PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
An Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians
Hodge, Charles, 1797–1878 · 167,870 words · 392 reading sections
282 I. CORINTHIANS 14, 5.6.7.
self did not understand a word of what he uttered. But this hypothesis, though it would suit some passages in this chap- ter, is inconsistent with others, and therefore cannot be adopted. 6. Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking mth tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelatio…
343 wordsSECTION 302I. CORINTHIANS 14, 7.8.9. 283
confused noise.* From this it is inferred that the speaking with tongues was not the gift of speaking foreign languages. This would make Paul wish (v. 5) that all the Corinthians would utter unmeaning sounds, and give thanks that he pro- duced more such jargon than any of them ! It is plain from what foUows, as well as…
397 wordsSECTION 303284 I. CORINTHIANS 14, 9.10.11.
course. This does not imply, as is contended by the advocates of the modern theories, that those who spoke with tongues uttered inarticulate sounds. The opposite of cucriy/Aos, is not inarticulate, but unintelligible, i. e. what is not in fact under- stood. Ye shall speak i?ito the air, i. e. in vain. Your words are lo…
397 wordsSECTION 304I. CORINTHIANS 14, 11.12. 285
speaks a real language, therefore, if I know not the meaning of the voice (i. e. the language), I shall stand in the relation of a foreigner to him and he to me. Otherwise it would not be so. If a man utters incoherent, inarticulate sounds, which no man living could understand, that would not make him a foreigner. It m…
421 wordsSECTION 305286 I. CORINTHIANS 14, 12.13.14.
taking the words in their order the passage reads, *Seek (these gifts) with a view to the edification of the church, in order that ye may excel.' The former explanation is the more natural. The end or object to be sought is not that they might excel ; that is not the ultimate object, but the edifica- tion of the church…
386 wordsSECTION 306I. CORINTHIANS 14, U. 287
prayer can do no good ; or, as the same idea is expressed in vs. 16, 17, those who are unlearned cannot join in it. Praying with a tongue is specified, by way of example, as one mode of speaking with tongues. Though the general meaning of this verse is thus plain, it is the most difficult verse in the whole chapter. Wh…
482 wordsSECTION 307288 I. CORINTHIANS 14, 14.
speaker with tongues did understand himself. The words, therefore, must be understood to mean, ' my understanding produces no fruit,* i. e. it does not benefit others. This is in accordance ^\ath all that precedes, and with the uniforn use of the word, Eph. 5, 11. Tit. 3, 14. 2 Pet. 1, 8. Matt. 13, 22. Paul had, from t…
500 wordsSECTION 308I. CORINTHIANS 14, 14. 15. 289
spirit." The spirits of the prophets means the Holy Ghost as manifested in the prophets, or the spiritual influence of which they were the subjects. And that is just the meaning of my spirit in this passage. 15. What is it then ? I will pray with the spirit, and I wiU pray with the understanding also : I will sing wit…
420 wordsSECTION 309290 I. CORINTHIANS U, 15.16.17.
I will sing. The word {xpaXX^iv) means to touch ; then to touch the cords of a stringed instrument, i. e. to play upon it ; then to sing or chant in harmony with such instrument ; and then to sing or chant. This last is its New Testament mean- ing. It appears from this as well as from other passages, that singing was f…
447 wordsSECTION 310I. CORINTHIANS 14, 16.17.18.19. 291
fied their assent and participation in the petitions which had been offered. Buxtorfs Talm. Lexicon, Vitringa de Synag. Great importance was attached by the Jews to saying Amen. Schoettgen quotes numerous passages to show to what a su- perstitious extreme this was carried. " He who says Amen is greater than he that ble…
845 wordsSECTION 311I. CORINTHIANS 14, 21. 293
21. In the law it is written, With (men of) other tongues and other hps will I speak unto this people ; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. In the laic. The word law signifies that which binds ; es- pecially that which binds the conscience as a rule of faith and practice. That rule may be revea…
434 wordsSECTION 312294 I. CORINTHIANS 14, 22.
22. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that beUeve not : but prophe- sying (serveth) not for them that beheve not, but for them which beUeve. There are two inaccuracies in this version which obscure the sense. The first is the introduction of the word serveth after prophesying. The…
452 wordsSECTION 313I. CORINTHIANS 14, 22. 295
not to or for. 2. It may mean a prodigy or wonder. This is a very common sense of the word, as in the familiar phrase, " signs and wonders." The meaning is then commonly made to be, ' Tongues are a wonder designed not for the benefit of be- lievers, but for unbelievers ; and on the other hand, prophesy is a wonder desi…
460 wordsSECTION 314296 I. CORINTHIANS 14, 22.23.
unbelievers, but to believers.' By tongues^ however, is not to be understood the gift of tongues, but, as v. 21 requires, foreign languages, i. e. languages unknown to the hearers. The meaning is, that when a people are disobedient, God sends them teachers whom they cannot understand; when they are obedient, he sends t…
432 wordsSECTION 315I. CORINTHIANS 14, 23.24.25. 297
If therefore. The inference from the preceding representa- tion is, that speaking in languages not understood by the peo- ple is undesirable and useless. To show the justness of this conclusion the apostle supposes the case which follows. If the whole church he come together in one place. That is, if all the Christians…
422 wordsSECTION 316298 I. CORINTHIANS 14, 24.25.
face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. This is another part of the inference from what was said in vs. 21. 22. Speaking in languages unknown to the hearers is not adapted to do good; speaking intelligibly is suited to produce the happiest effects. If all p'ophesy^ i. e. if all the speaker…
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therefore describes the convert as declaring^ i. e. proclaiming aloud that God is hi you of a truth. " With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation," Rom. 10, 10. It is not enough to be- lieve the truth, it must be publicly professed ; because confes- sion is the…
439 wordsSECTION 318800 I. CORINTHIANS 14, 26.
on the instinct of propriety, vs. 34. 35. The Corinthians were not to act in this matter as though they were the oldest or the only church, v. 36. The apostle requires all classes, no matter how highly gifted, to regard his directions as the commands of Christ, vs. 37. 38. He sums up the chapter in two sen- tences. 1. …
440 wordsSECTION 319I. CORINTHIANS 14, 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 301
miracles, and others of a like kind continued in the church that the state of things here described prevailed. Since those gifts have ceased, no one has the right to rise in the church under the impulse of his own mind to take part in its services. The general rule which the apostle lays down, applicable to all gifts a…
401 wordsSECTION 320I. CORINTHIANS 14, 29.30.31.32.
meeting was also limited to two or three. The others were to judge^ i. e. exercise the gift of " the discerning of spirits," 12, 10. From this passage it may be inferred that this latter gift was a concomitant of the gift of prophecy ; for the other prophets, i. e. those who did not speak were to sit in judgment on wha…
412 wordsSECTION 321I. CORINTHIANS 14, 32.33. 303
This verse is connected by and to the preceding as con- taining an additional reason for the injunction in v. 31. ' You need not speak together, because you can all have the oppor- tunity of speaking successively, and you are not compelled to speak by any irresistible impulse.' The spirits of the prophets. The word spi…
449 wordsSECTION 322804 I. CORINTHIANS 14, 33.34.
assumed to be subject to the prophets. They are from God ; but God is not a God of disorder or of commotion, but of peace. Therefore every spirit which is from him, must be capable of control. He never impels men to act contrary to the princi- ples which he has ordained. If he wills order to prevail in the church, he n…
441 wordsSECTION 323I. CORINTHIANS 14, 34.35.36. 305
permitted to them to speaJc. The speaking intended is public speaking, and especially in the church. In the Old Testament it had been predicted that " Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy ; " a prediction which the apostle Peter quotes as verified on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2, 1 7 ; and in Acts 21, 9 mention …
396 wordsSECTION 324306 I. CORINTHIANS 14, 36.37.
