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 361
is broken for you. The word " broken " is of external evidences of the truth of the gospel doul,tful authenticity. Some mf\nuscripts history. The &vis omitted in the Greek, to hnve "given," 1md one (D) o milder word indicate the certainty of Christ's comino-. for "broken," as though to avoid any con- The same Greek …
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you. St. Paul directly connects this general to save us from fiual doom (Tmtakrima). ill health with the abuse of the Lord's Unworthy ea.ting, then, so fo.r from in- Supper. It is not impossible that the grave volving necessary or fiuo.l "do.mno.tion," is intemperance to which he alludes in ver. 21 mercifully visite…
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·practically attended to his directions. There was much in them with which be could di.ad fault, and did find fault, but so far as they did the proper thing be praises them. To render generously credit where credit is due is the characteristic of a great soul, but one which others have not. I take it to be a duty to r…
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be uncovered and a woman's covered ; why one should wear long hair and the other short? No such thing seems reasonable; the uncivilized tribes know nothing of ib. The reason can only be traced to custom. And is not custom second nature? " Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have lon" hair, it is a sha…
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,.,iz. that Christ died, Is there any other fact in history sustained by evidence half so powerful as this ? II. 'l'HAT ANY SHOULD MffINTERPRET THE ORDINANCE. Here we are distinctly toltl that it is to " show the Lord's death." No language can more clearly show that it is purely comm1,morative. There are three abus…
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he [IS broadly separated as M. Renan and Dr. Farrar, and yet none can deny that; :--t. l',rnl had this incomparable adrnntage, namely, a great centre, from which he saw all ub.1ccts that engaged his attention. His method is fully brought out in the third, nrse: the bead of the man is Christ; the r.ead of the woman i…
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knows how they miss their way and sadly blunder in working out themselves throucrh the mists and clouds of the intellect, yet trust them he will, nor can he suffer othe~s to disparage their office. '!'his inward consciousness the Holy Spirit acknowledges, and to it he brings light and warmth, in order that the intuitiv…
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ception, imagination, associative and suggestive functions, reasoning and conclusions reached, are all very intimately identified with its operations. Memory is the first of the intellectual powers to attain perfection, as jndgment is the last, and this law of rapid maturity would seem to indicate, by its exceptiona…
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sbo?ld protest eo_ stron~ly agai!1st ~be shocking abuse of the Lord's Supper among the Co_nnth1ans.. W1!h this fe~st, msti~ute~ and consecrated by Christ himself, its puq,ose bemg to brmg him back mto their midst and to enable them to realize his comin~ a_gain, the two ideas _being closely joined,-with _this tender.…
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,vho carefully copy the proceedings of others. We trace it in the mental life: wavs of thinking, of regarding life generally and one's fellow-men in particular, moral judg- ~nents and b~bits,-all are _oll'.in~ largely to imitation. 3. It is of set purpose employed m all educat10n; for the d1sc1plme and culture of th…
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Ver. 3.-The hierarchy. Before entering upon particular counsels with regard to the attire of the two sexes respectively in the Christian assemblies, St. Paul lays down a great general principle, from which, rather than from custom or from experience, he deduces the special duties devolving upon the members of Christ's…
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majestic representations of man's grandeur and dicmity. There is a depth in this simple but inspiring language which we cannot fathom; but we may remark some particulars in which it is verified by facts. I. MAN IS Goo's IMAGE AND GLORY IN HIS FORM AND FEATURES. 'rhis seems to be asserted in this passage. Why must n…
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Ver. 26.-Tlie Church's proclamation. What so fitted to rebuke those who profaned: the Supper of the Lord, what so fitted to arouse them to a s.ense of their high calling:, as a solemn declaration like this? 'fhe noisy, greedy, quarrelsome gatherings which. seem at Corinth to have been associated with the professed obse…
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Vers. 1-16.-Decency in pnblic worship. When we appear before God we should 0~1s,m·c the greatest pruprie~y.. Ei:--ternal_s should not be lost sight of, for they are s1g11ificant. Often they are rnd1cat1ve of mward condition. The apostle had occasion to blame the women of Corinth for laying aside the veil-the mark of…
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•should not usurp a higher position than Goel has appointed for us; we should not take a lower. Our best place is where God places us. :.:. That woman should have her head covered. The veil was a recognition of subordination and an indication of modesty. To discard it was to claim man's position and thus to dishonou…
