The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 33

hrought by the Prince of Peace. It includeR: (1) Peace with God. (Rom. v. 1.) By foHh we nre justified, our sins being put away and we ourselves accepted as righteous; and thus we are "reconciled to God through the death of his Son" ( Hom. v. 10). Hence- forth there is friendship between us and God, We become sons of God (Rom. viii. 14 -17), and have" fellow8hip with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1 Jr,hn i. 3). There is a mutual love between God and us, as between father and child. This leads to: (2) Peace within ourselves. The knowledge that we are reconciled to Gud lJec,ets an inward calm. We are filled with "peace ia believiag" (Hom. xv. 13). "'l'he peace of God, which passeth all understandiag, guards our hearts and our thoughts in Christ Jesus" (Phil. iv. 'i). Christ gives us his own peace (John xiv. 27)- that iacffable oaeness with the Father in which his own deep joy lay; and this peace rules in our hearts (Col. iii. 15). Such a peace sprin~s only from reconciliation to God. "There is no peace unto the wicked" (Isa. xlviii. 22). Only when ruen discovered that the sun is the centre of our plaaetary system did all its parts move in harmony; oaly when our nature finds its centre in Christ is it truly at peace with itself. Grace and peace come to us" from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." The gifts of o-race come to us from God, but only through Jesus Christ. The inspired writers never hesitate to join the Name of Christ with that of God the Father. 'Jhe true Godhoo,l of our Lord is everywhere taken for grant.ed, rather than formally asserted, How great must be the grace and the peace that come to us thus!-B. Vers. 4-9.-Thanksgiving on account of their gifts. Paul, as is hiR wont, beginR by coagratulating the Corinthiaa Church on all that is good and praiseworthy in their character, and by expressing a confident hope for the future. This is just ia itself,-tell a man his good points as well as his bad ; and it is wise, for thus the go::id arnoag them will be encouraged, and the evil_ will be the more disposed to listen to rebuh. Consider- !. 'l'HEm GIFTS (xap/<7'µ.,mz), 1. They had the gift of" all utterance," as appeared in their highly gifted teachers and pre9.chers; and they had "all knowledge," i.e. an iatelligent appreheosion of the truth, These two gifts are closely connected. There may be koowledge without utterance, in which case it is of profit oaly to the indi- vidual; and there is too often utterance without knowledge, to the hurt of speaker aad he~rer. This last is the plague of our time. Whoso feeds on empty words becomes lean, But how blessed is the union of thought and speech! Happy the Church that possesses spiritual insight into the mind of God, and the power of commu- nicating this to the edification of others! 2. The other gift is that of "waiting for the revtlation of our Lord Jesus Christ." Faith rests on the first adveat; hope looks onward to the second. The time of that great apocalypse has been left indefinite, even the Son being ignorant of it (Matt. xxiv. 36). Sometimes it is represented as very near (" at hand," Jas. v. 8; 1 Pet. iv. 7); while hints are dropped that thig nearness is not to be taken according to our time-measurement (2 Pet. iii. 8). The purpose of this uncertainty is that we may watch and wait, look for and earnestly desire the day of the Lord (2 Pet. iii. 12). The apostles maintained this attitude uf ~xpectancy, and exhorted others to maiatain it. It is noted here as a mark of true spirituality, and elsewhere the crown of righteousness is promised to all them that "love his appearing" (2 'l'im. iv. 8). .A.part from all points of dispute, the corning of the Lord a second time should exercise a powerful iaflueace on the Christian's life. What e. motive to holiness, a stimulus to work, a strength to endure affliction, is the thought, "The Lord is at hand" l ".A.men: come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. xxii. 20). These gifts :are: (1) Of grace. They are not natural eadowments, 'l'hey are given by the free, good pleasure of God. (2) Given in Ghrist Je.ms. .All fulness dwells in him, the ful- uess of the Godhead (Col. ii. 9). The gifts of grace come to us only t_hrough him (comp. eh. v. 3), To him, therefore, let us repair, that we may receive of his fulness. la him we are truly enriched (" made full," Col. ii. 10). (3) A confirmation of the gospel. 'l'he gospel is a testimony concerning Christ, not a system of doctrines. This was specially true of apostolic preaching: "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you" (1 John i. 1-3); aad it is true of all right preaching. There is a pers(•nal testimony !o Christ and the power of his gospel unto salvation. This testimony i~ confirmed "·hl'n 1t is believed and acted on. :Faith and its fruits are th<) best evi<lences of Christiauity. 