelve. His com

mission was as clear as theirs, and
had the same divine source. Compare
Luke vi. 12 ff. with Ac. xxvi. 15-18.
Thus by the words here employed,
S. Paul (a) makes a real claim to
authority over the Corinthian church
(cf. ix. 1 ff.), and (b) points out that
he has no choice but to make that
claim. When S. Paul's claim was
denied, he insists upon it. Contrast
1 Th. i. 1 with Gal. i 1.
Sosthenes our brother. Perhaps
the Sosthenes of Ac. xviii. 17; he
may afterwards have become a
Christian. A former ruler of the
synagogue would be likely to hold a
position of authority in the Church.
That Sosthenes had a real authority
seems clear from his association with
S. Paul in writing the Epistle.
"Brother," as usual in the N.T.,
means "fellow -Christian." The
universal brotherhood of man, like
the universal fatherhood of God, is
not prominent there. The closeness
of the union with God and with all
other Christians, into which a man
enters through the Church, makes
the more general relationship seem
shadowy in comparison with it

I. CORINTHIANS

ti

the church of God which is at Corinth, even them that are
sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that
call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every

2. the church of God... Corinth.
"A glad and tremendous paradox,"
says Bengel, for Corinth was a most
corrupt city. The word translated
"church" comes from the Septuagint,
the accepted Greek translation of
the O.T. Originally it meant the
assembly of Israel, called out for
common meeting (Deut. xviii. 16).
Then it came to stand for the whole
body of the people of God, whether
actually assembled or not. Thus in
Ps. lxxiv. 2, Israel is described as
the congregation, or "church" of
God. Now the "church of God," or
"church of Christ" in the N.T. is not
a new institution, but the old church
come to its full stature. Thus
our Lord naturally adopts the
language of the O.T. in speaking of
it (Mt. xvi. 18). S. Paul employs
the same term in various ways.
On ihe one hand, there is the great
Catholic Church, the one body of
Christ, of which all local churches
are but members. Cf. Eph i. 22;
Col. i. 24. On the other hand, there
are the local "churches," or associa
tions of Christians in particular
places, possessing a subordinate
unity of their own, and representing
the one Catholic Church to which
they belong. Cf. 1 Thess. L 1 ; 2 Thess.
i. 1. "The church of God which is
at Corinth" is an expression that
combines both thoughts. There is
but one "church of God," but the
Corinthian Christians are a part of
it, and, as it were, localize and
represent it In a similar way, the
Roman citizens of Corinth formed a
corporate body, yet without ceasing
to belong to the far greater body of

Roman citizens scattered through
out the world, or to enjoy their
privileges simply as members of that
body. Cf. Ramsay, S. Paul the
Traveller, pp. 124-127.
even them.. .Christ Jesus. The
word here used means "consecrated"
rather than "sanctified." The Co
rinthian Christians were consecrated
to God's service by the union with
our Lord which they had received.
But the thought of consecration
passes naturally into that of holiness.
Those, who are thus consecrated,
are bound to be holy, and have
received the power actually to be so
(Heb. x. 10).
called to be saints. Perhaps
better, — "called saints." The Corin
thians have received and obeyed a
Divine call, and are thus enrolled
among those set apart for God's
service. Cf the previous clause.
All Christians are " saints" in S. Paul's
Bense. The primary idea of sanctity
is separation, but inasmuch as that
which is separate for God must be
holy, sanctity and holiness become
equivalent terms. Here, as so often,
the language used of Israel in the
O.T. is used of Christians in the
N.T. Compare Ex. xix. 6 with
1 Pet. ii. 9.
with all... and ours. The con
nection of this clause with the rest
is somewhat uncertain. Possibly
S. Paul means that he does not
address the church of Corinth only.
He might have specially in mind the
scattered Christians in other cities
of Achaia. Cf. 2 Cor. i. 1. But it is
perhaps better to connect the words
with the description just given of

i.a-4] I. CORINTHIANS 3
3 place, their Lord and ours : Grace to you and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I thank Jmy God always concerning you, for the grace
1 Some ancient authorities omit my.
the Christian position. The Corin- with S. Paul. It means the free
thians are reminded that they share favour of God, "the smile and the
that position with others; they are merciful help of the Lord of heaven
not the only church. This was a and earth" (Hort). Thus in Eph. ii.
much-needed lesson (cf. xiv. 36). 3-7 God's grace is contrasted with
On either view, as Dr Hort says, God's wrath, and in Rom. iv. 4 that
the one Lord is spoken of as "the which is given of God's grace with
bond of union, and obedience to His that which is given in payment of a
will as Lord" as "the uniting law of debt. "Peace" is the condition that
life." results from the reception of God's
3. Grace to you.. .Christ. The grace, freedom from enmity without
words "grace" and "peace" recall and distraction within. The two
respectively the commonest Greek, thoughts are combined in the priestly
and the commonest Hebrew salu- blessing of Numb. vi. 24-26, a passage
tation. "Grace" is a favourite word which S. Paul may have in mind.
These three verses take us at once into the heart of Christianity.
Already the name of Jesus Christ has been four times mentioned, and that in
a way which presupposes His Divinity. It is not only that the great O.T.
title "the Lord" is given to Him. The expression used in v. 2, "to call upon
the name of the Lord," is an O.T. phrase which implies worship (Gen. iv: 26) ;
and in v. 3, the Lord's name is joined with the Father's as the common
source of grace and peace. If any merely human name, even the highest,
were put in v. 3 in place of the Lord's, its combination with the Father's
would at once be felt to be blasphemous. Again, the central doctrine of
S. Paul, that of the union of the Church with Christ, already appears in
these verses. Christians are "sanctified in Christ Jesus." S. Paul does not
think of Christ just as an external source of blessing, from which consecration
and new life pass to His people. He thinks rather of Christians as gathered
by baptism "into Jesus Christ," included (as it were) in Him, and so sharing
all that He possesses. "In Christ," as v. 4 will shew, God's grace is given;
in Christ, as v. 5 will point out, all Christians are enriched. The union
between Christ and His Church cannot indeed be expressed in human
language. Prepositions of space such as "in" are used to describe it because
there are no others to use. But it must not therefore be supposed that the
language employed is the language of strong metaphor. On the contrary,
so far from being language too strong, it is language too weak to express the
reality and depth of the union.
I. 4-9. Introductory Thanks- giving to God- for the spiritual con-
giving. dition of his converts (c£ Rom. i. 8).
S. Paul, as is usual with him, Unsatisfactory as they might be, the
begins with an expression of thanks- contrast which they presented to the
1—2

I. CORINTHIANS

[1-4-9

5 of God which was given you in Christ Jesus ; that in every
thing ye were enriched in him, in all Utterance and all
6 knowledge ; even as the testimony of Christ was con-
7 firmed in you : so that ye come behind in no gift ; waiting
8 for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ ; who shall also
confirm you unto the end, that ye be unreproveable in the
9 day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through
1 Or. word.

heathen round them would be most
striking. S. Paul also, no doubt,
desired to encourage them, and
render the blame that must follow
easier to bear. He does not stimu
late their pride by praising them
directly; rather, he tells them how
he praises God for them, and so
reminds them of the One Source of
all good. S. Paul ever speaks very
freely both of his prayers and of his
thanksgivings for others. To do so
both shewed his care for them, and
deepened their sense of the serious
ness of the struggle in which they
were engaged.
4. the grace... Jesus. In this and
the following verses S. Paul looks
back to the beginning of the Christian
hfe of the Corinthians. It was then
that they, Gentiles though they were,
entered into union with Christ, and
so into the enjoyment of God's favour.
5. that.. .knowledge. God's fa
vour had been displayed by the
enrichment of the whole being of
the Corinthians, especially in their
grasp of the Christian revelation
and their power of expressing it
Perhaps the Corinthians had men
tioned this in their letter to S. PauL
8. Paul puts "utterance" before
"knowledge," both because of the
prominence of the former at Corinth,
and because knowledge without
utterance is useless for the edifi
cation of the Church. See chs.
xii-xiv. It was in intellectual

gifts, rather than in faith, hope, and
love, that this church was strong.
Contrast the thanksgiving in 1 Th. i.
2, 3. But S. Paul regards the pos
session of these intellectual gifts as a
cause of thanksgiving, in spite of the
bad use that was often made of them.
6. even as... in you. i.e. by the
power of the Spirit at work among
the Corinthians, and perhaps by
physical miracles. Cf. ii. 4, 6;
Rom xv. 18, 19.
7. so that... gift. The word here
used for "gift" is closely connected
with that used for "grace" in v. 3.
The free favour of God is ever
practical; free favour issues in free
gifts. Of these we shall hear much
in the Epistle.
waiting... Christ. This was a
great characteristic of the early
Church. The word translated "wait
ing for" expresses a deep longing
for the veil, which shrouds the Lord,
to be drawn aside. There is perhaps
nothing in which the modern Church
differs more from the ancient, than
in the general absence of this longing
for the Lord's return.
8. the day... Christ. i.e. the judg
ment day. Thus language applied
to God in the O.T. is in the N.T.
applied to Jesus Christ. In the O.T.,
"the day of the Lord" means the
day in which God will act in judg
ment (Is. ii. 12; Jer. xlvi. 10). But
Jesus Christ taught that it would be

I. 9, 10]

I. CORINTHIANS

whom ye were called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus
Christ our Lord.
10 Now I beseech you, brethren, through the name of our

through Himself that God's judg
ment would be exercised (Mt. xxv.
31 ff.). So in the N.T., the "day of
the Lord" becomes the "day of our
Lord Jesus Christ"
9. God is faithful.. .our Lord.
A continuation of the main thought
of v. 8. The faithfulness of God is
the foundation of Christian con
fidence. He would not have called
us to a share in all the blessings
included in the Lord, if He had not
intended to finish in us the work
begun (1 Th. v. 24; 2 Th. iii. 3).
The fellowship of Christ includes
not only fellowship with Christ, but
fellowship with all who are in union
with Him.
It may be asked, "Does S. Paul
here teach that none of the Corin
thians would fall away from grace?"
Certainly not, as the teaching of
ix. 27 and x. 1-13 will shew. But,
like all good teachers, S. Paul deals
with one thing at a time. When in
ch. x. he is warning his converts of

the danger of falling away, he does
not spoil the effect of his words-
by any reference to the sustaining
power of God. It is enough to say
that God will not suffer them to
be tempted beyond their strength
Here, on the other hand, S. Paul
does not guard his teaching as to
God's faithfulness, by pointing out
how that faithfulness may be made
of none effect by persistent refusal
to obey. S. Paul never discusses the
philosophical question of the relation
of the freewill of man to the grace
of God. Probably it never occurred
to him that Christians would be
found, who would deny the reality
of either. Here the grace of God is
alone in question. The source of our
confidence is, in F. W. Robertson's
words, "not our fidelity to God, but
God's fidelity to us," — the fact that
He will do anything short of
destroying our freedom, in order to
bring us to the salvation to which
He has called us.

The first main section op the Epistle, I. 10-IV. 21.
Dissensions in the Corinthian Church.
This section at first produces a confused impression upon the mind.
The reason is that S. Paul is not satisfied with rebuking the dissensions,
and shewing their inconsistency with the first principles of Christianity; he
deals at the same time with the causes of the dissensions. These were,
firstly, the factious spirit so characteristic of the Greeks, and secondly their
over-estimate of intellectual gifts, and delight in rhetoric and argumentation.
Thus the manner in which the Gospel was presented seemed to them to be
of more importance than the Gospel itself. Their teachers were put into a
wrong position and valued upon wrong grounds, partisanship being the
natural result. Thus, in this section, S. Paul is led to speak of the true
.nature of the Gospel, of the time way of preaching it, and of the true position
of the Christian teacher.

I. CORINTHIANS

[i-

">3

Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and
that there be no divisions among you ; but that ye be per
fected together in the same mind and in the same judge-
11 ment For it hath been signified unto me concerning you,
my brethren, by them ivhich are of the household of Chloe,
12 that there are contentions among you. Now this I mean,
that each one of you saith, I am of Paul ; and I of Apol-
13 los ; and I of Cephas ; and I of Christ. 1Is Christ divided ?
1 Or, Christ is divided. Was Paul crucified for yout

I. 10-17. Exhortation to unity.
10. through the name... Christ.
Le. by all that He is, all that He has
been revealed to you as being. In
the O.T. the "name of God" stands
for God as He has been revealed.
See e.g. Ex. xxxiv. 5-7 ; Prov. xviii.
10. So the "name of our Lord Jesus
Christ" stands for the Lord in His
revealed character and dignity
(Phil. ii. 9). This revelation implies
the unity of behevers, and so S. Paul
here appeals to it. See Jn. xvii.
speak the same thing. Le. profess
the same Christian truth. " Our first
work is — not to arrive at unity,
but — to conform ourselves to the
standard of Divine Truth; just as
the unity of a choir is not gained by
each singer striving to keep in with
his neighbour, but by all following
the prescribed notes of music."
0. P. Eden.
perfected together . ..judgement.
The rents must be healed, and the
Church become one perfect whole.
To have the same mind is to have
the same standpoint, the same general
principles of thought and feeling.
To have the same judgment is to
apply those principles in the same
way, and so reach a practical agree
ment in faith and life. The demand
for unity could scarcely go further.
IL them... Chloe. Chloe was a

name often given to slaves. This
Chloe was probably a freedwoman
of property, and either a Corinthian,
some of whose household had met
S. Paul at Ephesus, or an Ephesian,
some of whose household had lately
visited Corinth.
12. each one... Christ. There was
no one free from these dissensions.
The words "I am of Paul" mean
"I am Paul's man." The Corinthians
were putting their teachers in the
place of their Divine Master. On
the parties at Corinth, see General
Introduction, pp. xxi, xxiL
13. Is Christ divided? RV.
margin "Christ is divided." The
meaning in either case is much the
same. S. Paul's appeal rests upon
the doctrine of the union of the
Church with Christ. Compare xii.
12,13,27. So entirely is the Church
one with her Lord that to divide the
one is to divide the other. Since
there cannot be a divided Christ,
there is no place for a divided Church ;
such a thing is a standing contra
diction to the unity of the Lord's
Person. That is why S. Paul has
appealed for unity on the ground
of the Lord's name (v. 10). The
interpretation given above appears
strange, only because the doctrine
of Christ's union with His Church is
so little grasped. To S. Paul that

L 13-17]

I. CORINTHIANS

was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized into the
14 name of Paul ? 1 1 thank God that I baptized none of you,
15 save Crispus and Gaius ; lest any man should say that ye
16 were baptized into my name. And I baptized also the
household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether
17 I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize,
but to preach the gospel : not in wisdom of words, lest the
cross of Christ should be made void.
1 Some anoient authorities read I give thanks that.

union was far more than a beautiful
idea; it was a great fact, upon which
arguments could be built and
appeals based.
was Paul... name of Paul? It
would seem so when a Corinthian
Christian called himself "Paul's
man" Christians belong to Christ,
both because Christ was crucified
for them, and because it was into
Christ's name, — into union with Him,
as being all that the Gospel declares
Him, — that they were baptized.
To say "I am Paul's man" was to
put S. Paul into the Lord's place.
S. Paul's sincerity and tact are here
most marked. It is his own partisans
that he especially blames, not those
of other teachers, and his own
position that he contrasts with the
Lord's. 14-16. S. Paul thanks God, because
he sees God's Hand in the events of
the past It was the providence of
God, which led him to baptize so few
of his converts. Crispus is men
tioned in Ac. xviii. 8; Gaius in Rom.
xvi. 23; Stephanas again in this
Epistle (xvi. 15, 17, where see notes).
In each case, the persons baptized
by S. Paul himself were of special
importance. S. Paul's conscientious
ness is seen in his adding "the
household of Stephanas," which he

had at first omitted. Inspiration
did not prevent S. Paul from
forgetting that household, when he
dictated v. 14 to his amanuensis;
but he would not allow a state
ment to stand, which was not
strictly true.
17. For Christ... gospel. No dis
paragement of baptism is implied.
So important is it that had S. Paul
personally baptized, it might have
caused misapprehension as to his
position. Only four verses back,
baptism has been put beside the
crucifixion as a ground of appeal.
But baptism had not been specially
mentioned in the commission given
to S. Paul, as it had been in the
commission of the Twelve. Contrast
Ac. xxvi. 16-18 with Mt. xxviiL 19.
It did not require, hke Apostohc
preaching, any special call, or special
gift of the Spirit. S. Paul usually
employed others to baptize for him,
as the Lord employed the ministry
of His disciples (Jn. iv. 1, 2), and
S. Peter that of the Christians who
accompanied him (Ac. x. 48).
not in wisdom. ..void. The Divine
message would only have its full
power, when it was delivered with
absolute directness and simplicity.
These words form a transition to the
next section.

8 I. CORINTHIANS [i. 18
18 For the word of the cross is to them that are perishing
Two points are remarkable in what S. Paul has said as to the duty of
unity,— the depth of the unity demanded (r. 10), aud the ground upon
which the demand is made (». 13). S. Paul asks much more than that the
Corinthian Christians should continue to form one body, and join in
common worship. No outward breach of unity, as far as we know, had
yet occurred. He demands the abolition of all partisanship; "the same
mind" and "the same judgment" are to be in alL And the ground upon
which this demand is made is not as might have been expected, the
necessity of mutual support and common action in relation to the world
outsido the Church ; it is the nature of the Church itself, and the reality of
her union with the Lord (cf. note on v. 13). The unity of the Church does
not depend merely upon the common faith, the common purposes, feelings,
and affections of her members ; still less does it depend upon common
obedience to a visible earthly head ; it depends upon the common hfe, the
life of her Lord, flowing in her veins. But this inner unity ought to find
outward expression. Harmony of thought and feeling ought to flow from
it ; the Church ought to be visibly one, and present an united front. Our
Lord prayed that the unity of the Church might be the means of convincing
the world of His Divine Mission, and it cannot do this unless that unity
is one that the world can see (Jn xvii. 20-23). Without it, the Church
cannot rightly witness to her Lord. Visible unity may coexist with diversity
in many things ; it requires undoubtedly real effort to maintain it (Eph. iv.
3), — the continual exercise of charity, humility, and patience. But no one
has the right to say that it is impossible. And if it be urged that men will
always differ, and take their own way in religion, the answer is plain. Our
Lord does not teach us to acquiesce in human nature as we find it, but
to correct its evil tendencies by His grace. " We," S. Paul says later, " have
the mind of Christ" (ii. 16). "We received not the spirit of the world,
but the spirit which is of God." And that mind and that spirit, if received
as they should be, must produce the unity which our Lord requires. We,
it has been well said, " may not be able to agree at present among ourselves
as to the proper basis of ecclesiastical unity, but we ought to be able to
agree that, somehow or other, Christians are intended by Christ and the
Apostle to be one body, and that the wilful violation of outward unity is
truly a refusal of the yoke of Christ1." Our modern failure to recognise
this is one of our greatest sources of weakness, and we are not likely to
recognise it until we grasp the meaning and bearing of the union of the
Church with Christ Compare Milligan, The Resurrection of Our Lord,
Lect. vl pp. 204-207.
I. 18-25. God's method of sal- simplicity. Two points are made
vation. prominent— the spiritual power of
S. Paul explains why it is that he the Gospel, and its unlikeness to
has preached the Gospel in its naked what men were inclined to demand.
1 Gore, The Epistle to the Ephesians, p. 163.

I. 1 8-n]

I. CORINTHIANS

9

foolishness ; but unto us which are being saved it is the
19 power of God. For it is written,
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the prudence of the prudent will I reject.
20 Where is the wise ? where is the scribe ? where is the
disputer of this 1 world? hath not God made foolish the
21 wisdom of the world? For seeing that in the wisdom of
God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was

1 Or, age

The Jews asked for signs; they
demanded that their belief should
be compelled by startling mani
festations of God's power. The
Greeks sought after wisdom ; they
demanded a brilliant exposition of a
consistent system of thought. Both
alike would have dispensed with
faith. But what God was pleased
to grant was a proclamation of Christ
crucified as the means of salvation
to all who would believe on Him.
So the wisdom of the world was
humbled. Where human wisdom
had utterly failed, the Divine mes
sage succeeded.
18. us which are being saved.
Contrast the translation of the A.V.
here. The salvation of Christians
may be looked at in various ways.
If we are thinking of the perfection
of that work of Christ, which has
won salvation, they are already
" saved " (Eph. ii. 5) ; if we are
thinking of their present spiritual
position, they are "being saved."
That is the thought here. Christians
possess a present and probationary
salvation, which will lead on to final
salvation, if they remain faithful.
But final salvation is still in the
future (Rom. xiii. 11; 1 Pet. i. 5);
that can only be when the Lord
returns.

the power of God. The antithesis
seems at first sight a false one. It
may seem more natural to contrast
with the world's opinion of the
foolishness of the Gospel, the
Church's recognition of its wisdom.
But that is not S. Paul's main point.
It is the spiritual power of the
Gospel, rather than its wisdom, that
he wishes to emphasise. Foolish or
not, it does its work. " L'evangile,"
says Godet, " n'est pas une sagesse,
c'est un salut."
19, 20. The success of the Gospel,
in spite of the world's estimate of it,
is in accordance with God's usual
method. Of old God said that He
would confound men's calculations
by what He would do (Is. xxix. 14).
So it is now. The " wise man," the
Greek philosopher with his subtle
word-play, — "the scribe," the Jewish
teacher with his Rabbinical learning,
— the "disputer of this world," be
he Greek or Jew, — all have had
their boasted wisdom confounded.
Cf. Is. xix. 11 f. ; xxxiii. 18.
21. The thought is closely packed.
The world, Jewish no less than Greek,
had hoped through its own wisdom
to attain to the knowledge of God,
yet ignorance of God characti rised
it everywhere. Knowledge of Uod
implies harmony with His mind and

10

L CORINTHIANS

[I. *i-»5

God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the 'preach-
22 ing to save them that believe. Seeing that Jews ask for
23 signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom : but we preach
2 Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumblingblock, and unto
24 Gentiles foolishness ; but unto 8them that 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 weakness of God is stronger than men.
1 Gr. thing preached. ' Or, a Messiah * Gr. the called themselves.

character (Jer. xxii. 15, 16), and the
world shewednothingof this. Indeed
it was " in the wisdom of God," in
the fulfilment of God's wise purpose,
that the failure occurred, for the
sense of failure prepared men to
welcome the Gospel. Then, when
that failure was manifest, "it was
God's good pleasure" through a
message that the world accounted
foolishness "to save them that be
lieve." The wisdom of the world
was confounded, not only by the
means of salvation employed, but by
the people chosen for salvation. It
was not "the wise," but those who
would make the self-surrender of
faith, to whom the salvation came
(Mt. xi. 25, 26).
22. Developmentofthese thoughts.
The words "ask for" and "seek after"
are chosen deliberately. The Jews
put their demand into words (Jn.
vi. 30), while the Greeks did not.
The Greeks listened to S. Paul,
hoping for something subtle and
brilliant, and when they did not
find it, turned away to seek wisdom
by their own methods (Ac. xvii.
18-21, 32).
23. preach Christ crucified. The
word "preach" or "proclaim" is
emphatic. The Apostles responded
to the demands neither of Jews nor
Greeks; they simply made a pro
clamation of Christ a crucified man.

unto Jews. . foolishness. The doc
trine of a crucified Messiah was the
great obstacle to the Jews in the
way of accepting the Gospel. To
die on the Cross was in their eyes
to die under the curse of God
(Gal. iii. 13), and by a Roman
method of punishment. Thus the
Messiah, instead of delivering them
from the Romans, would seem to
have but illustrated their subjection.
To the Gentiles, on the other hand,
destitute or almost destitute, as they
were, of the sense of sin, the doctrine
of salvation by the Cross would seem
scarce worthy of serious considera
tion. 24. Christ ... wisdom of God.
When once Christ was accepted,
Jews and Greeks found in Him a
perfect answer to their longings.
In Christ, the power of God, that
the Jews desired to see, was found
actually at work among men. In
Him also the Divine wisdom was
seen dealing with perfect success
with the real needs of men. Jews
and Greeks alike found in Him even
more than they had asked. But it
was the power and wisdom of God,
not those of men, that satisfied them.
25. The words "of God" are
emphatic, as in the preceding verse.
The Divine source of the Gospel
is the sufficient explanation of its
power.

I. CORINTHIANS 11
To what then does this section come ? At first sight, S. Paul's words
offend us. He seems to deny to reason its just rights, to glorify at the
expense of personal enquiry the mere acceptance of another's assertions,
and even to regard intellectual depth as something alien to the GospeL In
reality, he does no one of these things. For in the first place, it must be re
membered that "the wisdom of the world," which S. Paul has here in mind,
was the so-called wisdom of the shallow philosophizers of the Empire, and
the Rabbinical hair-splitting of the Jews. The "philosophy" of the time
consisted largely in word-play ; its professors were the true descendants, not
of Socrates and Plato, but of those travelling " sophists " whom Socrates
and Plato so scathingly exposed. What S. Paul contrasts is not faith and
reason, but faith and the demand for marvels or for an intellectual display.
In the second place, to appeal to the faculty of faith is in no way to despise
reason, though it is not to appeal to the reason alone. Faith is an act of
the whole man, and it is to the whole man that the Gospel appeals. The
Apostles made indeed their appeal to the intellect. They established the
fact of the Resurrection by reliable testimony, and shewed its bearing on
the truth of our Lord's claims ; they appealed to the fulfilment of prophecy,
and the proofs to be seen of the present power of the Lord ; S. Paul
especially made great use of argument (Ac. xix. 9). But they did not
appeal to the reason alone. They lifted up the Cross as the great appeal
to the heart of man, and awakened the conscience by the condemnation of
sin which the Cross brings. Then they called upon men to believe, and
yield themselves up to the Lord, on the strength of the appeal which the
Gospel made to their nature as a whole. And this is not irrational. For it
is an entire delusion to suppose that we decide most truly, when we try to
isolate our intellect from our other faculties and decide by the former alone.
We cannot so isolate our faculties, and the result would be bad if we could.
As Pascal said, "Le cceur a ses raisons, que la raison ne connait pas."
Man's nature is rational as a whole. Heart, and mind, and conscience are
meant to work together, and illuminate one another. And faith is the
response of the whole man to a message and to a Person, that appeal to his
nature as a whole. Thus it is that, rational as the Gospel is, it is not
always the most "intellectual" people who accept it. It is rather the
people who have moral and spiritual affinity with the Gospel, the people
whose nature as a whole is soundest, and in whom heart and conscience
have their full play, as well as intellect. " He that is of God," as our Lord
said, " heareth the words of God."
And thus it is also that, in order to lead men to faith, the Gospel needs
to be set forth with great plainness and simplicity. Dogmatic theology,
Christian philosophy and " evidences " have their place, but the preacher
must not begin with either. The first stage must be the offer of and the
acceptance of life. To those who have spiritual affinity with the Gospel, the
Gospel itself is its own best evidence. It is a serious mistake to separate
the " evidences of Christianity " from Christianity itself, as if God had pro
vided us firstly with a religion, and secondly with au extraneous proof of
its truth, instead of giving us, as He has done, a Saviour, whose power,
holiness, wisdom and love claim of themselves our confidence and worship.

12 I. CORINTHIANS [r. «6-i9
26 For behold your calhng, brethren, how that not many
wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble,
27 %are called : but God chose the foolish things of the
world, that he might put to shame them that are wise ;
and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might
28 put to shame the things that are strong ; and the base
things of the world, and the things that are despised, did
God choose, yea 3and the things that are not, that he
29 might bring to nought the things that are : that no flesh
1 Or, ye behold * Or, have part therein
' Many ancient authorities omit and.
The worst way of preaching is by rhetoric and the affectation of philosophy
to draw away attention from the message itself to the person delivering it.
That is what the Greeks of S. Paul's time desired, and, as S. Paul says, it
" makes the cross of none effect." But the appeal of the Gospel is terribly
weakened also, when its preachers appeal only to the intellect, and neglect
to appeal to conscience and heart and will. That renders the Cross of very
little effect. It is not necessary for the preacher to make a map of the
faculties of his hearers, and appeal separately to every one of them. All
that is necessary is to follow 8. Paul in setting forth the Gospel just as it
is. To that appeal our whole nature responds.
I. 26-31. The character of the counted few influential men, few
Corinthian coNVERTa even of the better class of citizens1.
In the preceding section S. Paul The words " after the flesh " shew
has shewn how God's method of that it is the wisdom, power, and
salvation has humbled the pride of nobility of the world, which are
man ; now he shews how God has alone in question. Contrast the
also humbled it by His choice of the spiritual nobility ascribed to the
members of His Church. Beroeans in Ac. xvii. 11.
26. calling, i.e. God's calhng of 27. the foolish things of the world.
men into the Church The idea is The use of the neuter "things "brings
that of an invitation to a feast out the absolute insignificance of
(Mt. xxii. 3 ; Luke xiv. 7). the Corinthian converts. The words
wise after the flesh... noble. The "God chose" are thrice repeated,
words of Jer. ix. 23, 24, quoted in because it is the personal action
v. 31 of this chapter, are already of God, upon which S. Paul is
in S. Paul's mind. The Corinthian dwelling.
church contained but few with a 29. that no flesh... God. The
reputation for wisdom, either of the mighty were humbled because they
Greek or of the Jewish kind ; it did not obtain the salvation that they
1 So, as Prof. Findlay Bays : " Hindoo Brahminism is shamed by the moral
and intellectual superiority acquired by Christian Pariahs."

1. 29-31]

I. CORINTHIANS

13

30 should glory before God. But of him are ye in Christ
Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, aand
31 righteousness and sanctification, and redemption : that,
1 Or, both righteousness and sanctification and redemption

needed; the weak, because they
could not ascribe their salvation to
themselves. The verse points out
the ultimate purpose of God's action ;
He put men to shame, that they
might come to recognise their true
position in His sight. Behind the
apparent harshness, there was a
purpose of love.
30. But.. .Jesus. The word "ye"
is emphatic, — ye with all your dis
advantages in this world. It is
simply by God's action that you are
in Christ Jesus.
who was made... wisdom from
God. i.e. by His Incarnation, Death,
and Exaltation. Christ is Himself
"the Truth" (Jn. xiv. 6); to know
Him, and the revelation of God
contained in His Person, is to pos
sess the truest wisdom of which we
are capable. But S. Paul seems to
mean more than this. Our Lord
has come to us from God, as the
manifestation of the Divine wisdom.
We see in Him and His work God's
wisdom dealing with the real needs
of men (cf. note on v. 24).
righteousness... redemption. The
first two words are closely united
in the Greek The Lord is our
"righteousness," the source of our
continuous acceptance with God,
and our " sanctification," the source
of our permanent consecration to
His service. The last word — "re
demption" — speaks of the Lord as
the source of our complete and
final deliverance from all evil. Thus
in Him all our needs are satisfied.
It is not that He bestows upon us

righteousness, sanctification, and re
demption, as blessings separable
from Himself; we enjoy them be
cause we are " in Christ Jesus," and
so share in His acceptability to God,
His consecration to God's service,
and His perfect freedom from sin
and death. Union with Him is the
one source of all spiritual blessing.
Thus, as S. Paul is here insisting,
all comes of God, not of ourselves.
We can neither make ourselves ac
ceptable to God, nor consecrate
ourselves, nor redeem ourselves ; we
can only accept what God offers us
through union with the Lord.
In this explanation of S. Paul's
language, it may seem strange to
interpret "righteousness" as mean
ing "acceptability to God." But
that is the way in which S. Paul
habitually uses the word. We our
selves use the word in the sense
of " moral excellence," without neces
sarily thinking of the relation in
which we stand to God. But the
Jews had no conception of abstract
morality, or of an abstract law of
right ; their law was the command of
their Divine King. To be righteous
and to be regarded as free from
guilt by the Divine Judge were
inseparable ideas. Thus all whom
God "justified" or received into
His favour would be naturally spoken
ofas"righteous,"whatevertheground
on which God might accept them.
God looks with favour upon Chris
tians, because they are one with His
Son by faith, and such oneness
brings with it moral likeness to

14 I. CORINTHIANS [i. 3«
according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in
the Lord.
Christ eventually, if not immediately. 31. glory in the Lord. Jer. ix.
Christians therefore are, in S. Paul's 23, 24. " Not before Him, but in
sense, all " righteous," and Christ is Him, we can glory " (Bengel).
Himself their righteousness.
S. Paul's words in the preceding passage may be illustrated by the
evidence of the Catacombs and by the Corinthian converts mentioned in
Rom. xvi Their names suggest that they were for the most part freedmen
or slaves. Erastus the chamberlain (Rom. xvi. 33) must have been a person
of importance, but he seems to have stood almost alone. S. Paul glories in
the humble character of the Church, as our Lord Himself did (Mt xi. 25, 26).
The early Christian Apologists gloried in it also. Cf. Origen, c. Celsum, ii. 79.
When the glory and power of the Church are plain, the personal insigni
ficance of her members brings into clearer light the Divine power that is
at work. Compare 2 Cor. iv. 7. And it is God's purpose that this should
be so. " Not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble,"
— that is the general rule of His calling. If none of the great men of the
world were called, it might be supposed that the Gospel had no power
to appeal to the highest natures ; if many were called, the power of the
Church would seem to be nothing more than the power of great person
alities ; the wisdom of God guards against both dangers. On the character
of the earliest Christians, see Merivale, History of the Romans under the
Empire, Vol. vi. pp. 265 ff
But a difficulty occurs here. Is not S. Paul's teaching in this passage
inconsistent with a belief in man's freewill? If God, for His own wise
purposes, did not call the wise, the mighty, and the noble, how can they
be regarded as blameworthy for their rejection of the Gospel 1 This
is a philosophical difficulty, with which S. Paul was too practical to concern
himself. He proclaimed the Gospel to all whom he could reach (Rom. L 14),
he certainly regarded those who rejected the Gospel as responsible for
doing so (Ac. xiiL 46); but when men's rejection of the Gospel was an
accomplished fact, he took note of the high purposes which that rejection
served, and had no doubt that God intended it to serve them (cf. Rom. xi.
11 ff.). The will of man is truly free, though that freedom is confined
within somewhat narrow limits ; but God has not given to man a freedom,
which removes the course of the world from His own providential ordering;
rather God Himself for His own purposes has given freedom to man, and
works out His purposes through that freedom. How He can do so, we
do not know, but the fact that He does so is clear, and to deny man's
freedom in the supposed interest of the truth of God's sovereignty, is really
to deprive God's providence of one of its most wonderful characteristics —
its power of using for its own ends of holiness and wisdom even the evil
for which man himself is responsible.

II. I-4]

I. CORINTHIANS

15

II. 1 And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not
with excellency of 1speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to
2 you the 2mystery of God. For I determined not to know
anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much
4 trembling. And my 1speech and my 3preaching were not
in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of
1 Or, word a Many anoient authorities read testimony. * Gr. thing preached.
II. 1-5. S. Paul's preaching at
Corinth. S. Paul will shew how these prin
ciples of God's action have been
illustrated in his own case. On
the one hand, his message has been
a simple proclamation (cf. L 18-25)
of what God has done ; on the other
hand, in his own estimate, he
himself has been an instance of
the weak and foolish things of the
world confounding the mighty and
wise (cf. i. 26-31). The messenger
resembled the Church which he
founded. 1. excellency... wisdom. S. Paul
made no attempt either to put his
message into magnificent language,
or to commend it by an affectation
of philosophy. He simply "pro
claimed" — gave his message with
a herald's simplicity. This was the
great difference between him and
the travelling professors of the
time. the mystery of God. Many mss.
read "testimony." The difference
in meaning is not great By the
use of the word "mystery," S. Paul
does not intend to convey the
meaning that his teaching was be
yond any human understanding.
The word is frequently used in
the Apocrypha of a royal secret of
state. Such secrets were, of course,
capable of being revealed. And
when S. Paul uses the word, he

generally refers to the counsels of
God, once hidden, but now revealed
in the Gospel. See e.g. 1 Cor. xv.
51 ff.
2. Jesus Christ, and him cru
cified. This does not mean that
S. Paul spoke of the Lord's cruci
fixion only; ch. xv. 1-8 shews that
our Lord's Resurrection was made as
prominent as His Death S. Paul's
subject was Jesus Christ, His whole
Person and Work, — and He a
crucified man. He did not slur
over the Lord's humiliation, but
brought it out in all its startling
character. 3. in weakness... trembling. This
is illustrated by Ac. xviii. 5, 9, 10.
S. Paul went to Corinth immediately
after his partial failure at Athens.
At the best of times, his health
was weak, and he was in some ways
a poor speaker (2 Cor. x. 10 ; xii. 7).
4. persuasive words of wisdom.
There seems a slight emphasis on
"persuasive." S. Paul did not at
tempt to win the Corinthians by
persuasive speaking, while he had
nothing solid to offer.
in demonstration of the Spirit
and of power. Compare xiv. 24, 25.
The characteristic of the preaching
was the forcible conviction, which
it brought with it. The presence
of the Spirit, of a Divine power
in teacher and taught, brought an
absolute conviction of the truth of

16

I. CORINTHIANS

[n. 4-6

5 the Spirit and of power : that your faith should not 1 stand
in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among the !perfect : yet a
wisdom not of this 8world, nor of the rulers of this sworld,
1 Gr. be. '' Or, full-grown
" Or, age : and so in ver. 7, 8; but not in ver. 12.
the message (cf. Jn. xv. 26, 27 ; xvi. eloquence of a preacher or the at

tractiveness of a system of thought,
other teachers and other systems
may draw us away. It is when we
have felt the power of God at work
that we doubt no longer. "One
thing I know, that, whereas I was
blind, now I see" (Jn. ix. 25).

8-12). There may be a reference to
S. Paul's possession of miraculous
powers. 5. that your faith... power of
God. This was God's purpose in
sending both such a message and
such a messenger. While faith rests
upon nothing stronger than the
Does 'then S. Paul forbid the best use of natural gifts in proclaiming the
Gospel ? Not so ; such gifts have their place. S. Paul's natural defects
were involuntary, and he desired to be rid of them (2 Cor. xiL 8). But
the primary duty of a herald is to deliver his message as it is, and of a
witness to make the facts stand out Elaborate diction rather tends to
make a witness suspected. We cannot produce real and permanent faith
by eloquence and philosophy ; only the Spirit can do that The best
preaching is that which delivers most plainly the message which the Spirit
is to drive home. But such simplicity often brings with it the highest
beauty. Perhaps no one has brought out better than J. H. Newman the
evil of "unreal words," and pretentious preaching; yet perhaps no one
has expressed his own message in language of greater beauty. When
natural gifts are there, the greater the plainness, the greater often the
attractiveness1.

IL 6-16. Christian wisdom, and
the power op appreciating it.
In this section S. Paul guards
against a possible misconception.
He might be thought to say that
the Apostles have no deep truth to
reveal. He will shew that this is
not the case, but that the Christian
"wisdom" requires a developed
spiritual character for its apprecia
tion. Thus this section explains
and expands the statement of i. 30,
that Christ was "made unto us
wisdom." 6. we speak. Here S. Paul speaks
of the action of Christian teachers

generally. Contrast ii. 1 and iu. 1.
the perfect, i.e. not morally perfect,
but mature, full-grown Christians, as
contrasted with the "babes" of iiL 1.
the rulers of this world... nought.
These are either (a) human rulers
such as Pilate, Herod, and the great
men of Corinth (cf. i. 27 and ii 8),
or (6) the unseen powers of evil
(Luke xxii. 53; Eph vi 12). The
second vie w is not impossible. S. Paul
thought far more about these powers
than we do. That ignorance is as
cribed in v. 8 to "the rulers of the
world" presents no difficulty. The
knowledge possessed by these unseen

1 C£. J. H. Newman, Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. v. Serm. in.

II. 6-g]

I. CORINTHIANS

17

7 which are coming to nought : but we speak God's wisdom
in a mystery, even the wisdom that hath been hidden,
which God foreordained before the worlds unto our glory :
8 which none of the rulers of this world knoweth : for had
they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of
9 glory : but as it is written,
Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not,
And which entered not into the heart of man,
Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love
him.

powers is strictly limited, as is that
of all created beings; and their
wickedness must blind their eyes to
spiritual truth, as it blinds the eyes
of men. Did Satan, when he tempted
the Lord, understand the mystery of
His Person ? Compare S. Ignatius,
Epistle to the Ephesians, xix. On
the whole, however, the context
supports the simpler explanation of
S. Paul's words here.
7. in a mystery. The words
should be taken with the words
" we speak," which precede. " God's
wisdom" is spoken to men as a
secret not revealed to alL Cf. Mt
xiii. 13 ff.
which God foreordained... our
glory. Cf. Rom. xvi. 25, 26. "Glory"
is the forth-shining of character.
The glory of the Church is the
manifestation of the Divine Life of
Christ Who dwells in her (Col. i. 27;
iii 4). The great scheme of re
demption, which has for its purpose
our possession of this glory, was not
an afterthought of God. It lay
eternally in His counsels. If, on
the one hand, the teaching of S. Paul
humbles man in his own eyes, it
exalts him on the other by the
grand Divine purpose which it re
veals for him.
8. crucified the Lord of glory.
a.

The greatness of the Lord and the
felon's death which He underwent
are put side by side. The phrase
is important, since it contradicts the
Nestorian heresy that two distinct
persons, a divine and a human, were
united in our Lord. It was the
Lord of glory Himself, not a human
person united to Him, Who under
went crucifixion.
Say we that God, unchanged and
undefiled,
In very truth was Blessed Mary's
child,
The Word of Life could seen and
handled be,
The Lord of glory nailed to Calvary's
tree.
The words "Lord of glory" here
mean either (a) the Lord, Whose cha
racteristic quality is glory (Ac. vii. 2),
or (6) the Lord of the glory mention
ed in v. 7 — Le. the Lord, to Whom it
belongs, and through Whom we are
to attain it. Cf. 2 Cor. iii. 17, 18.
There may be areference to Ps. xxiv. 7.
9. A further description of "God's
wisdom." The blessings, of which
it speaks, surpass all that we see
in nature, all of which human words
have told us, all the range of human
imagination. They are present bless
ings, though we wait for their full
fruition in the world to come. S. Paul
2

18

I. CORINTHIANS

[ii.

10 xBut unto us God revealed 2them through the Spirit : for
the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of
11 God. For who among men knoweth the things of a man,
save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the
12 things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God. But
we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit
which is of God ; that we might know the things that are

1 Some ancient authorities read For.

a Or, it

is evidently citing Scripture, but the
words are not exactly found any
where in the O.T., though they
are found in some later Jewish
Apocryphal writings. Probably the
language of Is. lxiv. 4 (Greek version)
and Is. Ixv. 16, 17 is in S. Paul's mind.
If so, it is noticeable, that while
Isaiah speaks of those who "wait for"
God, S. Paul speaks of those who
" love " Him. To wait for God was
the characteristic of God's people
before the Incarnation ; to love Him
is their characteristic now. Cf. viiL
2, 3; xiii. The quotation was sub
sequently adopted in S. Paul's form
into some of the Greek Liturgies
(e.g. that of S. Mark), but the words
are there applied to the joys of
heaven exclusively. Cf. Lightfoot,
Clem. Rom. VoL I. p. 390 note.
10. through the Spirit. We can
know what ancient Israel and Greek
philosophers could not know, because
there is a new means of revelation.
" The Spirit " is contrasted with the
older means of revelation mentioned
in v. 9.
for the Spirit... of God. The
words assert that the Spirit possesses
a perfect knowledge of all the coun
sels of God ; they do not assert that
the Spirit is at first ignorant of those
counsels. In Rom. viii. 27, God Him
self is said to "search" the hearts
of men, because by a living move
ment of His thought He follows all

the intricate play of their minds and
wills. So is it with the Spirit here.
11. The verse points out why
the revelation, of which S. Paul has
spoken, must come by the Spirit
At first sight S. Paul seems to imply
that the relation of the Spirit to
God is the same as that of a man's
consciousness to the man himself.
But it should be noticed (a) that
while he speaks of the human spirit
as " the spirit of the man, which is
in him," parallel language is not used
of the Spirit of God. He is not "the
Spirit of God, which is in God,"
but "the Spirit, which is of God"
(v. 12), i.e. which proceeds from Him,
and (b) that the consciousness of a
man could scarcely be said to "search"
into his counsels, nor could it be the
means of revealing them to others.
To "search" implies personal ex
istence. See the fuller note below.
12. we received. S. Paul looks
back to baptism, when the Spirit
was bestowed. That all Christians
possess the gift, he has no doubt
Cf Rom. viii. 9.
that we might know. ..by God.
The characteristic work of the Spirit
is to enlighten, even more than to
purify (Is. xi. 2). He is, says Gregory
of Tours, the " God of the intellect
more than of the heart." Without
Him all descriptions of " the things
that are freely given to us by God"
must remain mere words.

II. n-i4]

I. CORINTHIANS

19

13 freely given to us by God. Which things also we speak,
not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the
Spirit teacheth ; x Comparing spiritual things with spiri-
14 tual. Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God : for they are foolishness unto him ; and he
cannot know them, because they are spiritually s judged.
1 Or, combining * Or, interpreting spiritual things to spiritual men
* Or, examined

13. Which things also we speak.
The blessings of the Gospel are not
only capable of being inwardly re
vealed ; they can be put into words,
and the Apostles do so put them.
not in words... Spirit teacheth.
From the Spirit comes not only the
substance of the message (v. 10), but
the language in which it is pro
claimed. This is S. Paul's answer
to the sneer mentioned in 2 Cor.
x. 10. Cf. v. 1 above. The assertion
is important, when we are con
sidering the meaning of Inspiration,
either in the Bible, or in the Church.
As Dr Lightfoot has said, "The
notion of verbal inspiration in a
certain sense is involved in the very
conception of any inspiration at alL
because words are at once the in
struments of carrying on, and the
means of expressing ideas, so that
the words must both lead and
follow the thought." This does not,
however, force us to accept any
mechanical theory of Inspiration.
S. Paul's words only apply to the
enunciation of truths revealed by
the Spirit, not to the statement of
facts of history or science. And,
even in the communication of
spiritual truth, it is one thing to
be "taught" the words to be
employed, and quite another to
have those words supernaturally
dictated. In the former case, the
words will still bear the impress of
the teacher who utters them; in the

latter, they will not do so. We may
regard both the language of Scrip
ture, and the language of the great
Creeds of the Church, as divinely
given, without in the least denying
that they bear the stamp of the age
in which they took their rise, or
that the truths which they express
would for the modern world be
better expressed in other ways.
comparing spiritual things with
spiritual. If this be the right
translation, the meaning will be
"bringing out the mutual relations
of the truths proclaimed." But if
S. Paul had wished to introduce
this thought, he would surely have
done so more at length. Thus the
words should be translated, either
(a) "adapting spiritual words to
spiritual things," or (b) " interpreting
spiritual things to spiritual men"
(R.V. margin). The former transla
tion connects the words with what
precedes, the latter with what follows.
14. the natural man... the Spirit
of God. A return to the thought
of L 23. The natural man is the
man, in whom the higher faculties
have not yet been quickened by the
touch of the Spirit
they are spiritually judged, i.e.
they are considered and estimated
by those spiritual faculties which the
indwelling Spirit of God calls into
play. As S. Bernard says, "The
Scriptures must be read by the
same Spirit by which they were
2—2

20

I. CORINTHIANS

[n. 15, 16

15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, and he himself
16 is * judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of
the Lord, that he should instruct him ? But we have the
mind of Christ

1 Or, examineth
formed, and by the same Spirit are
they to be understood." Here, how
ever, S. Paul is speaking of the Word
of God preached by the Apostles.
15. On the one hand the spiritual
man can judge rightly of all things,
for he has the true standpoint : on
the other hand, a man not possessed
of the spiritual faculties cannot hope
to understand a man who possesses
them. S. Paul of course assumes
that the " spiritual man " will exhibit
spiritual character ; as long as his
conduct does not rise above ordinary
morality, it would be gross arrogance
to claim this exemption from criti
cism. S. Paul no doubt has his
own experience in view. The Corin
thians were doubly to blame ; they
rejected the truth which they could
not appreciate, and they condemned
the Apostle, whose principles of action
were beyond their ken. Compare
our Lord's own words in Jn. iii. 8.
That S. Paul does not despise the
opinion of non - Christians in its

* Or, examined
own place is plain from 1 Tim. iii. 7.
But they are better judges of cha
racter than of truth.
16. A justification of the state
ments of the preceding verse. S.
Paul quotes Is. xl. 13, as affirming
the ignorance of the natural man
of the mind of God. But ignorance
of God's mind must bring ignorance
of the mind of those who share it
Thus, since we Christians " have the
mind of Christ" we cannot be judged
by the natural man. At the same
time, the fact that we have the
mind of Christ is the reason why we
can judge all things. Our stand
point must be the true one. It is
noticeable that S. Paul's argument
rests upon the truth that the mind
of Christ and the mind of God are
one. With this whole passage compare
Wisdom ix. 9-17, and our Lord's
language as to the Spirit in Jn. xiv.
17; xvL 11, 13-17.

Three points demand further consideration :
(a) What is this Christian " wisdom " of which S. Paul speaks ? He
has distinguished between two different types of teaching, the one (». 2)
suited to immature, the other (v. 6) to mature Christians (cf. iii 1, 2 and
Heb. v. 11 -vi. 2). There is nothing that S. Paul is unwilling to reveal;
Christianity has no esoteric doctrine confined to a favoured few (Mt. x. 27),
and S. Paul seems to have attempted to impart the deeper truth at Corinth
(iii. 1) ; it is simply that the Christian character must grow pari passu
with the revelation vouchsafed. That which keeps men from the deeper
knowledge is not intellectual weakness, but moral failure. S. Paul's language
may suggest that he had the Greek mysteries in his mind ; when he speaks
of "the perfect" of "the wisdom that hath been hidden," of "the deep
things " of God, he at all events uses language which recalls them ; and

I. CORINTHIANS 21
for initiation into the Greek " mysteries," moral purity was to some extent
required. So S. Paul has to keep back the higher "mysteries" of the
Gospel till he recognises in his converts a character capable of appreciating
them. What these mysteries were, we can see both from this passage,
and from other passages of S. Paul's Epistles. They included (i) the deeper
teaching as to the relation of our Lord to the Father, the world, and
the Church, which we find in the Epistles to the Colossians and to the
Ephesians. Cf e.g. CoL i. 15-20. This is the truth which would have
prevented the rulers of this world, had they known it, from crucifying the
Lord of glory. They included (ii) the deeper teaching as to the universal
Church itself, the providential order by which it has come into being,
its present blessings, and its future development. To possess this teaching
would lead men to " know the things that are freely given " to them by
God. For this see Rom. xL, Eph. ii. and iii., and 1 Cor. xv. 20-28. Thus
the wisdom of which S. Paul speaks is not any superstructure of philosophic
thought raised upon the revelation of the Gospel, nor is it the exposition
of the truths of that revelation in their order and connection ; it is simply
the deeper portion of that revelation itself, the full meaning of which our
Lord promised that the Spirit should shew to the Apostles ( Jn. xiv. 26 ;
xvi. 13-15). Such a revelation lights up the whole universe; it may
encourage a speculation which goes beyond its direct statements; it
demands, as time goes on, and heresy arises, to be logically set forth
in systematic theology; but neither Christian philosophy nor systematic
theology is in S. Paul's mind here. He himself never speculates, and
systematizes but little. Neither was the work of an Apostle. Rather, with
the full revelation before him, which is contained in the Person and Work
of the Lord, he had to watch the spiritual development of his converts,
and declare the truth as they became able to receive it. The simpler
teaching would itself raise questions, to which the deeper teaching would
supply the answers. So had the Lord Himself commanded (Luke xii. 42 ;
cf. Mt viL 6 ; Mk iv. 21-25). Thus the teaching of S. Paul had the same
object as his prayers (Eph. iiL 14-19). First must his converts be
"strengthened with power through" God's "Spirit in the inward man,"
Christ must " dwell in " their " hearts through faith " ; then, and not till
then, "being rooted and grounded in love," would they "be strong to
apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height
and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge."
(6) A difficulty arises, as we read v. 14. If the unregenerate man
necessarily regards "the things of the Spirit of God" as foolishness, of
what use can it be to preach them to him ? Is it not as useless as to
speak of colour to the blind, or of music to those who are without an
ear for it? The answer lies in the twofold work of the Spirit In 1 Cor. ii,
S. Paul speaks mainly of His work in Christians, — in those in whom He
personally dwells. But the Spirit acts also upon those outside the Church
(ii. 4, 5 ; Jn xvi 8-11), and it is in dependence upon Him that the
Christian preacher addresses "the natural man" with hope. Though the
natural man cannot enter into the higher mysteries of the faith, he can by
the Spirit be "convinced of sin, righteousness, and judgment," he can

22 L CORINTHIANS
see his need of redemption, and welcome the Saviour Who is held up
before him. So he will be led on to faith and baptism, and thus to that
indweUing of the Spirit, through which the higher mysteries will become
plain to him.
(c) This passage affords an admirable example of the way in which
the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity appears in Scripture. Cf. Introduction,
pp. xxix-xxxi. That doctrine is never found in Scripture in the systematic
form of the Athanasian Creed. God's revelation of Himself has ever a
practical purpose. He reveals Himself to us, He enters into close relations
with us, in order to redeem and perfect us. For this the Son came, for this
the Spirit was given. But so close has God come to us, that something
of the mystery of His Personal Being has of necessity been revealed. We
study the Son in His Incarnate life, and we see God manifest in Him.
We receive the Spirit, and we find Him a power absolutely Divine. We
listen to the prayers and the teaching of the Lord, that we may learn
of Him what sonship to God means ; and to His promises as to the Spirit
that we may know what to ask and what to expect All is strictly
practical ; and yet, in the very carrying out of God's practical purpose,
we cannot but learn something of tbe hidden nature of God and of the
relations, One to Another, of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost Cf. Mt. xi.
27 ; Jn. v. 20 ; xiv. 16 ; xvL 7, etc. The doctrine of the Trinity, it has
been well said, is not so much heard, as overheard. Indeed, that doctrine
has simply arisen from the Church's determination to be faithful to facts,
and to the Lord's own words. It arises, not from speculation, but from
experience. So it is in the passage before us. It is full of " proof texts."
We see the Divinity of Christ in v. 8, the Personal Being and Divinity
of the Holy Spirit in vv. 10, 11. The mind of the Father, S. Paul teaches,
is open before Him, since He is as truly one with the Father, as our human
spirits are one with ourselves. From the Father He proceeds, as the
medium of revelation and inspiration to ourselves. So again, clear as is
the personality of the Son and of the Spirit, there is no separation between
the Three "Persons." The mind of Christ is in v. 16 assumed to be one
with the mind of God Himself, while w. 10 and 11 teach the same as to
the mind of the Spirit To have the mind of Christ again, is, as the whole
passage shews, the characteristic result of the Spirit's indwelling (cf. Rom.
viii. 9, 10 ; 2 Cor. iu. 16-18). Yet S. Paul does not seem to be consciously
teaching dogmatic theology ; he is but explaining the method of his own
teaching. What lies behind his words is his personal experience (and that
of otheis) of the Spirit's work, and of the unity with the mind of Christ,
which that Spirit had brought about. He knew e.g. that the Spirit searches
the deep things of God, because the Spirit had revealed the deep things
of God to himself. So it was, speaking generally, with the later Church
The great Church writers of the early centuries are very free from the desire
to dogmatize as to the mysterious nature of God. They would have left
it where Scripture leaves it It was heretics, not the Church, who dog
matized. But the Church was obliged to act when heretics made statements,
that were really inconsistent with the Lord's words, and her own spiritual
experience. Her dogmatic decisions are not in intention additions to the

III. 1-6]

I. CORINTHIANS

23

III. 1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as
unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ.
2 I fed you with milk, not with meat ; for ye were not yet able
3 to bear it : nay, not even now are ye able ; for ye are yet
carnal : for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife,
are ye not carnal, and walk after the manner of men?
4 For when one saith, I am of Paul ; and another, I am of
5 Apollos ; are ye not men ? What then is Apollos ? and
what is Paul ? Ministers through whom ye believed ; and
6 each as the Lord gave to him. I planted, Apollos watered ;
faith ; they are rather denials, which heresy had made necessary, of positions
inconsistent with it. Our Lord and the Apostles taught the doctrine
implicitly; the Church, when the need arose, made explicit what was
already contained in their teaching.

