Chapter 1

(Verses 1 through 3) "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of GOD, and Sosthenes our brother, unto the church of GOD which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: grace be unto you, and peace, from GOD our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ."

As is his usual manner of writing, the apostle first identifies himself as "Paul, called an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of GOD." It is to be noticed that in our King James Version of the Bible two unnecessary words were added by the translators, making the expression, "called to be an apostle _ _ _."  He was not called "to be" an apostle, but was, by the calling itself, an apostle, just as in verse 2 the expression should read, and in the Greek does read, "them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints", not "called to be saints". GOD'S calling is immediately effective. Paul was called through, or according to the will of GOD. Evidently, there was with Paul a Brother Sosthenes whom Paul includes as one who with him sends this message of greeting to the church of GOD which is at Corinth including those who are sanctified, or set apart, in Christ Jesus, who also are, by the calling of GOD, saints. This word, "saints," is used by the apostle very often. And its usual meaning in his manner of usage is not, as we so often hear it today, those who live in sinless perfection, nor those who have been canonized by some church. But simply those whom GOD has called from death in sin to life in our Lord Jesus the Christ. In addition to those already mentioned Paul extends this address to "all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours." The scripture says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved," and Paul here bears witness to the same, saying that Jesus the Christ is the Lord of all that in every place call upon Him. Having thus identified himself and those to whom he writes, the apostle sets forth his prayer for them as is his custom in his epistles: "Grace be unto you, and peace from GOD our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ."

(Verses 4 through 9) "I thank my GOD always on your behalf, for the grace of GOD which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in every thing ye are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. GOD is faithful, by Whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord."

The apostle expresses his thanks to GOD on the behalf of those addressed, first, "for the grace of GOD that is given you by Jesus Christ." We are constantly hearing brethren declare that it is by GOD'S grace that we are saved and given eternal life. This is certainly a most precious truth, but the grace of GOD does not stop there. It reaches much farther. It is through this same grace that we are by Him enriched in everything, in utterance, or speaking, and in all knowledge. It is also by this grace that the testimony of Christ is confirmed in us. Not only is the testimony of Christ sent forth and presented to us by the grace of GOD, but it is also by this same grace that we are enabled to believe this testimony. Certainly the testimony of Christ would be just as true if we never believed a word of it. Yet it is not, and can not be, confirmed in us until we are by grace given faith to believe it. Then, says the apostle, as the result of this confirmation we do not "come behind," or fall short of any gift while we await the return of our Lord Christ Jesus. He further declares that our Lord Jesus will confirm us "unto the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ," that is, the day of His return in glory. All of this stands sure upon the foundation that GOD, Who called us into the fellowship of His Son, Christ Jesus our Lord is faithful and will not fail His promise or His purpose.

(Verses 10 through 16) "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that everyone of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank GOD that I baptized none of you but Crispus and Gaius; lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other."

Having told these brethren of his joy for the grace that had been given them and having assured them that He, Who had called them, was faithful and would confirm to the end, the apostle turns to different matters. Paul, as the apostle of Jesus the Christ our Lord, had the authority to command these brethren to lay aside all their divisions and wrangling. However, instead of commanding, he begs them to do so, that they might all be joined perfectly together in the same mind and in the same judgment. Not for a moment does he attempt to make them think that this plea is just a precaution to forestall any possible divisions that may come up. Instead he tells them what he has heard and from whom he has heard it. There is insufficient information given for us to know who Chloe was, but it is highly probable that he was well known to the Corinthian Church members. It was the family of Chloe, or some members of that family who had informed Paul that there was contention among the Corinthian brethren; and Paul plainly tells them that this is the reason for his plea to them. It seems that this contention was, at least partly, based upon a preference for one preacher above another. There is perhaps nothing wrong with a simple matter of preference for one over another, as long as it does not cause strife of any sort. But this, according to the apostle's statement, seems to have reached the point at which one person professed to be a follower of one preacher while another claimed allegiance to a different preacher. So Paul asks a very important series of questions: "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?" These are the very questions we need to ask ourselves whenever we are tempted to "take sides" because of preachers. The only change to make is the substitution of the name of the preacher we are tempted to follow for the name of Paul. Certainly this does not mean that we are not to withdraw ourselves from a preacher who is walking contrary to the instructions of our Lord and His apostles, or one who is preaching something contrary to the gospel. But as long as a minister is truly serving the Lord and preaching the gospel of Christ Jesus our Saviour, even if we may not like his personality or manner of preaching quite so well as that of some other of GOD'S servants, we should accord the same love and respect to both and not disturb the fellowship of the saints. Paul tells us that he is thankful that he baptized only a very few of these brethren lest anyone might accuse him of baptizing in his own name. There is only one name in which a believer is to be baptized. That is "the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost". (Matt. 28:19) Recently while witnessing a baptism I heard the minister use a phrase which is totally out of place in such an act. He said, "_ _ _ by the authority vested in me by _____ church, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." There is no place in scripture that even infers, much less says, that the church is able to vest in any man the authority to baptize anyone. In ordaining a man to the work of the ministry the church only acknowledges that God has called the man and given him this authority; and the church's name should in no way be set forth in the ordinance of baptism. The minister either receives his authority directly from our Lord or he does not have it at all; and the only name to be used in the execution of the ordinance of baptism is "the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Paul evidently was sure that those whom he had baptized understood this and would make no claim that he had baptized in his own name.

(Verses 17 through 21) "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of GOD. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not GOD made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of GOD the world by wisdom knew not GOD, it pleased GOD by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."

Paul does not say that Christ forbade him to baptize, but only that this was not the purpose for which He called him. Sometimes men today seem to judge the success or failure of a minister's service by the number of persons he baptizes. Paul was not at all concerned with this statistic, but only with that for which he was called, the preaching of the gospel. He also says that his preaching was "not with wisdom of words," that is, he did not use the big words that intellectuals so delight in that they may show off their "great wisdom." On the contrary, he used simple words and language; and he did it for a purpose. His purpose was to remove all likelihood of the great "wisdom of words" either appealing to the intellect and causing those, who had no interest in the cross but were in love with worldly wisdom, to follow him, or on the other hand, by their being difficult for the common people to understand, concealing the message of the gospel. In either case they would have made the cross of Christ of no effect. Let us here remind you that most often when the Apostle Paul uses the expression, "the cross of Christ," or even "the cross" he is in that phrase embracing all things which Jesus has done for His people from the election of His people in eternity before the world began, through His crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension, and, sometimes, even including those things still in the future, such as His return in glory to gather His elect unto Himself. Paul, instead of mentioning all these things at every turn, uses the phrase, "the cross" or "the cross of Christ" to cover them. Now, the apostle says that to those who perish, that is, those, whose hearts GOD has not prepared to receive the gospel, the preaching of the cross, with all he includes in this expression, is foolishness. Certainly, to one whose eyes have not been opened to his need of a Saviour, it appears foolish to even listen to the gospel. The first thing that must be done before it can mean anything to him is that he be convinced that he is lost and in need of a Saviour. This can be done only by the Holy Ghost. Until it is done, the gospel is foolishness to him. On the other hand, those unto whom GOD has given faith and whom He has saved see the power of GOD in all things embraced in Paul's expression, "the cross." In all that Jesus did there shines forth the power of God, and it is especially manifested in the resurrection of Jesus the Christ from the dead. Paul then quotes a promise of GOD, which was written long before, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." His next three questions call attention to the fact that GOD has done exactly what He said that He would. The Old Testament is filled with examples of GOD'S use of very simple things to accomplish things that the great and wise men of Israel could not do. One of these outstanding examples took place when a young shepherd boy went out to inquire about his brothers who were in the army of Israel . When he arrived at the camp he found the whole army stopped, and, as it were, held at bay by one enemy soldier. His brothers who were older and, as they thought, wiser than he, looked with disdain upon this little shepherd as he volunteered to go out and fight the challenger. But listen to his answer to them: "The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." Almost everyone is familiar with this story. Read also II Kings 7:1-20 for the account of another instance of GOD'S use of very simple things to bring to nothing the wisdom of the wise. In this example one of the king's counselors, "a lord on whose hand the king leaned," even ridiculed GOD'S prophecy as delivered by Elisha. He asked, "Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be?" Nevertheless, GOD'S word stood firm, and was fulfilled to the letter. So it is with the great work of salvation. Men who have been considered wise, and some even today who are thought to be wise leaders, have worked, and are working, to save man from destruction. Everyone is a complete failure because no one is wise enough to properly diagnose man's trouble and no one is able to furnish a cure for it if it were diagnosed. GOD has provided both the diagnosis and the treatment, not a treatment that may work, but one that always works and never fails. He has diagnosed man's disease as "sin". And the antidote for it is that Jesus came into this world, took upon Himself a body of flesh without sin, took upon that body the sins of His elect, and offered that body, on the cross of Calvary , in sacrifice to GOD for those sins. Then, after dying and being buried, He arose from the grave just as the prophets of GOD had foretold; and His testimony rings forever, "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." So GOD has indeed made the wisdom of this world to be utter foolishness. It cannot fathom His works or His ways. The apostle makes a summation of this in these words, "For after that in the wisdom of GOD the world by wisdom knew not GOD it pleased GOD by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." There are three primary points for consideration in this statement. They are the wisdom of GOD, the wisdom of the world by which it did not know GOD, and the "foolishness of preaching." The wisdom of GOD is so great that if we spent the rest of our lives discussing it, we would not even "scratch the surface" of it. Yet for Paul's meaning at this point we do not have to try to look into the secrets of GOD'S wisdom. His meaning here is simply that God in His infinite wisdom is eternally aware that man, or "the world," by his own wisdom will not, and indeed can not, come to the knowledge of GOD. Man may, from consideration of the material world as it has been made, come to the realization that there must be a Creator of all the things created, as Paul tells us in Romans 1:19. "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead." Nevertheless, as the apostle continues at that place, he says that man does not come to any knowledge of GOD'S righteousness and neither does he come to any saving knowledge of GOD that he might be thankful and honor Him as GOD. Since GOD in His wisdom knew this even in eternity before the world began, it was pleasing to Him to send forth His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus our Lord, that He would, by the sacrifice of Himself, save His people from their sins. (Isaiah 53:10) "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand." The wisdom of the world can not understand this. To understand it one must first be convicted in his heart that he is a sinner, condemned before a just and holy GOD, and absolutely helpless to better his condition; but the wisdom of the world is based on a totally different foundation. That foundation is that man is the wisest and greatest being in the world, and that he is master of his own destiny. Man has appropriated to himself the title of "Homo Sapiens," literally meaning, "Man the Wise." With such as this for a foundation, is it any wonder that the world by its wisdom does not and can not know GOD? So with this background Paul says, "It pleased GOD by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe". Not a single time did he say, or even infer, that it is by foolish preaching, nor even by any kind of preaching, that He saves them that believe. Rather, it is by the "foolishness of preaching" that He does it; and the foolishness of preaching is that which we have pointed out above, the death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and the promised return of our Lord Jesus the Christ. All of this is to the world foolishness. Many look upon the expression, "them that believe," as being conditional; and they think that the unbeliever must first believe that Jesus is his Saviour before He will save him. On the contrary, this expression, like so many others in the word of GOD, is simply descriptive, identifying those who are saved.

(Verses 22 through 25) "For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of GOD and the wisdom of GOD. Because the foolishness of GOD is wiser than men; and the weakness of GOD is stronger than men."

