The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 25

love the lovely Christinn, and to give the cold shoulrler to the unlovely. We nee,) morn of the Spirit of the One who came to help the sinful and the unattractive, and who " loved the world.'' V. CHRISTIAN SALUTATION SHOULD NOT BE EMPTY. Much salutation says nothin~ nnd means it. Paul's salutation is very ample and full of significance. He desires for the Corinthians the grace or favour of God and Christ-the Divine love to be mnnifested towards them. "In his favour is life" (Ps. xxx. 5). All blessing from God to be their portion. And peace as the result of this-the inward assurance of the friencl,,hip of God, that sin is pardoned, that" all things are yours." Under the terms of the apostolic greeting all good, whether providential or spiritual, temporal or eternal, is included. VI. CHRISTIAN SALUTATION SHOULD SAVOUR MUCH OF CHRIST. 1. Here Christ is frequently named; but in no affected or canting way. It is a pity that when men talk of Christ in friendly intercourse they so often become intensely unnatural. The holy naturalness of Paul when talking of his Master is refreshing. 2. Here is much of the spirit of Christ. The salutation breathes forth love, tenderness, unselfishness, great- heartedness, and intense sympathy.-H. Vers. I-9.-The approach to rebuke. The occasion of this letter was largely fur- nished by the need of rebuke. The Corinthian Church had erred grievously. To rebuke is frequently painful, but when called for it showd not be shrunk from; not to rebuke under such circumstances is unalloyed cruelty. To rebuke, often painful, is always perilous. By maladroitness we may easily drive men from the right instead of drawing them to it. Unwise rebuke adds to the ill. We need to prepare/or rebuke if when we reach it we would not deserve its infliction. Note the apostolic procedure. We have here one of the finest examples of preparing men's minds for well-deserved censure. I. REMARK SOME GENERAL FEATURES OF THIS PREPARATORY ADDRESS. We find in it: 1. Courtesy. A graceful and gracious salutation. The apostle does not rush into harsh words. He shows no eagerness to condemn. Roughness and rudeness add no strength to admonition. 2. .Affection. This pervades every sentence, and culminates in the opening of the tenth verse, "Now I beseech you," etc. Love keeps in check apostolic authority and righteous indignation. We shall not injure delinquents by loving them very much. Nothing can make rebuke more telling than administering before n.nd after and with it, unaffected love. If men see that we are unwilling to rebuke them, they will be very much more likely to accept our rebuke. To enjoy rebuking is to demonstrate our total unfitness for it. 3, Candour. The condemnation is not to be wholesale. Some can see nothing but fault in those who err, but the apostle perceives excellences. He generously acknowledges spiritual attainment and endowment. To blind our eyes to the good is to make ourselves powerless to remove the bad. Many rebukes have worse than failed through lack of strict honesty in the rebuker. The" candid friend" bas often proved very uncandid. 4. Wisdom. (1) He turns the thought of the Corinthians to their oneness (ver. 2). His message is to them as one people in Christ : " The Church . . . at Corinth "-not the Churches. 'l'he Church of God-not of many leaders. Pre- sently he will have to censure them for lack of unity. (2) He prays that they may have more "grace." Soon he will show that they need it. 'l'he Church has been boasting of its man-power; Paul thinks its great need is God-power-enlightenment, guidance, help from above. (3) He desires that they may have "peace" from God-not without an eye to their divisions and quarrels .. He is wisely preparing his way. 5. .Absence of pomposity and of assumption of superiority. It is not the great man speaking to the infinitesimal ; nor the spotless to the utterly depraved. Paul gets as near to the Corinthians as he can. He seems to remember that his Master was made "in the likeness of men" (Phil. ii. 7). "Come not near to me, for I am holier than thou,'' is likely to make people keep their distance and have nothino- to do with us or our words. Not without wise humility has" Sosthenes our brother" a place in the salutation. 6. Yet the apostolic authority is not lost sight of. It may be well to show that we are entitled to rebuke- that we are not assumino- an office to which we have no claim. Rebukes should come from proper quarters. Paul was the" apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God." It was manifestly within his province to point out blemishes in the Christian Church and to reprove evil-doers. II. NOTE BOW EARNESTLY HE STRIVES TO TURN TREIB THOUGHTS TO Goo AND TO 24 THE FIRST b;PISTLE TO THE COHIN'l'HIANS. [oH. I. 1-31.