The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 7

nttitude of the eRrly Christinns (Rom. viii. ~incerity of the apostle is ohservahlo in tl1iij I fl-25; Phil. iii. 2P: Hcb. ix. 20; l Thess. thanksgiving. He spcn ks of the Chmch ir i. 10; Col. iii. 4; Titus ii. 13). Love for genc-rnl in terms of grntitude and hopeful- Christ's nmnirestation ·wl\s n Christinn ness, and rlwolls on its rich spiritual endow- <'h1trac1Rristic (2 Tim. iv. 8). The revelation. ments ; hut he hns not a word of prnise for Three words are used to express the second anv morn! advance such ns that which he so advent: apohalypsis (rui here and in 2 lovingly recognized in the Thcssalonio.us Thess. i. 7 ; 1 Pet. i. 7, 13); paronsia ( as and Philippians. in Matt. xxiv. 3, 27, etc.; l Thess. ii. 19; Vers. 10-17.--I'arty spfrit at Corinth. Jas. v. 7. 8, etc.); and epiphaneia, in the This subject is pursued in various forms to pastoral Epistles (1 Tim. "i. 14; 2 Tim. i. 10; eh. iv. 21. iv. 1--8; Titus ii. 13). St. Paul, however, only Ver. 10.-Now. The pnrticle implies the uses parou,;ia six times in l and 2 Thessa- transition from thai;iksgiving to reproof. lonians, and once in l Cor. xv. 23. All Chris- Brethren. This very title involves an o.ppea.l tians alike cxpect.-d the return of Christ to them to aim at unity among themselves; very soon, and possibly in their own lifetime and St. Paul, like St. James (v. 10), uses it (l Thess. i. 9, 10, etc.; eh. xv. 51 ; Jas. v. to soften any austerity which might seem to 8. 9; l Pet. iv. , ; 1 John ii. 18; Rev. xxii. exist in bis le.nguo.ge ( eh. vii. 29; x. 1; :s:iv. 20, 20, etc.). Their expectation was founded etc.). Through the Ne.me of our Lord Jesus on the great eschatological discourse of our Ch1ist; that is, by the whole idea. of Christ's Lord (Matt. xxiv. 29, 30, 34), and on his being and office-the strongest bond of express promise that tlrnt generation should union bet1'l"een true Christians (see the uot pass away before his predictions were powerful oppeal in Eph. iv. 1-6). That ye fulfilled. They were fulfilled in the fall of ell speak the same thing ; that is, " that ye- J erus1tlem and the close of the old dispensa- may all with one mind and one mouth tion, though they await a still more universal glorify God" (Rom. xv. 6). They were fulfilment. doing the very reverse-each glorifying Ver. 8.- lT'ho; clearly Christ, though his himself and his party (ver. 12). Divisions Name is again repeated in the next clause. (oxla-µ.a.rn); " schisms" used of bodies Shell also connnn you. This natural expres- within the Church, not of separatists from sion of the apostle's yearning hope for them it ( eh. xi. 18). The word is only used in must not beoverpressed into any such' doctrine this special sense in this Epistle. In Matt. as" the indef'ectibility of grace." All honest ix. 16 and Mark ii. 21 schisma means " a and earnest students must resist the ten- rent;" in John (vii. 43; ix. 16; x. 16), "o. dency to strain the meaning of Scripture division of opinion." There would be little texts into endless logical inferences which or no harm in the schismata so far as they were never intended to be deduced from them. affected unessential points, if it was nut Unto the end; namely, to the end of "this their fatal tendency to end in " contentions,,. age," and to the coming of Christ (Matt. (erides) and "factions" (haireseis, eh. xi. 19). xx.iii. 20; Heh. iii. 6, 13; vi. 11). Tbe.t Corinth was e. place where such divisions ye be 11D.reprovable; rather, unimpeached would be likely to spring up, partly from ( anenkletous ), SB in Col. i. 22 ; 1 Tim. iii. the disputatious vivacity and intellectual 18; Titus i. 6. It is not the word rendered conceits of the inhe.bite.nts, partly from the "blameless" (amemptos) in Phil. ii. 15 or in multitudes of strangers whoconsto.ntlyvisited 2 Pet. iii. 14. A Christian can only be the port, partly from the numerous dive1·si- " blameless," not as being sinless, but as ties of previous training through which the having been forgiven, renewed, sanctified various sections of converts had passed. (eh. vi. 11; Rom. viii. 30). In the day of our Perfected together; literally, repaired, re- Lord Jesns Christ. This is the same as the united. In the same mind and in the same apukalypsis or parousia. Itis sometimes called judgment ; that is, in what they think simply ·•the day" (comp. eh. iii. 13; Acts and believe (vot), and in what they assei,t i. 20; Joel iii. 4; 2 'l'hess. i. 10; Rev. vi.17). e.nd do (-yvd,µ.p). The exhortation," be of Ver. 9.-God is faithful. He will not leave one mind," in every sense of the word, was bis promises unfulfilled or his work uufinished as necessary in the ancient as in the modern (,·h. x. 13; 2 Theos. iii. 3; Heh. x. 23; Rom. Church (Rom. xv. 5; 2 Cor. xiii. 11; Phil. i. . ,ii. 28-30). Through whom. By whom, 27 ; ii. 2 ; 1 Pet. iii. 8). as the moving cause and agent in your Ver. 11.-It hath been signified unto me. salvation. Ye were ea.lied. The calliug was a He bad heard these saddening rumours to- pledge of the final blessing (Rom. viii. 30). ward, the close of bis stay in Ephesus. By Into the fellowship of his Son. U uion (lwi-no- them which are of the household of Chloe.. .,ia, communion) with Christ is thesolemeaus The Greek only has "by them of Chloe . of spiritual life (John xv. 4; Gal. ii. 20). St. Paul wisely and kindly mentiona his- 'flirough the Sou we also have fellowship authority for these repo1·ts.. Nothing is with the Father (1 John i. 3). The perfect known of Chloe or her household. It h11s en. 1. 1-31.] THE FinST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 5