PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians
Frederic William Farrar [1831-1903] · 502,662 words · 564 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 61
very uncertain. It has been rendered, tary truth is Rgain and ago.in insisted on in "Ulending ~piritual things with spiritual" Scripture, o.nd ignored by sceptics (Rom. (Kling, Wordsworth), i.e. not ndulternting viii. 6, 7; John iii. 3; vi. 44, 45; xiv. 17; them with carnnl admixtures (2 Cor. ii. 17; 2 Cor. iv. 3-6)…
870 wordsSECTION 62The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 62
t0 k110\\" anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." The man whc has some parnmc,unt sentiment looks at the universe through it, ay, and values the uniYcrse so far as it reflects and honours that sentiment. Hence to Paul Christ \\"as " all in all." All other subjects-political and philosophical-dwin…
387 wordsSECTION 63The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 63
1ers. 6, 7.-The gospel: its description,preachers, and hearers. "Howbeit we speak wisdom," etc. In these words we have three things concerning the gospel. I. A DESCRIPTION oF ITS NATUDE. Paul calls it the" wisdom of God." The wisdom of a system may be determined by two things. 1. By the character of the end it cont…
1,191 wordsSECTION 64The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 64
mnn, snn the ~pirit of man which is in him? Even so the thincrs of God lrnoweth no man, but tl,e ::Spirit of God." The implication is that this Spi~it is as truly God as man's mind is man. No one knows the things in man's mind but man himself; no one knows the "deep things of God" but God himself. "Who teachcth like…
389 wordsSECTION 65The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 65
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-5.-How St. Paul preached the gospel. A great truth is capable of manifold presentations. To be seen fully it must be viewed in various aspects, ,iach of which is relative to the wholeness of the idea, while supplying to the student 1m increased sensibility to its excellence. Sir …
1,292 wordsSECTION 66The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 66
wi,dom, had been held back for" our glory." And is not the truth of that statement now attested? Understand wherein "our glory" lies. It is in this-man has a spirit and God communicates his own secret intelligence unto it in the shape of a "demon~ stration of the Spirit and of power." Not wisdom alone, not only perce…
833 wordsSECTION 67The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 67
though a human spirit is in the man, it is wholly incapable of itself to see, to feel, to will, to act, o.s o. spirit in anything tbat concerns the truly Divine functions of spirit. Hence the need of the Holy Spirit to create spiritual discernment, and hence the supreme distinction of the Chri~tian is that he has a …
845 wordsSECTION 68The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 68
1. .A Divine Pei·son is exhibited. Christian preaching sets forth, not rabbinical learning, not Hellenic wisdom, not a co<le of morals, not a system of doctrine, not a ritual of ceremony, but a Person, even Jesus Christ. 2. An historical fact is related, c,·en the crucifixion of him who is proclaimed." Everything re…
981 wordsSECTION 69The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 69
Ver. 7.-Tlie Divine mystery. The Apostle Paul was accustomed to press into his service, as a Christian teacher, all the institutions and usages of the societies with which -he was in any way and at any time associated. Thus in this passage he makes use of the Eleusinian mysteries, with which his readers were doubtless …
926 wordsSECTION 70The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 70
Vers. 9, 10.-The revelation of things unseen and unheard. It may perhaps have been complained, though unreasonably Pnougb, that Paul's compositions were lacking in logic, and hi~ language in eloquence. '!'here was in the substance of his teaching enough to compensate any deficiencies of such kinds. No sage communica…
399 wordsSECTION 71The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 71
cation. Not that truth is miraculou8ly conveyed; the Spirit takes the revealed facts and applies them to the mind, quickening and illumining the powers so tiiat they receive and rejoice in the truth of God. IV. PONDED nm CONDITION OF RECEIVING THJe KNOWLEDGE. The revelations ar,, for those who love God. Not the great,…
851 wordsSECTION 72The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 72
should cli\·crt attention from its nil-important terms. It is recorded of ,Tames II. thnt ill' ,mce s:tt for his portrait to a great flower-painter, but so completely was the canvas lilied "·ith beautiful garlands of flowers, that the king himself was lost sight of. So 111any p:tint Christ in their sermons; when the…
