Of strife and division. I. Corinthians. Of worldly wisdom. God's husbandry; ye are God's building. 10 According to the grace of God, which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the foundation, & another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now, if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver,b precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire.;c and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work abide, which he hath built thereup on,d he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall b If any man, upon this foundation, build gold, silver, &c. As the Christian church consists of believers of all nations, the materials here called gold, silver, &c. must be the disciples of Christ, converted by the preachers of the Gospel. The disciples, whom any one converted, are in the next verse called his work. It is supposed, that by fire here is meant persecution, which was about to try the Christians, and would reveal or manifest who were the true, and who the false professors. d If any man's work abide, &c. If any man's or teacher's disciples, whom he has added to the church of Christ, abide the trial of persecution, he shall receive the reward of a faithful servant; (15th verse,) but if they be burnt, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 18 Let no man deceive himself; if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God; for it is written, He taketh the wise in their own crafti ness. 20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 21 Therefore let no man glory in men; for all things are yours; 22 Whether Paul, or Apol los, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present or things to come; all are yours; 23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's. CHAP. IV. 1 How to account of ministers. 7 We have nothing which we have not received. 15 The apostles are our fathers in Christ. endure not the fiery trial, he will lose his reward; however, he himself shall be saved, yet not without per secution. LET a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing, that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment; yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified; but he that judgeth me is the Lord.. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall every man have praise of God. 6. And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. 7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now, if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? 8 Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us; and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. Of the apostles. 9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death; for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. 11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place; 12 And labour, working with our own hands; being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it; 13 Being defamed, we intreat; we are made as the filth of the world, and are the off-scouring of all things unto this day. 14 I write not these things to shame you, but, as my beloved sons, I warn you. 15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel. you, # 16 Wherefore, I beseech be ye followers of me. 17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. Of the incestuous person. I. Cor. Offenders to be shunned. 18 Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to 1 The incestuous person. old leaven must be purged 10 Heinous offenders out. the flesh,a that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus. 6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7 Purge out, therefore, the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with for> nicators: are to be avoided. 10 Yet not altogether with IT is reported commonly the fornicators of this world, that there is fornication among or with the covetous, or extor. you, and such fornication as is tioners, or with idolaters; for not so much as named then must among ye needs go out of the Gentiles, that one should the world. have his father's wife. 2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed; 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 To deliver such an one un to Satan for the destruction of 11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man, that is called a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are with out, do not ye judge them that are within ? a To deliver such an one unto Satan, &c. Some suppose this means only excommunication from the visible church of Christ; others are of opinpunishment, which the apostles were ion, it may denote some particular empowered to inflict. 1 Of going to law with the brethren. 15 Our bodies are Christ's members. DARE any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints ? 2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters. 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels ? how much more things that pertain to this life? 4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge, who are least esteemed in the church. 5 I speak to your shame. Is it so that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren ? 6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. 7 Now, therefore, there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another; why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? 8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren. 9 Know ye not that the un vi. Of avoiding disputes. righteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanetified, but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats; but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for formication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. 15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16 What! know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two (saith he) shall be one flesh. 17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 18 Flee fornication. Eve continency. 4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband; and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5 Defraud ye not one the other,c except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. 6 But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. 7 For I would that all men were even as myself; but every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. 81 say, therefore, to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them that they abide even as 1. 9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn. 10 And unto the married I c Defraud ye not one another, &c. Paul here, speaking to the man and wife, says, defraud or forsake ye not one another, except it be by mutual consent for a certain time, when you may wish more particularly to attend to the duties of devotion. * To understand this chapter, it is necessary to know, that the Jews considered matrimony a sacred duty, and that the Grecian_philosophers taught, that if a man would be happy, he should not marry. The brethren at Corinth, therefore, wrote to St. Paul, desiring him to inform them whether, in their present state of persecution, they might not without sin, abstain from marriage altogether; and whether such as were already married, might not dissolve their marriage vows on account of the trials, to which they were exposed. Although their letter to the apostle is now lost, its contents are suggested by this chapter, which he wrote in answer, and which contains his advice and direction. |