Overview

Of this epistle Luther writes, in his succinct way: “In this epistle St. Paul admonishes the Corinthians that they should be harmonious in faith and in doctrine, and attend to it that they learn this chief part well, namely, that Christ is our salvation, in whom all reason and wisdom is offended.” ^■634 .

Author and the city of Corinth

The author of this letter, as he himself states, is Paul the Apostle, 1 Corinthians 1:1. He was writing to the Christian congregation at Corinth, in Achaia. Paul had come to this city on his second missionary journey, Acts 18:1, about 50 or 51 A.D. Corinth was the commercial center of Greece, but also a hotbed of corruption and vice, “the heiress of a glorious history, whose monuments in metal and marble glorified the gods of Greece; the mother of thriving colonies and the capital of the Roman province of Achaia; an emporium of the world’s commerce, swarming with strangers and workers in various manufactures; a queen of style and of luxury, teeming with voluptuousness and lasciviousness, her idolatry horrible lewdness, in consequence of which the Corinthian custom had become proverbial even among the heathen to designate the acme of baseness; reveling in riches and incidentally full of the misery of abused slaves, also intoxicated with the conceit of wisdom and the enjoyment of art.” To this infamous notoriety not only the cosmopolitanism of the city contributed, but the open consecration of shameless impurity in its temple service of Venus.

The Corinthian church

And yet the Lord, through the work of Paul’s preaching, had established a Christian congregation in this city, Acts 18:7-11. His converts were mainly Gentiles, who, for the most part, belonged to the poorer classes of society. The members of the Corinthian congregation, due, in part, to their environment, were somewhat subject to arrogance and self-conceit, 1 Corinthians 1:17; 1 Corinthians 8:1, and had not yet fully thrown off the dominance of sins of unchastity, 1 Corinthians 5:1-11; 1 Corinthians 6:15-18; 1 Corinthians 11:21. After a year and a half of a signally blessed ministry, Paul continued his travels, the eloquent Apollos soon taking his place in Corinth, Acts 18:24-19:1; 1 Corinthians 3:5-9. But in the course of the next years some Jewish Christians also came to Corinth. These men belonged to the so-called Judaizing class, boasted of their intimacy with Peter and James, insisted upon the keeping of the ceremonial law, questioned Paul’s apostleship, and otherwise scattered the seed of dissension. On this account, and because many of the Corinthian Christians were unduly influenced by the brilliancy of Apollos, factions were formed in the congregation which tended to disrupt the entire work of Paul, 1 Corinthians 1:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:3-4; 1 Corinthians 3:21-22; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; 1 Corinthians 11:18. As a result, various evils appeared, such as laxity in church discipline, 1 Corinthians 5:1-5; a growing indifference with regard to the sins of unchastity, 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Corinthians 6:13-19; members of the congregation brought suits in the civil courts against one another, 1 Corinthians 6:1; Christian liberty was abused by participation in feasts of idolatry, 1 Corinthians 8; 1 Corinthians 10:14-33; the celebration of the Holy Communion was desecrated through abuses and uncharitable behavior, 1 Corinthians 11:17-22; the wonderful gifts of grace were not always used for the edification of the congregation, 1 Corinthians 12 and 1 Corinthians 14; some even denied the resurrection of the dead, 1 Corinthians 15:12.

Date and context

These disquieting facts had been brought to the attention of Paul, partly through individual members of the Corinthian congregation, 1 Corinthians 1:11; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 1 Corinthians 11:18; 1 Corinthians 15:12; partly through a letter which the Corinthian Christians had addressed to him, with questions concerning celibacy, divorce, the eating of meat from heathen sacrifices, and the use of the gifts of the Spirit. All these facts determined Paul to write his First Epistle to the Corinthians, which he did at Ephesus, at the end of his three years’ sojourn, 1 Corinthians 16:3-4; 1 Corinthians 16:8; 1 Corinthians 16:19, probably about Easter of the year 56. The letter was very likely delivered to the congregation at Corinth through their own representatives, Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, 1 Corinthians 16:15-17, or through Timothy, 1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 16:10 ^■635 .

Contents

The contents of the letter may be briefly summarized as follows. After the salutation and an introductory thanksgiving, Paul exhorts the Corinthians to unity, and reproves their dissensions and factions. He then gives them some instructions concerning church discipline, rebuking the indifference with which the members had permitted the scandal to continue in their midst unreproved. He shows them that litigation of Christians with one another before the heathen courts is not permissible, and gives some information on matters pertaining to the Sixth Commandment and to the state of marriage. He dwells at length upon the duty of supporting the ministry, warns against carnal security, points out the proper decorum in church assemblies, especially during the celebration of the Eucharist. He instructs them concerning the use of spiritual gifts for the edification of the congregation, gives directions about the collection to be taken for the poor Christians in Jerusalem, and closes with recommendations and greetings.

Christ is our salvation

In this Epistle, St. Paul exhorts the Corinthians to be one in faith and love and be careful to learn the chief thing, at which all reason and wisdom stumbles; namely, that Christ is our salvation.

In our day, when the Gospel has come to light, there are many mad saints, — called spirits of sedition, fanatics, and heretics, who have become wise and learned all too quickly, and, because of their great knowledge and wisdom, cannot live in harmony with anybody. One wants to go this way, another that way; as though it would be a great shame, if everyone were not to try something of his own and to put forth his own wisdom. No one can make them see their folly, for, at bottom, they neither know nor understand anything about the really important matters, even though they jabber much about them with their mouths.

So it was with St. Paul, too. He had taught his Corinthians the Christian faith and freedom from the law; but the mad saints came along, and the unripe wise men; they split the unity of the doctrine and made a division among the believers. One would be a Paulist, another an Appollist, another a Petrist, another a Christist; one wanted circumcision, another not; one wanted marriage, another not; one wanted to eat meat sacrificed to idols, another not; some wanted to be free from slavery; some of the women wanted to go with uncovered hair, and so on. They carried it so far that one man abused his liberty and married his stepmother; some did not believe in the resurrection of the dead; some thought lightly of the Sacrament. Things got so wild and disorderly that everyone wanted to be master and to teach, and make what he pleased of the Gospel, the Sacrament and faith. Meanwhile, they let the main thing go, as though it were long since worn out; — namely, that Christ is our salvation, our righteousness, our redemption. This truth can never hold the road, when people begin to be knowing and wise.

Chapters 1-4

That is just what is now happening to us. Now that we, by God’s grace have opened the Gospel to the Germans, everyone wants to be the best master and have the Holy Ghost all to himself, as though the Gospel had been preached in order that we should show our cleverness and reason, and seek for reputation. These Corinthians may well be an example for our people in these days, for they, too, need such an epistle. But this is the way things have to go with the Gospel; mad saints and unripe wise-men have to start disturbances and offenses, so that the “approved,” as St. Paul says, may be manifest. Therefore St. Paul rebukes and condemns this dangerous wisdom most severely and makes fools of these saucy saints. He says outright that they know nothing of Christ, or of the spirit and gifts of God, given to us in Christ, and that they should begin to learn. There must be spiritual folk who understand it. The desire to be wise and the pretense of cleverness in the Gospel are the things that really give offense and hinder the knowledge of Christ and God, and start disturbances and contentions. This clever wisdom and reason can well serve to make mad saints and wild Christians; but they can never, never know our Lord Christ, unless they first become fools again, and humbly let themselves be taught and led by the simple Word of God. This is what he deals with in the first four chapters.

Chapter 5

In chapter 5, he rebukes the gross unchastity of the man who had married his stepmother, and would put him under the ban and give him over to the devil. Thus he shows the right way of using the ban; it must be laid upon open vice, with the consent of the believing congregation, as Christ also teaches in Matthew 18:17.

Chapter 6

In chapter 6, he rebukes contention and disputing before the courts, especially before heathen and unbelievers; and teaches them that they shall either settle their cases among themselves or suffer wrong.

Chapter 7

In chapter 7, he gives instruction concerning chastity and the wedded state. He praises chastity and virginity, saying that they are profitable for the better attending to the Gospel; as Christ also teaches, in Matthew 19:12, concerning the chaste who are chaste for the sake of the Gospel or the kingdom of heaven. But Paul wills that it shall not be forced or compulsory, and that it shall not be kept at the risk of greater sin; otherwise, marriage is better than a chastity which is a continual burning.

Chapters 8-12

In chapters 8 to 12, he discusses, in many ways, how weak consciences are to be led and how men are to conduct themselves in external matters, like eating, drinking, apparel, and taking the Sacrament. Everywhere he forbids the strong to despise the weak, since he himself, though he is an apostle, has refrained from many things to which he had a right. Moreover the strong may well be afraid, because, in ancient Israel, so many were destroyed of those who were brought out of Egypt with miracles. Alongside of this, he makes some digressions of wholesome doctrine.

Chapters 12-13

In chapters 12 and 13, he discusses the many different gifts of God, among which love is the best, and teaches them not to exalt themselves but to serve one another in unity of spirit, because there is one God, one Lord, one Spirit, and everything is one, no matter how much diversity there is.

Chapter 14

In chapter 14, he teaches the preachers, prophets, and singers to use their gifts in an orderly manner and only for edification, and not put forward their sermons, knowledge, and understanding to gain honor for themselves.

Chapter 15

In chapter 15, he rebukes those who had taught and believed wrongly concerning the resurrection of the flesh.

Chapter 16

In the last chapter he exhorts them to brotherly assistance of the needy with temporal support.

Verses 1-9

Salutation and thanksgiving

On account of the special conditions obtaining in Corinth at the time of his writing, Paul finds it necessary to emphasize his office and the manner of his entering upon his ministry. He is called, chosen, as an apostle of Christ Jesus; he has not presumptuously taken the office or intruded upon its holy administration, but is an apostle by virtue of a special call of the Lord Himself. And this call has come to him also through the will of God. The call of Christ and the will of God have worked together in conferring upon him this distinction. Not as a joint composer, but as a fellow-worker, as a witness and approver of the contents of the epistle, Paul mentions Sosthenes. Whether this man was the same as the one named Acts 18:17, cannot be ascertained; at any rate, he must have been known and esteemed in the congregation at Corinth as a brother in the Lord.

The letter is addressed to the Church of God which was in Corinth. This title is a Biblical term for a divinely gathered people, of a people called, or chosen, by God to be His peculiar nation, and, as Chrysostom says, it is a designation, not of disharmony, but of unity and harmony. At Corinth there was a part of the great congregation of God, of those whom He had chosen for His own. Note: Although Paul was fully aware that the Church, in the real sense of the word, is invisible, he, in addressing the Corinthians, charitably assumes that they all are members of the true congregation of the Lord, of the communion of saints. This is shown by the explanation: To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, to the chosen saints. Paul is addressing such as have been sanctified, separated from the evil and corruptions of their age and city through the power of the Gospel, by which they had redemption through the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of sins. Thus they were consecrated in Christ Jesus, thus they were chosen as saints. All believers have union with Christ as well as salvation through Christ; they share in the righteousness and holiness of Christ, through the call of the Lord in the Gospel, to which they have given obedience through faith. Incidentally, the Christians at Corinth should always be conscious of the fact that they are united as members of the body of Christ, in this most intimate union, with all that call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, Christ being the Lord and Head of the Church everywhere and standing in this relation to all those that accept Him as their Redeemer. To call upon the name of the Lord is an act of divine worship which flows out of faith in Him, is an expression of the faith worked by the Holy Ghost. The true believer knows Christ to be true God, and accordingly puts his trust in Him and confidently expects help from Him as the almighty God, 1 Corinthians 12:3; Romans 10:12-13; Romans 15:6. The universality, the true catholicity, of the Christian Church is here emphasized.

The apostle opens his letter with his customary greeting: Grace unto you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. The grace and mercy of God in Christ Jesus is the greatest gift of the believers; they are assured of the favor of God through the redemption of Jesus. And therefore they have also peace with God, the peace of forgiveness and reconciliation, which includes spiritual welfare in all conditions of life, the calm assurance, the sweet consciousness of being reconciled to God, the certainty that we have God for our friend and hence may expect only goodness and blessings from Him. Nothing else can come to us since God is our Father and wants only our greatest and highest good, and since Jesus Christ, He that assumed our human nature and became our Substitute, is now exalted to be Lord over all; He is the Head of His Church, and intends finally to lead all believers to everlasting glory. Note that Jesus is here again, as elsewhere throughout the writings of Paul, coordinated with the Father.

The thanksgiving of the apostle:

In spite of the conditions which Paul knew to be existing in Corinth, he must break forth in a hymn of thankfulness. “The injury of the ungrateful Corinthians was great, but their ingratitude did not consume Paul’s gratitude.” ^■636 . Paul’s manner of dealing in this instance is, incidentally, a fine example of love’s believing all things; for he was sure that the abuses that were found in the Corinthian congregation did not represent their real spiritual selves, and that his admonition would readily be heeded. And therefore he was engaged in thanking God always, in blessing and praising His mercy, concerning the Corinthian Christians, for the grace of God which was given them in Christ Jesus. That was the reason for his continual thanksgiving ^■649 . In spite of their many weaknesses they were yet believers; they had received from God, and were in possession of, His grace, as a free gift in Christ Jesus, a gift made possible through the merits of Christ in His vicarious office. “That is also an unspeakable treasure of a Christian that he has of a certainty first of all the Word of God, which is the Word of eternal grace and comfort, Baptism, the Sacrament, the understanding of the Ten Commandments and of faith, and, in addition, also the certain refuge and assurance that He will hear us in trouble, if we will call upon Him.” ^■637 .

The apostle now shows in what way the grace of God has given practical evidence of its living power in the hearts of the Corinthian Christians: That in every point you have been enriched, abundantly blessed, in Him, namely, in every word and in every knowledge, in all doctrine and in all understanding. “That is what St. Paul calls ‘being rich,’ first ‘in all doctrine or wisdom,’ which is the high spiritual understanding of the word which concerns eternal life, that is, the comfort of faith in Christ; also of calling upon Him and praying. And ‘in all understanding,’ that is, correct knowledge and distinction of the entire external physical life and being on earth.” ^■638 . They had learned to know the way to eternal life, they were filled with the riches of the certainty of the grace of God, and they were rich in all understanding, they had an insight into the truth of the doctrine of God in its application to every-day life, to their needs in every condition of life. And the abundance of this knowledge and understanding in them was in proportion to their acceptance of the Gospel-truth: Even as, or, inasmuch as, the witness of Christ was confirmed in you. The witness to Christ, the good news of God about His Son, “the well-established truth of the message” of salvation, had been made sure in them; they had become fixed, they had remained steadfast in the truth, their hearts were established, Hebrews 13:9, they were certain of its reality. As then, so to-day this establishment in the witness to Christ is a matter of His grace, an object of prayer, and a cause for thankfulness.

A further result of this gift of grace and of the firm establishment of the Gospel: So that you are not deficient in any gift. The Christians of Corinth did not lack, did not fall behind in, any gift of grace which was needed for edification, by which they were qualified to labor for the Lord by instruction, by exhortation, by rule, by service. No congregation of the early days exceeded that of Corinth in the variety of its endowments and the satisfaction felt in them, 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. The believers in that heathen city were in possession of such rich endowments while they eagerly awaited the coming, the final revelation, of the Lord Jesus Christ. They received the rich endowment of the gifts of grace and used them for the benefit of the work for Christ, but at the same time their hearts were turned in eager anticipation to their final redemption, Philippians 3:20; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 3:12. Thus the heart of every believer is filled with homesickness for the mansions above; but that very fact causes him to work in the interest of the Master while it is day, to use all his gifts and abilities in the interest of his Lord. In the mean time he knows that Christ the Lord will confirm, establish, us unto the end, to the end of the world, if that is thus near, or to the end of our life, if the Lord calls us home before His last great day. But no matter when the day may come, He will establish us to be blameless, that we shall no longer be guilty and under the condemnation, Romans 8:33-34. This blamelessness of the Christians does not consist in any merits on their part, but in the fact that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to them by faith, Philippians 3:9. The reason for every believer’s acceptance by God is thus placed o00n the side of God and Christ alone, and the promise is made with such reassuring certainty that it should be the basis of a joyful hope, John 10:27-28.

The final, the deepest ground of Paul’s hope for the salvation of the Corinthian Christians is the fidelity of God: Faithful is God, through whom you are chosen to the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Our hope of eternal life is based upon the promise of God, who cannot lie, Titus 1:2. Our election to the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, the fact that we have been brought to faith by Him and have thus been united with Him in that wonderful spiritual union of members in His body, is His earnest-money to us that our salvation is secure in His hands. Christ is but the Firstborn among many brethren, and we are joint-heirs with Him of the blessings of eternal life. Since He, however, is also our exalted Lord, our communion with Him invests us with His present grandeur and certifies the manifestation of His glory upon us. So the Christian’s faith is not a vague and uncertain hope, but is based upon the fact that he has received a guarantee of the final consummation of his hopes. “What Christ has begun in you, and what He has already given you, in that He will surely keep you to the end and into eternity, if only you do not wilfully fall from it and cast it from you; for His Word and promise, given you, and His work, which He performs in you, is not changeable like men’s word and work, but sure, certain, and divinely immovable truth. Since, then, you have such a divine call, take comfort in it and rely upon it firmly.” ^■639 . “Thus, also, Holy Scripture testifies that God, who has called us, is so faithful that, when He has begun the good work in us, He also will preserve it to the end and perfect it, if we ourselves do not turn from Him, but firmly retain to the end the work begun, for which He has promised His grace.” ^■640 .

Verses 10-16

A reproof of disharmony

The apostle takes up at once the question which caused him the deepest concern in the congregation at Corinth, that of the threatening disruption. He beseeches them, he exhorts them, he most earnestly begs them, as brethren, his brethren and brethren among one another. He bases his pleading upon the soundest foundation: Through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because the name, the honor, of Jesus is involved in all the actions of the Christians, they must be doubly careful in all their actions. The hallowing of the name of God and of Christ requires that we at all times keep it unstained, unblemished, by any behavior which might bring disgrace to Him. Therefore Paul asks the Corinthians that they all say the same thing; there should be such perfect accord and harmony of sentiment that in their confession of faith before men their agreement may always be voiced. He demands unity for union, not an ignoring of fundamental differences by equivocal confessions. If a creed is purposely so worded as to include or admit both true and false interpretations, it will not aid the cause of Christian harmony. But Paul wants unity and union on the basis of the truth, lest there be among them clefts, splits, schisms, and thus divisions be found among them in spite of the fact that they are united in an outward organization. Instead of that, they should be well and surely adjusted, held together in a bond of perfect unity, in the same discernment and in the same judgment. They should have the proper view of all conditions and circumstances pertaining to the belief and work of the Church, and they should rest their judgment upon this correct understanding; they should form their opinion from the right disposition, Acts 4:32. As the Christians are one heart in the faith, so they should be one mouth in confession. But where there are breaches of opinion, due to false thinking and reasoning, there the perfect interrelation and harmony of all the members of the Church is out of the question.

The apostle now names the witnesses, upon whose testimony he bases his admonition: For it has been made known to me concerning you, my brethren, by them of Chloe that there are personal contentions among you. Paul had received definite information, it had been disclosed to him as a fact. Chloe may have been a freed-woman belonging to the congregation at Ephesus, but also well known in Corinth, the members of whose household had been in the latter city and brought their report from first-hand knowledge. So the apostle knew about the personal wranglings which were threatening to disrupt the Corinthian congregation; for, naturally, the difference of opinion would lead to contentions in the effort to establish various opinions. Note that Paul, in spite of these conditions, yet addresses the Christians at Corinth as his brethren. The apostle says wherein these strifes consisted: But I mean this, I have reference to this fact, that each of you individually says, I am of Paul; but I of Apollos; but I of Cephas; but I of Christ. As the Corinthians saw it in the schools of their heathen philosophers, so they applied it in their pride and self-conceit to the Christian congregation: they formed parties and called themselves after the name of their favorite teacher. Paul had been the first teacher of the Gospel at Corinth, and, as the apostle to the heathen, had preached the truth with all fervor. Next had come Apollos, whose brilliant gifts of oratory had naturally impressed a great many of the members. Both of these teachers undoubtedly emphasized the universality of the grace of God in Christ, as they were obliged to do in order to gain the Gentiles for Christ. But soon came the Judaizing teachers, who wanted the Jewish ceremonial law introduced in all congregations, probably arguing with a great show of plausibility for their position. And while the contention was at its height, a number of members that had not yet been involved formed their own party, sanctimoniously taking their name from Christ Himself and denying to the others true discipleship. The result of the entire quarrel was that each party claimed for itself the only true position and despised all the others. Note that a feature of the movement was the adherence to a name and that it was nourished entirely by party spirit. Not one of them arose in defense of a fundamental principle of Christian truth.

Paul, therefore, takes hold of the matter in no uncertain terms: Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you, or have you been baptized into the name of Paul? A divided Christ means a Christ appropriated in parts, to each one his several bit, in this case in four parts, each faction claiming His truth for itself. Surely that cannot be the intention of the Corinthian Christians; this point they surely did not consider in their wrangling! And the thought foremost in the mind of Paul is that his readers had become members of the Church by faith in the Cross, in the atonement of Christ, which had been sealed to them in Baptism. The very idea as though Paul had been crucified for them is monstrous in his eyes. And the thought as though any of them had been baptized into his name and thus become consecrated to his person, is perfectly abhorrent to his humility. “The fact that Paul puts his name for all the rest proves how ingenuously he was opposed to all this party spirit, and how humbly he was anxious that Christ’s name should not be prejudiced through his own.” ^■641 . He could not bear to be placed upon a pedestal by such as did not trust solely in the Gospel preached by him, but made their boast of the dubious distinction that they called themselves after the name of such an excellent preacher.

It is with a feeling of relief that Paul cries out: I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest any one should say that you were baptized into my name. However, I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; but I baptized no one else, so far as I know, 1 Corinthians 1:14-16. Because the very suggestion of a party spirit based upon personal preferences appears horrible and hideous to him, Paul regards it as a veritable dispensation of Providence that so few people had been baptized by him personally in Corinth. Crispus and Gaius had been among his earliest converts, Acts 18:8; Romans 16:23, and now that he thought of it, he remembered also that Stephanas with his entire household had received baptism at his hands; but he could recall no other instance. And this fact, that only so few had been baptized by him personally, is a source of much satisfaction to him, lest any one should, under the conditions now obtaining in Corinth, bring the accusation against him that his intention had been to bind them to his person and to form a party named after him. Note the deep humility of the great apostle, as well as his carefulness of expression, lest he be under suspicion.

Verses 17-31

The wisdom of God and the foolishness of men

The foolishness of the Gospel-message:

The apostle here characterizes his office, trying to make it clear to the Corinthian Christians wherein the ministry of the Gospel really consists. He says of himself that Christ did not send him, did not entrust him with the office of an apostle, for the purpose of baptizing, but for that of preaching the Gospel. The appointment to this office did indeed include the work of administering Baptism, Matthew 28:19. Incidentally, however, the work of preaching, of bearing testimony of Christ and His atonement, was the chief calling of the apostle. Without the Word of the Gospel the Sacraments have no efficacy. “Without the Word of God the water is simple water and no Baptism.” ^■642 . The function of administering the sacrament of Baptism follows from the greater function, that of spreading the Gospel-message. “In the command to preach the command to baptize is included in this way, that he who is called to preach the Gospel is also empowered to baptize; but, on the other hand, not every one that is empowered and has the right to baptize thereby also is qualified and called to preach. Therefore Paul can say that Christ had not sent him to baptize, without thereby undervaluing Baptism as a means of grace. … The actual performance of the act of baptism, which belongs to the office of the Church, Matthew 28:19, the apostles could have carried out through others, Acts 10:48; cp. John 4:1-2, who were their hands and Christ’s in this service. But the preaching of the Gospel, through which alone the practise of baptizing is made possible, they could indeed carry on in fellowship with others, but they could not personally omit this function or have it done only through a delegation of preachers, for they were trumpets in the world of nations and lights in the darkness.” ^■643 .

The apostle now shows wherein the true power of the Gospel consists, first from the negative side: Not in wisdom of speech, not in the rhetorical argumentation of Greek philosophy, lest the cross of Christ be rendered void, without effect. To clothe the preaching of the Cross in the words of man’s wisdom, to seek for great oratorical effect in teaching its glorious truths, is not only not doing a service to the message of Christ, but it is fraught with the greatest danger to the Gospel, it works harm; it shuts off the power of the divine message. The true Gospel-preacher is not to stand before his congregation primarily as an orator trained in the art of rhetoric, but as a witness of Christ, bearing testimony to the great facts in and through which God has chosen to reveal Himself to men. The doctrine of the justification of a poor sinner, whose center is the cross of Calvary, is bereft of its efficiency by any deliberate display of art, which brings forward the person of the messenger rather than his message. In many modern churches in which the Gospel of Christ is occasionally, incidentally, mentioned, the very intellectual or esthetic pleasure which the hearers feel under the sway of the speaker’s artful eloquence will tend to shut off the influence of the Gospel contained in the minister’s message.

This assertion Paul now supports by a fact from experience: For the Word of the Cross is to them that are lost foolishness, but to us who are saved it is the power of God. The Word of the Cross includes the account of all that was done for the entire world on the cross, the message of reconciliation through the work performed on the cross by the Redeemer. And this Word, this Gospel, is to them that perish, that are on the way to perdition, folly; their considering it so is the cause of their being lost; their reason, their wisdom, their entire sinful nature, rises in opposition to a message which is so utterly at variance with the pride of man, and therefore they do not receive the benefit of its assurance. But on the other hand, that same Word is to them that are saved, that is, to us believers, the power of God unto salvation. The believers of all time know that the Cross of Christ, the message of the crucified Christ, is a saving power. In the statement of the facts of the redemption of the world lies the power of the Gospel, not in any man’s way of presenting them. And the very fact that we have experienced the power of the Word in our own hearts is to us a testimony of our salvation.

For the fact that the wisdom of this world, in regarding the Gospel-preaching folly, paves the way for its own damnation, Paul adduces a Scripture-passage: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the understanding of the prudent I will frustrate, Isaiah 29:14. Just as the wisdom of the Jews, which relied upon shallow cunning, was brought to naught in the days of the prophet, just as their hypocrisy and lip-service resulted in their rejection, so the wisdom of him that believes himself to be exceptionally rich in understanding according to the standard of this world, and with supercilious haughtiness despises the message of the Cross, will be frustrated. “Gentile and Jewish wisdom, united in the rejection of the Gospel, are coming to a like breakdown; and Paul draws a powerful warning from sacred history.” ^■644 . And the warning must be sounded to-day as strongly as it ever was in the history of the world.

The foolishness of God wiser than men:

In a series of rhetorical questions the apostle brings out the foolishness of this world’s wisdom when compared with the wisdom of God. Where is the wise? Where are all the wise men of the world with all their wisdom? What has become of all the learned Greeks whose wisdom was praised so highly? Not one sinner has ever been converted by their sayings and writings; not one person has obtained salvation by following their rules of conduct. Where is the scribe? What is true of the heathen philosophers is true also of the Jewish lawyer and his insistence upon the righteousness of works. All this is false wisdom and must vanish before the light of eternal truth. Where is the disputer, the rhetorician of this world? The men that prided themselves on their ability to sway multitudes according to their will, to make them accept as right and true whatever their skill dictated, are vanished with the others that were filled with intellectual pride. Did not God render foolish the wisdom of the world? So far as God was concerned, the wisdom of this world always was folly, but through the revelation of the heavenly wisdom in the crucified Christ God has judged and condemned this world’s wisdom as foolishness. All the knowledge that has been acquired by men since the dawn of history, all the wisdom that is stored in countless minds, all the prevailing ideas of the present life, is vain where the heavenly wisdom is wanting, and utterly foolish if it attempts to measure the wisdom of God or to judge spiritual matters. This thought is carried out further by the apostle: For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God’s pleasure through the foolishness of preaching to save those that believe. Although the entire world proclaims the wisdom of God, although His wisdom is evidenced both in the works of creation, Romans 1:20, and in the history of the world, Acts 17:26-27, yet in all this wise plan of the world’s government the world’s wisdom failed to win the knowledge of Him. Because the children of the world became wise in their own imaginations, therefore their foolish hearts were darkened, Romans 1:21. God cannot be comprehended by intellectual speculation, and all the efforts of the philosophers to penetrate into the mystery of His essence are bound to meet with abject defeat. And since thus the world, with its own wisdom, could not find the way to the wisdom of God, therefore it pleased God, according to the good pleasure of His will, to lead men to the knowledge of His essence by a way which alone can bring sinful mankind to Him. By that which is considered the foolishness of preaching, by the proclamation of a message which is ridiculed as unreasonable by the wise men of this world, God brings salvation to the believers. “God’s sovereign grace rescues man’s bankrupt wisdom: God saves by faith.” ^■645 . Through the very same message of salvation which seems to man the essence of foolishness, God takes away the conceit of this human opinion and works faith in his heart.

In what way the wisdom of the world defeats its own ends is further explained by the apostle: For seeing that, while both Jews require signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom, we, on the other hand, preach Christ crucified, 1 Corinthians 1:22-23. That was characteristic of the Jews, they were not satisfied with the words of salvation, but demanded signs from heaven, John 4:48; Matthew 12:39; Matthew 16:4; their proud self-righteousness was not so easily brought into captivity under the obedience of Christ. And of the Greeks it was characteristic that they sought wisdom; they wanted philosophic proof, logical demonstration, they wanted to be convinced by reasonable arguments, Acts 17:19; Colossians 2:4. The preaching of the Cross was therefore in emphatic contrast to both positions. It offered no sign, but merely referred to the greatest miracle that was ever seen in the world, the death and resurrection of Christ, John 2:18-19; it brought no reasonable arguments, but simply preached Christ crucified, announced the salvation of mankind through the merits of Him who died for all. This Christ is indeed, as revealed in this message, an offense, a scandal, to the Jews; they will not accept Him, and therefore their perversity causes them to fall over Him as over an obstacle placed in their path. And to the Gentiles in general, not only to the Greeks, Christ the Savior is foolishness, the way of redemption as taught in the Scriptures savors to them of madness. But to them that are called by God, chosen by Him in His great mercy, that have heard and heeded the call by grace, whether they belong to the Jewish or to the Greek nation, we preach Christ as the Power of God and as the Wisdom of God. In Christ the highest, the most glorious power of God, that of His atoning and saving love, was manifested. Christ is the Power of God unto us, because He is the Deliverer from sin, death, and the devil, because He has earned everlasting righteousness and salvation for us, because through His Spirit He sends us power from on high. And Christ is the Wisdom of God unto us, because in Him we have the fulness of spiritual understanding, because He can enlighten the darkness of our natural blindness, because He can find ways and means of leading us safely through all the temptations and dangers of this world to the eternal mansions above. And this is further substantiated: For that which is foolish in God, what seems to man’s reason a foolish, weak policy, the redemption of the world through the death of His Son on the cross, is wiser than men. All the attempts of men to find a way to the mercy of God and to the bliss of heaven were absolute failures; but the way chosen by God, foolish, unreasonable according to the opinion of men, proved the wise, the feasible way. And what is weak in God, what seemed to man’s foolish reason altogether lacking in intrinsic strength and efficiency, that is stronger than men. That is the mystery of the Cross, that Christ, in dying, conquered death, that in His yielding up the ghost death was swallowed up in victory, 2 Corinthians 13:4. The same wonderful strength has been imparted to the Church of Christ, since she, in the midst of all temptations and tribulations, when she seems all but conquered and expiring, has the divine strength to uphold her and to lead her on to final victory.

The status of the believers:

The miraculous working of the power and wisdom of God is exemplified in the case of the Corinthian Christians themselves. The apostle urges them to consider, to contemplate earnestly, their calling, the act of God’s calling as it affected their own ranks. There were not many wise according to the flesh in their midst, few that ranked high as the people of this world rate knowledge; there were not many powerful, such as were influential in public affairs by reason of their wealth or social or political position; there were not many noble-born, people of aristocratic rank by birth. “Few intellectual men, few politicians, few of the better class of free citizens embraced Christianity.” ^■646 . There is a sharp contrast: But the foolish things of the world God has chosen to put to shame the wise men. The Christians are not only considered bigoted, but actually narrow-minded and lacking in the proper use of their reasoning faculty. And the weak things of the world has God chosen to put to shame the strong ones. Those whose numbers would tend to make them anything but a power in the world in many cases control the destinies of nations. And the base, the vile things of the world and the utterly despised things has God chosen, and the things which are non-existent before the pride of the world, which are made absolutely nothing of, which are not considered as by any possibility having any weight, in order to make null and void, to deprive of all validity, that which is something in the judgment of men. Since the time of Christ the believers have been despised, scorned, ignored, and yet they have displayed a power of action and endurance which cannot be accounted for by reasonable suppositions. The despotism of the Roman emperors, the tyranny of the medieval hierarchy, the inquisition of the counter-reformation, all the so-called assured results of modern science falsely so called have not been able to overcome or to render obsolete the truth and the power of the Gospel. For it is the power of God that lives in the message of salvation, and it is His grace which has chosen the lowly. And therefore no flesh, no human being, can boast before God. No matter how wise, how powerful, how rich the children of the world may be, before God they can boast of nothing. No man can say that he, out of his own endeavors, or position, or worth has contributed anything to the success of the Gospel. And therefore the vessels of mercy also will never be tempted to allege their own fitness and their own readiness to accept the wealth of God’s wisdom and power. It is all the mercy of God’s election, the grace of God’s call.

