men generally speak and act,' i. e. wickedly, 1 Cor. 3 : 3; or as intro- ducing an example or illustration from common life, 1 Cor. 9 : 8. Gal. 3:15; or, as in this instance, to intimate that the writer is not uttering his own sentiments. ' I am not speaking in the character of an inspired man, but as others are accustomed to speak.' It was the Jew, and not the apostle, who argued that, because our wickedness rendered the good- ness of God the more conspicuous, therefore he could not punish us. Paul, in answer to this reasoning, and to the question whether, under such circumstances, God is unrighteous in taking vengeance, says :
(6) God forhid^ for then how shall God judge the world? The apos- tle denies that there is the least ground for this objection, and shows that, if it is well founded, God cannot judge the world at all. By the world is not to be understood any one class exclusively, but men in ge- neral ; though the Gentiles may have been specially intended. It is obvious that all men would escape punishment, if the principle were once admitted that God cannot punish any whose wickedness might be the occasion of magnifying any of his perfections.
The word for judge may be taken either generally, ' how can he exer- cise the office of a judge over the world ;' or in the sense of condemning, 'how can he condemn the world.' The world would then mean spe- cially the heathen, as opposed to the Jews, the nominal people of God. This term is often used in opposition to the church, or followers of Jesus Christ, as in John 15 : 18, 'If the world hate you,' ' If ye were of the world,' &c. The former interpretation is, however, the more natural.
(7) For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why yet am I also judged as a sinner? This is a repeti- tion, in a more definite form, of the sentiment of the fifth verse. There the general terms righteousness and unrighteousness were used, here the more specific ones, truth and falsehood. The sentiment is the same. Paul assumes the person of the objector, and asks, ' Can I be justly treated as a sinner when, through my lie, or unfaithfulness to the cove- nant, the truth or fidelity of God is the more conspicuously displayed to his glory]' The truth of God may be taken as a general term of excel- lence ; see 2 : 8, where truth is the opposite of unrighteousness ,- or, in the sense of veracity, adherence to promises; compare ch. 15: 8. The word for lie is of course the opposite of the former, and means perfidy, want of fidelity. The particular term here used occurs nowhere else in the New Testament.
Hath more abounded, i. e. ' appeared as more abundant,' ' been seen as such ;' or the word may be taken in the sense of excelling, as in INIatt. 5 : 20, " unless your righteousness excel the righteousness of the scribes," &c. ; 1 Cor. 8 : 8, " neither if we eat are we the better," &c. * If God's truth is the greater, the more conspicuous, &c. to his glory ;' i. e. so that he is glorified. TVhy am I yet also judged as a sinner ; i. e. condemned, or punished as such.