III. 1-9. S. Paul's preaching at
Corinth and the true position op
Christian teachers.
The subject of ii. 1-5 is resumed.
The party-spirit of the Corinthians
was a clear proof that the higher
truths of the Gospel must at present
be kept back from them. Thus S.
Paul is led to speak of the true
position of Christian teachers. The
Corinthians were forgetting God's
own activity on their behalf, and
putting their teachers into a wrong
position. 1. as unto carnal. The Corin
thians had received the Spirit but
had not yielded themselves to be
transformed by Him Thus they
were as yet little removed from
the condition of "the natural man"
(ii. 14).
3. are ye not carnal... manner
of men ? The word here translated
"carnal" is not quite the same as
that in v. 1. It conveys perhaps
an even stronger rebuke. The Cor
inthians were not only lacking in
spiritual insight; they were carnal
in conduct and character. To "walk
after the manner of men" is to act

as ordinary men act. Christian con
duct must rise above this.
It should be noticed that S. Paul
does not use the word "carnal"
quite as we do. "The flesh," with
him, stands for more than the body;
it stands for man's nature as a
whole, while he remains destitute of
the Spirit of God. Jealousy and
strife are thus just as much works
of the flesh as drunkenness and im
purity (cf. Gal. v. 19-21). It should
be noticed also how very practical
are S. Paul's tests of spirituality of
mind. If we "have the mind of
Christ," we must share His character.
Spirituality of mind and party-spirit
cannot exist together (cf. v. 4). So
far from divisions among Christians
being "a sign of hfe," they are a
sign that true life is dying away.
Compare the final note on L 10-17.
5. Ministers through whom ye
believed. God is the one object of
faith; Christian teachers are but
His servants, His instruments, to
lead men to faith (cf. i. 13).
and each. . .gave to him, i.e. neither
could effect anything of himself.
The measure of success attained was

26 I. CORINTHIANS [m. 16, 17
16 Know ye not that ye are a 1 temple of God, and that
17 the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ? If any man destroyeth
the : temple of God, him shall God destroy ; for the l temple
of God is holy, 2 which temple ye are.
1 Or, sanctuary ' Or, and such are ye
16, 17. The third warning. It is does not seem to mean either that
possible not oidy to fail to build the the Corinthians by themselves make
Church, but even to mar aud destroy up the one temple of God, or that
it they constitute one temple among
16. Know ye not. ..dwelkth in many. Unfortunately, the transla-
you ? The temple is the dwelling- tion of the A.V. suggests the former,
place of God (see Additional Note), and that of the RV. the latter.
and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit What he means is that the Corin-
makes the Church His Temple (cf. thians, as part of the one temple,
vi. 19). share its sanctity. Cf. note on L 2.
It is difficult in this verse to ex- 17. If the Church is the temple
press the exact force of the Greek, of God, to injure it is sacrilege, and
The words, literally translated, are will meet with the punishment of
"Ye are a temple of God." S. Paul sacrilege.
Thus S. Paul has warned the Corinthians against three dangers, dealt
with respectively in v. 11, vv. 12-15, and vv. 16, 17. A few illustrations
may make his meaning clearer. When, for instance, a preacher uses the
pulpit simply to teach morality, without appealing to specially Christian
motives or calling men to rely upon Christian grace, or when he uses it to
forward his own social or political views, he falls under the first danger.
His work may or may not have a value of its own, but it is not Christian
work, for he is not building upon the one foundation. When, again, though
basing his teaching upon the revelation given in our Lord, he makes a poor
and unworthy use of that revelation,— when, for instance, he wastes the
time of his hearers over abstruse points of controversy, instead of in
structing them in the great doctrines of Christianity and the moral
demands of our Lord, — he falls through the second danger. He is building
unworthily on the one foundation, and nothing that can bear the testing
fire is likely to come of his work But when, so far from building worthily
on the revelation given, he loosens men's hold upon it, — when he explains
away its doctrines, and tries to bring our Lord's moral teaching into
harmony with the practice of the world, — then, so far as his power goes, he
is not only not building the Church, he is destroying it, and the stern words
of v. 17 apply to him. S. Paul himself had to deal with all three types of
teaching at Corinth The Judaizing teaching, which had disturbed the
churches of Galatia, was an example of the first type. It was based upon
the Mosaic law and not upon Jesus Christ at all (GaL v. 1-4, etc.). The
foolish and frivolous discussions, against which 8. Paul warned Timothy
and Titus, were an example of the second type (1 Tim. L 4; iv. 7, 8;
Tit iii 9) ; these were, no doubt, common enough among the Corinthians

III. 18-23]

L CORINTHIANS

27

18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man thinketh that
he is wise among you in this * world, let him become a
19 fool, that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this
world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He that
20 taketh the wise in their craftiness : and again, The Lord
knoweth the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.
21 Wherefore let no one glory in men. For all things are
22 yours ; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world,
or life, or death, or things present, or things to come ; all
23 are yours ; and ye are Christ's ; and Christ is God's.
1 Or, age
also. The third type we find illustrated by the teaching, which is pre
supposed in ch. vi. of this Epistle, — teaching which declared fornication
a matter indifferent Cf. especially vi. 9, 13 ff.

III. 18-23. A further warning
against dependence upon the wisdom
of the world, and human teachers
who were thought to possess it. It
was just this dependence that led
to so much teaching being useless, if
not even harmful.
18. wise.. .in this world. The
pretentious philosophy of the world
(L 20-22; ii. 1) is contrasted with
the true wisdom imparted by the
Spirit, as He interprets the revela
tion given in Christ (ii. 6 ff.).
let him become. . .may become wise.
ie. let him come down from his
pinnacle of conceit, that he may
become really wise. Just as the
first step towards holiness is to
confess that we have none of our
own, so the first step towards real
wisdom is to confess the hollowness
of the world's. No one is likely to
surrender himself to the Spirit's
teaching until he recognises his
need of it.
19. He that taketh... craftiness
(Job v. 13). This is the only direct
quotation from the Book of Job
found in the N.T. The words, as
Edwards says, "bring into promi-

nencethe contrast between the weak
ness and cunning of men and the
strong grasp of God." The boasted
cleverness of men is the very net in
which they are taken. Cf. Ps. v. 11
(Prayer Book Version).
20. The Lord knoweth... they are
vain (Ps. xciv. 11, Greek Version).
The Psalm has "the thoughts of
men," not "the reasonings of the
wise." But what is true of men
generally is especially true of those
who rely upon their own wisdom.
21. all things are yours. Con
trast i. 12, iii. 4. So far from the
Corinthiansbelonging to their human
teachers, those teachers belonged to
them. This was an additional reason
against their priding themselves on
their connection with S. Paul or
with Apollos, or with any other man
Christian teachers are the servants
of the Church, not its masters, or
party-leaders. 22. life or death. Cf. Rom. viii.
38, where, as here, life and death
are almost personified.
23. and ye are Christ 's. i.e. His,
and no one else's. To say "I am
Paul's man" was to forget the true

26 I. CORINTHIANS [m. 16, 17
16 Know ye not that ye are a 1 temple of God, and that
17 the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ? If any man destroyeth
the 1 temple of God, him shall God destroy ; for the * temple
of God is holy, 2 which temple ye are.
1 Or, sanctuary * Or, and such are ye
16, 17. The third warning. It is does not seem to mean either that
possible not oidy to fail to build the the Corinthians by themselves make
Church, but even to mar aud destroy up the one temple of God, or that
it they constitute one temple among
16. Know ye not. ..dwelleth in many. Unfortunately, the transla-
you ? The temple is the dwelling- tion of the A. V. suggests the former,
place of God (see Additional Note), and that of the R.V. the latter.
and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit What he means is that the Corin-
makes the Church His Temple (cf. thians, as part of the one temple,
vi 19). share its sanctity. Cf. note on L 2.
It is difficult in this verse to ex- 17. If the Church is the temple
press the exact force of the Greek, of God, to injure it is sacrilege, and
The words, literally translated, are will meet with the punishment of
"Ye are a temple of God." S. Paul sacrilege.
Thus S. Paul has warned the Corinthians against three dangers, dealt
with respectively in v. 11, vv. 12-15, and vv. 16, 17. A few illustrations
may make his meaning clearer. When, for instance, a preacher uses the
pulpit simply to teach morality, without appealing to specially Christian
motives or calling men to rely upon Christian grace, or when he uses it to
forward his own social or political views, he falls under the first danger.
His work may or may not have a value of its own, but it is not Christian
work, for he is not building upon the one foundation. When, again, though
basing his teaching upon the revelation given in our Lord, he makes a poor
and unworthy use of that revelation, — when, for instance, he wastes the
time of his hearers over abstruse points of controversy, instead of in
structing them in the great doctrines of Christianity and the moral
demands of our Lord, — he falls through the second danger. He is building
unworthily on the one foundation, and nothing that can bear the testing
fire is likely to come of his work But when, so far from building worthily
on the revelation given, he loosens men's hold upon it, — when he explains
awny its doctrines, and tries to bring our Lord's moral teaching into
harmony with the practice of the world, — then, so far as his power goes, he
is not only not building the Church, he is destroying it, and the stern words
of v. 17 apply to him. S. Paul himself had to deal with all three types of
teaching at Corinth. The Judaizing teaching, which had disturbed the
churches of Galatia, was an example of the first type. It was based upon
the Mosaic law and not upon Jesus Christ at all (GaL v. 1-4, etc.). The
foolish and frivolous discussions, against which S. Paul warned Timothy
and Titus, were an example of the second type (1 Tim. L 4; iv. 7, 8;
Tit. iii 9) ; these were, no doubt, common enough among the Corinthians

m. 18-23]

I. CORINTHIANS

27

18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man thinketh that
he is wise among you in this 1 world, let him become a
19 fool, that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this
world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He that
20 taketh the wise in their craftiness : and again, The Lord
knoweth the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.
21 "Wherefore let no one glory in men. For all things are
22 yours ; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world,
or life, or death, or things present, or things to come ; all
23 are yours ; and ye are Christ's ; and Christ is God's.
1 Or, age
also. The third type we find illustrated by the teaching, which is pre
supposed in ch. vi. of this Epistle, — teaching which declared fornication
a matter indifferent Cf. especially vi. 9, 13 ff.

III. 18-23. A further warning
against dependence upon the wisdom
of the world, and human teachers
who were thought to possess it. It
was just this dependence that led
to so much teaching being useless, if
not even harmful.
18. wise.. .in this world. The
pretentious philosophy of the world
(i. 20-22; ii. 1) is contrasted with
the true wisdom imparted by the
Spirit, as He interprets the revela
tion given in Christ (ii. 6 ff.).
let him become. . .may become wise.
ie. let him come down from his
pinnacle of conceit, that he may
become really wise. Just as the
first step towards holiness is to
confess that we have none of our
own, so the first step towards real
wisdom is to confess the hollowness
of the world's. No one is likely to
surrender himself to the Spirit's
teaching until he recognises his
need of it.
19. He that taketh... craftiness
(Job v. 13). This is the only direct
quotation from the Book of Job
found in the N.T. The words, as
Edwards says, "bring into promi

nence the contrast between the weak
ness and cunning of men and the
strong grasp of God." The boasted
cleverness of men is the very net in
which they are taken. Cf. Ps. v. 11
(Prayer Book Version).
20. The Lord knoweth. . . they are
vain (Ps. xciv. 11, Greek Version).
The Psalm has "the thoughts of
men," not "the reasonings of the
wise." But what is true of men
generally is especially true of those
who rely upon their own wisdom.
21. all things are yours. Con
trast i 12, iii. 4. So far from the
Corinthiansbelonging to their human
teachers, those teachers belonged to
them. This was an additional reason
against their priding themselves on
their connection with S. Paul or
with Apollos, or with any other man.
Christian teachers are the servants
of the Church, not its masters, or
party-leaders. 22. life or death. Cf. Rom. viii.
38, where, as here, life and death
are almost personified.
23. and ye are Christ 's. ie. His,
and no one else's. To say "I am
Paul's man '' was to forget the true

28 L CORINTHIANS [m. i8-»s
Master. All things are ours, only He has all, because He is content
if we are Christ's. See below. to belong to the Father (cf. Ja xiv.
and Christ is Gods. The princi- 28 ; 1 Cor. xi 3), and we have all,
pie of subordination extends even to while we are content to belong to
the Lord, and so does the principle Him.
of mastery by willing surrender.
Two questions arise here : —
(a) In what sense is our Lord subordinate to the Father ? He is so,
firstly, as man. Man is the creature and the servant of God (Phil. ii. 7), and
our Lord, in taking on Himself man's nature, took on Himself man's sub
ordination also. This is the explanation of the Latin Fathers. But our
Lord is subordinate to the Father in His eternal being also. For the
Father is the "fount of Godhead," and the Divinity of our Lord is eternally
communicated by the Father, and dependent upon Him. This is the
explanation of the Greek Fathers. Such distinctions, however, belong to
later theology, and are not explicitly drawn by S. Paul When he speaks of
" Christ," he speaks of the One Person of the Incarnate and Glorified Lord.
He, in the unity of His Person, belongs to the Father, and serves Him.
(b) What does S. Paid mean by his bold statement that all things are ours 1
Similar language was used by the Stoics ; all things, they said, belong to
the wise man. But S. Paul's thought is deeper. Man was created to have
dominion over the works of God's hands (Ps. viii. 6), and the seed of
Abraham was to be lord of the world (Rom. iv. 13). Both these promises
find their fulfilment in the Lord Himself (Heb. ii. 6-9 ; Gal. iii 16), Who
has Himself by His exaltation to the throne of God fulfilled the destiny of
man (c£ PhiL ii 9-11). But the position which He has won, He has not
won for Himself alone : all His members share it with Him. The more
closely the Christian identifies himself with the Lord, the more he lives for
Him only, the more he finds himself the lord of all things. If "to them
that love God all things work together for good," all things are the servants
of those that love God (Rom. viii 28). If a mountain is really in the way of
our accomplishing the purpose of God, we may call upon it to be removed,
and cast into the midst of the sea. And the future is more glorious still.
We are " heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" One day the creation
will be delivered from all that mars it, and the sons of God will be
manifested in their full glory as its possessors (Rom. viii. 16-25). Thus
to those who are indeed " Christ's" (v. 23), S. Paul's words are no exaggera
tion, for all that is His is theirs. Paul and Apollos and Cephas are theirs ;
they serve their Master in serving the Church. The world as it is, and as
it will be, life and death, things present and things to come, all are the
servants of Christ and therefore the servants of His people. The Stoic
sought to be a king, by becoming sufficient for himself. The Christian
does not think of isolating himself ; he merges his life in his Master's, and
as he does so, finds that all things rejoice to do him service.

hl x6] I. CORINTHIANS 29
Additional note on III. 16.
The Church the Temple of God.
The thought of the Church as the temple of God is one which lies at the
heart of Christianity. The primary meaning of the word " temple " is not a
place for God's worship, but for God's residence ; a temple is the palace of
the god, whose temple it is. Thus heaven is God's temple (Ps. xi 4), and
when His people build Him a temple on earth, it is that He may per
manently dwell among them (1 Kgs viii. 10-13 ; Ps. cxxxii 1-8). God's
house is of course a "house of prayer," just as the palace of an earthly
king is the place where requests are made to him, but that is a secondary
thought, not the primary one. Thus it was that the Jews looked upon their
temple as a security for their national existence (Jer. vii. 4, 12-14) ; they
could not perish while Jehovah was among them, nor could Jehovah fail to
be among them, while His temple still stood. But then, as the character
of God came to be better understood, two things also came to be recognised.
On the one hand, He could not really be thought of as dwelling in a
material building (Is. lxvi 1, 2) ; on the other hand, He could not be among
His people, unless their conduct was in harmony with His will. So our
Lord said to the Jews, "Your house is left unto you " (Mt. xxiii. 39, R.V.
margin) ; it was their house left to their guardianship, and God's house no
longer. So also at the death of the Lord, the veil that shrouded God's
presence was rent in twain (Mt. xxvii 51); there was no longer in the
Temple a Divine presence to be veiled. And so, once more, our Lord
taught that the true temple of God was His own body (Jn. ii 19); the
Jews would doom their own temple to destruction by crucifying the Lord.
" In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily " (CoL ii 9), and
therefore the body of the Lord is the abiding temple of God. God dwells
in man, by dwelling in Him. And from this it at once follows that the
Church is the temple of God. The Church itself is "the body of Christ"
(CoL i. 18); "in one spirit were we all baptized into one body" (1 Cor.
xii 13); and through our union with the body of Christ, which is God's
temple, we are ourselves members of that temple, and sharers in the Divine
Spirit which dwells in it Thus the union of God with man becomes at
last a reality (compare Lev. xxvi 11, 12 and Ez. xxxvii. 26, 27 with 2 Cor.
vi. 16 and Rev. xxi. 3). We may Indeed speak of a material building as
" the house of God," — our use of O.T. Psalms in prayer and praise makes it
natural to do so; but such language is not found in the N. T.; there the
house of God is the universal Church itself. Cf. 1 Tim. iii. 15.
Thus, in one aspect, the temple of God is already perfect, for it is the
glorified humanity of Jesus Christ In another aspect however, it is a
temple gradually built up through the ages, every Christian being a fresh
stone. Only gradually are men brought into union with Christ's glorified
humanity, and perfected by that union. In the second case the relation of
our Lord to the building may be expressed in two ways. He may (a) be
regarded as the foundation, which marks out the whole plan of the building,
and upon which the whole building rests. Again (6) He may be regarded

30

I. CORINTHIANS

[IV. i-3

IV. 1 Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of
2 Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Here,
moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found
3 faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I
should be fudged of you, or of man's judgement : yea, I

1 Or, examined

' Gr. day.

as the "corner-stone," which gives to the building its stability and unity.
This application of Ps. cxviii 22 took a deep hold upon the mind of the
Church. Our Lord's own teaching in Mt xxi 42 is reproduced in Ac. iv. 1 1,
Eph. Li 20, and 1 Pet. ii 7. In this case, it will be natural to regard
8. Peter, the first to reach real faith in the Lord, as the first stone of the
Church (Mt xvi 18), and as forming, with the other Apostles and the
prophets of the N.T., the foundation of the whole structure (Eph ii. 20;
Rev. xxi. 14). In Is. xxviii 16 the thought of the foundation is combined
with that of the corner-stone, as if the two were identicaL For the working
out of the thought, see Eph iL 19-22 and 1 Pet. ii. 4-7.

IV. 1-5. The true position of
Christian teachers.
1. so account of us. S. Paul is
not here speaking of the Christian
ministry as such, but of Christian
teachers. Thus, on the one hand,
his words cannot be regarded as a
complete account of the functions of
the Christian ministry, nor, on the
other hand, are they applicable to
every member of that ministry. It
seems probable from 1 Tim. v. 17,
that there were presbyters who did
not teach. These could not be de
scribed as "stewards of the mysteries
of God."
ministers  mysteries of God.
Two truths that the Corinthians
were forgetting. Christian teachers
are "ministers," or servants, while
the Corinthians were regarding them
as masters. Cf. iii. 5-9. Again, they
are stewards of God's mysteries, not
originators of a teaching of their
own. The word "stewards" is ex
plained by Luke xii. 42, 43. There
also the Christian steward is spoken
of as a servant. But the title of
"steward" is nevertheless an honour

able one. The steward was a superior
slave, left in charge of the household;
much was entrusted to his fidelity
and good management. Cf. Mt.
xxiv. 45-51; 1 Pet. iv. 10. The
"mysteries of God" are the truths
of the Gospel (see note on ii. 1);
S. Paul's usage of the word is against
there being any reference to the
sacraments. It is the truths of the
Gospel, which God's steward has to
distribute to the subordinate mem
bers of His household.
2. Here, moreover. The words
should perhaps be rather translated,
"Such being the case, it remains
that it is required," etc. Nothing
beyond faithfulness is to be asked of
a steward. "Excellency of speech
or of wisdom" (ii. 1) is not to be
expected. 3. Note the alternative transla
tions of the R. V. margin The Greek
word here used for "judge" means
rather to "examine with a view to
judging." Again the words trans
lated "man's judgement" literally
mean " man's day." As " the day of
the Lord " is the day of God's judg-

iv. 3-5] I. CORINTHIANS 31
4 * judge not mine own self. For I know nothing against
myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that
5 2judgeth me is the Lord. Wherefore judge nothing 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 shall each man have his
praise from God.
1 Or, examine 2 Or, examineth
ment, so "the day of man" is the 5. hidden things... of the hearts.
day of his. The "hidden things of darkness" are
4. / know nothing against my- the facts as to men's conduct, which
self. Cf. Job xxvii. 6, which S. Paul are unknown or forgotten ; the
may have in mind. "counsels of the hearts" are the
not hereby justified, i.e. my final hidden purposes and motives ; both
acquittal has not yet been pro- must be made plain before a just
nounced. The case is still pending. verdict can be given.
he that judgeth... the Lord. Le.the from God. The last word is em-
Lord Jesus Christ. When our Lord's phatic. The true praise can only
"day" is contrasted with a man's come from God, and when all has
day, His Divinity is presupposed. been made known.
Three judgments have been here mentioned; — the judgment which others
pass upon us, the judgment which we pass upon ourselves, and the judg
ment which the Lord passes and will pass when He returns. The first is
to be but very little regarded ; to others the facts are not known, and the
inner motives are hidden. The second, the judgment of conscience, is more
important, but it is not final, for there are facts about our conduct hidden
even from ourselves. A clear conscience is a great ground for hope, but
it is no more (cf. 2 Cor. i. 12 ; Heb. xiii. 18). Only the judgment of the
Lord can be final (1 Jn. iii. 20, 21 ; cf. 2 Cor. v. 9 ; Gal. i. 10). S. Paul
however, did not altogether despise the judgment even of other men (2 Cor.
iv. 2) ; disapproval of their teacher would be a spiritual hindrance to them.
S. Paul's words as to the clearness of his conscience are remarkable.
He is speaking here of his conduct as God's minister and steward, but in
Ac. xxiii. 1, he speaks just as emphatically of the innocence of his life as a
whole. His confessions of personal sin and unworthiness seem always to
refer solely to his life before his conversion (cf. e.g. ch. xv. 9; 1 Tim. i. 12-16).
The explanation may lie partly in the fact that the early Christians were
less introspective than ourselves, and took a healthier view of the Christian
life. But the explanation lies far more in the fact, that in S. Paul's ex
perience the Spirit did give a real victory over personal sin It ought ever
to be so. The true state for the Christian is one of continual self-surrender
to the dictates of the indwelling Spirit, and of continual victory over the
lower nature in consequence (Rom. viii. 1-5 ; GaL v. 16). When life is filled
with God-inspired activity, there is no place for yielding to the lower nature.
The Christian never encounters a temptation which he is unable to resist
Cf. x. 13, 14 and the note there.

32

L CORINTHIANS

[IV. 6-i

6 Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred
to myself and Apollos for your sakes ; that in us ye might
learn not to go beyond the things which are written ; that
no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other.
7 For who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that
thou didst not receive ? but if thou didst receive it, why
8 dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? Already
are ye filled, already ye are become rich, ye have reigned
without us : yea and I would that ye did reign, that we

IV. 6-13. A direct attack upon
the pride op the Corinthians.
S. Paul has taught the true nature
of the Gospel, the true method of
preaching it, and the true position of
the Christian teacher. Now he pro
ceeds to a direct attack upon the
pride of the Corinthians, and iu a
passage full of irony and pathos forces
them to recognise the contrast be
tween themselves and him. No doubt
the tone of the letter sent by the
Corinthians (vii. 1) had shewn how
puffed up they were.
6. these things ...for your sakes.
In speaking of himself and Apollos,
S. Paul has had other Corinthian
teachers in mind, whom he has not
named. But we must not infer from
this that there is no reference to real
parties in L 12. The " Christ party "
reappears in the Second Epistle to
the Corinthians (see especially 2 Cor.
x. 7), and it is plain from i. 13-17
that there was a real party calling
itself by the name of PauL
to go beyond... written. Le. either
(i) to go beyond the general teaching
of Scripture, or (ii) in a general
sense, to " talk without book" The
former explanation is possible, as S.
Paul would regard the O.T. teaching
as to the messengers of God as ap
plicable to Christian teachers. The

Christian teacher, like the O.T. pro
phet, is a "man of God" (cf. 1 Tim.
vi 11). But the latter explanation
seems to suit the context better.
"Not beyond the things which are
written " may have been a proverbial
expression. puffedup.. .against the other. Men
often pride themselves upon adhe
rence to one teacher rather than to
another. 7. S. Paul reminds his converts
of three facts destructive of pride: —
(i) It is God Who makes one man to
differ from another. Cf. xii. 4-11.
(ii) No one is the source of his own
gifts. They are simply from God
(iii) It is absurd to pride oneself
upon what is simply the gift of an
other. 8. Already ...without us. The
words are strongly ironical on S.
Paul's lips, though they may be quoted
from the letter of the Corinthians.
Perfect satisfaction, a share in the
glory and royalty of the Lord, is in
deed what He has promised. Of.
Mt. v. 3-6 ; xix. 28, 29. But such
blessings He promised to the poor
in spirit, to the meek, to those who
hunger and thirst after righteous
ness, to those who make the sacrifices
which He demands. The Corinthians
seemed to think that all this was

IV. 8-i3]

I. CORINTHIANS

33

9 also might reign with you. For, I think, God hath set
forth us the apostles last of all, as men doomed to death :
for we are made a spectacle unto the world, xand to
10 angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye
are wise in Christ ; we are weak, but ye are strong ; ye
11 have glory, but we have dishonour. Even unto this present
hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are
12 buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace ; and we toil,
working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless;
13 being persecuted, we endure ; being defamed, we intreat :
1 Or, both to angels and men

already theirs at the beginning of
their Christian hfe, and without any
sacrifice or discipline at alL Cf.
1 Kgs xx. 11.
yea and I would. ..reign with you.
The final glory and joy are for the
whole body of Christ ; one member
cannot enjoy it apart from the rest.
If the kingdom had already come
for the Corinthians, it would have
come for the Apostles ; the former
could not enjoy it "without" the
latter. Cf. Heb. xi. 40.
9. An explanation of the longing
just expressed. Far indeed are the
Apostles from reigning. Rather they
are hke the condemned criminals
thrown to the wild beasts, the last
spectacle of the gladiatorial shows.
The world, i.e. both angels and men,
are spectators of their sufferings.
S. Paul thinks of the eyes of the
universe as fixed upon the Church's
struggle. Cf. Eph. iii 10.
10. S. Paul will shame the Corin
thians out of their self-complacency,
by shewing the contrast between
them and the Apostles. And there
may be a further point. The Apos
tles are what God means the members
of the Church to be, while the Corin
thians are not. The words used re
call i. 26— ii. 5. The very condition,
G.

upon which the Corinthians pride
themselves, is a proof of their un
faithfulness (cf. Rev. iii. 17). To
faithful Christians the present cannot
be a time of triumph.
wise in Christ. Such is their
Christianity, that no reproach of
folly is brought against them. The
words "wise," "strong" and "glory"
are perhaps quoted from the boast
ful letter of the Corinthians. Cf.
Introduction, p. xxii.
11-13. S. Paul writes from Ephe
sus, and his sufferings there were
very severe. Cf. xv. 19, 30-32, and
the passionate language of 2 Cor.
xL 21-33. S. Paul ever speaks of
his sufferings with perfect natural
ness, and lets us see how keenly he
felt the indignities, which he was
called to bear.
13. intreat. Le. beseech men to
return to better feelings. The con
tinued effort to do good to our
enemies is a higher thing even than
endurance. S. Paul contrasts not
only the sufferings of the Apostles
with the ease and reputation of the
Corinthians, but the humility and
love with which those sufferings
were borne with the pride and bitter
feelings of the Corinthians one to
wards another.

34

I. CORINTHIANS

[IV. 13-15

we are made as the afilth of the world, the offscouring of
all things, even until now.
14 I write not these things to shame you, but to admonish
15 you as my beloved children. For though ye should have
ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many
fathers: for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the
1 Or,
filth... of all things. Cf. Lam. iii.
45, which S. Paul may have in mind.
There may be an allusion to the
Athenian custom of sacrificing crimi
nals as piacular offerings to the gods
in time of calamity. Cf. Prov. xxi.
18, where the Septuagint Version
uses the former of S. Paul's words

refuse here. In that case the thought
may be, that not only are the
Apostles despised, but their lives
are sacrificed to save the world.
But the custom would have ceased
long before S. Paul's time, and the
allusion seems too far-fetched for a
passage so full of emotion as this one.

In the preceding passage, S. Paul does not seem to have had any part
of our Lord's teaching specially in mind, and yet that teaching is recalled to
us again and again For our Lord states the true position of His followers
as S. Paul does. The great promise of Mt. xvi. 18, 19 is followed at once
by the warning, " If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross and follow Me. For whosoever would save his life
shall lose it : and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake shall find it "
(Mt. xvi 24, 25). It was the condemned criminal who bore the cross, and
this is the very figure of which S. Paul makes use in v. 9. Again, vv. 8-13
reproduce the thoughts of Luke vi. 20-26. Such coincidences do not seem
due to conscious reminiscence; it is simply that the mind of the Spirit is
the same, whether in the Master, or in the disciple. The truth, that the
sign of union with Christ is the reproduction, and not the avoidance, of
His earthly experience, is one which ever needs emphasising afresh.

IV. 14-21. S. Paul the father
op the Corinthian converts. The
action which he contemplates in
the future.
14. / write not these things to
shame you. The sudden change of
tone is characteristic of S. PauL
Cf. Gal. iv. 19, 20.
15. ten thousand tutors. A hint
that the Corinthians had far too
many teachers.
in Christ Jesus... through the gos
pel. S. Paul was the spiritual father
of the Corinthians, but not by his
own power. The work was doue

"through the Gospel" as the instru
ment (Jam. i. 18 ; 1 Pet. i. 23) ; and
"in Christ Jesus" as the source of
the new hfe, and the element in
which it was lived. The verse implies
that little or nothing of the work of
evangelisation at Corinth had been
done by the teachers who followed
S. PauL Apollos was a help to those
who had already believed (Ac. xviiL
27, 28), and the Judaizing teachers
seem as a rule to have done little
more than attempt to draw to their
own views the converts of other
teachers.

rv. ij-n]

I. CORINTHIANS

35

16 gospel. I beseech you therefore, be ye imitators of me.
17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timothy, who is my
beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who shall put you
in remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, even as I
18 teach everywhere in every church. Now some are puffed
19 up, as though I were not coining to you. But I will come
to you shortly, if the Lord will ; and I will know, not the
20 word of them which are puffed up, but the power. For
21 the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. What
will ye ? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love and
a spirit of meekness ?

16. A father naturally expects
his children to follow in his steps.
17. If the Corinthians are to
follow their father, they need re
minding of his ways. It was a re
proach to the Corinthians that such
reminding had become necessary.
What those ways were S. Paul has told
us in the preceding portion of the
Epistle, especially in iv. 9-13. Hu
mility and self-sacrifice were the chief
characteristics of his hfe. If S.Paul's
words in this and similar passages
seem lacking in humility, it must be
remembered that a missionary must
of necessity shew the meaning of the
Christian life by his own practice.
That life cannot be regarded as
already known, nor can mere words
describe it Cf. xi. 1. The Lord is
the great example, but it is the lives
of the saints that bring home His hfe
to men. Cf. PhiL iii. 17; 1 Th i. 6.
have I sent unto you Timothy.
Cf. xvi 10 ; Ac. xix. 22. The former
passage makes it clear that Timothy

Corinth. He was apparently to reach
Corinth by the land route through
Macedonia, while the Epistle would
go by sea. The Corinthians are
described as "beloved children"
(v. 14), Timothy as a "beloved and
faithful child." The faithfulness of
the latter will be an example to the
former. 18. Cf. 2 Cor. x. 9, 10. It seems
to have been thought that S. Paul
did not dare to come. Cf. also
2 Cor. i. 15-17.
19. / will know. Le. I will take
account of. The pretentious philoso
phy of your self-satisfied teachers will
be of no account; the Divine power
will be everything. Cf. ii. 4 (note).
21. a spirit of meekness. This
perhaps means more than a disposi
tion of meekness. S. Paul reminds
us that meekness is one of the results
of the indwelling of the Spirit of
God. Cf. 2 Cor. iv. 13 ; Eph i 17.
This verse perhaps takes up the
thought of v. 15. The tutor comes
with the rod, the father in love.

was not to go with the Epistle to
We find in v. 20 one of those great principles to which S. Paul so often
appeals. Others are found in vii. 19 and xiv. 33. The kingdom of God has
ever rested upon the power of its King. The kingdom of God is the sphere
in which God Himself rules, protects and blesses. It was this kingdom,
which our Lord brought, and the presence in Him of a Divine power, the
power of the Spirit, at work among men, was the sign that He had brought
it (Luk. xi. 20; cf. Luk. v. 17, etc.). But this Divine power was not exer-
3—2

36 I. CORINTHIANS
cised by the Lord alone ; even during His earthly life, He gave a share of
it to His Apostles (Luk. ix. 1), and before His Ascension, He promised it as
the abiding possession of the Church (Luk. xxiv. 49). It is on this power,
the power of the Spirit, that the Church ever depends. Its manifestations
may be very different, one from another (cf. xii. 7-11), but the power itself
is one. If then we ask, whether S. Paul speaks in v. 19 of miraculous power
or not, the answer must be that he is not thinking of miracles as such,
though miracles may be one manifestation of the power. He is speaking
of the presence of the Holy Ghost given both to the Church as a whole,
and to each of her faithful members for the special work which he is called
to do. The Corinthian teachers, of whom S. Paul has spoken, might have
great natural powers of attracting men, but their activity had nothing
supernatural about it, and so did nothing to raise men above the level
of nature. S. Paul, on the other hand, might be destitute of their powers
of attraction, but in his activity there was a Divine power at work, whether
he were evangelising the heathen, or teaching the Church, or exercising
discipline over her unworthy members. If miracle were necessary, it
would not be absent; in any case, the Divine power that was at work
would prove adequate to any need which could arise, and those who had
derided S. Paul might well shrink from contact with it. Cf. 2 Tim. L 7.
On the kingdom of God, see Additional Note on vi. 10.
Second section of the Epistle. Chs. V.-X.
Moral Questions.
This section includes :
(i) S. Paul's denunciation of gross sins tolerated by the Corinthian
church, chs. v. and vi (ii) A discussion of various moral problems upon
which his opinion seems to have been asked, chs. vii.-x.
The case of incest, ch. v.
The low moral standard of the first Gentile converts was one of the
great difficulties of the early Church. Low as the actual practice of the Jews
might be, the Mosaic law held up a moral ideal, which rose far above that
of the Gentile nations. Among the latter, fornication was scarcely regarded
as morally blameworthy, while the very vilest immoralities were at least
tolerated. When, therefore, Gentiles were freely admitted into the Church,
without the obligation of obedience to the Mosaic law being imposed upon
them, there was a serious danger that the moral standard of the Church
might fall below that of the Jews. This danger was dealt with in two ways.
In the first place, a warning against fornication was inserted among the
disciplinary arrangements for Gentile Christians made at the Conference
of Jerusalem (Ac. xv. 29) ; and, in the second place, S. Paul himself points
out again and again, especially in this Epistle, the utter inconsistency of
impurity with the spiritual position of the Christian (see below on vi.
12-20). In the case, however, with which the Apostle has to deal in
ch. v., he is in no diflSculty ; the sin which he condemns was condemned
even by the heathen themselves.

V. i-4]

I. CORINTHIANS

37

V. 1 It is actually reported that there is fornication
among you, and such fornication as is not even among the
2 Gentiles, that one of you hath his father's wife. And 1je
are puffed up, and 2did not rather mourn, that he that had
done this deed might be taken away from among you.
3 For I verily, being absent in body but present in spirit,
have already, as though I were present, judged him that
4 hath so wrought this thing, in the name of our Lord Jesus,
ye being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power

1 Or, are ye puffed up ?

Or, did ye not rather mourn, . . .you 1

V. 1. hath his father's wife. The
strength of S. Paul's language seems
to imply that the father was still
living, though he may have been
separated from his wife. Such in
cest was forbidden to the Jews upon
pain of death. Cf. Am. ii. 7. Nothing
is here said as to the guilt of the
woman : evidently she was not a
Christian Cf. v. 12.
2. ye are puffed up ... mourn.
The word "ye" is emphatic. "You —
of all churches in the world — are
puffed up." Cf. iv. 8, 19. S. Paul
would have had them "mourn" as
for the dead over the incestuous
member of their church, and over
the degradation of that church by
his conduct. Cf. 2 Cor. xii. 21.
that he... away from among you.
A true grief would have issued in
the removal of the offender from
the Christian body (v. 13). That is
the value of grief, — that it stirs us
to action. Excommunication can
only have its full effect, when it
is felt to proceed from the outraged
corporate conscience of the Church
3. i" verily... present in spirit.
Cf. 2 Kgs v. 26; CoL ii 5. The
meaning is more than that S. Paul's
thoughts are with the Church. The
"spirit" of a Christian is not con

fined as his body is. He is one
with all other Christians in the body
of Christ, and this unity is a practical
reality, though it transcends our
thought. Cf. v. 4.
4. The arrangement of theclauses
is uncertain, though the general
meaning is clear. It is perhaps
best to connect the words "in the
name of our Lord Jesus" with the
words "to deliver such a one unto
Satan," and to regard them as part of
the actual form of words, which would
be used in pronouncing the judg
ment. In this case, the intervening
clauses will form a parenthesis.
ye being gathered together... our
Lord Jesus. S. Paul has already
passed judgment by his Apostohc
authority, but he calls upon the
Corinthian church to associate itself
with, and carry out his sentence.
Cf. Ac. xv. 22, 23 and 2 Cor. ii. 6.
But the action of S. Paul and the
Church is not simply their own ; it
is " in the name of our Lord Jesus."
By His authority and with His
power will the sentence be pro
nounced. Cf. Mt. xviii. 18-20, where
we find our Lord authorizing the
Church to act in His name. See
fuller note at the end of this
chapter.

38

I. CORINTHIANS

[V. +-6

5 of our Lord Jesus, to deliver such a one unto Satan for
the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved
6 in the day of the Lord 1 Jesus. Your glorying is not good.
1 Some ancient authorities omit Jesus.

5. to deliver... day of the Lord
Jesus. Strange as these words may
Bound, they are entirely consistent
with the BibUcal view of the cha
racter and activity of Satan. Modern
Christians tend to think of Satan in
one of two ways, neither of which
is consistent with the teaching of
Scripture. Either his personal exis
tence is denied, and he is regarded
simply as a personification of evil ;
or else he is regarded as a gigantic
force, practically omniscient and
omnipresent, and almost exempt
from the rule of Almighty God.
But the latter view is as unscriptural
as the former. From the first men
tion of Satan in Scripture to the last
he is regarded as having a real func
tion in the fulfilment of the Divine
purpose. Hostile to God and man
as he may be, his very hostility
is useful in the testing and training
of man. In a sense, God Himself
ordains that hostility. "I will put
enmity between thee and the woman,
and between thy seed and her seed "
(Gen. iii. 15). The power of Satan,
and doubtless his knowledge also,
are strictly limited, as are those of
all created beings, and nothing is
permitted to him but what can be
overruled for good to those who love
God. This comes out most plainly
in the Book of Job. There Job is
given over to Satan, to be tested by
severe temporal suffering (Job ii 6).
The action of Satan is malicious, but
God has a wise purpose in per
mitting it The thought in Luk
xxii 31 seems to be exactly the same,
there being probably a tacit refer

ence to Job's experience. And not
only so ; suffering generally seems
to be regarded in the N.T. in a
similar way. On the one hand, the
action of the personal power of evil
is seen in it (Luk xiii. 16 ; 2 Cor.
xii 7), and Satan is even said to
have "the power of death" (Heb. ii.
14); on the other hand, suffering
serves God's wise purposes (Jn. ix.
3), and we are to see in it God's
chastening hand (Heb. xii 7). But
in the N.T. another thought appears.
"To this end was the Son of God
manifested, that He might destroy
the works of the devil" (1 Jn iii. 8),
and our Lord does this not only by
delivering men from sin, but also by
delivering them from the suffering
which Satan's malice has produced
(Ac. x. 38). For those who enter
the Church of Christ, and five in
union with Him, Satan is bound
(Rev. xx. 2); to be "translated into
the kingdom of the Son" is to be
" delivered out of the power of dark
ness" (Col. i. 13), and for the Church,
Satan is a beaten foe. Cf. Luk xL
20-22. From this point of view,
S. Paul's words present no difficulty.
The Corinthians are to "put away
the wicked man from among " them
selves (v. 13), to solemnly sever him
from the communion of the faithful
so that he is once more "as the
Gentile" (Mt. xviii. 17). Thus he
will pass back once more to that
sphere where the power of Satan is
comparatively unchecked, and Satan,
S. Paul is sure, will make use of his
opportunity. The man will die,—
"destruction of the flesh" cannot

V. 6, 7]

I. CORINTHIANS

39

Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole
7 lump ? Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new
lump, even as ye are unleavened. For our passover also

well mean less than this, — but that
is not all. This awful judgment may
be overruled by God to the saving
of the man's soul " in the day of the
Lord Jesus." It is the one hope
left Cf. xL 30-32; Ac. v. 1-11. In
the former passage, the teaching is
the same as here. "Not a few
sleep," — death has been the punish
ment for the profanation of the
Eucharist, — but nevertheless " when
we are judged, we are chastened
of the Lord, that we may not be
condemned with the world." There
is a purpose of love behind. Cf.
R. Browning, The Ring and tlie
Book, The Pope, IL 2117-2129.
For the main criminal I have no hope
Except in such a suddenness of fate.
I stood at Naples once, a night so
dark
I could have scarce conjectured there
was earth
Anywhere, sky or sea or world at all :
But the night's black was burst
through by a blaze —
Thunder struck blow on blow, earth
groaned and bore,
Through her whole length of mountain
visible :
There lay the city thick and plain with
spires,
And, like a ghost dissbrouded, white
the sea.
So may the truth be flashed out by
one blow,
And Guido see, one instant, and be
saved.
Else I avert my face.
On the action of both God and
Satan in human suffering, cf. 1 Sam.
xvL 14 and Rev. ix. (comparing
v. 1 with v. 11, and vv. 13 and 14

with v. 17). In the latter passage,
the thought is set forth in a symbolic
form. It should be noticed, in con
clusion, that what is to be destroyed
is " the flesh," not " the body." "The
flesh " expresses the material aspect
of the body exclusively. " The body "
itself is to be raised up. Compare
the teaching of vL 12-20 and xv.
35-50. 6. a little leaven ...lump. A
reason why the "glorying" of the
Corinthians is not good. In face
of this case of incest, they could
not have gloried, had they remem
bered the corporate character of
the Church, and that the sin of one,
if tolerated, affects the whole body.
Leaven is a symbol of what is evil,
as always in Scripture, except in
Mt. xiii. 33 and Luk. xiii. 21.
7. Purge out... a new lump.
An allusion to the putting away of
all leaven from a Jewish house,
before the Passover (cf. Ex. xii. 15).
Here "the old leaven" is the evil
of the old corrupt heathen life, and
the "new lump" of dough the
Church in her new regenerate life.
Cf. Eph. iv. 22-24 and CoL iii. 10.
even as ye are unleavened. Le.
by your position as members of
Christ. The Church is spoken of,
as she is in the Divine idea and
purpose. Cf. the language in which
the Corinthians are described in i. 2.
Holiness is of necessity a character
istic of the Church, since the Church
is the body of Christ But the
Church as a whole, and each member
in particular, are to become actually
what they already are ideally. The
other great "notes" of the Church, —

40

L CORINTHIANS

[V. 7-9

8 hath been sacrificed, even Christ : wherefore let us Jkeep
the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of
malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of
sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote unto you in my epistle to have no company with
1 Gr. keep festival.
unity, catholicity, and apostolicity, — seems better than to suppose that
are, like holiness, ideal rather than he refers primarily either (i) to the
Eucharist, or (ii) to the Easter
festival, which was drawing near
when he wrote.
malice and wickedness. Both are
general words for evil, the former
referring to evil as it is in itself,
the latter to evil as it is in its
relation to others. No doubt the
special sin of incest is in S. Paul's
mind, but his words have a wider
application. The Church must purge
herself of all evil, if her true life is
to be what it should be.
sincerity and truth. The dis
tinction in meaning between these
two words seems well expressed by
Edwards. Sincerity, he says, is " the
harmony of our words and actions
with our convictions," truth "the
harmony of all these with reality."
The conduct of anybody may be
sincere, but the conduct of Chris
tians alone can be true, since they
only know the spiritual realities
with which all thought and action
must be harmonised.
9. in my epistle. Le. in an earlier
Epistle written to the Corinthians,
and now lost to us. The arrangement
of paragraphs in the RV. makes
S. Paul begin a new paragraph at this
point. This seems to be an error,
since the last clause of v. 13 shews
that the case of incest has been in his
mind all through He is pointing out
that this toleration of the grossest
evil is all the more heinous, since
he had expressly forbidden the

actual characteristics of her, as she
now is. But all ahke might be
realised, and ought to be. The
new Jerusalem of Rev. xxL is an
ideal, for whose practical reahsation
in the Catholic Church we are ever
to strive, and to which we are ever
to approximate.
For our passover ...Christ. A
fresh reason for purging out the old
leaven We, as well as the Jews,
must keep a Passover feast The
thought of Christ as the true Pas
chal Lamb appears in Jn xix. 36.
His Blood, His Life yielded for and
imparted to men, is the means of
the Christian salvation, as the blood
of the Paschal Lamb was of the
salvation from the greatest of the
plagues of Egypt (Ex. xiL 13). If,
as seems most probable, our Lord's
death took place upon the fourteenth
day of the month Nisan, the Paschal
lambs would have been slain while
our Lord was on the Cross.
8. wherefore let us keep the feast.
S. Paul, as Prof. Milligan says, speaks
of the whole Christian hfe. "Be
cause the Lamb slain for behevers
is, not once a year only but for ever,
in the presence of the Father, the
Christian life also is not confined
to stated seasons, but goes on from
year to year, from day to day, from
hour to hour. Over the whole of it
a festival light is thrown. The
Christian passover never ends." To
explain S. Paul's words in this way

v. 9-13] I. CORINTHIANS 41
10 fornicators; ^ot altogether with the fornicators of this
world, or with the covetous and extortioners, or with
idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world:
11 but 2now I write unto you not to keep company, if any
man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or
an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner ;
12 with such a one no, not to eat. For what have I to do
with judging them that are without? Do not ye judge
13 them that are within, whereas them that are without God
judgeth? Put away the wicked man from among your
selves.
1 Or, not at all meaning the fornicators dtc. a Or, as it is, I wrote
Corinthians to tolerate even forni- with the heathen. This would have
caters in the Church. involved unfaithfulness to an im-
11. The translation of the R.V. portant principle, which the next
margin seems the better,— "as it is, clause enunciates. The Church is
I wrote unto you." S. Paul points to exercise discipline over those who
out the true meaning of the words, are by their own choice her members,
which he had previously used. No but over no others.
member of the Church must have Do not ye judge. S. Paul's thought
anything to do with those who, passes from his own action to that
bearing the Christian name, are yet of the Corinthian church (cf. vv. 3
guilty of gross sin. The stern view and 4). The whole body must exer-
that the Apostle takes of " covetous- cise judgment, and must exercise
ness" and of "abusive language" is it with the same limitation as that
remarkable. with which S. Paul exercises it.
12. them that are without, i.e. 13. Put away... your selves. An
non-Christians. Cf. Col. iv. 5 ; 1 Th abrupt, urgent command, couched
iv. 12. These words are added to in the words of Deut. xxiL 21.
shew that S. Paul could not have There also the words are used of
meant to forbid any intercourse the unchaste. Cf. v. 2.
The foregoing chapter gives the most important N.T. example of
excommunication. Other instances are found in 1 Tim. i. 20 and Tit iii. 10
(in both of which cases the excommunication is for heretical teaching),
while examples of somewhat less stringent methods are found in 2 Th. iiL
6-15 and 2 Jn. 10, 11. Again, in 2 Cor. ii. 5-11, we have an example of
the restoration to the Church of one upon whom stringent discipline had
been exercised1. That the Church must have the power, to expel from

1 The offender spoken of in 2 Cor. latter was to be death. See note on
ii. 5-11 cannot be the same as the v. 5. (ii) It seems clear on many
offender of 1 Cor. v. for the following grounds that S. Paul sent a letter
reasons, (i) The punishment of the to Corinth, which has been lost, be-

42 I. CORINTHIANS
her fellowship those who wilfully set at nought her principles, follows from
the very nature of the Church. The Church is a spiritual society, a spiritual
kingdom, with definite laws and a definite purpose of her own, and charged
with a definite truth to be taught and handed on. Her gates stand ever
open (Rev. xxL 13, 25) to all however ignorant and sinful who will but
repent and believe the GospeL But the wider her welcome, the greater
the need for the careful exercise of discipline over her members. She
cannot fulfil the Divine purpose for her, if she tolerates either conduct
or teaching in her members, which wilfully and persistently sets at nought
the very ends which she exists to serve. So the words of the Lord in
Mt. xviii. 15-18 anticipate that His Church will exercise the power of
excommunication, as the Jewish Church had done (cf. Ezr. x. 8 ; Luk vL
22 ; Jn. ix. 22, etc.). Thus far the action of the Church, in dealing with
her unworthy members, is parallel to the action of other societies in dealing
with theirs. But exclusion from the Church is a far more terrible penalty
than exclusion from any other society can be. For the Church is the Body
of Christ ; Christ and His Church are one ; and therefore under normal
conditions to be excluded from the Church is to be excluded from Christ
Himself. No doubt, the powers of the Church may be used mistakenly and
even unfaithfully (cf. 3 Jn 10) ; no doubt also, the miserable divisions of the
Church of Christ greatly complicate the whole question ; but nevertheless,
as this passage shews, when the Church acts as she ought to act, she acts
"in the name of our Lord Jesus," and exercises her discipline by His
authority, and "with the power of our Lord Jesus" (cf. Mt. xvi. 19 ; xviii.
18 ; Jn xx 22, 23). He Himself ratifies what she does.
How necessary was the exercise of this power in the early Church,
the present passage makes sufficiently clear. In the terrible moral atmo
sphere of such a place as Corinth, and with converts to be dealt with, many
of whom had lived previously in the grossest vices, scandals could not but
arise. Had there been no power of dealing with the offenders, the Church
could not have continued her existence as a spiritual society at all. The
same is the case in missionary work to-day. Fearful as such judgments
as those upon Ananias and Sapphira, and upon the Corinthian offender
may seem, they were surely necessary to bring home to men the awfulness
of wilful sin, in that Church which is the Body of Christ and the temple
of the Holy Ghost (cf. Ac. v. 3, 4). If among ourselves the power of
excommunication sleeps, this arises partly from the connection of the
Church with the State, and the confusion which that has occasioned
between ecclesiastical and civil penalties, and partly from our habitual
failure to grasp the real nature and purpose of the Church, and the
holiness demanded by membership in her. The practice of excommunica
tion must be restored. It is true, indeed, that among ourselves, those

tween the time of the despatch of (iii) The language of 2 Cor. ii. 5-11
1 Oor. and that of the despatoh of seems to shew that the offender spoken
2 Cor. The references in 2 Cor. to of had been guilty of gross misconduct
a previous letter of S. Paul's are towards S. Paul personally.
to the lost letter, not to our 1 Cor.

VI. i, »]

I. CORINTHIANS

43

VI. 1 Dare any of you, having a matter against 1his
neighbour, go to law before the unrighteous, and not
2 before the saints ? Or know ye not that the saints shall
1 Gr. the other.
known to be guilty of gross sins of impurity do not ordinarily claim to
be practically regarded as Christians. There are unhappily exceptions
even here. King George IV. was allowed by the Bishops of the Church
of England to communicate at his coronation. But the same is not the
case with those guilty of other sins. Covetousness, to take one instance,
is in this chapter regarded by S. Paul as necessarily excluding from
Christian fellowship. Yet no objection is offered, when those who no
toriously are making fortunes by methods, which bring untold suffering
upon others, claim the Christian name and Christian privileges. Now this
is quite intolerable. If there are diflSculties in the way of the revival of
discipline, they must be surmounted. What is needed is not an increase
in the power of the clergy, but a new recognition by all members of the
Church of what church fellowship really means and what it demands.
The exercise of disciphne, as this chapter shews, should be the act of clergy
and laity together, and there can be no full and satisfactory church life
while it remains in abeyance.

VI. 1-11. Lawsuits in heathen
courts. A lawsuit may have arisen out of
the case of incest. In any case, the
subject might naturally be suggested
by S. Paul's words in v. 12. In a
great commercial city hke Corinth
there would be many opportunities
for dishonesty, and the Greeks, like
the natives of India to-day, were
extremely litigious. How then were
Christians to act ? The Jews living
in heathen cities were accustomed
to decide the cases which arose
among them by courts of their own,
for in heathen courts it was difficult
to avoid heathen observances. More
over, it was said by the Rabbis that
"He who brings lawsuits of Israel
before a heathen tribunal profanes
the Name and does homage to idol
atry; for when our enemies are
judges (Deut. xxxiL 31) it is a testi
mony to the superiority of their
religion." It was true that the Cor
inthian Jews had not been faithful

to this principle in S. Paul's own
case (Ac. xviii. 12-17), but Christians
at any rate ought to have held to it,
and they had not done so. Thus the
scandal was exhibited of men, who
professed the religion of holiness
and love, nevertheless appealing to
heathen courts to punish their dis
honesty one towards another.
1. Dare any of you... before the
saints? "Matter" means "lawsuit,"
and " his neighbour " means a fellow-
Christian. The "unrighteous " mean
the heathen, the Jews being accus
tomed so to describe them, while
"the saints" are the members of
the Church (i. 12). S. Paul speaks
almost as strongly as in v. 1. There
was a palpable absurdity in seeking
justice from the unjust If any
matter were in dispute among Chris
tians, it was for Christians to settle
it Cf. Mt xviii 15-17.
2. know ye not. These words
occur six times in this chapter.
The Corinthians were proud of their

44

I. CORINTHIANS

[VI. 2-4

judge the world? and if the world is judged by you, are
3 ye unworthy Ho judge the smallest matters ? Know ye
not that we shall judge angels? how much more, things
4 that pertain to this life ? If then ye have 2to judge things
pertaining to this hfe, 3do ye set them to judge who are of
1 Gr. of the smallest tribunals. '' Gr. tribunals pertaining to.
3 Or, set them... church.

knowledge, and yet acted as if they
were ignorant of elementary Chris
tian truths.
the saints shall judge the world.
S. Paul treats this as a well-known
truth. To judge is part of the office
of a ruler, and the Jews, who looked
forward to ruling the nations at the
coming of the Messiah (Dan. viL 18)
naturally expected to judge them
also (Dan. viL 22; c£ Wisd. iii. 8,
and Ecclus. iv. 15). Now our Lord
had made use of similar language
(Mt xix. 28; Luk xxii 30); He
had taught that His own rule would
be shared by His people. At first
sight His words might seem to
promise no more than a share in
His sovereignty over Israel, but as
it came to be seen that our Lord's
authority was world-wide (Mt. xxviii.
18, 19) it was seen also that the
sovereignty of His people, and so
their exercise of judgment, must be
world-wide also. Cf. Luk xix. 17,
19 ; Rev. ii. 26, 27, and xx. 4. The
last passage seems to speak of the
souls of the martyrs as aheady shar
ing in the rule of Christ. Thus
S. Paul's appeal is quite intelligible.
It may perhaps be asked, "What
has all this to do with the matter in
hand ? The rule of the saints is not
yet" The answer is that this "judg
ment of the world " is no privilege
arbitrarily bestowed. The saints
will share our Lord's activity, be
cause they share His mind (cf. ii
15, 16), and this mind is, in part

already formed in them. Thus of
necessity disputes ought to be re
ferred to them, rather than to the
heathen. 3. we shall judge angels. This
also follows from the truths of the
universal rule of the Lord, and of
the share of the saints in it. That
the evil angels await a future judg
ment is taught also in Jude 6, and
2 Pet. ii 4, and that the saints should
take part in that judgment is but
natural. It is part of the great re
versal of positions for which we look
The struggle of the saints has been
against the spiritual powers of evil
(Eph. vi. 12); one day the saints will
be the instruments of their condem
nation. "Scripture," says Bengel,
"sometimes, in passing, affords a
glimpse of the greatest things. Such
glimpses the proud despise, but the
humble in heart, though soberly,
carefully cherish them."
4. do ye set them... of no account
in the church? Le. the heathen.
But it is unlike S. Paul to speak of
the heathen in this way. Thus the
translation of the R.V. margin is
better, — "set them to judge who
are of no account in the church," —
ie. make the very humblest Chris
tians your judges. This gives an
excellent sense. The same word has
been used of Christians in i 28, and
no Christian can be too lowly to
judge of such trifles as " things that
pertain to this life."

VI. 4-1 1]

I. CORINTHIANS

45

6 no account in the church ? I say this to move you to
shame. Is it so, that there cannot be found among you
one wise man, who shall be able to decide between his
6 brethren, but brother goeth to law with brother, and that
7 before unbelievers ? Nay, already it is altogether 1 a
defect in you, that ye have lawsuits one with another.
Why not rather take wrong ? why not rather be defrauded?
8 Nay, but ye yourselves do wrong, and defraud, and that
9 your brethren. Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall
not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived:
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effem-
10 inate, nor abusers of themselves with men, nor thieves, nor
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners,
11 shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of
you : but ye 2were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye
were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in
the Spirit of our God.

1 Or, a loss to you
7. already. Christians are dis
graced by the very existence of law
suits, quite apart from the added
iniquity of taking them into heathen
courts. 9. The special warning against
unrighteousness or injustice becomes
a general warning against the pre
vailing vices of the city, with one of
which S. Paul is about to deal. Idol
atry and impurity stand in close
connection, because of their intimate
association in the Corinthian worship
of Aphrodite. Cf. Introduction, p. xv.
10. shall inherit the kingdom
of God. The salvation already re
ceived is but probationary; gross
sin will forfeit it. On the inherit
ance of the kingdom of God, see
Additional Note (p. 51).
11. such were some of you.
Probably the sins had been openly
confessed. Cf. Mt. iii. 6 ; Ac. xix. 18.
It is surprising, in view of the teach
ing of Jn. iii 20, 21, to find what

s Gr. washed yourselves.
gross sinners had accepted the
GospeL But, among the Greeks,
impurity was so much a matter of
course, that it did not imply the
same inward corruption as in a
Christian society.
but ye were washed, i.e. in bap
tism. The R.V. margin has "washed
yourselves." In one aspect, the wash
ing of baptism is the act of God ; in
another, it is the act of the recipient
of baptism, who freely accepts the
proffered blessing (cf. Ac. xxii. 16).
On the blessings here connected
with baptism, sanctification and
justification, see the notes on i. 2,
and 30. That the Corinthians had
been " sanctified," or consecrated to
God, made the sins just mentioned
utterly intolerable ; that they had
been "justified" made it grievous
that they should after all forfeit that
inheritance, to which their justifica
tion entitled them.
in the name... of our God. The

46 I. CORINTHIANS
words should be taken with the three are regenerated by the power of the
verbs that have gone before. They Holy Ghost It is this which gives
probably recall the actual formula them a title to the future inheritance.
used in baptism. It is the name of For the whole passage, compare the
the Lord — our Lord, as being all parallel in Tit. iii. 3-7. There S.
that He is revealed to us as being, Paul points out (i) that their past
— and the action of the Holy Spirit, sins do not, after their baptism, dis-
which make baptism what it is. qualifythem for the kingdom, (ii) that
Christians are baptized into the name there must be no return to such sins,
of the Lord, into union with Him, if they are looking for that kingdom.
as He has been revealed to us, and
The strength of S. Paul's language in the foregoing paragraph is
remarkable. He seems to regard an appeal to heathen law-courts as a
scandal almost on a level with the incest, of which he has just spoken.
His words raise the question, how far, if at all, lawsuits can be lawful for
Christians to-day. In answering this question, it is to be noticed that
S. Paul, while pointing out the disgrace of Christians having lawsuits with
one another at all, does not say that they must of necessity be dropped,
but that they ought to be decided by fellow-Christians, and not by the
heathen. In this, he simply follows the teaching of the Lord. Just as vL 7
reproduces the teaching of Mt. v. 38-42, so does vi. 1-6 that of Mt. xviiL
15-17. On the one hand, the spirit of the Christian must be absolutely
opposed to self-seeking and revenge ; so far as his personal feeling is
concerned, he must be ready to have all things in common with his brethren
(Ac. iv. 32) and even to allow an injury to be repeated (Mt. v. 39). On the
other hand, the interests of the Christian community are to be considered,
and the best interests of the offender himself. Thus to seek for justice may
be a duty1. How then, under modern conditions, is this to be done ? When
Christians are in a minority, and live in a heathen country, S. Paul's
directions must be literally carried out. We know that in the early Church
this was done. The Apostohc Constitutions (il 4) give directions for
Christian courts. They were to take place on Mondays, in order that all
might be over and reconciliation made by the following Sunday. These
probably continued till Christianity became the religion of the Roman
Empire. In a country, where Christianity is the established religion, the
question is more complex. The courts of England are not heathen courts.
Christian principles are to a great extent embodied in English law, and the
judges, before whom our causes come, are in most cases our brethren in
Christ In a true sense we go to law "before the saints," and before those
of the saints who are best qualified to give a right decision. There is
nothing in S. Paul's language that leads us to think, as Jeremy Taylor
thought, that he intended the clergy, rather than lay-Christians, to act as
judges or arbitrators ; and their doing so would be attended with most
serious inconveniences. On the other hand, there is much in the atmosphere
of ordinary courts of law, which falls far short of the Christian standard.
To go to law is regarded by most people as an extreme measure, and is felt,
in cases where it can be avoided, to be unworthy of those who make any
1 Cf. Gore, The Sermon on the Mount, Ch. v.