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pl11;ce and intol!'rable_, are most ~trikingly so where all should be humbled and subdued. It 1s 1;1ot for us to thmk there how excellent we are, but how vile, and to admire the amazmg grace which rescue~ us from the dominion of sin. Instrad of despising others there, we should rather despise ourselves for our sins …
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I. l'l·s INB'l'ITUTION. By tho Lord Jesus (ver. 23). 1. Persrmally. Evidently important in his eyes. Specially precious to us because instituted personally by our Master. Appropriate; for he in his great redemptive work is set forth. Christ is" all in all" at his table. As Christ was present at the first celebration…
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Ver. 24.-Remembering O!trist. The Lord's Supper is very specially a feast of remem- brance. Is there in it a suggestion that we are very prone to forget Christ? '!'his i$, alas! our tendency, and here we are in strange contrast to our Lord. He needs. notbing to keep us in his remembrance; he ever thinks of his peopl…
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Vers. 27-29.-Perils at the Lord's table. A frequent question, "Who should come to the Lord's table?" Many have come who ought not to have come as they were; not a few have been ,leterred from coming who were quite suitable. Many have not pondered sufficiently the duty of observing the Lord's Supper; many have been alar…
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be dealt with solemnly, thoughtfully, reverently. We must enter into the meanin"' of the feast, and through the outward re11ch the inward and spiritual. At the supper we do not halt at the emblems; we have fellowship with Christ, we remember him we renew our vows, we profess to be his followers, we show forth his de…
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ment is a message from God. '\Ve should listen. '\Ve should learn what the Lord our God has to say to us. '\Ve shall find in the chastisement a command; it is for us to obey that command, We shall discover in it a promise; it is for us to embrace it. II. ITs CAUSE. Always sin in some form or other. Sin is the only pos…
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element of tenderness at the expense of that of power. They none of them, it may be, answer to our o~rn ideal. And we conclude that it is vain to think of representing upon can,as the mingled splendours-the heavenly lights and earthly shadows-of that wondrous face in which " The God shone gracious through the Mon. …
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trans)tion period immediately after his converRion, the "three yea~s" that be spent in Arabia and Damascus before he went up to Jerusalem and began his apostolic ministry {Gal. i. 17, 18). We can well believe that it was during that time of lonely, silent contemplation that the granc!. verities of the gospel message …
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which the soul's fellowship with him may be deepened and strengthened. It accom- plishes this end, not by any magic power that it may wield over us, but by virtuo simply of the influence it is naturally fittetl to exert on mind and conscience and heart and by the grace of that good Spirit whose oftice it is to testi…
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'Of later Christian origin. A tradition which cannot be traced to Christ or his :apostles, and which is without snpport in the New Testament, car.not claim any ·countenance from this text. Alas ! how Christians have become the servants of men -and of prescribed usage! • As the Jews have overlaid and burdened their reli…
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and discussion, certainly implied that the normal condition of the Church should be one of concord, and not one of countless variations and opposing views. 2. To keep the Lord's Supper as the apostle instructed them. The Corinthians were charged not to partake of the sacred supper as of a common meal, lest they shou…
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I. THE IMl'ULBE OF BAmTLY EXAMPLES; or, expressed in simple terms, of recornized goodness in our fellow-men. Distinguish between the life-missions of talented men and of good men. The "talented" may seem to be out of our range, the "good" never are. The weakest, poorest, humblest among us may be "good." Goel has taken …
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Vers. 2-16.-Laws of oi·der in Christian assemhlies. The subject dealt with in this riassage is the appropriate conduct and dress of the women in Christian assemblies. That, howe.er, was but a matter of present and passing interest, one standing related to the customs and sentiments of a particular age. Our concern i…
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Ver. 23.-St. Paul's claim to direct revelation. "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you." "The whole structure of the passage seems to imply that what follows had been received by St. Paul directly from Christ, and that he is not appealing to a well-known tradition." "The method of communi…
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Ver. 27.-Sacramental unworthiness. The special thought here is the evil of looking at the Lord's Supper as if it were a mere eating and drinking time. It is. a. symbolic time; it is a spiritually feasting time. It is a time when the wants and demands of the body are to be put wholly aside. It is a. soul-time. He eats. …
