4. Eor while one saith, I am of Paul ; and another, I (am) of Apollos ; are ye not carnal ?
This confirms the fact that there were such divisions among them as proved them to be governed by unholy feelings, and also explains the nature of those divisions. There were in Corinth, as appears from 1, 12, more parties than two ; but the apostle confines himself to those here mentioned, because throughout the whole discussion he has had reference to the opposition of the Grecian element in the church ; and because from the intimate relation between himself and Apollos, he could speak of him as freely as he did of himself As the party spirit which disturbed the peace of the Corinthian church arose from wrong views of the relation of ministers to the church, the apostle endeavours to correct the evil by pre- senting that relation in its true light.
5. Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but min- isters by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man ?
This passage may read, ' Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos ? ministers by whom ye believed,' &c. Ministers are mere instruments in the hands of God. The doctrines which they preach are not their own discoveries, and the power which renders their preaching successful is not in them. They are nothing ; and therefore it is an entire perversion of their relation to the church to make them the heads of parties. In the oldest MSS. the name of Apollos stands first ; and some of them have tC instead of ti5. ' What then is Apollos, and what is Paul.' Both these emendations are adopted by the later editors.
Paul and Apollos, men of the highest office and of the high- est gifts, are ministers (StaKovot) waiters, atte?idants, servants / so called not from their relation to God merely, as those who serve him, but also because of their relation to the church, whose they are, to whom they belong, and whom they serve.
^y whom, i. e. by whose instrumentality, ye are believers, or, became believers. The design of the ministry is to bring men to " the obedience of faith," Rom. 1,5. It is appointed for that end by God himself, and therefore it is of the greatest importance and value. This Paul does not deny. He admits, and often urges the necessity of the office for the extension