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 I have been informed of you, my brothers, by the family of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
CONCERNING what you wrote to me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman;
I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaiacus, for they supplied your lack,
Watsons
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 good news, not with a wisdom of speech lest the cross of Christ should be without effect.
And we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we may know the things given us by God,
Dare any of you having a business with another be judged by the wicked, and not by the saints?
CONCERNING what you wrote to me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman; but on account of fornications, let each man have his wife, and each woman have her husband. read more. Let the husband render to the wife her due, and in like manner also the wife the husband.
Let the husband render to the wife her due, and in like manner also the wife the husband. The wife has not the right to her body, but the husband; and in like manner the husband has not the right to his body, but the wife.
The wife has not the right to her body, but the husband; and in like manner the husband has not the right to his body, but the wife. Withhold not yourselves from one another, except by agreement for a time that you may be at leisure for prayer, and come together again, that Satan may not tempt you by your incontinence.
Withhold not yourselves from one another, except by agreement for a time that you may be at leisure for prayer, and come together again, that Satan may not tempt you by your incontinence. But this I say by suggestion, not by command. read more. For I wish that all men were even as I am; but each one has his gift from God, and one is of one kind and another of another.
For I wish that all men were even as I am; but each one has his gift from God, and one is of one kind and another of another. And I say to the unmarried and to the widows, that it is good for them to continue as I am;
And I say to the unmarried and to the widows, that it is good for them to continue as I am; but if they have not self-control, let them marry; it is better to marry than to be incontinent. read more. But the married I charge, not I, but the Lord, Let not a wife separate from her husband, and also if she is separated let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to the husband, and let not a husband leave his wife. But to the rest I speak, not the Lord, If any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she is pleased to live with him, let him not leave her; and if any wife has an unbelieving husband and he is pleased to live with her, let her not leave the husband. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the brother; else were your children impure, but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving companion departs, let him depart; the brother or the sister is not bound in such cases; but God has called us to peace. For how do you know, wife, that you will not save your husband? or how do you know, husband, that you will not save your wife? Unless as the Lord has imparted to each one, as God has called each one, so let him walk; and so I appoint in all the churches. Is any one called being circumcised, let him not be uncircumcised; is any one called in uncircumcision, let him not be circumcised.
Is any one called being circumcised, let him not be uncircumcised; is any one called in uncircumcision, let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping God's commandments. read more. Let each one remain in the calling in which he was called; were you called being a servant, care not for it; but if you can be free, use it rather. For the servant called in the Lord is the Lord's freeman; in like manner the called freeman is Christ's servant. You are bought with a price; be not servants of men. Let each one continue, brothers, in the calling in which he was called under God. And concerning the virgins I have no ordinance of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one that has obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.
And concerning things offered to idols we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.
For if any one sees you who have knowledge reclining in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him that is weak be emboldened to eat things offered to idols?
But what the gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God; and I do not wish you to be partakers with demons. You cannot drink the Lord's cup and the cup of demons; you cannot partake at the Lord's table and the table of demons.
Whatever is sold in the market eat, asking no questions for conscience' sake;
But if any one says to you, This has been offered to an idol, eat not for his sake that informed you, and for conscience' sake.
But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered disgraces her head; for it is one and the same as if she was shaved. For if a woman is not veiled then let her hair be cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off, or to be shaved, let her wear a veil.
For this reason ought the woman to have a power [veil] on her head because of the angels.
But I tell you this, not to praise you, that you come together not for the better but for the worse.
As in all the churches of the saints, let your women keep silence in the assemblies; for it is not permitted to them to speak, but to be in subjection, 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 one will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
But concerning Apollos the brother, I have exhorted him much to come to you with the brothers; but he was entirely indisposed to come now, but he will come when he has a convenient time.
now I rejoice, not that you were grieved, but that you grieved to a change of mind; for you were grieved in a godly manner, to suffer injury from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces a change of mind to salvation not to be repented of; but the sorrow of the world produces death. read more. For behold, this same thing, that you grieved in a godly manner, how great diligence it produced in you, what a defense, what indignation, what fear, what desire, what zeal, what a punishment! In every thing you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
For if he that comes preaches another Jesus whom we did not preach, or you receive another spirit which you did not receive, or another gospel which you did not receive, you might well bear it; for I judge that I am not behind the chief of the apostles.
Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the posterity of Abraham? so am I.
I have become foolish; you compelled me. For I ought to have been commended by you; for in nothing am I behind the chief of the apostles, though I also am nothing.