1 Corinthians 16:3

And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem. APPROVE BY YOUR LETTERS - rather, 'whomsoever ye shall approve, them will I send with [ dia (G1223) cf. Greek, Romans 2:27; 2 Corinthians 2:4 ] letters'-namely, letters (2 Corinthians 3:1) as credentials to several at Jerusalem. There was no need of letters from them before Paul's coming, if the persons recommended were not to be sent off before it-literally, 'by letters:' abbreviated for, 'I will send, recommending them by letters.' If the English version be retained,...

3._And when I come _As we are cheerful in giving, when we know for certain, that what we give is well laid out, he points out to the Corinthians a method, by which they may be assured of a good and faithful administration — by selecting approved persons, to whom they may intrust the matter. Nay more, he offers his own services, if desired, which is an evidence that he has the matter at heart....

1-9 The good examples of other Christians and churches should rouse us. It is good to lay up in store for good uses. Those who are rich in this world, should be rich in good works, 1 Timothy 6:17; 1 Timothy 6:18. The diligent hand will not make rich, without the Divine blessing, Proverbs 10:4; Proverbs 10:22. And what more proper to stir us up to charity to the people and children of God, than to look at all we have as his gift? Works of mercy are real fruits of true love to God, and are therefore proper services on his own day. Ministers are doing their proper business, when putting forward, or helping works of charity. The heart of...

Verse 1 Corinthians 16:3. _WHOMSOEVER YE SHALL APPROVE BY_ your _letters_] Why should Paul require _letters_ of approbation in behalf of certain persons, when he himself should be _among them_, and could have their characters _viva voce_? It is probable that he refers here to letters of recommendation which they _had_ sent to him while he was away; and he now promises that when he should come to Corinth, he would appoint these persons, whom they had _recommended_, to carry the alms to Jerusalem. If δοκιμασητε, be read _ye shall have_ _approved_, as Bishop Pearce does, the difficulty will vanish. Some MSS. and several _versions_ join διεπιστολων, _by letters_, to the following words, and read the verse thus: _When I come,_ _those whom ye shall approve I will send with letters to bring your_ lib

WHOMSOEVER YE SHALL APPROVE BY YOUR LETTERS - There has been great variety of opinion in regard to the proper construction of this verse. Macknight supposes that the “letters” here referred to were not letters either to or from the apostle, but letters signed and sent by the congregation at Corinth, designating their appointment and their authority. With this interpretation Doddridge coincides; and this is required by the usual pointing of the Greektext, where the comma is inserted after the word letters, as in our translation. But a different interpretation has been proposed by inserting the comma after the word “approve,” so that it shall read, “Whom you approve, or designate, them I will send with letters to convey your charity to Jerusalem.” This is followed by Griesbach, Locke, Rosenmuller, Bloomfield, Beza, Hammond, Grotius, Whitby, etc. Certainly this accords better with the desig...

EXPOSITION 1 CORINTHIANS 16:1 _Directions and arrangements._ 1 CORINTHIANS 16:1 NOW CONCERNING THE COLLECTION FOR THE SAINTS. "The saints" are here the poor Christians at Jerusalem (Romans 15:26). The subject weighed much on St. Paul's mind. First, there was real need for their charity, for at Jerusalem there was as sharp a contrast between the lots of the rich and poor as there is in London, and the "poor saints," being the poorest of the poor (James 2:5), must have often been in deep distress. Not many years before this time, in

AND WHEN I COME,.... To Corinth, as he intended very quickly: WHOMSOEVER YOU SHALL APPROVE BY YOUR LETTERS; that is, such persons as this church should approve, and choose, and fix upon as proper persons to go with their collection; which approbation and choice they would signify by letters to the church, and principal men of it in Jerusalem, giving them a character as men of probity and faithfulness: THEM WILL I SEND. The Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions join the phrase, "by letters", to this clause; according to which reading the sense is, such as the church should choose for this service, the apostle would send with letters of commendation from him, to the elders and church at Jerusalem, recommending them as brethren in the Lord, and to be had in respect, and treated in a Christian manner by them; to which their being messengers from such a church, and having letters from so gr...

2. EXHORTATIONS AND CONCLUSION. CHAPTER 16 _ 1. Concerning Collections. (1 Corinthians 16:1)_ 2. Ministry. (1 Corinthians 16:5) 3. Greetings. (1 Corinthians 16:19) First, in concluding this Epistle, he writes them about collections for the Saints. The same directions, he had given to the assemblies in Galatia. The collection for the Saints was to be taken on the first day of the week in connection with the remembrance of Him who had said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” He did not want to have any collections when he came, His presence might have influenced them in some way and he wanted to avoid this. How different is the collecti

1 CORINTHIANS 16. VARIOUS BUSINESS AND PERSONAL MATTERS. SALUTATION. First (1 Corinthians 16:1) he gives instructions as to the collection for the poor Christians at Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8 f.*, Romans 15:25; Acts 24:17, p. 771). The Church had apparently consulted him on the matter. We have no information as to the injunctions given to the Galatian churches. Every Sunday something should be laid by at home for the purpose. This is the first indication we have of any special importance being attached to Sunday. The term the Lord's day (Revelation 1:10) had not apparently as yet come into use. The term Day of the Sun, w

With regard to the collection for the people of Christ, do you too follow the instructions which I gave to the Churches of Galatia. Every first day of the week each of you must put by and save up whatever his prosperity demands, so that there may be no need to take collections when I arrive. Whenever I arrive, I will send whoever you approve by letter to take your gifts to Jerusalem. If it is fitting for me to go, too, they will travel with me. I will come to you after I have passed through Macedonia. Possibly I may stay with you, or I may even spend the winter with you so that you may speed me on my way wherever I go. I do not want to see you now in the passing, for I hope to stay some time with you, if the Lord permits it. I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a great and effective door stands open to me, although my opponents are many. If Timothy comes, see that he may be able t...