VI. u, 13]

I. CORINTHIANS

47

12 All things are lawful for me ; but not all things are
expedient. All things are lawful for me ; but I will not
13 be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly,
special profession of Christianity. The ordinary English law-court is neither
as debasing as those heathen courts, which S. Paul had in view, nor does
it reach the standard which he would have expected in those, which he
would have substituted for them. Perhaps we best follow S. Paul's mind,
if, while recognising the appeal to the courts as lawful in cases of necessity,
we make large use of arbitration, and above all seek after the spirit which
recognises how very small an importance monetary disputes can ordinarily
possess, and how very low in the scale of goods money stands (Luk.
xvi. 10-13). The question of the trial of purely ecclesiastical questions by
"secular" courts is of course not the question here before S. PauL Ob
jections, however, which his words may lead us to feel against any appeal to
these courts, will apply with tenfold force to this special case.

VI. 12-20. The evil op forni-
cation m a Christian.
The Greeks scarcely regarded for
nication as blameworthy, and at
Corinth the sin was especially rife
because of the worship of Aphrodite.
Apparently, there were Christians
who maintained that S. Paul's own
principle of Christian liberty allowed
them todo as they liked in the matter,
and that fornication was natural and
therefore allowable. S. Paul deals
with both these contentions not by
reference to any external Divine
law on the subject, but by shewing
how inconsistent the sin is with the
faith of Christians.
12. All things are lawful for
me. This is the claim with which
S. Paul has to deal (cf. x. 23). In
a sense, he admits it to be true.
Indeed he was probably accustomed
to use these words himself. The
Christian, unlike the Jew, is not
bound primarily by an external code
of rules. S. Paul, S. Peter, and S.
James alike rejoice in the freedom of
the Christian, in its contrast to the
legal bondage under which they had
groaned (Rom. vii.; viii. 2; Ac. xv.
10 ; 1 Pet. ii. 16 ; Jam ii. 12). The

Son had made them free (Jn. viii.
32, 36). But this principle needed
very careful statement, if the Greeks
were not to abuse it. S. Paul points
out two considerations which limit
this liberty: — (i) "Not all things
are expedient," Le. not all things
contribute to good. S. Paul is not
speaking of expediency in the lower
sense. He means that the Christian,
as bound by the law of love, must
seek the highest good of himself and
of others. Cf. x. 23, where S. Paul
adds "all things build not up."
(ii) " I will not be brought under the
power of any." The word "I" is
emphatic. We must be the masters
of external things, not their slaves ;
otherwise, liberty becomes the path
to a worse slavery than that which
the Jews had suffered. Cf 2 Pet.
ii. 19. If these two considerations
are grasped, we cannot affirm Chris
tian liberty too strongly.
13. Meats for the belly... for
¦meats. Here S. Paul begins to deal
with the second ground on which
fornication was defended. It was
argued, and it is argued still, that
the body is for fornication, just as
the belly is for meats, ie. that in

48

I. CORINTHIANS

[vi. 13-17

and the belly for meats : but God shall bring to nought
both it and them. But the body is not for fornication,
14 but for the Lord ; and the Lord for the body: and God
both raised the Lord, and will raise up us through his
15 power. Know ye not that your bodies are members of
Christ ? shall I then take away the members of Christ, and
16 make them members of a harlot? God forbid. Or know
ye not that he that is joined to a harlot is one body ? for,
17 The twain, saith he, shall become one flesh. But he that

each case there is a natural corre
spondence and adaptation, which it
is folly to ignore. S. Paul replies
that the analogy is a false one. The
belly is for meats, and for them
alone ; it serves no higher purpose ;
it is an organ which belongs only to
man's life here, and no more has an
immortality before it, than the meats
with which it deals. Quite otherwise
is it with the body as a whole. See
further below.
Butthebody...forthebody. Here
lies the true purpose of the body.
It is for the Lord, — to serve Him,
•ither as the instrument of service
or as the instrument of sacrifice.
(Cf. Phil L 20; Heb. x. 5.) On the
other hand, the Lord is for the
body. He, Incarnate and Glorified,
true man and true God, is the per
fect answer to the true needs of that
body, which He takes even here into
union with Himself, and will one day
raise and glorify ( Jn. vi. 54).
14. God both raised. ..through
his power. The body, unlike the
belly, has an eternity before it S.
Paul here speaks of Christians. For
the connection between the Resur
rection of the Lord and our own
bodily Resurrection, cf. xv. 20; Rom.
viii 11 ; PhiL iii. 21. The one is the
pledge, the model, and in a deep
sense, the cause of the other. Chris
tians are one with Christ; His Resur

rection brings with it our spiritual
resurrection from sin now, and will
bring with it our bodily resurrection
To " raise up us " must include the
raising of our bodies. We cannot be
our full selves without them. Rais
ing up (v. 14) stands in contrast
with bringing to nought (v. 13). On
the Resurrection of the Body, see
notes on ch. xv.
15. your bodies are members of
Christ. Another appeal to recog
nised Christian doctrine (cf. vv. 2
and 3). The union of the Christian
with Christ is a union of Christ
with his whole personality, not with
his soul or spirit alone. The body
has its share in this union; Christ,
as it were, is the informing spirit
which directs it.
shall I then ...a harlot. Note the
RV. translation "take away" (the
A.V. has "take"). The two unions
are incompatible. Fornication in
volves a violation of the rights
of Christ
16. S. Paul shews that, in speaking
of the fornicator as making his
body the members of a harlot, he
has been guilty of no exaggeration.
Scripture justifies his language. The
words of Gen. iL 24 apply to the
union of man and woman, whether
it be lawful or unlawful
17. he that is joined... one spirit.
The Greek brings out the fact that

VI. 17-10]

I. CORINTHIANS

49

18 is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication.
Every sin that a man doeth is without the body ; but he
that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 Or know ye not that your body is a Hemple of the 2Holy
Ghost which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye
20 are not your own ; for ye were bought with a price :
glorify God therefore in your body.

1 Or, sanctuary
the union is a continuous union,
which must be maintained. S. Paul
perhaps thinks specially of the
Eucharist. The expression "one
spirit" is chosen to correspond to
the expression "one flesh." With
Christ, the union is on the higher,
spiritual plane. In relation to One,
Who has become "life-giving Spirit"
(xv. 45), it cannot be otherwise.
18. Flee fornication. Cf. x. 14.
Both idolatry and fornication are
best resisted by flight.
Every sin. . .without the body. Le.
every other sin (cf. Mt. xiL 31).
The Greek shews that S. Paul here
speaks of single acts of sin, into
which a man may be betrayed.
but he... against his own body.
This is because he makes it "one
flesh" with a degraded being. See
fuller note below.
19. Yet another appeal to Chris
tian doctrine. Cfiii. 16, 17 and the
notes there. What has before been
asserted of the Church as a whole
is now asserted of every member
of it. Fornication is sacrilege, as
destruction of the Church was shewn
to be. The Holy Spirit is not simply

4 Or, Holy Spirit
concerned with the soul ; He dwells
in and inspires man's whole being.
ye are not your own. The con
nection is with the words which
follow, not with those which precede.
It is the Lord, rather than the Spirit,
of Whom Scripture speaks as the
owner of man (Tit. ii. 14; 2 Pet.
ii. 1).
20. for ye were bought with a
price. Cf. vii. 23. The "price" is
the blood, or offered life, of Christ ;
this was the purchase-money of our
deliverance from sin. We are now
the slaves of a new master (cf. 1 Pet.
i 19; Rev. v. 9), and to take away
His members from Him {v. 15) is a
gross violation of His rights.
glorify God therefore in your
body. To do this implies far more
than to refrain from positive sin.
To glorify God is to display His
excellence. To glorify Him in the
body is so to use it as to do Him
continual service, and thus display
the wisdom and love of God in
creating such a nature as that of
man. Notice the change of reading
in R.V.

The foregoing passage {vv. 12-20) is important in three ways, (i) We
see S. Paul basing Christian morality upon a Christian foundation. For
the Jews morality had rested upon the Mosaic law. When at the Con
ference of Jerusalem that law was declared not to be binding upon Gentile
Christians (Ac. xv. 5-29), morality must have seemed to many in the utmost
periL S. Paul meets the difficulty by shewing that the Christian faith
Q. *

50 I. CORINTHIANS
provides for morality a far stronger foundation than the one which has
been abandoned. Our Lord's law of love contains in itself the whole moral
law of the Jews (Rom. xiii. 8-10), and the gift of the Spirit provides
Christians with an ever-present guide as to the will of God, in following
Whom we are led to fulfil that will as the Jews had never done (Rom. viii.
1-4 ; Gal. v. 16-24). Beside this, S. Paul frequently points out how the
Christian faith, even in its details, provides the most powerful motives for
morality. "The position into which Christians have been brought, the
relations in which they find themselves to God and man, the future set
before them, determine what their conduct must be." Thus impurity is
here condemned not merely as inconsistent with the Christian's obligation
to seek the highest good of all, and to avoid becoming the slave of external
things (v. 12), but on the grounds of the revealed purpose of the human
body and its glorious destiny, of the corporate union of the Christian
with the Lord, and of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit So, to take other
examples from this Epistle, appeals to heathen courts are condemned
on the ground of the judgment to be one day exercised over the world
and over angels (vi. 2, 3), sharing in idolatrous feasts on the ground of the
nature of the Eucharist (x. 16 ff.), and immodesty of apparel on the ground
of the presence of the angels in Christian worship (xi. 10). Cf. Eph. iv. 25,
32, and Bernard's Bampton Lectures, Lect vii. pp. 174 ff. (New Edition).
(ii) We should notice S. Paul's profound answer to the plea that
impurity is naturaL We can only decide what is the natural use of
anything when we know the main purpose which it is intended to serve.
It is, in the highest sense, unnatural, to use for a low purpose what is
intended for a high one, if the lower purpose interferes with the higher.
The hands, for instance, are adapted for tree-climbing ; it may be perfectly
true that they have come to be what they are, because our very remote
ancestors so used them. But nevertheless, our hands, in the purpose of
God, are adapted for far higher purposes than that; and it would be,
in the highest sense, unnatural for a musician or a skilled surgeon to use
his hands as an ape would use them, just because the lower use would
so seriously interfere with the higher. So it is in the case with which
S. Paul is dealing. "The body is for the Lord"; to serve Him is its
characteristic purpose; any use of the body, therefore, which interferes
with this is unnatural. Impurity affects the body as a whole, and indeed
not only the body. Fornication, like marriage, brings a man and a woman
into a relation so close and powerful, that there may almost be said to be
a mingling of personality. As Edwards well says, " the roots of the union,
whether in or out of wedlock, live and grow necessarily in the nature
of each." To form such a union with a harlot must render impossible the
carrying out of the true purpose of the body, and sever the higher union
with Christ Individual sins weaken that union, but the Lord's intercession
can deal with them (1 Jn. ii. 1); they are "without the body," in the sense
that they do not fundamentally alter it ; but with fornication it is otherwise;
the far-reaching consequences of the union between man and woman must
either serve God's purposes, as they do in a true Christian marriage, or
utterly wreck them. No doubt, S. Paul assumes and does not prove that

I. CORINTHIANS 61
fornication severs from Christ and degrades those who commit it But
when once the attention is fixed on the true purpose of the body and
its relation to Christ, no one is likely to deny the Apostle's premises.
(m) The passage throws light upon the nature of the future resurrec
tion. It seems clear that S. Paul does not identify "the body" with the
materials that compose it. " The body " belongs to man's true personality •
the materials which compose it do not. So he teaches that, while "flesh
and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God," the body will be raised
again (compare xv. 50 with vi. 13, 14), and regards members of the body,
like the belly, whose use is confined to this present world, as having no
future (p. 13). This conception is no doubt difficult to grasp, and seems
to have been soon lost in the Church The early Church seems to have
regarded the body of the Resurrection as an exact, though glorified,
reproduction of the earthly body. But without this distinction between the
"body" and the "flesh," the contrast of v. 18 would not hold. Impurity
does not injure the material substance of the body, in a way different from
that in which gluttony and drunkenness injure it ; indeed, it often injures
it far less seriously. What it degrades and injures is the personality as a
whole. See further on ch. xv.
Additional note on VI. 10.
The Kingdom of God.
The thought of the kingdom of God has a very prominent place in
Scripture. The kingdom of God means primarily the rule or reign of God,
and secondarily the sphere in which this rule is exercised, in which God
Himself is obeyed, and so can protect and bless to the uttermost. Had
there been no sin, the whole world would have been the sphere of God's
kingdom ; but as things are, it needs to be restored to men by an act of
God's grace ; we can never create it for ourselves.
May Thy Kingdom's peace
Come unto us ; for we, unless it come,
With all our striving thither tend in vain.
(Dante : Cary's translation.)
But from the first we see God at work to restore His kingdom to men.
Thus He chooses the family of Abraham, the nation of Israel, to be the
sphere in which His rule shall be specially exercised (Ex. xix. 3-6 ; 1 Sam.
xii. 12). Israel was intended to be itself the kingdom of God, and the
means of ultimately extending it to all men (Gen. xii 3 ; Num. xiv. 21).
But Israel failed; it would not accept God's rule, and so His special
protection and blessing could not fully be given. Thus we find the O.T.
prophets looking forward to the establishment of God's kingdom in the
future in connection with the coming of the Messiah. The sin would
be removed which hindered the kingdom ; all nations would be gathered
into it ; and the Messiah would reign over it as God's vicegerent (Is. xix.
19-25 ; li. 4, 5 ; lvi 6, 7 ; Zech. viii. 23 ; xiv. 16 ; Dan. ii. 44 ; vii 13, 14 ;
ix. 24). So, when our Lord begins His ministry, He proclaims that the
4—2

52 I. CORINTHIANS
time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of heaven at hand (Mk i. 15). His
preaching is described as the preaching of the kingdom of God (Mt ix. 35 ;
xiiL 19 ; Luk iv. 43 ; viii. 1 etc.) ; it is union with Him which gives a
share in it ; and thus, while no one can enjoy it without a new and
spiritual birth (Jno. iu. 3-5), no one can hope really to share in it
without that simplicity, effort, and self-sacrifice which union with Him
involves (Mt. xi. 12 ; xiii. 44-46 ; xviii. 3, 4 ; Mk. x. 23, 24 R.V. marg).
Our Lord speaks of this kingdom sometimes as already present, some
times as still in the future. On the one hand, His wonderful works are
a proof of its presence (Mt xii. 28 ; Luk. xi. 20), and the Church is the
earthly embodiment of it (Mt. xiii. 41 ; xvi 18, 19) ; on the other hand,
we wait for the kingdom at the Lord's Second Advent (Mt. vii. 21 ;
xiii. 43 ; xix. 28; xxv. 34; Luk. xix. 11 ff; xxii. 29, 30). Similarly, in the
Fourth GospeL eternal life is sometimes regarded as a present possession
(iii. 36 etc.) and sometimes as lying still in the future (vi. 39, 40 etc.).
To enter into life and to enter into the kingdom of God are one and the
same thing (cf. Mt. xviii. 8 with Mk. ix. 47). This twofold aspect of the
kingdom arises partly from man's imperfect response to the grace bestowed
upon him, and partly from the fact that his body is not yet redeemed, nor
the evil of the world finally overcome.
The same twofold view is found in S. Paul. If the kingdom of God is
already present in germ (1 Cor. iv. 20; Col. L.13), its full development
lies still in the future (1 Cor. vi 9, 10 ; xv. 50 ; Eph. v. 5). The very men
who have been "translated into the kingdom of the Son of God's love"
may finally "not inherit the kingdom of God." "The kingdom of God
is... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. xiv. 17)
and these are present Christian blessings. But we do not as we should
make them our own, and our perfect well-being is hindered both by the
"corruptible body," with its incitements to sin (Rom. viii. 10), and the evil
in the world around. Similarly, S. John's picture of the heavenly Jerusalem
(Rev. xxi, xxii.) is a picture both of the perfected kingdom of God, for
which we look, and of that kingdom as it ought even here to be pro
gressively realised in the Church.
VII. The questions of the Corinthians, in reference
to Marriage.
Much difficulty could not but arise in the Church on this subject.
The Jews, as a nation, attached a high value to marriage. He, who at the
age of thirty was still unmarried, was considered to have sinned. A father
was bound to seek a husband for his daughter. It was a Rabbinical saying,
"If your daughter be past the marriageable age, release your slave to give
him to her for a husband" (cf. Ecclus. xiii 9). But within the Church,
there would be strong influences at work on the other side. Our Lord's
words in Mt. xix. 12 imply that, even before His coming, men had abstained
from marriage upon religious grounds, and His own words and example
encouraged this. It seems clear that the Jewish teachers, to whom S. Paul
refers in the Epistle to the Colossians and the Pastoral Epistles, strongly

VII. 1-3]

I. CORINTHIANS

63

VII. 1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote :
2 It is good for a man not to touch a woman. But, because
of fornications, let each man have his own wife, and let
3 each woman have her own husband. Let the husband
render unto the wife her due : and likewise also the wife
discouraged marriage (1 Tim. iv. 1-5; Tit. i 14, 15), as the Essenes had
done before them, and there were forms of Greek philosophy, whose
influence would be exercised in the same direction. What then had S. Paul
to say upon the subject ? Moreover, difficult questions of casuistry could
not but arise. The Corinthians had before their conversion been accustomed
to great Uberty in the matter of divorce ; — was this hberty taken away ?
What view was to be taken of connections formed before conversion ? If a
husband were converted to Christ without his wife, or a wife without her
husband, what was to be done ? Might the old union be maintained 1 Was
it lawful for a Christian to form an union with a heathen 1 These special
difficulties must be remembered in studying this chapter. S. Paul is not
writing a treatise upon marriage, but answering the questions which had
been put to him (cf. v. 1). Beyond these, he scarcely goes.

VII. 1-7. The fikst question1.
Are the normal relations to continue
between husband and wife, after
their conversion ?
This question may seem to our
minds almost to answer itself. Is
there to be no such thing as a
Christian family? Is the Church,
like some of the ascetic sects of the
East, to continue her existence only
by conversions ? But the question
to the Corinthians would be more
complex, since they regarded our
Lord's Second Coming as very near.
To those who thus thought, the birth
of more children would seem quite
unnecessary. 1. It is good... a woman, i.e.
complete abstinence is a morally
beautiful thing. The words are
perhaps quoted from the letter of

the Corinthians. S. Paul proceeds to
guard them.
2. But, because... husband. Bet
ter, perhaps — "let each man keep
his own wife etc." The usual trans
lation makes the words apply to
Christians in general. But this is
scarcely consistent with the counsel
given just below in v. 8. It seems
most natural to suppose, that S. Paul
first deals with the case of those
already married, and then passes to
the case of the unmarried in v. 8.
Here S. Paul's advice is to continue
the normal relations, since any other
course is dangerous, the moral sur
roundings being what they are. The
words used indirectly condemn
polygamy. The wife of a polygamist
cannot call her husband " her own."
3, 4. The meaning is that neither

1 Professor Ramsay {Hist. Comm. on
1 Cor.) holdB that the question put to
S. Paul was " Shall marriage be made
the universal rule for Christians?"
He thinks that the ascetic view 01 the
marriage relation could not have arisen

at Corinth so early. But surely our
Lord's words in Mt. xix. 11, 12 and
elsewhere, would be in themselves
sufficient to account for the ascetic
view being taken.

54

I. CORINTHIANS

[VII. 3-7

4 unto the husband. The wife hath not power over her own
body, but the husband : and likewise also the husband
5 hath not power over his own body, but the wife. Defraud
ye not one the other, except it be by consent for a season,
that ye may give yourselves unto prayer, and may be
together again, that Satan tempt you not because of
6 your incontinency. But this I say by way of permission,
7 not of commandment. 1 Yet I would that all men were
even as I myself. Howbeit each man hath his own gift
from God, one after this manner, and another after that.
1 Many ancient authorities read For.
husband nor wife is to refuse co- known, whether S. Paul had ever

habitation to the other. By entering
the married state, each has parted
with that exclusive right in their
own persons, which once was theirs.
Thus to refuse cohabitation is to
" defraud " (v. 5). The words do not
seem to forbid the cessation of co
habitation by mutual consent.
5. except it be... of your in
continency. Interruption of the
conjugal relation must not take
place without mutual consent ; it
should be temporary, and should
have a spiritual aim. In other
words, it is of the nature of a fast —
not of any merit in itself, but valu
able as a help to prayer, and in
other ways.
6. But this I say... command
ment. The word "this" probably
refers to the foregoing verses as a
whole, especially to v. 2. S. Paul
is not enjoining, but permitting, the
continuance of full conjugal relations.
If the next verse begins, as RV.
margin, with the word "for," this
must be the meaning ; if it begins,
as RV. text, with the word "yet,"
it is possible, though not likely, that
what S. Paul permits, but does not
enjoin, is the temporary separation.
7. / would... as I myself. Le.
without the nuptial tie. It is un-

been married. If he had been, he
was now a widower.
Howbeit. ..after that. And there
fore S. Paul recognises that the wish
just expressed cannot be realised.
Hiswords recall the words of theLord
in Mt. xix. 11, 12, "All men cannot
receive this saying, but they to whom
it is given." Cf. t»2/mxiL4-ll. Some
of the gifts of God are for all the
world (Mt. v. 45), some are for all
who believe the Gospel (2 Pet. i. 3),
but, beside these, there are special
gifts to individuals, fitting them for
the special work that God intends
for them in His Church. The gift
that fits men for the celibate life is
one of these ; not all possess it. If
it be possessed, it should be used
(Mt. xix. 12); where its value is
clearly perceived, it may be desired,
and sought (xii. 31); but S. Paul's
words certainly suggest that it is
not God's will in all cases to bestow
it — the Spirit divides "to each one
severally even as He will" — and if
He does not bestow this special gift,
marriage is God's intention. Here,
as elsewhere, it is not always possible
to distinguish natural character and
supernatural grace. It is enough,
that a man should find the celibate
hfe possible to him, without exhaust-

VII. 8-1 1 ]

I. CORINTHIANS

55

8 But I say to the unmarried and to widows, It is good
9 for them if they abide even as I. But if they have not
continency, let them marry : for it is better to marry than
10 to burn. But unto the married I give charge, yea not I,
but the Lord, That the wife depart not from her husband
11 (but and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or else
be reconciled to her husband) ; and that the husband leave

ing struggle, or conscious impoverish
ment of character.
VII. 8, 9. The second question.
Should unmarried persons, who are
not under the authority of others,
marry ?
8. to the unmarried and to
widows. The "unmarried" include
widowers, as well as men never yet
married, but do not include un
married girls. The latter were under
the authority of others, and S. Paul
does not address them directly. Cf.
vv. 25 ff. Widows, however, would
decide for themselves, and so are
here mentioned.
good for them. For the word
"good" cf. v. 1 (note).
9. But if they have not.. .than to
burn. The exact force of " have not
continency" is not quite clear. Pro
bably S. Paul would include under it
all cases where there is a protracted
and dangerous struggle. The Greek
of the last clause of the verse marks,
as the English does not, that some
thing worse than occasional tempta
tions to impurity is meant. The
great value of celibacy Ues in free
dom from distraction, in the service
of the Lord ; when celibacy brings
worse distraction than marriage, its
value is to a great extent gone.
VII. 10, 11. The third question.
Is divorce allowable to married
Christians ?
10. not I, but the Lord. Our
Lord's own words had decided this

question; S. Paul has but to repeat
His teaching. Cf. Mk x. 1-12, and
parallels. 11. but and if... her husband.
The words seem to imply that only
for most serious reasons would a
wife be justified in departing. In
any case, S. Paul gives no freedom
to marry again in her husband's
Ufetime. Had S. Paul held that
adultery dissolved marriage or made
its dissolution permissible, thus
leaving either one or both parties
free to contract a fresh union, would
he not have said so ? See Additional
Note on vii. 10, 11, pp. 65-67.
VII. 12-16. The fourth question.
When a person previously married is
converted, may the old relations be
continued with the heathen partner 1
This is a case of real difficulty.
Degraded as marriage is among the
heathen, it retains enough of the
original purpose of God to make it
desirable to retain the old arrange
ments if possible. It would be
disastrous to give people the oppor
tunity of breaking away from old
ties, merely by professing Christi
anity. On the other hand, in many
cases to retain the old relations
might seem to endanger the faith
and morality of the newly-converted
Christian ; union with a heathen
might be felt to be polluting, while
marriage, as it exists where polygamy
and freedom of divorce are allowed,
cannot be regarded as bearing the

56

I. CORINTHIANS

[VII. 11-15

12 not his wife. But to the rest say I, not the Lord: If any
brother hath an unbelieving wife, and she is content to
13 dwell with him, let him not leave her. And the woman
which hath an unbelieving husband, and he is content to
14 dwell with her, let her not leave her husband. For the
unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the
unbelieving wife is sanctified in the brother : else were
15 your children unclean ; but now are they holy. Yet if the
unbelieving departeth, let him depart r the brother or the
sister is not under bondage in such cases : but God hath
were without sin, or grace from
baptized parents derived from pro
pagation, or God by covenant and
promise tied to save any in mere
regard to their parents' belief : yet
seeing that to all professors of the
name of Christ this pre-eminence
above infidels is freely given, the
fruit of their bodies bringeth forth
into the world with it a present
interest and right to those means,
wherewith the ordinance of Christ is
that His Church shall be sanctified. . ."
(Hooker, E. P. V. hx. 6). There is
probably a reference in the verse
before us to the right to baptism pos
sessed by the children of Christians.
15. let him, depart, ie. the
Christian husband is not to keep his
heathen wife by force, nor ^he
Christian wife persistently to entreat
her heathen husband to remain with
her. is not under bondage. To con
tinue bound to a heathen, who
wishes to repudiate the connection,
would be slavery. Whether S. Paul
by these words allows remarriage to
the Christian may be doubted. It
is possible that the question is not
in his mind. But in any case there
can be little doubt that he would "
have given such hberty (contrast his
language in v. 11). Father Puller
has shewn that the witness of

indissoluble character of Christian
marriage. 12. But to the rest. Our Lord's
direct teaching is now exhausted ;
on the questions that remain, S. Paul
must speak in his own name. See
Additional Note on vii. 12, p. 68.
14. is sanctified in the wife. ie.
by virtue of his wife. The consecra
tion spoken of is not personal con
secration, but consecration for the
purpose of the marriage union, so
that there remains nothing in it
contrary to Christian holiness. This
is just what the Christian partner
would need to know. God looks on
the family as a corporate whole, and
it takes its character in His sight
from the Christian member of it
The teaching is a witness to the
power of grace. Ezra might demand
the putting away of heathen wives
(Ezra x.), since among the Jews it
could not be hoped that good would
triumph over evil ; in the Church,
it is otherwise.
else were... are they holy. An
argument to prove that one may
be consecrated byrelation to another.
If it were not so, the children of
Christians would be unclean, while
we regard them as holy by their
relation to their parents. "Which
albeit we may not so understand, as
if the children of believing parents

VII. 15-17]

I. CORINTHIANS

57

16 called *us in peace. For how knowest thou, O wife,
whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest
17 thou, 0 husband, whether thou shalt save thy wife? Only,
as the Lord hath distributed to each man, as God hath
called each, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all the
1 Many ancient authorities read you.

Fathers and Councils, and the
practice of the Church is strongly
in favour of this view. If it seems
inconsistent with v. 11, it should be
noticed (i) that the marriage dis
solved is not Christian marriage,
but the marriage of the heathen,
which was simply a civil contract
with the utmost license of divorce ;
(ii) that S. Paul himself does not
consider the words of the Lord as
covering the case, under considera
tion. This is shewn by the words
(v. 12), with which he begins the
discussion of it.
but God... in peace. Cf. Jn. xiv.
27. Peace is one great characteristic
of the Christian Ufe. This gives
a second reason against attempting
to insist upon the old relations
with the unbeliever. To do so
would bring distracting and useless
conflict. 16. For how knowest... save thy
wife ? The words explain the pro
bable uselessness of the course that
S. Paul has disapproved. There is
no certainty that the believer will
save the unbelieving partner, while
the utter disturbance of the life of
peace that God intends is a cer
tainty. It should be mentioned that there
is another possible interpretation.
We may regard the words "God'
hath called us in peace" as marking
that the course described in vv. 12-14
is the better course. In that case,
v. 16 will express a hope of the

unbeliever's conversion, not its im
probability. Cf. 1 Pet. hi. 1, 2.
The first interpretation is, however,
the more probable, and quite con
sonant with the Apostle's manly
commonsense. VII. 17-24. A GENERAL PRINCIPLE
of wide application. Glorify God in
the same position, as that in which
His call found you.
This principle has already been
illustrated by the directions of vv. 2,
8, 10, 12, 13. S. Paul now gives it
general expression,-) and adds some
further applications of it.
17. as the Lord... so let him walk.
Le. every one, in the outward cir
cumstances , of his life, should con
tinue as he was, before he was called
into the Church. As Keble says,
the Gospel " next to inculcating the
necessity of a thorough inward
change, seems anxious to discourage
any violent outward one, except
when it is a plain duty " {Letters of
Spiritual Counsel, No. xn.). In
this verse, "the Lord" is Jesus
Christ. The call into the Church
comes from God the Father (1 Thess.
iv. 7 ; 2 Tim. i 9), the distribution
of special offices and positions from
our Lord. Cf. xii. 5; Eph. iv. 11.
In those passages, however, the dis
tribution is of offices within the
Church ; here it is rather that of
outward circumstances. The pro
vidence of the Lord is at work
everywhere. And so. ..all the churches. The

58

L CORINTHIANS

[VII. 17-M

18 churches. Was any man called being circumcised? let
him not become uncircumcised. Hath any been called in
19 uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision
is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing ; but the keeping
20 of the commandments of God. Let each man abide in that
21 calling wherein he was called. Wast thou called being a
bondservant? care not for it : Jbut if thou canst become
22 free, use it rather. For he that was called in the Lord,
1 Or, nay, even if

Corinthians needed reminding again
and again that they were not the
only church Cf. iv. 17; xi. 16; xiv. 36.
18. become uncircumcised. The
renegade Jews did this (1 Mace. i. 15).
Perhaps some of S. Paul's Jewish
converts may also have done so, to
emphasise their freedom from the
burden of the law (cf. Ac. xxi. 21).
S. Paul condemns this. "Faithful
ness to one's own nation and age is
as real an expression of Christian
sentiment as charity and cosmo
politanism." 19. but the keeping... God. ie.
the keeping of God's commandments
is everything. Cf. Gal. v. 6, vL 15,
where the importance of the out
ward rite is declared to be nothing
in comparison with "faith working
througb love" and with "a new
creature," or the work of God in
regenerating man. There is a close
connection between all these pas
sages. "In Christ" what is all-im
portant is on the one hand the
regenerating power of God, and, on
the other, that faith, which through
love corresponds to His work, and
issues in the keeping of His com
mandments. 1 Cor. vii. 19 and Gal.
v. 6 are linked together by Jn.
xiv. 21.
20. that calling wherein he was
called. Cf i. 26. Here, as there,
the meaning is not "work in life,"

but the Divine calhng into the
Church. The Divine call differed
to the Jew and to the Gentile. To
the one it was a call to recognise in
Jesus the expected Messiah, and
"come to the marriage feast" so
long expected (Mt xxii. 4) ; to the
other, it was a call from " the high
ways" to a kingdom of God, of
which he had never dreamed (Mt.
xxii. 10). The one must accept the
call as a Jew, the other as a Gentile —
and make no attempt to pass over
from the one class to the other. Thus
this verse refers especially to v. 19 ;
the more general expression of the
same truth is found in v. 24.
21. but if thou canst. ..use it
rather. Two explanations of these
words are possible : — (i) "use rather"
the old position as a slave, (ii) "use
rather" the opportunity of freedom.
It seems impossible to determine
certainly which explanation is the
true one. The context does not
decide the question, for, though
S. Paul's general advice is that each
should "abide in that calhng wherein
he was called," the unnatural position
of a slave may well constitute an
exception. On the other hand, we
cannot be sure that S. Paul would
have in all cases desired emancipa
tion for Christian slaves. Often as
he speaks of the duty of slaves he
never, unless in this passage, en-

VII. J2, 13]

I. CORINTHIANS

59

being a bondservant, is the Lord's freedman : likewise he
23 that was called, being free, is Christ's bondservant. Ye

courages them to seek for freedom.
Probably most of the slaves in
Corinth had been born in slavery,
and where slavery was so widespread,
the opportunities of gaining a Uveli-
hood open to poor freedmen were
much narrowed. S. Paul might
regard the freedman's position as
one of anxiety, unfavourable to the
development of the Christian char
acter (cf. v. 32). Thus we are left to
decide by what seems the most
natural meaning of the words em
ployed. On the whole, the second
interpretation seems the better. For
(i) something must be supplied with
the words "use rather," and it is
simpler to supply "the opportunity
of freedom" from the preceding
clause, than "the calling of slavery"
from what has gone before, (ii) The
Greek verb translated "use" is
employed in ch. ix. 12 and 15 in
reference to the use of a privilege,
and the tense of the verb suggests
that S. Paul has in mind a single
decisive action, such as the accept
ance of an offered freedom would
be. There are arguments upon the
other side, but the above seem
more than to counterbalance them.
For S. Paul's teaching as to slavery,
cf. Eph. vi. 5-9 ; Col. iii. 22-iv. 1 ;
1 Tim. vi. 1, 2 ; Tit. ii 9, 10 ; Philemon ;
and for S. Peter's, 1 Pet. ii. 18-32.
22. For he that was called...
freedman. In what sense is this a
reason for the direction which S. Paul
has just given ? If the interpretation
unfavourable to liberty be adopted,
S. Paul will be shewing how glorious
after all is the position of the
Christian slave. If we regard the in
terpretation favourable to liberty as
the true one, S. Paul will be giving a

reason why the slave should become
free, if he can. The point will be
that, possessing as he does spiritual
Uberty, he should be also free as
regards his civil position (cf. v. 23).
In any case, v. 22 is iUuminating as
to the Christian attitude towards
slavery. The Gospel does not at
once abohsh slavery, but it does at
once abolish both the degradation
of the slave, and the pride of the
master. The Christian slave has
been set free from his old bondage
to sin (Rom. viii. 2; Gal. v. 1); he is
the Lord's freedman, and owes all
the service to Christ, that the freed
man of the Roman Empire owed to
the master who had set him free.
Roman law " required the freedman
to take his patron's name, live in his
patron's house, consult his patron's
will etc." AU this must Christ's
freedmen do for Him. On the other
hand, every free man is, if a
Christian, Christ's bondman. S.Paul,
S. Peter, S. James, and S. Jude,
alike speak of themselves as the
bond-servants of Jesus Christ. It is
obvious that a Christian master
could not accept such teaching as
this without treating his slave "no
longer as a slave, but... a brother
beloved" (Philem. 16); and when
this point was gained, the abohtion
of slavery as a status was only a
matter of time and expediency. So,
speaking generally, the Gospel does
not declare war against unsatis
factory social conditions, but gra-
duaUy transforms them from within.
Social reformers often say "Alter
institutions, and you wiU alter char
acter": Christianity, while not
denying the element of truth in this
view, says rather "Alter character,

60

L CORINTHIANS

[VII. 13-46

were bought with a price ; become not bondservants of
24 men. Brethren, let each man, wherein he was called,
therein abide with God.
25 Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the
Lord : but I give my judgement, as one that hath obtained
26 mercy of the Lord to be faithful. I think therefore that
this is good by reason of the present distress, namely,

and you vrill alter institutions." As
Godet says, "it submits to everything
to rise above everything, and accepts
everything to transform everything."
23. bought with a price. Cf.
vL 20 (note).
become not bondservants of men.
No one would be likely willingly to
part with his civil freedom. S. Paul's
mind was so fuU of the slavery of
the Corinthians to their religious
teachers, that the thought recurs to
him here. Such slavery was incon
sistent with the rights of the Lord.
Cf i. 12; iii. 4; and especiaUy 2 Cor.
xi 20.
24. abide with God. Union with
God, and the sense of His presence
can make of any lot in life a sacred
vocation. VIL 25-38. The fifth question.
Ought Christian fathers to give
their daughters in marriage ?
The question of marriage has
been dealt with in relation to widows
and to aU unmarried men {vv. 8 f.),
and also in relation to those already
married. It only remains to deal
with the case of unmarried girls.
This, under the conditions of life
then prevailing, was a question for
their fathers, rather than for them.
To it then, S. Paul now addresses
himself. But the principles are the
same as those already laid down,
and the previous discussion in vv. 8,
9 of the duty of unmarried men and
widows, left S. Paul stul much to

say. Thus, though the discussion
starts with the case of unmarried
girls {v. 25) and returns to them
{vv. 36-38), S. Paul does not confine
himself to their case, but deals with
the general advisability of marriage.
25. concerning virgins. "Vir
gins" cannot be made to include
unmarried men, except where, as in
Rev. xiv. 4, the word is used in a
metaphorical sense. Cf. vv. 28, 34 etc.
as one... to be faithful, ie. as
Christ's minister. True faithfulness
is only possible to those who have
experienced the mercy of the Lord.
Bengel says admirably : " The mercy
of the Lord makes faithful men :
faithfulness makes the true casuist"
The Greek word here used expresses
both faithfulness and the possession
of Christian faith ; true faith brings
faithfulness with it.
26. S. Paul proceeds to deal
with the special case of virgins by
further discussion of the advisability
of marriage generally.
the present distress. The outlook
both at Ephesus and Corinth was
full of alarm But S. Paul did not
expect the distress to be but tem
porary ; he regarded it as the pre
cursor of the coming of Christ
Cf. v. 29. To the true Christian
there is ever much to distress in the
outlook Thus at few periods of
Church history would the Apostle's
advice be likely to differ from that
given here.

vii. 76-33] I. CORINTHIANS 61
27 that it is good for a man Ho be as he is. Art thou bound
unto a wife ? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from
28 a wife ? seek not a wife. But and if thou marry, thou
hast not sinned ; and if a virgin marry, she hath not
sinned. Yet such shall have tribulation in the flesh :
29 and I would spare you. But this I say, brethren, the time
2 is shortened, that henceforth both those that have wives
30 may be as though they had none ; and those that weep, as
though they wept not ; and those that rejoice, as though
they rejoiced not ; and those that buy, as though they
31 possessed not ; and those that use the world, as not 3abus-
32 iug it : for the fashion of this world passeth away. But
I would have you to be free from cares. He that is
unmarried is careful for the things of the Lord, how he
33 may please the Lord : but he that is married is careful for
the things of the world, how he may please his *wife.
1 Gr. so to be. ' Or, is shortened henceforth, that both those die.
8 Or, using it to the full 4 Or, wife, and is divided. So also the wife and
the virgin : she that is unmarried is careful dkc. Many ancient authorities read
wife, and is divided. So also the woman that is unmarried and the virgin is
careful cic.
28. have tribulation... spare you. to avoid marriage; but all alike
Cf. Luk xxiu. 29. Marriage exposes must lose their enthralling interest
men to special tribulation in evil to those who recognise that they
days. S. Paul would spare his con- are soon to pass away. See F. W.
verts this. Robertson's Expository Lectures on
29. is shortened, that hence- the Corinthians, Lect xvx, a splen-
forth. This is the great principle did exposition of this text, though
upon which S. Paul would lay most he scarcely does justice to the ascetic
stress. God has made the time element in S. Paul's teaching.
before the Lord's return a short 31. as not abusing it. The
time, in order to do away with marginal translation "using it to
worldUness. " The nearness and un- the full " is almost certainly right.
certainty of the time of Christ's S. Paul has already shewn that
coming is the regulative element in married life, joy, sorrow and worldly
the Christian Ufe " (Edwards). The goods must ahke not be "used to
sorrow and the joy of which S. Paid the full." It is practically impossible
here speaks are those caused by the to avoid " abuse " of the world, unless
incidents of Ufe in the world; they we are ready not to use it "to the
do not include spiritual sorrow or full."
joy. S. Paul does not recommend the fashion... passeth away. The
the Stoic apathy; we are no more outward aspect is ever changing,
bound to avoid sorrow and joy than and the world itself, as we know it,

62

I. CORINTHIANS

[VII. 34-38

34 And there is a difference also between the wife and the
virgin. She that is unmarried is careful for the things of
the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit:
but she that is married is careful for the things of the
35 world, how she may please her husband. And this I say
for your own profit ; not that I may cast a * snare upon
you, but for that which is seemly, and that ye may attend
36 upon the Lord without distraction. But if any man think
eth tthat he behaveth himself unseemly toward his 2 virgin
daughter, if she be past the flower of her age, and if need
so requireth, let him do what he will ; he sinneth not ; let
37 them marry. But he that standeth stedfast in his heart,
having no necessity, but hath power as touching his own
will, and hath determined this in his own heart, to keep
38 his own 2 virgin daughter, shall do well So then both he
1 Or, constraint Gr. noose. a Or, virgin (omitting daughter)
is on the eve of dissolution (Ps. 36. S. Paul now comes to the

cii. 26).
34. holy both in body and in
spirit. S. Paul does not mean that
marriage is inconsistent with ab
solute holiness, but that the un
married woman is Ukely to serve
God with more singleness of purpose.
35. not that ...upon you. A
metaphor from hunting. S. Paul
would not force his converts into a
life for which they are not fitted or
prepared. The value of celibacy has
often been so preached as to do this.
that which is seemly ...without
distraction. The "profit" of ceU-
bacy Ues in its moral beauty and
the opportunity it gives for undis-
tracted service. Cf. Luk. x. 38-42,
an incident which S. Paul may well
have in mind; also Luk ii. 37 and
1 Tim. v. 5. It seems probable from
1 Tim. v. 9-12 that even in Apostolic
times, there was an order of church
widows, under some kind of vow
(cf. especially v. 12), and there may
have been already an order of con
secrated virgins also.

case specially under consideration.
behaveth himself unseemly, ie.
by keeping his daughter unmarried.
Cf. Ecclus. xiii 9, 10 ; vii. 25. The very
conduct that S. Paul thinks moraUy
beautiful may seem to some the very
contrary. These have a right to act
upon their opinion To the mind
of Jews and Greeks alike it was a
disgrace for their maidens to "have
no marriage-song" (Ps. Ixxviu. 63)
As to the possibility of a terrible
misunderstanding of this verse, see
Archbishop Benson's Life, voL l
pp. 494, 495 (1st edition).
need so requireth. This probably
refers to the danger of impurity.
let them marry, ie. his daughter
and her lover.
37. power as touching his own
will. ie. if the decision lies with him.
Slaves would not have the right to
dispose of their daughters.
keep his own virgin daughter.
ie. guard her freedom for the Lord.
There is no thought of the father
keeping her for himself.

vn. 38-4o] I. CORINTHIANS 63
that giveth his own 1 virgin daughter in marriage doeth
well ; and he that giveth her not in marriage shall do
39 better. A wife is bound for so long time as her husband
liveth ; but if the husband be Mead, she is free to be
40 married to whom she will ; only in the Lord. But she is
happier if she abide as she is, after my judgement : and
I think that I also have the Spirit of God.
1 Or, virgin (omitting daughter) 2 Gr. fallen asleep.
VII. 39, 40. The sixth question, more widely accepted and enforced,
The remarriage of widows. S. Paul's rule would allow of excep-
39. husband be dead. The Greek tions. For many centuries, the num-
word means " fallen asleep." The ber of baptized women was so far in
death of a Christian is generally excess of that of baptized men, that
thus described in the N.T. Cf. xv. there was great difficulty in enforcing
18,20,51. The Christian's real life the strict rule. Where a "mixed
knows no break (Jn. vni. 51). marriage" is permitted, there must
only in the Lord. " Either re- be a clear understanding (i) that the
maining a Christian, or marrying a Christian law of marriage is accepted
Christian man" (S. Augustine). It by both husband and wife in its
is most probable that S. Paul means strictness, and (ii) that the Christian
to forbid a Christian woman to marry partner is to be absolutely free to
a heathen (cf. 2 Cor. vi. 14-18). The fulfil the claims of Christ. The first
marriage laws of the heathen were Christian kings both of the Franks
so lax, that a Christian would have and of the English, Chlodovech and
no security that an union formed Ethelbert, probably owed their con-
with a heathen would prove an version largely to their Christian
abiding one. In later times, when wives, Chrotechildis and Bertha.
the Christian view of marriage was
What then is S. Paul's teaching in this chapter as to marriage as
contrasted with celibacy 1 Marriage is, for the Christian, a perfectly lawful
state. If God's call has found a man married, married he is to remain.
The unmarried may marry if they wUL S. Paul does not shew any trace of
the view that marriage is a less pure condition than cehbacy. Nor does
there seem to be any passage of Holy Scripture which teaches this. The
only apparent exception is Rev. xiv. 4, and there virginity seems to be a
metaphor for spiritual faithfulness to the Lord, regarded as the husband of
the Church (cf. 2 Cor. xi. 2 and the O.T. passim). More than this, in Eph. v
22-33, S. Paul takes a most lofty view of marriage, making it the symbol
of the relation of Christ to the Church. Marriage, like all things that God
has created, is in itself very good (cf. 1 Tim. iv. 1-5 ; Tit. i. 15). Yet, clearly,
S. Paul puts celibacy higher still. All, indeed, that he lays down definitely,
is that celibacy is a thing right and morally beautiful. Throughout the
chapter its special advantages and dangers cross and re-cross one another
in his mind ; he evidently shrinks from any hard and fast rule; he says that
the ceUbate Ufe requires a gift which all do not possess ; he shrinks from

64 L CORINTHIANS
imposing his own view upon others {v. 36). But, nevertheless, it is S. Paul's
deliberate opinion that celibacy is the higher state {vv. 6-8, 25, 38), both
because of the troubles that must fall upon married people, and because of
the undivided attention which the unmarried can give to devotion, the
service of the Lord, and the attainment of personal holiness. " Certainly,"
as Bacon says, "the best works, and of greatest merit for the public,
have proceeded from the unmarried, or from childless men, who both in
affection and means have married and endowed the public." If for " the
pubhc " we put " Jesus Christ," we shall have S. Paul's meaning. Thus it
cannot be denied that the reverence and enthusiasm for virginity which is
so characteristic of the early Church has its roots in the N.T. Where
S. Paul differs from a teacher like S. Jerome is (i) in his freedom from the
view that marriage is in any way evil in itself, (ii) in the far greater regard
that he pays to the rights of others in recommending the celibate life.
" Often do the Apostles," says Bengel, " in their Epistles treat of marriage :
Paul alone, but once, not spontaneously but in answer to questions, recom
mends cehbacy, and that most gently."
But the repulsion, which this chapter often creates, is not due to
S. Paul's preference for celibacy, but to the point of view from which
alone he at first sight seems to regard marriage. He seems to regard it
just as a protection against impurity, and to ignore its value as a moral
and spiritual relation. But we must remember, in the first place, that
S. Paul is not writing a treatise on Christian marriage, but answering
questions which had been put to him. The nobility of S. Paul's conception
of marriage is sufficiently clear from his words in the Epistle to the
Ephesians. Still more we must remember that S. Paul is dealing with
the matter as a practical teacher, and so speaks of marriage as he found it
Such ideals as those of the last lines of Tennyson's Princess, of Robert
Browning's Pompilia and Caponsacchi or even of Kingsley's S. Maura
could hardly be before S. PauL They are no doubt implicit— even higher
ideals are implicit — in the comparison of the marriage union to the union
between Christ and the Church But it needed time, it needed perhaps
the permeation by Christianity of the Teutonic character, to draw them
out. The Greek girl, brought up in ignorance and seclusion, was not fitted
to be the comrade of her husband, nor could her husband, in most cases,
either truly love her or know anything of her character before marriage.
The great Greek plays leave love as a motive for marriage just as much out
of sight as S. Paul does. So also, as we read vv. 32-34, we must remember
that a Corinthian Christian would scarcely ever have any real security that
the same course of action would please the Lord and please his wife. S. Paul
speaks of things as he found them. If we can make them otherwise, so
much the better.
Such considerations as the above we are bound to remember, in
applying S. Paul's words to our own circumstances. But when aU al
lowance has been made, we can hardly doubt that S. Paul's advice would
be now very much what it was then. His reasons for cehbacy remain ;
and, if we have reasons for marriage which S. Paul did not contemplate,
the reason which he did especially contemplate wiU probably be less

I. CORINTHIANS 65
pressing. So far as under Christian influences the nations of modern Europe
have attained to higher moral ideals, the danger of ceUbacy has become
less great. If, as is often maintained, S. Paul's words refer to local and
temporary conditions, we cannot say the same of the words of the Lord in
Mt. xix. 10-12. Ability to "receive" this saying is indeed, as our Lord
tells us, not given to aU : and that ability must surely, under modern
circumstances, include more than the absence of serious moral danger in
the cehbate life. There are those to whom the celibate life seems of itself
to bring a restlessness and distraction that are the very opposite of the
blessings for which S. Paul looks from it. But stiU our Lord does say,
"He that is able to receive it, let him receive it," and such words can
hardly mean less than that in itself celibacy is a loftier vocation than
marriage, if it is accepted as a vocation and a self-denial, and not from
a selfish dislike of the burdens which marriage brings. The more we
know of the Divine blessings given through Christian marriage, the more
highly we must think of celibacy ; for our Lord promises to recompense
abundantly with even higher blessings those who at His caU forego the
lower ones (Luk. xviii. 29, 30). Perhaps a greater personal share in the
spiritual relation of the Church to Christ, as His bride, is one way in which
that higher blessing comes.
Additional note on VII. 10, 11.
Divorce.
These words take us into the heart of one of the most disputed questions
of Christian morals. Is Christian marriage absolutely indissoluble, except
by death, or can it by or after adultery be so dissolved that a fresh
marriage becomes possible to one if not to both the parties to it ?
S. Paul's teaching seems clear. Christian marriage is indissoluble.
There may be cases in which separation is justifiable ; he tells us of none
which justify remarriage in the lifetime of the former partner. S. Paul
claims to be reproducing our Lord's teaching. If our Lord had in his
view made an important exception to the general rule of indissolubility,
would not S. Paul have told the Corinthians of it ? Cases would be sure to
occur at Corinth, where this knowledge would be necessary. Now the
Lord's teaching is found in Mt. v. 31, 32 ; xix. 3-9 ; Mk. x. 2-12 ; and
Luk. xvi. 18. If we read that teaching in the Gospels of S. Mark or
S. Luke, we have no difficulty in understanding the way in which S. Paul
refers to it. Our Lord in this as in other cases retracts all concession to the
hardness of men's hearts, and recalls us to the Divine ideal. He teaches that
marriage is indissoluble, and stigmatises remarriage after divorce as adultery.
And we can hardly doubt that S. Paul would have heard our Lord's teaching,
as it is given to us in these two Gospels. For it seems to be almost
universaUy recognised that where the first three Gospels run parallel
to one another and depend upon a common source, S. Mark generaUy best
reproduces the original account given by the Apostles, while S. Luke was
the evangelist most closely associated with S. Paul. If then there should
prove to be a difference in the account of our Lord's teaching given by

66 I. CORINTHIANS
the first Gospel on the one hand, and by S. Mark and S. Luke on the
other, we can scarcely doubt which would be the version known to S. Paul.
It seems then most probable that the prima facie meaning of S. Paul's
words is the true one, and that he disallows remarriage in the lifetime of
the previous partner in aU cases.
But can it be said that in this decision S. Paul lays down a stricter rule
than the Lord lays down, according to the first Gospel ? This is the real
difficulty. In Mt. v. 31, 32, our Lord is contrasting the strictness of His
own law upon this subject with the practice permitted under the law of
Moses. " I say unto you," He says," "that every one that putteth away his
wife, saving for the cause of fornication, maketh her an adulteress : and
whosoever shall marry her when she is put away committeth adultery."
The last clause is not certainly genuine, but this does not affect the sense.
Again in Mt. xix. 9, where the whole section {vv. 3-9) is parallel to Mk x.
2-12, we have the words "Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for
fornication, and shaU marry another, committeth adultery: and he that
marrieth her when she is put away committeth adultery." But here a
reference to the margin of the R.V. wiU shew that the original text is
uncertain, and that the true reading may make this passage almost verbally
the same with Mt. v. 32, and thus adding nothing to it Can we then say,
in view of the fact that separation without freedom to marry again was
unknown to the Jews, that Mt v. 32 aUows of remarriage, when a divorce
for adultery has taken place ? It seems most difficult to suppose that our
Lord can have taught this. For, in the first place, the Christian Church of
the first three centuries never, as far as we know, sanctioned any such
thing, the Church in the West has continued not to sanction it, and we
find no consciousness in the writers of the Early Church that there is
anything in S. Matthew's Gospel inconsistent with their mind upon this
subject It is true that the Eastern Church does sanction such remarriage,
and has for long sanctioned it, but her witness is of very Uttle value, since
she sanctions marriage after divorce in many other cases, — cases in which
our Lord's words plainly condemn it. Is it conceivable that anything short
of our Lord's authority would have led the Early Christians to accept
teaching so entirely new to them as that of the indissolubility of marriage 1
In the second place, to permit dissolution of marriage on the ground of
adultery with the permission to remarry is to open the door to the most
horrible evils. It is to make adultery or the charge of adultery the one
road to freedom for those unhappily married, and who desire to marry some
one else. If it be maintained that adultery per se dissolves marriage, the
consequence is sufficiently remarkable. In what position does this place
the innocent husband or wife, to whom his or her partner has been
unfaithful ? Does the state of marriage no longer exist ? If so, we may
cease to be married without any knowledge that such a change has taken
place. If the guilty party is forgiven, is there to be a fresh marriage ? It
is surely idle to plead that a fresh marriage may be allowed to the innocent
party, but not to the guilty one. The original union either exists or it does
not. If it does, there can be no remarriage for either ; if it does not,
remarriage cannot be adultery for either. The Church might indeed refuse

I. CORINTHIANS 67
her sanction and blessing to the remarriage of one divorced for adultery, —
that would be a matter of discipUne ; she could not maintain that such
remarriage was not real marriage, if she admitted that the original union
had been dissolved. By what right could she permanently repel from
communion those whose sins might have been long and deeply repented of,
and whose subsequent remarriage could not but be recognised as entirely
real, though it might not have received her blessing ? Thus both the mind
of the Church, and the plainest commonsense, lead us to exactly the same
conclusion as the study of the relation existing between the Synoptic
Gospels, — the conclusion that our Lord declared marriage by God's
institution indissoluble, and that the words "except for fornication"
are not His. How then comes it, that these words appear in the text
of the first Gospel? That, in aU probability, we shaU never certainly
know. The words may well be an interpolation, designed to guard against
a serious misunderstanding of our Lord's teaching. A man may most rightly
condone an act of adultery in his wife, if she repents of it. But he may not
continue cohabitation with her, if she is Uving a hfe of impurity. To do this
would make him an accomphce in her sin, and in the evil of bringing
chUdren into the world, whose parentage was uncertain. Our Lord could
not intend him so to act. We to-day should guard against such a mis
understanding by a footnote, but the ancients did not practise this device.
Footnotes, as we often see in Scripture, are placed in the text. Is it not so
here ? If so, the first Gospel is entirely in harmony with the rest of the N.T.,
and with the mind of the Early Church. Moreover, we see why the word
employed is not the Greek word for "adultery," but the word for "harlotry."
It is not an act of adultery which is in question, but the Uving of the harlot's
life. The right course for the Church is surely quite clear. She must maintain
her own law as binding upon her members, and refuse communion to all, —
whether "innocent" or " guilty,"— who set it aside. Our Lord did not
"legislate " upon the subject ; that, as Canon Henson has lately reminded
us, was not His way ; He said that God had already legislated by the very
constitution of human nature, and that the law of Moses had aUowed what
was inconsistent with His mind because of the hardness of men's hearts.
We within the Church, where the fullness of God's grace is at our disposal,
must insist upon the true ideal. With the legislation of the State the case
is quite different. We Christians may weU think that the State will be weU
advised, if it makes the law of God its own ; in England unhappuy we
cannot now speak of the State retaining the law of God as its own. But
the State has to legislate for millions of people, who are not at present
Christians, and do not enjoy the possession of the strength which God's
grace bestows when it is sought and found. It may feel bound to consider
the hardness of men's hearts, as the Mosaic law considered it. If it does,
we have no justification for abusive language ; we have simply to make
clear that our righteousness in the matter must exceed the righteousness of
the Scribes and Pharisees and of English law also, and to act in accordance
with our own higher principles. On the whole subject, see Watkins, Holy
Matrimony, ch. vn., and Keble's Treatise, Sequel to the argument against
immediately repealing the laws which treat the nuptial bond as indissoluble.
5—2