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q niet is arountl us, when the fever and the bustle of life are stilled, and our glorious, pure, white Lord comes so near to us, bring out to view the stains of secret fault. l I. THE llESPONSIDILITY OF 8ECURING THE HARMONY DETWEEN THE MORAL LIFE AND CHRISTIANITY IS THROWN UPON THE CHRISTIAN HIMSELF, The question of s…
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aooursed. It mo.y well eeem nmnzing thnt which means "a ban," and "what is devoted the Corinthio.nH should need iustructing that or s_et apart by a ban;" and to the Latin sacer, euch o.wful lo.ngtmge could not be uttered which means not only "sacred," set apart by o.uy one epeo.king "in the Spirit of God." by holy cous…
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•between the two words is not so clearly ing dctaila, has always occurred in tl.to marked, but" wisdom" seems to belong more religious movements which stir the hurt111u to the human spirit., and "knowledge" to the soul to its utmost depths. The attempts .intellect. '£he " discourse of wisdom" to explain the word " ton…
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-Spirit. Tho diffusion of one spirit is the clothing are used to cover those parts of the element of unity. Are we all baptized; body which are conventionally regardecl as rather, we were all baptized. Whether we be the least seemly. The whole of this illustra- Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free. tion is m…
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HOMILETICS. Vers. l-31.-The Christly assembly. "Now concerning spiritual gifts," etc. Alt throughout this chapter refers to the Cltristly assembly. I use this word in preference to the word "Church," for what are now called Churches are .not always assemblacres of genuine Christians. Overlooking the more minute parts …
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-31.-Spiritual gifts. A transition occurs here to a class of topics most important and interesting, since they involve the character and glory of the new dispensation. It was the special economy of the Holy Ghost which St. Paul was now to consider. All along we have had an insight i…
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which he wished to emphasize. Most impressively is this done by presenting Father, Son, and Spirit as the one God of these diverse gifts, the Trinity itself bein" the very ground and source of the diversification. The broad scope of the diversitie; in the Church is indicated in the statement that the "manifestation of …
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ship of an eternal inheritance, have been left neglected or meao-rely provided for? To bring this variety and unity more vivi,~ly before the Corinthia~s, St. Paul employs a most apt illustration taken from the human body as an organism. Already he had argued the diversity of gifts in adaptiveness to the capacities a…
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correlated parts. "For the body is not one member, but many" (ver. 14). Each con- stitutent or "member" must be recognized as something in itself, as havin"' an autonomy, as created for a distinct function nnd ordained to do its own sp~cial work. Not else could the body be worthy of its place as the head of the physica…
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gi,e sympathy and assistance. Beyond all this, whall vicarious work the organs do in their considerate kindness to one another? No doubt we are open to the charge of reading between the apostle's Jines and of going beyond his intended meaning. Be it so; on the lines or between them, no matter, if the philosophy nnd…
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Vers. 15, 16.-Contentment is better than envy. \Vhere party spirit is rife, as it was in the Corinthian Church, there is always danger of hatred, envying, and jealousy. The rebuke to these dispositions, administered by the apostle, is founded upon the deepest principles of Christianity. The Church is not a club which e…
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I. CHRIST HIMSELF IS THE DIVINE FOUNDATION OF SYMPATHY. 1. Christ's words arc the law of sympathy. It was he who uttered admonitions which have been so potent to affect the he:irt and influence society; e.g. "Do unto c,thers," etc.; "Love one another," etc. And his apostles' words are his; e.g. "Bear ye one another's b…
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Ver. 28.-" First apostles." There are degrees of eminence, not only in the state, but in the Church. In the hierarchy which Heaven has appointed, the highest station was occupied by a class of men, few in number, eminent in qnalifications, and honour- .able in office. Their functions were special, being in some parti…
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, ou_t devils; they shal_l spe~k with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they dnnk any deadly thmg, 1t shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover " (Mark xvi. 17, 18). We have in this passage an enumeration of some of these gifts, 'l'he "word of wisdom "-further discl…
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V. THEIR TEST IS ONE. They are tested by their relation to Christ (ver. 3). Spurious gifts may appear, or good gifts may be perverted. In early days the test of utterance was, " \Vhat saith it of Christ?" Did it declare him to be anathema-accursed ~ Then it declared itself to be not of God. "By their fruits ye shall kn…