1,049 wordsSECTION 73The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 73
Vers. 6-16.-True wisdom, L Is FOUND IN CHRISTIANITY. Paul has been speaking ~lightingly of .. wisdom." Might lead some to suppose that Christianity was unwise, or at all events a one-sided system; that it was a religion for the heart only, and unfriendly to the intellect. 'l'he apostle guards against this damaging s…
652 wordsSECTION 74The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 74
TII. lTs oRrnrs. 1. Not of thi:s world. The true wisdom is heaven-born, not eartfo- horn. The world is at enmity with God, and omits him from its schemes of wisdom• no wonder that these develop into utter folly. 2. Not of the rulers of this world'. The world's great men did not produce Christianity; it sprang not fr…
909 wordsSECTION 75The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 75
wiadom to the spiritual, but makes them practically wise. As led by him, all their nctio11s are wise; their foolish deeds are the fruits of refusing to be so led. (1) They compare spiritual things with spiritual (ver. 13). This expression is obscure. Somo have thought the meaning to be, comparing passages of Scriptu…
847 wordsSECTION 76The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 76
,·icw of his work, does it become any preacher of the gospel to be self-confident? ~Ium:m power at its best can produce no spiritual result. 'l'bo most highly gifted nro 'Jmpotent to convert a single sinner. To bo confident in our own strength is to be weak; for this confidence prevents the exercise of Divine power.…
880 wordsSECTION 77The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 77
c11nnot receive it; it must be revealed to us by God himself. (2) It "bath been hidden"-" kept in silence through times eternal, but now is manii'estcd" (R,,m. xvi. 'il5, 26). God's secret purpose of mer,;y has been revealed in the gospel. G.od has broken the silence and Las spoken. (3) It was" foreonhined before the w…
958 wordsSECTION 78The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 78
Yers. 10-lG.-The Holy Spii-it as the Reveale1·. In this section the apostle develops more folly the suhject of reYclation through the Spirit of God. The thincrs prepared by God for them that love him have not been discovered by human wisdo~, nor can they be apprehended by natural reason. As they come from God, they …
845 wordsSECTION 79The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 79
this apply in measure to all speakers for Christ? The apostles had a special inspiration for their special work, but many in the Church at Corinth had a gift of utteranc,, (eh. i. 5). May not preachers, teachers, writers, and all who tell the story of Christ crucified, expect similar help'! III. THE NECESSITY FOR THE …
1,169 wordsSECTION 80The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 80
Yers. 9, 10, 14.-The revelation of the things of God. It may be that we have here- a free quotation of Isa. !xiv. 4. But whether a quotation or not, it expresses a principle true in every age. The great "things of God" have ever been beyond the reach of the unaided powers of man. What are these" things which God bat…
524 wordsSECTION 81The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 81
could weigh the evidences of science and thread the mazes of speculative thought. The poet knew what the" fine frenzy" of imagination meant, an<l could portray in glowing speech the changeful phases of human passion and life. The sculptor and painter had souls alive to the beauty of form and colour, and conversant with…
846 wordsSECTION 82The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 82
"1101(1 fnst that which is g00<l." The spiritnal man brings everything thus to the secret trihnnnl 01' his own soul. 1. All forms qf human teaching and influrnce, the various ways in which men se~k "to gui<le our opinions and our con<luct. "llelieve not every spirit, but pro,·e," etc. (1 John i'I'. 1). We may apply …
914 wordsSECTION 83The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 83
mnn's lot is cnst nmong unconJ:(enial society, he is driven in upon himself, on the silent salisfoctions of his own soul. Like the Master, he" has meat to eat which the worl,l J; nows not of." Many a tender spirit has felt thus isolated in the midst of those most fondly lover!. An atmosphere of natuml affection and all…
1,030 wordsSECTION 84The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 84
"'\"ers. 9, 10.-Tl,e true wisdom. Often in the Epistles there is a single word on which the \\"hole discussion turns. In the letter to the Romans, it is "righteousness;" to the Colnssi:ms, it is "fulness;" to the Hebrews, it is "perfection." In the letter to the Corinthians, it is" wisdom." Those Greeks sought after…