68 I. CORINTHIANS
Additional note on VII. 12.
Apostolic Inspiration.
S. Paul's words in the preceding chapter throw much light upon the
extent and character of Apostohc Inspiration. It is obvious that 8. Paul
does not regard all that he says as possessing equal authority. Where the
Lord Himself has spoken, it is enough to point out the fact, and repeat His
teaching. No arguments are added in this case {rv. 10, 11). In other cases,
S. Paul himself speaks quite confidently and decisively, even where he has
no definite word of our Lord upon which to rely (e.g. vv. 12-16). No claim
is here made to inspiration, and arguments are given (cf. x. 15). But the
claim to inspiration nevertheless lies in the background (cf. i. 1); it is
scarcely conceivable that questions of such complexity and difficulty should
be so authoritatively decided, unless S. Paul felt himself to possess more
than human authority, and to be guided by more than human wisdom. On
the other hand, there are also cases in which S. Paul, though giving his own
opinion quite clearly, nevertheless does not impose it upon others, but allows
them to form their own views, and to act upon them (cf. vv. 25, 26, 36, 40).
The last verse is especially interesting. When the Apostle says " I think
that I also have the Spirit of God," there is no reason to suppose that his
language is ironical. It is simply that, though confident that his own view
represents the mind of the Spirit, he is nevertheless not sufficiently certain
to be justified in imposing that view upon others.
These facts are plainly inconsistent with any mechanical theory of
S. Paul's inspiration. They point rather to an inspiration, which blends
itself with the mind and character, — an inspiration the same in kind as that
of other Christians, though higher in degree. The claim, that our own
views are in all cases the views which the Spirit has taught us, is a sign not
of true inspiration, but of arrogance or fanaticism. It impUes forgetfulness
of the fact that the Holy Spirit respects human freedom and individuality,
and no more forces those upon whom He acts into correctness of opinion
than into moral perfection. S. Paul was certain that he possessed Divine
teaching, but he was not equally certain as to how far that teaching
extended. In some cases, his claim to have the mind of the Spirit goes
very far (cf. ii 10-16); the Spirit is the Author of the very language in
which his teaching is expressed (see notes on ii. 13); but there are other
cases, in which he will not say more than that he gives his "judgement, as
one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful," and that he
"thinks that he also has the Spirit of God." There are few things in which
the inspiration of S. Paul is more clearly seen than in his reasonableness
and modesty. When we see these characteristics in him, we feel all
the more confidence in his authoritative teaching. A man who speaks so
cautiously, as S. Paul speaks in this chapter, would never have confused his
own ideas and prejudices with Divine teaching. " I speak as to wise men ;
judge ye what I say" — so S. Paul often speaks to us. And when he does so,
we best shew respect to him by taking him at his word. It is far better for our
own progress to consider and weigh S. Paul's words, than simply to accept
them (in aU cases equally) as they stand, without so considering them.

viii. i] I. CORINTHIANS 69
VIII. 1 Now concerning things sacrificed to idols : We
know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up,
Ch. VIII. S. Paul now turns to a new subject — the duty of a Christian
in relation to meat that had formed part of an idol-sacrifice. This was a
question of great practical difficulty at Corinth. In the ancient world, as
we see in the case of the peace-offerings of the Jews (Lev. ui. ; vii. 11-21),
a sacrifice was frequently followed by a social meal. Only part of the victim
was consumed upon the altar ; the rest was either given back to the wor
shipper, or became the property of the priest. At Corinth, most banquets
were probably sacrificial feasts, while a great part of the meat pubhcly
exposed for sale would have been sacrificial meat. What then was the
Christian to do? Might he make use of such food, or not? Then, as
now, the Jews would have their own butchers. The law prohibited any
consumption of the blood of an animal (Lev. xvii. 10 ff), blood being sacred
as the vehicle of "life," and this could only be completely avoided, if
animals were kiUed by a special method. What were Christians to do?
A Jew would not necessarily give up his old ways of thinking, because he
had become a Christian. The great principle that "not that which goeth
into the mouth defileth a man" required time for its understanding and
acceptance. The prohibition by the Conference of Jerusalem (Ac. xv. 29) of
any sharing in "things sacrificed to idols," in "blood," and in "things
strangled " was a concession to Jewish feeUng, and the reverence for even
animal "Ufe" which lay beneath it. Nor would the question be easy even for
a Gentile Christian. Accustomed as he had been to regard the gods of his
country as real beings, he would often find it hard to divest himself of the
idea that food contracted a taint by being offered to them. It is with the
difficulties of the Gentiles, as vui. 7 shews, that S. Paul has specially to
deal The most scrupulous were afraid to eat meat at ah, unless they had
satisfied themselves as to its previous history, while the most strong-minded —
and, as they themselves claimed, enhghtened — Christians went so far as to
take part in sacrificial feasts in the heathen temples. S. Paul deals with
the subject, though not without digressions, from viii. 1 to xi. 1. He
distinguishes carefuUy between eating idol-meats in private houses, and
eating them in a temple. The first he allows, except when there is danger
of doing harm to scrupulous Christians ; the second he altogether forbids.
Thus his decision, though not quite the same as that of Ac. xv. 29, is based
upon the same principles : — {a) the full recognition that there can be no
food unlawful or unclean to the Christian, (6) the duties of charity towards
others and caution lest we be led into sin. In later days, the eating of
sacrificial meats was regarded as unlawful because it had come to signify
renunciation of Christianity. It was not so in S. Paul's time.
With S. Paul's words here, we should compare Rom. xiv. 13-23. The
spirit in which he deals with the problem before him is the same in each
case. There however he seems to have in mind the scruples of Jewish
Christians, while here he has Gentile Christians in view.
VIII. 1. we all have knoirledge. from the letter of the Corinthians to
These words may be a quotation S. PauL They had laid stress upon

70

I. CORINTHIANS

[VIII. i-s

2 but love ledifieth. If any man thinketh that he knoweth
3 anything, he knoweth not yet as he ought to know ; but if
4 any man loveth God, the same is known of him. Concern
ing therefore the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we
know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there
5 is no God but one. For though there be that are called
gods, whether in heaven or on earth ; as there are gods
1 Gr. buildeth up.

their enlightenment on this subject ;
S. Paul calls them to something
better than enlightenment, namely
love. Knowledge.. .edifieth. Knowledge
affects him who possesses it, without
always improving him. Love bmlds
up others; it is careful to help them
and minister to their progress.
Bengel refers to vL 12. "Knowledge
says only 'All things are lawful for
me ' : love adds ' But not aU things
edify.'" It is evident that S. Paul
here speaks of knowledge divorced
from love. That tends but to pride
and conceit, even though its subject-
matter be divine. "The Tree of
Knowledge is not the Tree of Life."
The great contrast lies not between
"religious" and "secular" knowledge,
but between knowledge of any kind
without love, and knowledge in union
with it. AsS;_Bernard says "To
desire to know, for the purpose of
knowing, is curiosity; to desire it,
that you may be known, is vanity;
to desire it, that you may seU your
knowledge, is mean trading; to
desire it that you may be edified, is
prudence ; to desire it, that you may
edify, is love."
2. If any man... ought to know.
In spiritual things conceit of one's
own knowledge is a sure sign that
true knowledge has never yet been
attained. True knowledge is un-
L attainable without love, since it is

love which brings sympathy with
God Whom we desire to know.
3. the same is known of him.
The meaning is either (a) God is
known of this man, or (6) this man
is known of God. The former is
what the context would lead us to
expect Love is the way to the true
knowledge of God (1 Jn. iv. 7, 8).
But it seems scarcely Uke S. Paul's
profound reverence to refer to God
as "the same," and, as Gal iv. 9
shews, S. Paul prefers to speak of
God's knowledge of us, rather than
of our knowledge of God. Cf,
for the structure of the sentence,
Rom. viiL 9. The second interpre
tation is therefore the better. But
deep knowledge, Uke love, must be
mutual. The fact that God knows a
man, with that special knowledge of
which S. Paul here speaks, makes
the knowledge of God by that man
a certainty. 4. no idol. ..in the world. Again
there is probably a quotation from
the letter of the Corinthians. In
vv. 4-6 S. Paul lays down the truth,
upon which the more enhghtened
Corinthians reUed in eating freely
the idol-meats ; in vv. 7 ff. he shews
the considerations that must limit
Christian liberty in the matter.
5. though... earth. S. Paul ex
plains and limits the assertions of
the previous verse. There are gods —
and many gods — so reputed among

VIII. 6-10]

I. CORINTHIANS

71

6 many, and lords many; yet to us there is one God, the
Father, of whom are all things, and we unto him; and one
Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we
7 through him. Howbeit in all men there is not that know
ledge : but some, being used until now to the idol, eat as
of a, thing sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being
8 weak is defiled. But meat will not commend us to God :
neither, if we eat not, *are we the worse ; nor, if we eat,
9 2 are we the better. But take heed lest by any means this
3liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to the weak.
10 For if a man see thee which hast knowledge sitting at

1 Gr. do we lack.

2 Gr. do we abound.

8 Or, power

the heathen, but they are nothing
to Christians as objects of worship,
or claimants for aUegiance.
6. yet to us... we through him.
To us Christians there is but one
God, Who is the Father, Who is the
source of aU creation, and for Whom
we Christians exist. To us, also,
there is but one Lord, one claimant
for our allegiance, Jesus Christ,
through Whom aU came into being,
and through Whom we Christians
are what we are. This verse contains
the earliest statement in the N.T. as
to the work of our Lord in creation.
Though the Father was the source,
our Lord was the instrument of
creation. This is stated more fuUy
in Col. L 16-18. There, as here, the
work of our Lord in creation and
His work for the Church are spoken
of together. Plainly, the higher
doctrine of our Lord's Person was
not an addition to the primitive
faith of the Church. It is found in
this passage, in an epistle whose
authenticity is undoubted, almost as
clearly as in Jn. i. 1-4. Compare
Heb. i. 1-3. S. PauL S. John, and
the author of the Epistle to the
Hebrews are united as to the
doctrine, though they shew their

mutual independence, by the variety
of the language in which they
express it. Here it has a special
bearing upon the use of idol-meats.
These meats cannot reaUy belong to
demons. They, Uke all else, are "of"
one God, the Father, and "through"
one Lord, Jesus Christ.
7. eat as... sacrificed to an idol.
Le. they cannot regard it as ordinary
meat, cannot rid themselves of the
feeling that they are taking part in
an idolatrous banquet Thus the
statement, quoted in v. 1 from the
letter of the Corinthians, was not
strictly true.
their conscience... is defiled. Guilt
is contracted by doing what we re
gard as wrong, whether it be really
wrong or not. Cf. Rom. xiv. 23.
What defiled the unenlightened
Corinthian was not the idol-meat,
but his disregard of what he felt to
be his duty.
8. But meat. . .to God. ie. at the
day of judgment The whole question
has in itself nothing to do with our
relation to God. There may also be
the thought, that there is nothing
pleasing to God, in the fact that we
assert our freedom.

72

I. CORINTHIANS

[VIII. 10-13

meat in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is
weak, *be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols?
11 For Hhrough thy knowledge he that is weak perisheth,
12 the brother for whose sake Christ died. And thus, sinning
against the brethren, and wounding their conscience when
13 it is weak, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat
maketh my brother to stumble, I will eat no flesh for ever
more, that I make not my brother to stumble.

1 Gr. be builded up.
10. be emboldened... to idols. Bet
ter, as R.V. margin, "be builded up,"
edified, to eat. Cf. v. 1. The words
are ironical. It is a fine edification
indeed, to build up the unenhghtened
Christian to his ruin.
11. A further explanation of the
warning of v. 9. Every word helps
to bring out the heinousness of the
enlightened Christian's conduct. The
weakness of the person injured, the
greatness of the injury done to him,
his relation to the injurer, the love
of Christ for him, and the means by
which the injury is inflicted, aU
make the guilt greater. Cf. Mt. xviii.
6, 7. It should also be noticed, how
the word " perisheth " brings out the
seriousness of disobedience to what
is thought to be a duty. True life is
inconsistent with disobedience.
12. wounding... it is weak. The
conscience is wounded by the per
sonal sin into which its possessor is

2 Gr. in.
led. For this the enlightened Chris
tian is responsible.
sin against Christ. Christ died
for the weak brother, and the weak
brother is in such real corporate
union with Christ, that all that
injures him injures also his Divine
Head. S. Paul had learned this
truth of the Lord Himself (Ac. xxvi.
14, 15).
13. eat no flesh for evermore.
S. Paul is willing to eat no flesh at
aU for ever, rather than injure the
spiritual being of his brother. It is
quite possible that the Corinthians
had urged that abstinence from idol-
meats meant, under their circum
stances, abstinence from meat al
together. This verse leads ou to ch. ix.,
where S. Paul shews how faithful
he himself is to the teaching just
given.

To avoid misunderstanding, it should be noticed that by "the weak
brother" S. Paul means a Christian, who, though himself troubled by
unfounded scruples, may be hkely to foUow the lead of others in spite
of them. With censorious and Pharisaical people, who exclaim against
those whose minds are wider than their own, S. Paul would have us
deal in a very different way. Cf. Gal. ii. 4, 5. People of this kind are
in no special danger of being "edified" to their ruin. No doubt, it
is desirable, if possible, not to shock the susceptibUities of any one
(cf. Rom. xn. 17), but the avoidance of this is not always consistent with
faithfulness to principle. It is of real importance to notice what it is
that S. Paul means by wounding the conscience of another {v. 12). The

IX. i-4]

I. CORINTHIANS

73

wound, that he has in mind, is the wound which that other causes to
his own conscience by unfaithfulness to his own conception of his duty.
We may, of course, wound the feeUngs of others by disregarding their
scruples, but that is not here the question. Compare the fuller note at the
end of ch. x.

IX. 1 Am I not free? am I not an apostle? have I not
2 seen Jesus our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? If
to others I am not an apostle, yet at least I am to you :
3 for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. My
4 defence to them that examine me is this. Have we no

Ch. IX. S. Paul does not at this
point turn to a new subject ; the ques
tion of the idol-meats wiU recur in
ch. x. ; but he points out that he him
self habitually considers the profit of
others, instead of insisting upon his
rights (cf. viii. 13; 1 Th. ii 6-9). Thus
v. 19 is the key-note of this chapter.
At the same time, he no doubt dwells
upon his position and conduct as an
Apostle, more than he would have
done, if there had not been those
among the Corinthians, who denied
his claims. Cf. xv. 9-11 and 2 Cor.
xii. 11-18.
IX. 1-3. Pkoop op S. Paul's
Apostleship. 1. Am I not free? The words
are closely connected with the pre
vious chapter. S. Paul claims Chris
tian liberty as fully as any one.
have I not seen Jesus our Lord?
To have seen the Risen Lord was
necessary for Apostleship. On the
one hand, the Apostles were wit
nesses of the Resurrection (Ac. i. 22;
xxii. 14); and, on the other hand, it
was from the Risen Lord that the
Apostolic commission proceeded
(Mt. xxviii. 18-20; Jn. xx. 21;
GaL i. 1). It is plain, both here
and in xv. 5-8, that S. Paul regarded
our Lord's appearance to him on the
Damascus road as a real appearance,
Uke those of the Great Forty Days,

and not as a mere vision. Cf. Ac. ix.
17, 27.
2. If to others ...an apostle.
Probably a reference to the Ju
daizing teachers, who had come to
Corinth. See Introduction, p. xxL
S. Paul never claimed Apostolic
authority over the Christians of
Jerusalem (cf. Gal. ii. 9), but over
his own Gentile converts he did.
the seal.. .in the Lord. A seal
attests the genuineness of that to
which it is affixed. So the character
of the Corinthian church proved the
genuineness of S. Paul's Apostleship.
Cf. 2 Cor. iu. 2. Evangehsts, who
were not Apostles, might have been
the means of their conversion, but
only an Apostle could have bestowed
the high spiritual gifts, which the
Corinthians enjoyed. Cf. i 4-7;
xii. 4-11; and Rom. i 11.
3. them that examine me. The
same word is employed as in iv. 3.
S. Paul seems to be thinking es
pecially of the Judaizing teachers,
and their Corinthian supporters.
is this. i.e. what S. Paul has said
in vv. 1 and 2, not what he is about
to say. But the verses that follow
really continue the defence. S. Paul's
adversaries would represent his re
fusal to accept maintenance as a
confession of the weakness of his
position. Cf. 2 Cor. xii 13.

74

I. CORINTHIANS

[IX.

4-10

5 right to eat and to drink ? Have we no right to lead
about a wife that is a 1behever, even as the rest of the
6 apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? Or I
only and Barnabas, have we not a right to forbear working?
7 What soldier ever serveth at his own charges? who planteth
a vineyard, and eateth not the fruit thereof? or who
feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?
8 Do I speak these things after the manner of men? or saith
9 not the law also the same? For it is written in the law of
Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth
10 out the corn. Is it for the oxen that God careth, or 2saith
he it altogether for our sake ? Yea, for our sake it was
written : because he that ploweth ought to plow in hope,

1 Gr. sister.

* Or, saith he it, as he doubtless doth, for our sake t

IX. 4-18. S. Paul's refusal op
MAINTENANCE. 4. to eat and to drink, i.e. at the
expense of the Church. Cf. Luk x. 7.
5. a wife that is a believer. This,
and not simply " a woman that is a
believer," is probably the right trans
lation. The suggestion that S. Paul
speaks of Christian women, minister
ing to the Apostles by their substance
(cf. Luk. viiL 3), is inconsistent with
the context, for the women here
mentioned seem to need maintenance
at the hands of the Church It is not
here asserted that all the Apostles,
except S. Paul, were married, but
only that as a body they claimed
the right, some doubtless also exer
cising it On " the brethren of the
Lord," see Additional Note, pp. 80, 81.
6. forbear working. Le. to cease
to support ourselves by our own
labour. Cf Ac. xviii. 3 ; xx. 34.
7. Three iUustrations of the right
of the Apostles to maintenance. The
soldier, the cultivator of the vine, and
the shepherd, are aU used elsewhere
in Scripture as types of the Christian
worker (2 Tim. iL 3-6 ; 1 Cor. iii 6, 7 ;
Jn. xxi. 15-17).

8. after the manner of men.
ie. am I merely employing human
analogies, without any higher au
thority upon which to rely?
9, 10. Thou shalt not muzzle...
the corn. Deut xxv. 4. Oxen, en
gaged in treading out corn, are to
this day unmuzzled in the East. Cf.
1 Tim. v. 18.
Is it for the oxen.. .for our sake?
S. Paul does not, of course, deny that
God cares for oxen in the course of
His providence (Ps. cxlv. 9; Mt. vi.
26), but he does seem to assert that
this particular passage refers not to
oxen, but to Christian teachers. On
S. Paul's method of interpreting the
O.T., see Additional Note, pp. 82, 83.
10. he that ploweth... hope of
partaking. S. Paul does not here
refer to the workman's hope of ul
timately sharing in the fruits of his
labour, but to his hope of maintenance
whUe the labour continues. For the
thought of spiritual ploughing, cf.
Jer. iv. 3 and Hos. x. 12. The
metaphor of the thresher is no less
appropriate. The Christian Apostle
separates from the world the true
grain of the children of God, and

IX. io-i6]

I. CORINTHIANS

75

11 and he that thresheth, to thresh in hope of partaking. If
we sowed unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if
12 we shall reap your carnal things? If others partake of this
right over you, do not we yet more? Nevertheless we did not
use this right ; but we bear all things, that we may cause no
13 hindrance to the gospel of Christ. Know ye not that they
which minister about sacred things eat of the things of
the temple, and they which wait upon the altar have their
14 portion with the altar? Even so did the Lord ordain that
they which proclaim the gospel should live of the gospel.
15 But I have used none of these things: and I write not
these things that it may be so done in my case : for it were
good for me rather to die, than that any man should make
16 my glorying void. For if I preach the gospel, I have
nothing to glory of ; for necessity is laid upon me ; for woe

gathers them into the kingdom of
Christ. Cf. Mt. ui. 12, — words which
S. Paul may have in mind.
11. The thought of the sower is
added to those of the ploughman
and of the thresher. Cf. Rom. xv. 27.
12. others. Le. the Judaizing
teachers. Cf. 2 Cor. xL 20. The
"right" is that of maintenance.
13. minister about ...with the
altar? The reference is to the
provisions of the Mosaic law. Both
halves of the verse probably refer to
the priests, though the former may
be taken to include the Levites (cf.
Numb. viu. 15). "The things of the
temple " include the tithes, the show-
bread etc., whUe the " portion with
the altar" is the priest's share of the
sacrifices (cf. Lev. vii.). It was not
so much that the people supported
the priests, as that God supported
them out of the offerings made to
Him. This is the highest view to
take of the support of the Christian
ministry also.
14. Even so.. .live of the gospel.
Mt x. 10; Luk x. 7, 8. a Paul

evidently was acquainted with our
Lord's actual teaching. Cf. viL 10,
11, and xi. 23 ff. As in Rom. xv. 16,
and Phil. ii. 17, he regards evan-
geUstic labour under the new cove
nant as parallel with priestly service
under the old.
15. But I... these things. The
word "I" is emphatic; — I, unlike
your later teachers, and unhke you
Corinthians, who insist upon your
strict rights.
make my glorying void. ie. make
me unable to say any longer, that I
preach the gospel at my own charges.
16-18. It is difficult to be certain
of the exact force of each clause in
these verses. The general meaning
seems to be that, under S. Paul's
circumstances, he could only look
for a reward, if he did more than just
preach the gospel, i.e. if he preached
it without earthly recompense.
16. necessity is laid upsn me,
i.e. by the distinct call, which S. Paul
had received. If he disobeyed it,
he could look only for the severest
punishment Cf. 1 Tim. i. 1.

76 I. CORINTHIANS [ix. 16-18
17 is unto me, if I preach not the gospel. For if I do this of
mine own will, I have a reward : but if not of mine own
18 will, I have a stewardship intrusted to me. What then is
my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may make
the gospel without charge, so as not to use to the full my
17. of mine own wiU. Le. as a for a reward.
volunteer who has no special Divine Other ways of explaining vv. 17
calL This, so far as we know, was and 18 are these, (i) We may take
the position of Apollos (Ac. xvui. v. 17 to mean that S. Paul expects a
27, 28), and of many other preachers reward, if he follows the Divine call
(cf. Ac. vui. 4). willingly; otherwise, he is but a slave
if not... in trusted to me. This entrusted with a task. This inter-
was the position of S. Paul, as of his pretation is not likely to be the
fellow-Apostles. He was a steward, true one. To foUow the Divine call
to whom a definite work had been willingly would not make S. Paul
entrusted (cf. iv. 2), and had no any less really entrusted with a task.
right to expect a reward for simple (ii) We may regard the question,
obedience. with which v. 18 opens, as finding its
18. What then is my reward? answer in the rest of the verse. To
The word "my "is emphatic. Volun- preach the gospel freely is itself a
teers might look for a reward for reward. But this thought would
their service; S. Paul could not. surely be over-subtle, and unsuited
That, when I preach ...in the to the context. Beside this, the word
gospel. S. Paul speaks somewhat translated " reward " is so habitually
loosely, but the meaning is plain, used in the N.T. for the future re-
His making the gospel without ward, which God will give to His
charge to his hearers was the one servants, that it is hard to assign it
ground upon which he could look any other meaning here. Cf. iu. 8, 14.
The question may be raised, whether S. Paul does not in vv. 15-18
teach "works of supererogation." It may be said that he describes his
refusal to accept maintenance at the hand of the church as a "voluntary
work besides, over and above, God's commandments" {Anglican Articles
of Religion, xiv.), and as meriting reward as such. This would be true,
if we had a right to take his language here by itself, and press it to a strict
logical conclusion. But the language of the heart is misused, when we
treat it as if it were the language of technical theology. The relation of
the Christian worker to God cannot be fully described by any human
language. In one aspect, indeed, he is a slave working for a Master, Whose
claim is absolute. Cf. Luk xvii. 10, quoted in the Anghcan Article. In
another aspect, he is a hired servant, working for a promised reward, and
therefore rightly expecting it. Cf. Mt xx. 1-16. In yet another aspect, he
is God's son, with interests identical with God's, and looking to share all that
He has. Cf. Luk xv. 31, and Rom. viii. 16, 17. No one of these aspects gives
a complete view of the relation, nor ought we to press any one of them to
the exclusion of the rest. Moreover, of all these aspects, that of the hired
servant wiU least bear a logical superstructure. Taken by itself, it ascribes

IX. 18-21]

I. CORINTHIANS

77

19 right in the gospel. For though I was free from all men,
I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain
20 the more. And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I
might gain Jews ; to them that are under the law, as under
the law, not being myself under the law, that I might gain
21 them that are under the law; to them that are without
to man an independence of God, which in no way belongs to him, and might
easily foster the bargaining spirit, which the very parable, that brings
out this aspect, so emphatically condemns. This bargaining spirit the
Roman doctrine in its coarser form certainly fosters, but that spirit is not
S. Paul's. What he here does is not to overstrain the thought of the hired
servant, but to refuse to overstrain the thought of the slave. Christian
service would lose all its joy, if it were simply regarded as performed for
a Master, Who might indeed be just satisfied, but could not be more
than satisfied with His servant. S. Paul knew the love of God far too weU
for this. He knew that God would welcome enthusiastic service, and richly
reward it. On the subject of reward, see Trench On the Parables, The
Labourers in the Vineyard (last note).
IX. 19-23. Further instances xxi. 20-26). If it here seems strange

op S. Paul's self-sacrifice fob.
others. 19. For though... from all men.
S. Paul realised his freedom as fully
as the most enlightened Corinthian
{v. 1). Nevertheless, he as much
accommodated himself to the ideas
and wishes of others, as a slave
must do to those of his master.
that I might gain the more. This
was S. Paul's great motive — to gain
men for Christ. The thought of
reward was quite secondary. Cf.
Rom. ix. 3. "True charity," as S.
Bernard says, "is not mercenary,
though a reward follows it."
20. to the Jews. ..gain Jews. It
was by no means true that S. Paul
taught "all the Jews which are
among the Gentiles to forsake Moses"
(Ac. xxi. 21). Not only did he take
a lofty view of Jewish privileges
(Rom. hi. 1-3; ix. 4, 5) and appeal
to the O.T. in addressing the Jews
(Ac. xiii 16 ff.), but he was even
willing to conform to distinctively
Jewish practices (Ac. xvi. 3; xviii 18;

that S. Paul, a Jew by birth, should
speak of becoming one, we must re
member that the word has to him a
religious rather than a racial signifi
cation. Thus in x. 32, the Church of
God is distinguished both from Jews
and from Gentiles.
not being myself under the law.
Cf. Gal. u. 19-21. S. Paul's doctrine,
as to the freedom of the Christian
from subjection to the Mosaic law,
is worked out in the Epistles to the
Galatians and Romans. Not only
does the Christian no longer look to
the law as his means of acceptance
with God, but he is free from it
altogether. The death of the Lord
delivered Him, not only from the
burden of human sin, but from that
subjection to the law, into which He
had been born (Gal. iv. 4). Through
union with Him, the Christian is
free also. But cf. v. 21.
21. to them that... without law.
Cf. vv. 24-27; xi. 14; Ac. xiv. 15-17;
xvii. 22-31 ; xix. 9. In deahng with
the Gentiles, S. Paul appealed to the

78

L CORINTHIANS

[IX. 1 1-14

law, as without law, not being without law to God, but
under law to Christ, that I might gain them that are with-
22 out law. To the weak I became weak, that I might gain
the weak : I am become all things to all men, that I may
23 by all means save some. And I do all things for the
gospel's sake, that I may be a joint partaker thereof.
24 Know ye not that they which run in a Jrace run all, but
1 Gr. racecourse.
teaching of nature, to common sense, did not sacrifice to it the pleasing
and to the witness of their own poets.
Professor Ramsay has pointed out,
how S. Paul's Gentile name is first em
ployed at Paphos, when he comes into
contact with the Roman governor,
Sergius Paulus. He appealed to the
Graeco-Roman world as himself a
member of it (Ac. xiii. 9).
It should be noticed that the word
here translated "without law" has
also the meaning " lawless." S. Paul
therefore hastens to correct a possible
misunderstanding. not being... under law to Christ.
S. Paul is only free from one law,
because he is under another. That
very union with Christ, which made
him free from the law of Moses, has
brought him under the perpetual
rule of the Spirit of God (Rom. viii 2).
And the law of the Spirit is the law
of Christ, the law of love. (Cf Jer.
xxxi 33; Rom. xiu. 10.)
22. To the weak. ..gain the weak.
Cf. viii. 13. Among scrupulous Chris
tians S. Paul acted as if he shared
those scruples.
all things to all men. S. Paul's
own example is instructive, as shew
ing how far this method of action
may rightly be carried. S. Paul
sacrificed his personal claims, and
personal Uberty of action ; he never
sacrificed any important principle,
or compromised the liberty of others.
Cf. Gal. n. 5. With him to please
others was what he chose in love to
do instead of pleasing himself ; he

of God. We may only be "liberal"
with that which is our own to
give. When S. Peter, in becoming
as a Jew to the Jews (Gal. ii.
11-14), abandoned his previous
habit of eating with the Gentile
converts, he both made a serious
sacrifice of principle, and went far
to impose the burden of the law
upon those who were free from it.
Hence S. Paul's rebuke.
23. for the gospel's sake... par
taker thereof. An anticipation of
the thought of v. 27. The gospel
brings a claim for self-sacrifice, and
there can be no sharing in its
blessings, for those who refuse to
answer to that claim. Thus this
verse leads on to vv. 24-27.
IX. 24-27. The need op strain
ing EVERT NERVE IN THE CHRISTIAN
RACE. S. Paul brings out two points : —
(i) Not aU who run obtain the prize.
Special exertion is needed, (ii) Self-
discipline is needful for aU who
strive; the body must be a slave,
not a master. Thus these verses
are connected, on the one hand,
with S. Paul's account of the in
tensity of his own efforts (vv. 15-23),
and, on the other, with the warning
of ch. x. as to the moral dangers of
the idolatrous feasts.
24. they which run in a race.
S. Paul had spent two years at
Corinth, and so had probably been
present at a celebration of the great

IX. i4-*7]

I. CORINTHIANS

79

one receiveth the prize? Even so run, that ye may attain.
25 And every man that striveth in the games is temperate in
all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown ;
26 but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, as not un-
27 certainly; so * fight I, as not beating the air: but 1 2buflet
my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means,
after that I have preached to others, I myself should be
rejected.

1 Gr. box.
Isthmian games. For his apphcation
of the metaphor, cf. Ac. xx. 24 ;
PhiL iii. 12-14. To the saint of the
O.T., life was a walk, a pilgrimage ;
to the saint of the N.T., with his need
for keener exertion, it is also a race.
25. is temperate in all things.
The Greek athletes were ten months
in strict training. Cf. Heb. xii. 1,
where the " weight " to be laid aside
seems to be the superfluous flesh of
the runner.
a corruptible crown. At the
Isthmian games, the victor's wreath
was of pine leaves. The contrast in
S. Paul's mind was also in S. Peter's
(1 Pet. v. 4).
26. uncertainly. The goal must
be kept clearly in view of the runner.
S. Paul as in Phil. iii. 14, thinks of
the prize as awaiting him at the goal
fight I... the air. The thought is
of the boxing-match. Every blow
must telL Much spiritual activity
is wasted because it has no definite
aim. The value of Scupoh's Spiri
tual Combat largely Ues in its firm
grasp of this truth.
27. / buffet ... bondage. The
thought of the boxing-match is still
earned on. S. Paul says that his
antagonist is his own body. He
does not, of course, regard the
material body as evil (cf. 1 Tim. iv. 4),
though the A.V. mistranslation of
PhiL iii. 21 might suggest this. But
so strong is the hold, which sin has

2 Gr. bruise.
acquired upon the body, so dis
ordered are its impulses, that he calls
it the "body"— or "flesh" "of sin"
(Rom. vi. 6 ; viiL 3). His own method
of subduing it, as the context shews,
was not by voluntary austerities —
S. Paul does not seem to have
thought highly of these (CoL iL 23) —
but by the unsparing employment
of it in the service of God. The
real security against the body being
master Ues in a complete response
to the Divine caU for service (Gal.
v. 16). Cf. PhiL i. 20; Heb. x. 5-10;
and in this Epistle vi. 13.
after that... rejected. There may
possibly be a reference to the herald's
proclamation at the games of the
rules of the contest, and the re
jection of competitors who dis
regarded them. But this seems
far-fetched. Lack of effort and
training on the part of competitors
would lead to failure, but not to
disqualification. In BibUcal Greek,
the word here translated "rejected"
commonly means "refuse," or "re
jected on triaL" S. Paul means that
his own salvation may be forfeited.
Thus the text negatives the Calvin-
istic doctrine of "final perseverance";
even S. Paul was not sure of ultimate
salvation. Nevertheless his confi
dence seems to have deepened as his
Ufe went on. The tone is changed
in Phil, iii 12-14, and rises to one of
triumph in 2 Tim, i, 12; iv. 7, 8.

80 I. CORINTHIANS
Additional note on IX. 5.
The Brethren of the Lord.
S. Paul mentions " the brethren of the Lord " between the Apostles and
Cephas. Evidently, they were of great importance in the eyes of the
Corinthians, perhaps only second to S. Peter himself. Who then were
these brethren of our Lord ? Their names are given in Mt xui. 55,
Mk. vi. 3, where they are brought into the closest connection with our Lord's
mother and foster-father, as well as with our Lord Himself. But their
exact relationship to our Lord is uncertain. Three views have been main
tained. Were they (i) the sons of S. Joseph and S. Mary, and therefore our
Lord's brothers in the strict sense ? This is called the Helvidian view. It
was maintained by Helvidius (circ. A.D. 380) and some few others in the
early church, and is the view of many modern writers. Or were they (ii) the
sons of S. Joseph by a former wife, and therefore only our Lord's foster-
brothers ? This is caUed the Epiphanian view, as its chief exponent in the
early church was Epiphanius, bishop of Constantia in Cyprus (a.d. 367).
But it is far older than Epiphanius, aud seems to have been traditional from
very early times. Or were they (iii) our Lord's cousins, the sons of Alphaeus
or Clopas, and Mary, a sister of the Blessed Virgin? This view was adopted
by S. Jerome, who seems to have been the first to maintain it He was
followed by S. Augustine and the Western Church generally. The third
view must be dismissed. It does great violence to the word " brethren " ;
it has no support in early Christian tradition ; and even Scripture, to which
S. Jerome appeals, is against it. One argument seems by itself decisive.
The theory assumed that "James, our Lord's brother" (Gal. i. 19), and
"James, the son of Alphaeus," our Lord's Apostle (Mt. x. 3), were the same
person. But it is almost impossible to regard "James, the Lord's brother"
as an Apostle in the strict sense. The "brethren of the Lord" are not only
quite a distinct body from the Apostles (Mt. xn. 47 ; Ac. i. 13, 14), but only
a few months before our Lord's death they did not even believe (Jno. vii.
3-5; cf. Mk vi. 4).
Between the first and the second view the choice is more difficult The
word " brethren " cannot be regarded as giving any great advantage to the
theory of Helvidius. Our Lord was throughout His life regarded as the
"son of Joseph." S. Joseph is called His father both by S. Mary herself
(Luk ii. 48) and by the Evangelist S. Luke, whose belief in the miraculous
birth is undoubted. Cf. Luk ii. 33 (RV.), 41, 43 (RV). This being so the
sons of S. Joseph would necessarily be caUed His brethren. Nor does
Scripture elsewhere supply us with information that definitely decides the
question. It is urged, on behalf of the Epiphanian view, that the attitude
of the Lord's brethren towards Him is rather that of elder than of younger
brothers (Mk iii. 21, 31 ; Jno. vii. 3, 4), and that it is inconceivable that our
Lord would have committed His mother to S. John (Jno. xix. 26, 27) had she
had children of her own living, who were soon to be (if they already were
not) members of the Church (Ac. i. 14). But the former argument is very
precarious and we surely know too little of the circumstances to attach to

I. CORINTHIANS 81
the latter the decisive force, which Bishop Lightfoot attaches to it On
the other hand, the arguments urged for the Helvidian view, from the
supposed natural meaning of Mt. L 25 and Luk ii. 7, are littlo more sub
stantial. Professor Mayor presses strongly the words of Mt. i. 26. But we
cannot treat these words as if they were the statement of the Evangelist as
to an ordinary fact. Tho narrative of Mt. i. 18-25 must depend for its
authority upon S. Joseph himself, and v. 25 gives just such testimony as
wo should expect him to have given. The Church needed to know that
our Lord was not his son, but beyond this was in no way concerned with his
relations with S. Mary ; and v. 25 is so worded as to toll us what we need to
know, and that only. Luk. ii. 7 is equally inconclusive. As Bishop Lightfoot
has pointed out, "tho prominent idua conveyed by the term first-born to a
Jew would be not the birth of other children, but the special consecration
of this one. The typical reference in fact is foremost in the mind of S. Luke;
he himself explains it ' Every male that oponeth the womb shall be caUed
holy to tho Lord' (ii. 23)."
Wo seem left then to the tradition of the Church, and our sense of what
is fitting under the circumstances, and both incline us to regard the
Epiphanian view as at least the more probable. That S. Mary was ever-
virgin is certainly the tradition of the Church. So far as we know,
Toitullian alone among early writers held a different view. Even the
tradition, that our Lord's brethren were the sons of Joseph by an earlier
wife than S. Mary, is very old. It is found both in the so-called Gospel
according to Peter, and in the Protovangelium of James, both dating from
the middle of tho second century, and seems to have come from a Jewish
souico, unlikely to be affected by the excessive admiration for celibacy,
which aroso later. Nor surely can we altogether disregard what is some
times called "the sentimental objection " to the Helvidian view. It is "the
tendency," says Dr Mill (quoted by Prof. Mayor), "of the Christian mystery,
God mani lent in the flesh, when heartily received to generate an unwillingness
to bolicvo that the womb thus divinely honoured should have given birth to
other merely human progeny." The " sentiment " in question is Christian
sentiment, and it is difficult not to bolievo that a Christian sentiment so
widespread represents tho mind of the Spirit Cf. 1 Cor. ii. 14-16. It
may be quite true, as Prof. Mayor urges, that we must not judge the
minds of S. Mary and S. Josoph by our own. Marriage was greatly
honoured by the Jews, and the Gospels seem to make it clear that the full
mystery of our Lord's Porson was not at once revealed to His mother or to
His foster-father. But we have to consider not only the minds of S. Mary
and S. Joseph, but tho mind of God. His actions, we are taught, possess a
seemliness, that we ourselves can appreciate (Hob. ii. 10; vii. 26). Isaac,
the typical "child of promise," was his mother's only son, and Isaac's
birth is the chief O.T. type of that of the Lord (cf. Luk. ii. 1, 37, which
quotes Gen. xviii. 14). Is it not most probable that in the Lord's case
also what the Christian consciousness seems to demand was what actually
took place? Such considerations, doubtless, must never be set against plain
historical evidence. But in this caso, as has been shewn, there is no such
evidence available.

82 I. CORINTHIANS
Additional note on IX. 9, 10.
S. Paul's method of interpreting the O.T.
The same application of Deut. xxv. 4 is found in 1 Tim. v. 18. The
remarkable thing is, not that S. Paul should quote the passage as bearing on
the support of the ministry, or even as intended to do so, but that he should
seem to deny that it was intended to refer to oxen at all. Perhaps it is not
quite certain, that he dehberately intends to go as far as this. But it is
difficult to give any other meaning to his words, whether we adopt the
translation of R.V., or of RV. marg. In S. Paul's day, the " moral " and
" mystical " senses of Scripture overshadowed the "literal." PhUo e.g. lays it
down that "the law is not for beings without reason, but for those who
possess mind and reason." And S. PauL though as a rule treating the O.T.
in a far more historical way than Philo does, seems here to interpret on the
same principle. In our own day, the tendency is to forget or deny the
moral and mystical senses and to confine our attention exclusively to the
UteraL The great strides made in the historical criticism and interpreta
tion of the O.T. have made it almost a new book to us. We find in its
literal meaning so much to interest and to teach us, that it seems un
necessary to look beyond. But it is not surprising that, in days when the
original meaning of the O.T. words was often so hard to ascertain, it should
have somewhat fallen out of notice. The deeper and more spiritual meaning
of Scripture, to which the N.T. writers and the Fathers appeal, is really
there, though caution and ascertained principles are necessary in drawing
it out The O.T. is intended for us, as well as for the Jews (cf. note on x. 11),
and is stored with spiritual meaning, which we are intended to draw out.
The results, which it yields to those who approach it with this belief, are
surely far too great to be due to mere fancy, and are the best justification
of the behef itself.
This is so both with what is called the " moral," and with what is called
the "mystical" interpretation. Of the former, we have here an excellent
example. If the laws of God are not mere arbitrary enactments, but the
expression of the divine character of justice and mercy, S. Paul's application
of Deut. xxv. 4 is abundantly justified. If it be not consistent with the mind
of God that oxen should be muzzled when they tread out the corn, still less
can it be consistent with His mind that His ministers should lack support,
while they are doing His work It is one thing to say that in the O.T. oxen
are but a symbol of the ministry, and quite another to say that there is so
real an analogy between the work of the one and of the other that what is
spoken of the former may be, and is divinely intended to be, applied to the
latter. The wonderful analogy that exists between the operations of the
natural and of the spiritual world — an analogy to which our Lord in His
parables appeals again and again — is no accidental thing ; it arises from
the fact that the God of nature and the God of grace are one and the same.
Thus, to take another example, we are fully justified in inferring from
Deut xxii 10 that a man's service is not to be made intolerable to him, by

X. i, 2]

I. CORINTHIANS

83

imposing upon him an uncongenial fellow-labourer. "Thou shalt not plow
with an ox and an ass together." There is just as httle hesitation about
S. Paul's employment of the mystical sense of Scripture. Cf. x. 1-5 ; Gal.
iv. 21 ff. He regards the narratives of the O.T. as foreshadowing the Gospel
dispensation. Nor is there anything irrational in this belief. As Thomas
Aquinas weU says, it is in God's power "not only to adapt words, as man also
can do, to express His meaning, but to adapt things themselves also"
(Summa, Pt L Qu. 1, Art. x. The whole passage is worthy of study). If
God's action under the old covenant was intended to foreshadow His action
under the new, a true account of the former is bound to apply mystically
to the latter. Modern knowledge, so far from destroying beUef in the
mystical sense of Scripture, ought to render the investigation of it more
scientific, and therefore more fruitfuL See note on x. 5.
X. 1 For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant, how
that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed
2 through the sea; and were all baptized 1unto Moses in
1 Gr. into.

Ch. X. The same subject is still
continued. The appeal for earnest
ness and self-discipline, with which
the last chapter closed, is pressed
home by the experience of the
ancient people of God. That ex
perience shews that, while the gifts
of grace are for all, faithfulness is
necessary, if we are ultimately to
profit by them.
X. 1-5. The experience of
Israel. This is described, so as to bring
out the analogy between the gifts of
God to Israel, and His gifts to the
Church. If S. Paul in ix. 24-27
became a Greek to the Greeks, he
now becomes a Jew to the Jews.
1. For I would not. The word
"for" shews the connection with the
previous chapter. " Self-discipline
is necessary; rejection is only too
possible, for etc."
our fathers... under the cloud.
The emphasis falls upon the word
"alL" as it does also in the three
foUowing verses. "AU" had the
privileges, not all were accepted
(cf. ix. 24). There is nothing un

natural in the way in which S. Paul
speaks of ancient Israel as the
"fathers" of the Christian Church.
The Church of God is one throughout
both dispensations. Christians have
a right to claim the patriarchs as
their own, which unbeheving Jews
have not, and do so both in the
Magnificat and the Benedictus. For
the cloud, compare Ex. xiii. 21, 22.
S. Paul thinks of the cloud as over
shadowing the host of Israel — a view
found also in Ps. cv. 39. See last
note on v. 4.
2. and were all... in the sea.
RV. margin points out that the
Greek is strictly "baptized into
Moses." The language is chosen to
make the parallel to Christian
baptism as close as possible. Chris
tians are baptized "into" Jesus
Christ (Rom. vi 3 ; Gal. iii. 27), Le.
into corporate union with Him.
The connection formed by the
IsraeUtes with Moses was far less
close ; they did, however, in crossing
the Red Sea, perform an act of faith
in his divine mission, acknowledge
him as their leader, and begin a new
6—2

84

I. CORINTHIANS

[X. 2-5

3 the cloud and in the sea ; and did all eat the same spiritual
4 meat ; and did all drink the same spiritual drink : for they
drank of a spiritual rock that followed them : and the rock
5 was Christ. Howbeit with most of them God was not well

Ufe that was to be ruled by that
faith. Cf. i. 15 ; Ex. xiv. 31. Thus
there was a real parallel to the
relation formed by the Christian in
baptism with the Lord. In both
cases, it may be added, the passing
through the water brought a separa
tion from the old Ufe of bondage
and idolatry.
But why does S. Paul introduce
the cloud ? Perhaps for two reasons.
(i) The thought of it, as covering
the host, makes the paraUel to the
baptismal immersion a closer one.
The host was, as it were, hidden
from view, Uke Christians plunged
beneath the waters of baptism, (ii)
The cloud was the symbol of the
abiding presence of God, leading,
protecting, and enlightening His
people. So Christian baptism — at
all events, when completed by the
laying on of hands — gives not only
remission of sins, but the abiding
presence of the Holy Ghost. Cf.
Mason, The Relation of Confirma
tion to Baptism, pp. 40-42.
3. and did all... spiritual meat.
Ex. xvi. 13 ff; Ps. lxxviii 24, 25.
By "spiritual," S. Paul means "super
natural" He does not mean that
the manna was not material food.
So, in xv. 44-46, the spiritual body
is not necessarily a body of gossamer.
It is a supernatural body, the perfect
instrument of the Spirit.
4. didall drink. ..spiritual drink.
Ex. xvii. 1-6; Numb. xx. 2-11. To
what in the Christian Church does
S. Paul regard this as analogous ?
Either (i) to the Blood of Christ
received in the Eucharist (c£ v. 16

below), as the manna is analogous
to the Body of the Lord (cf. Jno. vi.
31, 32); or (ii) to the gift of the Holy
Spirit. The latter seems the more
probable, since our Lord Himself
had so applied the O.T. incident, to
which S. Paul refers (Jno. vii. 37-39).
This view is also strongly supported
by the parallel in xii. 13, where the
first clause corresponds to x. 2, and
the last to x. 4.
for they drank of... rock was
Christ. This explains why S. Paul
has caUed the drink of the Israelites
"spirituaL" The rock was super
natural, and therefore the water
was so. There is probably a passing
reference to the Rabbinical legend
that the rock of Ex. xvii. 6 foUowed
the Israelites in their wanderings,
and supplied them with water. But
in the face of Numb, xxi 5, it is
scarcely hkely that S. Paul believed
this. There was, he says, a super
natural rock, that followed them,
and Christ was that rock He him
self was the true source of their
supply. Probably S. Paul identified
our Lord with the "angel," in whom
was the name of Jehovah (Ex. xxiii.
20, 21). For the application to God
of the title the Rock, cf. Deut.
xxxu. 4, etc.; Is. xxvi. 4 (R.V.),
It is interesting to notice, that On-
kelos translates Deut. xxxiii. 3 as
follows : " With power He brought
them out of Egypt; they were led
under Thy cloud; they journeyed
according to Thy Word." If S. Paul
read that text similarly, it may
explain his language both here and
in v. 1. Cf. also Wisdom x. 15-18.

X.5-7] I. CORINTHIANS 85
6 pleased : for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now
1 these things were our examples, to the intent we should
7 not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be
ye idolaters, as were some of them ; as it is written, The
1 Or, in these things they became figures of us
5. they were overthrown in the from the Septuagint Version of
wilderness. Only Caleb and Joshua Numb. xiv. 16.
survived. The words are quoted
The heading at the beginning of this chapter in the A.V. has the words
" The sacraments of the Jews are types of ours." Is this language justified
by what S. Paul has said ? Strictly speaking, the passing through the Red
Sea, the manna, and the water from the rock were not sacraments, for no
inward spiritual grace was attached to them. Nor does S. Paul ever place
baptism and the Eucharist in a class by themselves under a common name ;
indeed the present passage is the only one in the N.T. where the two rites
appear together. But we can hardly doubt that S. Paul regarded these
O.T. incidents, as not merely valuable illustrations, but as pre-arranged
types of Christian mysteries. Cf. our Lord's words in Jno. vL 32; vii. 37 ff. ;
and S. Peter's appUcation of the incident of the Flood (1 Pet. iii. 20, 21).
Such views may appear fanciful to the modern mind, but deeper knowledge
of Scripture will probably convince us of their truth. The correspondences
of the O.T. with the N.T. are too many and too remarkable to be due
to chance. And if that be so, it greatly raises our estimate of O.T
inspiration, and of the historical character of its narratives. That real
events, ordered by God's providence, should foreshadow the blessings to
be afterwards bestowed, is far more natural than that casual and legendary
narratives should do so. Compare Additional Note on ix. 9, pp. 82, 83.
X. 6-14. The experience of purpose, its historical character falls
Israel applied to the Corinthians, under suspicion. But if God's deal-
S. Paul, throughout this section, ings with Israel had a special pur-
has definite incidents of the wilder- pose, which His dealings with other
ness-Ufe of Israel in his mind, and nations had not, a true narrative of
definite parallels to them in the these dealings wiU of necessity have
temptations and sins of the Corin- a speciaUy didactic character.
thians. lust after evil things. Probably
6. these things—lusted. The ex- a reference, on the one hand, to
periences of Israel were examples Numb. xi. 4-6, and, on the other
designed by God for our instruction hand, to the Corinthian desire for
and warning. All God's judgments the idol-meats. i
in history are warnings, but not all 7. idolaters, as were some of
have the definite adaptation to our them. Cf. Ex. xxxii. 1-6, of which
needs, which those of the O.T. possess, v. 6 is quoted. To "play "is to dance
This principle seems often forgotten (Ex. xxxu. 19). To share in an idol-
in the criticism of the O.T. Because feast would be likely to lead the
a narrative has an obvious didactic Corinthians to idolatry.

86

I. CORINTHIANS

[X. 7-i

people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them com
mitted, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
9 Neither let us tempt the tLord, as some of them tempted,
10 and perished by the serpents. Neither murmur ye, as
some of them murmured, and perished by the destroyer.
11 Now these things happened unto them 2by way of example;
1 Some ancient authorities read Christ. a Gr. by way of figure.

8. commit fornication. Cf.
Numb. xxv. 1-9, of which v. 9 is
quoted. The parallel is aU the more
remarkable, since it was the taking
part in the sacrifice of Baal-peor,
which had led Israel into both
idolatry and fornication. The danger
was just as urgent at Corinth, where
the chief heathen cult was that of
the goddess of lust. A feast in her
temple (viii. 10) would almost cer
tainly end disastrously. Cf. Rev. ii
14, 20.
three and twenty thousand. The
original has " twenty and foul- thou
sand." It is scarcely Ukely that
S. Paul has made a blunder. His
text of the O.T. may have differed
from ours, or he may, as has been
suggested, have followed a Jewish
tradition, which deducted from the
total number one thousand as slain
by the judges of Israel (Numb.
xxv. 5).
9. tempt the Lord. "The Lord"
is almost certainly Christ, and not
the Father. According to the N.T.
view, the Father acted through our
Lord, even in His dealings with the
ancient Israel. Cf Jno. xii 41 ;
Heb. xi. 26 ; and v. 4 of this chapter1.
To "tempt" God is to put Him to
the proof, whether or not He wiU
take action, either in delivering,

as in Mt. iv. 7, or in punishing, as
in this passage. The O.T. reference
is to Numb. xxL 4-6. This makes
clear what is in S. Paul's mind.
The Corinthians, hke Israel of old,
were testing the patience of God, by
murmuring against the disabilities
imposed by the Christian life. Cf.
especially Numb. xxi. 5.
10. The reference is to the
murmuring of Israel against the
Divine severity in the case of Korah,
Dathan, and Abiram (Numb. xvi.
41-50). Ostensibly the murmuring
was against Moses and Aaron, but
really it was against God Himself.
An exactly similar sin was probably
rife at Corinth. The severity of
God and His Apostle (v. 5 ; xL 30)
aroused similar hostility against
S. Paul. In both cases, the principle
of vv. 6 and 11 must be remembered.
A severity, that seems too great for
the individual sin, finds its complete
justification in the permanent warn
ing that it affords. The mind of the
Church, as to the need of reverence
in handUng the things of God, would
be quite other than it is, but for
the punishment of Uzzah (2 Sam. vi
3-9). Cf. also Ac. v. 1-11.
by the destroyer. Not Bunyan's
Apollyon, but the destroying angel
of Ex. xii 23 ; Ac. xiL 23.

1 Bishop BuU uses this passage to prove that S. Paul identified the "angel'
of Ex. xxiii. 20, 21 with Jesus Christ.

X. u-i5]

I. CORINTHIANS

87

and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the
12 ends of the ages are come. Wherefore let him that think-
13 eth he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no
temptation taken you but such as man can bear : but God
is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above
that ye are able ; but will with the temptation make also
the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it.
14 15 Wherefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak

11. written for our admonition.
The facts themselves, and the O.T.
record of them, have the same pur
pose. Cf. note on v. 6.
the ends... are come. The Christian
age is the final age of the world. AU
other ages were preparatory to it
All the varied lines of development
find their goal in Christ and His
Church. It follows that both past
history, and the O.T. record of it,
can only be fully understood by
members of the Church. The mean
ing "for us" is the true complete
meaning, not a pious but fanciful
adaptation of it In our modern
zeal for ascertaining what the words
of the O.T. meant for those who first
heard them, S. Paul's teaching here
is sometimes forgotten. Cf. Eph. L
9-11; 1 Pet i. 20, 21.
12. him that... standeth. ie. the
strong, enlightened Corinthian, as
contrasted with the weak (viii. 11;

Rom. xv. 1). For the thought of moral
stability and failure, cf. Rom. xiv. 4.
13. such as man can bear. The
A.V. translation gives the true sense
— "such as is common to man." That
the temptations of the Corinthians
were no new temptations, S. Paul
has shewn in vv. 6-11 ; that man
can bear them, S. Paul has yet to
shew. Had the translation of the
R.V. been right, the next clause
would have begun with the word
"for," not the word "but"
God is faithful. Le. to His pro
mise of complete salvation.
with the temptation. The tempta
tion itself is of God's providential
ordering, but He designs the way of
escape at the same time. He wUls
that we should be tempted, but not
that we should fall.
14. flee from idolatry. A sum
mary command, Uke that of v. 13,
to conclude what has been said.

The teaching of v. 13 is of great importance. It is often said that we
"cannot be perfect here." Now it is true (i) that we cannot in this world
reach our full spiritual stature. One member of the Church cannot be
perfect in isolation ; he must wait for the perfecting of the whole body
(Eph. iv. 11-16). It is also true (n) that, as a matter of fact, "in many
things we all stumble " (Jam. in. 2). But it is not at all true that a certain
amount of sin is unavoidable. Every sin, looked at separately, might and
ought to, have been avoided by the Christian. What is unavoidable cannot
be, in the true sense, sin. Much popular language really denies that God's
salvation is complete. But this is contrary to the universal teaching of
Scripture (cf. Is.lx. 21; Jer. xxxi. 33, 34; Rom. viii. 1-5, etc.), which assures
us that our failures are due not to any incompleteness in the work of salva
tion on the Divine side, but to our own failure to respond to it (2 Cor. vi. 1).

