_Moreover, brethren_ The resurrection of the body being one of the great objects of the faith and hope of Christians, the apostle in this chapter sets before the Corinthians, and all mankind, the proof by which that joyful event is rendered indubitable, namely, that it is a necessary consequence of... [ Continue Reading ]
_For I delivered unto you first of all_ Among the first things, and as the chief articles of the gospel, that which I also received, namely, from Christ himself; _that Christ died for our sins_ Made atonement for them by dying; _according to the Scriptures_ Of the Old Testament, particularly Isaiah... [ Continue Reading ]
_And that he was seen of Cephas_ As mentioned Luke 24:34, who saw him before any of the other apostles. He appeared, indeed, after his resurrection, first of all to Mary Magdalene: but as no woman was employed to testify his resurrection to the world, St. Paul did not think it necessary, in exhibiti... [ Continue Reading ]
_After that he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once_ None of the evangelists have expressly mentioned this appearance, but Matthew seems to hint at it, Matthew 28:10; for probably this appearance was made in Galilee, to which Jesus commanded his disciples to repair, promising that they sh... [ Continue Reading ]
_Last of all_ This evidently implies that our Lord appeared to none of the disciples after his ascension, except to Paul; _he was seen of me also_ He here no doubt speaks of Christ's appearing to him on the way to Damascus, but he does not exclude his other appearances to him. See 1 Corinthians 9:1.... [ Continue Reading ]
_I am the least of the apostles, because I persecuted_, &c. True believers are humbled all their lives for the sins they committed before they repented and believed. _But by the grace of God I am what I am_ A Christian and an apostle; _and his grace upon_ Or toward _me_, in raising me to so high a d... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then is our preaching_ In consequence of a commission supposed to be given after his resurrection; _vain_ Without any real foundation, and destitute of truth; _and your faith_ In our preaching; _is vain_ Is grounded on falsehood and deception; _yea, and we are false witnesses of God_ Having testifi... [ Continue Reading ]
_If in this life only we have hope in Christ_ We, who are exposed to such a variety of dangers and sufferings, for his sake; _we are of all men most miserable_ Ελεεινοτεροι, _most to be pitied;_ that is, if we look for nothing beyond the grave. But if we have a divine evidence of things not seen; if... [ Continue Reading ]
_But now is Christ risen_ Here the apostle declares that Christians have hope not in this life only. His proof of the resurrection lies in a narrow compass, 1 Corinthians 15:12. Almost all the rest of the chapter is taken up in illustrating, vindicating, and applying it. The proof is short, but soli... [ Continue Reading ]
_But every man_ Shall be reanimated, raised, and glorified; _in his own order_ Or in his own band, as τω ιδιω ταγματι more properly signifies, denoting a band of soldiers, a cohort, or legion; the word for _order_ being rather ταξις. According to this interpretation, it is here intimated that the ri... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then_ After the resurrection and the general judgment; _cometh the end_ Of the world, the grand period of all those wonderful scenes that have appeared for so many succeeding generations; _when he shall_ Publicly and solemnly; _have delivered up_ Greek, οταν παραδω, _when he shall deliver up; the_... [ Continue Reading ]
_For he must reign_ Because so it is written, Psalms 110:1; _till he_ God the Father; _hath put all enemies under his feet_ That is, till he hath utterly subdued them to Christ, that he may destroy them. _The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death_ That enemy which continues, in some measure, t... [ Continue Reading ]
_When all things shall be subdued_ Or, rather, _subjected_, (as υποταγη properly signifies,) _unto him_, and there is no longer need of a prophet to teach, nor of a priest to make atonement and intercede, nor of a king to deliver, protect, and govern under God, the Father will resume the government;... [ Continue Reading ]
_Else_, or _otherwise, what shall they do_ What will become of them? what shall they do to repair their loss, who are exposed to great sufferings in consequence of being _baptized for the dead_ That is, say some, “In token of their embracing the Christian faith _in the room of the dead_, who are jus... [ Continue Reading ]
_I protest by your rejoicing_ Greek, νη την υμετεραν καυχησιν ην εχω, _by the boasting concerning you which I have_, namely, on account of your faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. So the clause is interpreted by some critics. _I die daily_ That is, I am daily in danger of death, for bearing testimony to... [ Continue Reading ]
_But some man_ possibly _will say, How are the dead raised up_ After their whole frame is dissolved? _And with what_ kind of _bodies do they come?_ From the dead, after these are mouldered into dust. By the apostle's answer to these inquiries, it appears that he considered the inquirer as not so muc... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou fool_ Greek, αφρον, _without mind_, or _understanding._ Or, thou inconsiderate and thoughtless creature, who thinkest a matter impossible, of the possibility of which thou hast an example in the very seed thou sowest. Macknight thinks the apostle here addresses the false teacher at Corinth, “g... [ Continue Reading ]
_All flesh_, &c. As if he had said, There is an immense variety in the works of God, even in those which fall under the inspection of our senses, feeble and limited as they are, while we dwell in flesh and blood. For we see even earthy bodies differ from earthy, and heavenly bodies from heavenly. Wh... [ Continue Reading ]
_So also is the resurrection of the dead_ So great is the difference between the body which fell and that which rises. It is to be observed, that in this and the following verses, the apostle is giving an account of the righteous only. _It is sown_ A beautiful word; committed as seed to the ground:... [ Continue Reading ]
_And so it is written_ With respect to the animal body, Genesis 2:7. _The first Adam was made a living soul_ God gave him animal life, in many respects resembling that of other animals; _the last Adam was made_ Rather _was_, or _is_, for there is nothing in the original for _made; a quickening Spiri... [ Continue Reading ]
_The first man is_ [was] _of the earth, earthy_ Being from earth, and having forfeited his immortality by sin, he became subject to corruption and dissolution, like the earth from which he came. _The second man is the Lord from heaven_ St. Paul could not well say, “is of, or from heaven, heavenly:”... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now this I say, brethren_ This I offer to your consideration as a great and important truth, that we must first undergo an entire change; for _flesh and blood_ Such as we are now clothed with; _cannot inherit the kingdom of God_ Cannot enter that happy place which Christ hath gone to prepare for th... [ Continue Reading ]
_For this corruptible_ This human nature, which is corruptible; _must_ In order to its partaking of the above-mentioned glory; _put on incorruption_ Be endued with such qualities as shall continue in perpetual vigour, not subject to any alteration; _and this mortal must put on immortality_ So as to... [ Continue Reading ]
_O death, where is thy sting?_ Which once was full of hellish poison. _O grave_ Αδης, _O hades_, the receptacle of separate souls; _where is thy victory?_ Thou art now robbed of thy spoils; all thy captives are set at liberty. “The word _hades_ literally signifies the invisible world, or the world w... [ Continue Reading ]
_The sting of death is sin_ Which arms it with its greatest terrors, and is attended with a foreboding of future misery, as the effect of the divine displeasure. _And the strength of sin_ Which constitutes its malignity, and gives it those killing weapons; _is the law_ As is largely declared Romans... [ Continue Reading ]