871 wordsSECTION 85The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 85
Ver. 2.-The subject of the Pauline minilftry. The power of preachers is very various. Some depend on the rhetorical form in which they present their message. Their appeal is rather to feeling than to intellcct,and they are stronger in the persuasive than in the instructivo faculties. Very important spheres open to such…
700 wordsSECTION 86The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 86
He must ha'l"e seen how it "bcho'l"cd Christ thus to suffer." He knew thnt this wns the necessary completion of his e<irt h ly mission, the last earthly step, to be folk,wed by a footfall in the "hea'l"cnly places" where he should receive authority and power to saYe. The "history" would be incomplete without the Cru…
813 wordsSECTION 87The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 87
an exaHod mission 11s tho preaching of the cross." We may to some extent realize at how great a cost Christian ministers master bodily infirmity in order to do us service for Christ's sake; but few can know how much intenser is the struggle with inward. fear anc! he~itation, and with the overwhelming sense of unworthin…
825 wordsSECTION 88The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 88
I. THE WHOLE; or the entire, the complete. '!'hose having all the Christian faculties :111d graces, and all of them lrnrmonionsly cultured. 'l'ho figure suggests tho complete anmrnl, with cYcry limb well formed, and every organ cllicicntly working. 'l'oo often we find Christians who arc incomplete; some sides of the…
834 wordsSECTION 89The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 89
His e:rnrnple in this has not been sufficiently considered, thon~h it bears so directly on his chnrncteristic submission, and on the virtue of his sacrifice as purely a voluntary act. Enemies of Christ endeavour to set this to his disadvantage, but a glurifyin" light shines upon it from the consideration that he knew t…
839 wordsSECTION 90The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 90
merely that the Christ.inn is anothe1· and a succeeding dispensation, bnt also that, in important respects, it ,liffers from ,,thcrs, and is superior to others. Previmrn dis- pcnsntions h:wc gi,·rn only faint s11~gcstions of the surpassing glory of this one, jnst ns Solomon's mng11ificcnt temple· did \rnt hint the e…
877 wordsSECTION 91The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 91
take precisely the same grounds as the claims of the earlier apostles, it was easy for his cne111ies to question and even dcn.v his rights. St. Paul's chief argnment is that the " signs of an apostle were wrong Ii t by him," and here, in our text, he urges that his teaching was manifestly inspirlild and scaled by th…
835 wordsSECTION 92The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 92
1 l1c sphere of mind. "The natural man is he whose pGrceptions do not extend bcyon,I the region of the intellect, the part of his beiug which he he\s in common with the animal creation." "The natural man is he iu whom pme intellcct11al reason and the •11ercly naturnl affections prcdominat0." But though the natural m…
851 wordsSECTION 93The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 93
-now;" nnd he tRnght them in pnmhles, "ns believer], Apolloa wrote the Epistle to the they were nble to benr it" (}fork iv. 33). Hebrews, we S•J~ how striking was his power Not even now e.ro ye e.ble. 'fl1ongh you of strengthening the faith of wavering imnp;ine tlrnt you hnve e.dvo.ncecl eo far Churches. Eloquence n…
1,020 wordsSECTION 94The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 94
prclC'nce of human wisrlom to the will of revealed by ff.re ; rather, becatise it is beinr, (~o<l: anrl l1C'rC' the nd_jcctiYe only npl'lies to re,,ealed in fire. The phrase "is being" is the wisdom rC'qnir<'d by n lrnil,l<>t". In ot.hC'r coiled b..d English, but some such phrnso is word.~, "wise" is hereeqnivnlent …
1,024 wordsSECTION 95The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 95
/a impossible, for it reverses the sense of man deceive you" (l\latt. xxiv. 4; Luke xxi. the wor,.\ "aaverl ; " and mrtkes it eq ui valen t 8; 2 These. ii. 3; Eph. v. 6; 1 ,John iii. 7 !· lo "damnecl;" but the interpretntion is an We al'c so liable to selt'-<lcception (I John i. awful proof of the dislortions to which…
1,227 wordsSECTION 96The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 96
HOMILETICS. ,ers. I-8.-Reflectiomfor Churches. ".And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual," etc. In these verses are three subjects worthy of the profoundest con tern plation. I. 'l'HE GRADUATING METHOD OF TEACHING. "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal…