This thought is emphasized by the apostle in conclusion: Out of Him, due to His grace and power, you are in Christ Jesus. God has brought us to the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, because we are the spiritual offspring of God by His grace, and the life which we have received from God is grounded in Christ. And what this life in Christ all includes the apostle shows: Who was made Wisdom unto us from God, Righteousness as well as Sanctification and Redemption. All this has been revealed to us by faith and has become our property through faith. By the grace of God, Christ has become Wisdom to us: in and through Him the mystery of the divine plan of salvation has been unfolded to us; in and through Him we know God as our dear Father and through this knowledge have eternal life, John 17:3. But this would not be possible were it not for the fact that Christ became unto us Righteousness as well as Sanctification, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Jeremiah 23:5; Matthew 3:15; Galatians 2:16-17. The righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us as well as His perfect fulfilment of the Law, and thus our whole life is consecrated to God, and every act is a work of divine service. “For that is Christ’s rule. To that end He has been placed as the Lord, that He might do such works among men, justify them, and bring them back to the fear of God, innocence, and obedience, from which we fell in Paradise through the cunning of the serpent.” ^■647 . These great benefits are ours by faith, not because faith in itself is a work which merits the blessings, but because it accepts the promise made by God that He for the sake of Christ would be gracious to those that believe in Him ^■648 . For Christ is our Redemption; by paying the ransom of His blood and life He has delivered us forever from the power of all our enemies; He had in Himself the power to achieve this deliverance, 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Colossians 1:13-14. And thus we have in Him the guarantee of the glory of eternal life which will be revealed to us on the last day. And all this is God’s free gift of grace, excluding all boasting on our part, all alleging of merit before Him. As it is written: He that glories shall glory in the Lord, Jeremiah 9:23-24. There should be boasting and praising indeed, but only in God, as the Author of our salvation. Where the preaching of the Cross reveals God’s mercy and righteousness, God’s wisdom and power, only one boasting shall be heard, namely, this: All glory be to God on high!

Summary

After opening his letter with a salutation, the apostle thanks God for the revelation of His grace, reproves the Corinthian Christians for their wranglings, which had resulted in the formation of factions, and discusses at length the wisdom and power of God as revealed in the Gospel.

Verses 1-16

The preaching of the cross

Paul’s preaching not in man’s wisdom:

Paul has praised the preaching of the wisdom of the Cross. He now shows what interest he, in his own person and in his office, has in this message: And I also, brethren, when I came to you, came not according to excellency of speech or wisdom. As it was with the Corinthian Christians, to whom Paul had conveyed the call of the Lord, so it was with Paul himself; they were not wise or influential according to the standard of this world, and therewith agreed that he, too, came without wisdom or strength, having in mind nothing but their spiritual welfare and the glory and praise of the Lord. When he came to Corinth, he did not make his entrance before them in accordance with the expectation which men of the world might have had concerning him, heralded as a man of singular accomplishments in oratory and wisdom and relying upon them for a brilliant success in the great metropolis. Never for a moment was he unconscious of the fact that he was proclaiming to the Corinthians the testimony of God. That was the subject-matter, that was the content of his testimony and message; and this excluded, by its very nature, a show of eloquence and wisdom. The testimony concerning Christ and His salvation is supremely excellent only as it is communicated in all simplicity.

And therefore Paul announces as his motto: For I resolved not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified; or: I did not judge it to be right and proper for me to give any evidence of wisdom among you but only that which concerned Jesus Christ in the climax of His vicarious work, as a condemned criminal on Calvary. Paul might well have taken the results of his studies, his learning in the realm of history, in natural theology, in philosophical systems, in order to parade it before the Corinthians. But all this he cast aside as improper and not apt to serve the Gospel. One fact only he wanted to hold before the eyes of the Corinthians: the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as all men’s Substitute. “What manner of boasting is this, that he writes of knowing nothing but the crucified Christ? It is a matter such as no reason or human wisdom can comprehend, nor even those that have already studied and learned the Gospel; for it is a wisdom which is powerful, secret, and hidden, and appears like nothing, because He was crucified and gave up all might and power of the Godhead, hangs there like a miserable, forsaken man, and it seems as though God would not help Him; of Him alone I know to say and to preach, says St. Paul.” ^■650 . Jesus Christ, the crucified Savior, is the one subject which cannot be exhausted in Gospel-preaching.

The theme, or subject, of his preaching having been announced, Paul describes himself as preacher among his hearers and readers: And I came and was among you in a state of weakness and of fear and of much trembling. The experiences which Paul had just had in Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens, before coming to Corinth, had brought him into a state of deep dejection, Acts 18:5,9. And his spiritual weakness in this case had been increased by his weak and infirm body, 2 Corinthians 10:1,10, which was often racked with illness, Galatians 4:13-14. He was ever conscious of his want of resources for the task before him, and therefore was troubled with diffidence and timidity, 2 Corinthians 7:5. At least in his own opinion, Paul seems to have lacked the bold appearance, the imposing personality which makes an impression upon the average audience. But the very fact that he came without all artificial expedients served as a foil to bring out all the more strongly the quality of the message with which he was entrusted. For his speech and his preaching was not in persuasive words of wisdom; he used no philosophical argumentation, no oratorical tricks; he did not try to make his message plausible by the skill of the trained dialectician. But by that very token the apostle’s message was delivered in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; the Holy Spirit, through the preaching of Paul, gave the demonstration of His power, 1 John 5:6; it was the power of God which was exerted upon the hearts of the hearers when Paul brought his message, 1 Thessalonians 1:5. So the demonstration of the Spirit is contrasted with that of mere words, and the demonstration of power with that of mere logical argumentation. And the purpose of Paul in so doing was that the faith of his hearers might not be based upon the wisdom of men, but upon the power of God. If they had merely given assent to his teaching as a fine philosophical system which contained much to render it plausible, their faith would have rested upon treacherous sand. Paul’s intention, therefore, was to direct their hearts and minds to the power of God alone, through which they had been called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified, that God alone might be glorified in the faith of the Corinthians. Thus Paul has described the beginning of his ministry in Corinth in regard to his bearing, theme, personal feeling, method, and aim.

The Gospel itself true wisdom:

The apostle had said that his Gospel is foolishness according to the standard of this world, but all the while he makes it felt that it is wisdom, God’s wisdom: Yet wisdom it is that we speak of among the full-grown, among the mature, that are qualified to understand it, the believers. Let other people decry and condemn the preaching of the Cross as unreasonable, utter nonsense, those whose hearts and minds the Spirit has prepared through faith are able to comprehend its unspeakable wisdom. But it is not a wisdom of this transitory world nor of the rulers of this world that pass away. The wisdom of the Gospel has nothing in common with the results of philosophic study and research, as they are so widely heralded. All the greatness of man’s intellectual achievements will share the fate of the secular rulers of this world: they will vanish, their wisdom and power will come to naught. It is rather so that we, Paul and all true preachers of the Gospel, speak the wisdom of God in a mystery; the message of God is a divine secret which only the Spirit of God can reveal, Ephesians 3:3, which remains hidden and incomprehensible for human reason until God opens up its glories and its power. It is this wisdom which God predetermined before the ages, before the foundation of the world and the beginning of time unto our glory. The entire plan of salvation was determined upon by God from eternity, and its final aim and object, as put into execution by Jesus Christ, is the final glory which shall be revealed to the believers in heaven. Of that glory we have a foretaste and guarantee in the blessings of the Gospel at the present time.

The Gospel-message with all its glorious benefits is intended for all men without exception, but it is realized only in the believers, as Paul shows by the contrast: Which wisdom none of the rulers of this present, transitory world knew; for if they had known it, if they had had a proper understanding and conception of its glories, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. If the leaders of the Jews and Pilate had had any inkling of the Gospel-truth, of the message of salvation as it was embodied in Jesus Christ; if they had understood and realized the object of His work; if they had been conscious of the splendor clothing the Lord Jesus as He stood before them, then they would not have condemned Him to death on the cross. Note that the appellation “Lord of Glory” is here applied to Christ according to His human nature. “Therefore the Son of God truly suffered for us, however, according to the property of His human nature, which He assumed into the unity of His divine person and made His own, that He might be able to suffer and be our High Priest for our reconciliation with God.” ^■651 . “Therefore that God was crucified and died who became man; not the separate God, but the God united with the humanity; not according to His deity, but according to the human nature which He assumed.” ^■652 .

The fact that this wisdom of the Gospel is absolutely beyond the comprehension and understanding of natural man, no matter what learning he has acquired, no matter what position he holds, is substantiated by a passage from the Old Testament: What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not come into the heart of man, that God has prepared for them that love Him, Isaiah 64:4. The passage is taken from the Advent call and Messianic prophecy which attempts to picture the inexpressible glory of the promised salvation. No man’s senses can conceive of, no man’s mind and heart can comprehend, the glory, the unspeakable bliss which is contained in the proclamation of redemption as it is revealed to those whose heart has received the gift of faith and is turned toward God in fervent love. It is a magnificence of blessing, undreamed of in former ages, unknown to all men by nature, which comes all prepared to the believers. Salvation is not completed by the faith of man, but its wonderful assurances are appropriated. “Not as though we had loved God before did God in His eternal wisdom of love prepare salvation for us, but because He out of pure grace has prepared that of which our reason has no conception or faintest intimation, therefore His love toward us through the evangelical call has kindled love in our believing hearts, and as such that love Him in the obedience of His Word has He revealed Himself and His gifts, the full preparation of our heritage, to us through His Spirit.” ^■653 .

The revelation of the Spirit:

While the attitude of the rulers of this world, both intellectual and secular, is characterized by an utter lack of understanding of the great things of God, He has to us, being those that love Him, revealed them through the Spirit. The Spirit is God’s instrument and agent to bring the proper enlightenment to our hearts. In the case of the apostles the Spirit worked by direct or immediate action when they were engaged in the work of preaching the Gospel, Galatians 1:12; 1 Peter 1:12; and since their days the revelation comes to us through the preaching based upon the Word of the apostles, Hebrews 2:3. This work of revealing the way of salvation can be done by the Spirit; it is the special function of the Spirit, because the Spirit investigates all things, even the depths of God. He has access to, he is familiar with, the innermost thoughts and plans of God. And what He has discovered He discloses to us. Those unexplorable, unfathomable, bottomless depths of God’s essence where the gracious will of God for the salvation of mankind lay hidden, the Spirit has made known to us. Note: Since the Spirit has access to the innermost secrets of God, His must be the divine essence, He must be true God. This fact is brought out by the comparison which the apostle introduces: For who among men knows the things of a man, his thoughts and projects, if not the spirit of the man which is in him? No person is able to know the innermost feelings and desires of another unless that person reveals himself to him by word or sign. Even so no one has, by searching, by examining, found out God, had access to His purposes and plans; only the Spirit of God has that knowledge, and therefore can and does reveal Him.

The apostle makes the application of this fact: But we have not received the spirit of the world. That is the spirit whose wisdom God has shown to be foolishness, the spirit which is always ready to crucify the Lord anew, the spirit which is darkened and blinded against the understanding of God. Ours is rather the Spirit which has been bestowed upon us by God, the Spirit of spiritual enlightenment. And the result is that we know, we have a definite, unshakable knowledge of, the gifts which God in His wonderful grace and mercy has bestowed upon us. All these gifts are included in Christ and made possible through the redemption of Christ. These gifts, wonderful as they are, would have been useless to us if the Spirit had not opened the eyes of our understanding to see and accept the unmerited favor of God in Christ through faith. Note that the apostle does not make our possession of these gifts dependent upon our feeling, but upon the knowledge transmitted to us by the Spirit, through the Word.

The Word and spiritual discernment:

The apostle now refers more particularly to his office, including the other apostles in a category with himself. They know the great things of God, and therefore they tell them, proclaim them. And this speaking is done not in words taught by human wisdom, not according to the rules of worldly oratory and logic, but in words taught by the Spirit. Paul thus plainly states that not only his thoughts, but his very words were taught him by the Spirit; he affirms for himself and his fellow-apostles verbal inspiration. In the correct words of Holy Writ we find the clear and correct meaning of God. And the words agree exactly with the divine content, for Paul says that they place spiritual things side by side with spiritual things, matching the spiritual truth with spiritual phrase. In the teaching of the apostle there is a perfect harmony of subject-matter with the expression in words, with the form of speech as presented to his readers. The language of Scripture correctly represents the thoughts of God as He wanted to make them known to us for our salvation. The Bible thus sets before us the mind and doctrine of God in a clear way, and there is no need of adding human wisdom in any of its parts.

By way of contrast, Paul refers to the un-spiritual: But natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; the unregenerate person, even at his best, rejects the gifts and benefits which the Holy Ghost wants to bestow upon him; his is not merely a neutral, an apathetic feeling, but one of outspoken hostility: he wants nothing to do with them. For folly they are to him, and he cannot perceive them, for a person’s estimate of them must proceed from the spiritual side. Where, therefore, there is not a spark of spirituality, where the Spirit of God has not been able to work regeneration, there every human being’s judgment will insist upon the utter senselessness of the Gospel-message. “The Gospel appears on trial before the natural men; like the Athenian philosophers, they give it a first hearing, but they have no organon (rule of guidance) to test it by. The inquiry is stultified, at the very beginning, by the incompetence of the jury. The unspiritual are out of court as religious critics; they are deaf men judging music.” ^■654 . “The natural man receiveth not (or, as the Greek word properly signifies, grasps not, comprehends not, accepts not) the things of the Spirit, that is, he is not capable of spiritual things; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them. Much less will he truly believe the Gospel, or assent thereto and regard it as truth.” ^■655 .

It is different with the believer: But the spiritual person makes an estimate, a test, of everything. Because the believer is imbued with, and governed by, the Spirit, therefore his judgment, as governed by the Spirit, will extend to everything. He can form a correct estimate and judgment of his thoughts, words, and deeds, as to their sinfulness or agreement with the Word and will of God; he may form a correct opinion as to the various conditions and circumstances in life, as to whether certain things belong to the category of things indifferent or whether they must be labeled sinful; he can govern his conscience in such a way as to guard against erring in either direction, laxness or severity. And in performing this function of his spiritual life, the spiritual man himself is under no person’s judgment. He can well bear the criticism of the world, because such criticism does not strike him in truth. With the Word of God and a good conscience on his side, the Christian can afford to look the whole world in the face, since he is above both criticism and contempt. So firmly may he stand on the basis which alone is true that he may calmly say with Paul: For who has found out the mind of the Lord, Isaiah 40:13; who has investigated and examined what the Lord thinks, with the intention of giving Him instructions? No man has ever penetrated that inscrutable wisdom which is evidenced in God’s plan of salvation. Every one that attempts to pass judgment upon spiritual persons presumes to be a counselor of the Lord; every one that endeavors to correct the words of the Spirit’s teaching presumes to be a teacher of God. To all carnal-minded critics, therefore, we Christians can throw down the challenge: As for us, we have the mind of Christ. Christ lives in us, and His mind rules our mind, enabling us to make the proper estimate of all conditions and circumstances, but that we also look upon the cross of Calvary and upon the whole Gospel not with natural, but with spiritual eyes, that we find the fulness of all wisdom in the mystery of Christ the Crucified. “We have the mind of Christ. That is to be understood, as said above, that we may know and find out that which serves for our salvation. This mind and understanding is faith, that the spiritual man is saved without all works, through the Word only; thereafter he can also judge all things, what is right or wrong; thus he also knows all thoughts and plots of the devil and against what they are directed, namely, that he wants to suppress and extirpate faith and the Word of God and all that is necessary for salvation: all this he knows. So the understanding consists chiefly in this, that I know the will of God, what pleases Him; then I may say whether a thing is right or not.” ^■656 .

Summary

The apostle shows in what spirit he came to Corinth, proves that the Gospel is the wisdom of the mystery of God, and explains how the Spirit reveals this mystery by verbal inspiration in the Gospel, thus enabling the believers to form correct judgments of all human states and affairs.

Verses 1-23

A reproof of spiritual pride

The marks of carnal men:

Paul has held before the Christians of Corinth the wonderful blessings which belong to all believers through the Gospel, and which should be used and exercised by them in a proper way. To his great sorrow, he is obliged to state that the Corinthians whom he addresses do not yet measure up to the standard which should be found in those that have the proper understanding. But to show his confidence in them, he addresses them also in this section as “brethren.” His words are harsh, for he connects his reprimand with the statement that the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: And I, consequently, was not able to speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. He implies that he might well have expected by this time that he could address them as men that were governed in all things by the Spirit of God. Instead of that, however, he finds that he is obliged to speak to them as men that follow the thoughts of the flesh, that are governed by their unregenerate nature, by the old Adam. As to little children, to veritable babes in Christ, he must speak. Note how the addition “in Christ” softens the harshness of the censure and pleads with the better knowledge of the Corinthian Christians. But the rebuke stands: they are indeed children of God in Christ, but as yet without the experience and maturity which might justly be expected of them. This thought he drives home with an emphatic comparison: Milk I gave you to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet equal to it. He was obliged to give them nourishment suited to their age for the entire length of time that he was with them on the second journey. He could impart to them instruction only in the rudiments, the fundamentals, of Christian knowledge. Cp. Hebrews 5:13-14. They made such slow progress in Christian knowledge that the apostle could not go beyond the simplest and easiest truths in his instruction. But the matter would not have been so serious if now, after an interval of several years, they would have been able to receive solid food and to go on to perfection in knowledge. However, even at the present time they were not yet strong enough in spiritual apprehension, they had made no progress in proportion to the expectations of their teacher. And the more presumption they showed in their party spirit, as though they had been graduated from the elementary department of Christian doctrine, the sharper was the reproof of their teacher telling them that he could not consider their promotion. And the reason he flatly tells them: For yet are you carnal. They were still governed by considerations of their flesh, of their unspiritual nature; they permitted the desires of the flesh to control their actions instead of yielding to the gentle leading of the Spirit. There was still jealousy, dissension, wrangling among them, which are essentially works of the flesh, Galatians 5:20; they permitted partisan rivalry to hold sway among them. And that was proof positive that they were carnal, that their unregenerate, carnal self, Romans 7, had gained the ascendency. And so the conclusion, which Paul puts in the form of a question, was right, namely, that they were conducting themselves as unregenerate men are apt to behave under like circumstances, Romans 8:5, that they were conforming to the average person’s irreligious condition.

All ministers of Christ of equal rank:

Paul here repeats his chief complaint against the Corinthian Christians, that of yielding to party spirit and forming factions: For whenever any one says, I belong to the party of Paul; but another, I to that of Apollos, are you not mere men? Paul refers to only two parties in this instance, because they are sufficient to illustrate his point. And his accusation is that those of his readers that are guilty are following the example of the average man of the world, who is not governed by considerations of the will of God. The mind of Christ is unalterably opposed to disharmony and schism. Such party spirit is especially foolish in the Christian Church: What, then, is Apollos? What, on the other hand, is Paul? To make such questions a matter of quarrel, as though Apollos and Paul, in their own persons, were anything! Ministers they are, not the authors of your faith, but servants and instruments of God to bring you to faith. The Master and Lord of the work is Jesus Christ, and those that have the benefit of the work are the members of the congregation. But as for Apollos and Paul, they have no higher ambition than to be servants, each one with his own specific gifts, as the Lord has bestowed upon him. It is the Lord’s business entirely, and He furnishes the ability for the work as well as the opportunity to be active in His service, as He thinks best for the welfare of His Church. Both facts thus preclude all disposition to boast.

The apostle shows in just what way the Lord arranged matters in Corinth and made use of the talents of these two servants: I planted, Apollos watered, but God produced the growth; all the while, during the work of both men, God was giving the increase. The work in Corinth was that of obtaining a spiritual crop. To Paul’s lot it fell to break the ground and to plant the seed of the Word; God caused the seed to strike root and to spring up. Then came Apollos and tended the young plants by developing the life of faith, by confirming the believers in their Christian knowledge; God’s merciful power accompanied his efforts and caused the plants to bring forth fruit. It follows, then, that neither he that plants nor he that irrigates is anything; they are mere instruments in the hand of God, the Lord of the harvest, who alone gives the growth, and to whom, therefore, all glory must be given: He is everything, He alone remains, all others are excluded. This is brought out still more strongly by the thought: But the planter and the waterer are one thing; they are as one, as a single instrument in the hands of God, and they have only one interest and aim, the growth of the Church. They are not rivals, but colaborers in the same cause; their work is not competitive, but complementary. But each will get his own wage according to his own labor. If works are done with the object of meriting anything in the sight of God, of obtaining everlasting salvation through their performance, they are useless and worse than useless. But if they are performed in simple faith and love, in the service of the Lord, for His honor and glory, then God Himself will bring forth the final reward of mercy; for the sake of Jesus He will look upon them as deserving of a wage, and He will act accordingly, Luke 19:15-16; Matthew 19:28; 1 Peter 5:4; Daniel 12:3. And it is especially consoling that the reward is proportioned to the work, not to its success, so that unremitting faithfulness, rather than brilliant achievement, is the standard followed by God. “We also confess what we have often testified, that, although justification and eternal life pertain to faith, nevertheless good works merit other bodily and spiritual rewards and degrees of rewards.” ^■657 .

The laborers and the foundation:

The apostle now employs a different figure in order to bring out another thought closely connected with his present discourse. The members of the congregation sin against their teachers as well as against God if they make their estimate of them according to the show of outward talent and ability. For the teachers are God’s fellow-workmen; they are employed in the task given them by the Lord to build His spiritual temple; and they are fellows in this work, not rivals; they are pulling together for the same end. Note that the service of the ministry is called work, that it requires labor, if it is to be performed correctly. On the other hand, the hearers, the members of the congregation, are God’s field of tillage, a field sown with the seed of the Word of God through the labor of these ministers. And in order to stress the idea of the spiritual communion which obtains among the believers, and of the mutual adaptation of all the parts, Paul calls them God’s building, a temple of the Lord, in which the Triune Godhead intends to dwell.

The apostle now brings out the individual responsibility: According to the grace of God which is given me, as a wise master builder, as a chief engineer that knows his business, I have laid a foundation, but another builds on it. Note that the grace of God is placed into the foreground; Paul intimates that without it the work could neither have been attempted nor carried to the present state. The grace of God is the real motive force in the work of the Church at all times. And Paul knows that by this grace his work was done wisely; he had laid a foundation. Paul was not the possessor of only a single gift of grace, by which he would have been able to serve in only one single capacity in the Church, as exhorter or as pastor only, but he had been endowed with such talents as to make him a directive agent: he had great executive ability, he was a forceful preacher, he possessed great tact in approaching difficult cases, he could adapt himself to a great variety of conditions with great readiness. That was the reason why the grace of the Lord had selected him to found so many of the first congregations, as that of Corinth. On his foundation, the basis which he had laid, another would erect the building. That was the inevitable result in Corinth and elsewhere. Until the end of time the Christian ministers, by the preaching of the Gospel, are building up the temple of God on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. And the warning of Paul is always timely: But let each one take heed how he builds upon it, how he attempts to construct the temple of the Lord. A mere zeal for the Lord, a mere avidity for work, is not sufficient to determine the method of the ministry of Christ. The minor workman must follow the directions of the master builder, the lines plainly laid down, and he must use fit material. If the teaching of any Christian preacher does not agree with the doctrine of Jesus Christ and the apostles, especially if it leads to justification by works and thus, under the name of faith, makes false Christians and work-saints, as Luther writes, then the methods must be condemned absolutely. For, as the apostle solemnly declares: Other foundation can no man lay except that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 3:11. If men, teachers, arise inside or outside of the Church, claiming that they have a new way of salvation, a different way to heaven than Christ, who alone is the Way, then they are base deceivers, attempting to lay another foundation in opposition to the one and only existing one, which is Jesus Christ. This foundation was laid by God from eternity, when He destined His Son to be the corner-stone and foundation of the great Church, the spiritual temple dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and this foundation will remain as the only foundation, in spite of all the efforts of the enemies to overthrow it. As Luther says: “I have experienced and noted in all histories of all Christendom that all those that correctly had and held the chief article of Jesus Christ, remained well and secure in the true Christian faith. And though they may have erred and sinned otherwise, yet they were finally preserved. For he who herein stands correct and firm that Jesus Christ is true God and man, who died for us and rose again, for him all the other articles will fall in line and stand firmly by his side, so altogether sure it is what St. Paul says, Christ is the chief good, basis, foundation, and all in one.” ^■658 .

The building itself:

Paul here treats of the superstructure which is erected upon the one foundation, and distinguishes between rich and durable material on the one hand, and poor, paltry, and perishing on the other, both, however, serviceable for the erection of the building. He is not referring to the believers that make up the temple of God so much as to the doctrine by which they are won for Christ, and the manner in which their faith serves the entire building in all forms of Christian works, both pictures, however, being closely associated in his mind. However, among these [in the body which is built upon the true foundation, i.e., upon Christ and faith] there are also many weak persons, who build upon the foundation stubble that will perish, i.e., certain unprofitable opinions [some human thoughts and opinions], which, nevertheless, because they do not overthrow the foundation, are both forgiven them and also corrected. And the writings of the holy Fathers testify that sometimes even they built stubble upon the foundation, but that this did not overthrow their faith ^■659 . And we need not even think of human thoughts, opinions, and faults, but only of the great diversity of gifts and abilities in the kingdom of God, since the building is all done on the basis of the same good foundation, Jesus Christ. “Whether it be the gold of prophecy, or the silver of doctrine, or the precious stones of hymns, or the wood of keeping rank, or the hay of discipline, or the stalks of alms; whether it be high, brilliant endowment or endowment for the service in small, insignificant things; whether it be the oratory of spiritual tongues or the hand that offers assistance: everything may serve for the benefit of the congregation and reward the worker in the building of God, if he but offers it in the intention of Christ, that it may serve for the growth of the building on the foundation which is laid, not only as a mere outward appendage, but grown together inwardly with the foundation and charged with the love of the Spirit.” ^■660 . Of all these attempts the apostle says: The work of each man will become manifest, for the day will disclose it. So much, indeed, is evident even now with what kind of material every one is serving in the Church; it can be seen to some extent what special abilities he possesses; but how a person works, what success he has in his efforts, whether they redound to the blessing or the harm of the believers in the Church, that shall be disclosed and made manifest on the day, the great day, the Day of Judgment and of the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For on that day it shall be revealed with fire, in fire, and the work of every man, what kind it is, that fire will assay, will show. It is a probationary, not a purgatorial fire; and not the persons are subjected to this fire, but their works in the Church. The idea of a physical purgatory is absolutely remote to this passage. Consuming fire is the element of the last day, and in flaming fire the Lord Jesus will reveal Himself from heaven, 2 Thessalonians 1:8. “This fire will reveal what was worldly and perishable as well as what was spiritual and imperishable in the building of God. … Outward honor and dishonor, splendor of wisdom and cover of foolishness, will then be judged infallibly; the fire of probation will penetrate through all pretext into the inner substance, and only that will remain which was built in a Christian manner, borne up by and of the same material as the indestructible foundation, Jesus Christ. … The dross of reason and the vagaries of men, even if they be meant ever so well, will be mingled with the ashes, and in the light of the perfect knowledge, wherewith the fire of that day will shine round about us, will be revealed what was imagination and what was divine wisdom, what was hollow talk of art and what powerful word, what was mere opinion and what infallible truth.” ^■661 . Note that all this presupposes a building upon the foundation of Jesus Christ and His blessed Word.

The result of the test is now shown: If the work of any man will remain that he has built, he will receive a reward; if any man’s work shall be burned up, he will suffer loss; himself, however, will be saved, but in this manner as through fire. The statement is very general and refers to every kind of material, to all the various abilities and gifts. For whether a Christian is highly, moderately, or poorly gifted, so far as the work of the Church is concerned, that is of little or no consequence; everything rather depends upon this, that the work in the Church be free from the dross of human reason and vanity, that it rest upon the true foundation, and that it be actuated by love of Christ. In such measure as any Christian’s work will stand the test of the last day he will receive the reward of grace. And whatever part of the work will not stand up under the test of the fire of that day will be consumed. By so much as the imperfections of every man’s work will be revealed, by so much will his reward of mercy be reduced, by so much will he forfeit what he might have possessed, had his work all measured up to the standard set by God. But though such a person will not have the enjoyment of an unusual degree of glory, yet he will have the possession of the heavenly salvation, but so as through fire. He is like a person that has escaped with his naked life from a fire that threatened death and destruction, or like one that escapes from a shipwreck, but loses both money and goods. The special reward which God promises to faithful and excellent work such people lose, but that which is not the wages of their work, but only Christ’s merit, namely, life and salvation, that they inherit, because they retained faith in the forgiveness of their sins, also of their hidden sins, to their end. Mark that the apostle throughout the passage has in mind especially the teachers of the Church, but that the others, in all their several posts in the Church, are by no means excluded.

Every Christian a temple of God:

This is not merely a warning lest any of the readers find themselves sharing the fate of such whose efforts will not stand the test of the last day, but it is an arraignment of those who become destroyers of God’s house, whom therefore, in turn, God will destroy. To bring this out, Paul shows a different side of the picture: Do you not know that a temple of God you are, and that the Spirit of God lives in you? All Christians, being built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ and the apostles, have received the Holy Spirit, the Triune God, as the tenant of their hearts. Their hearts have become a shrine, a true temple, of the Godhead. And the underlying idea is that they all, because of this indwelling, together form the great temple of the invisible Church, the habitation of God through the Spirit. If, therefore, any person will corrupt, defile, desecrate the temple of God, this man will God destroy. If the agitators and false teachers in Corinth, if the errorists of all times, will persist in defiling the holy place of the pure temple of God in the individual Christian as well as in the Church as such, by a perversion of doctrine, by inciting wrangling and strife, then the wrath of God will strike them at last. For the holiness of God can never permit such a defilement to go unpunished; every injury of that kind is a desecration of the sanctity of the temple. And the added clause, “which you are,” reminds the Corinthians of the obligation which is imposed upon them by their sanctity; it urges them to be on a sharp lookout against the defilers of their temple, and not to permit the desecration to take place. The work in which they are engaged is a sacred work; they themselves are hallowed and consecrated to God; therefore they must watch over their sanctity with a jealous eye.

Since there was great danger that some of the Corinthian Christians might have been so thoroughly imbued with the glittering show of human wisdom in the work of the Church as not to heed the apostle’s warning, he adds another word. No one in their midst should deceive himself; no one should be involved in misapprehension and blindness; no one should presume wilfully to know more concerning this matter than the apostle. If any one among them had the idea that he was wise in the wisdom of this transitory world, he had better become a fool according to the standards of this world, for then only could he become wise in the sight of God. “Those who follow human wisdom exalt human masters at the expense of God’s glory, and there are teachers who lend themselves to this error and thus build unworthily on the Christian foundation, — some who are even destroying, under a show of building, the temple of God.” ^■662 . The power of the Word of God over the heart of man must be demonstrated in this way, that he places all the wisdom of this world at the disposal of the true wisdom from above, and that he rejects all wisdom which in any way conflicts with the revealed truth of the Bible, though he be mocked and derided a thousand times as a hopeless fool and as a narrow-minded bigot. For it is only by taking all human thoughts and opinions captive under the obedience of Christ that a person will be placed in the position that he may understand the wisdom of God in the Word of Salvation. In support of this St. Paul reaffirms what he has spoken of at length in 1 Corinthians 1: For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God; and as such it deserves only one fate, namely, to be cast aside as worthless before God. This statement the apostle substantiates by two passages from the Old Testament. In Job 5:13 it is said of the Lord: He that grips, catches, the wise in their own craftiness, their supposed wisdom. The wisdom of the world is here pictured as a craft, a subtle trade, which is carried on to the detriment of others. But God catches those that practise such cunning in their own wiles, thus showing how foolish their professions are. The second passage is from Psalm 94:11: The Lord understands the arguings of the wise that they are futile. What is true of the vanity of human thoughts in general is true in particular of those that assume the leading position in the counsels of human philosophy. Whenever they leave the eternal truth of God’s Word, they become groundless, void of truth, and therefore full of folly.

The conclusion:

This being true, that the world’s wisdom is foolishness before God, let therefore no one glory in men. Both the self-praise of the world’s wise men and the foolish adoration given to them is here condemned; and this all the more so, since everything is to serve the Christians in the Church, in their faith. So closely is the Church, so intimately are all believers, connected with Christ that they partake of His wonderful glory, Ephesians 1:19-23. They are no longer in any way dependent upon men, upon the wisdom of this world, but have a direct claim upon the service of everything which belongs to God and Christ. At the service of the believers, by the grace of God, stand Paul and Apollos and Cephas, all the apostles and ministers whom He has sent to proclaim the glorious truths of salvation. At their service stands the world itself, the whole world with all its forces and resources; the right use of them all is in furthering the cause of Christ. In the service of the believers stand both life and death; whether they live, they live to the Lord, and whether they die, they die to the Lord, Romans 14:8. In their service stand both things present and things to come; all states, conditions, offices, trades, professions, everything should aid in the spread of the Gospel, of the Christian faith. “Everything in the wide world belongs to Christ the Ruler. What emperors, kings, princes, government, and subjects have and possess, that is all Christ’s. It has all been subjected to Him. All men must be under this King and Ruler, either in grace or in disgrace. Christ has everything in His hand and power.” ^■663 . And so Paul concludes in a burst of confident triumph: But you are Christ’s, but Christ is God’s. Since the believers belong to Christ by faith, in and through Him their royal power is exercised. In this relation, therefore, there is praise for no one but Christ. And Christ is God’s, the believers thus, through the Son, being united also with the Father and partaking of His eternal power. God, therefore, is all in all, and it behooves all Christians, instead of spending valuable time in petty bickerings, in forming factions, and in boasting in men, to devote the energy of faith to the spread of His honor and glory. God’s field of tillage, God’s building, God’s temple, we Christians are, because we belong to Christ. And this great honor, on whose account we fall down before God in humble adoration, teaches us to deny the ungodliness of the praise of men and to glory in the Lord alone.

Summary

The apostle reproves the Corinthians for their carnal behavior in forming factions, shows the equality of all ministers, points to Christ as the only Foundation of the Church, predicts that the fiery test of the last day will burn away everything but the substance of the works done in the Church, and warns against the desecrating of the temple of God.