Here Paul sets forth the attitude of the Jews who had for so long maintained, not so much the law of GOD, as their interpretations of His law in their religion, as they sought salvation by their own self-righteousness. As we read the accounts of the gospel we find various times when the Jews asked our Lord for a sign that they might believe Him, while at the same time they beheld the miracles He worked and still did not believe. On one occasion He told them that no sign would be given them except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Because of this attitude of the Jews Paul uses them representatively of all who seek salvation by their own righteousness believing that their way is the right way and no one can have access to GOD except by the means of which they approve. To change anything about their doctrine or ritual they must have some great and astonishing sign; howbeit they are so enwrapped in their own traditions that they do not recognize a sign when they see it. The Greeks, on the other hand were polytheistic, as indeed were most Gentiles; and they, as Paul witnessed in Athens , wanted to worship all the gods and, lest they overlook one, they even erected an altar to "The Unknown God." However, their principal pursuit was wisdom, or what they perceived as wisdom. This wisdom was, of course, only of a worldly nature and therefore could never bring them to GOD. So the apostle uses them to represent that segment of humanity that is so in love with worldly wisdom that it has no interest in religion other than what man may design, and then only in a superficial manner. Thus we have both segments of the human race represented; the Jews representing the self-righteous religionist who seeks salvation by his own works, and the Greeks representing the humanist who considers man's wisdom the greatest thing in the world. As he continues, Paul declares that what we preach does not appeal to either of them. We preach Christ crucified. If we preach Christ crucified, we must show some necessity for His crucifixion, and we must show something accomplished by this event. The necessity for His crucifixion is that man's righteousness is worthless in the sight of GOD. This is immediately offensive to him who trusts in his own righteousness; and it thus becomes a stumbling block to him. To show any accomplishment by this crucifixion we must prove that it was acceptable to GOD. To do this we must preach Christ risen from the dead: otherwise we would be found in the position Paul describes later in this same epistle, "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain and your faith is also vain. _ _ _ For if the dead rise not, then Christ is not raised: and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins". Except for the witnesses who saw Jesus after His resurrection, man has never seen the resurrection and therefore it is not included in the wisdom of the world. Men may listen to some things preached by a gospel minister. But when the subject of the resurrection is brought up, their reaction is clearly described in Acts 17:32. "And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter." Some ridiculed it immediately as foolishness, while others were a little more courteous but at the same time wanted no part of such doctrine. It was just as foolish to them. The question then arises, "Since it is a stumbling block to some and of course they do not want it, and it is foolishness to the rest, how can we reach anyone and convince him that the gospel is true?" The next verse gives the answer, "But to them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of GOD, and the wisdom of GOD." Obviously the call of which the apostle speaks here is the same as that in verse 2 where he says,"_ _ _ to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints." So when GOD calls one, whether Jew or Greek, that which had been either a stumbling block or foolishness to him is suddenly seen for what it is, "the power of GOD, and the wisdom of GOD. Because the foolishness of GOD is wiser than men; and the weakness of GOD is stronger than men." Paul is by no means saying that GOD is either foolish or weak; but man does consider the gospel as foolishness. Yet it is far wiser than all the wisdom of the world. Man also considers the longsuffering of GOD as weakness. The fact that GOD suffers the wicked to continue in his wickedness until the time He has appointed for judgment, whether it be as He sent upon Sodom and Gomorrha, or the great day of final judgment, is sometimes taken by man as weakness. Nevertheless, at His time GOD does that which He sees fit; and all men together can not stop Him nor even slow the onslaught of His judgments. That which they thought so weak has overtaken them; and they are forced to acknowledge its strength. That which the world considers the most outstanding weakness on the part of GOD is that, in the person of Jesus the Christ, He submitted Himself to the hands of men and at their hands suffered the death of the cross. The world can not understand that this was in reality the power of GOD in operation. Through this He paid the ransom price for every one of His elect from the beginning of time to the last moment that shall ever grace this earth. This is the power of GOD; and only as a result of this did He manifest His strength in the resurrection of Jesus our Lord from the dead. His "foolishness" is indeed wiser than men, and His "weakness" stronger than men.

(Verses 26 through 29) "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but GOD hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and GOD hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath GOD chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in His presence."

Once in a while GOD calls a "Nicodemus" or a "Joseph of Arimathaea;" but there are not many of them called, in comparison to the multitudes of the poor and even the outcasts: and the apostle says that there is a great reason for this. Instead of calling the wise, the powerful, and the noble or great ones, GOD has called the foolish, the weak, those who are despised, and even those who are considered as nothing at all, that by them He may show forth His power and glory in its proper light, far superior to all that the world considers wise and great, thus bringing to nothing that which is so highly prized by the world. And the purpose of this is "that no flesh should glory in His presence." When all the vaunted wisdom, power, nobility, wealth, and everything else in which the world takes pride are shown to be nothing but vanity and emptiness, there is nothing left in which the flesh, unregenerate humanity, can glory or boast.

(Verses 30 and 31) "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of GOD is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."

(Verses 1 through 5) "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of GOD. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of GOD."

In order to appreciate fully what the Apostle Paul is here saying, we need to remind ourselves of his educational background. I do not suppose that anyone today is able to determine the exact level of his education in comparison to the degrees conferred by our modern universities upon scholars. But it is certain that he was highly enough educated that he would have been able to use words of man's wisdom, and very enticing and persuasive ones at that. No doubt, since the doctors of the law engaged in much discussion and debate, and as Paul was a disciple, "brought up at the feet," of Gamaliel, a doctor of the law still held in high regard by the Jews, he was trained in oratory and debate. So it is very evident that Paul had the ability and training to use the words of man's wisdom and the excellency of speech, or eloquent speech, designed to persuade men to his point of view. Yet he laid all this aside and preached in the simple language of the common people, leaving the matter of persuasion in the hands of the Holy Ghost, that their faith might in no wise be founded upon the wisdom of man. But be established by, and upon, the power of GOD through the Holy Ghost. He was determined to know nothing among them but "Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." That is, he would recognize nothing else as having any part in salvation. Certainly, in the phrase, "Jesus Christ, and Him crucified," is included far more than just the activities on Golgotha . There must be the necessity of such a sacrifice, man's sin and consequent fall. Then there must be GOD'S eternal purpose, wherein "He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him, in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will_ _ _" together with the promises of His coming, which GOD gave us by His prophets through the ages. Also the wonderful works that He did and the precious things that He taught while here on earth; then the crucifixion itself and His glorious resurrection from the dead, and finally His promised return to receive His own unto Himself and to bring judgment upon the world. All these things are embodied in the apostle's expression, "Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." Where this is preached in simple language and from the heart, the faith of the believers will "not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of GOD."

(Verses 6 through 11) "Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought. But we speak the wisdom of GOD in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which GOD ordained before the world unto our glory: which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which GOD hath prepared for them that love Him. But GOD hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of GOD. For what man knoweth the things of man, save by the spirit of man, which is in him? even so the things of GOD knoweth no man, but by the Sprit of GOD."

Having shown how worthless is the wisdom of the world in relation to salvation, the Apostle Paul says that in spite of this he did speak wisdom among those who are "perfect," or "mature," as it can also be rendered. Still this wisdom is not that of this world. For not even the princes, or great leaders of this world knew anything about it. If they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. This wisdom which is spoken among mature Christians is a mystery, a secret, hidden from the world. The apostle by no means intends to say, or even hint, that our speech among mature Christians is, or should be the using of words in a mysterious manner as some seem to think was done in the writing of the Holy Bible. Many seem to believe that it is written in such a mysterious manner that it does not at all mean what it says, but that it has to be taken and interpreted by a master key of heraldic symbols to mean something entirely different. This they call "spiritualizing." They will say, "I do not spiritualize the scriptures. The Holy Ghost does the spiritualizing." This sounds very good, but it leaves a very important question without answer. This is the question, "If the Holy Ghost does the spiritualizing, why does one come up with such different meanings from another?" We might well paraphrase a question asked by the Apostle Paul in chapter 1, verse 13 of this same epistle, "Is the Holy Ghost divided?" No. This hidden wisdom is the same as that of which Paul spoke in chapter 1, verse 30, "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of GOD is made unto us wisdom_ _ _." Our Lord is this secret which the world neither does nor can know unless and until GOD opens their eyes, ears, and hearts. It is of Him we speak; and the apostle has already given us as a pattern for our manner of speaking that which he himself did. We are to depend, not upon oratory, great and enticing words, or high sounding phrases, but simply upon the "demonstration of the Spirit and of power." The reason why none of the leaders of this world knew this wisdom is that "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which GOD hath prepared for them that love Him." Those things which are not seen by the eye, heard by the ear, nor imagined by the heart of man can not be known nor understood by the world, so this leaves the world completely out so far as this mystery, or secret, is concerned. On the other hand, those who do know Him are in a totally different situation. "But GOD hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of GOD." We should not try to over extend the statement, "But GOD hath revealed them to us by His Spirit," to the point of thinking that God has shown us everything of His secret counsels; for this is elsewhere denied in scripture. The Apostle John expressly says, "_ _ _and it doth not yet appear what we shall be_ _ _." We do, however, have all that is necessary to our well being as servants of GOD revealed to us by His Spirit, in two ways. First, it is by His Spirit that the prophets and apostles were inspired to pen down those things, which they did; and second, it is that same Spirit Who enables us to believe His word. Surely, the Spirit does indeed search, or know, all things, even the deep, or secret, things of GOD. Paul tells us, Romans 8:26 , "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." When we are too confused, or too distressed, to even be able to think clearly; or burdened so that we do not even know what we ought to pray for, the Spirit comes to our rescue with groanings that we cannot even utter. For He knows all things, even those of GOD'S most secret counsel. Now, the apostle says that just as no one knows the things of man by any means other than the spirit of man, which is in him, so no one knows the things of GOD except by the Spirit of GOD. We are well aware that it is by the human spirit, which includes the mind and intellect of man, that we know, or in its usage here, more properly "understand," the things of humanity. The things of GOD are on a higher plane than these, and therefore can be known, or understood, only by the Spirit of GOD. Since, therefore, GOD has given us His Spirit, it is by, and only by, that Spirit, that we know the things of GOD.

(Verses 12 and 13) "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Which is of GOD; that we might know the things that are freely given us of GOD. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual."

These verses seem to be reasonably self-explanatory, setting forth the fact that we who are called of GOD, whether called as apostles, as was Paul, or called as saints, as are all of GOD'S elect, have been given, not the spirit of this world which is contrary to GOD and uplifting to the wisdom and glory of man, but the Spirit of GOD, that Spirit which "searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of GOD." One thing, however, we must keep in mind always. That is, that we are not given the Spirit without measure as was our Lord Jesus the Christ. (John 3:34) "For He Whom GOD hath sent speaketh the words of GOD: for GOD giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him.") But it is rather in the same manner as we are given grace. And that is set forth by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." Therefore, although the Spirit "searcheth all things," He may not reveal all to us. If He did, we would no doubt be more high-minded than we are with the little knowledge He does reveal to us. Yet by the Spirit, Which He has given us we are brought to "know the things that are freely given us of GOD." According to the Apostle Paul, the greatest of these is love, or charity. See chapter 13 of this epistle. These are the things of which we speak in our discussions with one another, comparing these "spiritual things" one to another; not being concerned with the great words of man's wisdom, but speaking the simple words of truth that are taught by the Holy Ghost. And by our actions, as much as by words, we manifest the indwelling of the Spirit of GOD.

(Verses 14 through 16) "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of GOD: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ."

"The natural man," is a phrase that, of course, refers to the man in nature, who has not been born of the Spirit of GOD, and has not been given that Spirit. While he is in this condition, everything pertaining to GOD and godliness is foreign to him and has no appeal for him. He is interested in only that which he can see, hear, taste, smell, or feel, with his natural senses, or reason out with his natural mind. And since the things of GOD do not fall within this scope, if he ever hears anything about them he considers them foolishness, and will not, as he thinks, waste his time with such. On the other hand, one who has been blessed with the Spirit of GOD is thereby able to "judge all things," both natural and spiritual, since he still has a natural mind by which to "judge" natural things, and by the Spirit has been given a spiritual mind by which he can "judge" spiritual things. The Greek verb, "anakrino," which is here translated "judge," does not carry in this usage any idea of sitting in judgment on, or condemning, anyone or anything, but rather the idea of appraising or evaluating the excellency of that which is considered. In this sense the spiritual man is able to judge all things, while at the same time no man, that is, no natural man, can in this sense judge him that is spiritual. Because no natural man has ever known the mind of the Lord, and therefore no man can instruct Him. "But we have the mind of Christ." Certainly, no one would claim that we have the mind of Christ to the degree that we might instruct Him. But if we are born of the spirit, we have to some extent been given also the mind of Christ that we may be able to discern the things of the Spirit and believe the word of GOD.

(Verses 1 through 4) "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?"

As noted earlier, the Apostle Paul is addressing people who have been called of GOD from a state of death in sin into life, or as he said, "called to be saints". It should also be noted that he makes a distinction between a "carnal" saint and a "natural man." His message here is to "carnal saints." And he tells them that he can not speak to them as unto spiritual, but only as unto carnal, or as babes in Christ; because they have not been, and still are not, able to receive such instruction, or "meat," but must be fed only on "milk." Obviously, his analogy is that "meat" is advanced teaching while "milk" is only the simplest truths of our Lord. The criterion upon which he bases this judgment is that they have envying, strife, and divisions among them; and therefore they must be carnal. Does this not give us the answer to the question we so often hear today? "Why are there such a coldness in, and such a turning away from the church today?" We have all three of the things listed above in our present day churches, and in abundance. If in Paul's day that proved a church to be carnal, does it prove something different at the present time? Certainly, NOT. If then we are carnal, what appeal can our assembly have for the little child of GOD who is seeking rest? If we look a little further we will find all the evils that Paul will call to our attention in this epistle to a greater, or lesser degree firmly entrenched in our present day churches also. They flourish among carnal Christians. Always such carnality weakens the church so that it is no longer able to receive "meat" but must be fed "milk" only. Here, for the sake of simplicity, Paul groups all these divisions into one and uses it to clinch the fact that they are carnal instead of spiritual. "For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?"

(Verses 5 through 9) "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but GOD gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but GOD that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with GOD: ye are GOD'S husbandry, ye are GOD'S building."