578 wordsSECTION 97The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 97
huslmndry," etc. 'l'he words lead us to look at Goel as the great Husbandman of human souls. As e. husbandman- I. HE 18 THOllOUGlll,Y ACQUAlNTJm WITH THE SOH,. 1. He knows its original slate. 'l'he soil in its_pristine state, with all its original powers, he knows. 2. He knows its present condition. Its present barren…
972 wordsSECTION 98The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 98
,ers. 16, 17.-Humanity the temple qf God. "Know ye not that ye are the temple· of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man t..lellle the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which t.emple ye are." Tbe apostle is w1iting not to those who were spiritually pe,fect; on …
1,016 wordsSECTION 99The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 99
Vers. 21-23.-.A call to the utmost expansiveness in religious sympathy. "Tl.cre- fore let no man glory in mea. For all things are yours," etc. The attendants on a Christian ministry may be divided into two classes. 1. Those who esteem the doctrine because of the teacher. 'l.'here are not a few in all congregations who …
1,200 wordsSECTION 100The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 100
rivo.lries tolero.te merit o.nd worth in those whom it sought to crush. On the oth~r lrnnd, looking at the Church as an organic b0<ly, its virtue was a common stock, to he cherished, honoured, and diligently maintained by every one of its members. lts zeal was not a solitary flame burning on an isolated altar, but the …
835 wordsSECTION 101The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 101
bbour; he does not create the reward, but receives it from God; nor could rcwanl have any other basis than free and unmerited grace, seeing that we aro co-workers "·ith Gou. If this were not the hnv of nature and providence, it could not be a law 0f grace, nor could the figure of seed and sower have any logical force. …
893 wordsSECTION 102The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 102
discernment can protect him against woeful blundern. A hard worker he mny be, n Bincero and enthusinstic worker, but l,c must lmvc Divine insight, nncl show himself" a worknmn that nee<leth not to b~ ashamed," and the work must be true and acceptabh, work, or his labour will inevitably perish. St. Jn.mes is often refer…
877 wordsSECTION 103The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 103
St. Paul had a "Very clear insight into this fact. No man makes so many reference~, <lirect and indirect, to the physiological connections of sin. As a writer of Scripture the terrible truth of the" fleshly mind" is often beforo him, and Crom him we learn th; supreme ucce~sity of keeping the body under, lest we beco…
1,048 wordsSECTION 104The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 104
Vers. 6-8.-Spiritual husbandry ar,d growth. A man, looking upon the world, sees accoruing to his power of vision; i.e. not simply according to what he finds in it~ but to what he brings to it. 'fo the eye of the Apostle Paul, the world was a wilderness which might be made a garden. There was, he saw, rude, worthless…
1,105 wordsSECTION 105The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 105
Ver. 11.-The one Foundation. There was a tendency on the part of the Corinthians tu exalt their favourite teachers and leaders. Such exaltation could not but be at the €Xpense of the Lord Jesus himself. In dissuasion from such a course of Church thought and practice, the inspired Apostle Paul puts in a just and clea…
1,172 wordsSECTION 106The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 106
temporary, and for a purpose. It was, in accordance wHh the Lord's prediction, <lcstrolcd and abolished before the generation which rejected him passed awo.y. An,\ it. was not in tended that it should be replaced by any material cdilice. The spiritual temple was destined to supersede the materio.l and to abide for ever…
947 wordsSECTION 107The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 107
Ver. 1.-Carnal Christians. I. MANY SUCH ARE FOUND IN THE CHURCH. Christians in whom ChristiRnity is not dominant. They have a portion of the Spirit, but a very large portion of the flesh. They allow Satan to hinder them. The world has still much power over them and much attraction for them. They love Christ, but not…
1,181 wordsSECTION 108The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 108
Ver. 6.-Man's work and God's. I. MAN'S WORK. It is: 1. Varied. Paul speaks of planting and watering; may extend to the multiform operations of agriculture. We cannot all do the same work. Let us seek to do that for which we are fitted. There is some spiritual work suited to each of us. In agriculture all find employ…
408 wordsSECTION 109The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 109