Verses 1-21

The work of the ministers of Christ

Faithfulness required:

The apostle had shown the relation of himself and the other teachers to the Church of Christ, to the temple of God, namely, that they are servants. But from that it does not follow that the Christians are the masters of their teachers. God is the Householder, the Master, and therefore all those that formed factions in the congregation at Corinth, and thus presumed to judge and censure other teachers than their own adopted chief, were usurping a function which properly belongs to Christ alone. So, in this way, he says, let a man think, account of us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. That is the right, the proper way in which every person, but especially the members of the Christian congregations, should regard the apostles and all ministers of Christ. Thus they should think of them, this reasonable estimate they should have of them at all times. Servants of Christ they are, the word originally denoting rowers in a galley, but later used for domestic servants that enjoyed the trust of their master, that were, in a manner of speaking, assistants: thus the men that work in the doctrine are the trusted servants of Christ. And they are stewards of the mysteries of God. “The steward was the master’s deputy in regulating the concerns of the family, providing food for the household, seeing it served out at the proper times and seasons, and in proper quantities. He received all the cash, expended what was necessary for the support of the family, and kept exact accounts, which he was obliged at certain times to lay before the master.” ^■664 . Thus the ministers are the stewards of the mysteries of God; they are in charge of, and are responsible to God for, the administration of the means of grace, through which God reveals to men and imparts to them the riches of His grace in Christ Jesus. “What, then, are these mysteries of God? Nothing but Christ Himself, that is, faith and the Gospel of Christ; for everything that is preached in the Gospel is placed at a distance from the senses and reason and hidden before all the world; nor may they be obtained except only through faith, as He Himself says, Matthew 11:25: I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.” ^■665 . This description of the apostle fitly includes all the work of the true minister’s office in every respect, beyond which no congregation should go in making demands on the pastor’s ability and time. “We have, then, the apostle’s statement in these words that a servant of Christ is a steward of the mysteries of God, that is, he should regard himself, and have himself regarded, as preaching and giving nothing else to the members of God’s household than only Christ and concerning those that are in Christ; that is, he should preach the pure Gospel, the pure faith, that Christ alone is our Life, Way, Wisdom, Power, Praise, and Salvation, etc., and that our things are nothing but death, error, foolishness, powerlessness, shame, and damnation. Him that preaches otherwise, no man should regard as a servant of Christ and as a steward of divine treasures, but shun him as a messenger of the devil.” ^■666

From the statement of 1 Corinthians 4:1 Paul now makes a plain inference: Since this is the case, it remains that the quality sought for in the stewards is that faithful every one be found. That, to be sure, is a demand, but it is the only demand that can and should be made, that the minister of Christ be faithful in his stewardship. The Lord does not require, as Luther says, that he be so holy as to raise up the dead by his very shadow, or that he be as wise as all the prophets and apostles were. Neither does he ask that he be a spirited orator, a witty conversationalist, a good mixer, nor any of the many other points which nowadays are mentioned as essential qualities of a pastor. Of all these things the Lord says nothing. He wants only that His stewards administer the Word of God, preach the Gospel, bring forth the necessary spiritual food out of the rich treasury of God’s mysteries, making use of the proper pastoral wisdom: that is the faithfulness which the Lord seeks in His servants. This includes that a faithful pastor should rebuke the prevalent sins in his congregation and in the world round about it, that he should call the sinners to repentance, that he should deny the hardened sinners the sweet comfort of the Gospel, that he should reject all schemes which will lead to cheap popularity, that he, above all, should not grow weary in following the lost lambs and sheep of the flock of Christ, that he should bear all the members of his congregation in his heart and make remembrance before God for them in his prayers.

And if a pastor is thus faithful, making use of the talents which the Lord has given him in his pastoral work, then he may say with the apostle: But to me it is a small matter that I am judged by you or by any human day of judgment; on the other hand, neither do I try myself, 1 Corinthians 4:3. Paul was, in a manner of speaking, on trial in Corinth; the members were passing judgment upon his talents, upon his motives, upon his administration. But it does not cause him serious concern that this is the case, that his person and work were being investigated; he thinks lightly of any human judgment, does not even ask his own, does not even try himself. Arraigned before the bar of all these human opinions, Paul calmly states that he estimates all their findings as amounting to very little in comparison with that of his heavenly Master. For, as he goes on to say, he is conscious of no special charge against himself in his work as a minister of Christ; he has done his labor as steward with all the faithfulness of a believing heart. He knows, of course, that by this fact he is not justified before the one highest tribunal; for He that has the final sentence is the Lord, and the apostle cannot hope to stand acquitted until the Lord’s examination has come to a close. Experience has taught Paul that he cannot rely upon the verdict of his conscience apart from that of Christ. He knew that in his flesh dwelt no good thing, Romans 7:18, that even the good which he performed could not be performed without the participation of the sinful flesh. Therefore he relies upon the grace and mercy of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He knows that the same Lord that has charge of the final examination is the Lord that justifies sinners, even with regard to their secret faults. “Since Paul accepted justification by faith in Christ, not his innocence, but his Savior’s merit has become his fixed ground of assurance.” ^■667 .

And so he adds a word of gentle, but emphatic warning: So, then, do not indulge in judging before the time, do not be premature in passing sentence in my case or in that of any other minister. All judgments should rather be held in abeyance until the Lord comes. When the Lord shall appear for the great final trial, then we can and must agree with His findings. For He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will reveal the counsels of the hearts. Before the eyes of man most of the things that are found in the innermost recesses of the heart are absolutely unknown and therefore cannot be adduced in a trial. But before the all-seeing eye of God all things are open; He will disclose the secrets hidden in darkness, especially the motives that actuated men in the performance of their duties. He will make manifest the counsels of the hearts; the innermost motives and desires crystallize in the thoughts of the heart, in projects of various kinds, whether for good or for evil. Then it will be known definitely whether it was faithfulness and obedience to the Word of God which actuated the servants of Christ; then the full measure of their love for Christ and for the immortal souls entrusted to their care will be shown. All human investigations and trials, all premature judging and condemning, will then be brought to shame, as Luther says, “just as though I should intend to weigh eggs on a scale, and would weigh them according to their shells alone, leaving the yolks and the whites outside.” And then, in the just judgment of God, praise will come upon every one from God. In the same measure as the Lord finds faithfulness flowing from the love of Christ and the believers, in that measure will He openly bestow praise upon every one of His ministers and stewards, not from vague opinions and estimates, but from the clearness of omniscient knowledge. Christ’s commendation, judging on God’s behalf, alone is of value, a reward that might well be coveted by every pastor. “Praise the Corinthian partisans lavished on their admired leaders: this is God’s prerogative, let them check their impertinent eulogies.”

All spiritual gifts from God:

In order to make the illustration more concrete, and to bring it home to his readers with greater force, Paul purposely made reference principally to the relations between him and Apollos on the one side and the congregation on the other. In the way in which he had put the entire matter before them, it was adapted to the situation as it concerned these two teachers. And this he had done on their account, for their better instruction, since they might not have gotten his meaning so readily if he had spoken in a more general way. His rebuke is directed to the people that manifested the disagreeable and sinful party spirit, and in no way implicates the men that had been made the heads of the Corinthian factions without their knowledge and consent. And his purpose was that his readers, from the very teachers whom they were dishonoring by their wranglings, should learn a different rule and method of procedure, namely, not to go beyond that which is written. They should observe the rule of Scripture, they should follow the injunction which is repeated so often, that all honor be given to God. And from that it follows that none of them should be puffed up, each for his own teacher, against the other. That was the disagreeable, the objectionable feature of the entire movement in Corinth, that every one prided himself in his own teacher and leader at the expense of all the others. Ostensibly for the glorification of Paul those that called themselves after his name bragged against those that did the same thing with reference to Apollos. But in the final analysis the boasting of every party was of itself, of its own cleverness in choosing such a learned and gifted champion. If we appreciate the servants of Christ in our midst rightly, if we always keep in mind the revealing light of the great day that is coming, then all such manifestations of carnal-mindedness will vanish in our congregations and we shall hesitate to require more in our pastors than that they are assistants of God for the edification of the congregation.

The folly of their conceited behavior is brought home to the Corinthian Christians by three pointed questions: For who distinguishes thee, sets thee in a class or party by thyself? Who gave them the right and warrant to observe such foolish distinctions, to form cliques and brotherhoods in this fashion? Also: Moreover, what hast thou that thou didst not receive? All the spiritual gifts in the possession of the congregation at Corinth, including that of having had faithful pastors, were merciful presents at the hand of God, and there was nothing in themselves that merited any consideration from God. They had no work of which they could boast before God, no divine wisdom, no regeneration, no faith, no love, nothing at all as their own performance and product: it was all God’s grace. And therefore finally: If, however, thou didst indeed receive all these gifts by the mercy of God, why boast as one that had not received them? What vain conceit, what empty boasting, what unwarranted pride in the gift of their teachers, in which they themselves had no part! To have received everything out of free grace and mercy and still to boast is a most offensive contradiction. Only the most humble prayer, praise, and thanksgiving should at all times be found in the mouth of all Christians. “He can have little acquaintance with his own heart who is not aware of the possibility of pride lurking under the exclamation, Why me! when comparing his own gracious state with the unregenerate state of another.” ^■668 .

The status of the heralds of salvation:

The behavior of the Corinthians had resulted in a most unfortunate condition, namely, in this, that they believed themselves perfect in their congregational life and wanting in nothing. In scornful irony, Paul sets this fact before them, with an abruptness which shows the excitement that was agitating him: Thus soon you are glutted; thus soon you have grown rich; without our aid you have obtained your kingdom! The apostle brings out an intentional climax in deriding their false contentment, their vain self-sufficiency, their lofty bearing. They thought they knew it all in spiritual matters, that all further instruction was superfluous and therefore unwelcome. So soon did they have their fill, so fully instructed they believed themselves to be, so abounding in knowledge and understanding that they resented the idea of being told a further truth. So rich in spiritual talents and graces they felt themselves to be that any intimation of spiritual poverty was extremely distasteful to them; they had all the bearing of the newly rich, an ostentation of wealth which corrupted their spiritual possessions; for any one that is satisfied with his knowledge in spiritual matters shuts himself off from further gain. But the height of their complacent foolishness was reached in this, that some of the Corinthian Christians believed themselves to have attained to a state in which they fondly and fatuously considered themselves in full possession of the promised kingdom. They had not only outgrown Paul’s teaching, they not only resented the idea of his having anything more to impart to them. The disgrace of the foolish, the lowliness of the weak, the cross of the persecuted, no longer existed for them. For them the kingdom had begun, not in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power, but in outward observation. Where both the unfathomable depths of sin and the unattainable heights of mercy’s glory are not understood, there shallow Christians, as in our days, deceive themselves and dream of a kingdom of Christ here on earth and of the earth which, in spite of all the beautiful Scripture-phrases with which it is praised, is essentially earthly and has nothing in common with the true kingdom of Christ. But Paul, in his great grief over the blindness of the Corinthians, calls out: And I would indeed that you had come into your kingdom! If only it were true, that we also might share your reign with you! If that time were only here, in order that we might be delivered from all the evil of the present persecutions and distresses!

This bitter cry over the ingratitude of men Paul now substantiates: For in my opinion God has exhibited us, the apostles, as the last, as men appointed for death. Paul has in mind either a public procession on a great festival day, in which the condemned criminals on their way to the arena marched last, or he thinks of gladiators who, no matter how often they escaped death on one day or during one season, were always brought forth again and were thus doomed to die. That was the disgrace to which the apostles were subjected: they had become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. Just as far as the range of their labors extended, over the entire world then known, so far they were set forth to public contempt, both men here below and the invisible watchers around and above them marking the spectacle.

The apostle now names some of the details in which some of the disgrace becomes apparent: We are fools for the sake of Christ, but you are wise in Christ, 1 Corinthians 4:10. The ministers of Christ must pass for fools, because they preach Christ crucified, a message which in no way conforms with the wisdom of the world. But the Corinthians, and many of their followers at the present time, are wise, sensible, they are very careful about keeping on good terms with the world, the confession of Christ being kept discreetly in the background. Note that the apostle speaks in a tone of irony and scorn throughout. He continues: We are weak, but you are strong. The conduct of the Corinthians intimated that they did not think Paul had made use of the proper energy in his work, that the mere preaching of the Gospel was not sufficient in their learned city. In contrast with this weakness, they were determined to show the proper spirit and power, they proudly paraded a show of ability to do the work of the Lord after their own manner. And finally: You in honor, but we in dishonor. They were splendid, glorious; their ideas of world improvement were wonderful and inclusive and projected great things for the Church of God. In comparison with them the apostles were without all esteem, in shame and disgrace. Paul felt that he and his simple, foolish Gospel had no show at all where such wonderful plans were being matured.

Purposely Paul continues in his strain of describing his own condition: To this very hour we both hunger and thirst and are ill-clad, 1 Corinthians 4:11. He shared the fate of the people poor in this world’s goods, as so many of his followers have since his time. And we are violently treated, the violence sometimes extending to physical mistreatment, to blows and fisticuffs. We have no definite home; Paul might always expect to be obliged to flee on account of persecutions. And we work hard, laboring with our own hands. All the work of his ministry was hard labor; but, in addition, Paul chose to support himself with manual labor, Acts 18:3; Acts 20:34. Note that the words of the apostle find their application to this very hour, in the midst of our so-called enlightened civilization, and that many a minister endures the same afflictions, even to the last, not from choice, but from necessity — more’s the pity!

With this sad condition, with the specific hardships which he had to endure, agreed the spirit which Paul was wont to show at all times: Reviled to our faces, deeply insulted, we bless. What the world believes to be an abject, cowardly spirit is the mark of the servants of Christ, and it takes more character to bear an insult in silence and reply with a blessing than to revile in return. Persecuted, we endure it; the servants of Christ use neither physical force to resist the evil, nor do they try to evade it by betraying their Lord; they put up with all such conditions patiently. Being slanderously spoken of, we entreat; for defaming speeches the ministers of Christ return dissuasions. In everything their aim is, if possible, to gain the enemy: they beg men not to be wicked, but to return to a better mind, to be converted to Christ. And now the apostle presents the very climax of degradation: As the rinsings of the world we have become, as the scraping of all things. He compares himself and the other ministers of Christ to the scum, the dregs, the last sediment in a dirty kettle that must be scraped off; and to the dirt which is scraped from the shoes after one has waded through filth and mire. That is what the faithful ministers of the Gospel are in the eyes of the world, like “the filth that one gets rid of through the sink and the gutter.” ^■654 . And these terms, as here used, may have a further significance. For the words were used “especially of those condemned criminals of the lowest class who were sacrificed as expiatory offerings, as scapegoats in effect, because of their degraded life. It was the custom at Athens to reserve certain worthless persons who in case of plague, famine, or other visitations from heaven might be thrown into the sea, in the belief that they would ‘cleanse away,’ or ‘wipe off,’ the guilt of the nation.” (Lightfoot.) Note: The temper of the world has changed but little since the time of Paul, although there is a veneer of kindness and toleration for the ministers of the Gospel. At the slightest supposed provocation and suspicion, however, the mask is withdrawn, and it is plainly shown that, as Luther says, they are regarded “as the world’s sweepings and everybody’s refuse and doormat.” ^■669

The apostle’s fatherly discipline:

The apostle had written the last passage in holy indignation; like a stream, his speech had poured forth portraying the afflictions which were heaped upon the ministers of the Lord. And he can almost feel the deep humiliation, the feeling of confusion which must enter the hearts of his readers at this point. As a wise teacher, therefore, he adds a section which is intended to prevent their becoming embittered. He could indeed not bring out his rebuke without making them feel humiliated, but this feeling should lead to a true childlike reverence of his position and words. His severity springs from the anxious heart of a father that feels the deepest concern for his children: Not by way of shaming you do I write this, but by way of warning you as my beloved children. He regarded them still with the fulness of paternal affection, and it grieved him that they should be showing evidence of such unfilial behavior, hence his urgent appeal to them.

Paul substantiates his right to such fatherly admonition: For though you had ten thousand pedagogs in Christ, yet not many fathers. The word pedagog, in those days, denoted the family slave whose duty it was to bring the boys to school and to accompany them home. They had charge of the boys also during the hours not spent in school and thus assisted in their training. St. Paul here applies the word to the other teachers that may have been in Corinth, good and legitimate teachers indeed, doing their work in Christ and for His glory. Of these they may have had ever so many, yet they had only one father, only one that could be connected with them in the bonds of true fatherly affection: For in Christ Jesus, through the Gospel, I have begotten you. They were his spiritual children, their call to the fellowship of Jesus Christ, their regeneration was due to his personal work; that is what makes them so near and dear to him. Cp. 1 Peter 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; John 6:63.

Of his right as father the apostle now makes use: I beseech you, then, become imitators of me, 1 Corinthians 4:16. The children should show the character of the father, they should make him their model, they should imitate him, they should follow him in his conduct as a Christian and true disciple of the Lord. If this way was one of cross and affliction (1 Corinthians 4:9-12), it would incidentally serve to strengthen their character and to make them safer against denial, now and in the days to come. In order that this object might be accomplished, Paul had either just sent, or was sending with this letter, his young assistant, whom he calls a beloved child of his and faithful in the Lord, 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2. Timothy had also been converted through the work of Paul, had through his efforts derived spiritual life, and was therefore regarded by the apostle as a true son. And since his characteristic, through the agency of the Lord Jesus Christ in his heart, was faithfulness in his Christian conduct, therefore he was the very man for this mission: Who shall remind you of my ways in Christ Jesus, just as I teach everywhere, in every congregation. The Corinthians had evidently forgotten, not only a large part of Paul’s doctrine, but also his habits of life which he showed in their midst; their knowledge had been repressed by those evil influences which Paul has spoken of throughout the letter. No more fitting person, therefore, could have been found to recall both the conduct and the words of Paul than the man whom Paul had selected as his representative, who would do his reminding in accordance with Paul’s teaching, for this was uniform in all the Gentile congregations. For they surely did not want to separate themselves from that apostolic doctrine which was in vogue everywhere; they would surely heed the kind admonition of his personal representative and return to proper Christian sanity.

And lest some of the Corinthians might be tempted to misconstrue the mission of Timothy, Paul hastens to add: But as though I am not coming to you, some have been puffed up. Since the apostle was not coming in person at this time, a group of persons, probably hostile to Paul’s ways, were beginning to spread bragging surmises. They conducted themselves all the more insolently as they thought that Paul might be afraid of them. But their presumption was destined speedily to come to naught, for the apostle announces his intention to come speedily, just as soon as he can make arrangements to that effect. This he writes in emphatic calmness and in the consciousness of the office which he is filling. But the spirit of deferring in everything to the Lord and having His will govern all his actions causes Paul to add: If the Lord will. Cp. Acts 18:21. For he was not so conceited as to deem himself indispensable in the Church, and without the Lord he did not intend to attempt any move. But when he did come, then he would know, pay the proper attention to, not the word of the inflated ones (the blowers), but the power. About their words he was not concerned, with them he was sufficiently acquainted, hollow pretensions did not affect him at all. He wanted to ascertain only if there were some evidence of the Spirit of God in the actions that followed their bragging words. He wanted to find out whether these pretended leaders in the congregation at Corinth were showing results in their fight with sin, whether they were exhibiting actual proofs of faith and of patience in tribulation. And this he felt himself obliged to do, since not in word lies the kingdom of God, but in power. The Corinthians were placing their faith in externals, they were assuming that the kingdom of Christ, the Church in its real sense, was a visible, concrete substance. But in this they, like their modern followers, were wrong. The kingdom of Christ does not consist in paltry eloquence, in great, swelling words of vanity, but in the power of the Holy Spirit, exerted through the Word upon the hearts of men. Where this power rules, there is the kingdom of the Savior. “Faith is a living, substantial thing, renews a person entirely, changes his mind and converts him altogether. It goes down to the bottom and effects there a renewing of the whole man, that, as before I saw a sinner, I now see in his different conduct, in his different ways, in his different life, that he believes. Such a great thing it is about faith. And in this way the Holy Ghost has caused the insistence upon good works, since they are witnesses of faith. In whose case, therefore, works are not noticeable, there we can soon say and conclude: They have heard about faith, but it did not sink down to the bottom. For if thou wilt remain lying in pride and unchastity, in avarice and anger, and yet prate much of faith, St. Paul will come and say: Hear, my dear friend, the kingdom of God is not in words, but in power and deeds; it wants to live and be done, and not be performed in empty talk.” ^■670 . And therefore Paul asks, in conclusion: What would you? What do you prefer? With a rod am I to come to you, or in love as well as in a spirit of meekness? That he will come he does not leave to their decision, that is a matter of his office. But it depends upon their conduct in what way he will come. If they continue in their vain and presumptuous ways, then he will be obliged to come to them with a sharp rebuke, Titus 1:13, in order that they might feel their disobedience. But Paul would much prefer to come with all meekness and gentleness, the evidence of his love in kindness being much more pleasant to him than sternness. He intimates to them, therefore, that they should accept the present gentle hint and warning and thus save him a disagreeable task. Note the force of the passage. “For nerve and vigor, for dignity and composed confidence, this passage cannot be easily paralleled even in Demosthenes himself.” (Bloomfield.)

Summary

Paul shows the relation of the ministers of Christ to the Lord Himself, sketches the treatment usually accorded them in the world, and, as a true spiritual father, administers a rebuke to the Corinthians for their negligence in sanctity.

Verses 1-13

The necessity of church discipline

A case of incest:

The apostle here opens a new section of his letter, in which he treats of some questions of social morals. The matter of party strife in Corinth had been reported to him by certain witnesses, but the monstrous case of which he now briefly treats is notorious, is a common scandal, is being bandied about wherever the name of Corinth is mentioned: Actually, fornication is heard of among you. It was not a question of vague report, but it was a confirmed, undoubted fact, generally, everywhere spoken of and recounted with horror. For it was a form of fornication, of sexual impurity, which was unknown even among the Gentiles, namely, that a man should have his stepmother as his wife. Cp. Deuteronomy 22:30. This was a degree of relationship which was prohibited everywhere, even the heathen respecting the reverence due to the wife of the father, aside from all laws of nature. But the guilty member of the Corinthian congregation, like so many carnal Christians since his days, probably thought that Christian liberty consisted in doing as he pleased and thus changed liberty into license.

That was the situation, that was the abomination of foulness found in the midst of the Corinthian congregation. It causes the apostle to ask: And you are puffed up? Under these circumstances it is still possible for some of your members to brag and boast and to act as though you were beyond instruction? With one accord they should have humiliated themselves on account of this unheard-of scandal, instead of fostering party spirit. And not rather have you mourned, broken out in grief, with the result that he who perpetrated this deed should be removed from your midst? They were so busily engaged with their imaginary intellectual brilliance, with their false religious enthusiasm, that they took no time to investigate the injury which was being done to their congregation by this standing offense of their fellow-member. They probably shrugged their shoulders and decided to ignore the disagreeable matter, believing, with many Christians of our days, that the matter was really not of much consequence; they did not consider the incest in their midst an insult to the Church of Christ, a desecration of the temple of God. It was an unfortunate incident, but entirely the man’s own business! Paul, however, impresses upon them the consciousness of responsibility, that they cannot permit such a defilement to go on; they must be stirred up to action. For the sinner must either discontinue his public scandal, or he must be put out of their midst; he can no longer be considered a member of the congregation. Note: The matter of church discipline is sadly neglected in many parts of the Church. But congregations and individual members must never forget: If love for their neighbor’s immortal soul will not induce them to make all efforts in his behalf, even to expulsion from their midst, then the reverence for the name which they bear, and which they dare not dishonor with impunity, should influence them seriously to take up the matter of proper church discipline.

The apostle’s sentence:

The case was so clear that Paul, on his part, had reached a decision. The Corinthian Christians were present in the midst of the scandal every day and seemed to experience no inconvenience, whereas the apostle, although not present according to the body, but only in spirit, even so writhed under the insult which had been inflicted upon the Church of God by this flagrant trespass. And so there was only one sentence to be given: I have already passed judgment, as though I were present, upon him that in this manner has perpetrated this. Note how the apostle emphasizes the flagrancy, the heinousness, of the offense. It was a case in which long negotiations and discussions were superfluous; it concerned a sin which both Greek and Roman law stamped as infamy, which represented the height of unnatural vice. And here, under these conditions, a man flouted his infamy in the sight of the entire congregation. Only one decision was possible under the circumstances. The energetic and prompt conduct on the part of the absent apostle forms a contrast all the more striking over against the slackness of those among whom the shameful scandal had occurred.

The apostle now delivers his sentence: to deliver the man of this kind to Satan for destruction of his flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. But he also shows in what way the sentence is to be spoken: In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you have assembled for a formal meeting, and my spirit, together with the power of the Lord Jesus. The Corinthian Christians were, then, to call a meeting of the brethren, and in this meeting, under the directing influence of Paul’s spirit, his mind in the matter now being known, they were to pronounce sentence. And this was to be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, in whom alone every church act has validity; the sin being an offense against His holy name, judgment must be passed as coming from Him. And it must be uttered with the power of our Lord Jesus, with that peculiar church power with which every Christian congregation is vested, that of retaining the sins of the impenitent sinners, as long as they do not repent. Through His power also the content of the appalling sentence could be carried out. The offender was to be delivered to Satan, by formal resolution deprived of his relationship to the Lord of light and thrust out into the kingdom of darkness, where the god of this world has jurisdiction, 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 1:13. For the destruction of the flesh the incestuous person was to be delivered. By indulging in such a heinous sin, the offender had yielded his body to the power of Satan ^■671 . And Satan, through the effects of sin, perhaps of this very transgression, would destroy the body, would afflict it with diseases peculiar to such an unnatural vice and voluptuous behavior. And thus the exalted Lord would use the devil himself as His instrument, in order to work in the mind of the transgressor a fear and horror of his sin and its consequences, that eventually the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. By means of the punishment which Satan carries out as a righteous judgment, the Lord hopes to effect a cure for the man and thus to snatch his soul like a brand from the burning. Satan has nothing but the everlasting destruction of both soul and body of the sinner in mind, but the Lord, merciful even when the decrees of His holiness must be carried out, plans to use the punishment as a means to call the sinner to repentance. In this way many a sinner, upon whom the sentence of excommunication had to be pronounced, may, according to the gracious intention of the Lord, have come to the realization of his transgression through the effects and consequences of his sin, and, like the thief on the cross, turned to his Savior even in the last hour. On the great day of the Lord, when the salvation or perdition of every human being will be pronounced, many a person may thus be placed on the right hand of the Lord, because the gracious intention of the Lord was realized in this manner. Note: A Christian congregation must always be mindful of the fact that the purpose of excommunication is not the destruction, but the salvation of the soul.

The general need of purification in the Christian congregations:

This case of the incestuous person was not the only matter which was wrong in the congregation at Corinth. It was true, in general, that their vaunt, that in which they made their boast, was not good, not of an acceptable quality. Among the members at Corinth there were many who led anything but model, pure lives, for which reason all vaunting and boasting on their part should have been omitted. That their boasting was no credit to them, and that the corruption which was to be found in their midst should rather have caused the deepest humility among them, Paul proceeds to illustrate by a familiar comparison, by a proverbial saying: A little leaven leavens the entire mass, the whole kneading. A sin of this kind tainted the entire community. Just as the individual Christian cannot tolerate any sin, even the smallest, without corrupting his entire nature, just so an entire congregation will suffer the consequences if it permits so much as one of its members to continue in an open and flagrant offense. “And herein this is the worst feature, that such corruption gains ground so powerfully and maintains its position so stubbornly that it cannot be eradicated again; just as the leaven, no matter how little is added to the dough, eats through it, so that everything is soon sour and no one can hinder it from becoming so, or make it sweet again.” ^■672 .

For this reason Paul gives the advice: Clean out thoroughly the old leaven. He reminds his readers of the preparations for the ancient celebration of the Passover Festival. The removal of the leaven, Exodus 12:18-19, was done on the 13th or at the very latest on the morning of the 14th Nisan, and carried out with the most minute care. All the places in the house where bread was kept or where crumbs might have fallen were searched with lighted tapers, and all the dark corners scraped out carefully, lest any leaven remain to spoil the festival for the family. In just the same way the Corinthians must put from their midst the incestuous person and remove all open offenses. And even so the Christians of all times clean out the old leaven of sin by daily contrition and repentance in themselves and insist upon the application of the power to bind in case of notorious transgressions in church-members. And the object of such purging, according to God’s will, shall be: That you may be a new mass, just as you are unleavened. If a Christian uses care to keep down his own old Adam, and does all in his power to maintain the purity of the Christian congregation, then the will of God is realized in the gradual production of a hallowed mass, from which all evil ferment is removed, which is governed by the Spirit of God only. And the ability to accomplish so much is based upon God’s gift of grace, the fact that all Christians are looked upon as unleavened, clean, and pure for the sake of Christ’s atonement, John 15:3. “The apostle commands the old leaven to be swept out, and gives this reason: For you are a new mass and unleavened. To be a new or sweet mass he calls having the faith which clings to Christ and believes that it has forgiveness of sins through Him; as he shortly afterwards will say of Christ, our Passover, sacrificed for us, etc. Through the same faith we are cleansed of the old leaven, that is, from sins and an evil conscience, and have now begun to be new men. … Behold, that is one thing which this text teaches us, that also in the saints there yet remains weakness and much that is unclean and sinful, which is to be cleaned out, and yet is not imputed to them, since they are in Christ and purge out such leaven.” ^■673 . That the Christians are considered clean and pure before God through the merits of Christ, and should therefore endeavor to maintain this purity and keep their garments unspotted, is all based upon one fact: For our Passover also, Christ, is sacrificed for us. To people familiar with the customs of the Jewish festival the very suggestion must arouse their attention: The Passover lamb slain, and the leaven not yet cast out! It was intended to make them eager for all progress in sanctification, and in every form, since all Christians are partakers of this wonderful gift. Christ is the true Passover Lamb, and all the festival lambs of the Old Testament were but types, pointing forward to the great fulfilment, Isaiah 53. Christ was sacrificed, slain, as a lamb that bore the sins of the world. So great and terrible are the sins of the world that the great, serious, and terrible wrath of God because of sins, as Luther says, could not stop short of carrying out the decree of death in the case of the Substitute of all men. God spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. Thus Christ truly became our Passover; for His sake, for the blood which He shed, and which has been painted on the portals of our hearts, the angel of destruction passes by the believers, so that the plague of everlasting damnation cannot come nigh our dwelling.

All conditions being fulfilled in this manner: Let us, therefore, keep the feast, let us celebrate the festival meal and continue in the enjoyment of its blessings. And since, as Luther writes, we Christians have Easter always, since our Passover Lamb lasts forever, therefore the work of sanctification which was begun in us in regeneration should continue throughout our lives; a consecrated life naturally follows from the intimate union between Christ and the believers. This the apostle explains: Not in the old leaven, neither in the leaven of badness and meanness, but in the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. The old leaven, everything that savors of the old sinful nature, has been purged out, it shall never again assume the rule in the hearts of the believers. And two specific manifestations of this old Adam are mentioned: the leaven of badness, of malice, of every trespass by which harm is inflicted upon our neighbor; and the leaven of meanness, of wickedness, whose object is to seduce men from the proper understanding of the Word and to work every manner of offense. To this vicious disposition and the active exercise of it is opposed the keeping of the feast in the unleavened bread of purity and truth, a proper inward disposition that knows no guile, with which also accords a person’s entire outward life, “that we both keep the pure doctrine of the Gospel and also with a holy life and example comport ourselves accordingly, and thus continually live properly, as on an eternal Easter festival, … wherein we, as new men in the faith of Christ, live and continue righteous, holy, and pure, in peace and joy of the Holy Ghost, as long as we are here on earth.” ^■674 .

Explaining a misunderstood term:

Paul had some time before written the Corinthians a letter which is lost, probably having been destroyed immediately for some reason. In that epistle he had used a term which had been understood falsely: Not to become intimate with fornicators. The Corinthian Christians had interpreted the word in a most rigid sense, namely, that they were bidden under no circumstances, not even in business and in the performance of their duties as citizens, to have intercourse with any persons that were addicted to immoral habits. The word which Paul had used literally means “to mix oneself up with,” and he now interprets it for them: I did not altogether forbid your holding intercourse with the fornicators of this world or with the avaricious, robbers, or idolaters. If they had the intention of shutting themselves entirely away from all men that were guilty of these sins, even in the course of their ordinary business life, then the inevitable result would be that they must get out of the world. It was impossible to pursue any avocation at Corinth without coming into daily contact with immoral, rapacious, idolatrous people. Paul was very well aware of this inevitable intercourse; he was far from suggesting or approving the life of anchorites, hermits, and monks. But now, in the present epistle, he is couching his admonitions in such language that his meaning is unmistakable. If any one was still in doubt as to the interpretation of the former letter, it would be impossible to mistake his meaning now: If any one calling himself a brother, professing to be a member of the Christian congregation, enrolled as one of their own number, is a fornicator, or avaricious, or an idolater, or a reviler, an abuser of others, or a drunkard, with such a one you should not even eat. Paul gives only a few examples of flagrant, heinous offenses, which obviously make a person unworthy of belonging to the communion of the Christian brethren. Business transactions a Christian may have with such persons, but to enter into friendly relations of social intimacy with them, to hold fraternal, friendly commerce with men of this stamp, such conduct will never agree with the Christian profession. So far as the unbelievers are concerned, the Christian congregation has no jurisdiction over them: What business have I to judge those that are without? We Christians know indeed that the unbelievers and gross sinners are under the condemnation of God, and circumstances often arise that we inform them to that effect, but the apostle here speaks of communion, of social intimacy within the congregation, of Christian fellowship. Since unbelievers are not members of the Christian congregation, the jurisdiction of the congregation does not extend to them. Do not you judge those that are within, while those without God judges? As the Judge of the world, God is taking care of the sentence of those without, of the unbelievers. So far as the congregation at Corinth is concerned, they should remove the wicked man from their midst, expel him from their communion, and thus preserve the purity of their membership in Christ. The formal expulsion of the malignant sinner must proceed from the congregation as a self-governing body. Note: The necessity of church discipline is here maintained and must be upheld if the Christian congregation is to fulfil its destiny and purpose.

