The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 478

of the rcsurreC'tion. l. They Mn har,lly Christian faith in the Resurrection rest~ linve been Jewish. The mass of Jews nt not on pililosophic theory, but on an his- this time shared the views of the Phnri- toric fact. eees, who strongly maintained the resurrec• Ver. 17.-Vain; rather, frustrate. The tion (Acts xxiii. 6). If they were Jews at word used (mataia) is different from the nil, they coulcl only hnve been Sndducees or word used (ke11e) in ver 14. Ye are yet in :li:ssenes. Ilut (1) the Sndducees were a small, your sins. Because a dead Redeemer could wealthy, and mainly political sect, who hnd be no Redeemer. Christ's resurrection is no religious influence, and can certainly the pledge of his Divine power. He was ha,e hnd no representnti'l"es at Corinth; "raised for our justification" (Rom. iv. and (2) the Essenes, though they had con- 25). It is only "as a Prince and Saviour" siderable influence in Asia, do not seem to that" God bath exalted him to give repent- ba,e established themselves in Greece, nor ance and forgiveness of sins" (Acts v. 31; are we a ware that they were hostile to the Rom. v. 10). doc-trine of the resurrection. 2. Probably, Ver. 18.-Whioh are fallen asleep in Christ. then, they were Gentiles. If so, they may Christians whose bodies have sunk into the ha,e been (I) either Epicurean~, who dis- sleep of death. Are perished. A notion believed in a future life altogether; or (2) which he feels that Cilristiaus must reject Stines, who held that the future life was as ntterly impossible. All tilat goodness, only an impersonal absorption into the faith, tenderness, love, have not been dis- Dirine. Both these schools of philosophers solved to nothing. "jeered" at the very notion of a bodily Ver. 19.-If in. this life only we have hope resurrection (Acts xvii. 32). In 2 Tim. ii. in Christ. The word to which "in Christ" 18 we read of some, like Hymenreus and should be joined is uncertain; the order of Philetns, who erred, saying " that the resur- the original is; "If in this life in Christ rection was past already." These teachers we have hoped only." The "only" seems were incipient Gnostics, who spiritualized. therefore to qualify the whole sentence: "If the resurrection, or ratiler said that the we have merely hoped in Christ, and that term was only applicable to tile rising from only iu this life." We are of all men most the death of sin to the life of righteousness. miserable; literally, we are more pitiable The Corinthian doubters seem from tho than all men. The remark only has an arguments which St. Paul addresses to them, absolute bearing when Christians really uro to have been rather troubled with material sufferin!!; from persecutions, as they did ia doubts which they may have inherited from St. Paul's day (2 Cor. i. 5; 2 Tim. iii. 12). their Gentile training. But to some extent nil Christians have to Ver. 13.-Then is Christ not risen. If the bear their cross, aud if all that they give possibility of a resurrection be generically up and suffer ie sacrificed to a delusion, they denied, it cannot in any instance be true. deserve most pity in one sense, because they Yet you admit as Christians that Christ have been most conspicuously befooled. In rose! and his resurrection "has begotten another sense they are still tile happiest of us again to a lively hope" (1 Pet. i. 3; see men; for their delusion, judged by its fruits, 2 Cor. iv.14; 1 These. iv. 14; John xiv. 19). is more blessed than the dreary blu.nk Vtr. 14.-Vain. You accepted our pro- which is the only alternative. clamation (lcerugma), yet it would be utterly Vers. 20-28.-Results to be deduced from void if its central testimony was false. The the fact nf Christ's resurrection. word translated " then" has a sort of ironic Ver. 20.-But now. Since the supposi- force-" after all," or" it seems." The whole tion tilut Christ has not risen involves so argument is at once an argumentum ad many suppositions which you will rigiltly hominem and a reductio ad absurdum. Your reject Q.S absurd, we may 11ssume tl1e eterRat faith is also vain. For it would be faith in fact thot Christ has been ruiaed. And a crucified man, not in the risen Christ. become the firstfruits of them that slept. Ver. 15.-We are found. The word As the wave sheaf (Lev. xxiii. 10), which means, "we are proved to be," convicted of was the firstfruits of the harvest, is also being false witnesses. False witnesses of a pledge of the harvest, so Christ is the God; i.e. concerning God. St. Paul does not firstfruits and pledge of the resurrection of slirink from the issue. It is not one-it all maukiud. • could not be one-between truth and mis• Ver. 21.-Bymancame death (see Rom. v.· take, but between truth and falsehood. We 12, 17; vi. 21, 23). have teetified of Gud that he raised up Christ; Ver. 22.-As in. Adam all die. All of us rather, the Christ. "This Jesus bath God partako of Adam's nature, and are therefore- r;ii,ed up, whereof we all are witnesses" liable to iho death which thot nature in• (Acts ii. a2; iv. 33; xiii. 30). curred as tile law Bn<l coudiLion of its Ver. 16.-This ver•e is 11 repetition of humanity. In Christ shall Bl.l be made alive. Y.er. 13, to emphasize the argument that the It is St. Paul's invariahle ho.bit to isolate- err. xv. 1-68.] THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORIXTHIAXS. 487