Paul's question in verse 5 is only a more emphatic way of saying the same thing that he repeats in verse 7. He is simply setting forth the fact that no apostle, and for that matter, no gospel minister is worthy of honor for his preaching and drawing together the hearers thereof any more than is the servant of the man who owns the field worthy of any honor for the harvest of a crop that he was sent to plant or water. All he has done is to plant or water. GOD gives the increase; and if He does not give the increase, all the planting and watering in the world will not produce it. The work of both planter and waterer would be in vain had not GOD blessed the work. Paul then says that he, the one who planted, and Apollos, the one who watered, are one, that is, they are in full agreement and are servants of the same Lord; and both will receive their rewards from their Master according to their own labor. Therefore there is no excuse for the division that has occurred among the brethren. He sums up this part of the matter thus: "For we are labourers together with GOD: ye are GOD'S husbandry, ye are GOD'S building." Since we are only servants to do that for which GOD has called us, whether it be to plant or to water, you are not our harvest nor our building, but that of our Master, even though He has made use of us to plant and water.

(Verses 10 and 11) "According to the grace of GOD which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

Thus the Apostle Paul sets the agenda for all the work of the gospel ministry. First of all he gives honor to Him to Whom it belongs, by saying, "According to the grace of GOD which is given unto me_ _ _." He lays no claim to any ability of his own, but declares that it is altogether according to the grace which GOD has given him that he was made a sufficiently wise master builder to lay the foundation for the gospel ministry and the Christian profession. He then cautions every man who builds upon this foundation to take heed how he builds. No man can lay any other foundation for this than that which is already laid. That foundation can be no other than Jesus the Christ. Before any man can even work on this building he must confess, that Christ Jesus is the Son of GOD; that He died for our sins; that He arose from the dead; that he ascended back to the Father; and that He is now awaiting the appointed time to return and gather unto Himself all the elect of GOD. If one attempts to lay any other foundation, he must be working on some other building; for this is the only foundation that can be laid for the gospel ministry and the Christian profession. Then Paul gives instruction to those who will build upon this foundation.

(Verses 12 through 15) "Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If a man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

This might in some measure apply to every believer in our Lord Jesus the Christ, but it seems that its principal thrust is to gospel ministers. Paul has just been discussing the ministry. He said, "I have planted, Apollos watered," and a little later, "_ _ _I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon." Then he declares that the foundation is laid, and there can be no other than, that which is laid, which is Jesus the Christ. Therefore every gospel minister must build upon this same foundation. That is, in his work he must first recognize that the power that supports the whole building of GOD is Christ Jesus and the work He has done in the salvation of sinners. Nevertheless, even on this foundation, he must be careful what materials he uses and how he builds. The apostle then names six materials, all of which were then, and in some places still are, in use for building. He could have named many more, but these suffice to show the range of materials. Obviously, the first three are the most enduring as well as the most valuable. Although fire can be made hot enough to melt gold and silver, it does not consume them as it does wood, hay, and stubble. About the only use hay and stubble have ever had in building is for thatching a roof or covering the side of a temporary building, while gold, silver, and precious stones are used for adorning structures that are intended to be permanent. To these various materials may be compared the doctrines and practices of ministers in their service to GOD and His saints. We have observed within the past fifty years a flood of ideas and doctrines that have come in among the churches, and have even been embraced by some sincere believers, that can be, and are being used, to throw up a quick screen for sinners, as can be done with hay and stubble. These doctrines all seem to have one common root. That is the presentation of every character mentioned in the Holy Bible, regardless of how evil he may have been, or what judgment GOD may have declared against him, as a "child of GOD in disobedience" whom GOD will finally save in spite of everything, thus giving the sinner comfort in the thought that "if he did it I can do it," and so he continues on in his sin with no sign of repentance. Such as this will indeed prove to be hay and stubble; and when it is tried by fire, they who have attempted to build with it will see it completely consumed, a life's labor "gone up in smoke." If they even with such poor materials, are building upon the true foundation, Jesus the Christ, Paul says that they themselves shall be saved, "yet so as by fire." On the other hand, they who maintain, by both teaching and practice, the doctrines that have stood the test of time; such as, that a tree is known by its fruit, and that GOD'S word, not my interpretation nor yours, is the standard of truth, etc., may not build quite so fast, but when the work is tried by fire, they will receive the reward of seeing their work stand. Certainly there are many other things that can be mentioned on both sides of this proposition, but space will not permit the listing of all, if we were able to think of all of them. As before mentioned, this can be extended to others as well as ministers although we believe that they are its primary concern.

(Verses 16 and 17) "Know ye not that ye are the temple of GOD , and that the Spirit of GOD dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of GOD , him shall GOD destroy; for the temple of GOD is holy, which temple ye are."

There have been many arguments about this quotation. Some argue that, in verse 16 the apostle intends that since the Spirit of GOD dwells in each believer individually, the body of each believer is the temple of GOD ; and that, verse 17 means, if any believer takes into his body anything that defiles it, such as tobacco, alcohol, drugs, etc., GOD will destroy that body.  While I would certainly concur that we should not do anything that will defile the body, I believe that the apostle is considering something a little different, especially in view of the fact that he does, later in this epistle address the subject of defiling this body. When he says, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of GOD ," he is addressing more than one person, "ye," the plural. At the same time he follows this with the singular of "temple," thus signifying that these, in aggregate, make up one temple of GOD . This agrees with the Apostle Peter's statement in I Peter 2:5, "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house _ _ _." In the clause, "the Spirit of GOD dwelleth in you," the Greek word which is translated "in" can also mean "among." Thus it seems that Paul's meaning is that "the temple of GOD " is "the church of GOD ." And although, in the greater sense, all of GOD'S elect together make up only one church, or temple, yet we often speak of a church as being the local assembly of saints instead of considering the entire body. The apostle often wrote in that same manner. So it seems that in this instance he has in view the local assembly to whom he addressed this letter. Then he says, "If any man defile the temple of GOD , him shall GOD destroy; for the temple of GOD is holy, which temple ye are." In this sentence the words, "defile" and "destroy," used respectively of the temple and the man who defiles it, are translations of the same Greek word, which can mean "corrupt, defile, or destroy". This word does not, however, carry quite so grave an emphasis upon destruction as do the Greek words "apollumi" and "apolluo," which are often used in the New Testament, and carry the thought of destroying eternally, or when concerning people, consigning to eternal misery. The word used here, although it can mean, "to punish with death," also can mean "to bring to want" or "bring to ruin." So the meaning here seems to be that GOD will bring to ruin any one who defiles a church by corrupting it or leading it astray.

(Verses 18 through 20) "Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with GOD. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain."

There can be no doubt that this is a caution to all of us not to pursue the wisdom of this world too far; and certainly not to consider it as making us better Christians. To do so is to deceive ourselves. Of course we have to understand some things of worldly wisdom in order to be able to work at our worldly occupations, but we are not to rely upon that wisdom to bring us closer to GOD. It always leads in the opposite direction. If anyone of us begins to think himself wise in the world and to esteem worldly wisdom as a worthwhile goal, "let him become a fool, that he may be wise." That is, let him renounce and lay aside his love for and dependence upon worldly wisdom and realize that the only true wisdom is Jesus the Christ. As Paul has already said, I Cor. 1:30, "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, Who of GOD is made unto us wisdom_ _ _." This is the only wisdom recognized of GOD. Worldly wisdom is foolishness with Him. "For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness." Not only the Old Testament, but even secular history itself is full of incidents that show how easily, after wise men of the world have so meticulously planned every detail of some great undertaking, GOD has brushed it aside and brought about what He pleased, thus taking them "in their own craftiness." He knows the thoughts of the wise, even before they think them; and He knows that they are vain, empty, and useless. So worldly wisdom is not the great prize, men think it to be.

(Verses 21 through 23) "Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is GOD'S."

Because the thoughts of the wise are vain we are not to glory in men. We are not to think that man, with all his boasted wisdom can control his destiny, or ours. So we are to have no confidence in the wisdom of man. Yet the principal reason given here for not glorying in man is: "For all things are yours." Now, this is by no means intended to teach that we have a right to appropriate to ourselves anything, which according to the laws and regulations of man is claimed by someone else. Certainly, as "heirs of GOD and joint heirs with Jesus Christ," all things are ours, but the appointed time for our receiving the inheritance has not yet come. Nevertheless, as heirs of GOD all things are ours; and we are awaiting the time our Father has appointed for us to receive the inheritance of which we, even now have the earnest, the sealing "with that Holy Spirit of promise." Thus we have more than man has ever given us, or can ever give us. So there is no reason whatsoever to glory in man. The apostle names some of the things, which he considers in his statement of all things that are ours. It is no doubt because of their division over the fact that some liked one preacher better than another that the first items on his list are ministers, Paul, Apollos, and Cephas. Certainly it is for the benefit of the saints that GOD has called ministers and sent them forth to preach the gospel. So whatever good is to be derived from any minister's service is for the body, the church, and not for himself, nor any other member alone. Paul, by saying this points out that there is no need for divisions over ministers. You do not belong to them; they belong to you. Not only do the ministers belong to us, as a gift from GOD, but also "the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours." "Kosmos," here translated "world," refers not to the wickedness in the world, nor to the wicked people in it, but to the universe. Since GOD created it and He has made us heirs of that which belongs to Him, it is ours also. So also is life, even eternal life, because that is His gift to us through Christ Jesus our Lord. Some may wonder why the apostle says that death is ours. We usually do not like to consider death. Perhaps it might enlighten us a little to remember the message sent back to headquarters by an army officer after a victory in battle: "We have met the enemy, and they are ours". We have not yet engaged that great enemy, death, in the final battle; but our Lord has promised us the victory; and since His word can not fail we can even now speak of that monster as if the battle were already over and he already vanquished. So everything is ours by virtue of the remainder of the apostle's statement, "And ye are Christ's; and Christ is GOD'S." Nothing worthwhile that we have belongs to us by the merit of man, but all by our relation to our Lord Jesus the Christ. We are His; and He is GOD'S.

(Verses 1 through 5) "It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath done this deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."

Here the apostle charges the church with being what we commonly call an "accessory after the fact" to the sin committed by one of its members. This sin was so widely known that it was commonly reported even in Philippi , the place from which Paul is said to have written this epistle. Also this sin is one that is so heinous that it is not even acceptable among the heathens, or, as it is translated in our K. J. V., "the Gentiles." This man had committed fornication with his father's wife. Nothing is said about whether it was a single act or an on going thing, not that this would make the sin greater or lesser, but if it was on going, this might account for its being so widely known. One might keep in mind that polygamy was more the style of marriage in Corinth at that time than was monogamy. So the woman was not necessarily the mother of the man involved in the sin; but such conduct was still completely contrary to GOD'S laws, and even reprehensible to the heathen. Not only was this terrible sin known to the church; but they, instead of being in sorrow and praying that God might "take away" this man from among them, were "puffed up" about it. Apparently they thought that by their holding to him and doing nothing about the matter they were proving themselves to be so spiritual that they could forgive a brother for even such a sin as this. However the apostle has a totally different view of the matter. He says that they should rather have "mourned that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you." This language has no reference to excluding, or excommunicating, a person. Had this been Paul's intent, no doubt he would have said, "that you might put away from among you" such a person. Instead he said, "that he that hath done this deed might BE TAKEN AWAY from among you," signifying that he should be removed by some power other than theirs. Then he says that although he is not present with them in body, he is in spirit; and not only so, but he has already judged the matter and decided what to do with this man just as if he were present with them. At this point it must be remembered that Paul was an apostle of our Lord and, as such, he had been given by our Lord powers of both making and executing judgments that no one since the apostles has ever had. For an example of the use of this power that was given him, see Acts 13:6-12. In the present matter he tells us that this is his judgment of the case. "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." First of all, notice that this is to be done when they are gathered together, not that they are to do it, but that it is to be done publicly with them as eyewitnesses. It will even be done while Paul is absent from them in the body but present with them in "spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ," and it will be done "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is evident that that which is to be done is to be done, not by the church, but by the spirit of the Apostle Paul with the power of our Lord Jesus the Christ, and in the name of our Lord Jesus the Christ. Thus this man is to be delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, or body, that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus. That is, he will be struck with a physical malady of some sort, which will cause him to suffer and finally come down to death as a result thereof. And this destruction of the body may be used of the Lord to bring him to repentance "that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." In this instance, "the day of the Lord Jesus" refers to either the day in which He will call this man away by death, or to the resurrection.