Summary

Paul earnestly reproves the Corinthians for their neglect to discipline an incestuous person in their midst, warns them to purge out the old leaven, and corrects a misunderstanding as to social intimacy with flagrant transgressors of the Decalog, whose expulsion from the congregation he demands.

Verses 1-11

Going to law with brethren

The charge:

The opening of this chapter is marked by an abrupt outburst of indignant feeling at the unworthy conduct manifested by some of the Corinthian Christians, probably such as were of Gentile origin: Does any one of you dare, when having a matter against another, bring suit before the unjust and not before the saints? Does any one have the heart to do that from which a just sense of Christian dignity should have restrained him? Does no one blush for his own audacity in bringing suit in this manner? The word used by the apostle refers to a civil suit, usually in matters of money and possessions. In the opinion of Paul it was simply unheard of that controversies among the Christians should be aired in the courts of the Gentiles. To him it was self-evident that all matters of difference should be adjusted in their own midst, by their own people. For it seemed a contradiction in itself that those who were termed unjust, unrighteous, by the Christians should be called upon to adjust quarrels within the congregation, to administer justice to the saints, whose moral dignity should have felt the absurdity of the position. “Paul does not here condemn those who from necessity have a cause before unbelieving judges, as when a person is summoned to court; but those who of their own accord bring their brethren into this situation, and harass them, as it were, by means of unbelievers, while it is in their power to employ another remedy.” (Calvin.)

The apostle follows up his charge with a reference to their unparalleled prerogatives: Or do you not know, can it be that you are ignorant of the fact, that the saints will judge the world? This is the one passage of Scriptures which speaks of the participation of the believers in the judgment of the world. What was said of the apostles in particular, Matthew 19:28, is here extended to all true followers of Christ. Cp. Daniel 7:22; Revelation 2:26-27; Revelation 20:4-6; 2 Thessalonians 1:10; Jude 14. So intimate and perfect is the union of the members with Christ, their Head, that, when the Head appears in the glory of the Judgment, the members also will take part in this judicial function. And therefore Paul asks: If, then, among you, before you, the world is judged, are you unworthy of the smallest tribunals, are you incompetent to pass judgment upon comparative trifles? If they are to partake in that grand and glorious session of the Last Judgment, surely the earthly, the commonplace, the insignificant cannot be too difficult for them. How absurd for them to act that way!

To still greater heights the apostle rises: Do you not know that we shall judge angels, that it will be part of our functions to pass sentence upon the heavenly powers themselves? The good angels are excluded as being already confirmed in their bliss and as forming part of Christ’s retinue on the Day of Judgment. But upon the evil angels the believers will, on the last day, pronounce the sentence of condemnation. Satan himself, the god of this world, 2 Corinthians 4:4, and his angels, themselves world-rulers, Ephesians 6:12, will hear their doom spoken also by the believers whom they here tried to draw away from Christ. The final fate of angels their sentence will decide, truly to say nothing of secular matters, of things which concern this life only! Such matters the Christians will not consider beneath their dignity; rather will the assurance of their future elevated position render them all the more careful and conscientious in their judgment of the things of this life in case there should be a difference of opinion among them on any question.

The apostle now shows how widely their practise differed from the ideal state which he had in mind: If now your tribunals are held for the disposition of civil suits, if you hold them to straighten out your secular affairs, then those that are utterly despised in the Church, these you set up as judges. When court was held in Corinth, the parties were obliged to appear that had a civil suit to bring. For the purpose of adjudicating matters, the contending parties could then select a number of men from the list of the nobles whose names were entered in the rolls as possible judges; for according to Roman custom the contending parties were granted this right in order that they might place full confidence in the integrity of the men who were to act as judges. What an absurd contradiction! The Christians that were called to the hope of judging the world and even heavenly powers selected those as judges who, in spite of the respect which they enjoyed as citizens, were nevertheless regarded, from the standpoint of the believers, as devoid of all honor and respect. One can well imagine the self-sufficient, triumphant smile which appeared on the faces of the judges when quarreling Christians laid their case before them! What a disgrace to the Christian confession and to the name of Christ to be found haggling and wrangling before a Gentile court while confessing to be followers of the Prince of Peace!

The apostle’s reproof:

No wonder that Paul, under such circumstances, must call out shame upon them; their conduct is disgraceful and altogether unbecoming that of meek and charitable Christians. And he stresses this point still more: To this point have matters progressed that there is not one wise man among you who could make a decision between his brothers? Was there not a single man with enough experience to arbitrate a matter when a cause came up? He concludes that there is evidently no such man, since one brother is involved in litigation with another, and that before the unbelievers! If there were but one man in the congregation wise enough to settle such matters in private, surely they would have called him in to decide the disputes. And so they air their grievances against one another before the unbelieving magistrates. Was not that equivalent to a confession of bankruptcy?

Paul now lays bare the real root of the matter: It is indeed altogether a detriment to you, a bad thing all around, that you have lawsuits. From the very start it is a defeat for them, morally speaking, that it ever comes to that pass, that their differences ever rise to that pitch. Their case is lost before they have ever entered the court, and their action represents a sinking down from the high standard of pure Christian feeling. The cause of Christianity is bound to be harmed by such behavior, for the Gentiles will naturally judge the moral worth of the movement by the evidence of its power in the lives of the Christians. How the believers of all times should conduct themselves in cases which might develop into lawsuits according to the common experience of mankind, the apostle states in the more striking form of questions: Why do you not rather suffer injustice? Why do you not rather submit to fraud? Paul here reproduces the teaching of Jesus, Luke 6:27-35. In following the example of Jesus and of Paul, the believers will be constrained at all times to suffer injustice rather than to afflict injustice. But the litigious members of the Corinthian congregation had not yet reached this stage of unselfish love: It is rather that you commit wrong and defraud, deprive your neighbor of that which is his, and that, literally, to your brethren! The spiritual relationship which obtains between believers should make them all the more willing to yield to their brother in love, but instead of that they provoke quarrels, they inflict wrong. “Paul here does not attack the court, but the fault of the heart that a brother summoned the other before the secular court, namely, before enemies of the faith. For to invoke justice and to seek the sustenance of life he does not prohibit, else a master would not be permitted to tear the lamb away from the wolf. They, however, sought their own vengeance; they tried to bring disgrace upon their brother. But this text means to teach us that not eagerness or desire for vengeance should be our motive for appealing to the judge for help, but rather justice and necessity.” ^■675 .

A warning to the immoral Christians:

The apostle had just told the Corinthians that they were far from showing the mind of Christ, that they were rather doing wrong, that they were exhibiting a vindictive, unrighteous disposition in bringing suits against their brethren before the Gentile courts. He now enlarges upon this thought: Or do you not know that the wrong-doers will not inherit the kingdom of God, will not realize the consummation of all Christian hopes? Their conduct, even though it be due to ignorance, places them on a level with the heathen. And so Paul adds a warning: Be not deceived; do not let foolish ideas take possession of your minds. His readers were not to make the mistake that the liberty of the Gospel was equivalent to libertinism and license; free grace does not imply the right to sin. On the contrary, the sins which were so widely prevalent at Corinth and to which some of the church-members had been addicted, absolutely excluded the transgressor from the inheritance of the kingdom of God. To these flagrant violators of the holy will of God belonged the fornicators, those that sought the gratification of their lust outside of the marriage-bond; the idolaters, that worshiped strange gods; the adulterers, that broke the marriage-tie; — these three sins were openly practised in Corinth in the cult of the heathen goddess; — the voluptuous, that were addicted to all forms of sensuality; the sodomites, that were guilty of the unnatural vices as practised by the Greeks in such a shameless manner; the thieves, the covetous persons, the drunkards, the revilers, the plunderers or extortioners. Mark how the repetition of the negation emphasizes the fact of their absolute exclusion from the blessings which God has reserved for the believers.

And now the apostle, after his usual manner, reminds the Corinthian Christians of the glorious gifts of mercy which they have received, contrasting their present state with that before their conversion: And these things some of you were. Such stuff, such a set, such abominations they had been, that is, some of them; the majority of them had fortunately not been guilty of such extremes of vice. But these things are now a thing of the past, for they were washed clean in Baptism, the power of God in the Sacrament took away all their uncleanness, Titus 3:5; Acts 22:16; Colossians 2:11-12; Ephesians 5:26-27. They were sanctified; they were separated from the world and consecrated to God by that same sacred act, they were translated into fellowship with God. They were justified; they had entered into that state in which God looks upon them as just and righteous, in which He imputes to them the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And all this was done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all gifts of grace have been made possible, and in the Spirit of our God, through whose power regeneration is effected. The believers are the sacred and living property of Christ, because the Spirit of God lives in them. Thus the entrance of the Christians into their state of grace is brought out in all its glorious contrast to the vile condition of the unregenerate, in order that the remembrance of these privileges may always incite them to a life that agrees with their heavenly calling.

Verses 12-20

The necessity of keeping the body undefiled

Christian expediency:

The apostle has repeatedly touched upon the fact that Christian liberty and license of the flesh are incompatible. The love of Christ is to regulate the use of Christian liberty according to the rule that all my deeds which I have the power to perform are to aid and benefit my neighbor; and on the other hand, Christian liberty will not suffer anything over which I have power to overpower me and to take me captive. The laxity of morals in the Corinthian congregation could not be excused by the motto: All things are in my power, 1 Corinthians 3:22. The fact itself stands, but it must be balanced by the principle of expediency and by the distinction between liberty and license. A Christian may have power to do all things, but he will find that all things are not advantageous, are not good for his own welfare. And again: Certain things may be in the Christian’s power, but it would be foolish to use them to excess (temperance, continence), for in that event they are apt to get the mastery of him, and so by the abuse of his liberty he will forfeit the richest fruits of this liberty.

The apostle brings two examples to illustrate his meaning: foods for the stomach and the stomach for its foods. God has made the various kinds of foods for the purpose of being received and digested by the body in the stomach, and he has designed the stomach for the purpose of receiving the foods and taking part in their digestion. And God will finally abolish, destroy, both the stomach and the foods. So the process of eating is a thing morally indifferent in itself. But to become a slave of the stomach, to yield to intemperance, is obviously an abuse of the power given by God. The other case is more serious: The body not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. One cannot argue that the procreative ability and venereal desire will at any time justify a transgression of God’s holy rule about the sacredness of the marriage-tie. Fornication is a perversion of the legitimate uses of the body, which has relations more important, more vital, than those connected with this life on earth. The body belongs to the Lord, it is fashioned for the Lord’s use; it should be found employed in His service. And the Lord will, in turn, live in the body, He will Himself be its true food and sustenance, John 6:15 ^■676 ; John 6:33; John 6:53. This fact is brought out all the more strongly, because the destination of the body is eternal life: But God has raised up both the Lord and will raise up us through His power. The raising of Christ out of the grave came first, but we, as His brethren and members, will follow our first-fruits in His resurrection, and our bodies will be fashioned like unto His immortal body. But these things being so, how can any Christian still yield his body as an instrument of immorality?

An earnest warning against immorality:

The apostle speaks in holy zeal, with righteous indignation, without reservation, bringing the truth in its hideous nakedness. His aim is to bring to the distinct consciousness of his readers the abominable character of the vice which flaunted its banners so shamelessly in their city; he unfolds it in all its repulsiveness, by vivid concrete presentment: Do you not know that our bodies are members of Christ? Should I, then, take away the members of Christ and make them a harlot’s members? By no means. Christ is the Head of the Church, and every believer by faith becomes a member of this one Head; he is one of the organs of that great body and is intended to function only in the interest of the Lord. Should, then, any one so far forget the dignity which is due to Christ and to His service as to make his body a harlot’s member and thus become unfaithful to his calling and unfaithful to his Lord? The very suggestion fills the apostle with horror; for how could one choose a harlot in preference to Christ? How could one alienate his affections from their proper owner and center them in such an unhallowed connection?

For fear that the Corinthians may not yet have understood him or might deliberately misconstrue his words, St. Paul amplifies still more: Or do you not know that he who joins himself to the harlot is one body with her? For, says God, the two will be one flesh, Genesis 2:24. This blessing of God was intended to sanctify the legitimate intercourse of marriage. But he that breaks the ordinance of God and seeks the gratification of mere lust outside of the marriage-bond, becomes one body with one that is not his wife. But the word of the Lord stands: Carnal intercourse means unity of the bodies. Sexual union constitutes a permanent bond between the guilty parties, for the word of the Lord holds of every such union, whether lawful or unlawful, honorably true or shamefully. No presentation could portray the sin of fornication more exactly in its hideous repulsiveness than that which is here used by the apostle.

Once more he emphasizes the contrast: But he that cleaves to the Lord is one spirit with Him. A wonderful, real, lasting, and blessed union is that which the believer enters into in and by regeneration. For the act of faith establishes a bond of intimate communion with Christ, it makes the believer one in spirit with his Savior in love, not only on account of the gracious imputation of His righteousness, but also by the indwelling of His Spirit in the heart, John 14:20; John 15:4; John 17:23; Ephesians 3:17. No wonder this fact urges the apostle to repeat his urgent admonition: Flee fornication. In the case of this sin it would be foolish to stand and attempt to give battle, for here “the strongest oath is straw against the fire in the blood.” As in the case of Joseph, courageous flight is the only solution of the difficulty, Proverbs 6:28. And let no one deceive himself with the excuse that he is harming no one by his indulgence in this sin: Every sin which a person commits is outside of the body, but he that commits fornication sins against his own body. The sins against all the other commandments of the Decalog have their aim outside of the body; if they involve the organs of the body, as in the case of intemperance, they affect and injure only the transient, perishable organs of the body, and require for their commission some means that are taken from without and are in themselves foreign to the body. But the sins against the Sixth Commandment involve violation of self, of the inmost mental desires and physical abilities; the entire body is contaminated and dishonored, not only in one sex, but in both, for the Christian religion knows no double standard.

To make the Corinthian Christians feel the weight of his argument, the apostle refers them to the well-known dignity which the bodies of the believers as such possess: Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Ghost in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own, your own masters? “What are all the other gifts altogether,” says Luther, “besides this gift, that the Spirit of God Himself, the eternal God, comes down into our hearts, yea, into our bodies, and lives in us, governs, leads, and conducts us!” Although Paul is addressing the entire congregation, he yet speaks of the body in the singular, in order to bring out once more the fact that they are all one in Christ Jesus. Each one for himself and all of them together are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who has deigned to make them His abode, to take up His dwelling-place in their hearts and in their bodies. And therefore they are no longer masters of their own bodies, to perform their own lusts and desires. According to the heathen idea, prostitution was a consecration of the body; according to the Christian idea, it is the filthiest desecration of the body. The Christians may no longer use their bodies for the gratification of their sinful passions, but are bound to employ them in doing the holy will of God. And to this end St. Paul concludes with a powerful appeal: For bought you were at a price; then glorify God in your body! We Christians were bought, delivered, redeemed, from the power of sin and the devil, not with corruptible things, as silver and gold. The price of our redemption rather was of a nature to make us stand in adoring astonishment and praise in all eternity: with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot, 1 Peter 1:18-19. Through this redemption we have become Christ’s very own and are to serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. That is the inference of the apostle: Glorify God in your body; let all the acts of all your organs and members be undertaken with the object of increasing His honor and glory, let your body be a temple wherein each man serves as a priest to the most high God in all chastity and decency.

Summary

The apostle rebukes the Corinthian Christians for going to law with their brethren before the Gentile courts; he warns them against various sins, but especially against fornication, since their bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost.

Verses 1-40

Instructions with regard to marriage

The propriety and the duty of marriage:

This chapter contains St. Paul’s great lesson on the state of marriage, which must be compared with the various passages, especially in the Old Testament, where the holy estate of matrimony is described. In the present chapter it should be noted that its principles are true for all times, but that the special application which St. Paul makes refers to the circumstances as they were found in his days, especially in the congregation at Corinth. This distinction is observed in the text in such a way that the principles of which St. Paul treats are introduced as the commands of the Lord, his special application for the case submitted to him as his judgment or advice. Cp. 1 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Corinthians 7:26; 1 Corinthians 7:29. The occasion of the discussion was a question or inquiry which had been put to the apostle by the Corinthians: But concerning that about which you wrote, the matters submitted in your letter. The questions were apparently the following: Should a person be married or not? What about the specific duties of marriage? Is the dissolution of the marriage-tie permissible if the one party is a Gentile?

Paul’s answer to the first question: It is right, morally befitting, honorable, praiseworthy (in the sense of “not to be condemned”) for one, for a person, not to touch a woman. It is not to be inferred, as the false ascetics will have it, that even the mere physical touch of a woman’s hand or skin will pollute a man, although under circumstances a handclasp, the slightest brushing against the skin of a woman, may become an unlawful caress and a pollution. St. Paul is here obviously speaking of true celibacy, based upon the gift of chastity in its strictest interpretation, and defending it against those who thought it inhuman. As Luther says, “it behooved St. Paul not to leave those without consolation who preferred to live a celibate life.” But he hurries to add: But on account of the sins of immorality let every one have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. ^■677 . The situation in those days was much as it is to-day: the sins of profligacy, of libertinism, of every form of immorality were so prevalent that it truly demanded an unusual measure of the gift of chastity to remain pure in the midst of so many temptations. Then, as now, the only way to be successful in fleeing fornication was in seeking the chastity of marriage. He is speaking, of course, of a Christian marriage, in which a man has only one, his own, wife, and a woman has only one, her proper, husband. St. Paul did not dream of an impossible sanctity, but he dealt with the situation as it actually existed, and he prescribed the remedy which the Lord had provided. For the marital relationship between husband and wife, although it cannot, on account of inherent sin, be an altogether pure and undefiled service of God, is yet no immorality in itself, since the natural inclination of the sexes is in this instance sanctified by God’s institution, and married people have that consolation that God’s grace in Christ covers whatever is still present of the old flesh in their intercourse.

Of the specific duty of marriage the apostle says: To the wife let the husband render the due, but likewise the wife to the husband. The wife has not power over her own body, but the husband; but likewise also the husband has not power over his own body, but the wife. When a man or woman enters into the state of holy matrimony, he or she places the body at the service of the other in honorable and undefiled intercourse. Each, therefore, possesses a legitimate claim upon the body of the other, and neither caprice nor mere passion should govern such use, Hebrews 13:4. Note that there is no double standard: she is as much the mistress of his person as he the master of hers. Mark also that this is a very strong passage for monogamy, since evidently only one man and one woman are here spoken of. And in this relation husband and wife shall not defraud, deprive, each other of the specific duty of marriage; St. Paul forbids the arbitrary refusal of intercourse when the other party desires it. A different thing is the matter of abstaining from the marital right by mutual consent, if both parties agree upon it and thus the rights of both are preserved. Such an agreement may be made for a time, in order, for example, to be disengaged for prayer. Paul does not make this a law, — he implies the prior right of marital duties, — but this is a suggestion which they might follow. Such extraordinary and extended devotional exercises were later prescribed for the festival seasons. But the apostle does not want to extend the time indefinitely: And be together again, resume the interrupted marital intercourse, lest Satan be tempting you because of your want of self-control. The Lord knows the weakness of the human heart, and guards against a continence which is only a form of hypocrisy. He has created the sexual inclination in man and woman, He is familiar with its power since the fall of man, and He does not want married people to indulge in unnecessary asceticism which may result in the pollution of the mind and heart.

Marriage an obligation under circumstances:

The apostle here refers to the leading sentence of the chapter, according to which he made marriage the rule, although he thought celibacy good. This he speaks according to allowance. The Lord, who inspired Paul to write this letter, has allowed him to take regard for circumstances and temperament, to apply general principles to conditions as they existed at that time. But that does not change the commandment and institution of the Lord. Wherever Paul speaks in matters of Christian liberty, giving his opinion and counsel, 1 Corinthians 7:25, he is conscious of speaking as a man that has the Spirit of God, 1 Corinthians 7:40. In this sense also he writes: But I would have all men to be as also myself. God had given him the special gift of continence, and in view of the near approach of Christ’s second advent, when all marrying and giving in marriage would cease, his wish was that this gift might be possessed more generally. “He desired that everybody might have the extraordinary grace of continence, in order that he might be spared the cares and the anxiety of marriage, and in perfect freedom be concerned only with God and with His Word.” ^■678 . But he is no fanatic, he knows that every one has received his own gift of grace from God, one in this way, another in that. The Lord distributes His gifts for the service of His kingdom as He chooses, endowing each of His servants according to the work that He expects from them. In most cases the fitness of a Christian for the marriage state is in itself a special gift of God, for the care and government of a family is an excellent training for the larger duties in the Church, 1 Timothy 3:4-5.

The apostle proceeds in his statements with great care: But I say to the unmarried men and to the widows, It is good for them if they remain as I; he knows the celibate state to be altogether honorable. But his advice, in view of his own extraordinary gift, is conditional: If, however, they cannot exercise control over themselves, if they have not the gift of continence, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to feel burning, to be consumed by continual sexual desire, since the unsatisfied craving is a ceaseless temptation. It is not that they should choose the lesser of two evils, but they should do that which is no sin in order to avoid that which is sin; for the burning in sexual excitement is not permissible outside of marriage, and the rule here uttered cannot be suspended by any vows of enforced celibacy. It may happen, of course, that owing to circumstances over which they have no control an unmarried man or a widow may not find it possible to get married. In such cases every Christian may trust in the Lord to receive from Him the necessary power to keep his body in subjection and to overcome the lust of the flesh, just as that is the case where either husband or wife are incapacitated for the specific duties of marriage.

For the married people one rule holds once and for all times: To the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, that the wife does not separate herself from the husband; but if indeed she has separated, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband, and that the husband do not dismiss his wife. According to the rule of Christ the marriage-tie is indissoluble, the exceptional cause of divorce mentioned by Him not finding its application in the case of wedded Christians. Paul is here most emphatically stating the will, the law of God as it is valid under all circumstances. The case of the woman is probably mentioned first on account of the position she had occupied in the heathen world, or because the number of women exceeded that of the men in the Corinthian congregation. The woman is not to leave her husband; neither incompatibility of temper nor ascetic aversion can be alleged before the tribunal of God. But if there should be such a case in which the law of God has been set aside by a wife, she should remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. This is not equivalent to giving the woman permission to get a divorce, but conveys the very opposite idea. If she has separated herself without valid reason, she is to be left severely alone in her petulance and in her bad conscience, only one alternative being given her, that of returning to her husband, of being reconciled to him; and he may not dismiss her under the circumstances, just as he has no right at any time to give her a letter of divorcement according to Jewish custom. The intimacy of the marriage-tie is such as to render all efforts tending to its dissolution sinful.

Concerning mixed marriages:

In the previous section the apostle had addressed himself to the wedded couples in the congregation, where both husband and wife were Christians. He now speaks to such Christian men and women where the wife or the husband were not members of the Christian community. And he here again makes the application of the principle of Scriptures to a special circumstance. Jesus had had no occasion to deliver His opinion with regard to such cases, and therefore Paul brings his sentence. The fundamental matter was clear, his inspired judgment applied it to the point in question. The husband and the wife are placed on an equal footing. The Christian brother having an unbelieving wife, who is well pleased to dwell with him in marriage, should not dismiss her. And a Christian woman having an unbelieving husband under the same conditions, should not think of deserting him. So far as the Christian part of any married couple was concerned, the rule of the Lord, made at the institution of holy wedlock, holds good. The Christians should never take the first steps, nor in any way be guilty of inciting a separation in marriage. The existence of mixed marriages is to be deplored deeply, and in many cases they result in trials and temptations which make the term “marriage-yoke” altogether fitting; but so long as the unbelieving party recognizes the validity of the marriage-tie and lives in harmony with this belief, the believing party cannot repudiate the spouse.

The apostle now meets an objection which Christians might be apt to make as to the dangers of such a continued union with an unbeliever: For sanctified is the unbelieving husband in the wife, and sanctified is the unbelieving wife in the brother, in the Christian. Although not consecrated by the sanctifying power of faith, the unbelieving party, by virtue of the intimate, vital union which is the essence of marriage, participates in the consecration of the believing party in this way, that he or she is linked to the Church of God through the believing spouse; the sanctity of the marriage-tie includes both husband and wife. “The believing wife is a sanctuary to her husband, even though he be an unbeliever, for he is her husband; and the believing husband is a sanctuary to his wife, even though she be an unbeliever, for she is his wife.” ^■679 . This is made more evident by the case of their children: Else, then, your children are unclean, but now they are holy. If the state of matrimony, even where the marriage has been entered upon with an unbeliever, were not a holy state, then the children would be unclean. But now the children are considered holy, therefore also the state of marriage, even if it is a mixed marriage; the children are to be considered members of the Christian community on account of the Christian parent. “They are not holy in their own persons, for St. Paul does not speak here of that holiness; but they are holy unto you, that your holiness can be engaged in their care and can educate them, that you will not become desecrated in them as though they were an unholy thing.” ^■680 .

These rules are in force as long as the unbelieving spouse maintains the validity of the marriage-bond. But if the unbeliever separates (himself from his spouse) let him separate; if the non-Christian insists upon severing the marriage relation, this is not to be refused; the separation may take its course. In that case the believing spouse suffers the breaking of the marriage-tie, and the brother or the sister in the congregation is not kept in bondage under such circumstances; they are not to be told that they are still bound, but may consider themselves free, just as though the other party had died. Of the formalities which are to be observed before the civil court the apostle says nothing, since it is self-evident for a Christian to pay due attention to them. According to the will of God, putting away of the spouse is forbidden, but He does not forbid the repudiated spouse to accept dismissal. This is confirmed still more strongly by the addition of the words: In peace, however, has God called us. Should the Christian spouse insist upon continuing the marriage relation in spite of the repudiation, this would lead to hatred and strife. If the unbelieving party has broken the peace of wedlock by considering marriage as a contract which may be dissolved at the whim of one or both of the contracting parties, then the Christian is free from the bond of marriage, suffering what he has not sought and cannot avoid.

The apostle now refers to probable scruples that the Christian spouse might feel in case of such a separation: For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband; or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? There is a possibility, of course, that a Christian husband or wife may succeed in gaining the other party for Christ. But why cling to him, or her, on so ill-founded a hope, especially if the unbelieving spouse has rejected the Christian? “Therefore it is not only presumption for a Christian to marry with the idea that he may bring about a marriage in the Lord afterwards, but it is also uncalled for and meddlesome, if a brother or a sister would want to consider himself bound to an unbelieving spouse in the hope of moving his heart by such faithfulness and thus converting him.” ^■681 . In the entire matter of marriage, and especially of mixed marriages, the rule holds: Only, as the Lord has dealt out to each one, as God has called each one, so let him conduct himself. If the Lord has given to a Christian a spouse that shows unusual kindness in observing all the demands of the marriage relationship in accordance with God’s institution, let him live in wedlock as a true partner of their mutual joys and sorrows. But if, by the dispensation of God, the unbelieving party severs the tie of marriage as based upon God’s institution, then the Christian may accept the liberty thus forced upon him with a good conscience. Thus the apostle ordained in all the churches. All congregations observed the same rules in this very important matter, lest a diversity in Christian customs harm the cause of the Lord. “Christianity does not disturb existing relations, so far as they are not sinful, but only aims to infuse into them the right spirit, according to the will of God.”

A general application of these truths:

Just as the matter of marriage was regulated by Paul in such a way that no one was to deal presumptuously, but was always to have the proper regard for God’s gift and call, so he wanted the same principles applied in other matters of daily life: As a circumcised person was any one called? Do not try to remove its sign. Paul is here referring to such renegade Jews, some of whom may have been found in the Corinthian church, as resorted to an operation to efface the sign of their nationality, probably to signify their entire repudiation of the Law. His ruling is strictly against this practise. And, on the other hand: In uncircumcision, as a Gentile, is any one called? Let him not be circumcised. It was just as little to be commended that the Gentile Christians attempted to reach the highest state of perfection by submitting to the Jewish sacrament. And the reason for this uncompromising attitude of Paul was: Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing; upon neither of these does the worth of a Christian in the eyes of God depend, in no way do they represent religious qualifications. The observing of the commandments of God, faith working by love, a new creature, is everything. Circumcision is no longer a sacrament, but a mere custom without the slightest religious or moral value; God looks upon the heart, upon the activity which faith develops in observing the demands of His holy will. Cp. Galatians 6:15. Where true, living faith is found, there the members of one nation are like those of another, there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither German nor American, they are all one in Christ Jesus. Cp. Galatians 3:28. And therefore let every one remain in that same state in which he was called. It is not necessary to change either nationality or station in life in order to be acceptable to the Lord; He understands every language equally well, and the callous spots on a man’s hands do not debar him from any of the privileges of God’s kingdom.

Paul illustrates this by a second example, bringing out especially the social distinction of the times: As a slave were you called? Do not let it worry you; but if you can become free, rather make use of that. The members of the Corinthian congregation that were slaves were naturally anxious to have their liberty, and the teaching of the Gospel was understood by them to favor this longing. But a Christian slave was not to fear that he could not serve the Lord and be just as dear to Him in this state. The Lord having called him through the Gospel while he was in that social position would continue to show him His mercy even if he continued to be a slave for the rest of his life. At the same time, however, the apostle conceded that a slave may well make use of the opportunity to become free, to accept such a gift of grace from the hands of God. In either event the social state makes no difference, as far as the Lord is concerned: For the man called in the Lord as a slave, while he holds the position, the station of a slave, is nevertheless the Lord’s freeman; likewise the man that is called while he is free is Christ’s servant. This is a paradox, but a very beautiful way of describing the relation of both the bond and the free to the Lord. “Christ buys us from our old master, sin, and then sets us free; but a service is still due from the freedman to the patron.” ^■654 . The freedom spoken of here is, of course, spiritual freedom, according to which our liberation from the power of sin, by that token, gives us the strength to serve the Lord with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. And here the apostle calls out an emphatic warning: With a price you were bought, 1 Peter 1:18-19. The price of redemption which had to be laid down to deliver us from the slavery of sin and Satan was so immeasurably great that it must serve for all times to deter us from a very foolish step, that of becoming servants of men, of selling ourselves into the vilest of slavery by abandoning the truth of Scriptures and permitting ourselves to be swayed and governed by the imagination and wisdom of men. And the Corinthians could readily make the application of the word in their own case, namely, not to make themselves so dependent upon any man as to imagine that they were not really free, even though they had a master over them. And so Paul once more sums up the thought of the entire section: Every one wherein he was called, brethren, in this let him remain before God. That relation, that station in life which a person occupied when he came to faith he may retain without one qualm for the rest of his days. Let it but be before God, in the sight of God, that the entire life be one of faith and of holy works, well-pleasing to the Lord.

The question of celibacy in general:

In this section Paul again presupposes the general rule, based upon the institution of marriage and its blessing by God, that the normal adult will be found in this state. His words, therefore, again concern a peculiar exception, and he applies his judgment to the case as it exists, the difference between principle and individual case thus being upheld. Concerning the unmarried, especially the virgins, he had no command of the Lord which would be applicable at all times and under all circumstances, and so he offered his inspired suggestion to cover this exception, as he had received grace from the Lord to be faithful. Because the mercy of the Lord had been effectually shown in his case, making him a faithful servant of the Lord, therefore his advice also is trustworthy. And so he gives his opinion, as at the beginning of the chapter, to the effect that it is good, advantageous, praiseworthy, for a person to be so, that is, to remain unmarried. But note that he includes a restricting clause which throws a flood of light upon the entire chapter: On account of the distress now existing. The word distress, literally “narrowness, pinching stress,” signifies such straits and difficulties as are found at the time of oppressions and persecutions. Such a time was then upon the Christians, not only on account of the enmity of the Jews, but also on account of the increasing unfriendliness of the Gentiles. The tyrant Nero had but recently taken possession of the throne, and the first severe persecution of the Christians was instituted by him. With such present distresses and imminent perils, it is true indeed that the advantage was on the part of the unmarried. Cp. Matthew 24:19.

Paul now applies his advice in detail: Are you bound to a wife? Do not be seeking separation. Are you (as a bachelor or widower) without a wife? Do not be seeking a wife. In the former case the lawfully wedded person sins by trying to break the marriage-tie; in the latter case the one that does not accept the advice of Paul is making himself liable to many forms of unpleasantness. But Paul does not want to be misunderstood as coming into conflict with the general rule of God, so he hastens to add: But if indeed you have married, you have not sinned, and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. The Corinthian Christians were not to set up a false ascetic ideal in forbidding marriage. There was no sin connected with entering into that state or with being in that state. The only thing was, as Paul states: But affliction for the flesh such will have; I, however, am seeking to spare you. He is not referring mainly to the special cross of the married woman, Genesis 3:16, but to all forms of tribulation which are liable to strike the body, the physical life, in such times as were upon the Christians. Persecution was more bitter to endure for the married, because to the perils threatening the body and life there were added the cares and worries for the well-being of the members of the family. Very often, indeed, the alternative lay between duty to God and affection to wife and children. It is in that sense that Paul desires to spare them, to save them a good deal of temporal adversity by giving them his advice.

No earthly ties should hinder the service of God:

No matter under what conditions a person lives and works, his first duty is toward the Lord, to whom the whole life of a Christian must be consecrated. There is a strong reason for reminding the Corinthians of this: This, however, I assert, brethren, the time has been fixed short. The great day of the Lord, for whose coming the believers were anxiously waiting, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, was very near, and therefore it must be our constant aim and effort to be ready for its coming, Luke 12:35-36; Mark 13:35-36. As a consequence, all the things of this life must occupy a secondary position with reference to the matters of the kingdom of God: So that henceforth indeed those that have wives be as if they had none, the weepers as if not engaged in weeping, those that are joyful as if not engaged in rejoicing, the buyers as if they had nothing, those that make use of the world as not abusing it, not being engrossed in its business to the exclusion of their spiritual interests. “Home with its joys and griefs, business, the use of the world, must be carried on as under notice to quit, by men prepared to cast loose from the shores of time.” ^■682 . All these matters which engage the attention of a person in this world, and are put into the hands of man by the Lord, should not become the end and aim of existence. Husband and wife may share the joys and sorrows of family life, but in good days as well as in evil their heart’s desire must be directed to the glory that is awaiting them above. People engaged in business, occupied in a station which deals exclusively with matters of this world, must not let their hearts be wrapped up in the gain and in the enjoyment of the world, but always keep their eyes directed to the greatest gift and blessing, that of the final consummation of salvation in heaven. As one commentator has it, we have here “the picture of spiritual detachment in the various situations in life.” ^■654 . And that is as it should be: For passing away is the form, the present appearance, of this world. The things which engage the attention of people in this world are not enduring, but transitory; marryings and marketings, feasts and funerals, pass before our eyes in endless, ever-changing procession; there is nothing abiding, nothing of lasting value in all that this world may offer. Cp. Philippians 3:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 13:14.