88

L CORINTHIANS

[X. is, 16

16 as to wise men ; judge ye what I say. The cup of blessing
which we bless, is it not a T communion of the blood of
Christ? The 2 bread which we break, is it not a 1com-

1 Or, participation in

2 Or, loaf

Our true position in God's sight our real guilt can never be plain to us,
until we realise, not only that we come short of His demands, but that He
intends His demands to be taken seriously, and that it is simply our own
fault that we do not fulfil them. God's salvation ever brings the power to
obey Him. If we are reaUy unable, we cannot be in a state of salvation at all

X. 15-22. The doctrixe of the
Eucharist condemns participation
in idol-feasts.
S. Paul points out that to take
part in an idol-feast means to enter
into fellowship with demons, just as
to partake in the Eucharist is to
enter into fellowship with Christ.
The one is inconsistent with the
other. 15. as to wise men. Perhaps a
shght touch of irony. Cf iv. 10.
But it is quite in S. Paul's way to
appeal to the intelligence of his
converts, instead of overbearing
them by his authority. Cf xi 13.
16. The cup of blessing which
we bless. The expression "the cup
of blessing" is taken from the Jewish
Passover Feast "It was the third
which the father of the family cir
culated in the course of the feast;
he did so while pronouncing over it
a thanksgiving prayer for aU God's
benefits in nature and toward
Israel" (Godet). The thanksgiving
of the Church in the Eucharist is of
course mainly for the higher salva
tion. The words " which we bless "
refer to the consecration prayer (cf.
Mt xxvi 26 and paraUels). God
alone can "bless" in the strict sense;
man blesses by calling upon God
to bless — in this case to consecrate
the material bread and wine to their
spiritual purpose. Cf the Anglican
Consecration Prayer : — " Grant that

we receiving these thy creatures of
bread and wine... may be partakers
of Ms most blessed Body and Blood."
This " blessing " of the cup is the act
of all the assembled Church, acting
as a body through the minister as
their organ, and joining in his action
by the "Amen," that concludes the
prayer of consecration (cf xiv. 16).
is it not... the blood of Christ?
The translation of the RV. margin
is in some respects clearer : — " Is it
not a participation in the blood of
Christ?" To drink of the Eucharistic
cup is to receive the blood of the
Lord. The bread which we break. The
paraUel position of the words "which
we bless" and "which we break" in
the two parts of the verse, suggesta
that the fraction of the bread took
place then as now in the Consecration
Prayer. The breaking was probably
not meant to symbolise the breaking
of our Lord's Body on the Cross, but
was rather for the purpose of dis
tributing the Eucharistic bread to
the faithfuL It should be noticed
that in these verses the participation
in the Body and Blood of Christ is
brought into connection with the
thought of the consecration, rather
than of the reception, of the ele
ments. This suggests that S. Paul
regarded the Real Presence of our
Lord's Body and Blood as a Real
Presence granted to the whole body

X. i6-i8]

L CORINTHIANS

89

17 munion of the body of Christ? Seeing that we, who are
many, are one 2bread, one body : for we all partake 3of
18 the one 2 bread. Behold Israel after the flesh: have not
1 Or, seeing that there is one bread, we, who are many, are one body
s Or, loaf » Gr. from.

of the Church by consecration, and
not primarily to particular indi
viduals through reception of the
sacrament. Here, as elsewhere, we
share in a Divine gift to the Church
as a whole; we do not seek an
individual gift for ourselves.
17. Two ways of taking this
verse : —
(i; R.V. text. "Seeing that we,
who are many, are one bread, one
body : for we all partake of the one
bread." In this case, the verse is a
proof of the doctrine contained in
the previous verse. Since the par
taking of the one bread makes us
one bread, one body, that partaking
must give us participation in the
Body of the Lord. Apart from that,
it could have no such power.
(ii) R.V. margin. "Seeing that
there is one bread, we, who are
many, are one body : for we aU
partake of the one bread." In this
case, S. Paul adds to the doctrine of
the previous verse, a statement as to
the unifying effect of the Eucharist.
In both clauses the one bread means
the consecrated bread of the sacra
ment 8. Augustine gives the sense
welL "This sacred bread when
eaten is not changed into our sub
stance, but rather changes us into
itself, unites us to itself and makes
us like itseL, which common bread
does not do."
The second of the two interpreta
tions given above is probably the
better. 8. Paul could not well give
the doctrine of v. 17 as the proof of

that of v. 16 ; the former is rather
dependent on the latter. It would
also be strange to speak of the
Church as " one bread." The mean
ing of these verses wiU be more
fully considered in the Additional
Note at the end of ch xL, on "The
meaning of the words of Institu
tion" But two remarks may be
added here : —
(i) 8. Paul regards the Eucharist
as a feast upon the Sacrifice of our
Lord. This appears (a) from the
context, in which the Eucharist is
made to correspond to the sacrificial
feasts both of the Jews and of the
heathen. Cf vv. 18-21. (b) from
the fact that the Body and Blood of
the Lord are in v. 16 spoken of as in
separation The Blood is separated
from the Body because poured out
in sacrifice. Cf. Mt. xxvL 28 ; Jno.
vi 51 ff.
(ii) The participation of our
Lord's Body and Blood is regarded
by S. Paul as real and actual, not
merely symbolicaL It corresponds
to the actual feeding upon the offered
sacrifice in Jewish and heathen wor
ship (vv. 18-21), and it is the means
which brings about an actual corpo
rate unity of those who partake
(v. 17). Cf Eph v. 30. A merely
symbolical participation could not
do this.
18. Israel of ter the flesh, ie. the
unbelieving Jews. S. Paul claimed
that the Church was the true, spi
ritual, Israel (Rom. it 28, 29).

90

I. CORINTHIANS

[X. 18-2

they which eat the sacrifices communion with the altar?
19 What say I then? that a thing sacrificed to idols is any-
20 thing, or that an idol is anything? But I say, that the
things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to 1 devils,
and not to God: and I would not that ye should have
21 communion with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the
Lord, and the cup of 1 devils : ye cannot partake of the
22 table of the Lord, and of the table of 1 devils. Or do we
provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
1 Gr. demons.

have not they... with the altar?
And so with God, Whose altar it is.
It is a definitely religious act, not a
merely social banquet. The refer
ence is to the Jewish peace-offerings,
which became in part the material
for a religious feast (Lev. viL 11 ff).
The mention of these makes a
transition from the thought of
the Eucharist to that of heathen
sacrifices. 19. The drift of S. Paul's argu
ment is now becoming clear, and he
pauses to deal with an objection
that might be raised to it Com
munion is with real beings ; idols
are not such (cf. viii. 4-7).
20. they sacrifice to devils. The
words are taken from Deut xxxiL 17.
The Jews regarded heathen worship
as offered to demons. Idols were
nonentities (Is. xhv. 9-20), but the
beings worshipped through them
were not. Thus vv. 19 and 20 are
in no way inconsistent the one with
the other (cf Rev. ix. 20). Such a
view as to the reality of heathen
worship may seem strange to us,
but then we are not in contact with
it Missionaries feel, as S. Paul did,
that they are grappling with unseen
powers of evU. Cf. Eph. vi. 12.
21. Ye cannot drink. S. Paul
means more than "ye ought not"
Communion with the Lord and com

munion with devils are incompatible ;
to have the one is to forfeit the
other. the table of the Lord. The phrase,
as Mai. i. 7-12 shews, is synonymous
with " altar," though many use this
phrase in connection with Holy
Communion, who shrink from the
simpler equivalent. The original
meaning of the phrase is the table
from which man feeds God, not that
from which God feeds man. Cf.
Ez. xii. 22; xliv. 15, 16. It was
only in one class of sacrifices that
man — the offerer of the sacrifice —
was himself fed, and then the portion
which belonged to him had never
been upon the altar at all. It is
not probable that S. Paul here
refers to any material altar used in
Christian worship. To partake of
the table of the Lord is simply to
partake of the Eucharistic feast,
which the Lord makes for His
people. The same victim, which has
already satisfied God, now satisfies
His people. There is communion
between God and man by joint
participation in the sacrifice that
has been offered.
22. do we provoke... jealousy ?
Cf. Deut. xxxiL 21. The use of this
thought again presupposes that
heathen worship is a worship of real
beings. Jealousy is ascribed to God

X. 23-29]

I. CORINTHIANS

91

23 All things are lawful ; but all things are not expedient.
24 All things are lawful ; but all things xedify not. Let no
25 man seek his own, but each his neighbour's good. What
soever is sold in the shambles, eat, asking no question for
26 conscience sake ; for the earth is the Lord's, and the
27 fulness thereof. If one of them that believe not biddeth
you to a feast, and ye are disposed to go ; whatsoever is
set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.
28 But if any man say unto you, This hath been offered in
sacrifice, eat not, for his sake that shewed it, and for con-
29 science sake : conscience, I say, not thine own, but the
1 Gr. build not up.

in the N.T. as in the O.T. There is
no love without jealousy, when the
claims of that love are set at nought.
The word has a repulsive sound,
because we think of the exaggerated
claims, which we make for the ex
clusive devotion of others. But
God's claim upon us cannot be
exaggerated, and thus when applied
to Him, the word only witnesses to
the entire reality of His love and
His claim, and to the zeal with
which he vindicates them.
X. 23-XI. 1. The practical
decision. S. Paul returns to the teaching of
ch. vm. Participation in idol-feasts
he has disallowed. As to other uses
of meats offered to idols, he gives
Uberty, subject to the exceptions
which love for the brethren demands.
23, 24. See the notes on vi 12
and viii. 1. The Christian enjoys
complete liberty; but he is bound
to consider what contributes to his
own good, and to that of his brother.
25. Whatsoever... eat. Le. the
Christian may buy meat offered for
sale, without any anxious inquiries
as to the source from which it
comes. asking no question... sake. Le.

without making any inquiry on con
scientious grounds.
26. for the earth... thereof. Ps.
xxiv. 1. The emphasis falls upon
the words " the Lord's." The whole
creation belongs to the Lord, not to
devils. Not even its use in an idol-
sacrifice, can make the flesh of
animals anything but God's. It
therefore remains fit for the use of
His people. The words here quoted
by S. Paul are used among the Jews
as a thanksgiving at table, and were
probably so used in S. Paul's time.
If so, he points out that the grace
before meat gives the true principle.
Cf. Mk. vii. 15-23 ; 1 Tim. iv. 4, 5.
27. ye are disposed to go. It is
noticeable, that S. Paul in no way
discourages social intercourse with
the heathen. Cf. v. 9-13, which
points out the true principle. Wilful
sin must not be overlooked in
members of the Church, but the
heathen must not be judged by a
Christian standard.
28. if any man say unto you.
S. Paul seems to think of an un
enlightened Christian, present at
the feast. The conscience of a
heathen would not be likely to be
troubled by such a matter.

92

I. CORINTHIANS

[x. 29-XI.

other's; for why is my liberty judged by another con-
30 science? 1 If I by grace partake, why am I evil spoken of
31 for that for which I give thanks? Whether therefore ye
eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of
32 God. Give no occasion of stumbling, either to Jews, or
33 to Greeks, or to the church of God : even as I also please
all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the
1 profit of the many, that they may be saved. XI. Be ye
imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.
1 Or, If I partake with thankfulness

29. The previous discussion in
ch vUL shews what is in S. Paul's
mind. It is not that the unenhght
ened Christian would be shocked,
or would be likely to judge harshly
his more enhghtened brother ; it is
that the unenUghtened Christian
might be led on by example to do
what he thought wrong.
for why... conscience? An ex
planation of the words "not thine
own." Our own consciences are our
judges, not the consciences of other
people. 30. If I by grace partake. The
translation of R. V. margin is better —
"If I partake with thankfulness."
why am I... give thanks? ie.
such evU-speaking on the part of
the scrupulous is quite unjustifiable.
Bengel well says : " The giving of
thanks consecrates all food : denies
the authority of idols ; asserts that
of God." This verse contains an
important principle. The power
sincerely to thank God for a blessing
is the test of our sincerely regarding
it as His gift We cannot thank
Him for what we regard as a for
bidden pleasure. Cf 1 Tim. iv. 3, 4.
31. One of S. Paul's magnificent
general principles, giving more Ught
than a multitude of minute direc
tions. God would be glorified by
the enlightened Corinthian, as he

claimed the whole creation as God's
(v. 26) ; He would be glorified still
more, when the same Corinthian
forbore to assert his liberty, because
of the danger to another. God's
love is a higher attribute than His
sovereignty. 32. Give no occasion... church
of God. The threefold division is
noticeable. The Church of God is
just as really a visible clearly marked
body, as the Jews and the Greeks.
S. Paul refuses to judge those out
side (v. 12), but he seeks their good.
33. The final summary recalls
the thoughts of ch ix., especially of
vv. 22, 23.
XI. 1. This verse goes closely
with the previous chapter. Our Lord
Himself is the greatest example of
the foregoing of rights. Cf. Phil. iL
4 ff. It is the general example of
our Lord's self-sacrifice and humiUty
that is ever set before us for our
imitation in the N.T. The details
of His life are not generally imi-
table, our calling and circumstances
being so different from His. Indeed,
the question "What would Jesus
do ? " may be actuaUy misleading.
It should be noticed also that S. Paul
here and elsewhere refers to his
own example, as weU as to the
Lord's. And rightly so. Imitation
is a great power for good or for evil,

I. CORINTHIANS 93
and missionaries must especially Lord. What we see in them is the
make use of it. It is the lives of the Christ-life lived under varying cir-
saints, which interpret, and bring cumstances (Gal. ii. 20). Cf. note on
home to the world the Ufe of the iv. 17.
The question discussed in these three last chapters is no longer a
practical one in England, though often a very practical one for missionaries
in heathen countries, but the great principles to which S. Paul appeals are
of wide application. No modern question perhaps is more nearly parallel
than that of the observance of Sunday. Here in many cases " knowledge "
may justify one course of action, while "love" requires quite another.
A Christian who has attended to the teaching of our Lord may find it as
difficult to recognise a real distinction between one day and another, as
between one food and another. The Christian Sunday is not the Jewish
Sabbath : and if it were, since the service of man dispenses us from Sabbath
observance (Mt. xii. 12 ; Mk n. 27), and the service of God does so Ukewise
(Mt. xii. 5, 6), what right form of Christian activity could be wrong on
Sunday ? AU activity worthy of a Christian must be holy (1 Cor. x. 31), and
for the service of God and man directly or indirectly. " Howbeit in all men
there is not that knowledge," and, whUe that is so, what S. Paul says in these
chapters is most applicable. Thus (i) disregard of Sunday " will not com
mend us to God " ; it brings no spiritual advantage whatever ; — and (u) the
abuse of our Uberty is likely to " become a stumbling-block to the weak."
What we have to fear is not that we ourselves may be blamed by the
censorious and Pharisaical. That is not of so great moment. " Why is my
liberty judged by another conscience ? If I with thankfulness," after a hard
week's work, read good secular literature, or play cricket on Sunday, " why
am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks ? " (See note on x. 30.)
The real danger is, lest our disregard of Sunday lead others to disregard it,
who are all the while condemned by their own consciences for doing so. In
this case, through our knowledge "he that is weak perisheth, the brother
for whose sake Christ died." To embolden a man's conscience is one thing,
and to enUghten it another. To embolden a man to do what he thinks wrong,
so far from enlightening, actually darkens him, since the presence of the
Divine light depends upon faithfulness to duty. The case is in many
respects the same with some forms of amusement — with the theatre especially.
The drama belongs to man as man ; appreciation for it is even more wide
spread than appreciation for music or pictorial art, and we cannot conceive
that 8. Paul would have condemned it as unlawful in itself. On the other
hand, " all things are not expedient," " all things edify not." There may in
some cases be a real danger of leading others into what they consider to be
wrong. And, even apart from this, caution must be exercised for our own
sake. There are many plays that are reaUy dangerous to morals, and even
those who avoid such plays may lower their spiritual strength by over
indulgence in what may be itself lawful. We must " so run, that " we " may
attain," and "every man that striveth in the games is temperate in all
things." "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he faU."
S. Paul's tone in this whole discussion is not that of the Plymouth Brethren

94 I. CORINTHIANS [xi. ,
(cf x. 27), but neither is it that of their more extreme opponents. He is
very tolerant and sensible, he does not wish us to be overridden with
unreasonable scruples (x. 25); he calls us to remember that the whole
creation is God's, and not the devil's (x. 26); but at the same time, he would
have us not only charitable to others, but cautious for our own sakes, never
forgetting that it is still only too possible to be ourselves "rejected" (ix. 27).
Cf vii. 31 (RV. margin).
2 Now I praise you that ye remember me in all things,
and hold fast the traditions, even as I delivered them to
Ch. XI 2. At this point a new section of the Epistle begins. S. Paul
turns to questions connected with the worship of the Church. The section
covers xi 2-xiv. 40.
The First Question.
The use of the Veil. XI. 2-16.
Among the Jews, men as weU as women prayed with the head covered,
and a veil, the "talUth," before the face. Cf. 2 Cor. Ui 14 ff. The Roman
custom was similar. The Greeks, on the other hand, sacrificed bare-headed,
as was natural in a people so little impressed by the holiness and awfulness
of God. Thus the Jewish and Gentile members of the Corinthian church
would have grown up with diverse customs, and in the interests of orderly
worship (cf. xiv. 40), it was weU for the Christian practice to be definitely
settled. S. Paul's decision, though not ignoring the dictates of natural
propriety, is based upon Christian doctrine. The rule of faith here, as
everywhere, gives the rule of worship. He appeals (i) to the principle that
the woman is subordinate to the man in the Church, as the man to Christ,
and Christ to God, and (u) to the Scriptural account of woman's creation,
and the relation to man, which foUows from it.
XI. 2. Now I praise you. This hand on as they were. Before the
verse introduces the whole series of N.T. had come into existence, this
questions connected with public faithful handing on of the Christian
worship. S. Paul, as usual, prepares tradition from one to another was of
for the blame that must follow (cf. even greater importance than after-
v. 17) by praising when he can, wards. Cf.p.23; xv. 1-3; 2Th.ii. 15;
perhaps quoting the words, in which 2 Tim. L 13, 14; iL 2. The pre-
the Corinthians had written of their servation of the truth has never
obedience. depended upon the Bible only, nor
hold fast the traditions. ..them to even upon the Bible and the presence
you. The " traditions " are the of the Spirit in the Chinch (2 Tim.
statements as to historical facts, ii 14) only. The faithful transmission
and the doctrines and practices of what has been taught by one to
built upon them, which S. Paul had another must ever be of great im-
received from the Lord or the elder portance. No one would understand
Apostles. These he had simply to this better than Jewish Christians,

xi. 2-6] I. CORINTHIANS 95
3 you. But I would have you know, that the head of every
man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man;
4 and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or
prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his
5 head. But every woman praying or prophesying with her
head unveiled dishonoureth her head: for it is one and
6 the same thing as if she were shaven. For if a woman is
accustomed as they had been to see Christ his Head ; the woman is
the Rabbinical teaching preserved subordinate to the man. In each
in the same way. case, there is both union and
3. the head of every man... subordination. The analogy between
Christ is God. The appeal is to the relation of Christ to the Father
specially Christian doctrine. In the and that of the Christian to Christ
Church the principle of subordina- is pointed out in Jno. vi. 57 ; and
tion everywhere prevails. Christ — that between the relation of the
the title employed shews that S. Paul Church to Christ and the relation of
thinks of the Lord Incarnate and the wife to the husband in Eph.
Glorified — is subordinate to the v. 23 ff. On the subordination of
Father ; every Christian man, as a Christ to the Father, cf. iii 23,
member of Christ, is subordinate to and the note there.
The question may be raised, ' Does not S. Paul's language deprive the
woman of her immediate relation to the Lord ? ' It no more does so, than
the difference of function between the clergy and the laity deprives the
laity of their immediate relation to Him. The relation of the Christian to
Christ does not stand apart from the other relations, in which the Christian
finds himself. It interpenetrates and consecrates them all. The grace of
Christ comes to him as he endeavours to be faithful to Christ in every
relation of life. So, as Godet says, "the Christian mother realises her
communion with the Lord in the form of subordination to her husband,
without her communion being thereby less direct and close than his. The
husband is not between her and the Lord; she is subject to him in the
Lord ; it is in Him that she loves him, and it is by aiding him that she
lives for the Lord." It is possible that it may have been through mis
understanding S. Paul's doctrine of the spiritual equality of all Christians
(Gal. iii. 28), that the women of the Corinthian church were discarding the
veu, which symbolised their subjection.
XI. 4. prophesying. For the presence of those who do not share
meaning of this, see note on xii. 10. His authority. Cf. Gen. xxi v. 65.
dishonoureth his head. i.e. dis- 5. dishonoureth her head. Le.
honoureth Christ. The veil is used, her husband.
in the presence of those in authority. for it is one... she were shaven.
Christ is dishonoured, when a Perhaps better " She is one and the
Christian man, who is His servant, same thing with her that is shaven."
and His alone, veils himself in the The courtesans of Corinth would go

96

I. CORINTHIANS

[XI. 6-i

not veiled, let her also be shorn : but if it is a shame to a
7 woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be veiled. For a
man indeed ought not to have his head veiled, forasmuch
as he is the image and glory of God : but the woman is the
8 glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman ; but
9 the woman of the man : for neither was the man created
10 for the woman ; but the woman for the man : for this cause
ought the woman to xhave a sign of authority on her head,
11 because of the angels. Howbeit neither is the woman
without the man, nor the man without the woman, in the
12 Lord. For as the woman is of the man, so is the man
1 Or, have authority over

about unveiled ; to be shaved was a
punishment for adultery. The latter
was the completest form of un
veiling. 7. he is the image and glory of
God. Cf. Gen. L 27. Man is the
noblest work of God, and the highest
revelation of the nature of his
Creator. The Incarnation is the
ultimate expression of this truth.
Jesus, the perfect man, is so like
God, that He can say, "He that
hath seen me hath seen the Father."
Here there may be the special
thought, that man represents God,
even in His sovereignty, while woman
does not.
the woman is the glory of the
man. As the self-devotion of man
to God glorifies God, so the self-
devotion of woman to man glorifies
man. 8. the woman of the man. Cf.
Gen. ii 21-23. S. Paul probably
regarded the narrative as literally
true. 9. the woman for the man. Cf
Gen. ii. 18.
10. a sign of authority. The
words "a sign of" as the italics
shew, are not in the Greek, but there
seems little doubt that they ought

to be supplied. S. Paul refers to
the veil.
because of the angels. The angels
are present at the worship of the
Church. "With Angels and Arch
angels, and with all the company of
heaven, we laud and magnify Thy
glorious Name." Cf. Ps. cxxxviii 1 ;
1 Tim. v. 21. In the worship of God,
heaven and earth are one. But why
is this a reason why women should
be veiled? Either (i) because the
angels are themselves models of
reverence, and expect it of us (Is.
vi 2), or (ii), as Tertullian thought,
lest there should be a repetition of
the sin of Gen. vi 1-4. The former
explanation is far the more probable,
but the latter is more possible than
at first appears. The incident of
Gen. vi. 1-4 had a prominent place in
later Jewish thought, and is referred
to in Jude 6 and 2 Pet. U. 4.
11. Howbeit neither ...in the
Lord. S. Paul adds this, lest woman
should seem to have been deprived
by his words of her true honour.
" In the Lord " — in the life Uved in
union with Him — man and woman
are mutuaUy dependent Christianity
does nothing to make either self-
sufficient

xi. i*-i6] I. CORINTHIANS 97
13 also by the woman; but all things are of God. Judge ye
1in yourselves : is it seemly that a woman pray unto God
14 unveiled ? Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if
15 a man have long hair, it is a dishonour to him? But if a
woman have long hair, it is a glory to her : for her hair is
16 given her for a covering. But if any man seemeth to be
contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches
of God. 1 Or, among
12. If woman was " taken out of reason and natural perceptions in
man" (Gen. ii. 23), every man owes divine things.
his birth to woman, while the ulti- 16. seemeth to be contentious.
mate Author of all things is neither Better, " is minded to be con-
man nor woman, but God Himself. tentious." Cf. iii. 18, where the
13. is it seemly .. .unto God un- same word is used.
veiled? S. Paul has dealt with the we have... churches of God. This
woman's duty to man and to the is the final reply, to those whom it
angels ; now he deals with her duty is not possible otherwise to silence.
to God. The appeal is to the Their view is contrary to Apostohc
natural sense of propriety. practice, and that of the other
14. nature itself teach you. churches. In other words, it is
Nature is contrasted with revela- contrary to the mind of the Spirit.
tion, to which appeal has until now Cf. ii. 15, 16. The Corinthians
been made. That a revelation has needed continually to be reminded
been given, as Hooker shews in the that they were not the only church
first book of the Ecclesiastical Polity, (xiv. 33 and 36).
in no way debars us from using our
The preceding discussion is the great N.T. example of the principles,
upon which ceremonial and ritual questions must be decided. It is notice
able, in the first place, that S. Paul regards this question as worth deciding,
and does not brush it aside as trivial. There is a right, and a wrong, way
of worshipping God. Secondly, he decides it by the touchstone of Christian
doctrine. It is not a matter of taste ; it is not a matter of national custom —
S. Paul's decision runs counter to Jewish habit; — Christian ritual must
conform to and express Christian doctrine, and on aU points of importance
doctrine wiU give the needed guidance. Thirdly, natural instincts of
reverence and propriety must not be ruled out of court. And, fourthly, the
duty of a local — S. Paul would no doubt add, of a national— church is to
"hold fast the traditions" committed to it, and to see that it does not set at
nought Apostohc practice and the custom of other churches.

98 I. CORINTHIANS [xl n-*,
17 But in giving you this charge, I praise you not, that ye
18 come together not for the better but for the worse. For
first of all, when ye come together xin the church, I hear
that 2 divisions exist among you; and I partly believe it
19 For there must be also 3heresies among you, that they
which are approved may be made manifest among you.
20 When therefore ye assemble yourselves together, it is not
21 possible to eat the Lord's supper: for in your eating each
1 Or, in congregation * Gr. schisms. * Or, factions
The Second Question.
Disorder at the social meals and celebration*
of the Eucharist. XI. 17—34.
In the earliest age of the Church, the Eucharist seems to have been
ordinarily celebrated in connection with a common meal, or love-feast
(Jude 12 ; 2 Pet. ii 13 RV), in which all members of the Church took part
This custom originated in a literal imitation of the Last Supper of the Lord,
but it found a congenial soil in the ordinary social Ufe of the Roman Empire.
Guilds, having a religious basis, were there common, and social meals were
one of the means of union between the members. In the Church, con
tributions were brought by the richer members, but aU met upon common
ground, and the meeting ended with a celebration of the Eucharist. At
Corinth, grave evils arose. The divisions of that church destroyed the
harmony which ought to have marked its assembly, the true brotherly
spirit was absent, and the sacredness of the Eucharist was lost in the
general disorder.
18. first of all. Either (a) the because it lay at the root of the
first point is the disorders at the Eu- other evils.
charist and the second the disorders 19. there must be also heresies.
connected with the spiritual gifts Better, "factious divisions"; doc-
(ch. xu.), or (6) the first point is the trinal heresies are not here in
divisions at the Eucharist (vv. 18 ff.), question. The necessity for these
and the second the resulting irreve- Ues not merely in the sin of men
rence, of which 8. Paul speaks at (cf Mt xviii 7), but stiU more in
the end of the chapter. the providential purpose which they
in the church. Better, as R.V. serve (cf. Luk xxiv. 26). The cha-
margin, "in congregation." There racter of man could not be tested
seems to be no passage in the N.T. and made clear without them. Afford
where "church" is used for the suggests that there is a tacit re
place of meeting. ference to the saying, quoted by
divisions exist among you. S. Paul Justin Martyr as our Lord's, "There
places this first both because of shall be divisions and heresies."
its seriousness in itself (L 13), and 20. it it not possible to eat the

XI. n-24]

I. CORINTHIANS

99

one taketh before other bis own supper ; and one is
22 hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not
houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the 1church
of God, and put them to shame that 2have not? What
shall I say to you? 3shall I praise you in this? I praise you
23 not. For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered
unto you, how that the Lord Jesus in the night in which
24 he was betrayed took bread ; and when he had given thanks,
he brake it, and said, This is my body, which 4is for you :

1 Or, congregation
In this I praise you not.

* Or, have nothing 3 Or, shall I praise you!
4 Many ancient authorities read is broken for you.

Lord's supper. The emphasis falls
upon the words "the Lord's." A
supper could be eaten, but it was
not His when there was faction and
selfishness. It had been at the
Supper of the Lord that the new
commandment of love had been
given (Jno. xiii. 34). It should be
noticed that in this verse the title
of "the Lord's supper" is not given
to the Eucharist Nor is it given
elsewhere in the N.T.
21. taketh before other his own
supper. Le. without waiting for
the rest, or sharing with the rest.
Thus Christians who were slaves,
and unable to come early, would be
left hungry. Probably S. Paul
means that each consumed the pro
visions that he had himself brought,
instead of all using the food in
common. 22. despise ye the church of
God... that have not? The Church —
or congregation — of God is despised
by disorder in her assemblies. There
may also be the thought that to put
the poor to shame is itself to despise
the Church. Membership in the
Church makes all brethren, and
gives dignity to alL Cf viL 22 and
Jam. L 9, 10.
23. For I received of the Lord.
To shew the heinousness of the

conduct of the Corinthians S. Paul
gives an account of the institution
of the Eucharist. This is the first
written account of it that we
possess, since aU the Gospels are
later in date than this Epistle.
But what does S. Paul mean by
saying that he received this account
from the Lord? Does he mean
simply that the Lord was the original
source of the teaching to be given,
or had he received a direct revela
tion from the Lord on the subject ?
The Greek will bear either meaning.
On the one hand, the words in v. 23
"the Lord Jesus" look Uke the
beginning of a statement about His
action made to S. Paul by the elder
Apostles. On the other hand, the
prominent position of the word "I"
in the Greek favours the second
view, as also does the insertion of
the words "of the Lord" at alL
Perhaps the former view is the more
probable. Speaking generally, our
Lord took care to put S. Paul on a
level with the Twelve (cf. xv. 8 note,
and Gal. i. 11, 12). But facts of this
kind could be communicated to
8. Paul by his fellow-Apostles, and
it seems most natural that it should
have been so. Cf. note on xv. 3.
24. which is for you. No word
needs to be supplied. The parti-
7—2

100

L CORINTHIANS

[xi. n-*i

25 this do in remembrance of me. In like manner also the
cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new 1 covenant in
my blood : this do, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of
26 me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup,
27 ye proclaim the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore
1 Or, testament

ciples, "given" in S. Luke, "broken"
in S. Paul, seem to be later additions
to the text The Body of Christ is
for His people, whether we think of
it as offered for them in sacrifice to
God, or as given to be their food.
A Uke width of meaning is found in
Jno. vL 51.
this do in remembrance cf me.
The words "of me" are emphatic.
The old rite of the Passover was in
remembrance of the deliverance from
Egypt; the new rite is in remem
brance of the Lord. On the words
of institution, see Additional Note.
25. In like manner, i.e. the
Lord took the cup into His Hands,
and gave thanks, dealing with it as
with the bread.
This cup is the new covenant in
my blood. Le. the new covenant
ratified in my blood. In the N.T.
narratives of the institution, the
word used is always the " cup," and
never "wine." The cup, as ever in
the Passover feasts, would be of
mingled wine and water. The words
here used look back to Ex. xxiv. 1-11,
especially to v. 8. In the ancient
world, covenants were ratified
by the death of victims (cf. Gen.
xv. 7-21), and in Ex. xxiv. this
thought seems combined with the
thought of atonement. Jehovah
makes a covenant with His people,
promising upon His side protection
and blessing, and demanding obedi
ence to the law upon theirs. Then
the covenant is ratified by the death
of the covenant victims, half of the

blood being sprinkled on the altar
for reconciliation, and half placed
in basins and sprinkled on the
people for purification. But the
old covenant was broken by the
unfaithfulness of the people, and, in
Jer. xxxi. 31 ff, we find a new cove
nant promised, of a spiritual efficacy
previously unknown. It is to this
that our Lord here refers. The
promise made is about to be fulfilled,
and our Lord Himself is the covenant-
sacrifice. The new covenant He con
trasts with the old, the covenant
ratified in His Blood with the
covenant ratified in the blood of
oxen. It is a covenant, as S. Paul
says in 2 Cor. iii. 6, "not of the letter,
but of the spirit," a covenant in which
God freely bestows the gift of pardon
and life, and man responds by the
self-surrender of faith, and brings
forth "the fruit of the Spirit" (GaL
v. 22, 23). Under this new covenant,
the sprinkling of the blood upon the
altar (Ex. xxiv. 6) finds its fulfil
ment in our Lord's self-presentation
for us in heaven in His own blood
(Heb. ix. 11-22), while the sprinkling
of the blood upon the people (Ex.
xxiv. 8) finds its fulfilment in the
imparting to us of the blood, and so
of the life, of Christ especially in the
Eucharist It is by this communica
tion of Divine life that the atonement
becomes efficacious for men
26. For as often as... till he
come. The Eucharist is then of
perpetual obligation till the end.
This verse is added to explain the

XI. »7_29]

I CORINTHIANS

101

whosoever shall eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord
unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the
28 Lord. But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of
29 the bread, and drink of the cup. For he that eateth and
drinketh, eateth and drinketh judgement unto himself, if he

meaning of the words "in remem
brance of me" in vv. 24, 25. The
remembrance of the Lord there
spoken of is brought about by the
proclamation of His Death made in
the act of sacramental eating and
drinking, or in the recitation of the
words of institution in the prayer of
consecration. The Death of the
Lord is proclaimed by the fact that
we are feeding upon the sacrifice of
His Body and Blood, and thus the
Lord Himself is ever kept in re
membrance (v. 25). The word here
translated "proclaim" is the word
used commonly in the Acts and
8. Paul's Epistles for the proclama
tion of the Gospel to men (e.g. in
ii. 1 ; ix. 14). It is never used in
the N.T. in any other sense. Thus
what S. Paul has here in mind is the
proclamation of the fact of Christ's
Death to men, and not its solemn
pleading before God. Cf. Ex. xiii. 8.
The word used would not be appro
priate for this. And since this verse
is the explanation of the words " in
remembrance of me," it foUows that
he understood these words as re
ferring to a calling of man to re
member Christ's death, and not to
a calling of God to do so. See
Additional Note.
It should be noticed further in this
verse (a) that the beginning and the
end of the Church's life — our Lord's
Death and His Second Coming — are
Unked by the Eucharist (cf. Mt xxvi.
29); and (b) that the words "as often
as" suggest that the Eucharist is to
be celebrated frequently.

27. Wherefore... unworthily. The
conclusion follows not from v. 26
merely, but from the whole account
which S. Paul has given of the
Institution. The unworthy reception
specially in question is further de
fined in v. 29 as that of those who
do not discern the body. The Corin
thians were treating the Lord's
Supper as an ordinary meal. No
argument can rightly be drawn from
S. Paul's use of the word "or" in
favour of communion in one kind.
The cup might be profaned, when
the bread had not been, and that all
the more easily, since it was partaken
of at the end of the meal, and it was
wine that was used.
guilty... of the Lord. Le. guilty
of sinning against them. Cf. Jam.
ii. 10. It is noticeable that to
profane either is to become guilty
of sin against both. The Body and
Blood of the Lord are in reality
inseparable. This verse affords a
strong argument for the doctrine of
the Real Presence. See Additional
Note. 29. For he... unto himself. The
nature of the judgment is shewn in
v. 30 ; temporal punishment is in
question, not "damnation," as the
A.V. translates. The repetition of
the words " eateth and drinketh " is
remarkable. S. Paul seems to mean
that the actual reception of the
sacrament is the means which brings
the judgment upon the unworthy
receiver. The food, as it were, be
comes a poison. Cf. Lev. viL 20, 21.

103

I. CORINTHIANS

[XI. 10-3,

30 1discern not the body. For this cause many among you are
31 weak and sickly, and not a few sleep. But if we 2dis-
32 cerned ourselves, we should not be judged. But 'when we
are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we may not
33 be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren,
34 when ye come together to eat, wait one for another. If any
man is hungry, let him eat at home; that your coming
together be not unto judgement. And the rest will I set
in order whensoever I come.

1 Gr. discriminate. 2 Gr. discriminated.
of the Lord, we are chastened

* Or, when we are judged

if he discern not the body. La
the glorified humanity of the Lord.
The word translated "discern" is
the same as that used in v. 31. The
eye of faith must be directed to the
Body of the Lord, so as to discrimi
nate it from ordinary food.
30. not a few sleep. Death has
been the penalty for profanation of
the sacrament Cf. v. 5 and Ac. v.
1-11. The severity of God's judg
ments upon sin in the Apostohc
Church was the necessary result of
the closeness of His union with her.
Cf Ac. v. 3, 4. Sin is more (or less)
sinful according to the clearness of
our recognition of the wiU of God,
and the closeness of our union with
Him. 31. if we... not be judged. There
is a play upon words, impossible to
reproduce in English, if we keep the
same rendering for the same word

in vv. 29 and 31. Human self-ex
amination and Divine judgments
have the same purpose — to bring us
to a knowledge of our real condition,
and relation to God. The exercise
of the former makes the latter un
necessary. 32. that we may not... with the
world. The condemnation in 8.
Paul's mind is that which will take
place at our Lord's Second Coming.
Cf. 2 Th. L 6-10. The chastisement
has a purpose of love, as in v. 5. See
note there. Here, however, S. Paul
thinks rather of the Corinthian
church as a corporate body. The
whole Church is chastened by the
sickness and death of her members.
34. let him eat at home. S.Paul's
direction might well prove a first
step towards the separation of the
Eucharist from the social meal which
at first accompanied it

Additional note on XI. 23-25.
The meaning of the words of Institution.
8. Paul's words in 1 Cor. xL 24, 25 are the fuUest account which we
possess of the words which our Lord used when He instituted the Eucharist
We must of course, compare with them Matt. xxvi. 26-28 ; Mk xiv. 22-24 ;
and Luk xxii. 19, 20. The accounts given by 8 Matthew and 8. Mark are
closely paraUel : —

I. CORINTHIANS 103
Matt xxvi 26-28. Mk xiv. 22-24.
Take, eat ; Take ye ;
this is my body. this is my body.

Drink ye aU of it ;
for this is my blood This is my blood
of the covenant, of the covenant
which is shed for many, which is shed for many.
unto remission of sins.
Neither account, it wiU be seen, contains directions for the perpetuation
of the rite.
Again the accounts given by the ordinary text of S. Luke and by S. Paul
are closely parallel : —
Luk. xxiL 19, 20. 1 Cor. xL 24, 25.
This is my body This is my body
[which is given for you : which is for you :
this do, in remembrance of me. this do, in remembrance of me.

This cup is the new covenant This cup is the new covenant
in my blood, in my blood :

even thatwhich is pouredout for you.]

this do, as oft as ye drink it,
in remembrance of me.

But this agreement is rather apparent than real. For there is strong
evidence, both external and internal, that the portion of 8. Luke's text
enclosed in brackets does not belong to the original Gospel, but has been
interpolated from 8. Paul and the other Gospels. (See Plummer's note
ad loc. in the International Critical Commentary.) In this case, S. Luke's
account of the giving of the cup is found in v. 17, and precedes his account
of the giving of the bread. Thus, comparing the four accounts together, we
find that the only words absolutely identical are the words "This is my
body," but that the general meaning is the same in all four.
What then did S. Paul, and what must we, understand these words to
mean? There are two points, upon which wide difference of opinion prevails.
(a) Firstly, how are we to understand the words "This is my body"
and "This is my blood"? Here we must consider both the words them
selves, and any further considerations which may throw Ught upon their
meaning. The words themselves must be taken as they stand. No argu
ment can be drawn from the fact that our Lord spoke in Aramaic, a
language in which the copula "is" would not be expressed. The copula
would in any case have to be supplied. Nor can it be truly said that our
Lord's words were metaphorical, as when He said " I am the door of the
sheep," or "I am the true vine." In these cases, the copula "am" combines
a concrete reality and an idea, and retains its full force. Our Lord " is," in
the fullest sense, all that the ideas of "the door of the sheep" and of " the
true vine " imply. The words "I am the bread of life " are of the same

104 I. CORINTHIANS
character. But the words " This is my body " go much beyond them. The
copula in this case joins together two concrete external reaUties. Had the
Lord, pointing to a particular vine, said " This vine is I myself" He would
have used words parallel to those found here : as things are, there is no
parallel But two interpretations are stiU possible. Our Lord may have
meant either (i) This represents my body, or (u) This is — in some way
not described — identified with my body. These seem to be the only possible
meanings. The words cannot mean, as Hooker would have us believe, that
the bread is simply a means " upon the receipt whereof the participation of
'the Lord's body' ensueth." That thought would require quite different
language for its expression It is not at aU true, that " that which produceth
any certain effect is not vainly nor improperly said to be that very effect
whereunto it tendeth." Unless the words teach that the Body and Blood
of the Lord are given to those who receive the bread and wine, because
that Body and Blood have previously been identified with them, they
cannot teach that our Lord's Body and Blood are given at alL Of any
special presence of our Lord at the Eucharist, or of any spiritual gift
imparted by Him, apart from the bread and wine, they say nothing. Cf. the
last note on x. 16. We must choose, therefore, between the two views
given above. Did then our Lord mean by the words of institution, " This
bread represents My Body; This cup represents My Blood"? This view
appeals at first sight strongly to our common sense. Our Lord's Body,
when He spoke, was visibly present ; it did not, we may be inchned to say,
and could not, assume any different relation to the bread from that which it
had had previously. For the use of " is " in the sense of " represents," there
is indeed no paraUel in our Lord's words elsewhere. But the language would
be not unnatural, and in the Passover Feast itself the lambs represented,
without being, the original lambs of Ex. xiL When, however, we consider
the general teaching of the N.T., — to say nothing of Christian experience
as to the grace and power of the Eucharist, — we find this interpretation
impossible. It is quite clear from 1 Cor. x. 16, 17 that S. Paul regarded the
Eucharistic bread and wine as giving a real, and not merely a symbolical,
participation in the Lord's Body and Blood (see notes there). It is this
participation which makes the Church one body in Christ, a thing obviously
impossible if the elements but represented reaUties not really present.
And the whole context proves the same thing. S. Paul there regards the
Eucharist as parallel to those sacrificial feasts of the Jews and of the heathen,
in which the bodies of the victims offered in sacrifice were eaten by the
worshippers (x. 18-21). When we pass on to ch xL, S. Paul's teaching is
equally clear. To "eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord unworthily"
is to be "guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord" (xL 27), and
unworthy reception Ues in this, that the unworthy communicant does not
discriminate " the body " from ordinary food (xL 28). Nay more, the language
of v. 28 seems to shew by its repetition of the words " eateth and drinketh "
that it is the actual physical reception of the sacrament by means of which
judgment faUs. And not only does 8. Paul give this teaching, but he
distinctly bases it upon the actual words used by our Lord. The 27th verse
begins with the word " wherefore," and the teaching contained in it is thus

I. CORINTHIANS 105
made to depend upon the words of institution quoted immediately before.
Those words, as has been already pointed out, can only be interpreted in
two ways, and, the one view being in face of 8. Paul's language impossible,
we must adopt the other.
8. PauL then, held our Lord's words to mean that the bread and wine
were identified with His Body and Blood. His words of consecration,
whatever we may conceive them to have been, were, as S. Ambrose1 says,
"operative, as the word was operative by which He made aU in the
beginning." " He spake, and it was done ; He commanded, and it stood
fast." And this way of speaking was characteristic of the Lord. When
e.g. He said "Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity" (Luk xiiL 12),
or "Thy son liveth" (Jno. iv. 50), His word made that to be which was not
so before. So it was here. And this view agrees with the whole character
of the Christian dispensation. The blessings which Christ offers are real,
not merely symbohcal " In the religion of spirit and life," as Godet says,
"a ceremony of pure commemoration cannot exist."
Is, however, it will be asked, such an interpretation admissible, when we
consider the facts of the Last Supper itself? Our Lord's Body was visibly
present when He instituted the Eucharist; can we say, with an ancient
hymn of the Church, that He gave " Himself with His own Hand " 1 To
this question, two answers may be given. It may be said, as is said by
Dr Gore (The Body of Christ, Note 19, p. 312), that the institution of the
Eucharist was " an anticipation of glory akin to the Transfiguration." The
glory that belongs now to our Lord Risen and Ascended really belonged to
His Person during His earthly life, and shone forth on these two occasions.
But a better answer — though this view seems to lack support in Christian
antiquity — may be that our Lord's Body and Blood were not given at
the time of the institution, and could not be until they had reached their
present glorified condition, and there was in the Church a body of men able,
as the Apostles were not before the communication of our Lord's Risen Life,
to receive and assimilate these great realities. Our Lord's words anticipate
what would be after the Ascension rather than describe what was then
actually bestowed. The language of the Lord at this time has several such
anticipations. He speaks of His Blood as shed or poured out for many,
although that outpouring lay still in the future. The great discourse
spoken at the last supper anticipates also. The relation of the vine to
the branches (Jno. xv. 1-6) describes the relation of the Lord to His people
as it would be when His Risen Life was communicated to them (Jno. xx. 22)
rather than as it was at the time when He actually spoke. So also, it may
be, in the words before us our Lord was instituting a sacrament for the
Church that was to be. And this view surely receives confirmation from
the language of Jno. vi. Whether or not we regard that chapter as referring
directly to the Eucharist, it certainly refers to the gift of our Lord's Flesh and
1 S. Amb. Lib. 4 de sacr. ch. 4 (S. Ambrose's authorship is not quite
certain).

106 I. CORINTHIANS
Blood, which the Eucharist bestows (see vv. 51-68). And our Lord in that
chapter leads us to look forward beyond the Ascension (v. 62) ; He says
that His Flesh and Blood in their earthly condition can profit us nothing,
but that it is the spirit that quickeneth. And when we notice the
similarity of this language to that in which S. Paul describes the present
condition of the Lord (1 Cor. xv. 45), it is hard not to think that it teaches
us to expect the communication of our Lord's Body and Blood only
in its present glorified condition. If this be so, the great difficulty
in the way of accepting S. Paul's teaching vanishes. For our Lord's Body
and Blood, glorified as they now are, are no longer subject to the ordinary
conditions of space, and of the union, into which they may be able to enter
by His wiU with bread and wine and through them with ourselves, we
know absolutely nothing. The perfect humanity of the Lord communicated
to us is what we need for the redemption and restoration of our fallen
humanity, and it is this which the Lord in His Sacrament gives us. But of
the method by which this takes place S. Paul tells us nothing. The bread,
after consecration, is still spoken of as bread (xi. 26, 27) — a fact to which
the Anglican Article probably refers, when it says that " Transubstantiation
...is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture." S. Paul's thought seems
well reproduced by S. Irenaeus, when he says that the bread "is no longer
common bread, but an Eucharist, consisting of two things, the earthly and
the heavenly." Beyond this we cannot go. We may interpret our Lord's
words by ideas drawn from our own philosophy, and help our thought by
doing so. But we must remember, as we so interpret them, that " our little
systems " of philosophy have their day,
They have their day, and cease to be.
They are but "broken lights" of reaUties which Ue beyond them, and Christ
and His Sacrament " are more than they."
(b) The second great point of controversy is as to the meaning of the
words " This do, in remembrance of me." They have been explained in the
( notes as a simple command to do with the bread and wine what our Lord
did with them, to take, bless, distribute, and consume them, and so keep
the Lord in remembrance. See notes on vv. 24-26. But another meaning
has been suggested for them. The Greek word here translated "do" is, it
has been urged, in the Greek Version of the O.T. a sacrificial term, and
means "offer," while the word here translated "remembrance" is a sacri
ficial term also, and means "memorial" before God. Thus the whole
phrase will mean "Offer this to make a memorial of Me before God."
Now it must at once be granted that there is much to be said for this
view. From the first, the Eucharist has been regarded in the Church as in
some sense a sacrifice. The frequent appUcation to it of MaL i. 11 found
in the writings of the early Fathers is enough to shew this. And beside
this, the interpretation under discussion has the advantage, that both in
v. 24 and v. 25 it allows us to interpret the word "this" in the same way,

I. CORINTHIANS 107
on both the occasions when it occurs, and in v. 25 supplies an object to
the word "drink." But the difficulties of this view, both exegetical and
doctrinal, are so much greater than its advantages, that it cannot be
adopted. In the first place, it canno* be said that in the Greek Version of the
O.T. the word here translated ' do " means " offer." The question has been
carefully investigated by Professor Abbott of Dublin1. He points out that
the word here translated " do " occurs in that version about 2500 times. It
is the ordinary rendering of the common Hebrew word for " do," and is not
the word employed to render the Hebrew words for "offer" or "sacrifice."
It seems to have no sacrificial sense, except when it gains that sensf
from the context. In our own language, we can use the word "do"
as a substitute for a more definite word, when the context makes the
meaning clear. We speak e.g. of doing sacrifice, or of doing homage.
Similar usages are found in Ex. xxix. 39 ; 1 Kgs. xviii. 23, 25 ; Is. Ixvi. 15.
So also in Mt. xxvi. 18 to "do" is to "keep" the Passover, Le. to eat the
Passover feast (cf Mk. xiv. 14). Moreover, the combination "do this" is
.common in the Greek Version of the O.T. and cannot, outside a strongly
sacrificial context, have any but the simpler meaning. Even though the
sacrificial sense of "do" were far commoner in the O.T. than is actually
the case, we should not expect to find it here. The Greek word for " do "
occurs nearly 600 times in the N.T., and never seems to have any meaning
but the ordinary one. The combination " do this " occurs about 20 times,
aad has nowhere any but the simplest meaning.
But can it perhaps be urged that the context here is so strongly
sacrificial in character, as to give to the word " do " a sacrificial tinge that
it does not in itself possess ? Certainly sacrificial ideas are at hand. In
v. 25, the Blood of the Lord is certainly His Blood poured out in sacrifice,
and the feast of the Eucharist is regarded in x. 18-21 as analogous to the
sacrificial feasts of Jews and heathen. It is sometimes also urged that the
word translated " remembrance " is in the Greek Version of the O.T. itself
a sacrificial word. But the fact that our Lord's Body and Blood are
regarded as having been offered in sacrifice does not allow us to read into
the word "do" the thought of any fresh offering of them now, and the
statement that the word for "remembrance" is in the O.T. a sacrificial
word is, as Prof. Abbott has shewn, not really a true one. The word simply
means "remembrance"; who is reminded, and of what he is reminded, it is
left to the context to shew. Cf. Heb. x. 3, where alone the word is elsewhere
used in the N.T.
We are bound then to keep to the simple meaning of the words. And
this view is supported both by the interpretations of the Greek Fathers
(with the one possible exception of Justin Martyr), and by the early
Liturgies. The Early Church certainly beheved that in the Eucharist there
was a solemn commemoration of the Lord's redeeming work, before God as
weU as before man. She beUeved also both that the bread and wine were
reaUy offered to God, and that her offering was taken into union with the
1 Essays chiefly on the Original Texts of the O. and N. Testaments.

108 I. CORINTHIANS
abiding sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ, so that through partaking
of the one we are enabled to partake of the other. But this view of the
Eucharist is quite maintainable without any such forcing of the words of
institution as has been discussed, and was in fact in the Early Church held
without it.
The Third Question.
The use of the Spiritual Gifts. XII. 1-XIV. 40.
Ch. xiii. bears upon the subject, much as ch. ix. bore upon the question
of idol-meats. The main thought of the use of gifts is never lost but
S. Paul speaks of love for its own sake, as well as for its bearing upon the
subject under consideration.
What were these spiritual gifts? Our Lord, in the parable of the
talents, had spoken of Himself as dividing His goods among His servants
on His departure from the world (Mt. xxiv. 14, 15). The goods, of which
He there spoke, were not, as the word " talent " often leads us to suppose,
our natural gifts. Natural gifts are presupposed, when it is said that the
Master gave to each "according to his several ability." The goods, of
which He spoke, were the spiritual powers, with which His Humanity had
been stored by the presence of the Holy Spirit (Jno. ui 34). These the
Spirit brought from our Lord on the day of Pentecost, and they were
passed on to those upon whom the Apostles laid their hands (Ac. viii. 17 ;
xix. 6). These "gifts" of the Spirit were quite distinct from that moral
result of His presence, of which S. Paul speaks in Gal. v. 22, 23 ; they did not
of necessity make their recipients in any way morally better. They were,
on the one hand, " the manifestation of the Spirit " (xii. 7), a plain proof of
His presence ; and, on the other, gifts to enable each Christian to perform
some special service for the whole Church. Some appeared to be plainly
supernatural ; others seemed rather natural powers raised by the Divine
presence to a new and supernatural efficacy. Now the Corinthian church,
which had enjoyed S. Paul's presence for a long period, was specially rich
in these gifts (L 5, 6), — much richer, for example, than the Roman church,
which no Apostle seems to have visited, when S. Paul wrote to it (contrast
xii. 8-10 with Rom. xii. 6-8). But the Corinthians made a wrong use of
them. Failing to recognise the unity of the Church, and the divine purpose
of mutual service, the more highly gifted made their gifts an occasion of
pride, while the less gifted were discouraged and depressed. Moreover,
the more showy gifts were considered the more valuable, and those who
possessed were eager to display them in a way inconsistent with the good
order of the Church Love was wanting, and so the gifts of God were
failing of their purpose. Thus S. Paul has three things to do : — (a) to shew
the purpose for which, and the principle upon which, the gifts were be
stowed ; (6) to insist upon the supremacy of love ; (c) to give practical
directions for the right employment of the gifts in question.
For the whole subject, cf Rom. xii 3-8 ; Eph. iv. 1-13 ; 1 Th v. 19, 22;
1 Pet iv. 10.

XII. 1-7]

I. CORINTHIANS

100

XII. 1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would
2 not have you ignorant. Ye know that when ye were
Gentiles ye were led away unto those dumb idols, howso-
3 ever ye might be led. Wherefore I give you to understand,
that no man speaking in the Spirit of God saith, Jesus is
anathema ; and no man can say, Jesus is Lord, but in the
Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are diversities of ministrations, and the same
6 Lord. And there are diversities of workings, but the
7 same God, who worketh all things in all. But to each one
XII. 1-31. The spiritual gifts ; however strange, does come from

THEIR PURPOSE AND THE PRINCIPLE
UPON WHICH THEY ARE GIVEN.
2. when ye were Gentiles.
Christians are Gentiles no longer,
but the Israel of God (GaL vi. 16).
Cf. x. 32.
led away... ye might be led. A
double contrast is in 8. Paul's mind.
Dumb idols are contrasted with the
Spirit, Who speaks through those
endowed with His gifts, and the
evil and capricious influences of
heathenism with the rational and
moral purpose that is seen in the
Spirit's action. Cf. v. 7.
3. Wherefore. The point is that
spiritual influences are of more kinds
than one, as the past has shewn.
Some test is needed. S. Paul in v. 2
has regarded the tyranny of the evil
influences at work in heathenism as
belonging to the past, but it was
only too possible that Christians
might sUp back under their control.
Cf. 1 Jn. iv. 1 ff. Strong rehgious
feeUng, and even conditions of con
sciousness distinctly abnormal, would
be no preservation against this.
no man... but in the Holy Spirit.
This is the infallible test — the glori
fication of Jesus. It was for this
purpose that the Spirit was given
(Jno. xvi. 14). Nothing, however
supernatural, comes from the Spirit,
if it dishonours Christ. Everything,

the Spirit, which honours Him. For
the words "Jesus is anathema," or
accursed, cf. Ac. xxvi 11. In the
Roman persecutions also, the com
mand to curse Christ was the test
applied to those suspected of being
Christians. For the truth that real
faith is essentiaUy supernatural, and
not simply the result of evidence, cf
Mt. xvi. 15-17. The Spirit's action
is necessary, if we are either to gain
or to keep it.
4. diversities... same Spirit. This
is the text of the chapter. The
glory of the gifts lay in their common
Divine source, not in any superiority
of those possessed by one to those
possessed by another.
5. diversities of ministrations.
Neither "ministrations" in this verse,
nor "workings" in v. 6, are to be
distinguished from the "gifts" of
v. 4. They are rather different
aspects of those gifts. Every gift of
the Spirit is a gift for ministry to
the Lord and to the Church, which is
His Body. Cf. vv. 12-27. So also it
is a Divine activity, proceeding ulti
mately from the Father Himself. Cf.
v. 28, and GaL ii. 8. It is obvious how
the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity
Mes behind S. Paul's language in these
verses. Cf. Introduction, p. xxxi.
7. to each one... to profit withal.
Thepresenttense"isgiven"marksthe

110

I. CORINTHIANS

[XII. 7-9

is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withaL
8 For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom ;
and to another the word of knowledge, according to the
9 same Spirit : to another faith, in the same Spirit ; and to

continuous action of the Spirit. Three
points of the utmost importance for
S. Paul's argument appear here
(a) No one is left destitute of
spiritual gifts, (b) These gifts are
a manifestation of the Spirit's pre
sence. Cf xiv. 25. (c) Their purpose
is the good of the recipients, and of
the whole Church. It should be
added that another interpretation
of " the manifestation of the Spirit "
is possible. It may mean "the
power given to a Christian of mani
festing to others the Spirit Who
dwells in him."
8. For to one... according to the
same Spirit. The language is chosen
to bring out the great purpose of
promoting the common good. The
gift is " the word " of wisdom, " the
word" of knowledge, not just wisdom
and knowledge by themselves. With
out the power of expression, such
gifts would be only valuable to the
possessor. The distinction between
wisdom and knowledge is clear from
other passages in the Epistle. Com
pare e.g. i 5 and viii 1 with ii 6-13,
and see note at the end of ii 16.
"Wisdom" is the higher Christian
knowledge, only to be entrusted to
the mature Christian, and requiring
the inward revelation of the Spirit ;
"knowledge" is more elementary,
and may be gained by study or by
Listening to others. This distinction
is borne out by S. Paul's language
here (see RV. corrections). The
word of wisdom is given "through
the Spirit," by His direct inward
illumination (cf ii 13); the word
of knowledge is given " according to
the same Spirit"; it follows His
mind and teaching, but is not

necessarily the result of any special
illumination. Cf. Col. u. 3, where all
the treasures both of wisdom and
knowledge are said to be hidden in
Christ and xiii. 2 of this Epistle,
where the knowledge of " aU
mysteries" corresponds to "wisdom"
here. Perhaps we may say that
S. Paul speaks "the word of wisdom"
in Eph i-ui (cf. i 8, 17; iii 10) and
"the word of knowledge" in xi 17-34
of this Epistle.
9. to another faith, in the same
Spirit. The Greek word here trans
lated "another" is not the same as
that used in the previous verse, but
it is found once more in v. 10, "to
another divers kinds of tongues.'
It marks probably in each case that
a new class of gifts is being spoken
of, and that a different type of
Christian is the recipient of them.
The gifts of the Lord are " to each
according to his several ability"
(Mt. xxv. 15), and the kind of man
chosen to receive "faith," and
miraculous powers to heal, is dif
ferent from the kind chosen to
receive the word of wisdom or of
knowledge. "Faith" here is not
the simple faith of self-committal
(L 21), which all Christians must
have, but the faith which is the
condition of miraculous powers (Mt.
xvii. 19, 20), as xiiL 2 shews. It is
because these powers are so mani
fold, and deal with such different
types of sickness, that S. Paul says,
"gifts of healings," and not "the
gift of heaUng." The word "in"
marks the deepest union — a union
through which the powers of the
Spirit are seen at work in the man
who possesses Him.

xn. 9, 10]

I. CORINTHIANS

111

10 another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit ; and to another
workings of 1 miracles; and to another prophecy; and to
another discernings of spirits : to another divers kinds of
1 Gr. powers.