(Verses 6 through 8) "Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

Having told these brethren the judgment that has been decreed for the man who had committed this heinous sin, the apostle rebukes them again for their glorying in this thing. He reminds them that, in the making of bread, a little leaven does not just remain in a small area of the dough, but permeates the whole lump. Since our Lord also used this illustration of the kingdom of heaven, it should readily be understood that Paul's reference here is to the fact that any sin committed by a member of the church and known to the church but passed by without rebuke makes the church also guilty. He then tells them to "purge out the old leaven". This is not to be construed as meaning that they are to "purge out" this man who has committed this sin. For he has already told them that with the authority of an apostle, his spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus the Christ, and in the name of our Lord Jesus, will take care of that matter. What these brethren are now to do is to purge out this idea they had that it was all right to pass over such sins and hold such sinners in high regard. So they are to purge out this old leaven that they may be a new lump and unleavened. We are to do this because the Christ, who is our Passover, has been sacrificed for us. "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." In the former expression, "the old leaven," it seems obvious that the apostle was referring, as noted above, to the idea they had of "winking at" sin; but in the latter phrase he probably is considering the ritualistic service under the law, which in the Christ is set aside. At the same time, however, it seems that an exaggerated interpretation of this may have been the downfall of these brethren in the first place. It seems that they, perhaps, had reasoned, as some do today, that since we are no longer under the law, we are free to do whatever we wish; for after all, Jesus paid the price for our sins, and they cannot be reckoned against us anymore. Certainly this would not be the old leaven of the legal service, but it would surely be "the leaven of malice and wickedness." Therefore we are to shun it also. We should remember what the Apostle John said, 1 John 3:3, "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure". So then "let us keep the feast_ _ _with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." Surely, everyone would recognize that in Paul's use of the phrase, "let us keep the feast", his meaning is "let us live the Christian life."

(Verses 9 through 11) "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then ye must needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat."

The epistle to which Paul refers here evidently has been lost, so we need not to inquire what it may have contained. Nevertheless the apostle mentions one item of instruction, which he had written in that letter to this church; and here he takes great pains to make clear his meaning to these brethren. He had told them to keep no company with such evil persons as he went on to name. Then, lest anyone might from this infer, as some have, that in order to live a Christian life one must completely withdraw from society and live the life of a hermit, or recluse, he explains that this is not at all his meaning. He was well aware that if we have absolutely no contact with such persons we must go completely out of the world. So his meaning is that, although we certainly should not desire nor seek the company of such persons we still may have contact with them in the carrying on of necessary business in the matter of living in this world. But if one who is called a brother, that is, one who is considered a member of the church, be such, we are to withdraw ourselves from him and let our displeasure at his manner of life be known. We are not even to eat with such. Some may think that the phrase, "to eat," has reference to taking of meals together, and this may be included in it, but it seems that its primary meaning is, the taking of communion with him. He is to be barred from participation therein.

(Verses 12 and 13) "For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without GOD judgeth. Therefore put away from yourselves that wicked person."

The apostle gives his reason why we are not to think that we must cut off all contact with the wicked people of the world, but are required to cut off one of these wicked ones who is "called a brother." This reason is that GOD has made it our duty to judge those that are in the church, while at the same time He has reserved to Himself the right to judge those who are without. Certainly this does not mean that we have been given the right or responsibility to sit in judgment on anyone, in or out of the church, and sentence him to hell, or to heaven either. What it does mean is that we have been given the responsibility of evaluating the conduct of the members of the church and withdrawing from those who will not walk according to the commandments of our Lord and His apostles. So far as those on the outside of the church are concerned, it is not our responsibility to even try to evaluate them. Because, GOD has reserved that right to Himself. The apostle's final instruction concerning one in the church who is guilty of the things he has already named, is, "Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person."

(Verses 1 through 8) "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. I speak this to your shame. Is it so that there is not a wise man among you? No, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goeth to law against brother, and that before the unbelievers. Now there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren."

Here we have another complaint against this church, that of one member engaging in lawsuits against another, and that before the civil magistrates of the land, whom the apostle calls, "the unjust," as opposed to the church members, whom he calls, "saints." He introduces this complaint with a question, "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?" There are several reasons why this ought not be done. First of all, if you go to law before the unjust, you can have no hope of receiving true justice. Such judges cannot be trusted. Then, if you bring up your disputes before the unbelievers, you are opening the door for them to blaspheme the name of the Christ. They will say, These people who claim to be followers of the Christ can not even get along together. They have to have us settle their disputes for them. Surely this Christ is of little, if any, value to them". In addition to this, the apostle asks, "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye not worthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more the things that pertain to this life?" Many men have spoken and written their opinions of what Paul meant when he said, "the saints shall judge the world," and "we shall judge angels." But since there is very little in scripture to clarify these expressions, (albeit many scriptures have been interpreted by men as bearing upon the subject, yet none are scripturally linked directly to it), it seems best to leave them exactly as the apostle wrote them. He evidently considered them of much greater importance than just deciding a question of things between two brethren in this life. He then says, "If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church." Of course, he does not mean that we should hunt up someone who is considered as being weak minded, or without any understanding of right and wrong, for his very next question would negate such an idea. He says, "I speak this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?" Obviously then his meaning is that we should look for one who is not necessarily wise in worldly wisdom, nor looked up to as great in the things of the world. All the wisdom he needs is that of being able to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. However instead of this, we find that "brother goeth to law against brother, and that before the unbelievers." As a result of this we find the apostle saying, "Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law with one another." This is a grievous fault. It is what, in our modern manner of speaking, we call "airing our dirty linen in public." This should never be done, for it gives occasion for our enemies to reproach the name of our Lord Jesus the Christ. Paul says that we would be better off to endure whatever wrong we might suffer at the hands of a brother, even if we might feel that he has defrauded us somewhat. But instead of so doing, these brethren have laid themselves open to Paul's charge, "Nay, but ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren." Not only did they not bear with a brother who may have inadvertently done them some wrong. But in the very hope of defrauding a brother they dragged him before the unjust magistrates in a lawsuit. This is the principle that was so odious to the apostle.

(Verses 9 through 11) "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of GOD ? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of GOD . And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of GOD."

There is today a great demand by the so called "gay community" of the world, (and even some of the "church leaders" are joining it}, for rights of such people to be, not only accepted into the church, but even to be considered as gospel ministers. This is totally ridiculous as well as being rebellion against GOD. The Apostle Paul calls such people "effeminate" and "abusers of themselves with mankind." He groups them in the same classification as other sinners, and makes an unequivocal statement of their "rights," saying that they "shall not inherit the kingdom of GOD ". The reason we point specifically to these people is not that they are the only sinners mentioned, but that every one of the other sins mentioned here is clearly enough understood that there can be no mistake about the apostle's meaning. But some might miss the meaning of the terms he uses to designate these particular ones. Further there appears to be a great move on foot today to consider this as not a sin but as an acceptable "life style." To repeat what Paul says about sinners: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of GOD ? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of GOD ." The apostle's use of the phrase, "inherit the kingdom of GOD ," simply is another way of saying that, "they do not have eternal life." Therefore, since they do not have eternal life, neither do they have any rights to membership in the church, or any other church privileges. This in no way can be interpreted to mean that GOD can not, or will not, change some of these sinners and give them eternal life. Paul's next statement proves this. "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Sprit of our GOD." Notice particularly the apostle's use of the tenses of the verb, "be." He says, "And such WERE some of you." This is past tense. This is the condition of all of us before the Spirit of GOD laid hold upon us. We may not have done every one of the sins mentioned, but somewhere in the list is one, if not more, of which we were guilty, and according to the scriptures, if we have "offended in one point," we are "guilty of all." Then Paul follows this with, "_ _ _but ye ARE washed, but ye ARE sanctified, but ye ARE justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our GOD". Here the present tense is used all the way. Notice also the order the apostle uses. First, "ye are washed," or cleansed; then "ye are sanctified," or separated for the Master's service; and finally, "ye are justified," that is, you no longer have any blame: and all this is done "in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Sprit of our GOD." When GOD has done these three things for a sinner, the sinner is made a saint, and as such, is an heir to the kingdom of GOD , has eternal life, and has a right to the privileges of the church. Until then he is not an heir to the kingdom of GOD , does not have eternal life, and has no right to the privileges of the church.

(Verses 12 through 14) "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but GOD shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And GOD hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His own power."

The first thing that should be noticed concerning this quotation is that in verse 13 Paul puts a definite limitation upon the phrase, All things," which he uses in verse 12. When he says, "meats for the belly, and the belly for meats_ _ _. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body," he shows plainly that his primary consideration in verse 12 is the matter of eating and drinking, the observance of the dietary laws, not the observance of GOD'S moral laws. He will enlarge more upon this subject in Chapter 8. Here He only declares that he is not bound by these laws of eating and drinking, and at the same time he cautions against using this liberty to the detriment of the church. Although so far as the dietary laws are concerned, he is not bound by them, yet there are times and circumstances when it would be less beneficial to the church for him to use this freedom than to observe these laws. Also he declares that although all such things may be lawful for him, he will not allow himself to become addicted to any of these things. Then he quotes a saying, that seems to be as popular today as it was then. "Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats," meaning, of course, that since the purpose for food is that it be eaten, and the purpose for the stomach is for the consumption of food, we ought to be able to eat what we please when we please. What one must keep in mind is that GOD is going to destroy both the stomach and foods. Here Paul draws the line on this type of reasoning. The foregoing argument might be acceptable concerning the stomach and foods since GOD will destroy both, that is, they are both temporary and therefore no permanent defilement can result from eating; but it can not be extended to the body and fornication, for two reasons. Although the stomach is for food, "the body is NOT for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body." This should be reason enough for abstaining from fornication. Since the body is for the Lord, to defile it is to offer insult to GOD, not a very safe line of conduct. The other reason given is that "GOD hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His own power." Since fornication defiles the body; and GOD is going to raise up the body; fornication defiles something that is permanent. So the "meats and belly" argument can not apply to fornication and the body because the former are temporary, GOD will destroy both, but the body is permanent, not to be destroyed. We most often think of our bodies as being temporary because they are to return to the dust, but just as GOD raised up our Lord Jesus, so will He raise up these very bodies by His own power. True, they will be changed, but they will still be the same bodies.

(Verses 15 through 18) "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? GOD forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith He, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body."

Surely, no one can misunderstand the meaning of the apostle in this address. If you belong to the Lord your body is one of the members of Christ since when one is joined to the Lord he is one spirit with Him. Now, GOD has declared that when two are joined together in intercourse, they become one flesh. Therefore if one of the Lord's children commits fornication, he by that act takes his body, "a member of Christ" and makes it the member of a harlot. This should never be. Paul says, "GOD forbid" that such a thing be done. Many times people seem to think all sins to be equal, or the same; and in one respect they are, that is, they are all disobedience to GOD: but in regard to their consequences, this is not always the case. The apostle says, "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man committeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." It is deplorable, that today's society has fallen to such a low condition, that we are bombarded on every side, by every form of media known to man, with the cry for what is called "safe sex" education, for our children even at as low levels of school as Junior High, and, in some cases, even in Elementary School, while not one out of ten of those clamoring for such ever mentions the fact that there are only two words in the English language that will guarantee safe sex. These words are "abstinence" and "abstention". Everything else that they teach in this "great social effort" leads to immorality, and has also been proven to fail to do even that which they are trying to get done. If there has ever been worldwide simultaneous positive proof of the truth of Paul's statement, "he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body," we have it today in the worldwide AIDS epidemic.

(Verses 19 and 20) "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of GOD, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify GOD in your body and your spirit, which are GOD'S."

Back in Chapter 3, Paul was concerned with the temple of GOD as the church, made up of all its members, just as the Apostle Peter described it in 1 Peter 2:5. Here, however, he has in view the body of the individual, which, he says, "is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of GOD, and ye are not your own." By the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, Which is given of GOD unto each of us, each body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, and is therefore not to be defiled. Our bodies do not belong to us: they have been bought with a price, nothing less than the blood of Christ Jesus our Lord. For this cause we are to glorify GOD in both spirit and body, for both belong to Him.

(Verses 1 through 3) "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: it is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband."

Evidently the Corinthians had written previously to the apostle about some questions that had arisen among them. As he continues, Paul takes up some of these things and gives some very clear answers. The first matter to claim attention is marriage. His initial answer is, "It is good for a man not to touch a woman." That is, the ideal situation would be that there be no such thing as sexual contact; but, knowing human passions and drives, he immediately says, "Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband." He later explains why it is better that those who are able to control their passion and have no necessity for sexual activity not marry. Here, however, he is concerned only with what is better for maintaining morality and Christian conduct. With human nature being what it is, and both men and women having the natural sexual drive that most do, if marriage were forbidden this would only lead to fornication. Therefore to avoid this, every man and every woman should have his, or her own mate. Then within this structure, the family unit, he says, "Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband." In Gen.3:16, we find GOD saying, to the woman, "_ _ _and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." Although at that time GOD said nothing about the other side of the situation, it is fully implied in what was said earlier. (Gen. 2:24) "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh". Here the apostle expresses both sides of the contract in these words: "Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise the wife unto the husband." In the conjugal relationship the sexual desire of the husband is to be unto the wife, and that of the wife is to be unto the husband. No one else is ever to be admitted into this relationship by either party.

(Verses 4 through 7) "The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt ye not for your incontinency. But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of GOD, one after this manner, and another after that."

