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 never heard it before. ' Moreover, brethren, I proclaim to you the gospel.' This interpretation is more consistent with the signification of the word, and more impressive than the rendering adopted by many, 'I remind you.' Comp. however, 12, 3. 2 Cor. 8, 1. Of this gospel Paul says, 1. That he had preached it. 2. They had received it, i. e. embraced it as true. 3. That they then professed it. They still stood firm in their adherence to the truth. It was not the Corinthians as a body, but only " some among them," v. 12, who denied the doctrine of the resurrec- tion. 4. That by it they are saved. The present tense is used to express either the certainty of the event, or the idea that believers are in this life partakers of salvation. They are already saved. There is to them no condemnation. They are renewed and made partakers of spiritual life. Their salvation, however, is conditioned on their perseverance. If they do not persevere, they will not only fail of the consummation of the work of salvation, but it becomes manifest that they never were justified or renewed. ' Ye are saved {d KarexfTc) if ye hold fasV The word does not mean, if ye keep in memory. It simply means, if ye holdfast ; whether that be by a physi- cal holding fast with the hand, or a retaining in the memory, or a retaining in faith, depends on the connection. Here it is evident that the condition of salvation is not retaining in the memory, but persevering in the faith. 'The gospel saves you,' says the apostle, ' if you hold fast the gospel which I preached unto you.'
The only difficulty in the passage relates to the words rlvi 'Xoyu), literally, with ichat discourse ; which in our version is expressed by the word what. This may express the true sense. The idea is, 'If you hold fast to the gospel as I preached it to you.' The principal objection to this mterpre- tation is the position of the words. ^ The order in which they stand is, ' With what discourse I preached unto you if ye hold fast.' The interpretation just mentioned reverses this order. This clause is therefore by many connected with the first words of the chapter. ' I bring to your knowledge, brethren,