10. to another the workings of
miracles. Gifts of healings but
restore nature; miracles, as S. Paul
here and in v. 28 uses the term, go
beyond this. Cf Gal. iii. 5 ; Heb. ii. 4.
prophecy, ie. inspired preaching.
This was the gift of the Christian
prophets (xii. 28; xiv. 29 ff.). It
might in some cases include the
power to foreteU the future (Ac. xi
27, 28; xxi. 10, 11), but primarily,
as with the prophets of the O.T., it
was a gift for teaching and exhorta
tion. The words of these Christian
prophets have not come down to us,
with the exception of a few frag
mentary utterances, but we must
not think of them as on a lower level
than the great prophets of the O.T.
Rather, the Pentecostal gift must
have raised them higher. Cf. note
on v. 28.
discernings of spirits. Cf. v. 3.
Here also the thought is that
spiritual influences are not all of
one kind. The broad test of v. 3
would not always be sufficient.
Thus e.g. in 2 Th. ii. 2 we hear of
a "spirit" declaring — no doubt
through one who claimed to be a
prophet — that the day of the Lord
is now present. Here the test of
». 3 would be valueless. Cf. 1 Tim.
iv. 1 ff. Hence the necessity of men
gifted to discern the character of
the spiritual influences which made
themselves heard. Cf. xiv. 30 and
1 Th. v. 20, 21. The plural " spirits "
is noticeable. Even holy spiritual in
fluences are manifold, and in a real
sense personal, though they may all
find their unity in the Holy Spirit

Himself. Cf. Rev. i. 4, where the
seven spirits before God's throne
are with the Father and our Lord
the source of grace and peace, and
so must stand for the Holy Spirit
in His manifold activity. So it must
surely be with spiritual influences of
all kinds. The spiritual influences, of
which S. Paul here speaks, were the
communicators of new thoughts, and
of the impulse to express them, and
so must have been themselves pos
sessed of thought and win. When
the Lord and His Apostles speak of
Satan, or of demons, where we should
be rather disposed to speak of the
power of evil, or of evil influences, it
is their language which is accurate
rather than our own. There is no
thing in God's world which can be
evil except evil will, evil personality.
We find it difficult to believe that
Satan is a personal being, because the
conception of Satan has been made
ridiculous for us by medieval tales
and medieval art, — the Ingoldsby
Legends have much to answer for.
But such anthropomorphic, or rather
satyromorphic, conceptions are no
necessary accompaniment of the
Biblical view; the personaUty of
"the devil and his angels" may be
very dissimilar from our own. We
only insist, as we insist in the case
of God Himself, that that which
possesses inteUigence and will can
not be less than personal. And it
is surely important to insist upon
this. Such splendid appeals, as
that of Eph. vL 12, awaken for the
noblest purpose that combativeness
which is a God-given part of our

112

I. CORINTHIANS

[XII. 10-14

tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues:
11 but all these worketh the one and the same Spirit, dividing
to each one severally even as he will.
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and
all the members of the body, being many, are one body;
13 so also is Christ. For in one Spirit were we all baptized
into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond
14 or free; and were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the

nature, and lead us to cry out to
God, and trust in His power as no
easy talk about eril principles and
influences will by itself ever do.
"Our wrestling is not against flesh
and blood. . . . Wherefore " — for that
very reason— "take up the whole
armour of God."
divers kinds... the interpretation
of tongues. See notes on ch. xiv.,
and Additional Note at the end of
ch. xiv. on "the gift of tongues." The
tongues seem to have been forms of
ecstatic utterance of spiritual truth,
praise and prayer, welling up from
the "sub-Uminal consciousness" of
the speaker. It required, of course,
a special gift to interpret such ut
terances, and this the speaker himself
did not always possess. What was
required, as Dr Joyce says, "was a
certain continuity of consciousness
between the ecstatic and the normal
state." The man, who possessed the
gift of tongues, might be able to
recollect the thoughts and feeUngs
with which he had been inspired
under its influence, or he might not.
If he was so able, he could interpret
his previous utterances. If he was
not, they could only be interpreted
by those who were able to interpret
them, through their own share in
the thoughts and feelings which they
expressed. 11. dividing. ..as h# will. An im
portant assertion of the Personality

of the Holy Spirit. Deliberate will is
ascribed to Him, as to our Lord in
Jno. v. 21, and will implies personality.
12-27. Thus far 8. Paul has but
spoken of the variety of the gifts;
now he wiU shew how the unity
of the Church and the principle of
mutual dependence explain this
variety. 12. so also is Christ. In this
passage, Christ is not regarded as
the Head of His Body the Church ;
the head is spoken of in v. 21 as one
member among many ; rather, Christ
is the single personahty, animating
the whole (cf. Rom. xii. 5), and the
many members are aU members of
Him. See note at the end of the
chapter. 13. in one Spirit. . .bond or free.
Baptism brings incorporation into
the glorified Humanity of Christ
through the operation of the Spirit
S. Paul delights to point out the
wide gulfs that have been filled up
(Col. iii. 10, 11). Whatever dif
ferences there may have been, the
Spirit by which, and the Body into
which, we were baptized, are aUke
the same (Eph. iv. 4).
were all... of one Spirit. A dif
ferent thought from that in the
former part of the verse. Cf. x. 4,
and note there. In this clause
S. Paul refers to the special gift of
the Spirit by the laying on of hands.
It was of this that the "spiritual

XII. 14-^3]

I. CORINTHIANS

113

15 body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say,
Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body ; it is not
16 therefore not of the body. And if the ear shall say,
Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body ; it is not
17 therefore not of the body. If the whole body were an eye,
where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where
18 were the smelling? But now hath God set the members
19 each one of them in the body, even as it pleased him. And
20 if they were all one member, where were the body? But
21 now they are many members, but one body. And the eye
cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee : or again
22 the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much
rather, those members of the body which seem to be more
23 feeble are necessary : and those parts of the body, which
we think to be less honourable, upon these we x bestow
1 Or, put on

gifts" were the manifestation. Per
haps we may say that the work of
the Spirit in baptism corresponds to
the gift of Easter (Jno. xx. 22, 23),
while in the laying on of hands He
comes as He came at Pentecost
(Ac. ii. 4). The one gives spiritual
life, the other the new powers of
action appropriate to that life.
14. The same simile is employed
of the " body politic " by Menenius
Agrippa in Livy 11. 32. Cf. Shak-
speare, Coriolanus, Ac. 1., Sc. 1.
But S. Paul probably employs it
independently. Cf. Rom. xii. 4, 5;
Eph. iv. 16; Col. ii. 19. In the two
last cases the simile is somewhat
differently applied, Christ being re
garded as the Head.
15-17. In these verses the appeal
is to the less gifted. They are not
to despond, or think that the absence
of a particular gift means that they
are no true members of Christ. As
S. Chrysostom points out, the foot is
made to compare itself with the
hand, not with the eye, "because

we are wont to envy not those who
are very far above us, but those who
are a little higher."
18. But now. ..as it pleased him.
A double comfort for the less highly
gifted member. God Himself has
given him his place, and that place,
with the gift necessary for it, is
God's choice for him. Beyond God's
will we cannot go.
21-23. In these verses the under
lying thought is that no member of
the Church can look down upon
another, since all are ahke necessary.
This, like the previous consideration,
would be a comfort to the less
gifted, but S. Paul probably desires
even more earnestly to humble the
pride of those who possessed the
higher gifts.
22. which seem to be more feeble.
e.g. the eyes. The point is that
their necessity shields them from
the disrespect which their weakness
might otherwise bring upon them.
23. bestowmoreabundanthonour.
Rather, as R.V. margin, "put on
8

114

L CORINTHIANS

[XIL 13-18

more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have
24 more abundant comeliness ; whereas our comely parts
have no need : but God tempered the body together, giving
25 more abundant honour to that part which lacked; that
there should be no schism in the body; but that the
members should have the same care one for another.
26 And whether one member suffereth, all the members suffer
with it; or one member is 1honoured, all the members
27 rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and
28 2 severally members thereof. And God hath set some

1 Or, glorified
more abundant honour." The thought
is of our special care to clothe parts
of the body which we regard as less
honourable. 24. giving more abundant...
which lacked. Le. both by making
it specially necessary for the per
fection of the whole (v. 22), and by
implanting the instinct to clothe what
is uncomely (v. 23). True natural
instinct is a Divine thing. Cf. xi. 14.
25. that there shouldbe no schism.
The members of the body are per
sonified, as before. If members of
the body, which are naturaUy in
ferior, had no compensations, they
would not be able to endure their
position, and would break away.
but that... one for another, ie.
that aU may care equally for the
good of each, the superior for the
inferior, and the inferior for the
superior. "If each man's being
depends on his neighbour's safety,
tell me not of the less and the more :
in this case there is no more and
less. WhUe the body continues, you
may see the difference too, but when
it perishes, no longer. And perish
it will, unless the lesser parts also
continue" (S. Chrysostom).
26. whether one member. . .suffer
with it. 8. Chrysostom's LUustrations

* Or, members each in his part
are admirable. "Thus often, when
a thorn is fixed in the heel, the
whole body feels it, and cares for it :
both the back is bent, and the belly
and thighs are contracted, and the
hands coming forth as guards and
servants, draw out what was so fixed,
and the head stoops over it, and the
eyes observe it with much care."
And again, "The head is crowned,
and the whole man is honoured.
The mouth speaks, and the eyes
laugh, and are delighted."
27. ye are the body of Christ.
The same difficulty in translation
meets us, as in UL 16 (see note
there). 8. Paul says, " Ye are body
of Christ" All Christians together
make up this body, the Corinthians
among them.
severally members thereof. Each,
as an individual, has his own share
in the Ufe of the whole.
28. 8. Paul now works out the
simile of the body. The members of
the Church, with their various gifts
and offices, correspond to the various
members of the body. From this it
follows, (a) that they must be full of
self-sacrificing love, (b) that they must
use their gifts for the good of the
whole. The one conclusion is worked
out in ch. xiii., the other in ch. xiv.

XII. 18-31]

I. CORINTHIANS

115

in the church, first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly
teachers, then 1 miracles, then gifts of healings, helps,
29 governments, divers kinds of tongues. Are all apostles?
are all prophets? are all teachers? are all worhers of
30 'miracles? have all gifts of healings? do all speak with
31 tongues? do all interpret? But desire earnestly the greater
gifts. And a still more excellent way shew I unto you.
1 Gr. powers. 5 Or, wise counsels 3 Gr. powers.

God hath set some in the church.
The word " set " corresponds to the
same word in v. 18. "The church"
seems plainly to mean the whole
Church, not the church of Corinth.
The Apostles were not members of
the latter.
first apostles. The order in the
enumeration is the order of im
portance. Apostles are first, divers
kinds of tongues last. It is cha
racteristic of 8. Paul to prefer what
is orderly and rational to what is
ecstatic and merely emotional. The
Corinthian estimate was just the
opposite. Cf. iv. 9-13 ; xiv. 1 ff. On
the position of the Apostles, see
notes on i. 1 and ix. 1.
secondlyprophels, thirdly teachers.
See note on v. 10. The prophet dif
fered from the teacher in that his
message came by immediate revela
tion. Prophets apparently consti
tuted a distinct body in the early
Church. Cf. Ac. xiii. 1 ; Eph. iv. 11.
Through them were pointed out the
persons designed by God for parti
cular offices (Ac. xiii. 2 ; xx. 28 ; 1 Tim.
i. 18 ; iv. 14). To the heathen they
did not address themselves (xiv. 22),
since missionary work belonged to
the Apostles and evangelists (Ac. xxi.
8; Eph. iv. 11). For the importance
of these prophets, see Eph. ii. 20, iii. 5,
and for their position, the early Chris
tian book, The Teaching of the Twelve
Apostles, §§ 11-13. Their position and

importance would, however, vary in
different churches. Cf Introd. p.
xxxvi. EvangeUsts are not here
mentioned, because S. Paul is speak
ing of the inner life of the Church,
and not of her outward activity.
then miracles. Miraculous power
is a gift inferior even to that of
teaching, since the latter does more
for the edification of the Church.
See note on v. 10.
helps, governments. The former
must refer to works of ministry to
the poor and sick, like those of the
deacons in Ac. vi. 1-6 (cf. Rom. xii. 7),
the latter to the management of the
affairs of the Church. This would
generally be the duty of the presby
ters. It is noticeable that the gifts of
government come lowest of all, ex
cept the gifts of tongues. In the
earliest days of the Church, as
1 Tim. v. 17 shews, presbyters were
apparently not necessarily entrusted
with the work of teaching. But as
the higher spiritual gifts became
rarer, the elders would come more
and more to exercise the functions
of the prophets and teachers, and so
take a place higher than that of the
deacons. In the church of PhiUppi,
where we hear nothing of great
spiritual gifts, the presbyters, or
bishops, are mentioned before the
deacons (Phil. i. 1).
31. desire earnestly the greater
gifts. e.g. that of prophecy (xiv. 1).
8—2

116 I. CORINTHIANS
The Corinthians were disposed rather 8. Paul does not mean that love is
to desire earnestly the gift of tongues, a better way than earnest desire to
The fact that the bestowal of gifts the attainment of the highest gifts,
depends upon God only (vv. 11, 18) but that love is itself higher and
does not make spiritual desire ille- better than all gifts or the desire
gitimate. Such desire may be the for them. It was this, which the
condition for the bestowal of the Corinthians needed to recognise,
gifts. and to which the thought of the
And a still...! unto you. "Way" Church as an organic whole (vv.
means "way of hfe," as in iv. 17. 25-27) would naturaUy lead them.
S. Paul in the foregoing passage has characteristicaUy appealed to
Christian doctrine as the foundation of Christian duty. There is no passage
in the N.T. which teaches more plainly the unity of the Church in the Divine
purpose, and the duty of maintaining, or, if necessary, restoring it What
then is S. Paul's doctrine ? The Church is an organism, in which each
member depends upon every other and has his part to do in relation to
the whole. In a lower sense, this is no doubt true of a nation also. Man is
"a social animal"; we are meant to depend one upon another, and the more
completely society is organised, the more we do so. But this common life has
been spoilt by human sin, and the Church must restore it The Church is a
society, living a life of its own amid the nations of the world, and possessing
a deeper unity and a fuller common hfe than they. Christ is One, and the
Church is His Body, and One in him (i. 13 ; xii. 12). Each Christian has
been made through baptism a member of that Body, and has gifts bestowed
upon him to enable him to serve it. The members exist for tho sake of the
Church, even more than the Church exists for the sake of the members.
Christianity is thus essentiaUy a social religion. No member can live his
true life, rightly employ the gifts entrusted to him, unless he remains in
union with his brethren.
Now it is noticeable that the Church, of which S. Paul here speaks, seems
plainly to be the Catholic Church as a whole, and not the local church of
Corinth It is Corinthian sins with which he is dealing, Corinthian sins
against the unity of the Church, but his point is, not that the Corinthian
church is an organism, but that the whole Church is so. This is apparent
both in vv. 12, 13 and in v. 29. It is the whole Church, of which Christ is the
animating PersonaUty (v. 12), and of which the Apostles are members (v. 29).
Local "churches" there may be (iv. 17 ; vii. 17 ; xi. 16 ; xiv. 33) — at a time,
when Christianity had been planted only in the great cities, their separation
one from another rendered this way of speaking natural — but the "one
body," into which "we all" were baptized, is the Universal Church. Thus it
is plain, that S. Paul would never allow us to regard a " national Church,"
even though it were to include all the Christians of a nation, as an organic
whole, intelligible by itself, and possessed of a separate work oi its own.
This is simply, however popular it may be in England to-day, the theory of
the Congregationalists "writ large." To believe in independent national
churches is no more consistent with the N.T., than to believe in independent
Christian congregations. It is the Church as a whole, which has a Divine

xm. .] I. CORINTHIANS 117
mission, and that to all nations. While the Church is rent in pieces, that
mission can only be carried out in a most imperfect way. Our business is,
not to form unscriptural theories as to " Branch " churches, but to make up
the divisions of Christendom. No doubt the Church may have national
organisations, just as it may have local ones, but our minds must not rest
satisfied with these. Each nation, in so far as it enters the flock of Christ,
has, like each individual, a work to do for the whole Church, and can only
live its true life as a part of that whole. If, e.g., a " manly common sense "
is really a characteristic of English Christianity, that gift wUl only fuUy
answer to God's purpose for it, when English Christians are united with
others. "Common sense" is of value in checking superstition and mis
guided enthusiasm ; it is not of much value, where there is but Uttle faith
to degenerate into superstition, and little enthusiasm to be either guided or
misguided. No great rent has ever been made in the Church, without
fearful damage to each of the fragments. The division of Eastern and
Western Christendom deprived the E. of the earnestness and practical force
of the W., and the W. of the deeper and broader theology of the E. The
great divisions of the Reformation period have left the Roman Church to
become more and more sacerdotal and ultramontane, and the Church of
England and the foreign Protestant bodies to be in many cases half-stifled
by their connection with the State, and to fall a prey to a narrow nationaUsm
or a stiU narrower individualism. And within England itself, the further
divisions which Nonconformity has brought have too often left the gifts for
evangelisation in one religious body, and the gifts for edification — the
" word of wisdom " and the " word of knowledge " — in another. S. Paul's
words shew that unity is as really a characteristic of the Church, in the
Divine idea, as holiness or catholicity. Just as, in spite of all discourage
ments, we must work on for the evangelisation of the world, because we
believe, as an article of faith, that the Church is for all, so must we work
for its reunion, because we believe, as an article of faith, that it is intended
to be one. We have no more right to seek the advantage of a local or
national church, by a policy which puts further off the unity of the Church
as a whole, than we should have to seek such advantage by the abandon
ment of missions to the heathen. To say that the reunion of Christendom
is impracticable is simply to deny an Article of the Creed.
XIII. 1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass,
The praise op love. XIII. 1-13.
In the following passage, S. Paul has the Corinthian church before him.
He is not attempting to give a complete account of the characteristics of
love ; he is contrasting love with the spirit that the Corinthians were
shewing, pointing out how love both guides men in the use of gifts, and is
itself superior to any of them. The section falls into three parts :—
(a) the uselessness to the possessor of all other gifts without love. 1-3.
(b) the characteristics of love, as it is seen in action. 4-7.
(c) the eternal duration of love. 8-13.

118

I. CORINTHIANS

[XIII.

2 or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy,
and know all mysteries and all knowledge ; and if I have
all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I
3 am nothing. And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and if I give my body Ho be burned, but have not love, it
1 Many ancient authorities read that I may glory.
XIII. 1-3. All other gifts
USELESS TO THE POSSESSOR WITHOUT

LOVE. 1. If I speak... of angels. Speak
ing with tongues was the gift that
the Corinthians estimated most
highly ; so S. Paul begins with it.
The tongues of angels are mentioned
deliberately. No height which the
gift might attain can make the
possessor himself anything without
love. Possibly S. Paul regarded the
"spirit," who inspired the speakers
with tongues, as angelic spirits,
expressing themselves in their own
language. have not love. The word which
8. Paul here uses is, as Archbishop
Trench says, "a word born within
the bosom of revealed religion." It
is not found in Classical Greek,
though it is found in the Alexan
drian Jew, Philo. Unfortunately it
has no good English equivalent.
"Charity" is too narrow, "love" is
too wide. It is the love that leads
us to sacrifice ourselves to others, as
contrasted with the love that desires
to appropriate to ourselves things
or persons outside us. Thus it is
used especially of the love of God
for men, and of that love both for
Himself and for our brethren which
the love of God inspires in us. Cf.
ii. 9 ; viii 2. Thus also the character
istics which will be drawn out in vv.
4-7 are characteristics of God's love
for us, as weU as of our love for God
and for one another. Cf Jn. xiii.
34, 35; 1 Jn. iv. 7-21. But it is
our love, not God's, that is in ques

tion here, and primarily our love to
man, not to God.
I am become... clanging cymbal.
The gift may be wonderful, but the
man himself has sunk, with the loss
of love, to the level of a mere emitter
of noise. Perhaps the instruments
here mentioned were used in heathen
worship. What a man says, or has.
is in these verses contrasted with
what he is, both in himself and in
hifrrglatiori t,p Qnd. The absence of
love " makes the music mute " that
man should send up to God.
2. prophecy. ..all knowledge.
These were the gifts, upon which
S. Paul laid stress, since they were
useful to the Church (xii. 8 ; xiv. 1 ff.).
all faith... remove mountains.
This was the gift, on which the Lord
Himself had laid stress (Mt xvii. 20;
xxi. 21). Thus vv. 1 and 2 form a
climax. / am nothing. 8. Paul does not
say that the gifts are valueless to
the Church, but that the possessor
himself is nothing. In the kingdom
of God, existence and love are one.
The measure of a man's love is the
measure of his life.
3. bestow... the poor. To do this
is more than even to possess the gift
of faith, since there is at any rate the
outward seeming of love. The Greek
brings out that the man surrenders
once for all his property, and him
self distributes it among the needy.
Probably, in the early Church, this
was no more uncommon than the
gifts of prophecy and tongues.
give my body to be burned. Cf

XIII. 3-6]

I. CORINTHIANS

119

4 profiteth me nothing. Love suffereth long, and is kind ;
love envieth not ; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is
6 not provoked, taketh not account of evil ; rejoiceth not in

Dan. iii. ; 2 Mace. vii. In the Ne-
ronian persecutions, Christians were
caUed upon to do this also. Note
the variant, in R.V. margin, "give
my body that I may glory." Perhaps
S. Paul wrote this. There is a story
told of a Hindoo, who shortly before
this burnt himself in the market
place at Athens to shew what he
would do for his religion. His tomb

was apparently shewn, and 8. Paul
may have seen it. Cf. Lightfoot:
Colossians, p. 393 (note).
it profiteth me nothing. Others
may reap benefit, but the man him
self is not advanced a step. Works
can only justify (Jam. ii. 24) when
they are the outward expression of
the Divine life within, and that Ufe
is love.

The question may be asked, "Are all these things, which S. Paul
contrasts with love, actually possible without it ? Is, for instance, the faith
described in v. 2 conceivable in one, in whom the Divine hfe is absent ?"
S. Paul does not here actually assert this possibility, while in Eph. hi. 17, 18,
he makes the highest spiritual knowledge dependent upon love. Certainly,
as the Corinthians shewed, high gifts were possible where love burned but
feebly, and S. Paul, to put his thought strongly, supposes a case, in which
love should be absent. But our Lord, in Mt. vii. 22, 23, goes even further
than S. Paul. He says that there will be many who "never knew" Him,
who wUl claim — and apparently with justice — to have exercised the gifts of
prophecy and of faith. The gifts of the Spirit may only be bestowed within
the Church, but it does not follow that these gifts will in aU cases be
withdrawn when the recipients fail to attain to the true knowledge of the
Lord, and to that love which is bound up with it.

XIII. 4-7. Love, as seen in
action. Professor Drummond, in The
Greatest Thing in the World, has
compared S. Paul's description of
love to an analysis made by the
spectrum. But S. Paul's description
is not intended to be a complete
analysis; he is bringing out those
aspects of love, in which the Corin
thians were especially wanting.
4. suffereth long, and is kind.
Kindness, as Calvin points out, is
seen in conferring good, long-suffer
ing in bearing with evil. Both are
aspects of the love of God.
envieth not. Contrast iii 3.

vaunteth not itself, is not puffed
up. The former is the outward
expression of the latter. Contrast
iv. 6-8; v. 2; viii. 1.
5. doth not behave itself un-
Contrast xi. 5, 21 ; xiv. 23.

Good manners are the result of con
sideration for others. " PoUteness,''
says Prof. Drummond, "has been
defined as love in trifles. Courtesy
is said to be love in little things."
seeketh not its own. Contrast
viii 9-12; xi. 21.
is not provoked. Rather, perhaps,
"is not exasperated."
taketh not account of evil. The
words arc quoted irom the Septuagint

120

I. CORINTHIANS

[XIII. 6-8

7 unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth ; 1beareth all
things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all
8 things. Love never faileth : but whether there be pro
phecies, they shall be done away ; whether there be tongues,
1 Or, covereth the want of love to S. Paul that
made the Corinthians so suspicious
of him (iv. 3-5 ; ix. 3 ff. ; 2 Cor. i. 17 ;
xii. 16) ; increase of love was the
remedy (2 Cor. vi. 11-13 ; vii. 2).
hopeth all things, endureth all
things. " Love hopes, even when it
cannot find ground for faith,... en
dures even when it fails to hope"
(Edwards). But S. Paul does not
use "hope" of what is uncertain.
"Hope" in the N.T. is the confident
anticipation of what God has pro
mised. So it is here. Love to God
leads to the confident anticipation
that He will do as He has said, and
to patience in the present in view of
the future (1 Th. i. 3). Love to man
leads to the confident anticipation
that good will at last triumph, and
this is again the great source of
patience in the present. S. Paul's
own spirit is a great example of this
(i. 8, 9 ; xv. 31 ; Gal. v. 10 ; Phil. i. 6, 8).
On the power of love in this aspect,
Drummond says excellently, "The
people who influence you are people
who believe in you.... The respect
of another is the first restoration of
the self-respect a man has lost ; our
ideal of what he is becomes to him
the hope and pattern of what he
may become."
XIII. 8-13. The eternity op

version of Zech viii. 17, where the
meaning is that no one is to imagine
evil against another. Perhaps S. Paul
means rather that love does not
reckon up the UI turns that others
do us.
6. rejoiceth not... with the truth.
The sense seems fairly clear from
the parallel passages Rom. ii. 8 and
2 Th. ii. 10-12. In all these passages,
unrighteousness in the widest sense
is contrasted with the Gospel, which
condemns, and does away with it
Here " the truth " is represented as
rejoicing in its victories, and the
gladness which they bring (Ac. ii. 46 ;
viii. 8). Love shares in this rejoicing.
No private advantage, which may
accrue from the sin of others, can
ever make love rejoice in that which
ruins the world. The words have
been interpreted as meaning " Love
does not rejoice in seeing the faults
of others." This is included in the
wider thought to which S. Paul
gives expression.
7. beareth all things. The words
may mean this. Cf. ix. 12, where
the same word is used. Or they
may mean that love hides the faults
of others (RV. marg.). Cf. Ecclus.
viii. 17; Jam. v. 20; 1 Pet. iv. 8.
The second meaning is the better, as
the other thought has been already
expressed in v. 4, and recurs here in
the words "endureth aU things."
believeth all things. Love "be
lieves divinities, being itself divine."
This is true, in our relations both
with God and with man. Trust in
another is the result of love. It was

LOVE. 8. Love never faileth. The
thought grows immediately out of
what has gone before. Love cannot
perish, since there is nothing which
it cannot endure.
whether therebe prophecies... done

XIII. 8-13]

I. CORINTHIANS

121

they shall cease ; whether there be knowledge, it shall be
9 done away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in
10 part : but when that which is perfect is come, that which
11 is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I
spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child:
now that I am become a man, I have put away childish
12 things. For now we see in a mirror, x darkly ; but then
face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I 2know
13 even as also I have been 8known. But now abideth faith,
hope, love, these three ; 4and the Bgreatest of these is love.

1 Gr. in a riddle. 2 Gr. know fully.
4 Or, but. greater than these

3 Gr. known fully.
6 Gr. greater.

away. By "prophecies" is meant
" the gift of prophecy in its various
forms," not the predictions or state
ments of truth in which it issues.
This gift in its early form seems to
have come to an end in the third
century ; the gift of tongues even
earlier. But S. Paul looks far
beyond this to the coming of the
Lord. knowledge. ..done away. Our pre
sent knowledge of Divine things
will be swallowed up in the higher
knowledge of the future. The same
Greek word, as the R.V. shews, is
used of the cessation both of pro
phecy and of knowledge, since the
reason of the cessation is the same
in each case.
10. when that which is perfect
is come. The kingdom of God in
its perfect development at the
Second Coming of Christ. This wiU
bring the perfection both of know
ledge and of inspiration.
11. / spake. . .thought as a child.
The word here translated "felt"
includes thought as weU as feeling,
while that translated "thought"
refers rather to processes of reason
ing. S. Paul has in mind the gifts
of tongues, prophecy and knowledge
as themselves belonging to the

undeveloped stage of the spiritual
life. 12. see in a mirror, darkly.
The Greek for the last word means
"in a riddle" (R.V. marg.). Spiritual
realities are not looked upon directly;
we see but, as it were, their reflec
tions, and even these demand inter
pretation. To understand S. Paul's
words, we must remember that the
mirrors of antiquity were indistinct,
being made of polished metal, not of
glass and quicksilver.
but then face to face. Cf. Numb.
xii. 8. The words shew that the
knowledge, of which S. Paul speaks,
is the knowledge of God Himself.
know... have been kn own . S. Paul
places himself in the future, and
thence looks back upon the present.
God's knowledge of him is perfect
even now. It is not merely intel
lectual knowledge that is in question,
but the knowledge of sympathy and
union. Cf. viii. 2, 3.
13. But now.. .three. "Now"
merely introduces the sentence ; it
does not refer to the present life,
like the "now" of v. 12, where the
Greek word is different. Thus S. Paul
does not mean that faith and hope
will pass away, like prophecy and
tongues ; all three " abide," and are

122 I. CORINTHIANS
distinguished by doing so from the Faith, in the highest sense of the
gifts previously mentioned. The word, the faith of trust and self-
great point of this verse is that love surrender, must ever be the means
is not merely greater than the gifts of our communion with God ; hope
which pass away ; it is greater even will continually rejoice in the assured
than faith and hope, which, like continuance of beatitude, and, as
itself, are eternal. No doubt there Meyer says, "catch new perspectives
is truth in the well-known words, of glory." " Faith will vanish into
Faith will vanish into sight ; sight" an<l " hope be emptied in
Hope be emptied in delight ; delight," not once for all, when the
Love in Heav'n will shine more bright ; Lordreturns,butcontinuallythrough-
Therefore give us love. out eternity.
That is a truth which S. Paul himself and the greatest... love. Bather,
brings out in Rom. viiL 24 and as R.V. margin, "but greater than
2 Cor. v. 6, 7. But the three "theolo- these." Faith and hope go closely
gical virtues" must be eternal, since together ; love is more than both
theirobject is God, Whois so Himself combined.
Two points suggest themselves for discussion at the end of this chapter,
(a) S. Paul's doctrine of the imperfection of our present knowledge of God,
(b) his view of the mutual relations of faith, hope, and love.
(a) What does S. Paul mean by his words in v. 12 ? Certainly not that
real knowledge of Divine things is beyond our power in this world — we
cannot know, but let us love.
We have but faith : we cannot know ;
For knowledge is of things we see.
Something like this, though the thought of love is absent is the conclusion
of Job xxvuL 28. Something very like it is the conclusion of many to-day.
There are many in our own time who maintain that God is unknowable, and
that the best thing that we can do is to accept the fact, and simply devote
ourselves to the service of man. But S. Paul's view is utterly different from
this. God, he held, is reaUy revealed, though not to our direct vision, and
our faith, so far from needing to be contrasted with knowledge, itself rests
upon our knowledge. God's "everlasting power and divinity" are really
revealed in the creation (Rom. i 20), His "glory" in the mirror of the
Gospel (2 Cor. iii. 18); above aU, "the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God" is really given "in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. iv. 6). But
the revelation is " in a riddle," and needs the gift of the Spirit for its inter
pretation (cf iL 9-12). The revelation is there ; we are intended more and
more to " know the things that are freely given to us by God " ; but to " the
natural man," and to a great extent to the undeveloped Christian also
(ii. 14-iii 3), it remains a riddle which he cannot interpret (cf 2 Cor. Ui. 15;
iv. 3-6). Thus S. Paul in no way suggests that Christian "wisdom" and
"knowledge" are not entirely true, so far as they go; the Gospel is
essentially "the truth" (xiii 6); the knowledge, for which he looks in the
future, wiU be, not truer than present knowledge, but more direct, more
clear, more adequate. God knows us as we are, directly and fully, and not

L CORINTHIANS 123
as mirrored to Him in anything else. Our knowledge of Him will one day
resemble His knowledge of us (v. 12).
To what then is due the common mistrust of aU definite religious
teaching, even among people of whom it is not at all true that they wilfuUy
"refuse to have God in their knowledge"? No doubt the divisions of
Christendom have much to do with it, and also the frequent claims that
Christians have made to know far more than it is really possible to know as
to the ways of God. With these causes we are not here concerned. But
there is surely another, which it may be well to point out in connection with
S. Paul's language here. This is a misunderstanding of the truth of the
relativity of knowledge. The eye only sees what it brings with it the power
of seeing ; the mind can only know what it brings with it the power of
knowing. There may be whole realms of truth, of which we can learn
nothing, since we have no faculties for the purpose ; and it is always possible
to suggest, that we are in contact, not with things as they are, but with
mere appearances — phenomena — which may or may not be like the reality.
And when we come to the highest object of thought, God Himself, there is
a tendency to think that, our powers being so small, "we cannot" reaUy "know"
anything of Him at all. Now the assumption which underlies this view is
that "relative" knowledge is necessarily largely untrue. But that is an
assumption, and nothing more ; it has no grounds of reason on which to
rest. The first instinct of the mind is to suppose itself in contact with
reality, and capable of knowledge, and there is nothing to set against this.
We gain nothing by imagining that, behind that reality with which we are
in contact, there is some other, so to say, surpassingly real reality, of which
we know nothing. So, the fact that we cannot know God fully with our
present powers — that our knowledge of Him must be relative both to our
intellectual and spiritual capacity — affords no reason for mistrusting that
knowledge of Him which we are actually able to gain from the world, from
human character, or from Christ Himself. Christians — and not Christians
only — beUeve that man was made in the image of God, made to " feel after
Him, and find Him" (Ac. xvii. 27). Religion starts with the assumption
that God is knowable, as science starts with the assumption that the world
is knowable, and both are justified by the success which they attain. Cf.
Martensen, Dogmatics, §§ 44, 45.
(6) What is S. Paul's teaching as to the mutual relations of faith, hope
and love? S. Paul is especiaUy the Apostle of faith, as 8. John is the
Apostle of love, but the former asserts the supremacy of love as unhesitatingly
as the latter. Love is itself the Christian way (xii. 31) ; the very existence
of a Christian is bound up with his possession of love (xiii 1-3). Love,
S. Paul declares, is greater than faith and hope together (xiii. 13). This is,
of course, the general doctrine of the N.T. (cf. 1 Pet. iv. 8). When S. James
asserts the valuelessness of faith apart from works, he too is really asserting
the supremacy of practical love (cf. especiaUy Jam. ii 14-17). And the
reason is plain. Love is the very life of God ; to possess love is to possess
Ufe (1 Jn. ii. 9-11 ; in. 14, 15, 17; iv. 7, 8). Thus love is the end and
purpose of the Christian redemption, and all else, even faith, a means to that
end (1 Tim. i. 5). It is through faith that we enter into union with Christ,

124 I. CORINTHIANS
and subordinate^ through hope also (Rom. viii. 24). Faith believes the
message of redemption already accomplished in the past, and surrenders the
whole being to Christ in the present ; hope looks confidently forward to the
accomplishment of God's promises in the future. Thus we are enabled to
enter into union with the Lord ; Christ dwells in our hearts through faith
(Eph. iii. 17) ; and the result is that the Spirit is given to us, and love is
through Him shed abroad in our hearts (Rom. v. 5). And just as faith and
hope have been the conditions that made love possible, so they remain the
conditions of its continuance and development. But love is supreme ; it is
the sphere in which aU spiritual growth takes place (Eph. iv. 15, 16) ; it is
the active principle that produces the practical Christian life (xiii. 4-7) ; if
faith is an active principle, it is so, not by itself, but through the love that it
conditions and maintains (Gal. v. 6). This is S. Paul's general doctrine,
How then, it may be asked, if love be dependent upon faith and hope, can it
be itself the source of faith and hope, as S. Paul asserts (xiii. 7) ? The
answer is that love on the one hand, and faith and hope on the other, act
and react upon one another. Love, though conditioned by faith and hope,
produces faith and hope in higher measure. And, when we come to look at
those early movements of faith and hope, which made union with Christ
possible, we find an element of love even in them. There was not the full
tide of love ; that is only shed abroad by the gift of the Holy Ghost; but love
was present nevertheless. Without it faith and hope would have been im
possible (see notes on v. 7). We cannot really distinguish love from faith ;
in the depths of personality they blend ; each is in some measure an aspect
of the other.
And may we not say that it is just here that the solution lies of the
difficulty as to the places of faith and works in justification 1 On the one
hand, it is faith which through love produces good works ; on the other
hand, good works are the necessary condition of faith (Jn. iii. 20, 21), as
well as the means by which it finds itself, and attains to full reality
(Jam. ii. 22). But this is because good works are simply the outward
expression of love. Good works justify us in God's sight (Jam. ii. 24),
because they are the outward expression of love, which is both His own
character and the character that is to be reproduced in us. Faith justifies,
because it brings us into union with Christ, and so is the security for our
attaining that character. God sees the end from the beginning. Cornelius
was, in a true sense, accepted of God because of his good works, even before
the gospel was preached to him (Ac. x. 4, 35), but he needed " salvation "
nevertheless (Ac. xi. 14), and the salvation that he received through Christ
would only reach its completion when his whole being was filled with love,
and so was one with the character of God.

XIV. 1-7]

I. CORINTHIANS

125

XIV. 1 Follow after love ; yet desire earnestly spiritual
2 gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. For he that
speaketh in a tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto
God; for no man 1understandeth; but in the spirit he
3 speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh
4 unto men edification, and comfort, and consolation. He
that speaketh in a tongue 2edifieth himself ; but he that
5 prophesieth 2edifieth the church. Now I would have you
all speak with tongues, but rather that ye should pro
phesy: and greater is he that prophesieth than he that
speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church
6 may receive edifying. But now, brethren, if I come unto
you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, unless
I speak to you either by way of revelation, or of knowledge,
7 or of prophesying, or of teaching? Even things without
life, giving a voice, whether pipe or harp, if they give not
1 Gr. heareth. J Gr. buildeth up.

Ch. XIV. S. Paul continues the
subject of the spiritual gifts ; the
words "desire earnestly" in xiv. 1
look back to the same words in
xii. 31.
XIV. 1-19. The comparative
VALUE OF THE GIFTS OF PROPHECY
AND OP TONGUES.
1. Follow after love. Love is
to be pursued by personal effort;
spiritual gifts are to be earnestly
desired, since they are not attainable
by any personal effort, unless God
wills to give them (xii. 11). S. Paul
here makes it clear that the praise
of love is not intended to disparage
the gifts of the Spirit. Rather, love
itself will lead us to desire them
(b. 12).
2. in the spirit. The question
whether S. Paul means the human
or the Divine spirit scarcely arises.
The Divine Spirit so blends Himself
with the human, that the action of
the One becomes practicaUy indis
tinguishable from that of the other.

he speaketh mysteries, ie. Divine
secrets. See note on ii. 1.
3. comfort and consolation. The
two words are found together in
Phil. ii. 1 and 1 Th. v. 14 also, where
the context makes clear the differ
ence between the two. "Comfort"
has the wider meaning ; it includes
the thoughts of exhortation and en
couragement, and may be addressed
to men in any circumstances. " Con
solation" has the tenderer mean
ing; it involves sympathy, and is
especially addressed to the sorrowing
or "fainthearted." Both make for
' edification." 6. if I come unto you. An
allusion to S. Paul's approaching
visit (xvi. 3).
by way of revelation. ..teaching.
We should probably be in error, if
we attempted here to draw hard and
fast hnes. But in speaking of "revela
tion," S. Paul has probably in mind
special revelations of divine truth
vouchsafed to him (cf. 2 Cor. xii 1 ;

126

I. CORINTHIANS

[xrv. 7-ij

a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is
8 piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain
9 voice, who shall prepare himself for war ? So also ye,
unless ye utter by the tongue speech easy to be under
stood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye will
10 be speaking into the air. There are, it may be, so many
kinds of voices in the world, and *no kind is without
11 signification. If then I know not the meaning of the voice,
I shall be to him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that
12 speaketh will be a barbarian 2unto me. So also ye, since
ye are zealous of 'spiritual gifts, seek that ye may abound
13 unto the edifying of the church. Wherefore let him that
14 speaketh in a tongue pray that he may interpret. For if
I pray in a tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understand-
15 ing is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the
spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also : I will
sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding
1 Or, nothing is without voice a Or, in my case * Gr. spirits.

Eph. iii 3) ; in speaking of "know
ledge" and of " teaching," the higher
and lower kinds of Christian instruc
tion, necessary respectively for more
and for less advanced believers (cf.
ch. ii. 1-7) ; while, in speaking of
"prophecy," he refers to the more
fuUy inspired preaching, which pro
ceeded from the direct control of
the mind of the preacher by the
Spirit of God at the time when his
message was deUvered. In revela
tion, truth was deUvered, which had
been previously communicated ; in
prophecy, truth which was being
communicated at the time. But the
two, as xiv. 29, 30 shews, went closely
together. 8. if the trumpet... for war?
This is the crowning iUustration.
Even the trumpet, which is not
strictly speaking a musical instru
ment at aU, must speak intelUgibly.
The A.V. is here better than the
RV. The trumpet gives the signal

for battle, not for war, and the Greek
word employed has frequently the
former meaning in the Septuagint
Cf. Luk xiv. 31 ; Rev. ix. 9.
10. so many. ie. so many, what
ever the number may be.
1 1. barbarian. A term applied
to foreigners, as making unintelli
gible sounds.
12. spiritual gifts. Literally
"spirits" as in xii. 10; xiv. 32. We
might translate "ye are zealous of
inspirations." S. Paul's language
brings out that the spirits who
control the speakers with tongues
are hving and personal Bengel well
says, "As the sea is one, and seas
are many, so the Spirit is one, and
spirits are many." The Holy Spirit
is manifold in His operation, and
yet Personal throughout
15. What is it then? ie. what
is the conclusion 1
I will sing. The singing of im
provised hymns was evidently one

xiv. .6-19] I. CORINTHIANS 127
16 also. Else if thou bless with the spirit, how shall he that
filleth the place of Hhe unlearned say the Amen at thy
giving of thanks, seeing he knoweth not what thou sayest?
17 For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not
18 2 edified. I thank God, I speak with tongues more than
19 you all: howbeit in the church I had rather speak five
words with my understanding, that I might instruct others
also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
1 Or, him that is without gifts : and so in ver. 23, 24. 2 Gr. builded up.
form taken by the gift of tongues, cannot understand it. In the phrase
Cf. Eph. v. 18, 19. "filleth the place of," there maybe
16. ifthoubless. The same word a reference to some assignment of
is used in x. 16 of the blessing of the places in the Christian assembly for
Eucharistic elements, but S. Paul worship, such as there had been in
can scarcely have that in mind here, the Jewish synagogue. More prob-
The great prayer of consecration ably the phrase is general, and
would be precisely the prayer whose means simply " occupies the position
general purport the unlearned would of." S. Paul points out that it is
know, and the gift of tongues would unnatural for a Christian, like an
almost certainly never be employed unbeliever, to find himself excluded
there. from what is going on.
he that filleth. ..the unlearned. say the Amen. i.e. the customary
The word translated " unlearned " Amen, always said by the congrega-
means one who is engaged on his tion as a seal on the prayer or praise
private affairs, as contrasted with offered. Cf Deut xxvii 15 ; Neh.
one who holds a public position, viii. 6; 2 Cor. L 20.
Thus it comes to mean one without 19. in the church, i.e. in the
special knowledge. Cf. Ac. iv. 13 ; general assembly of the faithful, as
2 Cor. xi. 6. Here, and in vv. 23, contrasted with private devotion ; —
24, it probably means one who has " in church," as we should say.
no share in the gift of tonges, and
S. Paul's comparative estimate of the gifts of tongues and of prophecy
arises from his view of the purpose for which gifts are bestowed, and of the
supreme position of love. Since gifts are not for the glorification of the
gifted, but for the benefit of the whole Church, they must be judged by
their usefulness to others ; and since love is the Christian way, the great
desire of the Christian must be for opportunities of service. Unselfish love
must characterise those who are members of the same body, and in the
kingdom of Christ true "greatness" lies in ministering to others (cf. v. 5
with Mt. xx. 26, 27). As Arthur says, the king
is but as the hind
To whom a space of land is given to plow,
Who may not wander from the allotted field
Before his work be done ; but being done,
Let visions of the night or of the day
Come, as they will. (Tennyson, The Holy Grail.)

128 I. CORINTHIANS [xiv. vs-n
20 Brethren, be not children in mind : howbeit in malice be
21 ye babes, but in mind be ^en. In the law it is written,
By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers
will I speak unto this people ; and not even thus will they
22 hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign,
not to them that believe, but to the unbelieving: but
prophesying is for a sign, not to the unbelieving, but to
1 Gr. of full age.
But, beside this, S. Paul evidently somewhat dislikes forms of devotion in
which the intellect has no part (vv. 14, 15). No doubt the lowest forms of
devotion, in which the Divine Spirit makes Himself felt, are truer and
more real than the highest, in which He does not. No intellectual exercise
can be true prayer or praise at all, without the presence of the Spirit
(Jn. iv. 23, 24). But the Spirit of God can deal with man as a whole, and
in the highest devotion the whole man —body, soul, and spirit — is yielded
up to His influence. The right use of the mind no more interferes with
the spirituality of our devotion, than the right use of the body does. As
Moberly says, "no partial experience can be the more excellent for being
partial" The Christian is caUed upon, not to despise, or to suppress his
intellect, but to employ it to the uttermost in devotion, as well as in service,
and so make it fruitful (cf. vv. 14 and 20). No one perhaps ever had more
exalted feehng or mystic rapture than S. Paul (2 Cor. xii. 1-5), and yet no
one was more free from foUy and from fanaticism.
XIV. 20-25. Further arguments men of strange lips and with another
for the superiority of prophecy, tongue, Le. by the Assyrian invaders.
20. in malice... be men. Rather Thus, S. Paul argues, prophecy is
"Do not shew yourselves children for the believing, foreign tongues
in mind... but in mind shew your- for the unbelieving ; they are a sign
selves of full age." It is one thing given by God in His anger to those
to be childUke, and quite another who had rejected prophecy. How
to be childish The Corinthians much more appropriate it is then
were depreciating their intellectual that the Corinthians should speak
powers, instead of seeking to bring to their believing brethren in pro-
them to perfection. Christians have phecy, than that they should speak
often made this mistake. to them in tongues !
21. In the law. Is. xxviii. 11. 22. The words "is for a sign" have
The O.T. as a whole is here caUed no equivalent in the Greek, and seem
"the law," as in Jn. x. 34. The to be wrongly inserted. Translate
latter part of S. Paul's quotation "prophesying is not for the unbe-
differs slightly from the original, lieving, but for them that beUeve."
Isaiah's meaning is this. The priests It is true that, as the foUowing verses
and prophets of Israel in their shew, prophecy is of great value to
drunken insolence reject Isaiah's those who are not yet believers. But
message as only fit for children. S. Paul has not yet come to that
Very well. Then God will speak to point. At present he is simply
them in the immediate future by speaking of God's characteristic

XIV. 11-17]

I. CORINTHIANS

129

23 them that believe. If therefore the whole church be
assembled together, and all speak with tongues, and there
come in men unlearned or unbelieving, will they not say
24 that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in
one unbelieving or unlearned, he is 1 reproved by all, he is
25 judged by all; the secrets of his heart are made manifest;
and so he will fall down on his face and worship God,
declaring that God is 2among you indeed.
26 What is it then, brethren? When ye come together,
each one hath a psalm, hath a teaching, hath a revelation,
hath a tongue, hath an interpretation. Let all things be
27 done unto edifying. If any man speaketh in a tongue, let
it be by two, or at the most three, and that in turn ; and
1 Or, convicted * Or, in
methods of dealing with His own
people. 23. or unbelieving. This verse
shews that some of the Christian
assemblies like the Jewish syna
gogues (Ac. xui. 42-44), were open
to heathen, who wished to attend.
Cf. Jam. iL 2-7.
24, 25. he is reproved of all. . .made
manifest. Even the prophets of the
O.T. had the power of knowing and
making known the secrets of others
(cf. 2 Kings v. 26 ; vi. 11, 12), and
our Lord's words in Jn. xvi. 8-11
made the conviction of the world of
sin one part of the work of the
Holy Spirit. This power was exer
cised mainly through the work of
the Christian prophets. 8. Paul
does not think only of the way in
which Christian preaching reveals a
man to himself, but of the actual
unveiling of secret sins. It is this
that convinces "the unbeUeving or
unlearned" of the reaUty of the
Spirit's presence in the Church.
Such powers of thought-reading are
not unknown to-day, and evidently
belong to human nature under certain
conditions. But here as elsewhere
the gift of the Spirit made such

G.

powers far commoner than they
would otherwise have been, and
consecrated them for moral and
spiritual purposes. For the language,
cf. Is. xlv. 14 (where also the thought
is of confession by the heathen of
the reality of God's presence among
His people) and Rev. iii. 9.
XIV. 26-33. Practical direc
tions as to the exercise of gifts.
26. What is it then ? ie. what
is the conclusion ? Cf. v. 15.
When ye come... inter pretation.
The rapid movement of tbe clauses
calls up a picture of the confusion
of the Church assemblies. All are
burning to exercise their gifts at
the earliest possible moment.
unto edifying. The words are
emphatic. Edification is the purpose
of the gifts, and not the gratification
of personal vanity.
27. let it be... in turn. Two, or
at most three, may exercise the gift
of tongues at any one assembly, and
only one must speak at a time. The
words might mean, that two or
three may exercise the gift in
concert, answering one another like
the two sides of a choir. But this
meaning is less Ukely, for (i) the
9

130

L CORINTHIANS

[XIV. 17-31

28 let one interpret : but if there be no interpreter, let him
keep silence in the church ; and let him speak to himself,
29 and to God. And let the prophets speak by two or three,
30 and let the others * discern. But if a revelation be made
31 to another sitting by, let the first keep silence. For ye all
can prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may
32 be 2comforted; and the spirits of the prophets are subject
1 Gr. discriminate. ' Or, exhorted

nature of the gift of tongues would
make such antiphonal singing almost
impossible, and (ii) v. 28 shews that
S. Paul thinks of the gift as ex
ercised separately by individuals.
Cf. v. 29.
28. speak to himself, and to
God. i.e. let him exercise his gift
at home. It would be quite incon
sistent with a Christian's duty as a
member of the Church to exercise
an individual gift sUently, while the
assembly continued ; he ought then
to be taking part in the corporate
worship. At the same time, not
even at home is he reaUy solitary.
His gift is exercised for God's glory,
and as an act of communion with
Him ; it is not mere self-communing.
29. by two or three. Le. two or
three at each assembly (cf. v. 27).
let the others discern, i.e. judge
whether the prophecy is a true
utterance of the Spirit of God.
Cf xii 3 and 1 Jn. iv. 1-3. The
utterance might be supernatural,
without being Divine, or Divine in
part, without being so wholly. The
inspiration of the individual is to be
judged by the inspired mind of the
whole body.
30. let the first keep silence.
The one who has already spoken is
to give way to the one who has not,
not the one who has been silent to
wait until the first has finished.
Not even conscious inspiration gives
a man the right to monopolise
attention ; God's message can be
spoken briefly. It is vanity that

leads men to make excessive de
mands upon the time and attention
of other people, not respect for the
Divine message that they have to
dehver. A true respect for the
Divine word would lead them to
give free course to it, when it was
spoken by others.
This verse seems to presuppose
that prophets spoke standing, as
those also did who read the Scrip
tures aloud (Luk iv. 16). As a
rule, Jewish teachers sat, but the
delivery of a direct message from
God might weU demand the other
posture. 31. ye all can prophesy, i.e. all
that are prophets (xii. 29). Bishop
Andre wes' comment is characteristic.
"What, the skippers of Holland
and all? I trow not But 'all' there
is plain. AIL that is, all that
be prophets. And I wish with all
my heart (as did Moses) that all
God's people were Prophets : but till
they be so, I wish they may not
prophesie ; no more would Moses
neither" (Sermon 11. Of the Holy
Ghost). that all. ..be comforted. The pro
phet needs to be often silent, among
other reasons, that he may listen
and learn from others. It is almost
impossible that a message, which he
himself delivers, can have its fuU
effect upon himself. He cannot put
himself in the right attitude to
wards it.
32. the spirits. ..to the prophets.
Either (i) spiritual influences are

XIV. 31-38]

I. CORINTHIANS

131

33 to the prophets ; for God is not a God of confusion, but of
peace ; as in all the churches of the saints.
34 Let the women keep silence in the churches; for it is
not permitted unto them to speak ; but let them be in sub-
35 jection, as also saith the law. And if they would learn
anything, let them ask their own husbands at home: for
36 it is shameful for a woman to speak in the church. What?
was it from you that the word of God went forth? or came
it unto you alone ?
37 If any man thinketh himself to be a prophet, or spiritual,
let him take knowledge of the things which I write unto
38 you, that they are the commandment of the Lord. xBut if
any man is ignorant, let him be ignorant.
1 Many ancient authorities read But if any man knoweth not, he is not known.
under the control of those affected
by them — and that control must be
exercised; or (ii) the spiritual in
fluences acting upon one are subject,
and bound to submit themselves, to
others who are moved by the like.
Cf. v. 30. The first interpretation
is probably the true one. In the
condition of trance, says Dr Joyce,
"it often happens that the impulse
towards automatism — and speech in
a tongue is to be classed among the
automatic activities — is at the first
not beyond the control of the will ;
but when once given free play it is
no longer to be restrained by any
effort." 33. for God... peace. The cha
racter of God is seen in the nature
and action of the powers which
proceed from Him. Nothing that
is inconsistent with that character
can be really divine. Cf. 2 Cor. xii.
20 ; Jam. iii. 16.
as in all... saints. If we follow
the arrangement of the clauses in
R.V., these words should be taken
with the first part of the verse.
In all the churches, the peace-loving
character of God is seen. Thus the
Corinthians are again reminded that

they are not the only church. Cf.
v. 36. But it is possible that the
words should go with the following
section. XIV. 34-36. The position of
women in the ohuroh-assemblies.
34. let them.. .the law. The re
ference is to Gen. iii. 16. Cf. 1 Tim.
ii. 11, 12. S. Paul seems to be
thinking mainly of interruptions
in the assembly, caused by the
women asking questions. There
were, we know, women endowed
with the gift of prophecy (Ac. xxi. 9 ;
cf. xi. 5), and probably with the
gift of tongues. These are not so
directly in view, though probably
8. Paul would have forbidden them
to exercise these gifts in the pubUc
assemblies of the church. Cf. 1 Tim.
ii. 12.
36. A severe rebuke to the arro
gance of the Corinthians. They
acted as if the Gospel had taken its
rise among themselves, or as if they
were its only recipents. Cf. Job xv. 7,
and xi. 16 of this Epistle.
XIV. 37-40. Conclusion op the
subject. 37. the commandment of the
Lord. 8. Paul had received his
9—2

132 I. CORINTHIANS [xiv. 39, 4°
39 Wherefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy,
40 and forbid not to speak with tongues. But let all things
be done decently and in order.
Apostolic commission directly from compare viii. 3 and Mt. xxv. 12.
Christ. The presence of the Spirit There is a degree of ignorance,
ought to appear in the fuU recog- which simply means that there is no
nition of the inspiration of others. real union with God. It is useless
38. The true reading is here un- to argue with this. The work to be
certain. If we accept R.V. text, done is more elementary. The
S. Paul abruptly refuses to discuss former reading gives the better
the matter further. As Bengel says, sense, as S. Paul would not be likely
" Those who are thus abandoned to to apply the same word to God and
themselves, more easily come to to the obstinate Corinthian.
their senses, than if you teach them 40. and in order, i.e. every mem-
while they are unwilling to learn." ber keeping his own place. With
If we accept R.V. margin, we should the whole verse, cf. xiii. 5.
The chapter just concluded is interesting in many ways. It is so
(a) because of the light which it throws upon early Christian worship.
Corinth was not, of course, a typical church. 8. Paul evidently regarded
its assemblies as needing far more regulation than they had received. The
nature of the population would make the subordination of one to another
specially difficult, and the abundant way in which the gifts of the Spirit
had been poured out made the regular ministry far less prominent than it
would otherwise have been. But, even with these considerations before us,
the contrast with a modern congregation is sufficiently striking. And the
cause of the difference lies not so much in the unlikeness of the Greek and
English temperaments, or in the more developed ministry and organisation
of modern times, as in the far greater presence of the Holy Spirit in the
early Church. It is easy for us to avoid the scandals against which S. Paul
protests, when the Divine gifts are absent, which were their occasion. No
one can read this Epistle without feeling that in modern times the regular
Christian ministry as such is far more prominent than it was intended to
be, and real spiritual gifts, in clergy and laity alike, far less prominent.
But, as a rule, it is not true that the ministry in any way wish to keep the
laity in the background, or interfere with their exercise of their gifts ; it is
rather that the laity neither possess, nor seem to wish to possess, the higher
gifts of the Spirit What is needed is not the depression of the clergy, but
the exaltation of the laity to the position intended for them, and this can
only be by the recovery and exercise of those gifts. The "greater gifts,"
the power of inspired preaching especiaUy, must be "desired earnestly"
by the laity, sought and received; when they are, the clergy wiU fall
naturally into their true place.
The chapter is interesting (b) as shewing the immense importance which
S. Paul attached to order, and to the subordination of the individual to the
whole body. The duty of order rests upon the character of God (v. 33); He
Himself is the Author of peace, not of confusion, in all the churches of the

I. CORINTHIANS 133
saints. If the world shews the reign of law, because of the immanence of God
within it, the Church both as a whole and in its parts ought to shew it even
more completely, since "God is among" her members (v. 25) in an even loftier
way. 8. Paul wiU not have it for a moment that special inspiration gives a
man any right to disturb this order, or to regard himself as raised into inde
pendence of the teaching and criticism of his brethren. As Father Benson
says, " that strange combination of Divine gifts with human evil only shews
us the more plainly that the gifts were Divine, and that God in bestowing
His greatest gifts never intends to supersede the individual discipUne of
those to whom they are given." And yet the very claims that S. Paul rejects
have been made again and again. Often it seems thought that the direct
action of the Divine Spirit of necessity must disturb the existing order; the
greater the disturbance, the greater the proof that He is reaUy at work
On the contrary, the presence of the Holy Ghost under normal circum
stances makes for order ; human nature under His influence is exactly
what it was meant to be, and acts in the most natural way. We to-day, it
is true, in the absence of the spiritual gifts which we ought to possess have
come to regard much as unnatural, which is nothing of the kind ; the
restoration of these gifts would doubtless disturb our unspiritual stagnation.
But it would not at all, if we rightly used them, disturb the true order
which God loves to see. In the individual and in the Church at large the
action of the Spirit brings real disturbance only when it is resisted ; when
His action is welcomed, it has the very contrary effect. Again it is often
thought that inspiration raises its recipient above the teaching and criticism
of others. The spiritual man judges the mind and institutions of the
Church from a higher standpoint, and is in no need of her teaching.
Personal inspiration is to be sought in private communing with God, and,
when attained, must bring practical infallibility with it. This again is quite
contrary to S. Paul's teaching. The presence of the Holy Spirit is not
primarily a gift to the individual, but a gift to the Church. The individual
has his own share in it as a member of the Church, but just as his own gift
is for the benefit of the whole body, so it needs supplementing by the gifts
of others, and only realises God's purpose for it whde he remains in union
with them. Thus for a man to separate himself from other Christians, and
seek after truth only through private communing with God, so far from
rendering him specially open to the Divine light, renders him speciaUy
Uable to onesidedness and error. Individual inspiration, however real,
must be judged by the common mind of the whole body (xix. 29), not the
common mind of the whole body by the products of individual inspiration.
Inspiration, as we are learning to see even in the case of Holy Scripture,
does not necessarily bring infallibility with it. As F. W. Robertson has
weU said, "God the Holy Ghost, as a Sanctifying Spirit, dweUs in human
beings with partial sin ; is it inconceivable that God, the Inspiring Spirit,
should dweU with partial error ? Did He not do so, He could not dwell
with man at aU." Such fallibility there must be, in spite of the presence
of the Spirit, but no serious evU results, while the individual remains in
communion with the Church, and subordinates his private mind to the
larger mind of the whole body. No doubt there may be cases, when,
owing to the prevalence of sin in the Church at large, God speaks through