Paul's statement in verse 4 is one that should be thoroughly understood by everyone who is contemplating marriage, whether man or woman. The wife has no right to arbitrarily withhold herself from her husband, nor does he have any right to arbitrarily withhold himself from his wife. Each should be willing to yield sexually to the other under all reasonable circumstances. At the same time neither has any right to engage in sexual activity with anyone else. The expression, "Defraud ye not_ _ _," in verse 5 would probably be more readily understood had it been rendered, "Deprive ye not_ _ _;" for this is exactly the apostle's meaning. That is, neither the husband nor the wife should deny the advances of the other without good reason. Paul says that they may "with consent," or by agreement, leave off sexual activity for a time, for the sake of devoting themselves to fasting and prayer. But this is to be only a temporary suspension of such; and they are to come together again, that is, resume their normal relationship. If they suspend it for too long a time, the nature of humanity is such that one or the other may be tempted to go outside the marriage bond. This is contrary to the commandments of GOD and is to be studiously avoided at all times. When he says, "But I speak this by permission and not of commandment," Paul is undoubtedly referring to his statement in verse 2, "Let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband." He is not commanding every man and every woman to marry, but is giving them permission to marry if they feel the necessity to do so. This is to insure that there is no excuse for anyone to commit fornication. So far as his instructions to those who do marry are concerned, they are commandments and should be so considered. He then tells why he has given them permission to marry. "For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of GOD, one after this manner, and another after that." His preference is that no one, man or woman, be so driven by passion as to feel the necessity of marrying. Nevertheless, GOD is the One Who has given gifts unto humanity; and He has given to some such control over their passion that they have no necessity for marriage, while others, if they did not marry would surely fall into fornication; and this is to be avoided by all.

(Verses 8 through 11) "I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: it is better to marry than to burn. And to the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: but and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife."

The first part of this declaration is the apostle's advice to both those who have never been married and those who have but whose marriage partners have died. He tells them that it would be good for them to remain without a mate, that is, if they are able to do so without having too great a sexual temptation. On the other hand, if they cannot be thus content, let them marry because "it is better to marry than to burn." The phrase, "to burn," simply means, "to be inflamed with passion." Then he gives, not advice, but a commandment. He further declares that this is not only a commandment from him, but it is actually the Lord's commandment. It addresses both partners of the marriage contract. "Let not the wife depart from her husband." The marriage vow is "until in death we part." Therefore the wife is to keep this in mind, and not leave her husband. Yet if the situation does reach the point that she feels she is driven to leave him, she has two choices for a course of action; she must either remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband. She has no right to be married to another. The commandment to the husband is, "Let not the husband put away his wife." By law the husband had the right to divorce his wife for almost any reason, but, as Paul tells us, the commandment of the Lord is, "Let not the husband put away his wife". He makes no reference to any of what we would call "extenuating circumstances." For our Lord's own statement of this, see Mark 10:11-12 and Luke 16:18. Where Matthew records this commandment one cause is mentioned for which putting one away might be acceptable, but so far through this epistle Paul has maintained that that cause is not to be allowed to exist. Therefore He considers that there is no excuse for putting away, or divorcing, a wife or husband.

(Verses 12 through 16) "But to the rest speak I not the Lord: if any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases: but GOD hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?"

The first thing to claim our attention here is the apostle's statement, "But to the rest speak I, not the Lord." This is by no means to be taken to mean that Paul is giving these instructions as of himself and not according to the will of the Lord. What we must remember is that Paul was an apostle of Jesus the Christ, and as such he was given authority by our Lord to establish the guidelines for church operation and the conduct of its members in matters which He Himself had not directly addressed. So, in the light of this, Paul's meaning clearly is, that those things about which he is going to write are matters which were not specifically covered in detail by our Lord in any of His instructions. But they are to be established as of His authority since they are delivered by His apostle. He then proceeds with the matter of a believing man, a brother, who has an unbelieving wife, and also the believing woman, a sister, who has an unbelieving husband. In either case, if the unbeliever is satisfied to remain with the one who believes in the Lord, let not the believer leave the unbelieving one. He then says, "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the believing husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy." Evidently some question had been brought up concerning whether a marriage between a believer and an unbeliever is acceptable to GOD. Paul's answer to this is that the unbelieving partner is sanctified by the believer. This does not mean that the unbeliever is given eternal life by the believer, nor for the sake of the believer. The sanctification of which Paul here speaks has nothing to do with eternal salvation. It only means that for the sake of the believer the marriage is acceptable to GOD. Paul has already discussed the matter of eternal sanctification in Chapter 1, verse 30, of this epistle and it needs no further clarification. Here he is only addressing the question of whether or not the marriage is recognized of GOD; and he says that for the sake of the believer it is. He then tells us that if this were not true, then any children of such a marriage would be unclean, that is, illegitimate; but since the marriage is acceptable to GOD, the children are holy. His use of the word, "holy," here does not mean that they are without sin, for all humanity is born in sin, but he does mean that there is no shame upon them because of an unlawful marriage of their parents. They are as acceptable to GOD as would be the children of a marriage between two believers. His next concern is that of a brother or sister whose unbelieving spouse does leave. No doubt special consideration is directed to the unbeliever's departing because of the faith of the believer. This was a very common thing in that day because those who believed in the Lord Christ Jesus were both hated and despised by almost everybody else. So he says, concerning such cases, "If the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases: but GOD hath called us to peace." If the unbeliever departs, just quietly let him, or her go; you are under no bondage to recant or deny your faith in order to hold the unbelieving one. At the same time you are to raise no quarrel with him, or her, because GOD has called us to peace. Further, the apostle says, "For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?" Since GOD has called us to peace, if you just quietly assure the departing and unbelieving husband, or wife, that you still love him, or her, but that you cannot deny your faith, how do you know that GOD will not use this very thing to save, that is, bring back to you that husband, or wife. Thus you will have saved him, or her, as husband or wife, and, for that matter, as he, or she, sees how precious your faith is to you, the unbeliever may also be brought to some appreciation of it.

(Verses 17 through 24) "But as GOD hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches. Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not become circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of GOD. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with GOD."

The key to this entire address seems to be that, since GOD knows all things, He obviously knows what our situation, or status in life, is before He calls us; and therefore this must be the station, in which He would have us work after He calls us. There can be exceptions to this; and Paul illustrates this by saying, of one who is a slave at the time of his calling, "Art thou called being a servant? Care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free use it rather." That is, if one is called while a servant, he is not to think that he has to free himself from his servitude in order to serve the Lord. And yet if God sees fit to cause him to be set free, he is to use this freedom for the glory of GOD, always remembering that even though he is no longer the servant of his former master, he is the servant of Christ. This can be extended to other situations also. In fact the apostle mentions others, thus: "Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of GOD. Let every man abide in the calling wherein he was called." The question of circumcision vs. uncircumcision is one that among early Christians caused bitter debates, strife, and suspicion. Some tried for a while to teach that in addition to believing in our Lord Jesus, one must be circumcised and keep the law in order to be saved. Others had such an exaggerated consideration of the liberty of the gospel that they were suspicious of anyone who had been circumcised even though that had been done before he became a believer. Here Paul tells them that both the circumcised and the uncircumcised are acceptable to GOD; and neither should be concerned about the matter. Since God has called him in this condition, He would have him follow this calling where he is and in the condition in which he is. A few more words might be said concerning the man who is called while a slave. In calling him, GOD has made him free, not free from his master to whom he is a servant, but free from sin, which is far better. At the same time any freeman, even the master of the afore mentioned slave, whom God calls is no longer free, but is the servant of Christ our Lord. We all have been bought with a price. We are, as we sometimes say, "bought and paid for." The price, which was paid, is the precious blood of our Lord Jesus. We therefore are no longer to be the servants of men. This does not mean that if we are called while a servant we ought to run away, or leave the service of our earthly master. But rather we are to consider the service we render to that master, not as rendered to him alone just to please him, but more so to our Lord Jesus the Christ, Who has enjoined servants to be obedient to their masters. Also those who as free men are called of GOD must remember that they are not to serve men as men pleasers, but be obedient to GOD in all things. So the apostle concludes this instruction thus: "Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with GOD." This, of course, has to do only with our position and status among men, not with our condition as sinners, for we are commanded thus: "Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." (II Timothy 2:19) Therefore we certainly are not instructed to remain content with our status as a sinner, but strive with all the ability GOD will give us to break away from sin and serve our Lord Christ Jesus.

(Verses 25 through 28) "Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife. But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you."

Paul here says that the advice he is about to give, is not the commandment of the Lord, but is his judgment as one who by the mercy of the Lord is faithful. His judgment is that it would be good for a man, or woman, to remain unmarried if he, or she could be content thus. Nevertheless his counsel is, first of all, that a man who has a wife not seek to be loosed from her. Then concerning the other side of the picture, he says that the man who is loosed from a wife, that is he whose wife is dead should not seek a wife.(This same advice would, of course, apply to the case of a woman and her husband.) He has already said this about a man who was never married. Yet he says that in the event such an one does marry it is not a sin. The same applies to a virgin. Having thus advised against marriage and yet having said that to marry under the situation here stated is not sin, he continues by saying, "Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you." Although marriage is not a sin it will necessitate a change in life style, and the accepting of more responsibilities, as demanded by the marriage union. He drops this particular part of the subject for the moment with these words, "but I spare you."

(Verses 29 through 31) "But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away".

This shows the state of constant expectancy that the apostles were in concerning the return of our Lord, and the end of this world as we have known it. Paul names various things which are commonly thought to be of great importance, and declares that the time left for the enjoyment of these things is so short that their importance is no longer worthy of consideration. Even though it has been more than nineteen centuries since the apostle wrote this, we should maintain this same expectancy; for even if our Lord's coming in judgment upon this world and Satan should not be immediate, He may at any moment come for anyone of us.

(Verses 32 through 35) "But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: but he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is a difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction."

This gives Paul's reason for counseling all, both men and women, who are able to control their passion to the point that they would be content to do so, to refrain from marriage. It is his desire that they be in a position to serve the Lord without being distracted by the cares of life that accompany marriage. Those who are married are rightly concerned about pleasing their marriage partners. This is what the apostle means by "the things of the world." Married couples always have some worldly cares brought on by the responsibilities of a family; and, to a greater, or lesser, extent they will distract people from the service of our Lord. Paul is not here concerned with evil things when he uses the phrase, "things of the world," but simply the distractions caused by what, with a family, become necessary cares. The unmarried man or woman is not faced with these responsibilities and is therefore less distracted from the service of our Lord. For this reason he says that the unmarried state is better, because it leaves one with more freedom to serve the Lord. He then says that it is not his purpose to cast a snare upon them but he is only advising them that thus they may be able to serve the Lord with less distraction,

(Verses 36 through 38) "But if any man thinketh that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better."

In order to better understand Paul's meaning here, it may be advisable to review some of the customs concerning marriage that were practiced at the time of this writing and for centuries before. A quick glance at two instances of Old Testament record will perhaps suffice. In Genesis 24 we have the story of Abraham's servant as he was sent to find a wife for Isaac. In this account we see that marriages were sometimes arranged, not by the contracting parties, but by their families. However the point we most want to notice is found in verse 53. "And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things." Here is clearly shown that something of value was given to the family of the bride to be. In Genesis 29 we have the record of Jacob's marriage. Verses 18 through 20 tell us, "And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel, thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her unto thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had for her." Although Jacob had nothing of value except himself to give, he gave himself to be a servant unto Laban seven years for the privilege of marrying Rachel. The fact that Laban tricked Jacob on the night of the marriage has nothing to do with the foregoing facts. This shows again the custom of the family of the bride to be receiving something of value in order to make the contract. Since the father was the head of the family, it was usually he who received the gift. This actually, in many cases, came down to the payment of a sum of money to the father of the girl. They did not necessarily consider it "buying a wife," but to all practical purposes it amounted to the same thing. Against this background the apostle tells us that if a man has a daughter (a virgin), and he feels that he would be treating her improperly by refusing to let her marry when she reaches the proper age, "and need so require_ _ _." (This phrase can possibly have two meanings as used here. It may be that the apostle means that if the father sees that she is one who could not be content in spinsterhood; or it may be that his consideration is that the father determines that he will not be able to continue to support her, and he needs what one might give for her.) In any event he says, "_ _ _and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry." That is, if he feels he should let her marry, it is no sin: he is free to give her his blessing. On the other hand the father who has "no necessity" for seeing that his daughter is married, (and this might be judged from both the criteria mentioned above,) if it is his will to keep her unmarried, it is no sin for him to do so. And, in fact, Paul considered this as the better action, for he concludes the matter in this way: "So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better."

(Verses 39 and 40) "The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of GOD."

Obviously, as long as the wife has not left her husband, nor the husband his wife, the situation would not produce the concern which Paul sets forth here. That is, as long as the marriage has not broken up there would be no consideration of re-marrying. So we must look back to two previous statements by the apostle which should clarify his meaning here. In verses 10 and 11 he says, "And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: but and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife". Then in verses 12, 13, and 15, he says, "_ _ _If a brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases: but GOD hath called us to peace." This brings about the situation of which Paul speaks in verse 39; and it should be observed, based upon the foregoing, that this applies to the husband as well as to the wife. As long as the estranged partner lives, the other is bound by the law. He is not speaking of the law of man, but to the law of GOD.