A comparison of the married and unmarried state:

The apostle here presents his reasons for advising as he does, his aim being that his readers should be without cares and worries which tended to distract their attention from the one thing needful, worries of all kinds, but especially marriage worries. For the unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. That is the ideal state which Paul would fain see, that the unmarried man devote his abilities and energies to the service of the Lord, with the object of doing that which pleases Him alone. There is an admonition here for the unmarried men of our times, many of whom refrain from marrying because they dread the inconveniences and tribulations of the married state, and yet are also too selfish to devote themselves to the Lord and to the work of the Church. But he that is married, the apostle says, is anxious about the things of this world, how he may please his wife. This is, of course, a danger connected with the matrimonial state, that the husband be so engrossed with his love for his wife and with the care of the household as to forget the duty which he owes to the Lord. Paul sets forth here what is usually found in actual experience, and altogether too often in our days, when the idea of a partnership in the Biblical sense and of a home and family has been abandoned for that of a life of voluptuous ease and of social ambition. In either case the service of the Lord suffers, but that is not a necessary concomitant of marriage.

Paul considers also the side of the woman: And a difference is also between the wife and the virgin; there is a diversity between them with regard to care; they are separated, divided, in their interests. If the unmarried woman realizes and makes use of her opportunities properly, she will be anxious about the things of the Lord. This she does by being holy according to her body as well as according to her spirit, that is, she devotes herself entirely to the Lord, serving Him with her whole person and all her powers. This is an ideal which should be held before the eyes of all Christian young women; for at the present time there is far too much attention paid to pleasure and service of the flesh, as the world is making inroads upon the Church, and far too little to the service of the Lord and His Church, although there are so many ways in which an earnest Christian may help in the spreading of the Kingdom. On the other hand, the married woman is anxious about the things of this world, the care of so many things in the family and household naturally falling upon her; and she is concerned about pleasing her husband. This, again, does not imply that this is the only sphere which the Christian wife will know, and that it is impossible for her not to be active in the work of the Church. On the contrary, many a married woman has put the young women to shame with her zeal for progress in the congregation. But Paul is speaking of the average case, stating the facts as they are usually found.

At the same time the apostle realized fully that his personal recommendation of the unmarried state, even under the conditions then obtaining, was connected with certain perils. He therefore adds: But this I say to your own advantage, not that I throw a snare upon you, put a noose around your neck. He does not want to catch his readers and shut them up in an unwilling unmarried state; nor does he want to rule their consciences and force them to think as he himself does. His argument is only that he speaks for that which is proper, seeming, fitting, that which at the present time is befitting the behavior of Christians, and that which amounts to an assiduous and undisturbed waiting for the Lord and His coming. Paul wanted all distractions and diversions of earthly influences removed, in order to offer to the Lord the most unselfish and unhindered service. If a person can and may remain unmarried, these words of the apostle should always be borne in mind. There would be little or no difficulty about carrying on the external business of the Church if all those that are footloose would devote their free time to the Lord, with an energy corresponding to the importance of the work.

The right of the father to give his daughter in marriage:

Although Paul was so strongly in favor of celibacy, yet he was very careful not to agree to a false asceticism. Therefore he writes: If any one is of the opinion that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter, since it was thought socially discreditable to keep a daughter at home in an unmarried state. The procreative faculty is God’s creation and blessing, and therefore, under ordinary circumstances, the normal adult, and also the adult virgin, especially if she be past the bloom of youth and have not the gift of continence, is acting in accordance with the institution of God in desiring marriage. In such a case, duty may require it, and so matters ought to proceed, ought to be brought to a conclusion, and the father or guardian should act as he wishes and as circumstances point the way: he does not sin, let the marriage take its course. On the other hand, a father may keep his virgin unmarried and do well in so acting under certain conditions. He must be firmly established in his own mind, he must be sure that his course is the right one. If he himself is in doubt, and yet would want to make his daughter bow to his will, he would be sinning, Romans 14:23. The second condition is the absence of constraint, that the chastity and the peace of mind of the virgin is not endangered. The third is that the father or guardian have power and authority concerning his own will, that he can follow his will without conflicting with the higher command of love. And the fourth is that he comes to a conclusion in his own heart, that he acts with the full understanding of his own responsibility. It would be well for modern parents to heed these words of the apostle and not to permit their children to contract foolish and frivolous marriages, particularly when they are not yet able to realize the obligations and responsibilities which the married state imposes upon both husband and wife. And so the application which Paul makes, the conclusion which he reaches, is: So he that gives his virgin in marriage does well, he acts in full accordance with God’s institution; and he that does not give her in marriage does better, he considers the advantages more carefully, considering the times and the duties to be performed. Thus the apostle recommends what appears to him the course generally fitting under the circumstances without, even here, binding the consciences and setting aside the fundamental principles of God’s institution.

The same thoughts are applied to the case of widows: A wife is bound by law for as long a time as her husband lives. Cp. Romans 7:2. But she is released from all obligations to her husband by his death, when he falls asleep, as Paul writes. Then she is free also to become married, if she wants to. A remarriage after the death of the first husband is by no means denied a widow, 1 Timothy 5:11-14. Neither the reverence for the former husband, nor the submission to the will of another, nor the objections made by slanderous tongues need cause a woman to waive her rights in this respect. Only one consideration she must observe, as must all Christians at all times: the step must be taken in the Lord. If the man whom she intends to marry is within the degrees prohibited by God, or if he expresses the avowed intention of interfering with her religion and its exercises, then she certainly would not be entering upon her second marriage in the Lord. And in general, Paul says: But happier she will be, both in her freedom from the specific cares of the married state and in her opportunity to devote herself more exclusively to the Lord’s service, if she remains unmarried. But again he adds: According to my advice. He is referring to the conditions as he saw them before him, to the perils that were imminent. But he thought that he also had the Spirit of God, his advices and opinions, as well as his commands based upon principles, were under divine guidance. “The apostle commends his advice in all these matters, conscious that it proceeds from the highest source and is not the outcome of mere human prudence or personal inclination.” ^■683 .

Summary

The apostle gives instructions concerning the propriety of marriage, the duties of the wedded state, the question of mixed marriages, of divorce and celibacy, and of the extent and limitations of a father’s authority in giving his daughter in marriage.

Verses 1-13

Christian liberty in the matter of eating meat offered to idols

Knowledge and charity:

In this chapter the apostle offers the answer to a second question which had been laid before him by the Corinthian Christians: Was it right for a Christian to eat flesh that had been offered in sacrifice to an idol? The situation was somewhat complicated, since the entire public and social life of the people of Corinth and of the citizens of all the large cities in those days was permeated with, and to some extent governed by, the worship of idols. Feasts and banquets, both public and private, were usually connected with the name of some heathen god. A large part of the meat on sale in the shops and therefore found on the average table came from the temples, and so it became a difficult matter to avoid its use. This explains the perplexity of the Corinthians which caused their question to the apostle. Before giving his real answer, he reminds them, in the form of a parenthesis, of certain basic facts. With a tinge of sarcasm he writes that he is aware of the fact that all claimed the possession of knowledge. They all were sure that they needed no more information as to the fundamentals of Christianity. Paul proceeds to correct this idea: Knowledge puffs up, inflates, but love builds up. Many of the Corinthian Christians, as many believers are doing to-day, pretended to be so firmly grounded in head knowledge that they rose superior to all prejudices. But the result was an amount of proud self-satisfaction which forgot all considerations for their neighbor. And therefore Paul frankly tells his readers that such an attitude, according to which a person believes himself to be above all heathen superstition and to have the full and complete knowledge of God and His essence, is vain and sinful if it is not attended by the proper fruit of love in good works.

This axiomatic saying the apostle amplifies: But if any one has the idea that he knows something (he is herewith definitely told that) he has never yet learned as he ought to, he has not yet obtained the real basis of true knowledge. Just as soon as a person shows any conceit as to his spiritual knowledge, this fact proves that he is still far from possessing that full, deep, penetrating, exhaustive knowledge which is contained in Christianity. For the more a person in all humility and under the gracious guidance of God studies the wonderful doctrines which God has given to men in His Word of grace, the more this humility must increase, the more he will confess: We know in part only, and a very small part at that. Self-conceit and real knowledge are incompatible in spiritual things. On the other hand: But if any one loves God, this person is known of Him. If the faith of a Christian has found its proper expression in love toward God, from which flows love toward his neighbor, 1 John 5:2, then he also knows that his knowledge of love is the result of God’s having known him. If God knows any one in this way, it is an effective knowledge, Galatians 4:9; Romans 8:29, it brings him into communion, into sonship, with God, into the most intimate relation of mind and spirit. Naturally this includes also this, that every person that is the subject of such an effective knowledge on the part of God will know God in turn, will grow in knowledge day by day until the day of the consummation of all hopes and knowledge. To know God as Him that has known us in Christ, that is the childlike knowledge which does not puff up, but is, on the contrary, a constant spur to us to imitate the great love of God which bent down to us in our misery and wretchedness and brought us salvation.

The knowledge of idols and the knowledge of God:

After the parenthetical sentence the apostle here returns to his subject: Concerning now the food of idol sacrifices, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, that no idol has any existence in the world. The horror which the Christians, especially the weaker ones in their midst, felt with regard to the meat which had been offered to idols, is very easily explained, since they had turned from them as from the powers of darkness. This feeling, therefore, is not only justifiable, but highly commendable. At the same time it serves for the reassurance of the readers that all the strange gods which were described in the hymns of the day were not realities into whose power one would come in case he partook of the meat of the sacrifices, but were nothing; they had no existence, there was really no such thing. For all times it stands as incontrovertible truth: There is no God but the One. Cp. Deuteronomy 6:4. Monotheism is the one true religion, as revealed in the Bible, the only religion which has the right to exist.

The apostle expands this thought for the sake of clearness and emphasis: For indeed, if one should grant the existence of so-called gods, although indeed one speaks of those pictures of man’s phantasy in this way, whether they are supposed to be in heaven or on the earth. The Greeks and Romans had filled both earth and sky with their idols, with the products of their imagination, an astonishing multitude of reputed deities. And the Bible itself, for the sake of argument, sometimes speaks of idols as gods, in order to show their nothingness beside the true God, Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalm 136:2. Thus the word “gods” would apply to the assumed deities of the Gentiles, and the word “lords” to their assumed dominion. But to us Christians there is only one God, namely, the Father, of whom are all things and we for Him, and one Lord, namely, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and we through Him. There is only one God, and He is distinguished by the fact that He is the Father, the eternal Father of the eternal Son, who is the Source of all things and has destined all things for His use and glory. Therefore we also are to Him, the aim and object of our life should be to serve Him as His true children and thus to hallow His name, 1 Peter 2:9; James 1:18; John 17:9-10. And Christ, whose true deity is here testified to, is the Lord in the absolute sense, for through Him is everything, the universe is a work of His creative power. Cp. Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11; Hebrews 1:3. And we are through Him, Romans 11:36, we owe our Christian state to Christ’s work of redemption, Ephesians 2:18; Romans 8:29. There are not two gods or two lords, but there is only one God and one Lord. Our new life is directed toward God, a result of Christ’s mediation in our behalf, and these two are one; the Father and the Son, the Triune God, is the Mediator of our salvation. Note how clearly and emphatically a part of the doctrine of God, of His person and of His chief work toward us, is here brought out. And there is not the smallest spot in all the universe left for other deities.

The weak in faith defile their conscience:

All the believers of Corinth agreed with Paul in his great confession concerning the true God; in this respect their knowledge was sound. But not all of them had the knowledge that there was no such thing as a false god, an idol, in existence, and that therefore the meat offered to the idols was like any other meat, uncontaminated by the consecration to a thing which did not really exist except in the imagination of the heathen. Some of them, by reason of the fact that they were used to the idol, since that was the familiar way of speaking of the idol, as they had always made use of it, could not get rid of the notion that there was something real about the idol. And therefore, as Paul writes, to the present time they ate the meat as an idol sacrifice, and thus their conscience, since it was weak, was polluted, Romans 14:23. “The consciousness of sharing in idol-worship is defiling to the spirit of a Christian.” ^■654 . The idea that the idol was, after all, a real being gave them a bad conscience, and for that reason their eating, though in itself not wrong, became sinful. “Their conscience was cleansed through the blood of Christ, Hebrews 9:14, in whom they believed; but it was weak, because the confirming Word of God had not yet worked the knowledge in them by which a Christian knows and is certain in the Lord Jesus that nothing in itself is unclean, Romans 14:14.” ^■684 .

For the sake of the weak, therefore, Paul writes: But food will not commend us to God, will not affect our relation toward God; the food that we eat cannot influence our spiritual life. When we are presented to God for judgment on the last day, He will not judge and condemn us on the basis of the food that we subsisted on in this world, just as we do not lose our standing before Him at the present time for that reason. For neither if we eat are we the better off, nor if we eat not are we the worse off; it makes no difference before the Lord; these external matters do not affect our standing with Him. In either case our observance or non-observance of eating will not promote us in spiritual grace, nor will it detract from the blessings which we may be enjoying. ^■685 .

A warning against the reckless use of Christian liberty:

The connection between this passage and the foregoing one is the following. Paul, writing about defilement of conscience in the case of weak brethren, 1 Corinthians 8:7, intercepts the objection on the part of the stronger Christians: “You say that the conscience of the weaker brother is defiled by eating of idol sacrifices. But how? We have been taught that God will not judge us on account of such trifling external matters.” This Paul shows to be true, but he now adds a word of caution and rebukes the attitude of the stronger Christians with a very serious reference to the consequences of their uncharitable behavior: See to it, beware, lest this your right become an obstacle to the weak. It was true enough that they had the liberty of choice in the matter in itself; they were right in contending that there was nothing sinful in their partaking of meat offered to idols. But this right ceased to be a matter of Christian liberty, a thing indifferent, when indulging in it proved an obstacle to their weak brother over which he stumbled, when their eating gave occasion to their weak brother to sin. ^■686 .

Paul now explains in detail: For if any one should see you, a person that has knowledge, that is proud of his right understanding of Christian liberty, reclining at a table in an idol’s temple, would not his conscience, while he is still weak, before he has overcome his peculiar prejudices, be edified to the point that he will eat of the idol sacrifices? To such extremes, then, the stronger brethren in the congregation at Corinth went that they freely accepted invitations to banquets in the temples of the heathen gods. In doing so, they probably had the idea that this was the most effective way of persuading the weak of their foolish position. But that was a questionable edification, and could result in only one thing, namely, in harm to the weak. Without having really understood and conceded the matter properly, the latter would also accept such invitations, with the result that their consciences would be defiled. The behavior of the strong was thus the very opposite of charitableness, it was selfish presumption. Instead of building up and strengthening the weak brother, therefore, there perishes the weak person on the ground of thy knowledge, the brother for whom Christ died. The appeal to Christ’s work is to the strongest motives which can compel a Christian: brotherly love and loyalty to Christ. The strong Christian should remember that his brother cannot be brought to better knowledge by such inconsiderate behavior; on the contrary, the very object of Christ’s death in the case of the weaker brother is frustrated by such thoughtless behavior. Christ died to bring redemption to all men; His salvation is actually ready before the whole world, and it is His intention that it be realized in the case of every person. But here the weak Christian is tempted by the strong to partake in a meal which he regards as sinful, and thus defiles his conscience, loses his faith, and is placed on the road to perdition, all on account of the heartless folly of the Christian that makes it a point to boast of his knowledge and to insist upon the exercise of his Christian liberty.

The apostle now describes the further result of such conduct: In so sinning against the brethren and in striking their weak conscience a blow, you are sinning against Christ. So it is not only the weak brother that sins in such a case by his yielding, but the stronger Christian that tempted him sins as well. And his is the greater damnation; for not only does he strike the conscience of the weaker a blow that dazes him in his spiritual life, shocks and deranges it, renders it useless, but he sins directly against Christ. Cp. Matthew 18:6; Matthew 25:40,45. It is here that the act reaches its climax and exhibits the height of its guiltiness, since the purpose of the Savior’s death cannot be realized on its account. Every offense by which we sin against the brethren is offered to Christ, and to strike the weak conscience of a brother is all the more reprehensible since it is done with the pretext of working in his interest, although the offender meanwhile fatuously displays his own selfishness.

All the more strongly, by way of contrast, the self-denial of Paul stands out: Therefore verily, if food offends my brother, I will surely not eat meat forever, lest my brother be offended. Note that he says “my brother,” with special emphasis. For the sake of brotherly love and in the interest of weaker brethren, the apostle is ready to yield even more of his liberty; he will give up even other foods about which another may still be in doubt, not only the food offered to sacrifices. So the principle which must regulate the use of things indifferent at all times and under all circumstances is that of love.

Summary

In discussing the question of partaking of foods which have been sacrificed to idols, Paul shows that regard for the spiritual welfare of the weaker brother must be the motive which regulates the behavior of the stronger Christians in things indifferent.

Verses 1-27

Paul the free servant of Christ

Defending his Christian liberty:

Paul had stated the guiding principle of his life to be: All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient, 1 Corinthians 6:12. In accordance with this principle he had been practising self-denial out of love to the Lord and to his brethren, he had renounced his own rights and privileges for the sake of winning souls for Christ and spreading the Gospel. And therefore he now defends his position and his Christian liberty in one of the most elevated and beautiful passages in the entire New Testament. He has the same rights as other Christians, as other apostles, and if he chooses not to exercise these rights, this fact does not deprive him of his privileges, but should rather cause the Corinthian Christians to esteem him all the more highly for his self-denial in their behalf. These were his prerogatives: He was free, he had become a partaker of the liberty wherewith Christ had made him free, and in the exercise of this liberty was accountable to no man; he was an apostle, and this in spite of the fact that some deceivers were casting suspicions on the certainty of his call, 2 Corinthians 11:13. So far as the Corinthians are concerned, his apostleship is substantiated in two ways: He has, with the eyes of the body, seen the Lord, their common Lord, Jesus Christ, Acts 9, when the Lord appeared to him on the way to Damascus; the Corinthians themselves are his work, the concrete evidence of his calling, through his work the Lord had created them to be new creatures, the preaching of the Gospel had been effective in their case, what they had received was the Lord’s grace and blessing which is given through the word and work of His servants.

The apostle feels constrained to emphasize this point: If to others I am not an apostle, at any rate, most certainly, I am to you. In other congregations, where the Judaizing teachers were very strong, they might deny his apostleship, in their view or opinion his claims may not be well founded. But so far as the Corinthians were concerned, they surely cannot but acknowledge him, since the simple fact of their conversion was a constant confirmation of his contention: they were the seal of his apostleship in the Lord. The Lord affixed His seal to the work of His servant by making his words powerful for the conversion of the Corinthians. Cp. John 3:33. Paul had been among the believers of Corinth with the signs of an apostle, 2 Corinthians 12:12, and the Lord had given the increase in such a signally wonderful manner as to confirm Paul’s commission in the eyes of all men that were not blinded by prejudice. And this is the apology, the answer to his critics, to those that question his apostleship, that wish to investigate his claims; he simply points to the Corinthian congregation, as he needed no other defense.

Paul now vindicates other rights: Is it that we have not the right to eat and to drink? Does any one question our claim to maintenance? Mark 6:10; Luke 10:7; Luke 22:30. He had the right to expect that the people whom he served should make proper provision for his support, that he might live at the expense of the congregation in whose interests he was laboring. Another right: Have we not power to take about with us a Christian sister as wife? He maintains his right to be married if he so chooses. It is not only a right of Christian ministers that they may enter holy wedlock, but the apostle even declares it to be a matter of Christian liberty for a traveling preacher, a missionary, to be married and to take his wife along to the various stations. For a congregation to prefer an unmarried pastor because his maintenance will not require such large amounts of money is to impose a condition which cannot be made to conform with Scriptures. The other apostles made use of their right, and their wives usually accompanied them. The brothers (step-brothers, cousins) of the Lord Jesus followed the custom of the Jews in being married, and of Peter it is expressly stated that he had a wife. Note: The expression, “brothers of the Lord,” may be taken literally. For, as one commentator has it, “the statement, ‘born of the Virgin Mary,’ is an article of the Church’s creed; but the question whether she bore children afterwards involves no point of Christian faith.” ^■687 . A final right: Is it that only I and Barnabas have not the power to stop working, to give up manual labor for our own support? Barnabas, who had been associated with Paul in the early labors in Asia Minor, Acts 4:36; Acts 11:22; Acts 13:14, had disposed of his property in Jerusalem for the benefit of the congregation and had followed the example of Paul in supporting himself, even when on missionary trips, by the labor of his hands, a fact which Paul here openly acknowledges. Incidentally, this reference to his former colleague shows that their difference of opinion, Acts 15:37-38, did not result in a lasting estrangement, but that the two leaders adjusted their difficulty, even though they continued to hold their individual opinion as to their preference in the matter. Paul insists that they were not under obligation to work for their livelihood while they preached, which implied that they should not misunderstand him, but should rather realize that his intention was not to burden them, 2 Corinthians 12:16. So the three rights which Paul argues for “in fact amount to the one which Paul contends for in the sequel: he might justly have imposed his personal support, and that in the more expensive character of a married man, upon the Christian communities for which he labored, thus sparing himself the disadvantages and hardships of manual toil.” ^■688 .

With three parables the apostle illustrates his right and his power to receive maintenance at the expense of the congregation, the figures being taken from the camp, the vineyard, and the flock: Who ever serves in the army at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who acts as a shepherd to a flock and does not eat of the milk of the flock? In case some one should serve as soldier at his own private charges, in case some one should go to the trouble of planting a vineyard and not use the fruit, in case a shepherd should have charge of a flock and not use the part of the milk which was his portion, he would be doing something out of the ordinary and could boast a goodness which no man demanded of him, for the rule was altogether the other way. Note that all three figures find their application in the work of a faithful minister: the valiant soldier, fighting the battles of the Lord; the indefatigable vine-dresser, busy with the plants of the Lord’s vineyard; the faithful shepherd, feeling the responsibility for every sheep and lamb of the Lord’s flock.

The Scriptural proof and its application:

The apostle by a Scripture-passage here substantiates the principle that the servants of the Lord have a right to expect the material support of their congregations. For he expressly says that he is not arguing the matter as any man might do, in accordance with general human practise, and he adduces a positive divine ordinance. He thus obviates the argument that he is taking examples from daily life to support his claim for the support of pastors. It is written, and therefore stands for all times, in the Law of Moses, in the book which bore the name of Moses, Deuteronomy 25:4: Thou shalt not muzzle a threshing ox. Cp. 1 Timothy 5:18. In the Old Testament text this is one of the passages enjoining humane treatment of animals. Threshing was usually carried on either by having the oxen tread out the kernels from the hulls, Micah 4:12-13, or by hitching them to a heavy sledge which they dragged over the threshing-floor, 2 Samuel 24:22. The rule prohibited the muzzling of the oxen during this work, and they were thus left free to pick up stalks of grain whenever they became hungry. Paul defends his application of the Old Testament passage to the point in question by asking: Is it for oxen that God is concerned, or does He not by all means say it for our sakes? “It is a proverbial saying, which Paul explains at some length, so that he says: Does God care for the oxen? As though he would say: Though God takes care of the oxen, still He does not have this written for the sake of the oxen, since they cannot read; this is the meaning of Paul: This verse is to be understood not only of the oxen, but of workers in general that they should live of their work.” ^■689 . So Paul is right in making the application: For it is written for our sakes, on our account, namely, that it is necessary for the plower to plow in hope, and that the thresher do his work in the hope of partaking. Both plowing and threshing is laborious work, and therefore the picture fits into the context well; it exhibits typically the labors of Christian teachers in the language of the statute and under the forms of farm labor. The expectation of partaking of the fruit is due to the laborer, beast or man, and therefore the application is obvious. The hope of him that does his plowing and threshing in the spiritual world is indeed directed forward to a spiritual fruit, John 4:36, but since he employs the work of his body, of his physical life, in his calling, he has a right to expect, according to the rule of God, that the faith which follows preaching will also be active in love, and thus the physical needs of spiritual workers will be taken care of in the proper manner.

This deduction the apostle frankly makes: If we unto you sowed spiritual things, is it a great thing, is it too much, that we reap your carnal things? This question strikes the conceit of such Christians as place a high value upon the gifts which they communicate to their pastors, since they themselves place a low valuation upon that which they have received from them. For all the spiritual things that are to be found in the midst of a congregation: the gifts of the Spirit, faith, love, hope, knowledge, zeal, fervency in prayer, etc., are all the fruit of the Gospel as it is sown by the teaching of the pastor, publicly and privately. Surely the Christian that realizes even faintly the inestimable value of these gifts will not hesitate about making at least an attempt to repay the spiritual blessings by offering the fruit of his hands, since to make a full return is impossible. Luther says: “I do not like to explain such texts as are on our side, as servants of the Word. It may seem, when such texts are properly expounded before the people, as if it were on account of greed. But it is necessary that the people be instructed in order that they may know what kind of honor and support they owe their teachers under obligation from God.”

Paul now sets forth his own case in a still stronger light by comparing himself with other teachers who made use of the support of the congregations: If others be partakers of this power, make use of their right over you, why not we rather? Paul had a better claim to share in their domain, in a way to exercise dominion over them, as the first teacher of the Corinthian congregation, since he was the man who broke the ground and did the planting. But, he says, we did not make use of this right, not because he was too proud or because he did not dare, but because he wanted to bear everything in silence, he chose to endure without complaining, in order that he might not offer a hindrance to the Gospel of Christ. In the Gentile world the acceptance of pay by a wandering teacher was explained as avarice, a fact which naturally harmed the cause. Besides, Paul did not want to be tied to any certain congregation, since his call included the care of all the congregations founded by him and the establishing of others as occasion offered. Here was a fine proof of Paul’s unselfishness, on account of which he even waived a right which was in his hands, lest he be misunderstood and the preaching of the Gospel suffer in consequence.

The duty of hearers:

Lest any member of the Corinthian congregation misunderstand him and make it a point to harp upon the necessity of unselfishness in preachers, Paul again refers them to the fundamental rule which should always be observed, namely, that under normal conditions the congregations should supply all the bodily needs of their pastors. He derives a further reason for his argument from the Temple service: Do you not know that those employed in the sacred offices, those that are busy with the holy things in the Temple, eat what comes from the sacred place? The apostle speaks of the Temple service, especially that connected with the offering of sacrifices. The men engaged in this work everywhere, not only among the Jews, but among the Gentiles as well, obtained their support from the temple, from the gifts and offerings of the people. Cp. Numbers 18:8-9; Deuteronomy 18:1-5. And those that wait at the altar, that are actually engaged in performing the sacrificial rites, have their portion with the altar, a part of the sacrifice being reserved for the use of the priests, Leviticus 10:12-15. According to this precedent the rule holds true also in the New Testament: So also did the Lord determine for them that preach the Gospel that they should live of the Gospel. Mark: This is a command of the Lord, and may not be set aside with impunity. Since all things in the world are really His own, merely entrusted to the users for the time being, therefore it is His function and privilege to decide in what way the goods of this world should be used. The pastors being exclusively engaged in the business of preaching the Gospel, devoting all their time to the study of the glorious message of salvation and to the application of its comforting truths, the Lord wants their physical wants supplied by the people that are served with the Gospel; the means, not of a mere existence or subsistence, but of a decent livelihood, should be forthcoming from the rich store of God’s blessings, as given to His children.

Paul hastens to add that his own case is an exception: But so far as I am concerned, I have not used any of these things. He had the right and authority to expect from the Corinthian congregation a maintenance in accordance with his outline above, 1 Corinthians 9:4-6. These privileges he has deliberately foregone; he had settled upon this policy for some definite reasons of his own, chief of which was the desire to serve the Gospel all the more efficiently. And so he explains further: Not, however, have I written this that this should happen, should be done, in my case. He is not speaking for himself, in his own interest. He emphatically declares: For it is well, honorable, advantageous, for me rather to die than — my boasting shall no one make void! In his excitement the apostle forgets even the grammatical construction. Strong feeling, impatience, indignation, often influenced Paul in that way. He had set his heart upon preaching the Gospel without remuneration from the congregations, and his wish was rather to be dead than to have this glory taken from him. Any temporal loss or want he deemed unimportant beside the loss of his special boast, which he intended to take along beyond the grave. Not that Paul wanted to stand out prominently before the other apostles, but his humility was such that he would have called ingratitude in himself what he demanded for them as their right.

His boasting is not of his preaching:

Paul here again obviates a possible misunderstanding. He was far too humble to feel himself worthy of preaching the Gospel, much less would he have his preaching made a subject of boasting: For if I preach the Gospel, that is no reason for me to boast. His advantage lay in this, that he renounced his right to support and preached without remuneration. For in the matter of preaching necessity was laid upon him, he was pressed into the service of the Gospel, the sovereign will of God determined his apostleship and, in addition, he was under immeasurable obligations to the Lord for His pardoning grace. But if service is rendered under such conditions, there can be no question of boasting. And more: For woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel! He was bound in the spirit, he was pledged, as a servant of Christ, and to the limit of his powers and abilities, to praise God through the ministry of the Gospel. And he must expect the judgments of the Lord to fall upon him if he ventured to disobey the heavenly call. Paul’s attitude was utterly unlike that of many preachers and teachers in our days that welcome every excuse to leave the service of the Lord.

The apostle explains his attitude: For if willingly I perform this, if I am engaged in this work of my own free will, I have reward. The very fact that a person is engaged in the glorious ministry of teaching and saving souls for Christ makes it worth while and constitutes a reward; but, in addition, there is the reward of grace, Matthew 19:28-29, which the Lord has intended for them that abide faithful in the performance of their office to the end. But if, on the other hand, he does his work unwillingly, under constraint, he has yet been entrusted with the stewardship. The steward occupied a position of trust in the master’s house; but no matter what his attitude toward his work was, it was chosen for him, and faithful obedience was expected of him. Cp. 1 Timothy 1:12-13. He could expect no reward of merit for work faithfully performed, for that would never go beyond his duty, but he might look for punishment in case of failure. Incidentally, the thought seems included, as one commentator has it: “Christ’s bondman, I claim no hire for my stewardship; God’s trust is enough for me.” ^■654 .

Paul explains wherein his reward consists: Since this is the situation, what is my reward, the reward of mercy, the reward that makes the work worth while at all times? And he answers: That, in preaching the Gospel, I may set the Gospel forth free of charge. The gratification which he feels at rendering a real service and the satisfaction of giving this service free of charge, of offering salvation without money and without price to all whom he addresses, that in itself is a reward. And he does this in order not to abuse his right in the Gospel, that right which is connected with proclaiming the Gospel. It was a matter of joy and honor to him, not only to be counted worthy of preaching the Gospel, but also to do this work free of charge. The Corinthians have spent nothing on him, but he spent everything, including himself, on them. Such an attitude of unselfish devotion to the cause of Christ may well inspire all pastors and all Christians at all times.

Devoted work for the sake of the Gospel:

Here Paul’s policy of self-denial is explained in detail. Taking up the thought of 1 Corinthians 9:1 again, he states: For, while I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all men, in order that I might gain the more. A true servant of Christ uses his liberty in the Gospel in no other way but for the edification of his neighbor and for the praise of God. Paul was free, he was not bound to any man’s arbitrary rule, but went his way independent of the judgment of men, actuated and controlled entirely by the Spirit of Christ that lived in him. But this liberty he asserted in a very peculiar way, from the standpoint of man, namely, in complete self-denial. Through love every Christian is the debtor of his neighbor, places himself at the service of his neighbor, has his true spiritual welfare in mind at all times, Romans 13:8. And Paul’s sole aim was to gain all the more souls for Christ by this service. This was a seeking for gain which could not but win the approval even of those that were inclined always to suspect his motives. With characteristic energy and wisdom he applied himself to this task, by making a careful analysis of the situation and laying his plans accordingly. To the Jews he became as a Jew in order to win the Jews; without denying or setting aside one word of the eternal truth, he accommodated his methods to the circumstances, always with the intention of winning souls for Christ, Acts 16:3; Acts 18:18; Acts 21:23-26. To those under the Law, whether they belonged to the Jewish nation or to the Gentiles (mainly circumcised Gentiles), he became as one under the Law, in order to gain those under the Law; he was willing to conform to the customs, modes of life, and methods of instruction in vogue among them, so long as these matters were really things indifferent. To those without the Law, to the heathen in the strict sense of the word, he became as without the Law, although for his own person he was bound under the Law of Christ, in order to gain those without the Law; when in a heathen community, Paul did not practise the Jewish customs, a fact which would merely have antagonized the Gentiles; he omitted all reference to regulations of the Old Testament which were strictly Jewish in character. And this he did because he was in the Law of Christ, his Redeemer, the Fulfiller of the Law, being his life. The love of Christ was the motive for all his actions, a life implanted in Him and anxious to demonstrate itself in the service of the Gentiles; in the midst of the idolatry of heathenism, Paul found points of contact for the application of the Word of Grace. To the weak the apostle became weak in order to gain the weak; his loving insight enabled him to understand the scruples and weaknesses of those that had not made much headway in Christian knowledge. Cp. 2 Corinthians 11:29. Every true servant of Christ must learn from the apostle not to despise any one, nor to permit disgust over foolish weaknesses to enter his heart. There may be much spiritual incapacity, but the ability to hear the story of the Gospel will remain in most cases; and the object is to gain the weak also. And therefore Paul summarizes: To all men I have become all things in order by all means to save some. In this way the practical wisdom of Paul’s pastoral love and self-denial shone forth. It was not duplicity, as his enemies alleged, 2 Corinthians 1:12; 2 Corinthians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 12:16; Galatians 1:10, but the expression of a heart which acted under the discipline of the sanctifying Spirit. And it was all done for the sake of the Gospel, in order that he might be a joint-partaker with it. Every new soul won for Christ exhibited to the apostle the glory of the Triune God and the beauty of the Redeemer, and in the communion of all these saints the blessings of the Gospel reacted upon him, permitted him to partake more fully of the Gospel’s vitalizing effects. The faithful servant of the Gospel will himself reap the rich benefits of his work.