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~peakin~ to each other, of the rich and poor being separated from common fellowship, 1s by this figure shown to be monstrous. The member of the body which will have no fellowship with other members is preparing to be lopped off. Our union with Christ cannot be very intimate if we have none with his followers. "A new co…
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Ver. 12.-The ~dy of Christ. The anaiogy the apostle here uses is broadly true of the whole fcllowsb1p of redeemed and regenerate souls-" the Catholic Church throuah- out all_ the_ world,''. ,~hich acknowledg~s Christ as ~ts living Head. It also applie: to the Co_rmtluan Chri_strn~s as a local soc1ety, a part ot the gra…
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thought and affection and aim, not in any kind of external resemblance. (Note the difference between a body, a living organism, and any mere ir,ert mass the particles of which are bound together simply by mechanical force or even by chemical affinity.) ln every form of human society it is the sense of individuality com…
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as a fellowship that is called to illustrate before the world the Divine idea of social human life. Taking this broader 1·iew of the passage, observe- !. THE WAY IX WHICH CHRISTIANITY RECOGNIZES SOCIAL DISTINCTIONS. These are suggested by the "eye," the "hand," the "head," and the "feet." 'l'he distinctions that exist…
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complex system of humnn life, no grade in the social scale, no order of facLilt1' rw kind_ ot' "inter.est," can claim exemption from the common bon_tl. Take e.g: 'tiie relation that exists between the men of thought and the men of action, the theoretica 1 and the pracUcal. They are apt to think and to speak slightin…
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he acts, as moved by the Holy Ghost. St. Paul is led to ti:te impression of this point hy the false notion that might be so easily taken up-the notion that only great gifts and talents are under the presidency of the Spirit; that he bears no immediate and precise relation to the common life. The question of practica…
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Vera. 12-26.-The law of order in the human body. For other cases in which this simile is employed, see Rom. xii. 4, 5; Eph. iv. 16; v. 30; Col. ii. 19. The human lbody presents a very striking illustration of (1) diversity of gifts, each member having its own endowment and use; (2) unity amid diversity, since each memb…
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Vers. 28--30.-The order of offices in the Christian Clwrch. "A.postles" are set in the first place or rank, because they were called to their office by the Lord Jesus Cbris-t himself; they had immediate personal knowledge of his life and character arnl teachings; and they were the actual founders aud practical rulers …
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Ver. 31.-The comparison of gifts and graces. The most important aspect of religion is the practical one. It is a power working for good upon the whole of our human natures, effecting vital changes, and moulding our conduct and conversation to the pattern of a new model; a Divine power, quickening every right and good f…
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EXPOSITION. CHAPTER XIII. angels only understood Hebrew, e.nd not. A1'8maic or other languages. The words Vers. 1-13.-The supremely excellent way a.re meant to express the greatest possible of Christian love. This chapter has been climax. The most supreme powers of utter- in all ages the object of the special admi…
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tive a!Jape, which, together with the similar Hebrew name for cymbals, t,eltselim (Ps. substantive a!Japesis (Jer. xxxi. 3, etc.), ho.cl cl. f>). already been adopted by the LXX. and by Ver. 2.-Prophecy. The power of loftv Philo and in Wied. iii. 9. The word is utterance belonged to Balo.nm an,\ Caiaphas: thus, as …
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children," in Dan. iii. 23, where t.bc LXX. extinguished, so an evil thin~ beralling a has," They gave their \,odies ;1110 the ffre;" loving soul will be extiuguishetl without or to the '<arious torlures and deaths by firo disquietude." Thin.keth no evil; literolly, in 2 Mace. ,·ii. At tlw burning of Uidley doth not…
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between wl!ich it is not ell.i1y to decide. I. the mirror. Darkly; rather, in a riddle. It means, technically, "is nerer his•ed of! God is said to have spoken t.o llloses .. hy the staae like e. Imel o.ctor," i.e. it has its pnrt means of riddles'' (Numb. xii. 8; Autho- to plo.y even on the sto.ge of eternity. This r…
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HOMILETICS. Ver. 1.-Eloquence without charity. "Though I speak wit.h the tongues of men and of an~els, and ha,,e not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." 1. wo mtroductory truths are suggested by the context. 1. That there is great diversity in the talents with which Heaven has endowed man…
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Vers. 2, 3.-Man-worth. "Though I have the gift of prophecy," etc. 1. The greatest thing in the universe is m1:nd. All material systems would lack completeness and meaning were there no mind to observe, study, and worship the great Invisible. 2. The greatest thing in mind is love. Here the apost.le teaches that whate…
979 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.