The disregard which the people of that church manifested for the customs of their sister churches seemed to evince an as- suming and arrogant temper. They acted as though thoy were entitled to be independent, if not to prescribe the law to others. Paul takes the authority of the church for grant- ed. He assumes that an…
458 wordsSECTION 325I. CORINTHIANS 14, 37. 38. 39. 40. 307
claims divine authority. The specification of prophets and spiritual persons shows that the reference is primarily to the whole contents of this chapter. All the directions which he had given with respect to the exercise of spiritual gifts were of divine authority. What is true, however, of this chapter, is no less tru…
365 wordsSECTION 326308 I. CORINTHIANS 14,40. 15.
keeps his place, and acts at the proper time and in the proper way. So far as external matters are concerned, these are the two principles which should regulate the conduct of public worship. The apostle not only condemns any church acting independently of other churches, but also any member of a particular church acti…
80 wordsSECTION 327CHAPTER XV. Tlie Mesurrectioii of the Dead.
In treating this subject the apostle first proves the fact of Christ's resurrection, vs. 1-11. He thence deduces, first, the possibility, and then the certainty of the resurrection of his people, vs. 12-34. He afterwards teaches the na- ture of the resurrection, so far as to show that the doctrine is not liable to the …
252 wordsSECTION 328I. CORINTHIANS 15. 309
argument with Sadducees, make the resurrection of Christ the basis of his proof But he does not assume that fact as con- ceded, but proves it by an array of the testimony by which it was supported. Others suppose that the opponents of the doctrine were Epicureans. There is, however, no indication of their peculiar opin…
459 wordsSECTION 329310 I. CORINTHIANS 15, 1.2.
denied by any who pretend to be Christians ? To deny the resurrection of the dead is to deny the resurrection of Christ ; and to deny the resurrection of Christ, is to subvert the gos- pel, vs. 12-14; and also to make the apostles false witnesses, V. 15. If Christ hf not risen, our faith is vain, we are yet in our sins…
438 wordsSECTION 330I. CORINTHIANS 15, 1.2. 311
saved, if ye keep in memory what I have preached unto you, unless ye have beheved in vain. There is no connection between this and the preceding chapter. The particle Si, rendered moreover, indicates the in- troduction of a new subject. I declare unto (yvwpi^w), literal- ly, I make known to you, as though they had nev…
445 wordsSECTION 331812 I. CORINTHIANS 15, 1.2.3.
the gospel which I preached unto you, which ye received, wherein ye stand, by which ye are saved, (I bring to your knowledge, I say,) how, qua ratione^ I preached, if ye hold fast.' This, however, breaks the connection. It is, therefore, better to consider the words tlvl Xoyw as placed first for the sake of emphasis. '…
456 wordsSECTION 332I. CORINTHIANS 15, 3.4. 313
tion to the English preposition, for. Whether the phrase, to die for any one^ means to die for his benefit, or in his place, is determined by the connection. It may mean either or both ; and the same is true of the corresponding scriptural phrase. According to the Scriptures, i. e. the fact that the Messiah was to die…
443 wordsSECTION 333814 I. CORINTHIANS 15, 4.5.
trine ; for on the one hand they predict the sufferings and death of the Messiah, and on the other his universal and per- petual dominion. It is only on the assumption that he was to rise from the dead that these two classes of prediction can be reconciled. 5. And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve : As t…
424 wordsSECTION 334I. CORINTHIAITS 15, 5.6. 315
Lord after his resurrection, but selects a few which he details in the order of their occurrence. The first appearance men- tioned is that to Cephas ; see Luke 24, 34. The second oc- curred on the same day " to the eleven and those who were with them," Luke 24, 33-36. To this Paul refers by saying, " then to the twelve…
446 wordsSECTION 335316 I. CORINTHIANS 15, 6.7.8.
Christ's resurrection, arises not only from the number of the witnesses, but from Paul's appeal to their testimony while the majority of them were still alive. Some have fallen asleep. This is the Christian expression for dying, v. 18, and 11, 30. Death to the believer is a sleep for his body ; a period of rest to be f…
408 wordsSECTION 336I. CORINTHIANS 15, 8.9.10. 317
self-abasement. Paul could never think of the distinction conferred on him by Christ, without adverting to his own unworthiness. 9. Tor I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. The leasts not because the last in the order of appoint- ment, but i…
387 wordsSECTION 337318 I. CORINTHIANS 15, 10.11.12.13.