The need of self-discipline:

An attitude and a habit of self-denial such as Paul practised is not acquired with ease, but it demands the application of the sternest self-discipline, and he illustrates from his own case how a Christian may reach this stage and maintain it. In order to make his meaning clear to the Corinthians, Paul uses the figure of athletic games, with which they were familiar on account of the fact that the Isthmian games were held in the vicinity of their city every three years: Do you not know that they that run in the stadium, in the race-course, indeed all run, but one only receives the prize? So run that you may surely get it. The point of comparison is the assiduous application to the thought of winning, gaining, the prize. The prize at the Isthmian games was only a garland of the Grecian pine, but to the Greeks its value could not have been measured in terms of money. The prize for which the Christians should strive with every nerve and fiber of their being is wonderful beyond compare, and therefore they should remember that entering the race is not equivalent to winning it; they should not be satisfied with merely running, but they should make sure of winning the prize.

The foot-race teaches one lesson, the boxing contest another: Every combatant, every athlete, practises temperance in everything; they, indeed, in order to receive a perishing crown, but we an imperishable. All the athletes of the Greek games, no matter where they were, especially the boxers, indulged in nothing which might tend to weaken their muscles or their power of resistance; they practised such stern severity that they abstained from even the slightest concession to food or drink that might set them back one day in their training. And all this for a garland that withered away in a short time, for the honor of having their names sung in the odes of the festivals. How much more, then, should the Christians, that have before their eyes the imperishable prize of their heavenly calling, strive with all the power of their sanctified hearts and minds to obtain that glorious reward! Blessedness and glory eternal is the reward of grace, 2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4.

The apostle holds before the Corinthian Christians his own example: I for my person, therefore, so run, as in no uncertain way; so do I box, not like one that beats the air. As the racer has only one thing in mind, the winning of the race; as he keeps his eyes with unwavering steadiness upon the goal, so the apostle keeps his mind firmly directed to the prize that awaits the faithful Christian when his course is run. As the pugilist does not waste his strength in a futile beating of the air with his fists, but tries to make every blow count, so the apostle, in his battle with Satan, the world, and his own flesh, did not gently stroke the enemy with kid-gloves, but delivered telling blows, knowing that upon his winning the battle depended the certainty of his salvation. For that reason, also, Paul (literally) benumbed his body, he beat it black and blue, he subjected himself to the severest corporal discipline in the pursuit of his goal; he subdued his body to carry out the dictates of his will. That is one of the reasons why this apostle, whose physical constitution seems to have been anything but robust, was able to accomplish so much in the work of the Lord. But he did it lest in preaching to others he himself should prove reprobate, that is, be ruled out, rejected, according to the laws which governed the contest, or, in case he should be admitted to the competition, be unsuccessful in his attempt to gain the prize. “What an argument and what a reproof is this! The reckless and listless Corinthians thought that they could safely indulge themselves to the very verge of sin, while this devoted apostle considered himself as engaged in a life-struggle for his salvation. … It is the indolent and self-indulgent Christian that is always in doubt.” (Hodge.)

Summary

The apostle defends his apostleship and his right to maintenance by the congregations and shows that his case is an exceptional one for the sake of the Gospel-preaching; he holds before his readers the example of his own self-discipline for emulation.

Verses 1-13

A warning against carnal security

The backsliding of Israel:

In this passage the apostle offers a few pages from the history of ancient Israel as a warning example for those that are in danger of yielding to carnal security. Out of the entire number of adult Israelites that left the land of Egypt only two, Joshua and Caleb, entered the Promised Land. Therefore the lesson should be heeded: For I do not want you to remain in ignorance, brethren, that our fathers all were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea. Paul openly speaks of “our fathers,” thus identifying the New Testament Church with the true Israel, Romans 4:1,11; Romans 11:17-18. When the children of Israel left Egypt, the land of their bondage, the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to show them the way, Exodus 13:21. And the entire congregation also passed through the Red Sea as on dry ground, the Lord Himself causing the water to stand like a wall on either side, Exodus 14:22. The merciful presence of God surrounded and accompanied them at every step of their journey. Note that all the Israelites, without exception, escaped from the house of bondage, that they all were included in the miraculous deliverance in the Red Sea; and yet most of them afterward perished! Paul states, furthermore, that they all received their baptism unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. The cloud and the sea together became the elements by which the children of Israel were cleansed to the Lord, separated as the people of the covenant. Thus the cloud and the sea were types of the New Testament sacrament of Baptism; they were God’s seals and pledges of His merciful promises, just as the Sacraments are in truth to-day. Through the cloud and through the sea God saved His people from the tyranny of Pharaoh and led them forth to freedom. And thus God, through Baptism, delivers us from the power of Satan and transfers us into His kingdom, to be His free, blessed children forever. In saying that the children of Israel were baptized unto Moses, the apostle means that they entered into intimate relationship or fellowship with Moses, as the mediator of the divine manifestations; they took upon themselves the obligation to follow him faithfully as the leader given them by God, Exodus 14:31, even as a believer baptized unto Christ makes Him the great Leader of his life, Galatians 3:27.

But the recital of God’s mercies to the Israelites is by no means exhausted: And all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. That was the way in which their life was sustained. They all ate spiritual food, food from heaven, manna given by God for this exclusive purpose, Exodus 16:13-15. Not once, but twice, they were given water to drink out of a rock, by an obvious miracle of the Lord, Exodus 17:1; Numbers 20:2-8. Both food and drink, however, were not intended merely for the maintenance of the physical life, but also for the sustenance of the spiritual life. In this respect the food and drink of the Eucharist are fitting, and likewise surpassing, antitypes of the miraculous food and drink of Israel in the wilderness. Now as then it is the Word of God which gives effectiveness to the meal, but with varying success in believers and unbelievers. The miraculous water is further explained by Moses: For they were drinking, during the entire course of their wilderness journey, from the spiritual Rock accompanying them; but that Rock was Christ. While their mouths partook of the water flowing at their feet, their spirits were refreshed through faith in Christ, present with them as the Rock of their salvation. “That is, they believed in that same Christ, although He had not yet appeared in the flesh, but was to come later: and the sign of such their faith was the physical rock, from which they drank water, just as we in the physical bread and wine upon the altar eat and drink the true Christ spiritually, that is, in eating and drinking externally we exercise our faith internally. For if those had not had God’s Word and faith while they were drinking water out of the rock, it would have had no value for their souls.” ^■690 .

But how did the people repay the wonderful kindness of God? But not was God well pleased with the majority of them, for they were laid prostrate in the wilderness. On account of their unbelief and hard-heartedness, Hebrews 3:19, God’s ill-pleasure, His wrath and indignation, were provoked. He had patience, He turned to them again and again, but they would not give Him the whole-hearted obedience which He demanded, and so His punishment descended upon them. By various particular judgments, of which Paul speaks afterward, the entire older generation was destroyed, failing to reach the Promised Land, with the exception of only Joshua and Caleb. “What a spectacle for the eyes of the self-satisfied Corinthians: all these bodies, full-fed with miraculous nourishment, strewing the soil of the desert!” (Godet.)

Warning against the corruption of idolatry and related sins:

The apostle substantiates his warning by referring to a number of incidents that happened in the wilderness, showing why the displeasure of God struck the children of Israel: Now these things, these judgments, are recorded in Scriptures as types or examples of warning; they represent to us our lot if we do not heed the voice of God in the history of the wilderness. We should not be lusters after evil things, we should not be eager to perform that which displeases the Lord, as they also lusted. Hardly had the Israelites been saved from the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, when they were dissatisfied with their journey in the desert and longed after the flesh-pots of Egypt, Exodus 16:3. Ever and again, as they continued their journey, they would raise their voices in rebellious murmurings and demand further gifts from the kindness and goodness of the Lord, Numbers 11:5-20. And ever and again their revolt took the form of special sins of unfaithfulness, of offenses peculiarly hateful in the eyes of God.

A few of the occasions coming under this heading are now enumerated: And do not become idolaters as some of them, as it is written, The people sat down to eat and to drink and arose to sport in dancing. This behavior was but an outward manifestation of the apostasy of their hearts, Exodus 32:18-19. They deliberately prepared a sacrificial meal for the golden calf which Aaron had made upon their demand, and they gave expression to their idolatrous feelings by their singing and dancing around the idol fashioned by a man’s hands. “It was a scene of wild, careless merriment, shocking under the circumstances and most perilous, that Moses witnessed as he descended, bearing the tables of the Law.” ^■691 . Undoubtedly there were such also in the Corinthian congregation as tried to excuse their partaking of banquets in the heathen temples with the plea that they had in mind only the honor of God; but by the very fact that they placed themselves on a level with the idolatrous enjoyments, they had become guilty of idolatry. A second offense: Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, and fell in one day twenty-three thousand, Numbers 25. In accordance with the malicious advice of Balaam, Numbers 31:16, the Moabites and Midianites invited the Israelites to their festivals, at which the most shameless immorality was practised in honor of their gods. The result was a corruption and pollution which spread throughout the children of Israel and resulted in God’s punishment upon them, with twenty-three thousand slain in one day. Note: There is no discrepancy between this passage and the text in Numbers, since Paul expressly gives the figures for one day, while the historical account mentions the total number of dead. The warning was especially appropriate in the case of the Corinthians, who were exposed to the shameless practises connected with the cult of Venus in their city. Let none of them think that he was immune against such immoral vices, if he deliberately joined the heathen in their festivals. And let none of the Christians of the present time think himself secure against the blandishments and wiles of the world, if he makes it a practise to sit in the places where the sins of immorality are presented in a more or less hidden form.

A third offense: Neither let us tempt the Lord, as some of them tempted and were destroyed by the serpents, Numbers 21:5-6. By saying of the bread which the Lord gave them daily from heaven that their soul loathed that light bread, they dared God, they committed the sin of presumption, they challenged His judgments. Their dissatisfaction with the food furnished by God was due to their unbelief, and this unbelief was punished through the fiery serpents sent by God. The same sin, that of presuming upon the divine forbearance and patience, is committed by Christians that are not satisfied with the solid and nourishing food given them in Gospel-preaching, but insist upon frequenting the places of the world’s idolatry in the hope of obtaining food which suits their jaded appetites better. Such a conduct is tempting Christ and will be punished accordingly. A fourth offense: Neither indulge in murmuring, even as some of them murmured, and perished by the destroyer, by the angel of God that executes the commands of God, 2 Samuel 24:16; Isaiah 37:36. The entire history of the journey in the wilderness is one of murmurings, but several occasions stand out most prominently, notably the revolt of Korah and his friends, and the subsequent uprising of the entire congregation, Numbers 16. If it had not been for the standing of Moses between the dead and the living at that time, the entire people might have been wiped out. The lesson should be applied by the Corinthians in time, for they were disposed to manifest opposition against the teachers given them by God, an opposition which struck directly at the Lord Himself. And in our days we need but refer to the general discontent and dissatisfaction with God’s ways and government in both Church and State. It is time that we recall what the Lord says, Lamentation 3:39.

The application of the lesson:

Just as all the other matters related in Scriptures have more than a mere archeological or historical interest for us, so these incidents from the journey in the wilderness befell the Israelites by way of example; their story serves as a lesson for all time. And the accounts were written with a view to our admonition, lest we yield to the sins of which they became guilty. For to us the ends of the ages have come; we are living in the time just preceding the judicial crisis. Cp. Hebrews 9:26; 1 Peter 1:20; 1 John 2:18. Now is the time of severe trials and therefore also of general apostasy; it is at this time, therefore, that we must be on our guard against the perils surrounding us, and not permit familiarity with them to blind us against their insidiousness. “Of this St. Paul also reminds us and points this out, when he says that it is written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. That is, we are now in the last and most evil time, which brings much greater and more grievous peril, and much more horrible punishment; for it is announced in the Scriptures in advance and prophesied by Christ and the apostles that horrible, grievous times would come, wherein there would happen a great apostasy from the true doctrine and a terrible desolation of the Church, as now, unfortunately, is before our eyes, that both through much heresy and through Mohammed and the papacy has been fulfilled in a manner altogether too horrible.” ^■692 .

From these facts Paul concludes: So, then, he that thinks he is standing, let him take heed, let him watch out, lest he fall. The Corinthians were indeed standing in faith, by the grace of God; they were built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ and the apostles. Just as soon, however, as vanity takes hold of a person’s heart because of such grace, there results a false security, which deliberately ignores the perils and temptations and thus commonly precedes the fall. The brave certainty of his salvation which must characterize a Christian is nevertheless closely connected with a humble carefulness and vigilance, after the example of Paul, lest a carnal overestimation of his own strength give the enemies the opening which they have been seeking. But for the consolation of the earnest and humble readers the apostle adds: Temptation has not taken hold of you otherwise than human; the enticements to sin which have come to them have been such as proceed from men, from the surrounding heathen life. But God is faithful in that He does not permit you to be tempted beyond your ability, but will give with the temptation also a way of escape, of egress, that one may be able to bear. If we Christians but trust in the almighty power of the faithful God, then there is no temptation which can fully overcome us, for He will not permit the temptation to assume such proportions as to leave us no way out. We are able to hold up under the strain, because there is the certain promise that we shall finally get clear away from the struggle. But we, on our part, must set our eyes steadily upon Him for help. “For these two things St. Paul means here: in the first place, that God, our dear Lord, in the midst of temptation wants to help us bear it; in the second place, that there also will be an end to the temptation, that we do not remain in it; truly He is a faithful God.” ^■693 .

Verses 14-33

Conduct toward the weak

A reference to the Lord’s Supper:

The first sentences are in the nature of a transition between the two sections of the chapter. The sad fate of the Israelites in the wilderness, the resemblance between their trials and those of the Corinthian Christians, the possibility of offering effective resistance to all temptations, and the certain relief which we may expect from our faithful God: all these facts combine to give weight and emphasis to the appeal to flee from idolatry, which is at the basis of all sinning. Paul is deeply moved, and he intends his appeal to make a deep impression upon his readers since he addresses them as his “beloved.” But he now leads over to the other thought, that of the necessity of keeping the Holy Communion unpolluted. Like a challenge his words ring out: As to men of sense I speak; judge yourselves what I say. He has warned them against a security based upon false knowledge; he here asks them to apply their spiritual wisdom in the proper way, since the matter which he is about to broach pertains to those things which the spiritual person may well judge, 1 Corinthians 2:15. They are intelligent, they are clever, they are shrewd: therefore he has unlimited faith in his being able to entrust such a palpable truth to their decision.

The mystery of the Eucharist: The cup of blessing which we bless, which we, in the Holy Communion, set apart by prayer for a holy use, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break (after likewise pronouncing the prayer of praise and thanksgiving over it), is it not the communion of the body of Christ? The entire passage breathes the consciousness, the certainty, of Christian fellowship, first with Christ, in whom they participate through the wine and the bread, and secondly with the other communicants, who partake of the same bread and of the same cup. We have here the essence of the Lord’s Supper in one sentence: There are the earthly, visible elements, bread and wine; there are the invisible blessings, the real presence of the body and blood of Christ; the heavenly gifts are present in, with, and under the earthly elements, for there is a communion of the two, in either case, and nothing is said of a change or Transubstantiation; the communion is with Christ, as the Author and Finisher of our salvation. There is no sacramental presence outside of the Sacrament; it is necessary that bread and wine be blessed and then partaken of in accordance with Christ’s institution in order that the real presence be effective; he that partakes of the bread partakes of the body of Christ; and he that partakes of the cup partakes of the blood of Christ. “As regards Transubstantiation, we care nothing about the sophistical subtlety by which they teach that bread and wine leave or lose their own natural substance, and that there remain only the appearance and color of bread, and not true bread. For it is in perfect agreement with Holy Scriptures that there is, and remains, bread. … We believe, teach, and confess that the body and blood of Christ are received with the bread and wine, not only spiritually by faith, but also orally; yet not in a Capernaitic, but in a supernatural, heavenly mode, by reason of the Sacramental Union; as the words of Christ clearly show.” ^■694 .

The communion, the oneness, of the believers with Christ, through the Eucharist, is brought out: For one bread, one body, we many are, for of the one bread we partake. It is the very closest relationship, the most vital fellowship which Paul here states to be existing. All communicants partake of that one bread which is the communion of the body of Christ, and therefore they are most intimately united, not only with Christ, but also with one another; the fellowship of the believers is brought out with the greatest emphasis by the words of Paul. At the same time it may be noted that the hypocrites and unbelievers that come to the table of the Lord, unknown to the congregation as such, partake of the body and blood of Christ in and with the bread and wine, but they do not really partake of the Holy Communion, for their unbelief excludes them from the communion of saints, and they receive the body of Christ as their Judge and the Sacrament unto their damnation, 1 Corinthians 11:29.

The application of these truths to idolatrous practises:

In his effort to impress upon the Corinthians the fact that participation in idolatrous feasts was equivalent to idol worship, the apostle now introduces the analogy of the Jewish form of worship: Note the people of Israel as a nation. Are not those that eat the sacrifices partakers of the altar; do they not enter into communion with the altar? This fact was brought out particularly strongly on the great festivals, such as the Passover Feast, when the entire congregation of Israel demonstrated its communion by combining in the sacrifice of Passover, and joining, at the same time and in the same manner, in the meal which was connected with it. It was probable that the readers, at this point, would gather the trend of the apostle’s remarks, that he was about to refer to their taking part in heathen feasts. But before they can offer the objection which they are likely to make, the apostle disarms them: What am I saying now? Am I contradicting myself (cp. 1 Corinthians 8:4-6), that idol sacrifice is anything, or that an idol is anything? He had denied the actual existence, the personality of idols, and thus had also decried the rites connected with their worship as meaningless observances. This position he held just as strongly as ever.

But there was another feature to which he wanted to call the attention of his readers: Rather, that which they sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God. Devils are virtually worshiped at the idol feast, and thus, by partaking in heathenish festivals, they come into communion with devils, and he does not want them to enter into fellowship with devils. The riot and debauch attending heathen festivals, not to speak of worse things, showed that foul spirits of evil presided over them. And so Paul makes his application of the truth which their cleverness must surely have shown them to be correct: You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot be partakers of the Lord’s Table and of the table of demons. The Lord’s cup in the celebration of the Eucharist is the communion with the Lord and therefore demands the closest allegiance to Him; the attendance at the idol festivals, therefore, where the cup of devils was in use and the fellowship with devils was celebrated, must break the tie that binds to the Lord. And in the same way the fellowship with the Lord established at the table of the Holy Communion could not be maintained if a Christian took part in heathen festivals; it was a moral impossibility. Every fiber of a Christian’s regenerated being must cry out against such blasphemous confusion. Note: The words of the apostle find their application to-day as well as in Corinth at that time. If Christians join in the wild and profligate revelings and debaucheries of the world, particularly such as are arranged in honor of antichristian persons or principles, they are no less guilty than the boastful Corinthians were in their day.

The Christian principles involved:

The apostle here mentions a thought that may have been found in the hearts of some of the Corinthians: Is it that we want to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Was that the idea which made them partake at both tables? Should Christians venture upon such a course? Cp. Deuteronomy 32:21. They may be assured that the Lord would be apt to feel the most intense displeasure at such an evidence of adulterous love on their part. And: Are we stronger than He? Shall we presume to risk His displeasure to that extent? Can we avert the power of His wrath? The very fact that Paul included himself in the question was to encourage and admonish his readers to stand on his side and answer with an emphatic: Nevermore! But he also urges a consideration which he has brought once before: All things are in my power, but all things are not expedient, not advantageous, if the welfare of my neighbor is taken into account. Between having the right to do a certain thing and insisting upon making use of this right at all times and under all circumstances there is a great difference. And again: All things are in my power, but not do they all edify. An act which I know to be right and good may be considered highly improper by a weak brother, and therefore my doing it will result in his being offended instead of his being furthered in piety and righteous living. Cp. 1 Corinthians 6:12. To go ahead at all times without exercising charitable care, in conceited security, may result in endangering a fellow-Christian’s immortal soul. But a basic principle of Christian love is: Let no one seek his own interest or benefit, but rather that of the other, of his neighbor, of his Christian brother. To make one’s own enjoyment, one’s own rights, one’s own liberty the sole and paramount consideration, regardless of the good of others, is the essence of selfishness, a violation of the great law of love. Even things indifferent become sinful when they result in detriment to one’s neighbor.

Rules of conduct:

The application of the principles of Christian love to the situation at Corinth was not very difficult. Everything, all the meat that was offered for sale in the meat-market, they might eat. But in doing so, for the sake of their weak brothers, they should not ask questions as to where the meat came from, whether or not it had been sent down from the temple. In this way they would avoid embarrassment in case they, in turn, should be interrogated. This latitude of action Paul substantiates with a passage from Scriptures: For the Lord’s is the earth and its fulness, everything that is found in it, all it contains, Psalm 24:1. Christians may therefore use all the gifts of God as found in the world without the slightest hesitation, provided that no hindrance exists such as is referred to here. The apostle intimates, also, that the anxious search for scruples of conscience which some people regard as the essence of Christianity is not founded upon the will of God.

In case a Christian was invited by some unbeliever and thought it best to go, to accept the invitation, the same general rule should be applied. He should eat everything that was served, but again not ask any questions. The chances are that he would be narrowly watched not only by the non-Christian, who would probably use sacrificial meat, but also by any weak Christian that might be present at the same time. But if some one should then remark that sacrificial meat was being served, the Christian should no longer eat of it. Whether the information would be volunteered in a spirit of civility and by the desire to be of service to the Christian’s scruples or in a spirit of mockery, to embarrass him; whatever the occasion or motive, it changes the situation and causes the believer to decline the meat, not for the sake of his own conscience, but for the sake of his weak brother’s. Out of consideration for the scruples of his fellow-Christian the believer will abstain from eating meat under those circumstances. And if the objection is made that the decision concerning what is good and not good must rest with the individual Christian, the apostle would have him remember: For to what end is my liberty judged by another conscience; what advantage will I get out of it if I insist upon eating under these circumstances and then must expect the censure of another man’s scruples who simply cannot see that my course is altogether in accordance with the Word of God? Instead of receiving benefit from his inconsiderate use of his liberty, positive harm may result: If I with thanksgiving partake, why am I blasphemed and condemned on account of that for which I gave thanks? It will be regarded as an act of hypocrisy by the heathen and by others that have not the right knowledge if a Christian, in such a situation, not only eats, but also offers thanks to God for the food. That is the reason why a Christian, out of deference to the conscience of the weaker brother, and in order to avoid giving offense, will decline to partake of sacrificial meat.

The conclusion:

In applying the principle of Christian love, the apostle states a general maxim of Christian duty. No matter in what particular situation of everyday life a believer may find himself, no matter how he may be engaged, whether it be in eating or in drinking or in any other work, the glory of God must be his object. “Let self be forgotten. Let your eye be fixed on God. Let the promotion of His glory be your object in all you do. Strive in everything to act in such a way that men may praise that God whom you profess to serve.” (Hodge.) And the second general rule is: Without offense be to the Jews as well as to the Gentiles as well as to the Church of God. Give no one occasion to be offended against the Christian religion; in all things comport yourself so as not to cause blasphemy against the holy name of God. To make a reckless use of Christian liberty may become the acme of foolishness and result in serious harm to the cause of the Lord. Whether the persons in question are Jews, with their legalistic standpoint, or Gentiles, with their idolatrous practises, or weaker brethren, with their peculiar scruples, act so that the welfare of your neighbor may not be endangered, and, above all, that the glory of the Lord does not suffer at your instigation. And herein Paul again cites his own example: Just as I also in all things please all, not seeking my own advantage, but that of the many, of as large a number as possible, in order that they might be saved. Cp. 1 Corinthians 9:22. From the standpoint of man, Paul gave up everything, honor, position, wealth, all advantages of this world, in order to give himself entirely to the service of his Lord and of his fellow-men, no matter under what conditions he met them. And he did not worry about the fact that many misjudged him in this attitude, but kept right on working in their interest. “Therefore, when St. Paul says, Let every one please his neighbor for good, he does not want us to bring it about that it shall please our neighbor, for that is not our concern; but that we should do so much, according to love, that in justice it ought to please him, and it is not our fault if it does not please him.” ^■695 . The fine, tactful decorum of Paul in every conceivable situation obliged people to respect him and in many cases opened the way for the work of the Gospel.

Summary

Paul warns the Corinthians against false security and participation in idolatrous feasts, showing that the glory of God and the welfare of his neighbor must be the motives actuating the believer at all times.

Verses 1-34

Conduct in public worship

A preliminary admonition:

The opening verse really belongs to the previous chapter, since it refers to the example given by Paul in making use of the proper Christian tact under all circumstances. Through his own pattern he points his readers to that of his Master and theirs: Imitators of me become, even as I of Christ. He wants them to follow the example which he has set before them by his conduct, in which he renounced all selfish interests for the sake of gaining souls for Christ. But incidentally he does not want them to become attached to his person, but they should recognize in his conduct the influence of the exalted Christ; they should imitate him in so far as he set forth the image of Christ before them. This would involve time and constant application, since a Christian is ever in the making, but their model was such as to incite them to emulation, to stimulate their Christian ambition at all times. And in order to inspire them to their most persistent efforts, the apostle does not hesitate to give the Corinthian Christians all credit for their attitude in certain matters: But I praise you that you remember all things which were given by me, that you have been keeping the remembrance of me in all things, and that you have been observing the instructions just as I have delivered them to you. The Corinthians, though in general far behind the apostle in self-denial, were nevertheless in general mindful of the divine ordinances which he had delivered to them. These instructions, 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, which were transmitted both orally and by letter, concerned doctrine and life, and included also customs of worship and ceremonies. Although the latter are by no means equivalent to the former, they nevertheless serve for the edification of the Church, and their adoption may be advisable even at this time. Mark: The Pope has no hold in this passage for his insistence upon the value of oral tradition, for the word is used in the Bible only for the immediate instructions of inspired men and never for a conglomeration of tenets concerning which the Pope claims the right of sole arbiter.

The woman’s veil:

The apostle here qualifies the praise which he has just bestowed. He has heard that some women were speaking in the public services of the Corinthian congregation, and that bareheaded. So he proceeds to instruct them as to the impropriety of such conduct: But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, while the head of woman is man, but the head of Christ, God. This is the doctrinal basis for the practical instruction which he is about to give. The peculiar notion of Christian liberty which had gained ground in the congregation at Corinth manifested itself also in this, that the women departed from the custom prevailing in the East, according to which they were obliged to wear veils in public. Christ is every man’s Head; the man holds the position, especially in worship and in his family, with no visible superior, holding headship from, and directly responsible only to, Christ. For that reason the man is the head of the woman, the latter occupying a position of subordination to him, a fact which by no means implies inferiority, but merely a relation fixed by God’s order. Woman, in her relation to her husband, if she is a wife, or with regard to her activity in public worship, has her support, her destiny, and her dignity in man. And that this status is by no means derogatory to her intellect, ability, or moral character is shown by the fact that, in the parallel clause, God is called the Head of the exalted Christ. In this case there is absolute essential equality, and yet Christ’s perfect obedience to the Father consents to a submission in office. Cp. 1 Corinthians 15:28; Galatians 4:4; Hebrews 5:5,8.

An inference from this doctrine: Every man praying or prophesying, while engaged in this act of worship, wearing a veil down from the head, puts to shame, disgraces, his head. If a man speaks or leads in public worship and has his head veiled or covered, he dishonors his head, because he has only Christ over him and, his conduct subordinating him to the dependent wife, it brings disgrace upon Christ. On the other hand: But every woman praying or prophesying with the head unveiled disgraces her head, for she is one and the same thing, she is on a level with her that is shaven. While women were not teachers in the congregation, 1 Corinthians 14:34; 1 Timothy 2:12, they were not excluded from the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:17-18; Acts 21:9. It might, therefore, also happen that they prayed or prophesied in a public meeting, without thereby assuming the leadership. If, in a case of that kind, a woman threw back the veil which covered her face and thus stood with her head uncovered, she put to shame her own head, the dishonor done to the dominant sex falling upon herself. She placed herself upon a level with the free, loose women (heterae) who were so numerous in the Greek cities. It follows, then, that a woman who insists upon going unveiled might just as well keep her head close-cropped, thus placing herself altogether on a level with slave-women and others whose close-cropped head proclaimed their vocation to all the world. But if it is a disgrace for a woman to be close-cropped or shaved, let her be veiled; that is, if a woman prefers a bare head, she should be shaved. But since womanly feeling would object to the latter, the same argument holds in the case of the former, since the like shame attaches to both. Physical barefacedness led people to make inferences as to the morals of a woman, especially in a city like Corinth; and it was self-evident for a Christian woman to avoid even the appearance of evil.

The apostle advances a further argument for the woman’s veiling:

The relative position of the sexes is here based upon the Scripture-account of the creation: For a man indeed should not veil the head, since the image and glory of God he is. Cp. Genesis 1:26. He was created in, and therefore represents, the image of God, and in this likeness he also bears the visible splendor of God; he rules in his own sphere by virtue of the power and freedom given him by God, and this conduct redounds to the glory of God. But the wife is the glory of man; she has the dignity of her position from man; in her office in the home she represents the majesty of the man. Note: From this statement it follows that the respect shown to women is the measure and safeguard of human dignity. That the distinction made at the time of the creation is to be observed also in the Christian Church appears, moreover, from the story of the creation of Eve, Genesis 2:18-25. For not is man from woman, but woman from man; and not was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man. In the case of all other organic creatures the Lord created them in two sexes at once, but Adam was created alone at the beginning, and it was only afterward that the woman originated, being made out of one of his ribs. And in fashioning woman in this way, the Lord aimed to meet the man’s need; she was to be a helpmeet for him. It is a subversion of the order of creation if a woman regards her husband as the servant of her pleasure, as the instrument of her subsistence.

So important does the apostle consider the maintenance and observance of the relation between the sexes as fixed by God that he wants also the external sign of the woman’s auxiliary position retained: For this reason the woman is obliged to have “power on her head”; she should wear the token, or emblem, of her status, the veil, as denoting the power which she derives from the man, and that on account of the angels. The angels, being present in public worship, are offended by irreverence and misconduct. Even if men might, under circumstances, not find it offensive or scandalous for a woman to discard the dignity of her position, the presence of God’s holy angels ought to deter a true woman from unwomanly behavior ^{■696 ■697} .

In discussing their position so frankly, Paul has no intention of belittling the state of women or to ascribe inferiority to them: Nevertheless, and yet, neither woman without man, nor man without woman, in the Lord; for even as the woman is out of, derived from, the man, so also the man is through the woman; but everything is from God, who is the Originator of all. The woman is not in the Lord apart from man, she has no claim in a Lord all for herself: the same Christ is the Lord of both, a fact which applies to the man as well. They stand side by side, with equal rights, in the Kingdom of Grace. The woman was taken from man, he was the initial cause of being to the woman; but, on the other hand, woman, by the order of God in nature, is the instrumental cause of being to the man. But these facts give neither party a right to boast, since, after all, God is the Source, the Creator, of all things; to Him both must give reverence. This holds true especially in home life. The man should regard himself as living in the Lord for the sake of his wife, and likewise the woman for the sake of her husband. Married people belong together in the house of God, together at the Table of the Lord, together in home devotions, together in all things in which the life in the Lord is fostered; they are heirs together of the grace of life, 1 Peter 3:7.

The natural sense of propriety supports the apostle:

Aside from all external authorities, the apostle here appeals to the natural feeling of his readers; they should decide for themselves whether the innate sense of decency and modesty did not seem to require, did not think it befitting or suitable for a woman to join in public prayer properly veiled. Or does not nature itself teach you that, if a man wears his hair long, it is a disgrace to him, but if a woman wears her hair long, it is a glory to her? It is a significant thing that practically all nations in the world agree in having the men wear the hair short while that of the women is worn long; long hair in a man is considered a sign of effeminacy, while long hair in a woman is looked upon as her crowning beauty. And although the sinful vanity of women, abetted by the foolish admiration of men, has placed the hair into the service of sin, 1 Peter 3:3; 1 Timothy 2:9, it remains true nevertheless: It is given her to serve as a covering, in the nature of a hood. Nature itself has insisted upon woman’s veiling her head, and therefore it is proper for her to express this intention in keeping her head covered.

Since some of the Corinthians might feel inclined to take exception to these statements of Paul, he closes the discussion with a sharp word of warning: But if any one thinks, presumes, is getting ready to be contentious, (he may know that) we have not that custom, neither the churches of God. Paul was acquainted with the quarrelsome disposition of some of the Corinthians; he knew that he might expect to be attacked for his position in this matter. And so he simply declares that he and his fellow-ministers did not have a custom of that kind. Paul neither believed in extending Christian liberty beyond the boundaries of common decency nor in the specific practise of having the women take part in public worship unveiled. He thus cuts off all further disputation about the matter by appealing to universal Christian usage. Note: The principle stated by the apostle holds to this day, and if propriety and decency in a certain matter require a degree of accommodation from Christians, they will be willing to concede the point for the sake of the Gospel.

