Ver. 1. ὀφείλομεν δὲ: what constitutes the obligation is seen in chap. xiv. It arises out of our relation to others in Christ. Looking at them in the light of what He has done for them as well as for us, and in the light of our responsibility
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a Acts xiv. XV. 1. Ὀφείλομεν δὲ ἡμεῖς οἱ δυνατοὶ τὰ ἀσθενήματα τῶν * ἀδυνάτων βαστάζειν, καὶ μὴ ἑαυτοῖς ἀρέσκειν' 2. ἕκαστος yap! ἡμῶν τῷ πλη-
σίον ἀρεσκέτω εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν πρὸς οἰκοδομήν.
3. καὶ γὰρ 6 Χριστὸς
οὐχ ἑαυτῷ ἤρεσεν, ἀλλὰ, καθὼς γέγραπται, “Οἱ ὀνειδισμοὶ τῶν
ὀνειδιζόντων σε ἐπέπεσον ἐπ᾽ ἐμέ”.
4. ὅσα γὰρ προεγράφη;” εἰς
τὴν ἡμετέραν διδασκαλίαν προεγράφη: ἵνα διὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς καὶ
1Οπι, γαρ with RABCDFLP.
Σρσα yap προεγραφη ΝΑΟΒΣ.Ρ; so most edd. B, latt., Aeth. give εγραφη. D! and F have προσεγραφη, which confirms the reading of AC. προεγραφη ινα NVALP; but εγραφη SBCDF, vulg. and all edd. After και ins. δια SRABCL. After εχωµεν B adds της παρακλησεως, which W. and H. put in marg.; but the addition is as inept as that of λογων in the same MS. at ver. 18, and to be explained in the same way (an anticipation of a later word).
to the Judge of all, we cannot question that this is our duty. ‘pets ot δυνατοὶ : Paul classes himself with the strong, and makes the obligation his own. δυνατοὶ is of course used as in chap. xiv.: not as in 1 Cor. i. 26. τὰ ἀσθενήματα τῶν ἀδυνάτων: the things in which their in- firmity comes out, its manifestations : here only in N.T. Paul says “bear” their infirmities: because the restrictions and limitations laid ὃν this charity on the liberty of the strong are a burden to them. For the word βαστάζειν and the idea see Matt. viii. 17, Gal. vi. 2, 5, 17. μὴ ἑαυτοῖς ἀρέσκειν: it is very easy for self-pleasing and mere wilfulness to shelter themselves under the disguise of Christian principle. But there is only one Christian principle which has no qualification—love.
Ver. 2. τῷ πλησίον ἀρεσκέτω: this rule is qualified by eis τὸ ἀγαθὸν πρὸς οἰκοδομήν. Without such qualification it is ““men-pleasing” (Gal. i. το) and in- consistent with fidelity to Christ. Cf. 1 Cor. x. 33, where Paul presents himself as an example of the conduct he here commends. For eis and πρὸς in this verse cf. chap. iii. 25 f. According to Gifford εἷς marks the “‘aim’—the ad- vantage or benefit of our neighbour—and πρὸς the standard of reference; the only “good” for a Christian is to be “built up” in his Christian character.
Ver. 3. καὶ yap 6 Χριστὸς κ.τ.λ. The duty of not pleasing ourselves is enforced by the example of Christ: He did not please Himself either. If this required proof, we might have expected Paul to prove it by adducing some incident in Christ’s life; but this is not what he does. He appeals to a psalm, which is in many places in the N.T. treated as having some reference to Christ (e.g.,
John ii. 17 = Ps. Ixix. ο, John xv. 25 = Ps. Ixix. 4, Matt. xxvii. 27-30 = Ps. Ixix. 12, Matt. xxvii. 34 = Ps. Ixix. 21, Rom. πι. = Ps. ‘lax: 22) Acts 1. 2ο ΕΕ σος 25: see Perowne, The Psalms, i., p. 561 f.); and the words he quotes from it— words spoken as it were by Christ Him- self—describe our Lord’s experiences in a way which shows that He was no self- pleaser. If He had been, He would never have given Himself up willingly, as He did, to such a fate. It is hardly conceivable that σε in Paul’s quotation indicates the man whom Christ is sup- posed to address: it can quite well be God, as in the psalm. Some have argued from this indirect proof of Christ’s character that Paul had no acquaintance with the facts of His life; but the in- ference is unsound. It would condemn all the N.T. writers of the same igno- rance, for they never appeal to incidents in Christ’s life; and this summary of the whole character of Christ, possessing as it did for Paul and his readers the authority of inspiration, was more im- pressive than any isolated example of non-selfpleasing could have been.