left to myself, I should have continued a blasphemer, a perse- cutor, and injurious. It is owing to his grace that I am now an apostle, preaching the faith which I once destroyed.' The grace of which he was made the subject, he says, was not in vain^ i. e. without effect. But, on the contrary, I laboured more abundantl…
413 wordsSECTION 338I. CORINTHIANS 15, 13.14. 319
The admission of the resurrection of Christ is inconsistent with the denial of the resurrection of the dead. What has happened, may happen. The actual is surely possible. This mode of arguing shows that the objections urged in Corinth bore equally against the resurrection of Christ, and against the general doctrine of …
409 wordsSECTION 339820 I. CORINTHIANS 15, 14.15.
this fact is so essential, is, that Christ rested the validity of all his claims upon his resurrection. If he did rise, then he is truly the Son of God and Saviour of the world. His sacrifice has been accepted, and God is propitious. K he did not rise, then none of these things is true. He was not what he claimed to be…
454 wordsSECTION 340I. CORINTHIANS 15, 15. 16. IV. 18. 321
Because the thing denied was that the dead could rise. The denial was placed on grounds which embraced the case of Christ. The argument is, If the dead cannot rise, then Christ did not rise ; for Christ was dead. 16. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised : This is a reassertion of the inseparable connec…
371 wordsSECTION 341322 I. CORINTHIANS 15, 18.19.
fall asleep in Christ is to die in faith, or in communion with Christ for salvation. See 1 Thess. 4, 14. Rev. 14, 13. Are perished ; rather, they perished. 'They perished when they died.' Perdition, according to Scripture, is not annihilation, but everlasting misery and sin. It is the loss of holiness and happiness for…
452 wordsSECTION 342I. CORINTHIANS 15, 19.20. 323
dead in v. 18, and the living in this verse, is in favour of the first-mentioned explanation. ' Those who died in Christ, per- ished when they died. And we, if all our hopes in Christ are confined to this Ufe, are the most miserable of men.' We have hoped. The Greek is -^A-ttikotcs ecr/xeV, which, as the commen- tators…
459 wordsSECTION 343324 I. CORINTHIANS 15, 20.21.22.
certainly and as gloriously, Phil. 3, 21. The nature of this causal connection between the resurrection of Christ and that of his people, is explained in the following verses. 21. Por since by man (came) death, by man (came) also the resmrection of the dead. The connection between this verse and the preceding is obvi…
421 wordsSECTION 344I. CORINTHIANS 15, 22. 325
we derive from him a corrupt and enfeebled nature. Christ is the cause of life, because his righteousness is the judicial ground of our justification ; and because we derive from him the Holy Ghost, which is the source of hfe both to the soul and body. Comp. Rom. 8, 9-11. That the word all in the latter part of this v…
481 wordsSECTION 345326 I. CORINTHIANS 15, 22.23.24.
remarked, is not only inconsistent with the prevailing use of the word, but with the whole context. Others, admitting that the passage necessarily treats of a resurrection to glory and blessedness, insist that the word all must be taken to include all men. But this contradicts the constant doctrine of the Bible, and ha…
397 wordsSECTION 346I. CORINTHIANS 15, 24. 327
here to limit the application, but the nature of the subject spoken of. 2. The analogy of Scripture is in favour of this ex- planation. In 1 Pet. 4, V we find the expression " the end of all things is at hand." Matt. 24, 6, " The end is not yet ; " V. 14, "Then shall the end come." So in Mark 13, 7. Luke 21, 9. In all …
466 wordsSECTION 347328 I. CORINTHIANS 15, 24.
should be explained by what is clearly taught in the latter. Secondly, it is clearly taught in the gospels and epistles that the resurrection of the righteous and of the wicked is to be contemporaneous. At least, that is the mode in which the subject is always presented. The element of time (i. e. the chronological suc…
485 wordsSECTION 348I. CORINTHIANS 15, 24. 329
with diffidence and submission. It may prove to be otherwise. The predictions of the Old Testament produced the universal impression that the first coming of Christ was to be attended at once by events which we learn from the New Testament require ages to bring about. Still, we are bound to take the Scriptures as they …
456 wordsSECTION 349330 I. CORINTHIANS 15, 24.
