The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 41

1•al rician, did the blessed influence pass, till at last the emperor himself was constrained ,,, do liorn~ge to Jesus Christ. To a large extent the course of the gospel is the same ,till. In onr own country the profession of Christinnity is not con~ncd to any class ill ,,,ciety; but a lidng godliness is a plant of rarer growth. Among our men of science, ,,ur philosophers and poets, and our hereditary nobility, there are to be found eminollt Christians, whose li,·cs ednce the power of the gospel over the finest intellects and tho most exalted station; yet it is mainly among those less privileged that the Church is strongest. The greatest number of her members are to be found among the humbler classes, especially among those who have neither riches nor poverty, and who know the meaning of honest work. Illustrate also from tho history of modem missions to the heathen. II. REASONS FOR THE DIVINE METHOD. When men inaugurate any new scheme or system, they seek the patronage of great names in order to recommend it to the people; but the gospel ol salrntion was not proclaimed to the world under the auspices of kings and philosophers. This is referred to the purpose of God (vers. 27, 28), according to which all things proceed. More particularly the end in view is: 1. The humiliation of human pride. "That no flesh should glory before God" (ver. 29). Human wisdom and power are of small account in this matter. Salvation is all of God. Had he chosen the wise and the great, pride might have boasted itself before him; but ill choosing the foolish and the weak, all ground of glorying is removed. This does uot imply that the one class is of more valae in God's sight than the other; nor docs it J>Ut a premium upon ignorance and weakness, It means that the wise man will not lie saved because of his wisdom, nor the nobleman because of his high birth, nor the rich man because of his wealth. All trust in these things must be put to shame, as is , 1one when they that are destitute of them enter the kingdom of heaven more readily. Jn the eye of the gospel all men are equal, which means that some must be humbled, n·hile others are exalted. It is always our Father's way to "hide these things from the wise and understanding, and to reveal them uuto babes" (Matt. xi. 25). Pride is at once insulting to God and hurtful to man; and it is in mercy that he requires us to " become as little children" (Matt. xviii. 3). In like manner, the advance of tbe gospel in the earth is not to be promoted by an arm of flesh(" not by might, nor by power," etc., Zech. iv. 6). Christian work must not be undertaken for the aggrandizement of persons, or parties, or sects. The flesh must not be elevated to the dishonour of God. 2. The ,idvancement of the Divine glory. Human pride is to be humbled, that the honour of ~alvation may belong to God alone. It is the prerogative of the Almighty to make his "wn glory the chief end of all be does. No created being can do so. For man and angel, happiness consists in seeking the glory of our Father in heaven. A life with self as the centre, self as the aim, must be a life of misery. Does not this explain the misery of Satan ? "Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven ! " It is otherwise with the Most High. To seek his own glory is simply to desire truth and reality. In the nature of things all praise is due to him alone who is the Alpha and the Omega of existence. Hence the glory of God coincides with the greatest happiness of mell, ill the matter of salvation as in other things. "He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lm·d." III. THE RICHES IN CHRIST. Salvation is due entirely to God. It is of liim that we are in Christ Jesus. The believer's union with Christ has been brought about by God Himself, who has given us all things ill his Son. 1. Wisdom. "In him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden " (Col. ii. 3). He reveals to us God-his nature and his will, his purpose and plan of grace. In the person and work of Christ; in his incarnation, life, teaching, atonemeut,-the wisdom of God shines out con- spicuously. And in union with Christ we become truly wise. In him we have the key which opens all mysteries. We learn to know God aud to know ourselves; and in him the broken fellowship between God and us is restored. The quest for wisdom, alike in its speculative and in its practical form, is satisfied only in him. 2. Righteous- ness. He is "Jehovah our Righteousness" (Jer. xxiii. 6), 'l'o be righteous is to be in entire consistence with the mind and Law of God; and this Jesus, as our Hepresen- tativc, was. He bore the penalty of our sins, and met the positive requirements of tho Law; an<l thus wrought out a righteousness for us (2 Cor, v. 12; Gal. iii. 13; 1 Pet. ii. 24). 'IVlien by faith we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour, his work is reckoned to  <'II, r. 1-31.) 