beforo this mystery of Divine might. 2. All-important. The great need: without this, all nothing. If the increase comes not, of what service is it to plant and irrigate? If tl!e Divine blessing rests not on our preaching and teaching, of what possible service can Jt be? Alas/ how often we forget thi.~! No harvest becau…
1,082 wordsSECTION 110The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 110
Yers. 10-15.-Christian work and its testing. I. CmusTIAN WORK: 1. Should be rightly based. Christ is the only Foundation for the spiritual buildinu. This Founda- tion may have been already laid for us by others where we are called to labour: if so, we must sec that we are building upon it; if it be not laid, by "the…
728 wordsSECTION 111The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 111
<l11ys-the ju<lgment d11y-all shall be tested an<lfinally tested. "Each man's work shall be made manifest;" its true character will then be seen. "The day shall declare it" as it is, not as it has been thought to be. Now it may look well; but then 1 A veil now rests upon Christian work, then the veil shall be taken awa…
874 wordsSECTION 112The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 112
-.ikcrdent to this. To gl,,rify God should be the lire-object of the redeemed, And: ::. Erected .foi· the welfare of men. The temple of old was for God and also for man, The Church has a great mission to the world. There is no conflict between the twQ , ,l,jects. As the Church seeKs to save the lost, she is most tru…
850 wordsSECTION 113The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 113
possessions upon n prccnrious tenure. 'l'hey arc very short leaseholders, or rather they are tenants-at-will. Believers arc the freeholders, and at last" the meek shall inherit the earth." 'l'he child of God has not yet" come of age;" but his title is good, and now he enjoys as much of his inheritance as is good for…
772 wordsSECTION 114The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 114
but one believer may be carnal in comparison with another believer. The new natme may be weak and sickly and all but overlaid by the old. 'l'his was the case with the Corinthians, whose fleshliness of mind appeared in the prevalence of" jealousy and strife" and of party spirit. These things spring from the flesh (Gal. …
914 wordsSECTION 115The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 115
him? (3) How sure the reward I Will God leave his follow-workers without a due recompense? Ill. BELIEVEilB ARE Goo's FIELD. The same idea is elsewhere expressed under tha figure of a garden (Isa. lviii. 11) and a vineyard (Isa. v.). Consider: 1. The Proprietor of the field. 'fhe Church is God's field. It is not the Ch…
1,246 wordsSECTION 116The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 116
Vers. 16, 17.-The temple of God. Paul again takes up the idea of a building and gives it a new direction. The noblest of all edifices is a temple in which architecture finds its highest and worthiest employment. Under this figure the apostle sets forth sometimes the collective Church of Christ, sometimes the individu…
508 wordsSECTION 117The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 117
world may use as it likes; they are a sacred enclosure, marked off and devoted to holy uscH. 'l'hey are God's temple-body, soul, and spirit corre8ponding to the three divisions of the ancient tabernacle. 'J.'his applies also to the Church, which is holy because dwelt in by God, II. Gon's TF.MPLE MUST NOT DE MAnRED, Th…
835 wordsSECTION 118The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 118
n'l'oidcd. Boast not in t.liis one or that, however eminent; for all such boastina0 is a tiegradation to one who is possessed of so rich an inheritance. I. 1T 1s UKI'l'ERSAL. "All things are yours." Man's ori.,inal lordship over creation (I's. viii. 6) l!as been l~st by sin, but is n_ow restored in° Christ. All thin…
852 wordsSECTION 119The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 119
Ver. 9.-"God's husbandry." The leading truth in the context would seem to be this -that the most honoured and most successful worker in the kingdom of Christ is but ns a helpless instrument through which the living power is pleased to operate, an,l that power is in God alone. '!'he name of God, therefore, occupies th…
793 wordsSECTION 120The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 120
not only l)elon~s to God, so that none dare claim any kind of" lordship" over it; but it is one in which God is the great \Vorker. The process wrought out in it is tlrn result of his productive power, and, as far as the vit,tl part of it is concerned, of his alone. Mau is nothing; God is "all in all" (ver. 7). Ilut …
827 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.