When, however, the estranged partner dies, the survivor is at liberty to be married to whom he, or she, will: "only in the Lord." That is, only to a believer. Of course, this part of these instructions will apply to one whose marriage partner is dead even when there has been no estrangement. The apostle concludes this by saying that, in his judgment, one would be happier to remain unmarried. He adds, "and I think also that I have the Spirit of GOD." Nevertheless he did not forbid re-marriage, in the situation and according to the rule with which he closes the subject, "only in the Lord."

(Verses 1 through 3) "Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love GOD, the same is known of Him."

The first statement in this quotation, since all the remainder is a parenthesis, in the reading of it should be deferred and connected to verse 4. Certainly the statement itself needs no explanation. It is a simple declaration that we know that we all have knowledge concerning those things that are offered to idols. What this knowledge is, Paul explains in verses 4 through 6. However, before he takes up that knowledge he gives us a word of caution. First, he tells us that knowledge has a tendency, when alone, to do something that is not for our good. It "puffs up," that is, it makes us feel to be greater and more important than we are. Charity, or love, "edifieth," or strengthens, us. Not only will love strengthen him who is blessed with it as a gift, but also those whom he will serve with that gift. If one is blessed with the gift of charity it will even prevent knowledge from puffing him up, and will direct that knowledge into useful channels that it too may be edifying to the church. Further, he tells us that he who thinks himself to know something, or is puffed up by the knowledge, with which he is blessed, doesn't know anything yet, as he ought. His knowledge is not balanced by love. Yet if any man loves GOD, (and this is regardless of what knowledge he may, or may not, have,) he is known of GOD. GOD gives him recognition as belonging to Him. Upon this basis he proceeds to instruct us about our conduct concerning those things which are offered to idols.

(Verses 4 through 7) "As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and there is none other GOD but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) but to us there is but one GOD, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things, and we by Him. Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled."

In verses 4 through 6 the apostle calls our attention to what our knowledge is concerning those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols. This knowledge is simply that an idol is nothing at all, and is therefore to be neither feared nor worshipped. And while there may be many things in heaven, such as, angels, spirits, the sun, the moon, stars, etc., that some might call gods, or even things on earth that some might worship, such as, the emperor, heroes, or even some animal or other; none of these are, or can even be thought of by us, as being gods. Because to us there is only "one GOD, the Father, of Whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things, and we by Him." Now with this knowledge we might think that it would make no difference if we did partake of those things that are offered in sacrifice to idols. Nevertheless, Paul has already cautioned us thus: "Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth." Having this knowledge, unless we also have charity, we will no doubt be puffed up so that we will think, "Yes, I am strong enough spiritually, and have such full knowledge of this matter, that it can do me no harm. So I will just enjoy the feast and by my participation show every one that I am not afraid of their superstition." Here is where charity must come to the rescue, because it is the one that edifies. We must recognize the fact that there may be someone whose conscience is weak in that he still fears there may be some power in the idol and that anyone who partakes of the sacrifice is honoring the idol. Then by my eating he might be encouraged to eat also, and since he would in eating of the sacrifice be recognizing the idol, his weak conscience would be defiled. Thus in charity we must refrain from such lest one who loves GOD but has not yet been brought to the fullness of knowledge that we think we have might be encouraged to defile his weak conscience. Remember Paul said, "if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know."

(Verses 8 through 13) "But meat commendeth us not to GOD: for neither if we eat, are we the better; neither if we eat not, are we the worse. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him that is weak be emboldened to eat those things that are offered unto idols; and through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend."

(Verses 1 through 7) "Am I not an apostle? Am I mot free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are not ye my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. Mine answer to them that examine me is this, "Have we not power to eat and to drink? Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as the other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? Or I only, and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working? Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? Or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?"

As we think back upon some of the things the Apostle Paul said earlier in this epistle concerning the divisions in the church, and then consider what he says here, we are brought to the conclusion that some of these dissenting brethren had even questioned whether or not he was a real apostle. So his very first question here is, "Am I not an apostle?" He follows this immediately with, "Am I not free? Have I not seen the Lord?" The answers to all three questions are so closely joined together that each serves as evidence of the others. If he was an apostle, he was free, and had seen the Lord. The freedom of which he speaks appears to be, not freedom to do whatever he as a man might want to do, but freedom from the bondage of sin, freedom from the bondage of the law, and freedom from accountability to men, since as an apostle and servant of our Lord Jesus the Christ he was responsible to Him and no one else. He was not even accountable to the church, but rather it was his responsibility to establish for the church those things, which our Lord had not specifically addressed, as well as to teach the church the things He had Himself set in order. These brethren were well aware that he had seen the Lord; and this was one of the requirements of one who is an apostle. His next question, "Are not ye my work in the Lord?" brings to mind the fact that it was through his ministry that the Corinthians were established as a church. No doubt, either in his mind, or theirs, they were his "work in the Lord." This opens the way for his next statement, "If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord." Someone else, those to whom Paul had not preached, might not consider him an apostle, but the very fact that it was by his ministry that they were established in the Lord leaves no room for their doubting his apostleship. They are the seal of it. He then proceeds to set forth an answer to those who might presume to examine him or question his authority as an apostle. This he does by a series of questions, all of which serve to drive home the points he makes more forcefully than would simple declarative sentences. The word, "power," which occurs three times in this quotation, here means "authority" rather than "ability." Since he mentions Barnabas in verse 6, it seems proper to consider him as included in the "we" in verses 4 and 5 also. His question then in verse 4, "Have we not power [authority] to eat and to drink?" should certainly need no explanation. As we continue on in this chapter, we will find that a little more is implied than is fully expressed. This is that they not only had the right to eat and drink, but also to do it not at their own expense, but that of the church. Then he asks, "Have we not power [authority] to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?" Surely they had the same right to marry as did the other apostles and other Christians. Even today some would forbid ministers to marry, but Paul here declares that they have that right, just as did the "other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas." He then takes up a question that sometimes "stirs up a hornet nest" among some today. "Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power [authority] to forbear working?" As with the question concerning eating and drinking, we see as we continue the apostle's discussion that here might also be added "and depend upon the church for support." Certainly they had this right. When he says, "or I only and Barnabas," he signifies that the other apostles and ministers were already doing this. Only he and Barnabas were not so doing. His question clearly shows by the fact that others had this right that so did he and Barnabas. One only needs to read "The Acts Of The Apostles" to find all necessary proof of this fact. In Chapter 4 thereof we find the practice of the church set forth thus: "Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need." This practice continued until there arose a dispute about some of the widows who were Grecians. They were perceived to have been "neglected in the daily ministration." Acts 6:2-4 gives us the apostles' answer to this situation. "Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of GOD, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." Obviously, if they were going to give themselves "continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word," they would have to depend for support upon the church. This is exactly the matter to which Paul has reference here. He and Barnabas had the same right as the others. Then we have this question: "Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges?" It may well be that sometimes when people have been attacked by an enemy, they have had to defend themselves at their own expense, but Paul is concerned, not with this, but with one who has been called as a soldier by those who have authority over him.  Always such a soldier is sent by the authority of, and at the expense of the government that sends him; and every government, whether a democracy, a monarchy, a dictatorship, or whatever form, is supported by the taxes of its citizens. He then asks, "Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock,  and eateth not of the milk of the flock?" The reason we consider both these questions at the same time is that they have so much in common. Apparently the apostle is not considering the planter of the vineyard as the owner thereof nor the feeder of the flock as its owner, but rather the servant who is sent forth to take care of these things. The servant who is sent to plant the vineyard is no doubt the same one who will cultivate and dress it, and even harvest the fruit thereof. Otherwise there would be no fruit for him to eat; for vineyards do not have fruit at planting time. The one who feeds the flock is not someone who once in a while puts out a little feed for the flock, and spends the rest of his time doing something else. On the contrary, he who fed the flock, according to the custom of that day, was one to whose care the flock was committed. He fed the flock by leading it from one spot of pasture to another. He also guarded the flock and protected it from predators by both day and night; and it was also his duty to take care of the sick and the lame. In short he lived with the flock and cared for it under whatever conditions might prevail. Therefore he ate of the milk of the flock. Thus the apostle illustrates the fact that GOD'S ministers are to be supported by the church.

(Verses 8 through 11) "Say I these things as a man? Or saith not the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth GOD take care for oxen? Or saith He it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope: and he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?"

Now Paul calls attention to the fact that this is not something he has thought up of himself, but is a matter that is covered by the "law of Moses." The method people used in Moses's day for threshing grain, not for bread, but for seed and for animal feed, is that they drove down a stake, tied an ox to it with a length of rope, spread sheaves of grain in the path he would have to follow, and either drove or led him around in the circle allowed by the rope with which he was tied, thus letting him "tread out the corn," or grain. The law says, “Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn." The apostle quotes this law and asks, "Doth GOD take care for oxen? Or saith He it altogether for our sakes?" We might paraphrase this question thus: "Is GOD more concerned about cattle than He is about His servants?" He answers his own question by saying, "For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope." In short, this was written to signify that not only are cattle to be taken care of and allowed to partake of that in which they are employed, but so are men, especially those who labor in the gospel. He then asks, "If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?" Thus, in this question, as he often does, Paul states his point more forcefully than would be done by an indicative sentence. That point is that those who minister spiritual things to the church are to be supported in natural things by the church.

(Verses 12 through 15) "If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless, we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die than that any man should make my glorying void".

Paul declares that if others have this authority, the right to require the church to support them, then he and Barnabas have even a greater right to do so, seeing that it was through their ministry that this church was established in the beginning. Yet, although they were well aware that they had this authority, they made no use of it lest in some way it might be a hindrance to the gospel of Christ. He then reminds them that, under the law it is provided that the priests, "they which minister about holy things" and "they which wait at the altar," are sustained naturally by those things which are offered on the altar. In most instances, only a part of the offering was actually burned on the altar. The remainder was given to the priest. This was his source of food. He then says that just as the Lord provided thus for His servants under the law, "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they, which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." Having hereby established that, this is the way, which GOD has ordained for the support of the ministry, the apostle continues thus: "But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void." Although he knew that he had the authority to require the church to support him, he made no use of this authority; and his writing was not for the purpose of having them do so. He was only setting forth the principles, which GOD had ordained. However, so far as he was concerned, he preferred death rather than to have someone do something that would nullify his effort to make the gospel without cost to those to whom he preached. This was his "glorying" as he shows in the following verses.

(Verses 16 through 18) "For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel."

In verse 15 Paul has said, "_ _ _for it were better for me to die than that any man should make my glorying void." This signifies clearly that he had something in which he gloried, or in which he took a special delight. It meant so much to him that he preferred death rather than that someone might make it void, or nullify it. Now he says, "For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel." Evidently his glorying then was not that he preached the gospel. He declares that he had nothing in this of which to glory, because that was something he had to do and he had no choice in the matter, "_ _ _for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel." We cannot glory in that which we are forced to do under penalty; and that is exactly the situation in which Paul found himself, "yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel." If he failed to preach the gospel he came under heavy penalty. So this eliminates the possibility of his glorying in the fact that he did preach it. Then he says, "For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me." Since he had to preach the gospel anyway, there are two ways in which he could do it. One is "willingly," and the other is "against my will." Now if he does it willingly, he says, "I have a reward," but if he attempts to rebel and is forced to preach it against his will, he still must do it because a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto him. Always GOD rewards His servants for willing service. He also chastens them for slothfulness and unwilling service. In either event that which He has purposed will be done. The prophet Jonah stands forth as witness to this fact. Paul then asks the question, "What is my reward then?" Certainly, if we have a reward, we have something in which to glory. He has already mentioned his glorying and has made it clear that he did not want it made void. He then said that he could not glory in that he preached the gospel; and he established the fact that his being a preacher was not a reward but a necessity. Now he asks what is his reward, which we can safely conclude is the thing in which he did glory. He then answers his own question thus: "Verily that when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power [authority] in the gospel." Above all things Paul desired that he might not be burdensome on any of the brethren lest someone might say that he had abused his authority in the gospel; and so he did not permit the churches to support him. His reward for willing service was that he might "make the gospel of Christ without charge" [cost] to the brethren. What love for the children of GOD and the gospel of our Lord Jesus the Christ! Would it not be wonderful if more of those who today are called "gospel ministers" had that same love? Although all students of the scriptures know that it is scriptural for the churches to support the ministry, they should also know that a man who loves our Lord will not demand such but will be willing to at least help support himself rather than overburden the church.

(Verses 19 through 23) "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant to all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews: to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to GOD, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without the law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake; that I might be partaker thereof with you."

