Reference: CORINTHIANS
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EPISTLE 1. This was written by Paul at Ephesus, about A.D. 57, upon the receipt of intelligence respecting the Corinthian church, conveyed by members of the family of Chole, 1Co 1:11, and by a letter from the church requesting advice, 1Co 7:1, probably brought by Stephanus, etc., 1Co 16:17. Certain factions had arisen in the church, using his name and those of Peter, Apollos, and of Christ himself, in bitter partisan contentions. In the first part of this letter he endeavors to restore harmony among them, by reuniting them to the great and sole Head of the church. He then takes occasion to put them on their guard against teachers of false philosophy, and resting their faith on the wisdom of men instead the simple but mighty word of God. He proceeds, in 1Co 5, to reprove them for certain gross immoralities tolerated among them, such as they had formerly practiced like all around them, but which he charges them to banish form the church of Christ. He replies to their queries respecting celibacy and marriage, and the eating of food offered to idols; and meets several errors and sins prevalent in the church by timely instructions as to disputes among brethren, decorum in public assemblies, the Lord's supper, the resurrection of believers, true charity, and the right use of spiritual gifts, in which the Corinthian Christians excelled, but not without a mixture of ostentation and disorder. He directs them as to the best method of Christian beneficence, and closes with friendly greetings.
EPISTLE 2. This was occasioned by intelligence received through Titus, at Philippi. Paul learned of the favor reception of his former letter, and the good effect produced, and yet that a party remained opposed to him-accusing him of fickleness in not fulfilling his promise to visit them; blaming his severity towards the incestuous person; and charging him with an arrogance and assumption unsuited to his true authority and his personal appearance. In the course of his reply he answers all these objections; he enlarges upon the excellence of the new covenant, and the duties and rewards of its ministers, and on the duty of the Corinthian Christians as to charitable collections. He then vindicates his own course, his dignity and authority as an apostle, against those who assailed him. His last words invite them to penitence, peace, and brotherly love. This epistle seems to have been written soon after the first.
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For it has been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by those of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
Now concerning the things of which ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, for they have filled your absence.
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CORINTHIANS, Epistles to. St. Paul left Corinth A.D. 53 or 54, and went to Jerusalem. From Ephesus he wrote his First Epistle to the Corinthians, in the beginning of A.D. 56. In this epistle he reproves some who disturbed the peace of the church, complains of some disorders in their assemblies, of law suits among them, and of a Christian who had committed incest with his mother-in-law, the wife of his father, and had not been separated from the church. This letter produced in the Corinthians great grief, vigilance against the vices reproved, and a very beneficial dread of God's anger. They repaired the scandal, and expressed abundant zeal against the crime committed, 2Co 7:9-11.
To form an idea of the condition of the Corinthian church, we must examine the epistles of the Apostle. The different factions into which they were divided, exalted above all others the chiefs, ???? ???? ???? ?????????? [the very chiefest Apostles,] 2Co 11:5; 12:11, whose notions they adopted, and whose doctrines they professed to follow, and attempted to depreciate those of the opposite party. While, then, some called themselves disciples of Paul, Cephas, or Apollos, others assumed the splendid appellation of Christ's party. Probably they affected to be the followers of James, the brother of our Lord, and thought thus to enter into a nearer discipleship with Jesus than the other parties. The controversy, as we shall see from the whole, related to the obligation of Judaism. The advocates of it had appealed, even in Galatia, to Cephas and James, for the sake of opposing to Paul, who had banished Jewish ceremonies from Christianity, authorities which were not less admitted than his own. The question itself divided all these various parties into two principal factions: the partisans of Cephas and James were for the law; the friends of Paul adopted his opinion, as well as Apollos, who, with his adherents, was always in heart in favour of Paul, and never wished to take a part in a separation from him, 1Co 16:12. The leaders of the party against Paul, these ?????????????, [false apostles,] as Paul calls them, and ?????????????????? ??? ?????????? ???????, [transformers of themselves into the apostles of Christ,] who declared themselves the promulgators and defenders of the doctrines of Cephas, and James, were, as may be easily conceived, converted Jews, 2Co 11:22, who had come from different places,
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For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made void.
Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that God has given us.
Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go unto judgment before the unjust, and not before the saints?
Now concerning the things of which ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. read more. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence, and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence, and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife does not have authority of her own body, but the husband; and likewise also the husband does not have authority of his own body, but the wife.
The wife does not have authority of her own body, but the husband; and likewise also the husband does not have authority of his own body, but the wife. Do not defraud one another, except it be with mutual consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer and come together again, that Satan not tempt you for your incontinency.
Do not defraud one another, except it be with mutual consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer and come together again, that Satan not tempt you for your incontinency. But I speak this by permission, and not by commandment. read more. For I would that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one after this manner and another after that.
For I would that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one after this manner and another after that. I say, therefore, to the unmarried men and widowers, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
I say, therefore, to the unmarried men and widowers, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they do not have the gift of continence, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn. read more. And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife separate from her husband; and if she separates, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband, and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the rest I speak, not the Lord: If any brother has a wife that does not believe, and she consents to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman who has a husband that does not believe and if he consents to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. But if the unbelieving spouse separates, let them separate. The brother or the sister is not under slavery in such cases, but God has called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or what knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let them walk. And so I ordain in all the congregations . Is anyone called being circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Is anyone called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised.
Is anyone called being circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Is anyone called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the commandments of God. read more. Let each abide in the same calling in which he was called. Art thou called being a slave? care not for it; but if thou may be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a slave, is the Lord's freeman; likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's slave. Ye are bought with a price; do not make yourselves the slaves of men. Each one, brothers, in that state in which he was called, let him abide with God. Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord, yet I give my advice, as one that has obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.
Now as concerning things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies.
For if anyone sees thee who hast this knowledge sit at food in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols?
But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God; and I would not that ye should be participants of demons. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; ye cannot be participants of the Lord's table and of the table of demons.
Whatever is sold in the market, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake;
But if anyone says unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, do not eat it for the sake of him that disclosed it and for conscience sake; for the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof:
But every woman that prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head, for that is even the same as if she were shaven. For if the woman is not covered, let her also be shorn; but if it is a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
For this cause the woman ought to have authority over her head: because of the angels.
Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not: that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
Let your women keep silence in the congregations , for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be in subjection, as also saith the law.
and that he appeared to Cephas and then to the twelve;
After that, he appeared unto James; then to all the apostles.
But someone will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
As touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with some of the brothers, but his will was not at all to come at this time, but he will come when he shall have opportunity.
Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance; for ye were made sorry by God that ye might suffer no loss by us. For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation, of which there is no need to repented; but the sorrow of the world works death. read more. For behold this same thing, that when ye were made sorry by God, what carefulness it wrought in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things ye have shown yourselves to be clean in this matter.
Therefore if anyone comes preaching another Jesus whom we have not preached or if ye receive another spirit from that which ye have received or another gospel from that which ye have accepted, ye bear well with it. I reckon that I have not been inferior in any way to those grandiose apostles.
Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.
I have been a fool, glorying; ye have compelled me; for I ought to have been commended of you, for in nothing am I behind the grandiose apostles, though I am nothing.