'l'HE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. n •1s, and we are received as righteous for his sake. 3. Sanctification. This includes 1ho whole of the process by which we are restored to the image of God. Not only is the rightt-oasness of Christ imputed to us, the character of Christ must also be repro- duced in us; and this is tho work of the Holy Spirit. It is his to illuminate, regcnt'ratr, purify; and the whole man thus renewet.l is consecrated to God. Every part of the nature-spirit, soul, body; every activity of thought, affection, desire, purpose; all are transformed and devoted to the noblest service. Justification and sanctification are the two sides of one whole, never to be separated. 4. Redemption. This denotes deliver- ance from all evil, enemies, afflictions, death. Soul and body shall be completely emancipated, and presented at last without blemish (Rom. viii. 23; Eph. v. 26, i,). LEsso::ss. 1. 'l'o be emptied of self is a necessary condition of God's working in us and by us. 2. Give God all the glory of salvation. 3. Christ is the Source of all blessings. "In him ye are made full" (Col. ii. 10).-B. Ver. 6.-" The testimony of r!hrist." There are two kinds of testimony-the external and the internal; the revelation without and the revelation within; the written historical testimony that God has given us of his Son, and that which consists in the facts of Christian consciousness, the consciousness of one in whom he dwells. These are not to be regarded as separate and independent, The external record is vain until graven on the living heart; while there could be no such inward realization apart from the outward record, with all that helps to attest and substantiate it. The one is to the other as the river is to the bed in which it flows, as the echo to the voice that awakens it, as the musical harmony to the instrument by which it is produced. The revealed truth is made the instrument and channel of a hidden life. 'l'he written rncord becomes a vital experience. The ttstimony finds its answer in the living heart. Thus was the gospel word "confirmed"· in the Corinthians, as in all who savingly receive it. Consider-(1) The testimony; (2) the co11firmution. I. 'l'HE TESTIMONY. It is the truth about Christ which formed the sum and substance of the apostolic message. The truth "as it is in Jesus." 1. The message contains two elements-the historical and the doctrinal. An unwarrantable separation is some- times made between these. '£he attempt to sever the historic fact from some form of -dogmatic teaching by which that fact is linkerl with the spiritual interests and needs of men, as the Divine answer to them, is irrational and vain. 'l'he fact contains within itself the doctrine. It is not a meaningless incident. What is the doctrine but just the articulate expression of its meaning? 'rake any of the recorded apostolic discourses-Peter'!! sermon on the day of l'entecost (Acts ii.), Paul's sermon in the synagogue at Antioch (Acts xiii.), or his summary of the gospel (eh. xv. 1--4)-they .are none of them bare statements of historic fact. They glow with the living force of words that carry the historic fact home to the consciences and hearts of men as God's condemnation of siu and pledge of forgiveness and promise of the life everlasting. 2. The authority of this message of mingled fact and doctrine lies in ita divinity. It is the testimony that "God has given us of his Son." The reason men disregard tho appeals of the gospel is that they do not believe or feel this. 'l'heir diviner sensibility is so deadened by other than Divine influences, that they fail to recognize the approach of God to their souls. If they know that God is speaking to them how can they resist? "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater." We readily receive the witness of men. Our whole social existence proceeds on the principle of faith in the general veracity of those with whom we have to do. Why can we not carry up into the higher region a principle of action that in the lower we feel to be so salutary and necessary? Habitual distrust of one's fellow-creatures would be a dishonour done to our common natLll"e, would poison the very springs of human life, and turn some of our purest joys to bitterness. And yet men cherish on the heavenward side of their being a cold, repellent spirit of unbelief that gives the lie to a God of infinite truth and righteousness and love. "He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true" (John iii. 33); "He that believetl1 not God hath made him a liar,'' etc. (1 John v. 10). II. 'l'nE CONFIRMATION, For the testimony to assert its authority in a way that cannot be gainsaid is one thing; for it to be practically and savingly efficacious. is another. No man to whom the message has intelligibly come can escape the special  THE FIRST EPISTLE TO 'l'HE CORINTHIANS. [en. 1. 1-31.