Many, when they read what Paul wrote here, seem to think that he must have been something of a hypocrite, from the fact that he became "to them that are under the law, as under the law" and "to them that are without law, as without law;" or else, that he was one to whom his manner of life made no difference and he would, as a common expression we have all heard has it, "When in Rome, do as the Romans." Yet, if we notice what he says, we see that neither is the case. His first statement, "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more," joined with the last of the quotation, "and this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you," sets the theme of the whole. Notice that he says, "For though I am free from all MEN." He never says anything about being free from GOD. He has maintained from the beginning of this epistle that he is an apostle of Jesus the Christ. An apostle of anyone is one who has been sent by the one of whom he is an apostle, to attend affairs belonging to the one who has sent him. This makes him a servant of the one who has sent him; and Paul constantly affirms that he is both an apostle and a servant of Christ Jesus and of GOD. With this in mind we proceed. He says that although no man is his master, he is "free from all men," he has voluntarily become servant to all. His words are, "I have made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more_ _ _and this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you." Consider this principle with which we are all familiar. If I approach a stranger in an attitude of arrogance, as being above, or better than the stranger, or for that matter, even with the attitude of, "I'm just as good as you, and I'm going to see to it that you respect my rights," the first thing I will do is antagonize him to the point that there will be no avenue of communication between us. On the other hand, if I come to him in the humility of a servant, not affected but real humility, most likely he will be willing to listen to what I have to say. This is exactly what Paul is saying about his manner of life and his purpose for it. There can be no doubt that God must do the opening of the heart of a person that he may believe the gospel, but the attitude of the preacher has much to do with whether or not a person will listen to his preaching. Paul desired to reach as many people as possible. Therefore he made himself servant unto all in order that he might persuade more to listen to the gospel message; and this was even the manner by which he attracted these brethren to listen; and thus they were partakers together of the gospel. Let us now examine the remainder of this quotation. First, "And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law_ _ _." We recognize the fact that "the Jews" and "them that are under the law" are one and the same persons. To them he became as one of them. Although he well knew that through Jesus the Christ he was made free from the law, that is, the ceremonial law, he nevertheless did not antagonize the Jews by boasting to them of this freedom. Acts 24:10-18 shows us very clearly that Paul believed "all things which are written in the law and the prophets" and that he even went to the temple purified according to the ceremonial law. Although he was free from it, he knew that it did not hurt him to follow its precepts. He submitted to these things while among them in order to maintain a better chain of communication with them, and to show them that although they considered his faith in the Lord Jesus to be heresy, yet he still worshipped the GOD of his fathers, as he said in Acts 24:14. Then we look at his statement, "To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to GOD, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law." Certainly "them that are without law" refers to the Gentiles, to whom the law of GOD was not given. Instead of going among them and telling them, as did the Jews, "I am better than you because I'm one of GOD'S chosen race and I have His laws; and your only hope is to embrace His laws, be circumcised, and come up to Jerusalem to make sacrifices and offerings;" he simply went among them telling them that through the blood of Christ Jesus, the Son of GOD, the one offering, which has already been made and needs not to be repeated, all who believe in Him, whether circumcised or uncircumcised, Jew or Gentile, are made free from their sins. And their salvation is forever secured. He showed them that he and they alike were free from that law of circumcision, sacrifices, and offerings. Yet he maintained that he and they were not without GOD'S moral law, but were under the law to Christ. That is, they were constrained by the love of Christ to do those things that are pleasing to Him. All this he did that he might the better reach them with the gospel message. "To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak." Back in Chapter 8 we find the apostle discussing the fact that some of our freedom, such as eating of meats offered to idols etc., might lead a weak brother to do something that would be sin to him. And his conclusion of the matter is, "Wherefore if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend." Here he is saying the same thing in different words. It simply amounts to this: "If my liberty causes a weak brother or sister to offend, I will curtail my liberty and become as weak for his, or her sake." In this manner He "was made all things unto all men;" and this he did for the sake of the gospel, that he might lead more to hear it.

(Verses 24 and 25) "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize. So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible."

We can all recognize what Paul is here saying. He is calling our attention to the races and contests of athletic strength and ability in which men have engaged from even before records were ever kept down to the present time. In one of these races, all contestants run, but only one, he who outruns all others, receives the prize. Some races, it is true, have prizes for more than first place, but this is the prize to which he refers. Surely, no one, who is familiar with the doctrine, which Paul constantly affirmed, salvation by the grace of GOD according to His election and purpose, would ever make the mistake of thinking that he is here considering eternal life as the prize to be received as the result of competition when he says, "they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize." No, still he maintains that eternal life is the gift of GOD through Jesus Christ our Lord, and not by works of righteousness which we have done. So doubtless the prize with which he is concerned is the reward of faithful service; and his instruction is, "So run that ye may obtain." He reminds us that those who engage in these worldly contests, inasmuch as only he who has the mastery, wins the contest, receives the prize, or crown, are temperate in all things, so that nothing may weaken them or cause them to lose the contest. (The phrase, "are temperate" means also "have self control;" and this certainly is the apostle's meaning in this sentence.) This they do to win a crown that is soon to be tarnished. It is corruptible. Soon another will come along and overcome the first winner, or break the record he has set. So it is all temporary. Why then, since they put forth so much effort for a temporary and corruptible crown, do we not put forth even more, seeing that our crown is incorruptible. It cannot be tarnished nor taken away.

(Verses 26 and 27) "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; So fight I, not as one that beateth the air; but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

Having declared that the crown, or prize, for which he is contending, is of far greater value than that for which the natural athlete strives, Paul says, "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly." He has no uncertainty about that for which he runs, nor does he run in an uncertain, or hesitant, manner. He does not put forth a lot of effort for a while, and then try to "take it easy" for a time. He makes no let up in his effort. His fighting is not as one taking calisthenics, but as one engaged in mortal combat with a real enemy; for that is exactly what Satan is, an enemy to the death. He further tells us, "but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." Beyond question this was not only Paul's hardest fight, but also that of every gospel minister. We, as did he, must constantly fight to bring, and keep our bodies under subjection. Just as surely as we neglect to do so, this old flesh, with its lusts will cause us to do that which we ought not; and if we are not extremely careful, we may do something that will make us castaways. We have known men whom we have heard preach the gospel; and even their conduct convinced us that they were men of GOD. Later they did things that killed their influence for good so that they became castaways. This is not to say that they were servants of Satan who finally showed their true colors, nor is it our right to say they were not. Either way that is a matter for GOD, the Righteous Judge, to consider, not for us, but it is obvious that, whatever the final disposition of the case, they have destroyed their influence for good as ministers of the gospel, and are castaways. So it is imperative that we follow the apostle's example, run steadfastly, and fight the battle as in a life and death struggle with a real adversary: for indeed that is exactly where we are.

(Verses 1 through 5) "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them GOD was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness."

One might gather from what the apostle says here that at least some members of the Corinthian Church were converted Jews, since he says that he does not want them to "be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea." Or it may be that he just wanted to acquaint Gentile brethren also with the miraculous events of the journey of Israel out of the land of Egypt , and to the promised land. However, surely his primary purpose was not to teach a history lesson, but to warn these brethren against the errors of the Israelites, which same might be repeated by people at Corinth , and even in modern America . So he did not go into detail concerning these events; and neither will we. He did say that they all "were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea." We sometimes hear ministers try to preach the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea as a type of regeneration, but Paul says it is baptism, not regeneration. Since baptism is, by its very definition, so far as the original word is concerned, immersion, we can readily see the type of it in their passage through the sea and under the cloud. GOD caused the waters of the sea to stand up so that "the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left." (Exodus 14:22) Thus, since the waters stood above them as a wall on both sides, effectively they were immersed in them, even though they went through the sea "dryshod." Also in Exodus 14:i9 we are told, "And the angel of GOD, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them." Not only is it logical to think that the cloud, in moving from a position in front of them to one behind them, would pass directly over them, but this is exactly what the apostle says did take place; for he says, "all our fathers were under the cloud." Thus, as it passed over them, they were immersed therein, and so baptized. Paul concludes this part of the matter in these words: "and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea." He then says, "And did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." The first thing that must be observed here is a little caution. The word here translated "spiritual," does not always have the same connotation that we most often associate with the word, "spiritual." It often means "produced by the sole power of GOD Himself without natural instrumentality;" and a look back at the record of the things he is discussing will immediately show that this is exactly the apostle's meaning in this discussion. In Exodus 16, we have an account of the murmuring of the Israelites against Moses and Aaron because of their shortage of food. In verse 4 of that chapter we find these words: "Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you_ _ _." A reading of the remainder of this chapter will show that GOD did just what He said concerning the bread, which was called "manna" by the Israelites because they did not know what it was. Not only did GOD rain down bread from heaven for them, but He also caused quails to come in such abundance that the incident is described thus, in verse 13, "And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp_ _ _." Thus He gave them both bread and flesh. Although all of this was natural food for the sustenance of natural life, it was provided "solely by the power of GOD Himself without natural instrumentality;" and since GOD is Spirit, it was spiritual in its origin, although obviously natural in its substance and use. The same things can be said concerning the water from the Rock. Exodus 17:1-7 gives the account of the bringing forth of the water from the Rock. Verses 5 and 6 give the climax of this account: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel ; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel ." Again, although this water was "spiritual" in its origin and source, it was evidently natural in its substance and use; for it was consumed by natural persons to quench natural thirst. Now let us consider Paul's statement: "for they drank of that spiritual Rock which followed them: and that Rock was Christ." There can be no doubt that this Rock was a "spiritual Rock," in that It was used of GOD in a totally supernatural manner, without any natural instrumentality, for the bringing forth of water for Israel . It may also be that it was provided of GOD at that time by His own immediate creative power, and may never have been there before that time. So far as his statement that this Rock followed them, there have been, and probably may be again, arguments among men, as to his exact meaning. Some commentators have said that there was a widespread notion among the Jews that this Rock did literally accompany Israel through the remainder of their wanderings in the wilderness. There is no direct statement of scripture that either fully proves, or disproves such a notion. However the apostle's statement here, coupled with GOD'S command to Moses in Numbers 20:8, "Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink," seem to support it. And there can be no doubt that GOD, Who did so many other wonderful things for Israel on this journey, was able to cause this to take place also. Surely, if Paul's only meaning is that in their memories this Rock followed them, this also is true, the incident at Kadesh, being only a temporary lapse of memory and requiring a reminder of the mercies of GOD, as we also too often experience. "And that Rock was Christ." In the Old Testament we find many references to GOD as "a Rock," "our Rock," "the Rock of our refuge," etc. We are told by Jesus and His apostles that He and the Father are one. Surely then, since it is through Christ that all of the Father's blessings, both natural and spiritual, are given, both to Israel in that day, and to us today, we can find no room in which to disagree with the apostle's statement, whether it be considered that his meaning is that that Rock was Christ "in type," or "in reality." Indeed there should be no quibbling over this, for both will stand. Just as Christ is the One through Whom we today are given the "water of life," as well as all other blessings, it was through this Rock that Israel received natural water to refresh their natural bodies. Following his statement that "all our fathers," that is, all the people of the nation of Israel at that time, were baptized in the cloud and in the sea, and were fed and watered by the hand of GOD, Paul says, "But with many of them GOD was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness." Surely no one would argue that all, who died in the wilderness were eternally lost. To do so would say that even Moses and Aaron, together with all but two of the men who were old enough to go to war at the time of their departure from Egypt were lost. This, obviously is not the case. At the same time, one should never assume that because they were all baptized in the cloud and in the sea, and were fed and watered by GOD'S own miraculous work, all were eternally saved. This would totally contradict, not only that which the apostle teaches as he continues in this epistle, but also his very emphatic statement, (Romans 9:6-8), "Not as though the word of GOD hath taken none effect. For THEY ARE NOT ALL ISRAEL WHO ARE OF ISRAEL : NEITHER, BECAUSE THEY ARE THE SEED OF ABRAHAM, ARE THEY ALL CHILDREN: but, in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, THEY WHICH ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE FLESH, THESE ARE NOT THE CHILDREN OF GOD: BUT THE CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE ARE COUNTED FOR THE SEED." So Paul clarifies the situation thus: "for they were overthrown in the wilderness." He did not say "they died in the wilderness." As noted above, practically all those who were adults at the time of their departure from Egypt died in the wilderness. The ones who "were overthrown in the wilderness," since that which is overthrown is brought down with violence, must be the ones upon whom GOD visited such judgments as, the plague of Numbers 11:33, the earth's opening up and swallowing of Korah and his followers, the fire that at that time consumed the two hundred and fifty who offered incense, together with other judgments which GOD sent upon some for specific acts of rebellion, idolatry, and uncleanness. These were "overthrown," or violently taken away, in the wilderness.

(Verses 6 through 11) "Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."

