Here, he begins to reprove another fault among the Corinthians — an excessive fondness for litigation, which took its rise from avarice. Now, this reproof consists of two parts. The _first _is, that by bringing their disputes before the tribunals of the wicked, they by this means made the gospel con... [ Continue Reading ]
2._Know ye not that the saints. _Here we have an argument from the less to the greater; for Paul, being desirous to show that injury is done to the Church of God when judgments on matters of dispute connected with earthly things are carried before unbelievers, as if there were no one in the society... [ Continue Reading ]
3._Know ye not that we shall judge angels _? This passage is taken in different ways. Chrysostom states that some understood it as referring to priests, (325) but this is exceedingly far-fetched. Others understand it of the angels in heaven, in this sense — that the angels are subject to the judgmen... [ Continue Reading ]
4._If you have judgments then as to things pertaining to this life _We must always keep in view what causes he is treating of; for public trials are beyond our province, and ought not to be transferred to our disposal; but as to private matters it is allowable to determine without the cognizance of... [ Continue Reading ]
5._I speak to your shame _The meaning is — “If other considerations do not influence you, let it at least be considered by you, how disgraceful it is to you that _there is not so much as one among you _who is qualified to settle an affair amicably among _brethren _— an honor which you assign to _unb... [ Continue Reading ]
7._Now indeed there is utterly a fault. _Here we have the _second _part of the reproof, which contains a general doctrine; for he now reproves them, not on the ground of their exposing the gospel to derision and disgrace, but on the ground of their going to law with each other. This, he says, is a _... [ Continue Reading ]
8._But ye do injury. _Hence we see for what reason he has inveighed against them with so much bitterness — because there prevailed among them such a base desire of gain, that they did not even refrain from _injuring _one another. He premised a little before, with the view of exposing the magnitude o... [ Continue Reading ]
9._Know ye not_, etc. By _unrighteousness _here you may understand what is opposed to strict integrity. The_unrighteous_, then, that is, those who inflict injury on their brethren, who defraud or circumvent others, who, in short, are intent upon their own advantage at the expense of injuring others,... [ Continue Reading ]
11._And such were ye. _Some add a term of speciality: _Such were some of you_, as in Greek the word τινὲς is added; but I am rather of opinion that the Apostle speaks in a general way. I consider that term to be redundant, in accordance with the practice of the Greeks, who frequently make use of it... [ Continue Reading ]
12._All things are lawful for me. _Interpreters labor hard to make out the connection of these things, (345) as they appear to be somewhat foreign to the Apostle’s design. For my own part, without mentioning the different interpretations, I shall state what, in my opinion, is the most satisfactory.... [ Continue Reading ]
13._Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats _Here he shows what use ought to be made of outward things — for the necessity of the present life, which passes away quickly as a shadow, agreeably to what, he says afterwards. (1 Corinthians 7:29.) _We must use this world so as not to abuse it _And... [ Continue Reading ]
14._And God hath also raised up the Lord _He shows from Christ’s condition how unseemly fornication is for a Christian man; for Christ having been _received _into the heavenly glory, what has he in common with the pollutions of this world? _Two _things, however, _are _contained in these words. The _... [ Continue Reading ]
15._Know ye not that our bodies are the members_, etc. Here we have an explanation, or, if you prefer it, an amplification of the foregoing statement. For that expression, _the body is for the Lord_, might, owing to its brevity, be somewhat obscure. Hence he says, as if with the view of explaining i... [ Continue Reading ]
16._Know ye not that he that is joined to an harlot _He brings out more fully the greatness of the injury that is done to Christ by the man that has intercourse with an harlot; for he becomes _one body_, and hence he tears away a member from Christ’s body. It is not certain in what sense he accommod... [ Continue Reading ]
17._He that is joined to the Lord. _He has added this to show that our connection with Christ is closer than that of a husband and wife, and that the former, accordingly, must be greatly preferred before the latter, so that it must be maintained with the utmost chastity and fidelity. For if he who i... [ Continue Reading ]
18._Flee fornication Every sin_, etc. Having set before us honorable conduct, he now shows how much we ought to abhor _fornication_, setting before us the enormity of its wickedness and baseness. Now he shows its greatness by comparison — that this sin alone, of all sins, puts a brand of disgrace up... [ Continue Reading ]
19._Know ye not that your body _He makes use of two additional arguments, in order to deter us from this filthiness. _First_, That _our bodies are temples of the Spirit_; and, _secondly_, that _the Lord has bought us to himself as his property. _There is an emphasis implied in the term _temple_; for... [ Continue Reading ]
20._Glorify God _From this conclusion, it appears that the Corinthians took a liberty to themselves in outward things, that it was necessary to restrain and bridle. The reproof therefore is this he allows that the body is subject to God no less than the soul, and that accordingly it is reasonable th... [ Continue Reading ]