32 THE FIRST EPISTLE TO nm CORINTHIANS. [cu. I, 1-31 "He that hnth receivP.d his witness hath set his seal to this, that God is true" (John iii. 33). ll. Ai<~D"RAXCE OF HOPE. These gifts of grace are pledges of future blessinas, 1. Confirmation wlfo the eud. (Ver. 8.) He who be)!,ins the good work in us will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. i. 6). God does nothing by halves. Ho not only brings up the sinner out of the horrible pit and sots his feet upon a rock, but ho· also establishes his goings (Ps. xl. 2). The Holy Spirit is the "earnest of our inheri- tance" (Eph. i. 14), the first instalment of the full heritage. "The God of all grace,. who ea lkd you unto his eternal glory in Uhrist, . . . shall himself perfect, stablish, strengthen you" (1 Pet. v. 10). Observe the links of the chain in Rom. viii. 2[.I, 30. All through life, onwards to the end of the world, will God deliver our feet from falling (Ps. h-i. 13). "The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hand~ shall be stronger and stronger" (Job xvii. 9). '!'his confirmation is effected by the continued impartation of his grace to the believer. 2. The object in view-" that ye be unreprovable in the day of our Lo1·d Jesus Christ." (Comp. Col, i. 22; 1. Thess. v. 23.} God will not stop short in his work of grace till it be fully completed. Meanwhile believers are unrcprovable in Christ; no charge can be brought against them which he- does not meet. \Vho shall impeach the perfection of his work for us? But we are not morally blameless in ourselves. Personal holiness is far from being perfect. In the day of Christ, however, this work shall be complete. The challenge," Who shall lay any- thing to the charge of God's elect?" (Rom. viii. 33), will then apply to character as weli as standing. God's ideal will be realized in us when we arc holy o.s he is holy. \'\hat a comfort., amid conscious imperfection and sinfulness, to know that we shall one day be " set before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy•• (Jude :!4) ! 3. The security/or this. "God isfaithful." Not our faithfulness to him, but his faithfulness to us, is the ground of our assurance. Having called us into the- fellowship of bis Son, all else will follow (Rom. viii. 30). (See next homily.) Learn the duty of giving thanks for the blessing bestowed upon others. Our own joy shall thus be multiplied.-B. Ver. 9.-Thefaitl,fulness of God. To be faithful is to be true to what one has pro- mised or engaged to do. God has come into relation with the universe and the creatures he bas made. He has revealed himself to us in various ways, declaring his will, and hence we can spe.ak of his faithfulness. As the unchanging One, ever consistent with himself, he is true to all he has spoken. In all the departments of his working this great principle may be traced. ]. THE FAITHFULNESS OF Goo IS EXEMPLIFIED IN NATURE. What we call" the laws of nature" are not mere blind forces, beyond which we cannot see; they are simply the- modes of the Almighty's working, the impress of his will upon creation. On what does the fixity of these laws rest but just the faithfulness of God? 'fhe movements of tlie heavenly bodies, the succession of the seasons, the production of like efft'cts by like causes,-these have been uniform since the present course of things began. Upon this uniformity all human activity depends. The husbandman sows bis seed, relying on the laws of growth. The sailor launches his vessel, believing that the waters wm bear it up, and that the breeze will fill his sails. The chemist mixes his materials, knowing that they will combine according to the laws of chemical affinity. To the materialist these are ultimate facts, of which he has no explanation to offer; to the· Christian they are so many evidences of the truth that God is faithful. II. THE FAITHFULNESS OF Goo 1B EXEMPLIFIED IN THE MORAL GOVERNMENT OF THE WORLD. Ou what principles does that government rest? Are the ten words of Sinai still in force as the statute-book of the world? Is that old announcement as true to-day as when it was uttered by the prophet (Isa. iii. 10, 11) ?-" Say ye to the ri<Thteous, that it shall be well with him; woe unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him." Good and evil seem to us inextricably coufused in this world. Bad mel1 frequently get the best of life, while good men as often go to the wall. Is God faith• ful "I Amid all apparent anomalies there is enough to show that he is on the side oli ri.,.bteousness, and that all Ms laws are working for that end. But we must not forget that he does not promise to strike the balance between good and evil in this life. l'hiogs are meanwhile in process, and the full result can be judged of only hereafter.  cu. 1. 1-31.J 'l'HE FIRST EPISTLE 1'0 THE CCJRINTHIANS.