XIII. (1) THIS IS THE THIRD TIME I AM COMING TO YOU. — The words may point either to three actual visits — (1) that of Acts 18:1; (2) an unrecorded visit (of which, however, there is no trace), during St. Paul’s stay at Ephesus; and (3) that now in contemplation — or (1) to one actual visit, as befo... [ Continue Reading ]
I TOLD YOU BEFORE, AND FORETELL YOU... — Better, _I have warned you before_ (referring, probably, to the threat of 1 Corinthians 4:13, and implied in 2 Corinthians 1:23). The chief objects of this rigour were to be those whom he had described previously as “having sinned beforehand” (see Note on 2 C... [ Continue Reading ]
WHICH TO YOU-WARD IS NOT WEAK. — There is still a touch of indignant sadness in the tone in which the words are uttered. Men will not be able to cast that reproach of weakness upon Him whose might they will feel all too keenly.... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THOUGH HE WAS CRUCIFIED THROUGH WEAKNESS... — The better MSS. give another reading, without the contingent or concessive clause: _For even He was crucified._ St. Paul seems to see in Christ the highest representative instance of the axiomatic law by which he himself had been comforted, that stre... [ Continue Reading ]
EXAMINE YOURSELVES, WHETHER YE BE IN THE FAITH; PROVE YOUR OWN SELVES. — The position of “yourselves” in the Greek (before the verb in both clauses) shows that that is the word on which stress is emphatically laid, and the thought grows out of what had been said in 2 Corinthians 13:3 : “You seek a t... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT I TRUST... — Better, _But I hope_... The “we” that follows is emphatic: “whether _you_ fail to pass the test or not, I have a good hope that you will know that _we_ do not fail, whether the test be that which you demand (2 Corinthians 13:3), or that which I apply to myself as in the sight of God... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW I PRAY TO GOD THAT YE DO NO EVIL. — The better MSS. give, _we pray._ The words that follow involve a subtle play of thought and feeling on the two forms of the trial or scrutiny of which he has just spoken. “We pray,” he says, “that you may be kept from doing evil. Our purpose in that prayer is... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR WE CAN DO NOTHING AGAINST THE TRUTH. — Better, perhaps, _we are powerless._ Here, again, the meaning lies below the surface. The first impression which the words convey is that he is asserting his own thoroughness as a champion of the truth, so that it was a moral impossibility for him to do any... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR WE ARE GLAD, WHEN WE ARE WEAK... — The last words cover many shades of meaning. We may think of the weakness of his bodily presence, of his physical infirmities, of the apparent failure of his supernatural powers because the condition of the Corinthian Church, as walking in faith and truth, pres... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE I WRITE THESE THINGS BEING ABSENT... — The words speak of an inner conflict, in which love has triumphed, not without pain, over feelings of bitterness and indignation. The storm has passed, and the sky is again clear. He does not recall what he has written, but he explains and half-apolog... [ Continue Reading ]
FINALLY, BRETHREN, FAREWELL. — The word (literally, _rejoice_) was the natural close of a Greek letter, and is therefore adequately represented by the English “farewell,” if only we remember that it was used in all the fulness of its meaning. “Rejoice — let that be our last word to you.” BE PERFECT.... [ Continue Reading ]
GREET ONE ANOTHER WITH AN HOLY KISS. — The tense of the Greek verb indicates that the Apostle is giving directions, not for a normal and, as it were, liturgical usage, but for a single act. In doing so, he repeats what he had said in 1 Corinthians 16:20. The same injunction appears in Romans 16:16;... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THE SAINTS SALUTE YOU. — The salutation in the First Epistle came, it will be remembered, from the “brethren” of the Church of Asia. This comes from the “saints” of Philippi. The phrase, familiar as it is, is not without interest, as showing that St. Paul, wherever he might be, informed the Chur... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST... — It is not without a special significance that the Epistle which has been, almost to the very close, the most agitated and stormy of all that came from St. Paul’s pen, should end with a benediction which, as being fuller than any other found in the New Testamen... [ Continue Reading ]