be like the glorious body of the Son of God, adapted to a heavenly, and not to an earthly condition. A third question which this verse presents is. In what sense is Christ to deliver up the kingdom to the Father ? In the common text the words are orav TrapaSw, when he shall have delivered up / most of the modern edito…
465 wordsSECTION 350I. CORINTHIANS 15, 24.25.26. 331
all hostile powers, whether demoniacal or human. These are to be2yy>t down^ i. e. effectually subdued ; not annihilated, and not converted ; but simply deprived of all power to disturb the harmony of his kingdom. 25. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. This verse assigns the reason why Chr…
415 wordsSECTION 351832 I. CORINTHIANS 16, 27.
27. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, All things are put under (him, it is) manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. The proof that death is finally to be destroyed is derived from the 8th Psalm, where the subjection of all things to the Messiah is predicted. There …
453 wordsSECTION 352I. CORINTHIANS 15, 28. 333
28. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. When the work of redemption has been accomplished, the dead raised, the judgment held, the enemies of Christ all sub- dued, then, and not till then, will the…
458 wordsSECTION 353334 I. CORINTHIANS 15, 28.
subject, in another sense he is equal. The son of a king may be the equal of his father in every attribute of his nature, though officially inferior. So the eternal Son of God may be coequal with the Father, though officially subordinate. What difficulty is there in this ? What shade does it cast over the full Godhead …
489 wordsSECTION 354I. CORINTHIANS 15, 28. 335
the Theanthropos will deliver up this administrative kingdom, and God again be all in all. Such is the representation of Scripture, and such seems to be the simple meaning of this passage. When our Lord ascended up on high all power in heaven and earth was given to him. It was given to him then, and therefore not posse…
469 wordsSECTION 355336 I. CORINTHIANS 15, 28.29.
the design of redemption, but what is to happen when the re- demption of God's people is accomplished. Then the Messi- anic reign is to cease, and God is to rule supreme over a uni- verse reduced to order, the people of God being saved, and the finally impenitent shut up with Satan and his angels in the prison of despa…
419 wordsSECTION 356I. CORINTHIANS 15, 29. 337
3. Those which assume an ellipsis in the verse. 4. Those which turn on the explanation of twv v€Kpu)v, the dead. 1. The simplest and most natural interpretation takes the word bap- tize in its ordinary sense. ' What do they do who allow them- selves to be baptized in the place of the dead ? ' This supposes that the cus…
462 wordsSECTION 357338 I. CORINTHIANS 15, 29.30.
ble. Baptizing for the dead was not so bad as sitting at the table of devils, 10, 21. A second interpretation under this head gives the word baptize the figurative sense which it has in Matt. 20, 22. Luke 12, 50, "I have a baptism to be baptized Avith ; and how am I straitened until it be accomplished ! " According to …
460 wordsSECTION 358I. CORINTHIANS 15, 80.31.32. 339
dead, lie had nothing to do. ' Why do they allow themselves,' he asks, ' to be baptized for the dead ? ' That, as would ap- pear, is what his opponents did. As an additional argument for the doctrine which he is defending, he urges, that its denial destroys at least one of the great motives to self-denial. ' If there b…
413 wordsSECTION 359340 I. CORINTHIANS 15, 32.33.
Jews, and contrary to law, 2 Cor. 11, 25. 2. The silence of The Acts on the subject. But we learn from 2 Cor. 11, 23-29, that scarcely a tithe of what Paul did and suffered is recorded in The Acts. 3. The omission of any reference to his exposure to wild beasts in the long enumeration of his sufferings in 2 Cor. 11, 23…
406 wordsSECTION 360I. CORINTHIANS 15, 34. 341
34. Awake to righteousness, and sin not ; for some have not the knowledge of God : I speak (this) to your shame. Surrounded by evil teachers, the Corinthians had need not only of being on their guard against deception, but also of vigilance. Aioake. The word properly means, to hecome soher^ to arouse from a state of d…
420 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical edition (1857). Text from OCR of an original Internet Archive scan; OCR may contain recognition errors.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.