134 L CORINTHIANS
individuals rather than through the body, and "Athanasius" must stand
"against the world." But that is not the normal condition of things.
Under ordinary circumstances, the individual ought to regard any opinion
of his own with grave suspicion, if it conflicts with the general mind of the
Church He must not of course simply suppress it, and pretend to believe
what he does not beheve ; but he ought to Usten to criticism of it with a
real expectation of finding it false, and be cautious for long in endeavouring
to spread it Such caution proceeds not from lack of trust in the Holy
Spirit, but from the reality of trust in Him, and the recognition that His
presence and teaching are as real in others as in oneself.
Additional note on Chs. XII. — XIV.
The Gift of Tongues.
What was this mysterious gift ? Two passages of the N.T. alone throw
much light upon it— Ac. ii. 4 ff, and the passage before us here. It is
also mentioned in [Mk.] xvi. 17, Ac. x. 46, xi. 15, xix. 6, and probably in
Rom. viii 26, 27. The Fathers almost universally explain it as the power
of speaking in languages previously unknown to the speaker, and regard it
as a gift for the purpose of evangelistic work Origen, S. Chrysostom and
Theodoret all take this view, and the prima facie meaning of Ac. ii. 4-13
supports it. Cf. the Proper Preface for Whitsunday in the English Prayer-
Book But this view is not satisfactory. We never hear in the N.T. of the
gift being employed for evangelistic work, nor would such a gift in the days
of the Apostles have been of any great value. Greek was almost always
understood, where the Graeco-Roman civilisation had penetrated in the
East, and the first missionaries do not seem to have gone further afield
than this. The Church was planted in the centres of this civilisation, and
left to spread from them. Nor does the evidence of 1 Cor. xiL-xiv. support
this view. S. Paul, earnest as he is that aU gifts should be used for the
edification of the Church, does not bid the Corinthians go down to the
harbour, and employ their gift in the evangelisation of the motley crowd
which they would find there. On the contrary, he says that "he that
speaketh in a tongue " does not speak to men at alL but to God (xiv. 2), for
"no man understandeth." The interpretation of tongues demands a special
gift of the Spirit (xii. 10), not a special nationality. Under ordinary
circumstances, such utterances are intelligible neither to behevers, nor to
unbehevers, and may even lead unbehevers to the belief that those who
make them are mad (xiv. 6-9, 19, 23, 27, 28). Moreover, it is evident that
in many cases the utterances were unintelligible even to those who made
them (xiv. 1 1-15) — a thing quite inconsistent with true evangelistic preaching.
They might be in a real language, or they might not (xiv. 10) ; in many
cases no one would be able to decide. We seem then driven to reject the
general view of the Fathers, and to fall back upon the earUer view of
Tertullian, that the gift of tongues was an ecstatic utterance of praise,
or prayer, or Christian mysteries (xiv. 2), in a language spontaneously
created at the moment. Similar phenomena have taken place not in
frequently in the history of the Church. We find them among the
Montanists in the 3rd century, among the persecuted Protestants of the

L CORINTHIANS 135
Oevennes at the close of the 17th and beginning of the 18th century and
among the followers of Edward Irving in England in the years 1832 and
1833. In this last case we possess very fuU accounts of what took place,
and we find parallels to almost all the phenomena described in the N.T.
Now, mysterious as these phenomena remain, modern investigations into
the activities of our sub-conscious Ufe certainly render them far more
intelligible than they have heretofore been, and seen remarkably to iUustrate
and confirm the view which 8. Paul takes of them. Dr Joyce, of 8. Deiniol's
Library, Hawarden, has, in his recent book The Inspiration of Prophecy,
very carefully considered these chapters in view of the knowledge we have
lately acquired, and has been thus able to throw a great deal of new light
upon them. The gift of tongues was, he maintains, " an ecstatic utterance
of modulated sounds poured forth under the influence of highly-strung
leligious feeUngs" (p. 146). Expressing the facts "in the language of modern
psychology, we might say that the utterance in the tongue was the product
of the action of the subliminal consciousness. And since the subliminal
self is a constituent part of personality — no mere excrescence, but an
essential and necessary element of our being— it would follow that the
feeUngs so expressed would be the man's own feeUngs and the output of
his own spirit, even though no record of them remained behind in his
conscious memory" (p. 157). To say this is in no way to negative S. Paul's
view that the speakers with tongues were, in the exercise of their gift, under
the control of "spirits." " That the subconscious self is, in fact, the medium
by which we come in contact with the spiritual forces surrounding us is
the opinion of certain experts who speak with authority on the subject.
Witness the following quotation from Professor James. 'Let me then
propose, as an hypothesis, that whatever it may be on its farther side, the
"more" with which in our religious experience we find ourselves connected
is, on its hither side, the subconscious continuation of our conscious Ufe.
Starting then with a recognized psychological fact as our basis, we seem to
preserve a contact with "science" which the ordinary theologian lacks.
At the same time the theologian's contention that the rehgious man is
moved by an external power is vindicated, for it is one of the pecuharities
of invasions from the subconscious region to take on objective appearances,
and to suggest to the subject an external control.'" Dr Joyce, of course,
would give a far more definite meaning and content to the "more" of which
Professor James speaks, than he himself seems to accord to it; what he
desires to point out is that both speaking with tongues and prophecy may
proceed from the action of the subconsciousness and yet at the same time
be due to communion with spiritual beings of the unseen world. What
then can we say about the mysterious "tongues" in which their communi
cations were expressed ? In the case of prophecy, the normal powers of
speech remained in their fullness. The prophet's immediate contact with
the spiritual world would even heighten his usual powers of oratory. But
in the case of the tongu.es it was not so. Here, as Dr Joyce says, "the
normal functions of speech were thrown out of gear by the force of the
religious motions behind. Words might be heard belonging to various
languages known to the speaker ; this is what seems sometimes to have
occurred in the case of the speakers with tongues among the Irvingites; but,
as a rule, the communications were not as a whole expressed in any known

136 I. CORINTHIANS
language. Language at best lags behind thought, and fails to express our
deepest emotions. The language of a savage people cannot fuUy express
the thought of a civUised people. And if that be so, still less can any
language really express the thoughts and emotions of the new life of the
Spirit May we not then beheve that at its highest the language of the
tongues was a language which the Spirit created, the Spirit's answer to the
need that the Spirit had created, the means of expression granted to the
Divine Ufe ? Thus we are enabled to understand how it was that it varied
as it did in one and in another. 8. Paul in the glory of his own deep
spiritual life, could thank God that he spoke with tongues more than they
all (xiv. 18), and yet, without any inconsistency, deprecate some of the
manifestations of the gift at Corinth. Of necessity, the gift would vary
with the spiritual life of its possessor, and take in some cases very low and
rudimentary forms. And the power to interpret it would depend, in the
case of the possessor, on the extent to which his own spiritual experiences
in his abnormal condition were remembered and understood ; while, in the
case of others, it would depend upon the extent to which they shared in the
thought or emotion expressed. Just as it may need a poet fully to interpret
a poet, or a musician to interpret a musician, so it would be with these
expressions of the spiritual life. In some cases the utterance would be
widely intelligible, in others the "unutterable groanings" of the prayer in a
tongue would be inteUigible only to Him that " searcheth the hearts," and
"knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit."
But it will be said, " Is this view consistent with Ac. ii. 4-12 ? Was not
the gift there one of evangelistic preaching ? Were not the languages
spoken real languages ?" Cf. especially vv. 6, 8 and 11. The answer is that
even there what was heard was not Gospel preaching, but words of ecstatic
praise, "the mighty works of God" (v. 11). Even there, the utterance seems
to have been unintelUgible to a great number (cf. v. 13 with 1 Cor. xiv. 23).
A.t the same time, S. Luke's statements are hardly satisfied by supposing
that the hearers recognised words of their own language here and there.
Is it possible that the utterance was such, that it as it were, interpreted
itself to sympathetic hearers in their own language ? The new life of the
Spirit was not indeed already theirs, but they were already prepared for it.
Just as the Risen Lord, Who as a rule manifested Himself to believers
only, was manifested to S. Paul even before his conversion, so to prepared
minds the utterance of the Spirit might be already inteUigible. Something
of the kind is said to have happened in the preaching of Francis Xavier in
the East ; may it not have been so here 1 " If," says Dr Joyce, " the
powerful feelings which filled the hearts of the apostles on this occasion and
manifested themselves in the strange utterances of tongues communicated
themselves to the bystanders in such wise that they became conscious of the
train of thought in the minds of the speakers, then it is quite in accordance
with the observed facts of psychology that the mental impulse thus given
and received should have called up in the minds of the percipients
appropriate words belonging to their own mother tongues. The more
intense the feeling of the speaker, the stronger will be the mental influence
produced, and the Ukelier it becomes that the effect of thought transference
wUl follow" (p. 149). If this explanation be rejected, we seem driven to
the conclusion, either that the phenomena of Ac. ii 4-12 were not quite the

I. CORINTHIANS 137
same as those of the Corinthian church, or that what took place has been
somewhat coloured in S. Luke's account by the thought of the gift of the
Spirit as bringing a reversal of the curse of Babel (Gen. xi. 1-9). On the
whole question, cf . R. Baxter's narrative in Mrs Oliphant's Life of Edward
Irving, and Dr Joyce's The Inspiration of Prophecy, especially chs. x.-xiii
XV. The Resurrection op the Body.
The fifteenth chapter forms the fourth section of the Epistle — the only
section which deals directly with a doctrinal question. The doctrine of the
resurrection of the body would be one of the main difficulties of the Greeks
in accepting Christianity. Cf. Ac. xvii. 32. Even among the Jews, it was
not universaUy held. The Pharisees accepted it in a very crude form, while
the Sadducees rejected it. Cf. Mt. xxii. 23-33. In the O.T., the truth is
not very clearly revealed, the promises of God to Israel being mainly
confined to this Ufe. But the resurrection of departed members of the
Jewish Church formed part of the glowing ideals of the prophetic and
apocalyptic writings (cf. e.g. Is. xxvi 19 ; Dan. xii. 1-3) and was connected
with the coming of the Messiah. Our Lord Himself shews that it is
presupposed even in the language of the law, when God speaks of Himself
as the God of the patriarchs long after their death. To call Himself their
God means that His covenant with them still stands, and that His promise
to them of inheriting the kingdom of God wiU one day find its fulfilment, as
it could only do if their full powers of body as well as of soul were restored
to them. (Cf. Heb. xi. 10, 13-16, the last verse explaining Mt. xxu. 31, 32.)
But it is not surprising if such proofs as these failed to meet with accept
ance from those who did not look below the superficial sense of Scripture.
Among the Greeks, no one would be found holding it The Epicureans
believed that at death man ceased to exist, while the Stoics taught that the
soul was reabsorbed into the Divinity, thus losing its individual personal
existence. The Platonists beUeved in the immortaUty of the soul, but
regarded the body as its prison, and matter in general as the source of aU
evil, physical and moral ; nothing would seem to them less desirable than
the resurrection of the body; and their views were in the main followed
by the Alexandrian school among Jewish thinkers. It is not then surprising
that the Christian doctrine of the resurrection of the body should have
found Utile acceptance upon Greek soiL What is surprising is that it
should have been denied by those who in other respects accepted S. Paul's
teaching. But this was evidently the case. 8. Paul argues upon Christian
grounds, and builds upon premises, which no unbeliever would accept
How then is this to be explained? Surely by remembering that the
early Christians were expecting the immediate return of the Lord. The
Corinthian Christians, with whom S. Paul had to deal, in no way would
have denied the glorious future awaiting the Church. What they held was
that there was "no resurrection of the dead." They did not, as we are
accustomed to do, regard the hfe of glory as lying beyond death ; they
looked for the perfected kingdom of God to come in this world and during
their own hfetime. Thus in their view it was quite exceptional for a

138 L CORINTHIANS
Christian to die before the Lord's return; but if he did, he would, they
might think, have no part in the kingdom. 8. Paul himself held, that in
some cases the death of Christians was an act of divine judgment upon
them (xi. 30); it was but a step further to say that the death of a Christian
was a divine judgment in all cases. That this was the view, with which
S. Paul had to deal, seems very probable. For the same error seems already
to have arisen at Thessalonica, and S. Paul had dealt with it in a similar
way (1 Th. iv. 13-18). At Corinth, no doubt, as vv. 35 ff. shew, the specu
lative difficulties, which resurrection involves, were urged as they are not
Ukely to have been urged at Thessalonica, but the error seems to be the
same in the main. Moreover, this view seems to find support in vv. 30-32
and in vv. 50 ff. In vv. 30-32 it is not his sufferings, upon which S. Paul
lays stress, but his dangers. The point surely is that, if the Corinthians
were right, the Christian's great object would be to preserve his life until
the Lord's return. In vv. 50 ff. S. Paul points out that the Corinthians are
not ready for the perfected kingdom of God as they are. They too, as well
as the dead, must pass through a great change. The natural inference
would be that so far from removal from this world depriving the dead of a
share in the kingdom, that removal might weU be the means of preparing
them for it
Thus it may be that S. Paul's argument throughout is addressed to
Christians, makes use of Christian premises, and says no word of any but
Christian dead. Much of his argument has, no doubt a wider application,
but it is in the first instance addressed to Christians only. He reminds
them (vv. 1-11) of what the Christian Gospel was, and how clear was its
witness to the resurrection of Christ, referring in passing to the power of
that Gospel as shewn both in the lives of Christians, and in the work of the
Apostle himself He then shews (vv. 12-19) how inconsistent is the
acceptance of this Gospel with the absolute denial of the resurrection, and
the consequences that flow from such a denial. At v. 20, the argument
makes a fresh start The resurrection is a necessity because of the fall.
Man is under the dominion of death, and death must be conquered. Christ
is the universal king. AU things have been put under Him. But this
implies the conquest of death in man. Death would not be conquered, if
the body were not restored. Either then the resurrection of the body must
be accepted, or the universal dominion of Christ denied. 8. Paul here
takes the opportunity of sketching the steps by which the final victory will
be achieved. This covers vv. 20-28. Then, after some minor arguments
(vv. 29-34), S. Paul goes on to deal with the difficulties that the idea of
resurrection presents. He shews that resurrection, so far from being
inconsistent with the facts of nature, in reality finds analogies in them.
The body of the resurrection wUl have a real connection with the old, but
it will exist under new conditions, being conformed to the humanity of the
Risen Lord. This covers vv. 35-49. At v. 50 he passes to the case of
Uving believers. They too must pass through a great change. The pro
mised abolition of death involves the putting on of immortality. Christ
has conquered death and sin, and His victory is ours (50-57). The chapter
concludes with practical exhortation (v. 58),

XV. i-3]

I. CORINTHIANS

139

XV. 1 Now I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel
which I preached unto you, which also ye received, wherein
2 also ye stand, by which also ye are 1 saved; / mahe known,
I say, 2in what words I preached it unto you, if ye hold it
3 fast, except ye believed 8in vain. For I delivered unto you
first of all that which also I received, how that Christ died
1 Or, saved, if ye holdfast what I preached unto you, except <ic.
a Gr. with what word. 3 Or, without cause

XV. l-ll. The resurrection
of Christ established by his
torical EVIDENCE.
1. I make known unto you. The
language is solemn and impressive,
since the whole weight of Apostolic
authority lies behind it. Cf Jn.
xvii. 26, where the same word is
employed by our Lord. The clauses
that follow point out the unique
importance of the Gospel. The Cor
inthians are reminded of their past
experiences, when S. Paul preached
and they accepted it, of the position
they have taken up, and of the salva
tion which they have attained. No
one can rightly estimate the evidence
for our Lord's Resurrection, unless
he realises what depends upon it.
Cf. Rom. x. 9, 10. Practical ex
perience of the result of faith, and
of the Divine life possessed by him
who has reached, and holds to it, is
itself a convincing proof of the Re
surrection of the Lord. Jesus must
live, since Jesus is a present Saviour.
It is just the absence of this ex
perience that makes the historical
evidence often seem unsatisfying.
See below at the end of v. 11.
2. The construction of the sen
tence is involved. S. Paul would
dictate the clauses one by one to
his amanuensis, as the thoughts
occurred to him, without considering
the form which the sentence was
taking. The thoughts are (i) 8. Paul
is recalling the definite statements

which the Gospel included, (ii) the
salvation which the Gospel brings
depends upon holding it fast ; if the
Corinthians lose their hold upon it,
their former faith will have no
permanent result. Both thoughts
are important. The Gospel is con
tained in certain historical facts,
which must be held fast as such. Thus
"words" are of great importance;
we cannot retain the kernel of the
Gospel, whue rejecting the historical
statements upon which it depends.
Again, eternal life depends upon
continued faith. When faith ceases,
eternal life ceases with it. Cf. Jn.
iii. 14, 15; vi 29, etc. where the
Greek makes it clear that continuous
faith is demanded.
in vain. RV. margin has "with
out cause," i.e. with no sufficient
evidence. But the meaning "in
vain " suits the context better. Cf.
GaL iv. 11, where the same word is
similarly used.
3. first of all. Le. these facts
formed the foreground of my gospeL
/ received. The Gospel is a de
posit to be handed on (1 Tim. vi 20;
2 Tim. i 13). 8. Paul received the
historical facts of the Gospel from
the Apostles, and the spiritual
meaning of those facts from the
Lord Himself. (Cf. GaL i. 11, 12;
15, 16 ; 1 Cor. xi. 23). The former
reception is mainly in question
here. Christ died for our sins. To say

140

I. CORINTHIANS

[XV. 3-5

4 for our sins according to the scriptures ; and that he was
buried; and that he hath been raised on the third day
5 according to the scriptures ; and that he appeared to

this is more than to say that "Christ
died for us " (Rom. v. 8) ; it involves
the thought of a real connection
between Christ's death and the
forgiveness of sins. S. Paul asserts
that this stood in the foreground of
his gospel Cf 2 Cor. v. 21 ; GaL
iii 13.
according to the scriptures. Is.
Un. 5, 6, 8, 10, 12. Cf. Luk. xviii.
31 ; xxiv. 25-27, 44, 45. The message
of the Gospel is not merely that
Christ died for our sins, but also
that He did so "according to the
scriptures," and thus in fulfilment of
the purpose of God. If this be not
clearly shewn, not only is a great
confirmation lost of the truth of
the Gospel, but the work of Christ
appears isolated, and therefore in
credible. Disuse of O.T. prophecy
does great harm.
4. and that he was buried. Much
stress is laid upon this in the Gospels
(Mt xxvii 57-66; Mk xv. 42-47;
Luk xxiii. 50-56; Jn xix. 38-42).
Our Lord's Burial shewed the reality
of His Death, and the fulness with
which He shared our human ex
perience, while the empty tomb was
a great testimony to the reahty of
the Resurrection. It is inconsistent
both with the supposition of haUu-
cination on the part of the Apostles,
and with the view that our Lord
appeared to them simply as a
glorified spirit.
he hath been raised... the scrip
tures. " Hath been raised," not, as
A. V., merely "rose again." Our
Lord remains for ever the Risen
Lord. Cf. Rev. i. 17, 18. The
ApostoUc witness was not to the
fact that our Lord "rose again,"

since no one witnessed the Resur
rection ; it was to the fact that He
appeared again and again as One
that had "been raised." Cf 2 Tim.
ii 8 R.V. And the Resurrection,
as well as the Death, was, they
maintained, "according to the scrip
tures." (Cf. Ac. ii 24-32 ; xiii 32-37.)
The chief passage reUed upon seems
to have been Ps. xvi. 8-11, which
was doubtless so appUed by the
Lord Himself (Luk xxiv. 26, 27,
45, 46). Cf. also Ps. xxii, and
Is. Uii 10 ff. Here S. Paul seems to
regard "the third day" as having
been also anticipated in the Scrip
tures. Cf. Mt. xii 40. The number
three is in Scripture especially con
nected with revival and deliverance,
e.g. Gen. xL 20; xiii. 17, 18; Hos.
vL 2 ; Mk vin. 2. For the justification
of such applications of the O.T., see
Additional Note on "S. Paul's method
of interpreting the O.T." at the end
of ch ix. In general, it may be said
that the repeated assertions of the
O.T. that God raises the righteous
sufferer to fruitful and glorious life,
and the repeated examples given
there of His doing so, are all so
many prophecies of our Lord's Re
surrection The moral necessity for
the Resurrection is to one who
believes in the righteousness of God
a real argument for its historical
truth. To assert, as the prophets
do, e.g. in Is. xxvL 19 and Ez. xxxviL,
that the nation of God's choice must
rise, is a fortiori to assert that
the Son of His Love must do so.
5. he appeared to Cephas. So
Luk. xxiv. 34. 8. Paul refers espe
cially to the testimony of S. Peter
and S. James, as they were especially

XV. 5-8]

I. CORINTHIANS

141

6 Cephas ; then to the twelve ; then he appeared to above
five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part
7 remain until now, but some are fallen asleep ; then he
8 appeared to James ; then to all the apostles ; and last of
all, as unto one born out of due time, he appeared to me

respected by the party at Corinth
opposed to himself. He himself had
seen them both and probably had
heard their testimony at first hand
(Gal. L 18, 19). No details as to
this appearance to S. Peter have
been preserved. What passed be
tween the Lord and the Apostle
who had denied Him is not for us
to know, but we can see how neces
sary it was that S. Peter should
have the assurance of his Master's
forgiveness before the solemn ap
pearance to the Twelve.
then to the twelve, ie. to the
Apostles as such. This is probably
the appearance related in Luk. xxiv.
36-43; Jn. xx. 19-23. The actual
number was at this time ten, since
8. Thomas was not present, and
Judas was no longer an Apostle,
but the number "twelve" is retained,
as it is a symbolical number (cf.
Mt xix. 28), setting forth the con
nection of the new Israel with the
old. 6. above five hundred... at once.
Or " once for all." This is probably
the appearance related in Mt. xxviii.
16 ff, where "some" who doubted
seem to be distinguished from the
eleven, who "when they saw him...
worshipped him." The largeness of
the number shews that this appear
ance was in Galilee (contrast Ac.
L 15), and the reference in Mt.
xxviii. 16 to "the mountain where
Jesus had appointed them" suggests
that our Lord had appointed a
rendezvous for His Galilean followers
after His Resurrection. To them

He appeared "once for aU" as King.
Cf. Mt. xxviii. 7 ; Mk xvi. 7.
remain until now. Le. remain
tarrying for the Lord (Jn. xxi. 22).
S. Paul's statement as to the five
hundred witnesses shews the pains
he is taking to speak accurately,
and the exact knowledge he pos
sessed as to the testimony avail
able. 7. to James. This appearance is
not mentioned in the Canonical
Gospels, but there is an account of
it in the Apocryphal Gospel accord
ing to the Hebrews.
then to all the apostles. Probably
the appearance which ended with
the Ascension (Luk. xxiv. 50-53 ;
Ac. i. 6-9). S. Luke also lays stress
upon the fact that all the Apostles
were then present (Ac. i. 6).
8. last of all. Not only was this
appearance the last in time, but it
was the crowning appearance. When
the Apostle to the Gentiles had seen
the Risen Lord the evidence for the
Resurrection was complete.
born out of due time. The Greek
word used means "an untimely
birth," an "abortion." Thus the
reference seems not to be to the late
ness of S. Paul's caU to be an Apostle,
but to his utter insignificance and
spiritual deadness before his conver
sion. He was persecuting Christ,
whUe the other Apostles were wit
nessing to Him (Ac. ix. 4, 5). For
this thought cf. Eph. iii. 8 ; 1 Tim.
i. 15. It has been suggested that
"the abortion" was a term of re
proach applied to S. Paul by the

142

I. CORINTHIANS

[XV. 8-1 1

9 also. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet
to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of
10 God. But by the grace of God I am what I am : and his
grace which was bestowed upon me was not found Jvain ;
but I laboured more abundantly than they all : yet not I,
11 but the grace of God which was with me. Whether then
it be I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
1 Or, void

Jews, as one cast out from their
church. But this interpretation
seems less natural
appeared to me also. There is a
pathetic emphasis on the word "me"
in this verse, as on the word " I " at
the beginning of the next Cf.
1 Tim. L 12-14. It should be noticed
that the same word is used of our
Lord's appearance to S. Paul and of
His appearance to others before the
Ascension. It has been argued from
this that aU the appearances were
mere "visions," as S. Paul's was.
The true conclusion is the exact
opposite. It is that S. Paul regarded
the Lord as having actuaUy mani
fested Himself to him, just as He had
done to the other Apostles. Cf. ix. 1.
The Greek word for "appeared" is
constantly used in the N.T. of what
is actually seen. S. Paul well knew
the difference between a vision and
an appearance such as this. Cf
2 Cor. xii. 2-4 ; Ac. xviii. 9, 10.
10. / am what lam. "A truistic
proposition," as Edwards says, "may
express pride, as in Pilate's words,
'what I have written, I have written,'
or, as here, humiUty." The words
"what I am" include both S. Paul's
spiritual Ufe and his Apostleship,
the latter depending upon the
former. Cf iii. 10.
more abundantly than they all.
ie. than the rest of the Apostles
together ; cf Rom. xv. 18 ff. It was

necessary to say this, because of the
way in which S. Paul was depreciated
at Corinth in comparison with the
twelve (i 12 ; 2 Cor. xi. 5 ; xii. 11).
yet not I... which was with me.
Rather "which is with me." The
words admirably express the truth as
to Christian activity. In one sense, all
proceeds from God ; He is the real
agent But man has a real share in
the work; the grace of God acts
"with" him, and not merely through
him. Without S. Paul's response to
it, the grace of God would have been
"found vain." Cf. 2 Cor. vi. 1. Grace
both made 8. Paul what he was, and
cooperated with him. Cf. Anglican
Article X., and 1 Cor. iii. 9. It was
equally true to say that the Corin
thians were "God's husbandry, God's
budding," and to say that 8. Paul was
God's "feUow- worker." Our Lord's
teaching in Jno. xv. 4, 5, is the same.
It should be noticed that one part
of the grace of God in 8. Paul's case
was the appearance of the Risen
Lord granted to him. Thus the
Apostle's work became a witness to
the reality of the Lord's Resurrection.
11. Whether then. ..or they. So
then there was no difference in the
substance of the Gospel, whether it
was preached by S. Paul or by the
Twelve. The historical facts asserted
were the same ; the spiritual meaning
given to the facts was the same
(v. 3); the interpretation of the O.T.

L CORINTHIANS 143
scriptures was the same (w. 3, 4). the teaching of the Twelve was (i 12),
Many modern critics need this re- and S. Paul would not have dared to
minder, as much as the Corinthians assert falsely its identity with his
did. The Corinthians knew what own.
The passage just concluded is the earliest and most important statement
of the historical evidence for our Lord's Resurrection. The Epistle was
probably written in a.d. 55, not 27 years after the Resurrection itself, and
8. Paul merely repeats the evidence he had adduced at Corinth four years
earlier, and which was known to be that of the Apostles and of the
early followers of our Lord. The appearances are carefuUy related, and
chronologically arranged, and those selected as evidence are either those
granted to the Apostles themselves, or to a large number of people together.
Thus no mention is made of any appearances to women, or of that to the
unknown disciples on the way to Emmaus. The evidence we have is that of
men, and of men whose witness was well known. S. Paul weU under
stands what reliable testimony means.
Now there is no way of accounting for this evidence, not to mention
that of the Gospels, unless we believe that the Resurrection was a historical
fact. The older rationalistic hypotheses that the Apostles were guilty of
fraud, or that our Lord did not reaUy die upon the Cross, are now abandoned
by almost all But the more modern view that the appearance of the Risen
Lord was a mental hallucination, which spread from one to another among
the members of the Church, is just as untenable. Even if we leave the
Gospels upon one side, the evidence of S. Paul is by itself sufficient to
destroy it. For consider the number and variety of the witnesses whom he
adduces. Five hundred people do not suffer from the same hallucination
at the same time. Such hallucinations only take place with persons of a
morbid temperament, and presuppose a condition of exalted feeling and
expectancy. We have excellent means of judging of the characteristics
both of the Twelve and of S. Paul himself. They were not morbid in the
least ; and so far from expecting to see the Lord as He actually appeared,
they did not expect to see Him at aU. Was S. Paul expecting to see the
Lord when he went to Damascus to persecute the Church ? And how are
we to explain the sudden cessation of these visions ? On the rationaUstic
hypothesis, we should expect them to increase rather than suddenly to
cease. Yet 8. Paul tells us that there were none after his own. " Last of
all,... he appeared to me also."
S. Paul then has established the Resurrection by the strongest historical
evidence. But this is not all. Historical evidence by itself can never carry
conviction of a truth such as this, and we see daily that it does not do so.
When all rationalistic hypotheses have broken down, it is always possible to
take refuge in the general assertion, that by some unexplained combination
of portions of them, the fact might be got rid of. " The Resurrection," says
Mr Wendover in Robert Elsmere, "is partly invented, partly imagined,
partly ideally true." It was the characteristic error of the English apologists
of the 18th century, to suppose that Christianity can be "proved" to
the man in the street, whatever his character and presuppositions may be.

144 L CORINTHIANS
8. Paul is quite free from this delusion. Thus in L 18 and 22-24 he fully admits
that the Gospel does not commend itself either to the ordinary Jewish or to the
ordinary Greek mind. So, in the chapter before us, he does not repeat the
historical evidence for the Resurrection, without bringing it into relation both
with the working out in history of the purpose of God and with the facts of
Christian experience (see notes on vv. 1, 3 and 4). Again, it will be seen as
the chapter proceeds, that still further evidence is available The doctrine
of the Resurrection of the Lord justifies itself by the consistency and
mutual dependence of that whole scheme of doctrine, of which it forms a
part, and by the Ught which it throws upon the nature and destiny of man
(see notes on vv. 20 ff, 40 ff). Now aU this evidence needs to be taken
together. The Resurrection does not come before us as an isolated fact,
with all presumption against it, and nothing in its favour except stubborn
historical testimony. To one who sees the purpose of God working itself
out in the history of the Jews, it is the crown of much that has gone before
To one who believes in the Divine righteousness, the triumph of the Lord
appears as a moral necessity. It is, as S. Paul says, "according to the
scriptures," — not merely according to isolated texts of doubtful inter
pretation, but according to that whole method of God's dealing, to which
Scripture bears witness. To one who can enter into Christian doctrine as a
whole, the wonder and self-consistency of Christian theology confirm the
truth of the Resurrection, since that is a necessary part of it Above all,
the Risen Lord is known by the Church as the source of the life "wherein
she stands, and by which she is saved." Now those who deny the Resurrection
first isolate the historical evidence, and then pronounce it to be insuf
ficient They know that there is strong historical evidence, with which they
must deal in some way, but as a rule, they ignore both the historical
preparation for the Resurrection and its moral necessity ; they do not grasp
the Christian system of doctrine, nor know how the Resurrection of Christ
is confirmed by the spiritual experience of Christians. To one who thus
acts the evidence is really insufficient. His error is Uke that of one, who
did not see that a scientific hypothesis, which has been verified by experi
ment, stands in an altogether different position from that of one which has
not Before experiment there may be many indications that the hypothesis
is true, but those indications may conceivably be otherwise explained. But
when the crucial experiment has been made successfuUy, we doubt no
longer; the fact that the original evidence maybe otherwise explained does
not affect us. So, in great measure, it is with the Lord's Resurrection.
Those who live by faith in the Risen Christ do not depend chiefly upon the
historical evidence, though that evidence may have started them on the
road to faith They depend far more upon their own spiritual experience
and that of the Church Cf Prof Moberly's words in Lux Mundi,
pp. 233-236.

XV. 12-17]

I. CORINTHIANS

145

12 Now if Christ is preached that he hath been raised from
the dead, how say some among you that there is no resur-
13 rection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the
14 dead, neither hath Christ been raised: and if Christ hath
not been raised, then is our preaching 1vain, 2your faith
15 also is 1vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of
God; because we witnessed of God that he raised up
3 Christ : whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead are
16 not raised. For if the dead are not raised, neither hath
17 Christ been raised : and if Christ hath not been raised,
1 Or, void a Some ancient authorities read our. 3 Gr. the Christ.
redeeming power transforming his
whole being.
15. witnessed of God. Rather,
perhaps, "witnessed against God."
All false witness of God must be
witness against Him. Any action
that Perfect Love and Holiness does
not perform would be unworthy of
God, whether or not it may seem so
to us. Two things are here notice
able : — (a) S. Paul's horror at the
bare idea of false witness about God,
arising, as it does, from his sense of
God's reality, and the reality of his
own commission to speak for Him.
(b) The fact that it never crosses
S. Paul's mind that he and the other
Apostles might blamelessly be mis
taken. We do not rightly appreciate
the value of Apostohc testimony,
unless we remember both the cer
tainty which they felt of its truth,
and their intense feehng of responsi-
bUity in giving it Those who do
not feel the same responsibihty for
their words, cannot estimate rightly
the conviction that the testimony of
the Apostles ought to bring.
if so be that the dead are not
raised. Rather "if so be that dead
men are not raised." The supposi
tion is that death as such brings
with it the impossibiUty of resur
rection. 10

XV. 12-19. Denial of the re
surrection OF THE DEAD IMPOSSIBLE
to Christians.
12. some among you. The word
"you" is emphatic. The point is,
not that denial of the resurrection
is inconsistent with the proved fact
of the resurrection of Christ, but
that such denial is inconsistent with
the acceptance of Christian preach
ing as to Christ's resurrection.
there is no resurrection of the
dead. Evidently resurrection was
pronounced impossible, on grounds
which would make it impossible for
aU men alike. But Christ was man,
and Christ, according to the Gospel
preaching, has been raised up.
14. then is our preaching vain
...is vain. 8. Paul speaks, not of
the act of preaching, but of the
Gospel preached. The Gospel is a
message about the Risen Christ;
apart from Him, the Apostles have
nothing to offer. Faith rests upon
the Risen Christ ; apart from Him,
the Church has nothing on which to
rely. Thus to deny the fact of the
Resurrection reduces Christianity to
a mere system of ideas ; its practical
power is gone This is just what
the Greek desired (i. 22-24}. He
preferred a system of thought ap
pealing only to the intellect to a
G.

146

L CORINTHIANS

[XV. 17-19

18 your faith is vain ; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also
19 which are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. *If in
this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men
most pitiable. 1 Or, If we have only hoped in Christ in this life
17. your faith is vain. The (PhiL iii. 10) that the Christian
escapes not only from the penalty,
but also from the power of sin
(Rom. vi. 1-11). We were "raised
together with Christ" (Col. iii. 1).
Thus if the Resurrection of Christ
is not a fact, deliverance from the
penalty and power of sin is not a
fact either.
18. they also... perished. Either
(a) ceased to exist, or (b) went to
perdition. Cf i. 18; viiL 11. The
thought of being still in our sins
naturally leads on to the second in
terpretation. The contrast between
falling asleep in Christ and perishing
shews how intolerable the supposi
tion is.
19. we are of all men most
pitiable. Le. we Christian Apostles
are so. Not perhaps most miserable
(A. V.), since the Divine life, in spite
of all outward suffering, brings joy
even here, but certainly most pitiable,
since in that case the most glorious
hopes are doomed to the completest
disappointment

vain.
Greek word for "vain" is not the
same as that employed in v. 14.
Here the thought is, that the denial
of Christ's Resurrection makes our
faith destitute of any result. We
are where we should be without it
ye are yet in your sins. An
explanation of the previous state
ment But why, if Christ has not
been raised, are we yet in our sins ?
For two reasons : — (a) The Resur
rection of the Lord was the proof
that forgiveness had been won. The
Lord had identified Himself with
us. He died, because the burden of
our sins had been laid upon Him ;
He rose above death, because the
burden of our sin had been rolled
away. The Resurrection was the
proof of His victory. Cf. Rom. iv.
25, where it is said that our Lord
was deUvered up because of our
trespasses, and raised because of
our justification. (6) It is by union
with the Risen Lord, and through
"the power of His Resurrection"

Of what value, it may be asked, is 8. Paul's argument in these verses 1
'Of course,' it may be replied, 'if the Resurrection of Christ be admitted,
the possibihty of a similar resurrection of others can no longer be denied.
Of course, also, to deny the Resurrection of Christ involves the denial that
any redemption for man has been accomplished by Him But the un
believer admits S. Paul's first contention, and is in no way affected by the
second. That the past can never be undone, that we are yet in our sins, is
exactly what he believes. That " there is one event to the righteous, and
to the wicked," and that the Christian's hope is vain, is, he holds, unhappily
true. How then do these verses create any presumption in favour of our
Lord's Resurrection? ' Now S. Paul is not arguing primarily with unbelievers,
but with inconsistent Christians, and against them his argument holds good.
But in reality it holds good far more widely. Appeals to feeling, like those
of vv. 18 and 19, are not appeals to irrational feeling. The nearer to

xv.^.1] I. CORINTHIANS 147
20 But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the
21 firstfruits of them that are asleep. For since by man came
death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
perfection that a man is, the deeper is his conviction that in some way
righteousness wiU be vindicated. If a Jewish Christian, after witnessing
the martyrdom of S. Stephen and S. James, had said that he "could" not
beUeve they had perished, and that such Uves and deaths had been founded
on a mistake, he would have been in no way irrationaL He would have
been trusting his moral instincts. Man is rational as a whole, and as a
whole must form his judgments (cf. note at the end of i 25). It is no more
irrational to trust our moral instincts than to trust our reasoning powers.
We make an act of faith, when we trust either. But more than this.
8. Paul is not merely appealing to feeUng, he is appealing to fact That
the Corinthians were not "yet in their sins " was a fact of which, though no
doubt in varying intensity, they had personal experience. It was not a
truth merely accepted on S. Paul's word, nor was it a mere theological
deduction. Many of them had been bound by the grossest sins (vi. 9-11),
but they were bound by them no longer. However unsatisfactory by his
own fault the religious experience of the individual Corinthian might be,
he saw all round him men who plainly were not "yet in their sins." H
then the denial of Christ's Resurrection meant the assertion that aU were
as they had been, it meant the assertion of what was manifestly untrue.
Thus 8. Paul's argument in these verses is of the highest value. It does
not appeal to aU equally, nor is it intended to do so. The man without
experience of the saving power of the Divine Ufe wiU see nothing in it at
aU. The saint will see far more in it than the ordinary Christian. But it
is strictly relevant argument, and those who cannot see it have not yet
the full evidence of our Lord's Resurrection before them.
XV. 20-28. Our Lord's Resur- ginning " and fount of her life.
rection a necessity because of 21. For since.. .the resurrection
the result op the fall. of the dead. A new argument. Our
20. the firstfruits of them that Lord's Resurrection was necessary
are asleep. The phrase explains the because of the FalL By the sin
character in which Christ has been of "Adam" came universal death
raised, — the firstfruits of redeemed (Rom. v. 12); that death, as we shaU
humanity. On the morning of the see more fuUy below, could only be
16th of Nisan, probably the very overcome by resurrection ; therefore
morning of the Lord's Resurrection, our Lord's Resurrection was neces-
the first ripe sheaf of the harvest was sary, that so He might be the source
offered to God (Lev. xxiii 10-12). It of resurrection to all in union with
was the consecration of the whole Him. S. Paul's language points out
harvest to Him. So the Resurrection that, as the great disaster came
of Christ was the pledge of the through man, so through man came
Resurrection of all in union with the deliverance also. But that is
Him. He rose as the Head of the not the main thought of the verse.
Church (CoL L 18), to be "the be- The main thought is the necessity
10—2

148

I. CORINTHIANS

[XV. ia-»4

22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made
23 alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits ;
24 then they that are Christ's, at his 2coming. Then cometh
the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to 8God,
even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule
1 Gr. the Christ. * Gr. presence. * Gr. the Ood and Father.

of deUverance, come how it may.
In both clauses we should translate
"through," and not "by" man. Man
is not the ultimate source either of
death or of deliverance. On the
difficulty from the side of modern
science suggested by this verse, see
below, at the end of v. 28.
22. For as... be made alive. An
explanation of the previous verse.
Christians die, not merely "through,"
but "in" Adam. He, as it were,
included all humanity in himself;
we die, because we inherit his fallen
nature. So also we shall rise, not
merely "through," but "in" Christ
He includes all His members ; we
shaU rise, because we share His life,
as really as we share that of Adam.
This text is sometimes quoted, as
proving the final salvation of aU
men. The usage of the word trans
lated "made alive" shews that
resurrection to glory is meant, and
not the general resurrection of aU
alike. But the whole passage deals
solely with Christians. The beautiful
expression, "them that are asleep"
is apphcable only to Christian dead
(v. 20; cf v. 18); only Christians can
be said to be "in Christ" (v. 22);
and the "ah" of v. 22 is explained
by the words "they that are Christ's"
in v. 23. Life through Christ can
only come to those in union with
Him. If He is gloriously to raise
our bodies in the future, He must
raise our souls now. No doubt,
resurrection in Christ might be as
universal as death in Adam, for

God "wiUeth that all men should be
saved." If it is not so, that is due
to man's failure to correspond to
the grace of God.
23. each in his own order.
"Order" is a military term. The
captain (Heb. ii 10) is first, and His
company afterwards. This answers
the question, "why does not the
glorification of Christians take place
immediately?" at his coming. Literally "in his
coming." The manifestation of
Christ's glory brings with it the
manifestation of the glory of His
people. At present our glory is
hidden, because His is so (CoL iii.
3, 4).
24. Then cometh the end. Le.
the end comes when the Lord
returns. to God, even the Father. Le. to
Him Who is God and Father. Since
He is God, the kingdom belongs to
Him ; since He is Father, it both
belongs to Him, and the Son rejoices
to deliver it
when he shall have abolished...
and power. Either (a) aU adver
saries of every kind, or (b) aU hostile
spiritual powers. See note on iL 6,
and cf. Eph. L 21; iiL 10; Col. i. 16;
1 Pet. iiL 22. The latter explana
tion is probably the right one
What is the order of events,
which this verse presupposes 1 The
aboUshing of hostile forces comes
first; "the end," and the dehvery of
the kingdom to God follow together,
while both take place at the second

XV. »4~»8]

I. CORINTHIANS

149

25 and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he
26 hath put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy
27 that shall be abolished is death. For, He put all things in
subjection under his feet. xBut when he saith, All things
are put in subjection, it is evident that he is excepted who
28 did subject all things unto him. And when all things have
been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself
be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him,
that God may be all in all.
1 Or, But when he shall have said, All things are put in subjection (evidently
excepting him that did subject all things unto him), when, I say, all things die.
coming of Christ Thus our Lord to Christ. Cf Eph. L 22 ; Heb. ii 8.

is now engaged in the putting
down of hostile forces, and His
people are engaged in it with Him
(Ps. ex. ; and compare Eph. vi.
12 with this verse). The present
kingdom of Christ is not a period of
peace, but of glorious warfare. See
note on v. 28, and Additional Note
on "The Millennial Reign of Christ"
at the end of the chapter.
25. he must reign... under his
feet. The necessity rests upon the
witness of prophecy (Ps. ex. 1, quoted
here, and Ps. viiL 6, quoted below).
26. The last enemy... death. Cf.
Rev. xx. 14. All other enemies are
aboUshed before the Lord returns ;
death is abolished at His return
by the resurrection of His people.
There is a sense, in which death is
aboUshed even now for those in
union with Christ (2 Tim i 11 ; cf.
Jno. viii 51 ; xi 25, 26). But death
still asserts its mastery over the
body, and until the body is rescued
from death by resurrection, death
remains the victor. Only by resur
rection can the death that "came
through man" be undone through
Christ. This is the argument of the
whole section.
27. He put ...under his feet.
Ps. viii. 6. The words there spoken
of man in general are here applied

Man was meant for lordship (Gen. i.
28). The destiny of man is fulfilled
through the One Perfect and Glori
fied man. See Westcott on Heb. ii
8, 9 and his Additional Note on
Heb. ii 8.
But when he saith. Christ is
probably intended. The time wiU
come — we know not when — at which
He wiU say, "AU things are put
in subjection." The R.V. margin
"when he shall have said" thus
expresses the thought more clearly.
28. then shall the Son... all in
all. A further development of the
thought of v. 24, that our Lord on
His return wiU deUver up the king
dom to God. But what is meant by
this future subjection of the Son?
More, it would seem, than that "then
as before, He obeys the Father,
yielding, not a forced obedience, but
a self-chosen accordance" (S. Cyril
of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures,
xv. 30). The result that God wiU
"be all in all" seems to foUow from
some change in the relation to Him
both of the universe and of the Son
The thought seems to be this. Our
Lord had a mission from the Father
to bring back the world to its alle
giance. By the Resurrection and
Ascension He became God's vice
gerent over the universe (Mt xxviii

150 I. CORINTHIANS
18; PhiL ii. 9-11). When His Second sents Him to us; then Christ will
Coming takes place, He wUl have have brought us to the Father ; we
put down aU hostile forces (v. 25). shall enjoy the Beatific Vision, and
Thus His mission wiU have been immediate union with God Himself.
fulfilled. What then remains but " The goal of history and the end of
for the kingdom to be deUvered the existence of humanity," says
over to the Father, and the Son to Godet, "are the formation of a
offer Himself to Him with aU that society of inteUigent and free be-
He has won 1 At the Resurrection, ings, brought by Christ into perfect
He offered Himself to God as the communion with God, and thereby
firstfruits ; at the Second Coming, rendered capable of exercising, hke
He wiU offer Himself in union with Jesus Himself when on earth, an
that restored creation, of which He unchangeably holy and beneficent
is the Life (CoL i. 18-20). Christ at activity." But the context seems to
present is "aU in ah," Le. everything shew that S. Paul's meaning is even
in each individual person and thing wider. God wiU be all, not only in
(Col. in. 11), but at the end the Christians, but in the whole realm
Father wiU become so. Now we that Christ has restored to Him.
see God and experience His action Cf. Rom. viii 21.
through the God-man, Who repre-
In the preceding section, as Evans says, "the logician" has become
"the prophet." We have a specimen of that higher teaching, which S. Paul,
as a rule, did not communicate except to maturer Christians (ii. 6). But
S. Paul has not ceased to be a logician. That our Lord's Resurrection was
necessary for our conquest over death is, to Christians at all events, a proof
of its reality. And even to those who are not yet Christians S. Paul's
words have their value. Man, as Tennyson says, " thinks he was not made
to die " ; death, at aU events in the forms in which we know it, is felt to be
unnatural ; and just in so far as that is felt, it must be felt also that God
must and wiU redeem us from it
The wish, that of the living whole
No life may fail beyond the grave,
Derives it not from what we have
The likest God within the soul?
No mere doctrine of the immortahty of "the soul " can satisfy this craving ;
we demand the recovery of "the living whole." If Christ is to put all
enemies under His feet He must conquer death, and death is only
conquered by resurrection. For "the soul" to survive death is no conquest;
death never attacked the souL Death's victory has been over the body,
and it is the body that must be recovered from it. Now to any one who sees
this, how worthy of attention must the Christian doctrine appear! And
how worthy of God, how likely therefore to be true, must seem the historical
Resurrection of Christ, upon which that doctrine depends !
But at this point a scientific difficulty is raised. S. Paul's account of
the origin of death, it is said, is not true. Death did not come by "Adam,"
nor is it unnaturaL Death was in the world many ages before man was ; if
there were no death, the world could never go on at alL But S. Paul is not
speaking of the origin of death in the world at large, but of the origin and

xv. id I- CORINTHIANS

151

29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead?
If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they bap-
character of death in man. Even in the narrative of Genesis man is not
represented as having been in his body naturaUy immortaL His body was
but part of the material creation, but "the tree of life" was within his reach,
and by partaking of it, he might have gained immortality (Gen. iii. 22). This
is S. Paul's doctrine also. The body is naturally mortal (Rom. vui 11), but,
nevertheless, no man need have died. Had S. Paul been pressed to declare
what would have happened with man, had he never sinned, he would
probably have replied in the language of xv. 53 or of 2 Cor. v. 4, that in
God's good time man's nature would have been gloriously changed, and he
would have passed without dying, as Enoch was believed to have done, to a
higher state of existence. Science may indeed say that there is no evidence
of this, but neither is there any evidence against it. It is the instinct of
man at his best that he was not meant for death, and against that instinct
there is nothing to be set. S. Paul may have regarded the narrative of
Genesis as literal history, but that is of no importance. It is enough for
his argument that humanity needs deliverance from death, and that death
is in a true sense unnatural If that be admitted, then our Lord's Resur
rection, and all that flows from it, will seem in the highest sense natural
and worthy of God.
It should be added that the view here taken as to man's natural mortality
is no modern way of escape from scientific difficulties, but the traditional
doctrine of the Church. Cf. e.g. 8. Athanasius, On the Incarnation, ch. iv. ;
Thomas Aquinas, Summa, 1st Division of Pt. il Qu. 85, Art. v. and vii
XV. 29-34. Further argu- heretics. This last fact goes to
ments for resurrection. explain the rejection of this inter-
29. what shall they do. ie. what pretation by the Fathers. The only
will their act prove to have been ? obstacle to the acceptance of Ter-
baptized for the dead. Of the tullian's view is the general opinion
great number of proposed explana- that S. Paul could never have even
tions, only one seems to be satisfac- tacitly sanctioned such a practice.
tory. Tertullian (Against Marcion, But (a) S. Paul is not here concerned
v. 10) thinks that it refers to vi- to approve or disapprove; he is only
carious baptism on behalf of those pointing out that the practice is a
who had died unbaptized. This witness to belief in the resurrection ;
gives an excellent sense, and is and his words suggest that the prac-
confirmed by the foUowing facts : — tice was not very common. (6) We
(a) The Jews had vicarious ablutions can imagine cases where he would
for those who died LeviticaUy un- have approved of it. Suppose that a
clean. Cf. 2 Mace, xii 43-45, where man, Uke the Emperor Valentinian
Judas Maccabaeus makes an offer- IL, had believed the Gospel, and in-
ing for the dead at Jerusalem, tended to be baptized, but had died
Note especially e. 44, which affords before baptism could be given to
a close paraUel to S. Paul's words, him1. In that case, there would be
(6) Similar practices to that de- nothing more superstitious in vi-
scribed by 8. Paul certainly existed carious baptism, than there is in
among more than one early sect of the responses of the Office for Infant
1 Cf. S. Ambrose, De obitu Valentiniani consolatio, 51-56.

152

I. CORINTHIANS

[XV. 19-34

30 tized for them? why do we also stand in jeopardy every
31 hour? I protest by Hhat glorying in you, brethren, which
32 I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If after the
manner of men I fought with beasts at Ephesus, 2what
doth it profit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat
33 and drink, for to-morrow we die. Be not deceived : Evil
34 company doth corrupt good manners. 3Awake up right-

1 Or, your glorying
raised t Let us eat die.

1 Or, what doth it profit me, if the dead are not
* Gr. Awake out of drunkenness righteously.

Baptism being made by sponsors.
In both cases other members of
Christ's Body do for the person to
be admitted to the Church what by
no fault of his own he cannot do for
himself. In the other world, as in
this, there is no salvation without
union with Christ, and baptism is
the appointed means of attaining
that union. Enghsh Christians would
no doubt be satisfied in such a case
to leave their friend to the mercy of
God, without any such rite. But
S. Paul's Greek and Asiatic converts
were more imaginative than we, and
laid more stress on the outward part
of sacraments than we do. Their
desire to benefit their dead friends
is shewn by the fact, that more than
one CouncU had to prohibit the
administration of the Eucharist to
the dead. Absolution is given to
the corpse of a Christian in many
parts of the Church to-day. The
more fully we beUeve that we are
not in Christ mere separate indi
viduals, but in the closest union not
only with the Uving but with the
departed members of His Body, the
less wiU such a practice, as S. Paul's
words presuppose, appear to us
either superstitious or unnaturaL
30. we also. Le. the Apostles, as
in v. 11. Cf. iv. 9-13. If there were
no resurrection, the preservation of
their Uves tiU the Lord's return
would be their first object

31. that glorying in you.. .our
Lord. Cf. 2 Cor. i. 14; 1 Th. ii. 19,
20. The joy that S. Paul felt and ex
pressed in his converts, and the joy
that he expected to feel in them at
the Lord's return, were his recom
pense for the daily dying (cf. Rom.
viii. 36). As Godet says, " The last
words 'in Christ Jesus our Lord' soft
ens what might be too self-exalting."
They recaU the thought of v. 10.
32. after the manner of men.
Le. with no higher hopes than other
men. fought with beasts. A strong
metaphor for his struggle with men
who were Uke beasts. S. Paul's
Roman citizenship would have pre
vented his being called upon to
fight in the arena, and there is no
reference to this indignity in 2 Cor.
xi. 22-33. S. Ignatius of Antioch
uses similar language in writing to
the Romans (§ v.).
let us... to-morrow we die. Is.
xxii. 13 (Greek Version). It was
the despairing cry of the Jews at
the crisis of their country's fate.
Had 8. Paul no higher hopes than
other men, he too might be given
over to despairing self-indulgence,
in view of what he saw around him.
33. Evil company... good man
ners. The words form an Iambic
lino, and are said to come from the
Thais of Menander. The word for
"manners" — it should rather be

xv. 34] I. CORINTHIANS 153
eously, and sin not; for some have no knowledge of God:
I speak this to move you to shame.
"morals "—is found here only in the 34 no knowledge of God. S. Paul
N.T. The idea of "morals," as apart says this of some of the Corinthian
from religion, is impossible to the Christians themselves. They had
Christian. The Une was no doubt that ignorance of God, that results
used at Corinth as a proverb, and from evil conduct. S. Paul closes
we cannot infer from it any wide both parts of this chapter with
acquaintance with heathen Utera- practical exhortation. Argument
ture on S. Paul's part. He quotes and statement would not serve,
it, because the close association of while men were sunk in the drunken
Christians with the heathen at stupor of sin. Where there is wilful
Corinth may have had much to do sin, there is almost sure to be heresy
with their denial of the resurrection. (1 Tim. L 19).
Cf. viii. 10; xi. 27.
The question may be raised, whether S. Paul's words in vv. 30-32 are
worthy of him. Professor Huxley was greatly shocked by them. Does
S. Paul seriously mean, that his sufferings were borne for the sake of his
future reward, and that, had he looked for none he would have fallen back
upon a hfe of self-indulgence ? If so, he is guilty of " otherworldliness."
But nothing could well be more unlike S. Paul than this, as Rom. ix. 1-3 is
sufficient to shew. S. Paul would no doubt have admitted, that there are
reasons for goodness and unselfishness, which would remain, even were our
hopes Umited to this world. Noble Uves have been, and are, actually lived
without Christian faith, though not lives Uke that described in 2 Cor. xi.
But 8. Paul's language is natural language none the less. The Christian
has reasons for goodness so immeasurably greater than those of other men,
that he is scarcely conscious that their reasons influence him at alL He
cannot see the stars, while the sun is shining, though, were the sun taken
from him, he would see them again. The natural sympathy of man for
man remains to him, but the love for others that Christ's words ask, and
Christ's Spirit inspires, prevents him from being conscious of this natural
sympathy as a separate motive. So again, he will agree that
because right is right, to follow right
Were wisdom in the soorn of consequence.
But morality for morality's sake seems a cold and distant principle, to one
who has learned that God Himself is righteousness and love, and has seen
that righteousness and love incarnate in the Lord. "Ethics" as such no
longer interest him, the love of God and the wiU of God are all, and the
destruction of religious motives seems the destruction of aU motives what
soever. Nor can justice be done to the Christian's thought of his future
reward, unless the character of that reward be considered. It is no mere
selfish enjoyment, Uke that which fbr Christ's sake has been abandoned ; it
is Christ, it is God Himself. It is as a resurrection in Christ with Christ,
and to Christ, that he cares for resurrection at aU. "Christians," it has
been weU said, " cannot in their inmost thought sever the virtue of being
Uke Christ from the heaven of being with Him."

154

L CORINTHIANS

[XV. 35-38

35 But some one will say, How are the dead raised? and
36 with what manner of body do they come? Thou foolish
one, that which thou thyself sowest is not quickened,
37 except it die: and that which thou sowest, thou sowest
not the body that shall be, but a bare grain, it may chance
38 of wheat, or of some other kind ; but God giveth it a body
even as it pleased him, and to each seed a body of its own.