Unseemly behavior in public worship:

The matter which the apostle now broaches is not one of mere custom or usage which proper Christian judgment may adjust to suit the needs of the situation, but a rule to which he demands assent: But in giving you this command I do not praise you, in that not for the better, but for the worse you come together. The charge concerns the proper form of public worship, especially if connected with the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. He does not praise them, he cannot withhold his displeasure, his censure: Because not for the better, but for the worse you come together. Instead of being edified, aided in their spiritual growth, they were harmed in their faith; their meetings were held in a spirit of frivolousness that took no account of the sanctity of the occasion. The reason for this was, in the first place: Whenever you come together in assembly, it is continually reaching my ears that schisms, dissensions, have their place among you; and in part I credit the stories. The service that Paul is speaking of is that which was connected with the celebration of the Eucharist, which was held often, at least every Sunday. This service was entirely within the congregation, no outsider being admitted, no unbeliever or Gentile being present. A common meal was first eaten (the so-called love-feast), after which followed the Holy Communion. In Corinth the congregation had split up into cliques, separated from one another partly by social distinctions, partly by the feeling due to the divisions in their midst. Instead of holding a common meal, each clique chose a corner for itself, leaving the other strictly alone. As Paul says, he could very well believe this to be true, since that seemed to be a necessity of the case: For indeed also heresies, parties, must exist among you, in order that the really approved might become evident in their midst. This was in accordance with the divine administration by which evil, far from hindering, is made a servant of good. God will finally give up the persistent wranglers, that delight in wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, to their evil mind, the result being that the true Christians, that are approved of God, are made manifest in the congregation. Augustine very properly says: Heresies are the grindstone of the Church. Their sin serves to reveal them and thus to purge and purify the Christian congregation of an unpleasant discordant element ^■698 .

The apostle now makes a specific charge: When, then, you assemble at the same place, it is not an eating of the Lord’s Supper. It appears that the Corinthian congregation, even at this early day, had a definite place for meeting, since Paul is evidently not speaking of house congregations. Their purpose undoubtedly was to celebrate the Eucharist, and the earthly elements, bread and wine, were not lacking, but the manner in which they came together rendered the celebration a farce and a blasphemy. For in eating, as the hour for the meal came, every one took out, brought forward hastily, his own supper, seeking out and sitting down with his own particular friends. The custom formerly had been for the members to bring what they wished, what they could afford for the purpose, the food then being divided equally among all. But now that the new selfish custom became prevalent, the poor people had little or nothing, and therefore went hungry, while the wealthier members had more than sufficient for their needs and became intoxicated. “The scene of sensual greed and pride might well culminate in drunkenness.” ^■654 . Surely a disgraceful spectacle for a Christian congregation to present!

The reproof of Paul, therefore, did not lack sharpness: Have you no houses to eat and drink in? Surely they could not have been in such straits as to make the satisfying of their appetites in public worship necessary. Or, on the other hand, do you despise the congregation of God and put those that are without means to shame? If that was their deliberate intention, to heap scorn upon the Church of God and to make the poor members feel their poverty, their inability to keep up their end of such profligate behavior, then their action was all the more reprehensible. What could and should the apostle say to them under the circumstances? Was it possible for him to praise them for such behavior? He frankly told them that this was out of the question. How could he have excused such inexcusable frivolousness, especially since it occurred in connection with the celebration of the Eucharist!

The Lord’s revelation of the institution of the Eucharist:

Cp. Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20. The apostle would have been fully justified in saying that he had received the doctrine concerning the Holy Communion even if he had merely heard the story from the mouths of the apostles that had been present at its institution. But his purpose in mentioning a direct and immediate communication of God is to emphasize his apostolic call and the authenticity and authority of his preaching. The Lord had given him the information by direct revelation, and in this sense they were to accept his teaching. Cp. Galatians 1:12. He had taught them thus while he was with them in Corinth, and he was here recording the facts as the Lord had made them known to him. It was in the night when He was betrayed, literally, while the betrayal was going on, that the Lord instituted the wonderful meal of His body and blood. While His enemies were busily engaged in preparations for His capture, the Savior was preparing the heavenly meal for the comfort of believers. He took bread, one of the pieces of unleavened bread which was used at the Passover meal. And having given thanks, not merely the usual prayer of grace which Jewish custom had fixed for this meal, but a special blessing over the bread as the bearer of heavenly gifts. Then, as He walked from one to the other among His disciples, He broke off pieces of bread of convenient size and distributed them, bidding them to take and eat, and declaring that this bread which they were receiving was His body, the same body which was broken or given for them, in their stead and for their benefit. The bread carried, offered, and imparted to the disciples then, as now, the body of the Savior and sealed to the believers all the benefits of His salvation.

And in the very same manner, as an essential part of the new Sacrament, Jesus took the cup, after they had supped, after the paschal lamb and the chief course of the supper had been served. As he walked from one disciple to the next, he varied the formula of distribution but little, as we see from the close agreement between the four accounts. He called the cup with the wine contained therein the new testament in His blood, the new covenant established by the shedding of His blood; through it He entered into a covenant of mercy with all the partakers of this new sacrament. One fact stands out with undeniable force, namely, that all those present partook of the cup as well as of the bread, and that there can be no true Eucharist unless both elements are received by all communicants ^■699 . Mark that in either case the Lord says: This do in remembrance of Me, for the commemoration of Me. And in the case of the cup He adds: As many times as you drink it. As often as a believer has a longing and desire for the assurance of the forgiveness of sins, and no matter how often, that certainty is his in the Holy Communion. Surely it ought not require more than this definite promise to induce a Christian to receive the Sacrament frequently. “And now consider, my dear friend, what we must think of such people as boast of their being Christians and yet probably go a whole year, two, three years, and still longer, and do not receive the reverend Sacrament. Surely the devil has possessed them to such an extent that they either pay no attention to their sins and therefore do not think about getting rid of them, or they find more pleasure in this present life than in the eternal. In either case it is a terrible thing to hear. Therefore he that wants to be a Christian and also wants to conduct himself, in accordance with his name, in a Christian manner, should not abstain from this Supper, but use it very often. For we are in great need of it, as we are here informed.” ^■700 .

Worthy and unworthy communicants:

The apostle now gives the Christians of Corinth and of all times some rules as to the proper preparation for, and celebration of, the Holy Communion. One of its purposes, as just stated by Paul, was that it should serve for the commemoration of the Lord. But frequency of celebration and familiarity with the Eucharist was not to blunt the reverence for its sanctity. Therefore the apostle says: For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, the death of the Lord you proclaim until He comes. Every celebration of the Eucharist is an open proclaiming, a publishing of the death of the Lord, of the fact that by the giving of His body and by the shedding of His blood He has wrought redemption. Of course, the right attitude toward the Sacrament is that in which the heart is fully conscious of the blessings which the mouth confesses. That fact will make every communicant both humble and eager for the wonderful grace of God, as given in the Holy Communion. Until He comes, until He returns in glory, the Sacrament of His body and blood is to be the means of communication from Him to us.

But the wonderful content and purpose of the Holy Communion demands, at the same time, a most careful preparation on the part of the communicant: So that whoever eats the bread, or drinks the cup of the Lord, unworthily, guilty is he of the body and blood of the Lord. To eat unworthily is to be in such a spiritual condition or to conduct oneself in such a manner as to be out of harmony with the dignity and the sanctity of the heavenly meal. Should a person come to the Lord’s Supper as he would go to any other meal, considering his actions to be the mere eating of bread and the mere drinking of wine, if he feels neither desire for the grace of God nor devotion at the prospect of partaking in the miracle feast, then such a person will be guilty, not merely of a thoughtless eating and drinking, but of desecration of the body and blood of the Lord. He will show that he has neither a conception of his sinfulness nor a longing for the grace of God; and thus his guilt will consist in his hindering the grace of God in the Sacrament, which is ready to bestow upon him forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

It follows, then, for every earnest Christian: But let a man examine himself, make a careful test of his own mind and attitude, explore all the secret recesses of his heart, not, as some commentaries say, to see whether he is religiously and morally qualified, personally worthy of being a guest of the Lord’s, but, as our liturgical formula very properly says, to see whether he heartily repents of his sins, believes in Jesus Christ, and sincerely and earnestly purposes to amend his sinful life. Having made this examination, preferably with the aid of the questions in the Fifth Chief Part, in the Table of Duties, and in the Christian Questions offered in our Small Catechism, a Christian may come and partake of God’s meal of grace. The purpose of the admonition, therefore, is not to deter and scare away such Christians in whom self-examination reveals many sins in thoughts, words, and deeds, but to stimulate the right desire for the grace of God, the need of which this self-exploration has shown to exist ^■701 . “Therefore we should here learn diligently and mark that such persons do not receive the Sacrament unworthily as say and confess they are poor sinners, feel various temptations. … If you did not want to receive the Sacrament unless you were free from all sins, it would follow that you would never go to the Sacrament. But they that knowingly continue in sins receive the venerable Sacrament unworthily; as, murderous hatred of their neighbor, murder, fornication, adultery, and other, similar public transgressions, and do not purpose to discontinue them. For the Sacrament has been instituted by Christ the Lord, not that people should remain in sins, but that they should obtain forgiveness and grow in sanctity. … I can speak with authority of what results follow if a person abstains from the Sacrament for a time; I have also been in such fire of the devil that I became estranged from the venerable Sacrament, and that I attended with the greater unwillingness, the longer this lasted. Be sure to beware of this and get into the habit of going often, especially if you are fit to go, that is, if you find that your heart, on account of your sins, is heavy and shy, in order that you may not forget our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but remember His sacrifice and death; for otherwise He asks nothing of us.” ^■702 .

But of the unworthy the apostle says: For he that eats and drinks unworthily, judgment, condemnation, he eats and drinks to himself, because he does not discern, discriminate, the body of Christ. He makes no distinction between an ordinary meal and this heavenly meal; he does not realize that the true body and blood of his Savior are here present, and that for this reason a thoughtless use of the Sacrament is blasphemy and results in the final righteous punishment of God. For he that approaches the table of the Lord in such a spirit of frivolousness will indeed also receive the body and blood of Christ in, with, and under the bread and wine, but not as that of his Redeemer, rather as that of his Judge, who will, on the last day, demand an account of him with sharp reckoning, since the outward behavior is only an indication and demonstration of the unbelief of the heart. “We teach, believe, and confess also that there is only one kind of unworthy guests, those namely who do not believe, concerning whom it is written, John 3:18: ‘He that believeth not is condemned already,’ And this judgment becomes greater and more grievous, being aggravated by the unworthy use of the Holy Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:29.” ^■703 .

A final admonition to use care in going to the Sacrament:

Practically all commentators agree in understanding, 1 Corinthians 11:30, of physical inflictions and infirmities, of debility and ill health, many of them adding that these conditions were the result of the intemperance alluded to in 1 Corinthians 11:21. Others have suggested that such extraordinary and direct visitations and bodily punishments for spiritual shortcomings were a feature of the apostolic age. But the text itself suggests nothing of the kind, and the idea of believing some of the Corinthian Christians sleeping in physical death agrees neither with the usage of the word nor with the doctrine of Scriptures on this point. The meaning of the apostle is plain: Many of the members in their own midst were weak, they were lacking in spiritual strength, Matthew 26:41; Romans 14:1-2; 1 Corinthians 1:27; 1 Corinthians 9:22; others were seriously ill in spirit, lacking the strength and vigor of the ideal Christian, Matthew 9:12; Luke 5:31; and still others were dozing in spiritual sleep, Ephesians 5:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:6, and therefore lacked the watchfulness, the spiritual vigilance, which should mark the Christian at all times, lest he fall into the snares of the devil, 1 Peter 5:8. In other words, many of the Corinthian Christians, though still nominally believers and looked upon as members of the congregation in good standing, were actually in a spiritual state, which showed that energetic measures were needed to bring them back to true faith and the active life in Christ. Then, as now, this condition was the result of misusing the Sacrament, of eating and drinking unworthily, of not making the proper discrimination between the Lord’s Supper and all other eating and drinking.

This sad state of affairs might have been avoided by the vigilance which should characterize the Christians at all times: If, however, we discriminated ourselves, we should not be judged. An earnest self-examination before every communion, together with a frank condemnation of everything found to deviate from the norm of God’s holy will, saves believers from the judgment of unworthy communicants. But now that we are under judgment, since the Lord criticizes and condemns our laxity and irreverence with regard to the use of His Holy Supper, His is a pedagogical purpose. Through the earnest reproof of the apostle the Lord was chastising, disciplining, the Christians of Corinth, lest they continue in their spiritual sleep and in the end fall under the pronouncement of the final damnation.

And so the apostle, having summoned all the arguments which were necessary to bring the Corinthians to the realization of their situation, repeats his admonition in conclusion: Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. They should not continue the practise of splitting up into parties and cliques and, as a consequence, change the love-feast preceding the Lord’s Supper into a debauch, but they should celebrate also this decently and together, lest the Eucharist be desecrated. And they should avoid the appearance of feasting. If any one was hungry, he should attend to the satisfying of his hunger at home, in order that they did not assemble for worse, for judgment. Other matters which pertained to proper order and decency in the celebration of the Eucharist and public worship, Paul intended to regulate according as he might come. He did not yet know, at that time, when he might be able to visit Corinth, but he was determined to come as soon as circumstances would permit his making the journey.

Summary

The apostle discusses the veiling of women in church services, together with their position in the congregation, he chides the Corinthian Christians for the evidences of divisions among them as these appeared even in the celebration of the Eucharist, and speaks at length of the preparation for, and the proper celebration of, the Lord’s Supper.

Verses 1-31

Of the use and purpose of spiritual gifts

All spiritual gifts from God:

Other matters might be postponed until the apostle would be able to carry out his plan of visiting Corinth, but the subject broached by him in this section must be attended to at once: But about spiritual things, that is, gifts or powers, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant. He wanted to teach the proper use of spiritual gifts, just as he had given them the right information about the celebration of the Lord’s Supper; for there was a certain amount of danger connected with these gifts, since they were, generally speaking, supernatural phenomena proceeding from the Spirit and belonging within His sphere. And in order to put his readers into the right relation to the admonition which he is about to make, and to keep them in the proper state of humiliation as to their absolute lack of merit in the acceptance of these gifts, he reminds them of their former heathen state: You know that Gentiles you once were, being carried away to the voiceless idols, as you were led. Two thoughts are here brought out, namely, that heathenism is an estrangement from the true God, and that it is a slavery of the lowest kind. To be led away to the worship of idols, whom the apostle characterizes as dumb, voiceless, Psalm 115:5; Psalm 135:16, marks the entire Gentile world. The Gentiles are carried off to this foolish, futile worship; their priests are very well aware of the fact that the claims which they advance are without foundation; but they keep the people in superstitious slavery. At the nod of their priests the ignorant heathen bowed down in worship to their dead idols, whose dumbness was a part of their nothingness, and who never returned an answer, no matter how urgent the supplication. The knowledge of their former state was such as always to make the grace of God stand out the more wonderfully by contrast in their minds.

But the Corinthians did not yet understand just how the Spirit of God did His work in their hearts, how He exerted His power. So Paul proceeds to instruct them. Therefore, in order that they may form a correct judgment of the Spirit’s operations and gifts, he informs them that no one speaking in the Spirit of God says: Jesus is accursed; and no one can say, Jesus is Lord, but in the Holy Spirit. The spirits of falsehood and of truth were battling together at Corinth, and the battle-cry of either party is here recorded. That which was accursed or anathema, in the sense as used by the Jews, was vowed to God for destruction as under His curse. To say that any one or any thing was anathema was to pronounce the oath of execration upon the person or thing in question. The fanatic Jews made this their cry in their incessant warfare against the Christian religion, and the catchy expression was apt to be taken up by Gentile mobs when any demonstration against the Christians was set in motion. It was certain, then, from the outset that no one using this form of blasphemy could be considered as speaking by the Spirit of God; no matter what his claim in that respect, the fact remained that such a blasphemer was and must remain outside of the pale of Christendom until he changed entirely. The remark of Luther at this point is also well worth considering: “For what he here calls ‘cursing Jesus’ is not only this, that a man publicly blasphemes and curses the name or person of Christ, as the godless Jews or heathen did, … but [this is done also] when any one among the Christians praises the Holy Ghost, and yet does not preach Christ correctly as the Foundation of our salvation, but neglects this and rejects it in favor of something else, with the pretext that it is derived from the Holy Ghost and is much better and more necessary than the common doctrine of the Gospel.” ^■704 . On the other hand, the sincere confession, Jesus is Lord, is a product of true faith, and therefore cannot be made out of any man’s reason and strength. Cp. 1 John 4:2-3. It is an acknowledgment of Christ with the full consciousness of His work of redemption, as wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost. But since this public confession is the chief work of the Christian pastors, it follows that these words of the apostle apply to them with unusual force. “To call Jesus the Lord is to confess oneself His servant and to seek His honor alone, as one sent by Him or having His Word and command. For he speaks here principally of the office which preaches of Christ and brings His command. Where this ministry is in use and directs men to Christ (as to the Lord), that surely is the preaching of the Holy Ghost. … Thus also this cannot be done without the Holy Ghost, that every Christian in his work or station with all seriousness call Christ his Lord, that is, conclude with certainty that he is serving Him therein.” ^■705 .

This unity of faith and confession now bears rich fruit in “distributions of grace-gifts, services, workings”: But there are distributions, diversities, varieties of gifts, yet the same Spirit; and there are varieties of ministries, yet the same Lord; and there are varieties of effects, yet the same God that works, that brings about, all in all. Here the apostle contrasts the dumb idols of the heathen with the almighty, Triune God of the Christians, the former being unable either to speak or to exert any power, the latter revealing Himself with almighty power in the Church and in the congregation of the saints. The Spirit, the Lord, and God the Father are incessantly and graciously active in the edification of the Church by means of the talents imparted to the individual Christians. All the eminent endowments, qualifications, capabilities of Christians, and peculiar to their state as Christians, whether they be those of healing, of miracles, of tongues, of prophesying, of rich Bible exposition, of edifying application of the Word, are bestowed by the Holy Ghost, of the one Spirit. And these wonderful gifts of grace are applied in the Church in the various offices and ministries, in the manifold functions and spheres of labor, Ephesians 4:11-12, but always under the direction of the one Lord, Jesus Christ, the King of the Church, and rendered to Him. It is in His interest that the Christians should use their gifts, every one without exception as Christ has dealt out to him; for only if the various gifts, in the manifold offices and stations, be used in the service of the one Lord, will the purpose of the Lord in bestowing the gifts be realized. There are thus finally various effects of the Christians’ labors, commensurate with their gifts and their position of service; but it is the one God who constantly brings about all that is necessary for the benefit of His Church, and to all true Christians He deals out from His store of gifts without ceasing. Thus the Triune God is the Fountain of all grace and power in the Church, the immediate Dispenser of every good and perfect gift. “The Spirit kindles the fire of the gifts of edification, the Son directs the rays of the ministries of edification, the Father creates the warmth of the powers of edification: in undivided essence the Triune God rules His Church; what an outrage to cause divisions in its midst!” ^■706 .

The actual working of the several gifts:

The apostle now shows how the various gifts of the Spirit, in which the congregation at Corinth was so rich, were manifested, and what purpose was to be kept in mind by them: But to each (Christian) there is being given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common profit. He speaks very generally, stating that every Christian possesses some gift of grace, a gift which was not merely bestowed upon him at one time in the dim and distant past, but is being dealt out to him day after day. Its aim and object, therefore, is not to serve for personal aggrandizement and enjoyment, but to be placed at the disposal and to minister to the spiritual profit of the entire congregation and Church. Every Christian should prove himself a good steward of the manifold grace of God, 1 Peter 4:10; Matthew 25:14-30.

Just how the spiritual talents of the individual Christians should serve for the benefit of the whole congregation Paul shows by a number of examples: To the one was given through the Spirit, through His power, the Word of wisdom; he had an exceptionally thorough knowledge of the great truths of Scripture, of the mystery of the Gospel, of the Word of the Cross, and could expound them in their connection in a clear, convincing way. But to another was given the Word of understanding, according to the same Spirit, directed by His power; he had the gift of applying the Word of God to individual cases in life, to throw light upon them in a proper way, to make the right conclusion on the basis of clear understanding. Wisdom is the more theoretical, knowledge the more practical; the qualifications of the teacher and pastor, particularly.

In the second series of gifts, there is given to another faith, in the same Spirit, in His power and bestowment alone; not that faith which accepts salvation in Christ, not justifying faith, but a strong and unwavering confidence in the omnipotence of God or in the power of Christ, as able to reveal itself in extraordinary deeds and to accomplish what seems impossible to men ^■707 . This gift of heroic faith was needed especially in the early days of the Church, but has appeared since in many servants of the Lord that accomplished the apparently supernatural, with the assistance of the Lord. To another were given the gifts of healings in the bestowment of the same Spirit; there were Christians in the early days that were able to cure the sick without medicines and to perform other miraculous things, such as raising the dead, punishing the wicked by some extraordinary manifestations of God’s wrath, as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, Elymas, etc. Closely connected with these gifts were those of the acts of power, working of miracles in general.

In the third group of gifts St. Paul mentions that to another Christian is given prophecy, which includes not only the ability to see into the future and to declare coming events in advance, but also that of applying the Word of God in teaching and admonishing. “Prophecy is that one can interpret and explain the Scripture correctly, and therefrom, in a powerful manner, prove the doctrine of faith and overthrow false doctrine; also, through it to admonish the people, to threaten or to strengthen and to comfort, indicating, meanwhile, the wrath to come, the punishment and revenge upon the unbelievers and disobedient, and again, divine help and reward for the believers and pious; as the prophets did from the Word of God, both from the Law and from the promises.” ^■708 . To another is given the discerning of spirits, the ability to distinguish between true and false teachers very readily, 2 Thessalonians 2:9; 1 John 4:1. When Satan found that open enmity and persecution did not succeed according to his plan, he employed guile and stealth in raising up false teachers in the very midst of the Christian congregations, whose glib tongues often succeeded in introducing doctrines at variance with the pure Gospel as preached by the apostles. Therefore a person with the ability to discriminate, to uncover the weak and dangerous position of the false teachers at once, was a great asset in a congregation. To still another Christian were given kinds of tongues; he was able to speak the great things of God in strange languages, which he had never studied, Mark 16:17, or he could praise the Lord in an entirely new, unknown language, virtually the tongue of angels, 1 Corinthians 13:1. But since this gift would have been unprofitable in itself, the Lord had also given to another the interpretation of tongues, the ability to translate the unknown language for the benefit of the congregation, for the edification of the hearers.

The apostle distinctly reminds his readers that all these gifts, no matter how great the difference between them, no matter what inclination there was among the holders of the several talents to exalt their own peculiar endowment, were all wrought by one and the selfsame Spirit, in distributing to each individual person just as His will dictated. Two thoughts stand out here: That it is the Spirit alone that deals with each individual, that it is His choice and judgment which determined the gifts, but that also there could be no idea of merit on the part of the receiver; the measure of the Holy Ghost is His free, gracious will and counsel. Note: Of the gifts here mentioned by the apostle, “four have disappeared entirely out of the Christian Church, the other five are still to be found, though in a smaller measure. The gift to heal without the application of medicines, the gift to perform other miracles, the gift to speak strange languages without previous study and use, and finally the gift to interpret such languages as one has never learned, have disappeared entirely. But this is not the case with the other gifts mentioned by the apostles, namely, with the gifts of speaking of wisdom and of knowledge through the Spirit, with the gift of prophesying, that is, of expounding the Scriptures, with the gift of an unusually high, strong, and heroic faith, and finally with the gift to distinguish between the spirits.” ^■709 . If these gifts were only employed more often, in all humility, for the benefit of the Church!

The body of Christ and its members:

The fact that the Spirit of God works in the Church through manifold gifts of grace, in various persons, and yet always to the same end, the edification of the entire body as a unit, is here illustrated by reference to the analogy of a body. The unity of the Church is not that of inorganic nature, where many similar or dissimilar bodies are heaped together without organic connection; it is rather the oneness of a living organism, the exercises of whose members are diversified, but yet all serving the one same end, the health and well-being of the entire body: For just as the body of a man is one and he has many members, but all the members of the body, many as they are, are one body, so also is Christ. The oneness of the human body unfolds in a plurality of members, but with all its great variety of parts it is but one single system; just so Christ includes head and heart and all the members of the body in one system, every part and member being necessary for the integrity or completeness of the whole, but the entire body being governed by the one Head, Christ.

The unity of the one great Church system is effected by means of Baptism: For in one Spirit also we all were baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we all of one Spirit were made to drink. Baptism is the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost; He is the power that influenced our hearts and minds and brought them into the right relation with Christ, added us as members to His body, sealed and attested to us our salvation. The nationality and the social status of the individual person has nothing to do with this process, for the Spirit makes no distinction between Jews and Greeks, between slaves and freemen; they have all received the same identical Spirit, they have all been imbued with the same life of Christ. And, incidentally, we all were made to drink of the same Spirit; He was and is the spiritual refreshment which our souls receive by faith; for the drinking includes all the nourishment of the soul, as it is received for the benefit of the entire body and of all its members.

This idea, that the unity of the bodily organization includes rather than excludes a plurality of membership, is now carried out in detail: For the body also is not one member, but many. To speak of the body as a member is a contradiction in itself: many members, many organs, make up the one body. And yet, no one of these is complete in itself, nor could it exist by itself, just as each one has its own function to exercise, its own work to perform in the body, which could not be accomplished without it. For the foot to argue that it is not a member of the body because it is not the hand would be just as foolish as for the ear to argue that it cannot be a member of the body because it is not the eye. The function of each organ and each member is definitely fixed, and therefore the foot or ear does not sever itself from the body by distinguishing itself from hand or eye; its foolish argument leaves it exactly where it was before. The eye is indeed a nobler member than the ear, just as the hand is a nobler member than the foot, but all the members of the body serve one another mutually. Note: “The obvious duty here inculcated is that of contentment. It is just as unreasonable and absurd for the foot to complain that it is not the hand as for one member of the Church to complain that he is not another; that is, for a teacher to complain that he is not an apostle, or for a deaconess to complain that she is not a presbyter, or for one that had the gift of healing to complain that he had not the gift of tongues.” (Hodge.)

That all the members and organs are to serve the entire body, the whole system, each in its own sphere, the apostle brings out very strongly: If the entire body were eye, where would the hearing be? If the entire body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now, as things are by God’s will, He has appointed the members, each single one of them, in the body as He willed. Dissatisfaction with the particular gift of grace, with the particular status in the Church that any person has and occupies, is rebellion against the will of God, against the rule of the Lord of the Church; it is disloyalty toward Him and distrust of His wisdom. God has set things so, it is a matter of His determining will, and the obedient Christian will not be found complaining and objecting.

The need of all the members:

The apostle develops his argument in every direction, showing here that a number, a variety, of members and organs is necessary for the organism of the body and also of the Church. He that would insist upon having all members the same would destroy the unity and thereby the organism of the body. This Paul affirms with grave seriousness: But now there are indeed many members, yet one body. No member of the body is able to perform all the functions which are within the sphere of the body, they are mutually interdependent; and only in this way does the body realize its object in the world.

That all the variously endowed members are needed by the body as a whole, and consequently are necessary to each other, cannot do their work properly without the assistance of each other, is next brought out. The eye cannot deny that the hand is indispensable to its service, if the entire body should do its work in the right way. And the same holds true of the relation of the feet to the head. The body, indeed, could live without feet, but the organism would be crippled. The more noble members have need of the less noble, if the system of the body is to carry on its functions for which it was designed and destined. Pride, therefore, is just as reprehensible in the Church as discontent.

The apostle has something to say to such superior members as look down with complacent self-conceit upon the supposedly inferior companions: Far rather must this be considered the situation: The weaker members of the body, as they may seem to be, are necessary; and those members of the body which seem to us to be more dishonorable, we put them about with more abundant honor, and our indecorous parts bring with them a more abundant seemliness. Some organs of the body are extremely weak and delicate, such as the heart, the eye, the ear; and yet their needfulness cannot be called into question. Other organs, those, for instance, of the abdomen, are ignoble, though their function is in itself not unclean; but we provide ample clothing for them. Still other organs, those connected with the procreation of the species, have, on account of sin, been vested with the mantle of sin and indecency, although none could be more sacred in their God-given function; and so we hide them from sight, the purpose of clothes being to serve decorousness. Note: The deliberate suggesting of charms which are associated with the propagation of the species, as it is done in the indecent clothing of our day, is at variance not only with the command of God, but also with the natural decency which the conscience demands.

The application of the figure:

In the covering and adorning of the dishonorable, indecorous parts of the body we do not include the seemly parts, the head and the face, unless we wish to display barbarous tendencies. Their distinction is so evident that any ornament jars upon the beholder. But God caused to mix together, He compounded the members of the body, having assigned more honor to the part which is in need of it. The Greek word signifies the mixing of ingredients as it is done in the laboratory, and indicates “such a mutual adjustment of the parts in the body as shall counterbalance differences, so that one part shall qualify another.” It is not thus that the fine and honorable members are all in one place and the ignoble and indecorous in another, but that there is a complete harmony in appearance and in function of the body, together with an agreeable manifoldness and interchange. And the object is: that there be no schisms, no divisions, in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If the chief organs of the body should refuse to perform their work properly so long as the dishonorable members were still connected with the body, obviously the entire body would suffer. It is the will of the Creator that every part should contribute something to the general proportion, symmetry, and beauty of the body. It will also follow, quite naturally: And if one member should suffer, all the members suffer with it, and if one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it. Here is an illustration of the unselfish care and solicitude of the members of the body for one another. So closely are they all united in the one organism of the body that the pain of any one organ is normally felt by the whole body as such; and, on the other hand, a special honor shown to any one member, especially to the comely members, causes the whole body to be filled with gladness, the attitude of the mind being reflected in the pose, in the gestures, in every lineament of the body.

The spiritual meaning of the comparison:

Beginning with 1 Corinthians 12:12, Paul had given a detailed account of the interrelation of the members and organs in the human mechanism, indicating, however, even in 1 Corinthians 12:13, that he wanted the application made in the case of the Church. And here he states that the entire passage is to be applied to the Christian congregation: You are the body of Christ, and members severally; toward Christ you have the relation of a body, toward one another you have the relation of members. Therefore the lessons of the discontent of the less noble members, of the pride of the more seemly members, and of the mutual care and solicitude of the members in general should be heeded in the Church. And Paul openly states that there is indeed a diversity of talents, of ministries, of effects in the Church. It was God that made this distinction; He it was that chose and set up certain officers in the Church, they held office by His will, Acts 20:28. There were, first, apostles, the teachers of the entire Church till the end of time, originally by the spoken word, afterward by their doctrine transmitted in the form of writing. There were, secondly, prophets, men that had the gift of prophecy, 1 Corinthians 12:8,10. There were, thirdly, teachers, men that were able to teach the transmitted doctrine, to apply it to the individual cases. These three represented the teaching orders. And in the congregation in general, and without distinction due to office, there were found miraculous powers, gifts of healings, 1 Corinthians 12:9-10; helpings, the work which was performed principally by the deacons; governings, the work which was done by executive officers in the organization of the congregation; and finally, species of tongues, 1 Corinthians 12:10. Note: The apostle is here evidently referring to the visible church organization, to which He has entrusted the administration of the means of grace. If a person calling himself a Christian shows the spirit of independentism, maintaining that he can ignore the work of the ministry, he is not in conformity with this passage of Scriptures.

God has given the offices and distributed the gifts, but He Himself has made the distinction, choosing the vehicles of His grace as He thought best. Discontent with the position assigned to any one in the Church is rebellion against His government: Are all apostles? all prophets? all teachers? all powers? Have all gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? In the Church of Christ all Christians cannot be everything, they cannot hold all offices, they cannot all have the same gifts; the Lord has distributed the gifts, and to Him they all are responsible, whether the talent entrusted to them be large or small in its appearance before men. Let apostle, prophet, teacher, healer, interpreter, deacon, each do his work in his appointed place without jealousy, and without being discontented with his lot. All these positions are necessary and are mutually interdependent; they all are to serve for the glory of the Lord and for the welfare of His people. Self-aggrandizement and jealousy are the death of true church-work.

Instead of fostering pride and conceit, the Christians of all times should rather expend their efforts in another way: But be zealous for the best gifts, strive after those gifts of the Spirit which are of the greatest benefit to the work of the Lord in the Church. If the Christians are really anxious to be of service in the work of the Lord, with altogether unselfish labor, then the Lord will reward this prayerful zeal; such people will be given the opportunity of placing their talents at the disposal of the King of Grace. And to this end Paul does not only want to exhort his readers, but he also wants to show them an excellent way, a way without equal, by which they may attain to the fulfilment of their wish and be placed in a position where they may serve the Church in all its members, to the glory of God.

Summary

The apostle discusses the diversity of the Spirit’s gifts as contributing to the life of the Church, all being necessary and all honorable in their proper use, as he shows by a detailed comparison of the members of the human organism and their functions, but none to be sought in a spirit of emulation.

Verses 1-13

A psalm of love

The high worth of love:

Paul had written, by way of introduction to this magnificent paean in praise of perfect Christian love, that he would show his readers the supremely excellent way to become partakers of the better spiritual gifts, of those which are of greater value for the edification of the congregation, those of wisdom, of knowledge, of prophecy. That way, which strives for the possession of gifts which will do most toward serving our fellow-Christian and the Church, is the way of love. The supreme excellence of this gift of God is brought out in a wonderful manner: If with the tongues of men I be speaking, and of angels, but am without love, I have become a sounding brass and a clanging cymbal. In comparing the various gifts of the apostolic age with the better gifts that find their expression through love, the apostle mentions, first of all, the gift of tongues. In the case of one that possessed this gift, a peculiar ecstasy replaced the ordinary function of reason, and in this condition the Spirit of God made use of the tongue in new and strange languages to praise the great works of God. But if a person had this gift in a most extraordinary degree, if he embodied not only the miracle of Pentecost, but of ecstatic and inarticulate forms of speech which needed special interpreters; yea, if this mystic utterance reached such heights that he could speak in the unutterable forms of heavenly language; if, however, he had no love for his brothers in his heart, this wonderful gift would have no value for him. Like a dead instrument of brass he would have become, like a clanging cymbal, both of which yield forth a tone when struck, the one a dull, deep tone, the other a shrill, penetrating tone, but are absolutely without life. Mark that the idea of instrumentality is brought out. The Christian that possesses any gifts is an instrument of the Holy Ghost in using them for the service of his neighbor. To parade any gifts before others for the gratification of vanity, for show, and in the expectation of praise, is to invite the severest censure of God.

