1 Corinthians 1:7 Waiting for Christ. I. St. Paul had found the Corinthians in great darkness of mind, worshipping many different gods, of whom they had different fancies and notions, worshipping the goddess of Pleasure above all. They had a dream of some God, some Father, some Friend; at times the... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Corinthians 1:17 What makes the Cross of Christ of none effect? I. The making it identical with the crucifix, as though the Cross of Christ were nothing more than His crucifixion. II. The exhibition of false doctrine and of speculation concerning the Cross of Christ. III. The exhibition of the... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Corinthians 1:18 The Two Paths. These phrases, "Them that are perishing," "Us which are being saved," have not in themselves to do with the final state of the persons spoken of, not with the state when religious truth has been finally accepted or rejected, but rather with the anterior condition,... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Corinthians 1:21 I. What was the preaching referred to in the text? The word might fairly be rendered "the truth preached," for St. Paul is not thinking of the action and process of announcement, but of the message announced. In his eyes mere discourse or oratory, irrespective of the claims of the... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Corinthians 1:30 Christ the Source of all Blessings. I. St. Paul seems to have had in his mind a conception of the gradual growth of the Christian spirit under the hand of Christ, from its dawn of grace to its final fulfilment in glory. He seems to view Christ as the great Dispenser of the Fathe... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Corinthians 1:30 Righteousness not of Us, but in Us. In every age of the Church, not in the primitive age only, Christians have been tempted to pride themselves on their gifts, or at least to forget that they were gifts, and to take them for granted. Ever have they been tempted to forget their o... [ Continue Reading ]