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9. Ἡ ἀγάπη " ἀνυπόκριτος. ἀποστυγοῦντες τὸ πονηρὀν, κολλώµενοι h 2 Cor. vi.
τῷ ἀγαθῷ ΄ 1ο. τῇ φιλαδελφίᾳ εἰς ἀλλήλους φιλόστοργοι.
gift has it ἐν τῇ διακονίᾳ, 1.ε., in the qualities and in the sphere proper to it: ᾿ it is in its own nature limited; it is what it is, and nothing else, and fits a man for this function and no other. This is not ‘‘otiose,” and it provides a good mean- ing without importing anything. 6 διδ- άσκων ἐν τῇ διδασκαλία: it isin his teach- ing that the διδάσκαλος possesses the gift peculiar to him: 1 Cor. xiv. 26. 6 παρακαλῶν ἐν τῇ παρακλήσει: so again with the exhorter, the man who speaks words of encouragement: ¢f. xv. 4, 53 Acts iv. 36, ix. 31, xili. 15. It is in his παράκλησις, and not in something else, that his χάρισμα lies. Thus far Paul has not defined the quality of the χαρίσ- pata, or shown in what they consist ; the functionary is merely said to have his gift in his function—teaching, ex- horting, or service. But in the cases which follow, he tells us what the gift, proper to the special functions in view, is; in other words, what is the spiritual quality which, when divinely bestowed, capacitates a man to do this or that for the Church. Thus there is 6 μεταδιδούς (cf. Eph. iv. 28, Lue. iii. 11), the man who imparts of his means to those who need; he has his χάρισμα in ἁπλότης. Cf. 2 Cor: ix, 11,133 James 1.5.’ It is not exactly “liberality,” though in these passages it approaches that sense: it is the quality of a mind which has no arriére-pensée in what it does; when it gives, it does so because it sees and feels the need, and for no other reason; this is the sort of mind which 7s liberal, and God assigns a man the function of µετα- διδόναι when He bestows this mind on him by His Spirit. 6 προϊστάμενος is the person who takes the lead in any way. He might or might not be an official (t Thess. v. 12,1 Tim. v. 17, 1 Tim. iii. 4, 5,12: of. also πρόστατις xvi. 2, and Hort, The Christian Ecclesia, p. 126 f.) ; but in any case he had the χάρισμα which fitted him for his special function in σπουδή, moral earnestness or vigour. A serious masculine type of character is the pre-supposition for this gift. Finally ὁ ἐλεῶν, he who does deeds of kindness, has his charisma in ἱλαρότης. A person of a grudging or despondent mood has not the endowment for showing mercy. He who is to visit the poor, the sick, the sorrowful, will be marked out by God for His special ministry by this endowment
6; 1 Tim
τῇ τιµή is; Jas. iii, 17, of brightness and good cheer. Cf. 2
Cor. ix. 7 = Prov. xxii. 8 and Sir. xxxii. (xxxv.) Ir: ἐν πάσῃ δόσει ἱλάρωσον τὸ πρόσωπόν σον, καὶ ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ ἁγίασον δεκάτην.
Vv. g-21. As far as any single idea pervades the rest of the chapter it is that of the first words in ver. 9: 4 ἀγάπη ἀνυπόκριτος. The passage as a whole has a strong affinity to 1 Cor. xiii., and along with what may be a reminiscence of our Lord’s words, it has something intensely and characteristically Christian. Whatever the grammatical construction may be—and all through the. chapter Paul displays an indifference in this respect which is singular even in him— the intention must be supposed to be hortatory, so that it is most natural to supply imperatives (ἔστω or ἐστέ) with the numerous participles.
Ver. 9. ἡ ἀγάπη ἀνυπόκριτος: see 2 Cor. vi. 6, 1 Pet. i. 22. Probably the following clauses ἀποστυγοῦντες . . . κολλώμενοι κ.τ.λ. are meant to explain this. Love is undissembled, it is the un- affected Christian grace, when it shrinks, as with a physical horror, from that which is evil (even in those whom it loves), and cleaves to that which is good. στυγεῖν according to Eustath. in Il. a, p. 58 (quoted by Wetstein) adds the idea of φρίσσειν to that of μισεῖν: the azo in- tensifies the idea of aversion or repulsion. Love is not a principle of mutual in- dulgence; in the Gospel it is a moral principle, and like Christ Who is the only perfect example of love, it has always something inexorable about it. He never condoned evil. τῷ ἀγαθῷ is neuter, like τὸ πονηρόν, though κολλᾶσθαι can be used of persons (1 Cor. vi. 16 f.) as well as things.