XV. 35-49. How ARE THE DEAD
RAISED ?
S. Paul has now to face his great
difficulty. However strong the posi
tive evidence for the resurrection of
the dead may seem to be, the actual
facts of death and dissolution seem
to create a strong presumption
against it, that no abstract argu
ments can overcome. That imagi
nation may " trace the noble dust of
Alexander, till he find it stopping
a bung-hole" was as plain to the
Greeks as to ourselves. The same
material particles may form part of
many bodies. What meaning then
can we give to the words "the
resurrection of the body"?
35. How are the dead raised?
...do they come? These are two
questions. The former asks how
death can be compatible with a
future resurrection, and is answered
by v. 36. The latter raises the
question of the nature of the resur
rection body, and is answered by
vv. 37-49.
36. that which thou... except it
die. To the statement that a process
is impossible, a close analogy is a
sufficient reply. Resurrection is no
more impossible in the nature of
things, than is the growth of a plant
from a seed. But S. Paul probably
has in mind our Lord's teaching
that the higher and more fruitful
life can only come by sacrifice (Mk
viii 35; Jno. xii 24). As S. Chry-

sostom says, "What they made a
sure sign of our not rising again, he
made a proof of our rising." The
great law of Mk viii 35 holds in
nature as weU as in grace. With
the question how far the analogy
extends, S. Paul does not concern
himself. The "quickening" is in
both cases regarded as a Divine act
37. not the body that shall be,
but a bare grain. The thought of
the bare corpse is in S. Paul's mind
(Job L 21). There too "the body
that shall be" is not identical with
that placed in the ground. The
doctrine of the resurrection has
often been made far more difficult
than it need be by forgetfulness of
this truth
38. God giveth... as it pleased
him. The emphasis falls upon the
words "God" and "giveth." The
new form that rises is the gift of
God; it is not that the old reap
pears. The change of tense at the
end of the clause is noticeable. God
bestows the form now, that He
willed to give at the creation.
and to each seed... of its own. A
clearer statement of the last thought
The plant corresponds to the seed.
There is never any doubt as to what
body God wiU bestow. Whether or
not transmutation of species ever
takes place, is of no importance.
Life goes on, without any real
breach of continuity.

XV. 39-44]

I. CORINTHIANS

155

39 All flesh is not the same flesh : but there is one jlesh of
men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of
40 birds, and another of fishes. There are also celestial
bodies, and bodies terrestrial : but the glory of the celestial
41 is one, and the glory of the terrestrial 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
42 another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the
dead. It is sown in corruption ; it is raised in incorrup-
43 tion : it is sown in dishonour ; it is raised in glory : it is
44 sown in weakness ; it is raised in power : it is sown a
39. All flesh is not the same "flesh" (v. 39); sun, moon and

flesh. S. Paul points out the variety
of God's creation, thus preparing for
his teaching as to the difference
between our present and our resur
rection bodies. The second question
of v. 35 may be unanswerable with
our present knowledge, but it pre
sents no obstacle to belief in the
resurrection, while we remember the
infinite resources of God.
40. celestial bodies. The English
translations suggest that the sun,
moon and stars are meant (cf. v. 41).
That is quite possible. It is more
natural to pass from the thought of
animal bodies, to that of the sun,
moon, and stars, than to pass from
animal to spiritual bodies, and then
return to the material creation.
But the word used is the same as
that of v. 48, and probably has the
same meaning in both cases. Heaven
ly bodies, whether of angels or of
glorified men, are those adapted to
the life of heaven. The N.T. never
uses the word "heavenly" of any
part of the material creation. The
nature of the body must depend
upon the nature of its sphere of
action. This is important for
8. Paul's argument
41. one star differeth... in glory.
Animals are compared as to their

stars as to their "glory." The
spectroscope would have enabled
S. Paul to extend his thought to
the materials of which these bodies
are composed. The thought may
have crossed the Apostle's mind
that the resurrection bodies of the
redeemed wiU also differ in glory
one from another. " The splendour
is unequal, heaven is common to
all," as S. Augustine says. But the
variety of God's creative power is
stiU the main point.
42. It is sown in corruption.
The sowing refers to burial, for
(a) the whole discussion is about
"the dead" (v. 35), and (6) the
sowing here looks back to the sowing
of the seed in v. 36. Corruption,
dishonour, weakness are indeed cha
racteristic of the "natural body"
during the whole of man's life in
this world (cf. v. 50 and PhiL in. 21,
R.V.), but they shew themselves as
never before, when the body is com
mitted to the grave.
43. raised in glory. The con
trast between glory and dishonour
shews that the thought expressed
by glory is that of the admiration
and honour which the future body
will deserve, rather than that of its
beauty and splendour.

156

I. CORINTHIANS

[XV. 44"4«

natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a
45 natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it ia
written, The first man Adam became a living souL The
46 last Adam became a life-giving spirit. Howbeit that is not
first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; then

44. a natural body. The word
is the same as that used in ii 14.
S. Paul does not mean that our
present body is but a part of the
material world. It is none the
worse for that, and the body of the
resurrection may be so also. The
natural body is a body adapted to
the mere life of nature, adapted to
the needs of that "natural man"
(ii. 14), in whom the higher faculties
have not yet been quickened by the
touch of the Spirit. So long as the
body remains in health, the "natural
man" finds in it aU that he requires.
it is raised a spiritual body.
ie. a body adapted to the spiritual
man, and which, it may be, has his
character impressed upon it
If there is... also a spiritual body.
A protest against the assumption,
that the resurrection body must be
like the present body, if it is to exist
at alL Vv. 37—41 have already justi
fied the dismissal of this assumption.
45. So also... became a living
soul. Le. the contrast between the
two types of body is justified by the
contrast, which Scripture suggests,
between two types of humanity,
Adam and the glorified Christ The
words are taken from Gen. iL 7.
They mean that Adam became pos
sessed of natural Ufe. There is no
thought yet of the Fall, but im
mortality is a gift stiU to be bestowed
by eating of the bread of Ufe.
The last Adam became a life-
giving spirit. Our Lord bears the
title of the last Adam, because He
is the new Head of redeemed

humanity, communicating His own
nature to those in union with Him,
as Adam did to his descendants.
Cf. Rom. v. 14. The expression more
usually employed is the "Second
Adam," but S. Paul says the "last,"
to emphasize the finality of the con
nection bestowed on Christians with
the glorified Lord. There can be
no third head of the race. The
reference of the words "became a
life-giving spirit" — or rather "be
came life-giving spirit" — is to our
Lord's glorification by the Resur
rection and Ascension. Then it was
that He, in the full completeness of
His humanity, passed into a con
dition of spirit, and so became the
source of life to others. Cf. Jno. vi.
62, 63 with 53-57. The food of man
is the humanity of our Lord in its
present spiritual condition. Cf Ad
ditional Note on xi. 23-25, pp. 105,
106. " Soul " is but Uving ; " spirit "
is life-giving, and its very nature is to
communicate life. Cf. also Jn xx. 22 ;
Ac. U. 33 ; 2 Cor. iii 17, 18. It is just
the difference between the first Adam
and the last, which makes the re
surrection body so different from
our present one.
46. that is not first.. .then that
which is spiritual, ie. the natural
body is bestowed first, the spiritual
afterwards. The words, as they
stand in the R.V., express a law of
progress, which has many applica
tions both in the individual and the
race, but S. Paul's meaning is the
simpler one. The words refer back
to v. 44.

XV. 46-49]

I. CORINTHIANS

157

47 that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth,
48 earthy : the second man is of heaven. As is the earthy,
such are they also that are earthy : and as is the heavenly,
49 such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have
borne the image of the earthy, *we shall also bear the
image of the heavenly.
1 Many ancient authorities read let us also bear.

47. The first man.. .earthy. Gen.
iL 7 is again quoted, and Wisd. ix. 15
is perhaps also in mind. Again there
is no direct reference to man's sin.
the second man is of heaven.
The change from the A.V. is notice
able. The words "of heaven" cor
respond to the words " of the earth
earthy," and express origin, and
character. But the reference is stiU
not to the Incarnation, but to the
Lord as glorified. Our Lord is " of
heaven" from the Ascension on
wards; it is thence that He acts,
and thence that we look for Him to
come (1 Th. iv. 16 ; 2 Th. i 7). The
latter thought is already in S. Paul's
mind. It is the Second Coming,
that wiU be the signal for the trans
formation of the earthly bodies of
His people. Cf Pbil. iii 20, 21 and
CoL iii 4.
48. At is the earthy... they also
that are heavenly. Adam and Christ
ahke are reproduced in those who
share their respective natures.
Whether the thought is wider than

that of the present and the future
conditions of the body depends upon
the reading adopted in the next
verse. 49. we shall also... image of the
heavenly. Ifthisreadingbe adopted,
the thought is of the body of the
resurrection (PhiL iii. 20, 21). But
the reading of R.V. margin, "let us
also bear," is the more strongly
supported by the mss. In this case
the meaning wiU be either (a) " Let
us not throw away our prospect of
bearing etc.," with the same reference
to the resurrection body; or (b) "Let
us bear the image of the heavenly
even here," by conforming our Uves
to His. The former interpretation
suits the context better, but the
latter gives a thoroughly Pauline
thought. Cf. 2 Cor. iii 18 ; Col. ui. 10.
The Christian by faith and obedience
is transformed into the likeness of
Christ in a true sense even here,
and this prepares him for the future
transformation of his body. Cf
Rom. viii. 23.

The general question of the resurrection of the body wUl be discussed at
the end of the chapter, but two points may be noticed here, (as) It is
evident, that both 8. Paul and the Corinthians knew far more about the
appearances of the Risen Lord, than is recalled in the bare statements of
vv. 4-8. Ultimately, the answer to the question, "With what manner of
body do the dead rise?" is that they rise with a body like that of the Risen
Lord. S. Paul presupposes that the statement "we shaU...bear the image
of the heavenly" wiU convey a clear meaning to the minds of the Corinthians,
and his own description of the glorified body (vv. 42-44) is evidently drawn
from that of the Lord. The natural conclusion is that the Gospel narratives
of the appearances of the Risen Lord were, at any rate in substance, already

158 I. CORINTHIANS [xv. 50
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot
known to the Church when S. Paul wrote. Those narratives represent the
body of the Risen Lord, just as S. Paul does. On the one hand, He has a
real body, and is not merely a glorious spirit (Luk xxiv. 39, 40; of
1 Cor. xv. 44); on the other hand, that body has been raised in incorruption,
glory and power; it is no longer under bondage to the laws of space
(Jn. xx. 19); our Lord in His Whole Person has become "spirit" (Luk
xxiv. 31), and spirit that quickens those to whom He communicates Himself
(Jn. xx. 22). Now the agreement of S. Paul with the Gospel narratives is
a strong argument for their truth. Not only are his statements much earlier
than theirs, but neither his nor theirs are at aU Ukely to have been invented.
Had the Apostles been left to their own imagination, they would surely have
conceived the Lord as coming back to them, either just as a glorious spirit,
or with a body, "perfectly whole" indeed, Uke the bodies of those whom He
Himself had healed, but otherwise just as it had been before. Certainly
they would not have thought of Him as stiU bearing the marks of the
wounds, and yet able to appear among them when the doors were shut, and
to vanish out of their sight. Yet we can see how the revelation thus given
to us of the future put within our reach is one in harmony with all that we
know of the ways of God, and perfectly satisfying to our hopes and longings.
(6) Light seems thrown upon the difficult question, as to whether the
Incarnation and work of the Lord were simply the remedy for the FalL
Human sin throughout this passage lies in the background. The need for
the work of Christ lies in the fact that apart from Him we should only bear
the image of the first Adam. Quite apart from sin, we are " of the earth,
earthy" by our original constitution, and could never by ourselves, or by
any process of evolution, rise to any higher sphere. Christian theology has
indeed insisted that Adam "stood by grace"; he had the presence of God
within him. But the transformation of the bodily nature was stiU needed
It may be that, even apart from sin, the image of the heavenly could only
have been gained by the quickening touch of Him Who bears our manhood
glorified, and into Whom we have been incorporated. The fact of sin no
doubt has made our need of the Incarnation and work of Christ immeasur
ably greater, and made that work an Agony that might have been aU joy,
but it did not originate our need. That lay in the primary constitution of
our being.
XV. 50-58. Christians yet Coming of the Lord was regarded
alive at the Lord's return. both by S. Paul and the Corinthians
In vv. 35-49 S. Paul has been as imminent, and they expected to
answering the questions, How are be still alive when the Lord returned
the dead raised ? And with what How then would it be with them ?
manner of body do they come? In their case, there would be no
But the truths which he has laid death to be the path to glory. To
down in vv. 45-49, as to the nature this question the Apostle now ad-
of the glorified Lord, and the bearing dresses himself
by Christians of His image, do not 50. flesh and blood... the kingdom
apply only to the dead. The Second of God "Flesh and blood" is a

XV. 5°-54]

I. CORINTHIANS

159

inherit the kingdom of God ; neither doth corruption inherit
51 incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not
52 all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in
the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump : for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
53 and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 But when Hhis corruptible shall have put on incorruption,
1 Many ancient authorities omit this corruptible shall have put on incorrup
tion, and.

common expression for man in his
weakness and mortality. Cf. Mt.
xvi. 17. But here there is special
emphasis on the bodily nature, as
we know it in this present world.
Man must be adapted to his new
environment, not merely by spiritual
regeneration (Jno. iii. 3), but by
bodily regeneration also (Mt. xix. 28).
For the Uving, as for the dead, the
promised inheritance must come
through sharing the risen and glori
fied nature of the Second Adam.
Cf. Rom. vin. 17.
neither doth corruption. The
bodily nature of those still Uving is
meant, as in the former half of the
verse. 51. / tell you a mystery, ie. a
Divine secret. Cf. note on ii. 1.
The great change of the resurrection
was a matter of positive revelation.
Cf 1 Th. iv. 15, where S. Paul claims
to speak "by the word of the Lord."
We shall... all be changed, ie.
some Christians wiU be stiU aUve
when the Lord returns, but they aU
wUl pass through a change. The
living wiU receive the body of glory
without death, as the dead wiU
receive it by resurrection. Cf. 1 Th.
iv. 15-17. Two other readings are
found in the mss.: — (a) "We shaU
aU sleep, but we shall not all be
changed," (&) " We shah all rise, but

we shaU not aU be changed." Both
would mean that only the faithful
wUl undergo a glorious change at
the resurrection. Neither of these
readings is admissible, as nowhere in
the discussion does S. Paid speak of
the resurrection of the wicked. See
note on v. 22.
52. in a moment. The manifes
tation of the glory of Christ brings
with it at once the manifestation of
the glory of His people (CoL in. 4).
at the last trump. Cf. 1 Th. iv. 16.
The trumpet is mentioned by our
Lord in Mt. xxiv. 31, apparently
quoting Is. xxvii. 13. This settles
the meaning here. The trumpet
sounds, as in Ex. xix. 16, 17, for the
gathering together of the people of
God. It is the last trump, since
they are gathered to be scattered
no more.
we shall be changed, ie. Christians,
who are still aUve. Neither here, nor
in v. 51, are the dead said to be
changed. 53. The whole of this verse refers
to living Christians, and explains the
last clause of the previous verse.
With them, as with the Lord Him
self on the Easter morning, nothing
is, as it were, cast aside of the old
body. It but puts on incorruption
and immortality. As S. Paul else
where says, "what is mortal" is

160

I. CORINTHIANS

[XV. 54-57

and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall
come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed
55 up 4n victory. 0 death, where is thy victory? 0 death,
56 where is thy sting? The sting of death is sin ; and the
67 power of sin is the law : but thanks be to God, which
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Or, victoriously

" swallowed up of Ufe " (2 Cor. v. 4).
The nature of this process lies, of
course, beyond our ken
54. then shall come to pass...
swallowed up in victory. Is. xxv. 8.
The RV in that passage has, "He
hath swallowed up death for ever."
The meaning there is that death
is to be no longer, not that it has
been conquered by resurrection. So
also here. S. Paul stiU speaks of
Christians, who remain alive till the
coming of the Lord. Of all forms
of the Christian's victory over death,
theirs is in some ways the most
glorious. Over them, death wins
not even a momentary victory.
55. 0 death... thy sting? Hos.
xiii 14 (Greek Version), shghtly
altered. The original Greek has,
"Where is thy right (or judgment),
O death ? Where is thy sting, O
grave?" But S. Paul substitutes
"victory" for "right" so as to repeat
the word used at the end of v. 54,
and avoids, as he always does, the
Greek word for "grave." It was used
by the Greeks as the name of the
God of the underworld, and was a
name of horror. As S. Paul quotes
the words of Hosea, death is repre
sented first as a conqueror, and
secondly as a venomous serpent
The victory is no longer death's, but
ours. Cf. v. 54.
56. The sting. ..the law. These
two statements bring out the great

ness of the victory which has been
won, and explain how the Lord has
won that victory for us (v. 57). It
is sin which has given to death its
sting ; apart from sin, man would
have been beyond his reach (cf. note
at the end of v. 28). Again, it is
the law which gives to sin its power,
for it is the law which reveals God's
will, and so provokes our corrupt
nature to sin, and at the same time
makes sin not merely imperfection,
but high-handed rebellion against
God. Cf. Rom. iii. 20; v. 12, 13, 20,
21; vii. 7-13.
57. giveth us... our Lord Jesus
Christ. Our Lord conquers death
for us, by conquering sin. We are
taken into Uving union with Him,
and in that Uving union both the
guilt and power of sin are done
away. When we sin no longer, the
law has no longer any power to
condemn. Cf. Rom. viii. 1-4; Col.
Li 14 (RV.); and cf. note on v. 17.
Our victory is a present thing— God
"giveth" us the victory here and
now — but it wiU be perfectly con
summated when the Lord returns,
and our glorious change puts us
plainly out of the reach of death.
It is still Christians, who will be
aUve, when the Lord returns, of
whom S. Paul directly speaks, though
the blessed dead will through the
resurrection share the victory over
death

xv. 58] I. CORINTHIANS 161
58 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmove-
able, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch
as ye know that your labour is not ^ain in the Lord.
1 Or, void
58. be ye stedfast. Rather "be- the Lord. Cf. v. 14. "In the Lord"
come stedfast." The Corinthians labour is not vain, both because
were not yet so. union with Him makes labour fruit-
always abounding in the work of ful (Jno. xv. 5), and because it brings
the Lord. The Christianity of the the certainty of a glorious resurrec-
Corinthians was not practical, but tion. Contrast vv. 19, and 30-32.
speculative. Hence their tendency It is disbelief in a future for our-
to doctrinal error. selves and for others that makes
forasmuch as ye know. ..vain in self-denying activity seem useless.
We are now in a position to review 8. Paul's argument, and draw out
the conclusion to which it leads. There are other passages in his writings,
which deal with the resurrection or transformation of the body (Rom. viii 11,
18-25; 2 Cor. iv. 7-v. 10; PhiL Ui. 20, 21; Col. Ui. 4), but the passage before
us is the main one, and the others do little more than illustrate its meaning.
Now the great merit of S. Paul's treatment of the future life is this.
He starts from a wide view of facts, instead of depending upon abstract
reasoning. Speculation is in place, when we use it to rid ourselves of the
difficulties, in which faithfulness to the facts involves us ; it cannot take
the place of facts. Thus S. Paul leaves entirely on one side the abstract
question of the immortality of the soul We have no sufficient data for the
decision of that question, and aU that is said, as to the unsatisfactoriness of
the arguments for such an immortality, is nothing to Christians. What the
facts support is beUef in the immortality of man as a living whole, if only he
be in union with Christ. "The God of peace," says S. Paul elsewhere,
"Himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be
preserved entire without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ"
(1 Th. v. 23). That is the Christian hope — a hope with a basis for it. It
is no sound objection to S. Paul's reasoning, to urge that some of his
arguments (vv. 18, 19, 29-32) only go to prove that there wiU be a future
life of some kind. That is quite true. But these arguments are only
subsidiary. They strengthen the main argument, by shewing that the
belief to which the facts lead us, is in accordance with our moral instincts ;
they are not intended to be the foundation, upon which our beUef is built
But indeed all that we know, as to the mutual dependence of the different
parts of our nature, makes it easier to believe that the future hfe will be
for that nature as a whole, than to believe that it wiU be for but one part
of it. To the Christian, an immortality for the soul only is an almost
intolerable supposition. He believes the body, as God made it, to be "very
good"; unlike the Platonist, he knows of no necessary antagonism between
the spiritual and the material ; death is to him an enemy (v. 26), not a
friend who deUvers from the clogging burden of the body. To suppose
Q. H

162 L CORINTHIANS
that the highest bliss is inconsistent with existence in the body is to
overturn the whole Christian view of death Death is no necessary part of
man's destiny ; there are Christians — S. Paul and the Corinthians would
have expected them to be the majority — who wiU never die at all (v. 51).
Above all, the hope of glory is to the Christian the hope of being what
Christ is (1 Jn iiL 2; Phil. Ui 20, 21), and Christ has a glorified body.
He did indeed "taste death," but His Flesh "saw no corruption"; the
glory of Easter was a glory which clothed the very Body that had been
laid in the sepulchre. So far from the Uving needing to be conformed to
the dead, it is the dead who need to be conformed to the Uving.
What then are the facts, upon which S. Paul builds ? They are in part
facts of history, and in part facts of the spiritual Ufe. On the one hand,
Christ has been raised. We know that on absolutely unimpeachable his
torical evidence. Not only so, but we know from Apostolic testimony what
the characteristics of His glorified humanity were found to be. It is those
known characteristics of the Risen Lord, which underhe the description of
the spiritual body in vv. 42-49, and it is to these that S. Paul tacitly
appeals. On the other hand, Christians are in union with Christ ; He is
their perfect Redeemer, who wiU put all enemies, even death, under His
Feet. His experience must be their experience; they foUow Him in
suffering, and wiU follow Him in glory. Now it must be noticed, that when
S. Paul builds upon this second foundation, he is building upon facts, just
as really as when he builds upon the first If we do not see this, we
misunderstand the whole argument 8. Paul is not spinning theological
theories, he is appealing to facts, of which the Corinthians hid personal
knowledge. That Christ is a perfect Redeemer, all-powerful for our need,
was not a mere assertion of S. Paul. No doubt, the Corinthians at first
had beUeved it on his word, but they had now personal experience of it
Through faith in Christ through union with Him, they were "standing,"
they were "being saved," and they knew it It was a simple matter of
fact, that they were not "yet in their sins" (v. 17), and that it was by being
"in Christ" (v. 22) that they had been delivered. And the faith in Christ
that they were exercising had been, and was, a faith in Christ as a perfect
Redeemer, as the One who had conquered sin and death for Himself and
for them. It had included trust in Christ for the future, just as much as
for the present H then, as was actually the case, they bad found their
present need entirely satisfied, they would find their future need satisfied
also. If they had found in Christ a Saviour from sin, they would find in
Him a Saviour from death, all the more certainly so, since sin and death
are really inseparable (vv. 56, 57). The verification they had found of one
part of their faith really verified the whole. This is ever S. Paul's doctrine.
"Ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit" must wait "for
our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." " But if the Spirit of
Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, He that raised up
Christ Jesus from the dead shall quicken also your mortal bodies through
His Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Rom. viii 23, 11). Our Lord Himself
taught the same thing. Union with Him brings not only salvation now,
but resurrection finaUy. "He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My

I. CORINTHIANS 163
Blood hath eternal life ; and I wiU raise him up at the last day" (Jn. vi.
54. Cf Jn. v. 24-29; xi. 25, 26). And indeed, to go back further still, it
is essentiaUy the doctrine of the O.T. also. The hope of immortality rest*
upon no abstract doctrine of the immortality of the soul; it rests upon the
consciousness that a relation has been established with the eternal God,
over which time can have no power, and which brings with it the promise
of complete redemption. Cf. Mt xxiL 31, 32. This, then, is S. Paul's
argument. The resurrection of Christ in itself would prove nothing as to
the resurrection of others. But take it in connection with our conscious
union with Christ, take it in connection with the promises Christ has made
to us, and the actual fulfilment of those promises up till now, and it proves
everything. He is "the Way"; we have gone with Him thus far, and we
shall go with Him to the end. "If we died with Christ" to sin — and we
know that we did — " we believe that we shaU also live with him."
But the Risen Lord is not merely the promise of the resurrection of
Christians ; He is also the revelation of what that resurrection will mean to
them, and the answer in His own Person to the speculative difficulties that
can be urged against it. In the first place, it can no longer be said, that
resurrection is impossible, for Christ has been raised (v. 12). Our Lord
really died, was really buried (vv. 3 and 4), yet just as reaUy was He raised.
Nay! more. Death and burial were the path by which He gained His
glory. S. Paul does not surely use the illustration of the seed (vv. 36-38),
without remembering how the Lord had applied the same Ulustration to
Himself (Jno. xii. 24). It may be urged that the analogy breaks down. In
the seed, there is a germ of life; in the dead body there is not. But
S. Paul has no thought of any germ of life in either case ; the new body is
simply the gift of God (». 38). His point is that God does not bestow
this gift, unless the old has been sacrificed. Men doubt the resurrection,
because they see nothing in a dead body from which new life can spring.
S. Paul would fully grant this ; the source of life is in God alone, in the
"Ufe-giving Spirit" which our Lord has come to be. Life cannot be
" spontaneously generated," either in nature or in grace. Again, the Risen
Lord disposes of the argument that a risen body is inconceivable (v. 35).
Our risen bodies wiU be Uke His. They will be real bodies, as His was, not
bodies of gossamer (Luk. xxiv. 39-43). They wUl be spiritual bodies, bodies
perfectly adapted, as our present bodies are not, to the needs of those,
in whom the spiritual faculties have reached their full development (cf.
Wisd. ix. 15). They wiU be "in incorruption, in glory, in power" (vv. 42, 43).
Permanence, beauty, and strength wiU be their characteristics. S. Paul
works out this thought in 2 Cor. v. 1-5. The earthly body is a "tabernacle,"
a mere traveUer's tent, soon worn out; the spiritual body wiU be a
"habitation," a real and permanent dwelling-place In what its glory and
power wUl consist we know not, though the characteristics of our Lord's
Body, in the Transfiguration and after the Resurrection, may give us some
idea. Cf. Phil. Hi. 20, 21. Once more, the Risen Lord tells us something
of the relation of the new body to the old. In Him the relation was
exceptional, since His earthly Body "saw no corruption." His Resurrection 11—2

164 I. CORINTHIANS
helps us to understand the transfiguration of the living (vv. 51, 52), rather
than the resurrection of the dead. Yet He shews us that even in those
who have died, there will be no real breach of continuity.
Many of the early Christians expected that the material particles of the
earthly body would be reassembled to form the spiritual That seems out
of the question. The same particles, in the course of ages, would form part
of many different bodies. Our bodies to-day do not contain a single
particle, that they contained seven years ago. Yet, in a sense, the body
wiU be one with the old. S. Paul's analogy may help us here (w. 37, 38).
The plant is not the same as the seed, yet the seed determines what the
plant wiU be. From wheat-seed nothing but wheat can grow. So, though
the body of the resurrection wiU be the gift of God, it wiU correspond to
our individuality as no other could do. We ourselves shall thus five again.
It may be that our spirits, with their acquired characters, will themselves
make our bodies what they are.
For of the soul the body form doth take,
For soul is form, and doth the body make.
Even here, the spirit alters the body. In the young, the face gives
little indication of character, but soon the spirit begins its work upon it.
Pride, sensuality, moral weakness, on the one hand — kindness, and strength,
on the other— become clearly legible. The spirit is adapting the body to
itself. Will this not be so perfectly in the body of the resurrection ? The
love that looks out at us from human eyes wiU be seen more clearly than
ever. The better we have known our brethren here, the more clearly we
shaU recognise them there. AU the varieties of the Christian character
wfil find each their appropriate expression. Thus we may surely look
forward confidently to mutual recognition. If the Risen Lord was known to
His Apostles, we shall be known by one another. His glorified humanity is
the type and model of our own.
Note. The following words from Father Benson's The Life beyond the
Grave are valuable in this connection :
"Why should those wounds remain ?" (The reference is to Jn. xx. 27.)
" They remain upon the body of Jesus because they are no mere accidental
wounds.... Those wounds whereby Jesus had offered Himself lovingly to
suffer according to God's wiU had a moral value. The body is no mere
material vessel containing the soul, it is the organic instrument of the moral
energies which the soul exerts. The forces of the body acquire their
growing perfection by the moral acts which are done in the body. The
body as a system of forces registers aU the acts, whether good or bad, for
which those forces have been used. Every function of the body is developed
for eternal good or evil by the actions for which it is employed during the
life on earth. The hands, therefore, having not merely suffered, but accepted
the nailing, must have, for a part of their glory, the marks of what they
have endured.... The merits of Christ's Passion do not fade away. They do

I, CORINTHIANS 165
not surround Him in His glory as an external atmosphere, but they radiate
from the organs of the body whereby they were wrought, the expression of
the developed spiritual hfe within.... The marks of the Passion are not mere
memorials of past weakness, but instruments of present strength and
activity. As cultivated wisdom marks the brow, even in natural life, with
Unes of intellectual beauty, so the Passion marks the whole body of our
risen Lord with the loveUness of redeeming power, and every wound
remains upon the spiritual body... an object of entrancing majesty which aU
who see adore, and adoring, Uve thereby."
If this is so with the Risen Lord, we may look for something analogous
in our own case. In a true sense, we are building the spiritual body of the
future by our actions here.

Additional note on "The Millennial Reign op Christ."
The interpretation given above of vv. 23, 24 has made " the end," and
the dehvery of the kingdom to the Father, to take place at the Second
Coming of Christ. But the question may be raised, whether this is consistent
with the general teaching of Scripture. Does not Scripture speak of two
resurrections, the first a resurrection of faithful Christians at the time of
our Lord's return, and the second a resurrection of the rest of mankind at
some later period ? And if so, must we not in this passage suppose an
unknown period of time to intervene, between the resurrection of them
"that are Christ's at his coming" (v. 23), and the final delivery of the
kingdom (v. 24)?
In favour of this latter view, it is urged : — (a) That it is clearly taught in
Rev. xx. There the souls of faithful Christians live, and reign with Christ
a thousand years, while the rest of the dead Uve not, until the thousand
years are finished (vv. 4-6). (b) In accordance with this, Scripture frequently
distinguishes between the "resurrection of the dead," and the "resurrection
from among the dead," which belongs to Christ, and the faithful alone.
This latter phrase is applied to Christ in Mt. xvii. 9, Mk ix. 9, Ac. iv. 2,
xvii. 31, GaL i 1, 1 Cor. xv. 12, 20, 1 Pet. i. 3, and to the faithful in Mk. xii. 25,
Luk. xx. 35, Phil, ui 11. (c) The same doctrine is asserted in 1 Th. iv. 16,
where it is said that " the dead in Christ shall rise first." (d) It is implied
in 1 Cor. xv. 23, 24. The word "each" in v. 23 implies the succession of
Christ, the faithful, the rest of the dead, while the abolishing of all rule and
authority and power is subsequent to the Second Advent, and requires
time. Death is only destroyed (v. 26) at the general resurrection.
But this view is nevertheless untenable. It is a minor, though a real,
difficulty, that this Mnlennial Reign of Christ before the delivery of the
kingdom to the Father, has never been clearly conceived at aU. But, quite
apart from this, our Lord distinctly assigns the resurrection of His people
to " the last day " (Jn. vi 39, 40, 44, 54), and in view of Jn. xii. 48 it is

166 I. CORINTHIANS
impossible not to identify the last day with the time of the general resur
rection. Again, it is quite clear from 2 Thess. i. 7-10 that the glorious
appearing of Christ for His people, and the great judgment upon the
ungodly will take place at the same time, and it is the general teaching of
Scripture that all, good and bad ahke, wul be judged together (Jno. v. 28, 29 ;
Rom. ii 5-11 ; xiv. 10-12 ; 2 Cor. v. 10). Nor do the passages, upon which
upholders of the other view rely, really support their contention. The
expression "resurrection from among," or "from out of the dead" is in any
case a natural one It is Christ and the faithful alone, who rise in the
highest sense out of death into glorious life, the ungodly being left to " the
second death" (Rev. xx. 6, 14). And the expressions "resurrection from
among the dead," and " resurrection of the dead " are not really kept apart.
For the faithful they give but two aspects of the same thing. Cf. e.g.
Ac. xvii. 31 with xvii 32, and 1 Cor. xv. 12, 20 with xv. 21, where the
ordinary phrase " resurrection of the dead " is applied to the resurrection of
Christians. Again the true meaning of 1 Th. iv. 16 is clear from the next
verse. The dead in Christ rise, not before the other dead, but before Uving
Christians are caught up to meet the Lord. The passage 1 Cor. xv. 23, 24
implies this view just as Uttle (see notes on those verses). It deals, as has
been shewn above (note on v. 22), with Christians alone, and neither the
resurrection of the wicked, nor any destruction of death in their case, comes
into view at aU. The abolishing of aU powers hostile to Christ does not
require a time subsequent to the Second Coming. On the contrary, it is
even now going on, and the Church of Christ is taking part in it The
victory won at the Ascension (Eph. i 21 ; 1 Pet iii 22) is being appropriated
in detail, as the world is delivered from the power of evil (Eph. vi. 12).
The Scripture conception of kingship and rule is one of successful warfare
(cf. Pss. xlv. and ex.), and so it is with the kingdom of Christ There
remains the difficult passage, Rev. xx. But even this, when carefully
interpreted, does not yield the sense that it is generaUy supposed to bear.
Probably the "thousand years" is a symbolical expression for the period of
the Church's life on earth Satan is bound by the victory of the Lord
(Luk xi 21, 22), and deceives the nations no more, since they now enter
into union with his Conqueror. In this case, vv. 7-10 look forward to the
great apostasy of 2 Th. U. 3. But, be this as it may, "the first resurrection"
(v. 5) is not a bodily resurrection at alL It is "the souls" of the martyrs
that are seen to Uve and reign with Christ and not the faithful, with bodies
and souls reunited. The point is that through aU the period of the
Church's conflict, the souls of the martyrs Uve and reign with Christ
Cf. Rev. vU. 9-17, especially v. 14 (R.V.). They may seem to perish, but
the moment of death is really the moment of quickening. Cf 1 Pet iiL 18
(RV.). So our Lord in Jn. v. 24-29 speaks in v. 25 of spiritual quickening,
and in vv. 28, 29 of the future resurrection of the body. The soul has as
real a life as the body, and has as real a resurrection.

XVL i, ij

I. CORINTHIANS

167

XVI. 1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as
I gave order to the churches of Galatia, so also do ye.
2 Upon the first day of the week let each one of you lay by

XVI. 1-4. The collection for
the Christian poor op Jerusalem.
This was a matter of great import
ance in S. Paul's eyes, and the
Corinthians seem to have asked a
question about it. Jerusalem was a
poor town, since its sacred character
caused many to Uve there, who would
have Uttle opportunity for making
a livelihood. The poor of the city
were accustomed to receive help
both from the Jews of the Dispersion,
and from rich GentUe proselytes.
The same poverty was a character
istic of the Christian church of
Jerusalem. Christianity was specially
attractive to the poor, whUe Christian
Jews would be after the martyrdom
of S. Stephen exposed to persecution
at the hands of their countrymen
(1 Th. ii 14 ; Heb. x. 34), and de
prived of the outside help which
others received. At first, the needs
of the poorer members of the Church
were supplied by the generosity of
the richer (Ac. ii. 44, 45; iv. 32),
but this source was soon exhausted ;
and as early as Ac. xi. 30 we find
S. Paul and S. Barnabas carrying
alms from the GentUe churches to
the Church of Jerusalem. So also
in Gal. ii 10, we find the heads of
the Church of Jerusalem impressing
the needs of the Jewish Christians
on the Apostles of the Gentiles.
S. Paul would doubtless regard the
contributions of his converts as of
great value in demonstrating to
Jewish Christians the reaUty of
GentUe Christianity, and promoting
good relations between the two
great divisions of the Church. Cf.
2 Cor. ix. 12-14. The whole of
2 Cor. viii and ix. is occupied with

this subject Cf. also Rom. xv. 25-27 ;
Ac. xxiv. 17; and see Lock, S. Paul,
The Master Builder, pp. 50-53.
1. the churches of Galatia. These
are either (a) churches founded
among the Galatians proper, a mixed
race of Celts and Phrygians, Uving
in the heart of Asia Minor. In this
case S. Paul's visits to them are
mentioned only in Ac. xvL 6 and
xvUi. 23. Or (6) the churches of
Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra,
and Derbe, founded on 8. Paul's
first Missionary Journey (Ac. xiii
and xiv.). Professor Ramsay has
made the second view the more
probable. The inhabitants of these
cities, though not themselves Ga
latians, belonged to the Roman
province of Galatia, and it is very
unlikely that S. Paul's appeal on
behalf of the Jewish Christians
would not have been made to them.
It is possible that " the churches of
Galatia" here include churches
among the Galatians proper also
But it is quite uncertain whether or
not S. Paul ever went to the latter.
2. Upon the first day of the
week. This is the earUest indication
we have of the special consecration
of Sunday, and it is interesting to
find it following immediately upon
S. Paul's reassertion of the fact of
the Resurrection. "The first day
of the week" is the Jewish designa
tion for it Sunday is never in the
N.T. spoken of as the Sabbath (cf.
Col. U. 16), nor is there any evidence
that the thoughts connected with
the Sabbath were transferred to it
Jewish Christians would at first
observe both the Sabbath on
Saturday, and "the first day of the

168

I. CORINTHIANS

[XVI. 2-8

him in store, as he may prosper, that no collections be
3 made when I come. And when I arrive, Whomsoever ye
shall approve by letters, them will I send to carry your
4 bounty unto Jerusalem : and if it be meet for me to go
5 also, they shall go with me. But I will come unto you,
when I shall have passed through Macedonia; for I do
6 pass through Macedonia ; but with you it may be that I
shall abide, or even winter, that ye may set me forward on
7 my journey whithersoever I go. For I do not wish to see
you now by the way ; for I hope to tarry a while with you,
8 if the Lord permit. But I will tarry at Ephesus until
1 Or, whomsoever ye shall approve, them will I send with letters

week" as the day of the Lord's
Resurrection. GentUe Christians
never, as far as we know, observed
the Sabbath at aU. The expression
"the Lord's day" is first found in
Rev. i. 10.
lay by him in store. CoUections
were not for a long period made
pubUcly, nor were their proceeds
placed upon the altar. S. Paul
wishes the claims of others to be
remembered by Christians continu-
aUy ; a collection made when the
Apostle came would be both less
productive and more burdensome.
3. whomsoever ye shall approve
by letters. The church of Corinth
would in writing authorize their
delegates to act for them. In view
of the suspicions of his enemies
(2 Cor. xii 16-18), S. Paul would not
be charged with the money himself.
Cf. 2 Cor. viii. 20, 21. We find in
Ac. xx. 4 the names of various
Christians, who were to accompany
S. Paul to Jerusalem. These were
probably delegates of the various
churches. It is remarkable that no
Corinthians are among them. It
seems likely either (a) that the
Corinthian contribution was un

satisfactory, or (b) that the Corin
thian delegates had gone on before.
4. if it be meet for me to go also.
8. Paul's plans were yet unfixed
Cf. v. 6. He did ultimately go to
Jerusalem. Thus this Epistle must
have been written before the definite
plan of Ac. xix. 21 was made.
XVI. 5-9. S. Paul's immediate
plans. 5. But I will come... passed
through Macedonia. Cf. Ac xx.
1, 2 ; 2 Cor. ii. 12, 13. The Second
Epistle to the Corinthians was
written whUe S. Paul was still on
his way. Evidently, there had been
some change of plan (2 Cor. i 15-17,
23), but it is not certainly known
what it was. The simplest explana
tion is that the original plan had
been that described in 2 Cor. i. 15, 16,
and that the plan described in the
verse before us was substituted for it
6. abide, or even winter. Ac.
xx. 2, 3.
8. at Ephesus. This settles the
place, from which the Epistle was
written. Ci.v. 19. S. Paul remained
at Ephesus on his third Missionary
Journey from the end of A.D. 53 to
the middle of a.d. 55.

XVI. 8-15]

I. CORINTHIANS

169

9 Pentecost ; for a great door and effectual is opened unto
me, and there are many adversaries.
10 Now if Timothy come, see that he be with you without
11 fear ; for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do : let
no man therefore despise him. But set him forward on his
journey in peace, that he may come unto me : for I expect
12 him with the brethren. But as touching Apollos the
brother, I besought him much to come unto you with the
brethren : and it was not at all xhis will to come now ; but
he will come when he shall have opportunity.
13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be
14 strong. Let all that ye do be done in love.
15 Now I beseech you, brethren (ye know the house of
Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they
1 Or, God's will that he should come now

9. a great door... opened unto
me. Cf Ac. xix. 9, 10, 20.
XVI. 10-12. Timothy and
Apollos. 10. if Timothy come. Timothy
had either already gone into Mace
donia, or was about to start for it (Ac.
xix. 22). Probably he never reached
Corinth. The Second Epistle to the
Corinthians shews that, when S. Paul
wrote, Timothy was with him. But
there is no reference to any news of
the Church brought by Timothy.
Cf. 2 Cor. vii. 6, 7 ; xii. 17, 18.
without fear. Timothy seems to
have been somewhat timid, and to
have shrunk from the exercise of
discipUne. Cf. 1 Tim. iv. 12 ; 2 Tim.
L 7 (note R.V.), 8; ii. 1-3. For
8. Paul's praise, cf. Phil. ii. 19-22.
11. with the brethren. These are
probably the bearers of the Epistle.
12. / besought him much. Evi
dently S. Paul was on most friendly
terms with Apollos, though he was
not one of S. Paul's immediate
followers and representatives, as
Timothy and Titus were. The lan
guage of the verse looks as if the
Corinthians had asked for him.

S. Paul would make it clear, that
he is not responsible for Apollos'
continued absence.
not at all his will. Perhaps
Apollos feared that his coming
might aggravate the Corinthians'
disunion. But note R.V. margin,
comparing v. 7 and Rom. L 10. The
lack of " opportunity " would be the
proof of God's will.
XVI. 13-18. Final directions.
13, 14. These verses summarize
the practical lessons of the Epistle.
With "watch ye" cf. vii. 29-31;
x. 12, 13 ; with " stand fast in the
faith" cf. xv. 2, 11 ; with "quit you
Uke men, be strong" cf. iiL 1, 2;
ix. 24-27 ; xiv. 20 ; and with v. 14 cf.
ch. xiiL To quit ourselves as men
is to act with the soldier's courage ;
to be strong is to have the strength
needed to answer to that courage.
15. firstfruits of Achaia. Cf.
xv. 20. The conversion of Stephanas
and his household was an earnest of
the rich harvest that was to foUow.
Cf. Ac. xviii. 10. There is a slight
historical difficulty here, since Athens
belonged to the Roman province of
Achaia, and we should thus expect

170

I. CORINTHIANS

[XVI. 15-19

16 have set themselves to minister unto the saints), that ye
also be in subjection unto such, and to every one that
17 helpeth in the work and labouretL And I rejoice at the
doming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus : for
that which was lacking on your part they supplied.
18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours: acknowledge ye
therefore them that are such.
19 The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Prisca
salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in
1 Gr. presence.
this expression to be applied rather
to the first Athenian converts (Ac.
xvii 34). Either (a) S. Paul did not
regard the passing visit to Athens
as an integral part of his work (cf.
Ac. xvii. 16), or (b) the baptism of
the household of Stephanas had
taken place eariier, and elsewhere
than at Corinth The latter explana
tion would account for the fact that
S. Paul at first forgets the household
of Stephanas, when he enumerates
the Corinthians whom he baptized
(L 14-16).
16. be in subjection unto such.
The Corinthians were wanting in
respect for such practical Christian
activity, their admiration being re
served for " exceUency of speech or
of wisdom " (ii 1 ; cf i 18-25). The
parallel in 1 Th. v. 12, 13 makes it
probable that those of whom S. Paul
here speaks held some official posi
tion in the Church
17. the coming... Achaicus. Pro
bably they had brought the Epistle
of the Corinthians to S. PauL
that which. ..your part. Perhaps
rather " my lack of you." The lack
that S. Paul felt was the lack of the
presence of his converts. Cf Rom.
L 11, 12; 1 Thu. 17.
18. they refreshed my spirit
and yours. The re-establishment
of famiUar intercourse between
S. Paul and the Corinthians was a

happiness to both. But there may
be a reference toe. 15. "They have
ministered to me, as formerly to
you." This suits the connection
with the last words of the verse.
XVI. 19-24. Salutations and
conclusion. 19. The churches of Asia. i.e.
of the Roman province called by
that name. Ephesus was the capital,
and during S. Paul's long stay there,
the Gospel had spread widely. Cf
Ac. xix. 9, 10. When the Apocalypse
was written, we hear of churches
at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum,
Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and
Laodicea. Troas and Colossae also
belonged to this province.
Aquila and Prisca. Cf Ac
xvUL 1-3, where Prisrilla is a
diminutive for Prisca. They left
Corinth with 8. PauL and settled
at Ephesus (Ac. xviii. 18, 19). Later
they are found at Rome (Rom. xvL
3), and at Ephesus (2 Tim. iv. 19).
Prisca was probably a more active
Christian than her husband, as she
is mentioned before him in Ac. xviii.
18 and Rom. xvL 3. But in writing
to the Corinthians, S. Paul is careful
to put the husband first Cf. xi. 3,
and see Sanday and Headlam on
Rom. xvi. 4.
the church that is in their house.
Either (a) the Christians accustomed
to meet there, or (b) Christian

XVI. 19-14]

I. CORINTHIANS

171

20 their house. All the brethren salute you. Salute one
another with a holy kiss.
21, 22 The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand. If
any man loveth not the Lord, let him be anathema.
23 xMaran atha. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with
24 you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
1 That is, Our Lord cometh.

members of their household. Cf.
Rom. xvi. 5.
20. with a holy kiss. Cf. Rom.
xvi. 16 ; 2 Cor. xiii. 12 ; 1 Th v. 26 ;
1 Pet v. 14. The Jewish salutation
passed into the Church. It was a
sign of love (1 Pet v. 14) and peace,
"peace" being in later times the
title given to it ¦ Justin Martyr
and S. Chrysostom teU us that it
was used in the Eucharistic office
after the dismissal of non-communi
cants, and before the oblation of the
elements. The early Liturgies con
firm this. Compare e.g. the Clemen
tine Liturgy : " Let the Deacon say
to all, 'Salute one another with a
holy kiss'; and let them of the Clergy
salute the Bishop ; the laymen, lay
men ; the women, women." In the
medieval Church, its place was taken
by the Pax-board, a small slab of
wood, stone, or metaL on which was
painted or chased the image of the
Crucified. This was first kissed by
the Priest and Deacon, and then
handed by the latter to the com
municants, who expressed their
mutual love by aU kissing the same
thing. In England, at the Reforma
tion, the appeal to the intending
communicants as those who are " in
love and charity with " their neigh
bours was substituted for it For a
very fuU account of the use of the
kiss of peace, see Scudamore, Notitia
Eucharistica, pp. 434-438, 592-593.

21. with mine own hand. S. Paul
generaUy, if not always, dictated his
Epistles to an amanuensis (Rom.
xvi. 22). But he wrote the salutation
and sometimes more than this with
his own hand, that there might be
no doubt as to the authorship. Cf.
Gal. vi. 11 ff. ; 2 Th. in. 17. It
appears from 2 Th ii 2 that forgeries
in his name were not unknown.
22. loveth not the Lord. Cf. xii. 3.
Love to Christ practically displayed,
is the mark of the Christian. Christian
fellowship must be refused to those
who shew themselves destitute of it.
S. Paul probably means these words
(a) as a limitation of the command
of v. 20, (b) as a solemn repetition of
the command of v. 13.
Maran atha. The A.V. suggests
that the words are a formula of curs
ing. This is certainly wrong. They are
a Christian watchword, in the Ara
maean language, which had spread
from the Palestinian to the GentUe
Churches. It is found at the end of
the Liturgy in the early Christian
book, The Teaching of the Twelve
Apostles. The meaning is "Our Lord
has come," or " Our Lord, come," or
"Our Lord is at hand." Cf.Plul.iv. 5
and Rev. xxiL 20, in either of which
there may be a conscious translation
of the words. S. Paul reminds the
Corinthians that they must be ready
to meet the Lord.

INDEX.

Abbott, Professor, 107
Adultery, see Divorce
Alford, Dean, 98
S. Ambrose, 105
Analysis of the Epistle, xxxviii.-xlvi.
Andrewes, Bishop, 130
Angels, 44, 96
Aphrodite, worship of, xv., 47
Apollos, xxi., xxvi., 23 ft., 32, 169
Apostles, xxx., 1, 32 ft., 73, 115, 141
Aquila and Priscilla, xviii., 23 ff., 170
Aquinas, 83, 151
Asia, churches of, 170
S. Athanasius, 151
S. Augustine, 89, 155
Bacon, 64
Baptism, xxxii. f., 7ff., 45 f., 86, 112
,, for the dead, 151 f.
Bengel, 92, 132
Benson, Father, 133, 164 f.
S. Bernard, 70
Bernard, Chancellor, 50
Body, Christian doctrine as to the,
47-51, and see Resurrection
Brethren of the Lord, 80 f.
Brotherhood, Christian, 1
Browning, 39, 64
Burial of our Lord, 140

S. Chrysostom, xlvii., 113 f.
Church, doctrine of the, xxxii., xxxiv.,
2, 8, 24 f., 29 f., 32, 116 f.; worship
of, xxxiv. f. ; ministry and organisa
tion of, xxxv.
S. Clement of Borne, xii., xxiii.
Clement of Alexandria, xxiv.
Colonies, Soman, xiv.
Commentaries, vii., xlvii. f.
Communion, Holy, see Eucharist
Confirmation, 84
Conybeare and Howson, xlvii.
Corinth, xiii. -xvii. ; S. Paul's first
visit to, xviii.-xx. ; Church of, xix.-
xxiii., 4 f., 12 ff., 32 ff. ; 1st Epistle
to, xx.-xxxviii.
Covenant, 100
Crispus, xviii.
Critical principles, ix.
S. Cyril of Jerusalem, 149
Death, 149 ff.
of the Lord, 140, 146
Devils, doctrine of, 16 f., see Satan
Diognetus, Epistle to, xxiv.
Divisions, 5 ff., 98
Divorce, 55 ff., 65 ff.
Dods, Professor, xlvii.
Drummond, Professor, 119 f.

Calvin, 119
Catholic principles, x. f.
Celibacy, 52 ff.
Cenchreae, xx.
Charity, see Love
Chloe, xxii., 6

Edwards, xlvii., 142
Epicureans, 137
Epiphanius, 80
Ethics, 153
Eucharist, doctrine of the, 49, 88 ff.,
98 ff., 102 ff.

Christ, Divinity of, xxx., 3, 17, 28, 71 Evans, Professor, xlvii., 150

INDEX

173

Evidences of Christianity, xxxvii. f., 11,
see Besnrrection
Excommunication, 37-43
Faith, xxxii., 100 ; relation to love,
123 f., 139 ; relation to good works,
139
FaU, doctrine of the, xxxi. f ., 147 f. , 158
Findlay, Professor, xlvii.
Flesh, meaning of the, 23
Fornication, 36, 47-51, 86
Freewill, 5, 14
Galatia, churches of, 167
Gallio, xx.
God, doctrine of, xxix.-xxxi., 22 f.t
28, 71
Godet, Professor, xlvii., 88, 95, 150
Gore, Dr, 46, 66, 105
Gospel, preaching of the, xxxii.,
8-12, 26
Grace, 3, 87 f., 142
Gregory of Tours, 18
Helvidius, 80
Holy Ghost, doctrine of the, xxx.,
18-22, 111, 127 t
Hooker, 97, 104
Hope, 120
Huxley, Professor, 153
S. Ignatius, xxiv.
Immortality of the Soul, 141
Incest, case of, 37 ff.
Inspiration, 19, 68, 82 f., 85, 87, 133
S. Irenaeus, xxiv.
Isthmian games, 79
S. James, the Lord's brother, xxii.,
80 £, 141
Jealousy, the Divine, 90 f.
S. Jerome, 64, 80
Jerusalem, Conference of , xxi. ; Church
of, 104 f.
Jews, their extension and influence, xv.
S. Joseph, 80
Joyce, Dr, 112, 131, 135-137
Judaistic party, xxi. f.
Judas Maccabaeus, 151
Judgment, the day of, 4, 25, 31
„ , human, 30 t, 41, 44

Julius Caesar, xiv.
S. Justin Martyr, 98, 107
Keble, 57, 67
Kingdom of God, 35 f., 51 f.
Kingsley, 64
Kiss of peace, 170 f.
Knowledge, 69 f., 121 ff. ; of God, 9 f.
Knowling, Professor, xlviii.
Lawsuits, 43-47
Leaven, 39
Liberty, civil, 58 f. ; Christian, 47, 77
Lightfoot, Bishop, xlvii, 19, 81, 119
Lord's Supper, 99
Love, 70, 117-125
Love-feasts, 98
Man, doctrine of, xxxi. ff., 96, 156 f.
Maran atha, 171
Marriage, 52-67
S. Mary, 80 f.
Mason, Dr, 85
Mayor, Professor, 81
Meats offered to idols, 69 ft., 91 ff.
Menander, 152
MiU, Dr, 81
Millenarianism, 165 f.
Milligan, Professor, xlvii., 8, 40
Ministry, doctrine of the, xxxv. ff.,
23-31
Miracles, x., 36, 111
Moberly, Dr, 128, 144
Morality, Christian, 49 f.
Mystical sense of Scripture, 81
Name of God, 6
Natural man, 19-22
Nonconformity, 117
Old Testament, 82 f., 85, 87
Passover, 40, 88, 100, 104 f.
S. Paul, as a writer, viii., xxiv., xxv.;
his work at Corinth, xviii.-xx. ;
characteristics of his preaching,
xviii., 15, 23 ft. ; his authority,
xxxvi., 34, 35, 37, 68, 73
Peace, 3
Perseverance, final, 5, 79
S. Peter, xxii., 6, 140 f.

174

INDEX

Philo, 82
Platonists, 137
Plummer, Dr, 103
S. Polycarp, xxiv.
Prophecy, xxxvi., Ill, 128-131, 140
Protevangelium, 81
Puller, Father, 56
Ramsay, Professor, xlvii., 63, 167
Reason, 11, 127 f.
Redemption, doctrine of, xxxii. f.
Resurrection, 48, 137-165
Righteousness, 13
Ritual, 97
'Robert Elsmere,' 143
Robertson, F. W., xlvii., 61
Romans, Epistle to the, xxvii.
Sacrifice, 69 ff., 88 i., 100, 106 ff.
Saints, 2
Satan, doctrine of, 38 f., see Devils
Scudamore, 171
Second Advent, doctrine of, 31, 148 ff.,
158 ff., 165 f.
Signs, 9
Slavery, 58 f.
Sosthenes, 1
Spirit, see Holy Ghost
Spiritual gifts, 108-116, 125-137
Stanley, Dean, xlvii.
Steck, Professor, xxvii -xxviii.
Stephanas, xxiii., 169

Stoios, 137
Subordination, principle of, 95
Sunday, observance of, 93, 167
Supererogation, works of, 76 f.
Table of the Lord, 90
' Teaching of the Twelve Apostles,' 171
Temple of God, 26, 29 f.
Tennyson, 122, 127, 150, 153
Tertullian, xxiv., 81, 96, 151
Theatre, the, 93
Timothy, xxiii., 35, 168 f.
Titus Justus, xix.
Tongues, gift of, 112 ff., 134 ff.
Tradition, 94 f.
Trench, Archbishop, 118
Trinity, doctrine of the, see God
Union with Christ, 3, 6, 13, 48, 147 f.,
156 f.
Unity, duty of, xvii, 6, 8, 23, 1161.
Veil, use of the, 94 ff.
Virgins, 60-63
Watkins, 67
Widows, 63
Wisdom, 9-12, 16-21, 27, 110
Woman, position of, 96 f., 131
Works, relation to faith, 124, see
Supererogation
Worldliness, 61

CambrtSje :
MINTED ET JOHN CLAY, M.A.
AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

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24

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Fiction

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Fictios 29

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MaItre Adam.
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NOEMI.
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CASTING OF NETS.
LITTLE TU'PENNY.
DONNA DIANA.
WINEFRED.
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STROKE OF
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THE LAKE OF
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MARY BARTON.
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ORRAIN.
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TORY OF JOSHUA DAVIDSON.
Lyall (Edna). DERRICK VAUGHAN.
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JACOB FAITHFUL.
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THE TWICKENHAM PEERAGE.
THE GODDESS.
THE JOSS.
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GRIFF OF GRIFFITHSCOURT.
SAM'S SWEETHEART.
THE FERRYMAN.
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Miller (Esther). LIVING LIES.
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Montresor (F. FO. THE ALIEN

Fiction

3i

Morrison (Arthur).
THE WALL.

THE HOLE IN

Nesblt (EO. THE RED HOUSE
Norris (W. E.). HIS GRACE
GILES INGILBY.
THE CREDIT OF THE COUNTY.
LORD LEONARD THE LUCKLESS.
MATTHEW AUSTEN.
CLARISSA FURIOSA.
Ollphant (Mrs.). THE LADY'S WALK
SIR ROBERT'S FORTUNE.
THE PRODIGALS.
THE TWO MARYS.
Oppenheim (E. P.). MASTER of men.
Parker (Gilbert). THE POMP OF THE
LAVILETTES.
WHEN VALMOND CAME TO PONTIAC
THE TRAIL OF THE SWORD.
Pemberton (Max). THE FOOTSTEPS
OF A THRONE.
I CROWN THEE KING.
PhillpottS (Eden). THE HUMAN BOY-
CHILDREN OF THE MIST.
THE POACHER'S WIFE.
THE RIVER
'Q' (A. T. Qulller Couch). THE
WHITE WOLF.
Ridge (W.Pett). A SON OF THE STATE.
LOST PROPERTY.
GEORGE and THE GENERAL.

ERB.Russell (W. Clark). ABANDONED.
A MARRIAGE AT SEA.
MY DANISH SWEETHEART.
HIS ISLAND PRINCESS.
Sergeant (Adeline). THE MASTER OF
BEECHWOOD.
BALBARA'S MONEY.
THE YELLOW DIAMOND.
THE LOVE THAT OVERCAME.

Sldgwiek (Mrs.
MAN.

Alfred). THE KINS-

Surtees (R. SO. HANDLEY CROSS.
MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR.
ASK MAMMA.
Walford (Mrs. L. BO. ME. SMITH.
COUSINS.THE BABY'S GRANDMOTHER.
TROUBLESOME DAUGHTERS.
Wallace (General Lew). BEN-HUR
THE FAIR GOD.
Watson (H. B. Marriott). THE ADVEN
TURERS.
•CAPTAIN FORTUNE.
Weekes (A. BO. PRISONERS OF WAR
Wells (H. GO. THE SEA LADY.
White (Percy). A PASSIONATE PIL
GRIM.

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