Paul refers to a second gift: And if I have prophecy, and if I know all the mysteries and all the knowledge, — prophecy in its widest stretch amounts to nothing without love. The gift of prophecy is a higher gift than that of speaking with tongues, since its purpose is directly to edify the congregation by unfolding the future and combining earnest admonitions with this form of proclamation of the secrets of God. Some of the early Christians had this gift to such a degree that they had an insight into the mysteries of God and could expound the glories of His essence. “One might be a prophet and know very few mysteries; and one might know all mysteries and yet lack some other point of knowledge.” ^■710 . If such a person were not actuated by the love that finds its supreme delight in serving his neighbor, then his work might indeed have salutary effects, but he himself would be cast out as unworthy. And just so with the gift of the heart: And if I had all faith, to remove one mountain after the other, but had no love, I should again amount to nothing in the sight of God. One might have heroic faith, the confidence that works miracles, Matthew 17:20; Matthew 21:21, and yet be personally worthless. For such a faith apprehends Christ only in His wonder-working power, and is not necessarily the result of saving faith. But without love, though endowed with these most remarkable gifts, which are also so highly esteemed and may be of such wonderful value and seem to indicate a special divine favor, a person is in fact a mere nonentity in the eyes of God.

There may even be manifestations that seem to have all the earmarks of real charity: And if I should distribute all my property to the poor, if I should give it away, bit by bit, until I had nothing left; and if the sacrifice that I make rises to its climax in that of offering life itself, of suffering martyrdom in its worst form, but the motive for all this were not love, it would have absolutely no value in the sight of God. As Jerome writes: “It is terrible to say, but it is true: If we endure martyrdom in order to be admired by our brothers, then our blood was shed in vain.” That a person gives all his goods to the needy, that he sacrifices body and life, may look like an act of pure love, but it may also flow from selfish motives and seek the person’s own ends, and will therefore result in his condemnation.

Note: What the apostle here teaches and very impressively urges the Christians of to-day should also heed. The most extraordinary gifts of the apostolic days are not found in our congregations to-day, but there are still the gifts mentioned in the previous chapter. One possesses a rich treasure of Christian knowledge, another has the gift of speaking of divine things in a clear, interesting, comforting way, a third has been given an unusual measure of strength of faith, of Christian energy. And therefore it may easily happen that a Christian or a Christian preacher or teacher may feel a certain amount of pride in his understanding and knowledge, a measure of gratification at his ability to make an impression by his speaking, at his good works, his gifts to the poor, his zeal for God’s kingdom and honor, instead of having in mind only the edification of his brethren. Such a one should remember that before God, with all his knowledge and works, he is nothing, amounts to nothing, and will gain nothing, unless his one motive is an unselfish love, which flows out of true faith ^■711 .

A description of true love:

The apostle here pictures brotherly love, in personifying it, from both the negative and the positive side; he gives no abstract definition, but describes love in its substance, conduct, and actions. In the midst of the sins, evils, and trials of the fallen world, love suffers long, is long-tempered, patient toward injurious and provoking persons. As Luther writes: “In the first place, love is long-suffering, that is, patient, is not hasty and quick to wrath, revenge, impatience, and to insist upon its own rights: but is patient and suffers the unrighteous and weak until they finally come.” Love is kind, benignant; it renders gracious, well-disposed service to others, is full of good will toward everybody in deeds, words, and conduct. Just as the Lord has patience with sinners, with the weaknesses of His elect, 2 Peter 3:9; Luke 18:7; just as He is good and kind, 1 Peter 2:3, and has shown His kindness in Christ to all men, Titus 3:4, even so all Christians should be found engaged in the virtues of the Lord.

The next sentences show that love will abstain from all forms of conduct that may hurt or harm one’s neighbor. Love envies not, is not filled with selfish zeal, with passionate impetuousness; if there is need of striving in the interest of truth, it will never be done in passionate outbursts; if others have excellencies of person or of fortune, love is stimulated only to rejoicing admiration. Love makes no self-display, carefully avoids vaunting, boasting, magnifying its own real or supposed advantages; ostentation of superiority, especially of supposed superiority, is the very opposite of love. Love is not puffed up, is not guilty of moral indecency, of bad taste, is not proud in its own conceit, looking down upon others as inferior. Love does not act in an indecorous manner; it has the proper instinct for that which is seemly toward one’s neighbor; it always exhibits a dignified, noble conduct; it is never guilty of a tactlessness that forgets its own proper place and duty, failing to give to others the respect, honor, or consideration due them. Conduct of this kind is opposed to the essence of love, which demands a quiet, meek, and humble behavior, seeking to excel, in the interest of one’s neighbor, in that which is virtuous, honorable, intended to win the heart of one’s fellow-Christian.

The apostle now continues his description of love in bringing out its manner of thinking, its inner character. Love does not seek its own advantage, its own pleasure, profit, honor; it is willing to give up its own gain if one’s neighbor will but be profited. And therefore love is not embittered; it refuses to be irritated by the show of ingratitude which men return for the kindness shown them. On the contrary, under those very conditions love takes no account of evil, does not charge it against any one, does not keep it in mind, but forgives it gladly and freely. And in general, love rejoices not at wrong, is never gratified at the evil that comes upon one’s evil neighbor, nor at the fact that he persists in his evil ways. Love rather rejoices with the truth, with those that are on the side of right and truth; when God’s truth wins its way over the powers of darkness and makes men free from all unrighteousness and wrong, that is a cause of great joy to all true Christians. And particularly when a Christian brother receives that which is his in justice, then love feels the pleasure of fellow-feeling.

The apostle now reaches the climax in his characterization of love in four positive statements. All things love tolerates; not in the sense of covering and protecting wrong, but in the sense of suffering that which may be inflicted from outside. The emphasis is upon “all.” No matter how grievous the insult on the part of those whom love has enfolded, love will continue with unabated strength. All things love believes; it simply refuses to yield to the suspicions of doubt and of consequent discouragement; it always finds an excuse for the beloved, always defends him, speaks well of him, puts the best construction on everything. Though its simplicity and trustfulness be abused again and again, it still believes that things will come out as they should. That does not mean that love is blind to the faults of the beloved, or that it would not rebuke the sins of one’s brother. But in doing so, all things love hopes for; always love looks to the future with the certainty that the beloved will yield to the persuasions of good; it takes all the disagreeable features, all the difficulties of the situation upon itself, always with the hope that the labor of love cannot be forever in vain. And so love endures all things, it never gives up in defeat. “Here we see the inner power of love: her head held high, her eyes bright and shining, her hand steady and true, her heart strong with strength from above.” ^■712 . Thus Paul describes brotherly love, which is at the same time the model of that love which we owe all men, even our enemies. If we will at all times but keep this characteristic in mind, then it cannot fail that the picture will stimulate in our hearts the desire to possess true love in this highest and best form, and to avoid all that which does not agree with the glorious picture here sketched.

The eternal duration of love:

The first sentence is the topic of the last section of this chapter: Love never fails, it outwears all gifts, it never drops out of existence; like the eternal God, to whom it owes its being, it lasts forever. The gift of prophesying, of inspiration from the Lord, of foretelling future events and explaining the Word of God in connection therewith, will come to naught, be made useless and void, be abolished. As the content of all prophecy will be revealed in fulfilment, as all that was hidden will be clearly revealed, there will then no longer be need of prophecy. The gift of tongues, of ecstatic utterances in strange and unknown tongues, will cease, will stop, since they had only a temporary significance; they lapsed and terminated when their object was attained. The gift of knowledge, of comprehension of the things revealed, shall be done away with. A time will come when this, like the rest, will have served its purpose and therefore will be abolished for good and all.

Since the assertion that the gifts of knowledge and prophecy will cease might seem strange, Paul explains his statement: For in part we know, and in part we prophesy; but when there comes the perfect, the imperfect will be abolished. Our knowing in this world is imperfect, inadequate for a complete understanding of God, of His essence, of His will. There are only small parts of the eternal, heavenly truth which we understand, even with our enlightened Christian reason. We have no comprehensive view of the total, of the connection of the divine thoughts and counsels; the fulness of God’s greatness and majesty is still hidden from us. We know only so much of God’s essence and will as is necessary for our salvation. And the most enlightened and inspired commentators of the Bible are able to get only glimpses of the mysteries of the spiritual world, of the heavenly glories, through the revelation given to us in the Gospel. But this imperfect condition will cease, the knowing and prophesying in part will come to an end, as soon as the perfect appears, just as the blush of dawn disappears when the sun rises above the horizon in full splendor. When Christ will return in glory, when we shall be glorified with Him in heaven, then all the imperfections of this present knowledge will be left behind.

The great difference between the present and the future state is illustrated in the text by the difference between the child’s estate and the man’s estate: When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child, I reasoned as a child; my speech, my aims, and my mental activity were those of a young child, immature, imperfect. At the present time our ideas of heavenly, divine things do not measure up to the glory and dignity of the subject. Now that I have become a man, I have abolished the things of the child; the adult no longer holds the imperfect, immature opinions and ideas of the child. Even so the full, mature, complete knowledge of God is reserved for yonder world. But mark that we shall have the very same divine, beautiful, spiritual matters to delight us in heaven which we now have in the world; that which we now understand and know only in part will then be revealed to us in its entirety, in the full glory of its substance. As the blossom loses its petals, but retains its center, which will eventually ripen into the perfect fruit, so we shall strip off the imperfect opinions of our understanding, while we retain the core in its fully developed state and see its fruition in heaven.

The contrast between the present imperfect and the future perfect knowledge is illustrated by another picture: For now we behold through a mirror, in an enigma; then, however, face to face. The ancient mirrors were made of polished metal, which reflected an image but faintly, without sharp and distinct outlines; thus is our beholding of the glories of God, as offered to us in His Word, not because the Word is dark, but because our understanding is not sufficient to grasp the wonders of His substance and qualities. And we behold in an enigma, what we often consider a riddle; on account of our darkened understanding, even in our regenerated state, the phraseology of the Lord in His Word often presents difficulties, we are often able to get but an obscure and uncertain idea of His meaning. That is what St. Paul frankly states, making his own person an example of the Christians in general: Now I know in part, but then I shall know even as I, too, am known. Because the Lord had to fit the heavenly mysteries to the imperfect speech of human beings, because He had to clothe His eternal, divine thoughts in words, expressions, pictures, parables taken from this perishing world, therefore the perfection of the divine glory must needs be hidden from our eyes. But in heaven every believer will see, know, understand the fulness of the divine essence, attributes, plans, counsels in a perfect and blessed understanding, so thoroughly as he himself was known of God when the Lord changed his heart in conversion. It is a perfect and blessed knowledge of God. No longer will God then see anything strange, foreign, hostile between Him and us. All our sins will be removed fully from His sight. As Luther writes: “I shall know Him then in the clearest possible manner, without covering; for the covering was not taken from Him, but from me, for He has none before Him.” In heaven we shall at last in love know God by direct contact, and all the mediated, imperfect knowing that is possible to us now will be left far behind and forgotten altogether in the bliss of the perfect salvation. Cp. Psalm 17:15.

The prospect of this wonderful blessedness causes the apostle to close his psalm of love in a wonderful outburst of triumphant joy: But as it is, there remain faith, hope, love, these three. All other gifts, all other virtues pass away, these three remain permanently. Faith, hope, love remain in eternity, because that which a Christian believes, hopes, loves remains forever, since God is eternal, with whom we are united in faith, hope, and love. This conclusion is practically demanded by the statement that all imperfect things will be abolished. For of these three the apostle does not say that they are imperfect, that we believe in part, that we hope in part, that we love in part. Faith, even the weak faith, although it knows God only in part, yet, as saving faith, accepts the whole God, the whole Christ, the entire redemption in Christ, the full forgiveness of sins. Hope also, seeing and knowing only a few rays of the glory to come, yet has the entire future world as its object. And love concentrates upon the entire Triune God of our salvation, not upon some pitiful remnant. But love is not more lasting, but greater among these, the greatest of the three. Faith and hope also remain forever, since that in which we believe, that for which we hope, lasts forever. But the nature of faith and hope will cease; for what we have here believed and hoped for we shall there possess and enjoy. Our faith will reach the perfection of its state in beholding; our hope will be perfected in enjoyment. But our love of God and Christ, and therefore also of all our brethren, will be absolutely unchanged, only purified, since all the obstacles which here hinder the activity of love will there be removed. In heaven love will be altogether free and untrammeled in its ability to prove itself, and everywhere it will find love in return and thus be blessed in the fellowship of God, of the holy angels, and of all the saints.

Note: The fact that love is here called the greatest virtue does not in any way disagree with the fact that faith is the only means of obtaining salvation. “But they [our opponents] object that love is preferred to faith and hope. For Paul says, 1 Corinthians 13:13: ‘The greatest of these is charity.’ Now, it is reasonable that the greatest and chief virtue should justify. … Nevertheless, let us, indeed, grant to the adversaries that love towards God and our neighbor is the greatest virtue, because the chief commandment is this: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God,’ Matthew 22:37. But how will they infer thence that love justifies? The greatest virtue, they say, justifies. By no means. [It would be true if we had a gracious God because of our virtue. Now it was proven above that we are accepted and justified for Christ’s sake, not because of our virtue; for our virtue is impure.] For just as even the greatest or first Law does not justify, so also the greatest virtue of the Law does not justify. [For, as the Law and virtue is higher, and our ability to do the same proportionately lower, we are not righteous because of love.] But that virtue justifies which apprehends Christ, which communicates to us Christ’s merits, by which we receive grace and peace from God. But this virtue is faith. For as it has been often said, faith is not only knowledge, but much rather willing to receive or apprehend those things which are offered in the promise concerning Christ.” ^■713 .

Summary

The apostle praises the high worth of love, gives a description of its essential features, and describes its eternal duration.

Verses 1-40

The use of spiritual gifts in public worship

The gift of prophesying greater than that of tongues:

In continuing his admonitions, Paul here refers back once more to his great psalm in praise of love: Pursue love! That should be their chief concern, for, as one commentator has it: Love is the mistress; all the spiritual gifts are servants, handmaids. While, therefore, continuing to be intently engaged in following after love, the Corinthians should diligently strive after spiritual gifts, the use of them all in the edification of the congregation being regulated by the standard set by love. And in this respect the gift of prophecy stands above the others, for its chief purpose was to teach and instruct others in the things of their salvation. This gift they should covet more than all the other gifts, also more than that of tongues, which naturally made a deep impression upon the Corinthians and was considered especially desirable.

The apostle gives the reasons for his preference: For he that speaks with a tongue, in some strange language prompted by the Spirit, especially if this be done in public worship, not to men speaks he, but to God; men have no benefit of his speaking, because they cannot understand him. They hear the sounds of his voice, but they have no conception of the meaning of his utterances, since in spirit he is speaking mysteries, the secrets of God are continuing concealed, hidden from the hearers, and probably from the speaker as well. The prophesier, on the other hand, the man that has the gift of prophecy, does speak to men; his speech, being understood by them, serves as a means of communication; he conveys ideas to them, edification and exhortation and comfort. The speech of the prophesier serves to have the Christians grow in knowledge, thus aiding the progress of the Church; it admonishes them, it stimulates them to apply themselves more earnestly to their Christian duty; it gives them spiritual strength and comfort when they are in danger of being overwhelmed by fear. That, then, is the chief purpose of public worship, that the Word of God be preached and applied, that men may understand the speaking and be edified, admonished, and comforted. This purpose is not realized in the case of him that speaks with a tongue. He edifies himself at best, while he that prophesies edifies the church assembly. It was true enough that the one that spoke with tongues was confirmed in his faith, since he must have felt the power of the Spirit, that used his mouth as an instrument for His utterance. But he was the only one thus affected, whereas in the case of him that prophesied the assembled congregation received the benefit.

In making this statement, Paul does not want to be misunderstood as though he underrated the worth of the gift of tongues: Yet I would have you all speak with tongues, but rather that you might prophesy ^■714 . So he makes no weak concessions to the Corinthians, he is well aware of the fact that the gift of tongues might make a deep impression upon an unbeliever coming into their meetings and pave the way for his conversion; but for actual, practical use he knows that the gift of prophecy is to be preferred. Greater, moreover, is he that prophesies than he that speaks with tongues; he occupies a position of greater usefulness and therefore also of greater dignity, unless, indeed, he that speaks with tongues has, at the same time, the gift and the ability to interpret his ecstatic utterances, so that all the people may understand him and the congregation thus receive edification.

In a question directed to them all, Paul appeals to their judgment in this matter: But now, brethren, the situation at Corinth at the present time being such, if I should come to you speaking with tongues, of what use, of what help would I be to you, if I do not speak to you in revelation, or in knowledge, or in prophesying, or in teaching? If Paul had been only a speaker of tongues, and unable to interpret the mysteries which the Holy Ghost was uttering through his mouth, his work would evidently have had no value, unless, indeed, he could make himself understood in intelligible speech, in revelation and prophecy, by teaching the great mysteries which he understood, by bringing knowledge and doctrine together. Prophecy relates to particular facts, for whose understanding further light was needed, to mysteries that could be known by revelation only; doctrine and knowledge were drawn from the creed of the Christians and were used to confirm the believers in the matter of their salvation. This appeal to the common sense of the Corinthians could not fail to convince them of the truth of Paul’s argument, since they knew that he had always sought their spiritual welfare, and not his own spiritual enjoyment and edification.

Public utterance is valueless without clear understanding:

The apostle here draws an inference from the lesser to the greater: Likewise lifeless things, though they give forth sound, such as the flute or the harp, yet unless there is a distinction in their tones or sounds, how will that which is being piped or harped be distinguished? The apostle is here referring either to the quality of the sounds or to the intervals or to the distinction of pitch, whatever distinguishes the music of various instruments. If players permit the notes to run together in absolute confusion, with an utter disregard of the laws of harmony and of the limitations of the several instruments, how can the listener make out the air? Instead of a melody, he will hear nothing but confused noises. And likewise, if the trumpet that gives the signals in war or in battle gives forth an uncertain voice, the soldiers will not be able to distinguish whether they are to advance or to retreat or to execute some other movement: a disastrous situation.

The application of the two figures of comparison is easy: Likewise also unless you with the tongue, in making use of the gift of tongues, give forth a distinct speech, words whose meaning is clear to the hearers, how will that which is spoken be distinguished, understood, by the hearers? For you will be such as speak into the air. All the fine speaking in the church assemblies, whether it is done in strange languages or in that which the people themselves have asked for, is without value and worse than useless, if its content is not clear to the congregation, if the hearers do not get the speaker’s finely articulated words and well-modulated sentences. Note: There is far too much preaching in our days which embodies all the excellencies of the text-books as to outline, diction, paragraphing, etc., but lacks that one most important point: edifying clearness. The motto of our days seems to be: Wash me, but do not make me wet; that is, either: Smooth down the rugged text to ears polite, and snugly keep damnation out of sight, or: Keep out the love of God with all your might, and snugly shut salvation out of sight.

For the sake of making the situation plain, Paul adds the example of the multitude of human languages and dialects: Ever so many kinds of voices are, as it happens, in the world, and none of them voiceless. In all the great number of languages throughout the world, wherever people use their voice as a medium of communication, there is not one that has not the fundamental requirement of a language: It has a meaning for somebody; it may be understood by such as are familiar with it. It follows, then, that if I do not know the meaning of the voice, if I do not comprehend its significance, I shall be to him that speaks a barbarian, and he that speaks a barbarian in relation to me. The word barbarian was applied by the Greeks and Romans to all people that did not speak their tongue. A strange language will be to me a confused jargon of sounds, and I cannot comprehend its meaning; there can be no understanding. Thus all uninterpreted tongues in the public service of the congregation are useless, and the very fact that the foreign tongue may convey a precious meaning may be all the more provoking.

The apostle now makes the application to the situation in Corinth: Likewise yourselves, so also in your case; since you are eager for spiritual gifts, for the edification of the congregation make all efforts that you may excel in them. That is the proper zeal in seeking spiritual gifts, not to covet them for one’s own gratification and self-glorification, but to have in mind always the real object of all spiritual gifts, the edification of the congregation, the service of the Church. Therefore let him that speaks with a tongue pray that he may interpret. Outward impression and prestige count for nothing in the Church, and may even work great harm. If the speaker with tongues could therefore afterwards recall some of the things which he uttered while his mouth was the instrument of the Holy Spirit and could translate the sayings into ordinary rational speech, that would be worth while, that would make his gift of value to the congregation. And therefore he should earnestly covet, by means of prayer, this interpretation of his own utterances.

Only through the understanding of the hearer does the utterance of the Spirit result in edification:

Since the purpose of every function in public worship is to be of spiritual benefit to the attendants, therefore the gift of tongues must be considered of secondary value: For if I pray with a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is without fruit. As one commentator has it: The fruit of the speaker is found in the profit of the hearer ^■654 . If a man got up in public service in Corinth and prayed with the ecstatic utterance of this peculiar gift, his own spirit indeed had the benefit of feeling itself the instrument of the Holy Ghost, but all the other people present had no benefit whatsoever from his praying, because there was no point of contact between them, they could not understand the speaker, unless, indeed, he also interpreted his utterances. This being the case, what follows? The apostle writes: I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray also with the understanding, with the mind; I will sing psalms with the spirit, but I will sing psalms also with the understanding, with the mind. The wonderful utterances which were given to the apostle to articulate he wanted to make accessible also to his hearers, whether they were in the form of prayer or in that of chants, and to do this, it was necessary that he bring out the content of the speaking with tongues in the form of common speech. The hearer’s mind and heart could not be reached without interpretation, and without that there could be no edification.

This fact the apostle presents from another side: For then, under those circumstances, if thou bless in spirit, if thy praise has risen up in honor of God while in that condition of ecstasy which accompanied speaking with tongues, he that occupies the place of the layman, of the uninitiated, how will he say his Amen to thy blessing, thy doxology? The prayer and the chanting of the person speaking in an unknown tongue may be ever so rich in content, still the person in the audience unversed in its meaning would not know what it was all about, and could therefore not give his assent with the familiar “Amen” taken over from the synagog worship, by which he expressed himself as accepting the prayer or doxology as his confession. And so the speaker’s praise may be beyond reproach, as a product of the Spirit it is bound to be excellent, but it is wasted so far as edification of the congregation is concerned.

And lest any man think that the reproof of Paul was dictated by even the faintest feeling of rivalry, he remarks: I thank God, to whom, incidentally, he thus gives all credit for the gift, more than you all I speak with a tongue. Paul had had ecstatic experiences far beyond the amount vouchsafed to the average Christian; he had experienced the power of this gift of grace in a much higher degree than the Corinthians. But in spite of that fact he frankly states that in the church assembly he would rather speak five words with his understanding, in every-day, intelligible language, in order that he might teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue. The utterances of tongues might indicate an unusual power, an extraordinary intimacy with the Spirit, but they were not serviceable, they did not result in the betterment of the congregation. Paul’s aim was always to “catechize,” to impart by oral instruction, what the Christians needed for faith and life, and for this purpose five words in ordinary language were of more use than any amount of articulations in ecstatic speech.

In a most winning manner, Paul now appeals to the good common sense of the readers: Brethren, be not children in understanding, in mind, in judgment, in the faculty of thinking; use your good sense properly, like adults, not like immature children. Of children it is characteristic that they prefer the amusing to the useful, the shining to the solid, as one commentator puts it. In malice, rather, act as babes, but in judgment show yourselves perfect. With respect to all wickedness, Christians should keep themselves free from all the moral corruption of the world and not seek an experimental acquaintance with it. If any of the Corinthians had received the gift of tongues, they should make use of it as children would, with no attempt at conceit and bragging, Matthew 18:2. In sound Christian judgment, however, every believer should try to advance, to grow from day to day, until the perfection of knowledge is reached, so far as it is possible in this life. To plant childlike innocence and maturity of understanding in the heart together: that is the great problem of sanctification. Cp. Psalm 19:8.

Strange tongues may become dangerous:

To give the Corinthians the right understanding of the gift of tongues, Paul now introduces a Scripture-passage: In the Law, in the book of the Old Testament Scriptures, it is written, In men that speak a strange language and in lips of aliens I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me, give Me an attentive ear, says the Lord, Isaiah 28:11-12. In the original passage “the drunken Israelites are mocking in their cups the teaching of God through His prophet, as though it were fit only for an infant school; in anger, therefore, He threatens to give His lessons through the lips of foreign conquerors.” ^■654 . Paul quotes the passage to show that the speaking of tongues may work harm in the Church: Therefore the strange tongues are a sign, they serve for a sign, not to the believing, but to the unbelievers; by this gift God manifested His presence, not so much for the sake of the members of the congregation as for those that were still unbelievers. When God speaks in such an unintelligible way, He exhibits Himself “not as one that is opening His thoughts to the faithful, but as one who is shutting Himself up from those who will not believe.” ^■687 . So the hardened unbelievers, having rejected the clear and unmistakable preaching of the Cross, find themselves confirmed, and even justified, according to their opinion, by this phenomenon. On the other hand, the gift of prophecy is not for the unbelievers, but for the believing. It is not only that the proper exposition of the Gospel of salvation works faith and strengthens faith, but also that it serves as a sign of the mercy of God and changes unbelievers into believers. So Paul discountenances the gift of tongues and disapproves of its use in public services, because the purpose of edification is not accomplished through its exercise.

The apostle now shows the disastrous impression which the exercise of the gift of tongues is bound to make upon men that are in no way connected with the congregation: This being the case, if the entire congregation is assembled together at one place and all be speaking with tongues, and men, unversed, unfamiliar, with conditions, or unbelievers, come in, will they not say that you are mad, that you have all taken leave of your senses? The picture is not a bit overdrawn, but can well be imagined under the circumstances as they existed in Corinth, or as those that were anxious to possess the gift of tongues would have made them: A regular service, with teaching, praise, and prayer; all the Christians busily engaged in prayer and praise in strange languages; Gentiles that were unversed with the situation coming in, or unbelievers, — what was more natural than the supposition that these men were all talking in madness? For it was but proper for such visitors to expect a clear exposition of some Christian doctrine, and not an endless, incoherent, heterogeneous babbling. Note: This thought might be applied to many a congregation to-day, where the preaching service has become a fruitless babbling on half-digested topics, only remotely, if at all, connected with the doctrine of Scriptures.

But altogether different is the effect of the gift of prophecy: But if all prophesy, and there enter any unbeliever or uninitiated person, he is convicted by all, he is judged by all. The gift of prophecy included clear and unmistakable explanation and exposition, in ordinary language, of the Word of God, with proper application to the existing circumstances. And therefore any chance visitor to the service, or some one that was lying in unbelief, would be convicted by the testimony of Holy Writ as applied to his case, he would be made conscious of his sin and unbelief. And, incidentally, he would be searched by the words of omniscient wisdom, the secret things of his heart, the hidden sins would be revealed. And the result might very well be that such a one would fall upon his face and worship God, openly admitting that God was in the midst of the Christian congregation. Nothing is more powerful than the living Word of God, by which He searches hearts and minds, Hebrews 4:12, discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. Thus the gift of prophecy would result not only in gaining souls for Christ, but also in giving glory to the Lord.

The practical application of these truths in public worship:

The apostle here gives instructions about the arrangements of services, in order that his purpose of edification of the congregation may best be accomplished. What was to be done in Corinth, and what, all things being equal, is to be done in all Christian congregations about the order of public worship? As matters stood in Corinth at that time, each one contributed something at their meetings, according to the special spiritual gift which was given him: One has a psalm to chant; another has a doctrine, another a revelation to communicate; another has a tongue, another an interpretation to give. So there was no lack of gifts nor of a willingness to impart the gift; rather all were anxious to speak at once, women as well as men. The gifts were there, and they were not to be despised; the Spirit rather had use for them all. But all was to be done unto edification, with a view to building up the congregation. If they would continue to conduct services without order, the end would be hopeless confusion, if not unpleasant quarrels.

The apostle, therefore, proposes the following order in their meetings: If there were such present as had the gift of tongues, two or, at the most, three should be given an opportunity to speak, and in turn, one by one, not all speaking at once, to their own confusion and that of the congregation. After that, one having that gift should interpret the messages just received. By employing only one interpreter for several discourses of tongues, time would be gained for other edifying parts of worship. But if no interpreter were present, the person that wished to speak with tongues should abstain from speaking in the assembly and rather have his discourse with God alone; in secret converse with God he could still feel the full enjoyment of being a vessel of the Holy Spirit.

Then the persons having the gift of prophecy might also speak in turn, two or three in one meeting, and the others should discern, that is, those that assisted with preaching and had judgment with reference to the matter discussed, as Luther says. In doing so, these men were exercising a gift which is also very necessary in the Church, 1 Corinthians 12:10; Romans 12:7. If, in the mean time, the Holy Spirit should give a special revelation to one of the prophets or teachers and he arose from his seat in token of that fact, the speaker should yield the floor to the new man, closing his own address as quickly as possible. In this way they could all, in rotation, prophesy, bring in their word of teaching and of admonition, that all the members of the congregation might learn and all might be encouraged, urged forward on the path of sanctification, all hearers thus receiving benefit. And lest any one think that the insistence upon order would interfere with the Spirit’s work, the apostle tells the Corinthians that the nature of prophetic inspiration did not hinder the maintenance of such order, but rather favored its promotion: The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. The divine gift is not an irresponsible, erratic control, but may be exercised by the possessor’s will, with discretion and brotherly love. People claiming the possession of a spirit, but not being able to control its utterances, lack the necessary mark of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling. For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. The supposition that God inspires His prophets two or three at a time, and thus creates confusion in public worship, is contrary to His nature. And lest the Corinthians think that Paul is laying upon them a burden from which he is excusing the other congregations, he adds: As it is in all the churches of the saints. In all the assemblies of the early Christians a decent order was observed, according to the same principles as here enunciated by Paul. Without such order, agreed upon or accepted by all, confusion and dissension would surely result, and this the apostle wanted to avoid by all means as contrary to the will of God.

Final regulations:

Both Greek and Roman as well as Jewish custom forbade the public appearance of women, especially their participation in public speaking. It seems that the Christian women of Corinth had a wrong idea of the meaning of Christian liberty, assuming that the ancient distinction made by God had been abrogated. But this rule made by God, that man is the head of woman, holds good for all time and under all circumstances. It is not a question of superiority or inferiority, but of headship and of government in the affairs of the church. Let women keep silence in the congregations; they shall take no part in public teaching in the church, they shall not be given authoritative direction. The public speaking and teaching in the congregation on the basis of the Word of God is a ruling and governing which is at variance with the position which God has given to woman, not only since the Fall, but before as well. And a Christian woman, knowing the high esteem in which she is otherwise held according to the Word of God (cp. Ephesians 5:22-33), will not attempt to break this rule, Genesis 3:16, but will gladly acquiesce in His will, knowing that it is not permitted her to be a teacher in the public worship of the congregation, 1 Timothy 2:12, but to be under obedience, leaving the leadership, the teaching, and the government to the men. Christian women are thereby not excluded from learning, they are rather encouraged to take an intelligent interest in the work of the congregation; they should freely ask questions and discuss matters of the kingdom of God at home, with their husbands. And far from occupying a position of dishonor by this ruling of God, Christian women know that it is disgraceful, it shocks moral feeling, if women aspire to, and assume, equal footing with men in public speaking and teaching, and in church leadership. Note: Here, as in the parallel passages, the apostle refers to public teaching before the whole congregation; the work of women teachers in schools and high schools is here not condemned, and in other passages, Titus 2:3; Acts 18:26, is rather, by implication, commended.

In case some of the Corinthians might now think that the apostle is exceeding his authority in giving them these regulations, he emphasizes their value, if rightly used: Or is it from you that the Word of God went out? Or did it come to you alone? The tendency among the Corinthian Christians was to be so self-complacent that they gave the impression of being the original Christians and that the wide world must learn from them. But they must remember that they were neither the first nor the only Christian congregation; the Gospel had neither gone forth from Corinth as the source, nor had it reached them alone. It behooved them, therefore, to adjust their church order to that of the other churches, to conform to the greater experience of such as had had an opportunity to try out the rules of divine worship. And if one of them persisted in being unruly, if he deemed himself as having prophetical or spiritual insight into matters, he should know and, if a true prophet, will admit for a certainty that the things which the apostle writes are a commandment of the Lord. The Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ, has not only given the apostles the ability to judge all things, 1 Corinthians 2:15, but He has entrusted to them such rules as will redound to the upbuilding of the congregation. If, however, any man persists in his ignorance, let him be ignorant. His wilful ignorance causes the Lord to disown him, just as he will be disregarded, abandoned, to his own self-will by the members of the congregation.

And so the apostle, in conclusion, sums up once more: And so, my brethren, seek eagerly after the gift of prophesying, and to speak with tongues do not hinder. The latter is to be allowed in the congregation, but not encouraged like prophecy; no obstacle is to be put in its way, but the decided preference is to be given to the gift whose power to edify was so obvious. And so far as the public services in general are concerned: Let all things be carried on with proper Christian taste and deportment and in order. Both indecorousness and tumultuousness in a Christian assembly are at variance with the will of the Lord of the Church. Rules and orders may be mechanical, but they tend to serve the preaching of the Gospel and the edifying of the congregation, and should therefore by no means be despised.

Summary

Among all spiritual gifts Paul commends prophecy as serving for the edification of the congregation, being preferable to the gift of tongues; he proposes an order of service, forbids the public teaching of women, and emphasizes the fact that God is a God of peace and order.

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