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 was declared to me about you, my brothers, by those of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
Now concerning the things of which ye wrote to me. It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
And I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because these men filled your lack.
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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 immerse, but to preach the good-news, not in wisdom of speech lest the cross of Christ would be emptied.
But we did not receive the spirit of the world, but the spirit from God, so that we might know the things graciously given to us by God.
Dare any of you, having a matter against the other, go to law before the unrighteous and not before the sanctified?
Now concerning the things of which ye wrote to me. It is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of fornications, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. read more. Let the husband render the goodwill owed to the wife, and likewise also the wife to the husband.
Let the husband render the goodwill owed to the wife, and likewise also the wife to the husband. The wife has not the right of her private body, but the husband, and likewise also the husband has not the right of his private body, but the wife.
The wife has not the right of her private body, but the husband, and likewise also the husband has not the right of his private body, but the wife. Do not defraud each other except from agreement for a time, so that ye may have time for fasting and prayer. And come together again for the same thing, so that Satan not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
Do not defraud each other except from agreement for a time, so that ye may have time for fasting and prayer. And come together again for the same thing, so that Satan not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. But I say this from concession not from commandment. read more. For I wish all men to be even as myself. However each man has his own gift from God, one in this way, and another after that.
For I wish all men to be even as myself. However each man has his own gift from God, one in this way, and another after that. But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, it is good for them if they remain even as I.
But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, it is good for them if they remain even as I. But if they have no self-control they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn. read more. And to those who are married, I do not command but the Lord. The wife is not to separate from her husband. But even if she separates, she shall remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to leave his wife. But to the rest I say, not the Lord. If any brother has an unbelieving wife, and this woman consents to dwell with him, he should not leave her. And whichever woman has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to dwell with her, she should not leave him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified by the husband, then otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. But if the unbeliever separates, he shall separate. The brother or the sister has not been bound in such things. And God has called us to peace. For how do thou know, O wife, whether thou will save thy husband? Or how will thou know, O husband, whether thou will save thy wife? Except, as God has distributed to each man, as the Lord has called each, so let him walk. And so I command in all the congregations. Was any man called circumcised? He should not become uncircumcised. Was any man called in uncircumcision? He should not be circumcised.
Was any man called circumcised? He should not become uncircumcised. Was any man called in uncircumcision? He should not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, instead, the keeping of God's commandments. read more. Each man, in the situation in which he was called, in this he should remain. Were thou called being a bondman? It should not concern thee. However if also thou are able to become free, take advantage of it instead. For he who was called in Lord a bondman is a freedman of Lord. Likewise also he who was called a free man is a bondman of Christ. Ye were bought with a price, become not bondmen of men. Brothers, each man, in what he was called, should remain in this before God. Now concerning the virgins I have no commandment of Lord, but I give an opinion, as having obtained mercy from Lord to be trustworthy.
Now about the things sacrificed to idols. We know that all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
For if some man sees thee, who have knowledge, dining in an idol-temple, will not his conscience, being weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols?
Rather, that which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to become partakers of demons. Ye cannot drink the cup of Lord, and the cup of demons. Ye cannot be partakers of a table of Lord, and of a table of demons.
Eat everything being sold in a meat market, inquiring of nothing because of the conscience,
But if any man say to you, This is a sacrifice to an idol, do not eat for the sake of that man who informed, and the conscience, for the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness of it.
But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for it is one and the same thing as the woman who has been shaven. For if a woman is not covered, let her also shear herself. But if it is an ugly thing for a woman to shear herself or be shaven, she should be covered.
Because of this the woman ought to have authority over her head, because of the heavenly agents.
Now in this that is commanded, I do not praise you, because ye do not assemble for the better but for the worse.
As in all the churches of the sanctified, let the women keep silent in the churches. For it is not permitted for them to speak, but to be subordinate, as the law also says.
and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
But some man will say, How are the dead raised, and with what kind of body do they come?
And about Apollos the brother, I urged him much that he would come to you with the brothers, and it was not at all his will that he should come now, but he will come when he has opportunity.
Now I rejoice, not that ye were grieved, but that ye were grieved for repentance. For ye were grieved toward God, so that ye might suffer loss from us in nothing. For sorrow toward God works repentance for salvation without regret, but the sorrow of the world works death. read more. For behold this same thing--your grieving toward God. How much eagerness it worked in you, even a defense, even indignation, even fear, even longing, even zeal, even vengeance! In everything ye demonstrated yourselves to be pure in
For indeed if a man who comes, preaches another Jesus whom we did not preach, or ye receive another spirit that ye did not receive, or another good-news that ye did not accept, ye well tolerated it. For I reckon to come short in nothing of those, superlative apostles.
Are they Hebrews? I too. Are they Israelites? I too. Are they a seed of Abraham? I too.
I have become foolish, boasting. Ye compelled me, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I came short in nothing of those, superlative apostles, even though I am nothing.