The reason why the records were written concerning these events and the judgments GOD visited upon them is that we by these examples might be warned that GOD is the same today as then; and that He will bring judgment upon the wicked who are among us just as surely as He brought destruction against those who although among His people, were not His people even then. It is true that He sometimes defers punishment until later, but this will not prevent its coming at GOD'S appointed time. Therefore, by these records we are warned. One needs only to read, in the books of Moses, the account of the Israelites in their wanderings from Egypt to Canaan to find all the incidents to which Paul here refers, as well as some that he did not take time to set down at this point. No doubt the saying, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play," is a reference to their worshipping of the golden calf which Aaron made for them while Moses was with GOD in the mount. They sat around their golden calf, eating and drinking their offerings to it. Then having finished their idolatrous sacrifice, they "rose up to play." As was the practice in most idol worship, they danced around the golden calf and worshipped it with songs of praise to it. This was the sound Moses heard as he approached the camp upon his return from the mountain. See Exodus 32:17-19. The apostle's warning, that "we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted", may possibly include all their evil acts, which were, of course, brought on by their lusts that are always evil. Yet it seems to have special reference to the incident recorded in Numbers 11. For verses 33 and 34 conclude the matter thus: "And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague. And he called the name of that place Kibrothhataavah: because there they buried the people that lusted." Someone might question whether the lust that beset the people on this occasion fits the apostle's description, "lust after evil things," since they only lusted after food, which is not considered evil. The answer is very simple. They were not contented with the blessings of GOD with which He had blessed them all through their journey up to that time. So their lust was actually more against GOD than for any particular thing. They were even saying that it would be better to put up with the bondage of Egypt in order to have the foods that could be had there than to have the freedom GOD had given them and eat the food He supplied. Of course they were lusting after evil things. Paul, knowing that we can learn all the details of all these, and more, incidents by reading that which was already written, does not elaborate upon them, but simply warns us to avoid all these evils that were done by the Israelites. He declares again that "they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come". As we count time by the calendar, it may yet be a long time until the end of the world, but that does not negate, or even change in any wise, the apostle's statement, "upon whom the ends of the world are come." There is no doubt that we are living in the "day of grace." When this day is over, our Lord will return, no matter how long our calendar may say it has been. Also our Lord has told us, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."

(Verses 12 through 14) "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but GOD is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry."

To sum up what has gone before, Paul says, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." This was not written to frighten GOD'S little children who may, because of their feeling their own weakness, be fearful of falling. On the contrary, the apostle addresses this to "him that thinketh he standeth," that is, the one who thinks that he is able to stand, and thinks that he is standing in his own strength. Sometimes men become so elevated in their own minds that they think they do not need the Lord. They feel that they can stand without Him. These are the ones Paul has in view in this caution. Remember Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." Therefore let such a person take heed lest he fall. If he continues in that way he is doomed to fall. On the other hand, notice what the apostle says to one who, knowing that he can not stand in his own strength, leans on the mighty arm of GOD. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but GOD is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." How wonderful this comfort is to us as we travel through this world filled with temptations and trials! We are assured that, although we sometimes indulge in a little self-pity and think that we are having the worst time that anyone has ever experienced, being on every hand beset with temptations, yet "there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man." We are no worse off than others. Our road is no harder than theirs. Not only so, but, what is of still greater importance, "GOD is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." This whole promise rests upon the faithfulness of GOD. What could be of any greater comfort? We know that He can never fail. Therefore we know that He will make for us that way to escape. One escape route, which He has set constantly before us is, to "pray without ceasing" as this same apostle has elsewhere told us. If we do this and always lean upon Jesus our Saviour, we will never fall; but if we depend upon our own strength, we can not escape falling. To depend upon our own strength is, in itself, a form of idolatry, for in so doing we have set ourselves above our Lord; and Paul says, "Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry."

(Verses 15 through 17) "I speak as unto wise men; judge ye what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are partakers of that one bread. Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? What say I then? that the idol is anything, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything?"

This quotation, together with the remainder of this chapter, is continued instruction for staying clear of idolatry. The apostle uses a very interesting manner of approach to the subject. We first need to remind ourselves of what he has taught concerning this in an earlier chapter, which essentially is, "We know that an idol is of no value. Therefore, if you keep this in mind, you might be able to eat of that which is offered to an idol without in your heart paying homage to it; and in so doing you might not suffer any harm. Yet someone else might not have quite such strong convictions and so much knowledge as you; and seeing you thus partake of that which is part of the sacrifice, he may be emboldened to do the same, but with consciousness of the idol, thus committing idolatry. In such a case you would be the cause of his sin. Therefore refrain from partaking of such, lest you cause your brother to sin." Now he continues this subject from a slightly different perspective. He first calls attention to the fact that he is going to present a very important matter for consideration. "I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say." This signifies that it is not his purpose just to tell them what they are to do, as a father might tell a child or as a teacher might tell a student. Instead he addresses them as men of wisdom, capable of making mature judgments. He says, "Judge ye what I say." That is, "Give consideration to what I am going to present; and you will by your own reasoning on the matter come to the proper conclusion." He then sets the whole matter forth in the form of a series of questions for their consideration. First, he takes up the Christian Communion Service, The Lord's Supper, then Israel 's sacrifices to GOD, and, finally, the pagan offerings to idols, step by step bringing them to what he intends to tell them. "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?" This calls our attention to the fact, that if, as these brethren were well aware, it is the communion of the blood of Christ; that is, when this symbol of His blood is taken in the knowledge that His blood was shed for us, and for the purpose of being a memorial of His sacrifice, it draws our minds to the sacrifice He has made for us and to the fact that He, and He alone, is our salvation. Thus it is "the communion of the blood of Christ," that is, by it our faith is exercised to bring us into closer communion with Him. Likewise, as we partake of the bread in remembrance of Him, we have our faith exercised in the knowledge that this broken bread symbolizes the body of our Lord, which was broken for us. And although we as individual members may be many, yet only one body was broken for us and through the power of GOD we are all members of that one body. Thus by partaking of this bread, which is the communion of the body of Christ, we are brought into a greater unity, or communion, as we realize that though we are many members we are only one body. Paul now turns to the matter of the sacrifices of Israel . Notice should be taken that although Paul was fully persuaded that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to all that believe, he still does not condemn the sacrifices that Israel still offers under the law. Instead he simply says, "Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?" Sacrifices were not always completely burned on the altar. Certain specified parts of the animal for some sacrifices were burned and the remainder was eaten. Thus those who ate of the sacrifice were indeed partakers of the altar. This then brought them into communion with the altar; and since the altar is the representative of the one to whom it is erected, communion with the altar becomes communion with Him to whom the sacrifice is offered. Now, having presented both these forms of worship, Paul begins to address the matter of idol worship. "What say I then? that the idol is anything, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything?" Looking back we find that he has said very forcefully that an idol is nothing. One might be tempted to conclude that therefore it would make no difference at all what one might do with those things that are offered to idols. Here he brings the subject up again that he may pursue it further and explain his great objection to these things which he has already said are nothing at all.

(Verses 20 and 21) "But I say, that the things, which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to GOD: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of Lord's table, and the table of devils."

Someone might think that since Paul did not condemn the sacrifices of Israel , which had already been finished and set aside by the crucifixion of our Lord, surely sacrifices to idols could not make any difference inasmuch as he had already said that an idol is "nothing in the world." Here he gives the answer to this idea. Just as the bread and wine cause us to look beyond them to Him Whom they represent, and the sacrifices of the Israelites look beyond the altar to GOD, to Whom the altar is erected and the sacrifice offered; the things the Gentiles, (or heathen, as the original word also means and is often translated,) offer, look beyond the idol, which is nothing, to the one, who is represented by the idol, none other than a devil. So they, the Gentiles, or heathen, are sacrificing to devils, and not to GOD. Therefore anyone partaking of the sacrifice is in fellowship with devils. Since there can be no communion between GOD and devils, we who desire fellowship and communion with GOD must avoid communion and fellowship with devils. "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot partake of the Lord's table, and the table of devils." We hear much today about "Satanic Cults" and "Devil Worship." And regretfully, such is on the rise throughout the world. But what is often overlooked is the fact that any worship which puts anybody or anything before our Lord Jesus the Christ, or even sets up anything or anybody as a necessary help to His accomplishing the full and complete salvation of all the elect of GOD, is devil worship. And we are to have no fellowship with devils.

(Verses 22 through 26) "Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof."

In view of Paul's second question, it appears that the meaning of his first is more, "Do we DARE to provoke the Lord to jealousy?" than simply, "Do we do it?" "Are we stronger than He?" brings home to us the fact that we had better not do so. Therefore we had better avoid taking part in idolatrous sacrifices and eating of such sacrifices; for to do so might well provoke Him to jealousy; and this would bring down His wrath upon us, for we surely are aware that He is far stronger than we. He is the Almighty God, the Creator of all things, while we are only weak creatures, His creation and workmanship. Where would we be in such a confrontation? With this background the apostle says, "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not." What we need to consider in this sentence is not the permissiveness that some read into the first part of each declaration, but the reason for the restriction in the second part of each. What it really sets before us is that although something may not, of itself, be contrary to any law, we need to consider, first of all, whether or not it is profitable to the body, the church. The word here translated "expedient" also means "profitable;" and, beyond question, Paul's consideration is for what is profitable, spiritually, to the church. So our question concerning anything that we may be inclined to do should be, "Will it be spiritually profitable and edifying, or strengthening, to the church?" If it will not measure up to these two criteria, leave it off. "Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth." The word, "wealth", at the time of this translation, may have carried the proper meaning for this sentence, but, in our modern usage of the language, a better word is "welfare," or "well being." Because it is clear that the apostle has taught constantly that we are to be always alert to the well being of our brethren and sisters. "Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." Although we are not to eat of that which is offered to idols, we do not, for conscience sake, have to ask those who sell foods in the market, "the shambles," whether what they are selling has been part of an offering or not. Since it is put up for public sale, we may consider it proper for eating, because as the earth and its fullness belong to the Lord this is His also. If the seller does not voluntarily tell us that it is offered in sacrifice to idols, we are free to buy it and eat it. Certainly we should pass it by if we are told that it is part of a sacrifice, not that it would defile us, but in protest against idol worship.

(Verses 27 through 30) "If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof: conscience, I say, not thine own but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?"

The apostle has already dealt with the matter of what we should do about feasts that are arranged as sacrifices to idols. We are simply to have no part with them. Here he takes up the matter of what we may term ordinary feasts, those which we commonly call "breakfasts," "luncheons," or "dinners," not specified as sacrifices. If we are invited to one and we feel that we would like to go, we may go without any qualms of conscience. In fact, we are to ask "no questions for conscience sake," about whatever food is set before us. However, if someone says to us that this is something that is sacrificed to an idol, we are to refuse it immediately, as a protest to the one who has told us this and for the sake of his conscience. Just as he has already said, Paul repeats, "for the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof", signifying that it is not our conscience about which he is concerned, but that of the one who has told us that this is a sacrifice. Then he enlarges a little on this. "Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other," that is, the conscience of the one who has informed us of the situation. We might, without changing the meaning of the apostle's following questions, paraphrase them thus: "Why should I make my liberty a matter to be condemned by the conscience of another? For if by grace I have been set free, so that I might be a partaker of any food without being defiled thereby, why should I flaunt this liberty before those who will speak evil of me for it, although I give thanks to GOD for it?" As people today are so fond of saying, the "bottom line" is, that although we ourselves may be free to do a thing, whether it be the eating of food as already discussed, or something else entirely, if it will cause someone else to do something that would wound his conscience, or would lead someone to sin, or even cause an unbeliever to speak evil of the name of our Lord, Who has made us free, we are to avoid it altogether.

(Verses 31 through 33) "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of GOD. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of GOD : even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved."

Surely verse 31 needs little, if any, further explanation, seeing that it is only the summation of what Paul has already discussed at length. Whatever we may think of doing, no matter how innocent it may at first appear, we must consider, "Will this be for the glory of GOD? or will it in any way cause someone to think evil of the liberty my Lord has given me, thus thinking evil of Him?" Paul's instruction, "Give none offence_ _ _," in the light of what he has taught, not only in this chapter, but in this entire epistle, might be better understood as, "Give no occasion for offense_ _ _." That is, we are never to leave anyone a legitimate opening, or opportunity, to criticize us for liberties that they might even consider as in "gray areas" of conduct; and certainly we should never engage in evil deeds. Yet if they are offended because we are what they might consider too "straight-laced," we should have no apology to make for that. Certainly a too liberal interpretation of the apostle's statement, "even as I please all men in all things," would run into immediate contradiction by Paul himself. One only has to go to his question and answer to the Galatians to see this. (Gal. 1:10) "For do I now persuade men, or GOD? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." Thus his obvious meaning is the same as already discussed in Chapter 9, verses 19 through 23. In the remainder of verse 33, we can substitute the word, "welfare" for "profit," and we should keep in mind that he is concerned with spiritual welfare, not physical.  To see how little concern Paul had for his own physical welfare, one needs only to read his address to the elders of the church at Ephesus, recorded in Acts 20:18-35, and his answer to Agabus, given in Acts 21:13. These, and many other scriptures prove that Paul was not concerned with his own physical welfare; but all his energies were directed to the furtherance of the gospel of our Lord Jesus the Christ, and the spiritual welfare of others through it. His entire life from the time of his conversion was devoted to bringing to others the wonderful gospel of the Christ that meant so much to him.

(Verses 1 and 2) "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you."

Sometimes brethren, in an attempt to excuse their weaknesses, failures, and errors, in commenting upon the Apostle's first sentence here, will tell us that his meaning is that we should follow him as long as he follows Christ. But when he steps aside, we should notice that and cease to follow him until he returns to following Christ again. Although this might have some value to us in that we should recognize the errors of our brethren, and our errors also, and avoid them, it has absolutely no relation to Paul's statement. He says, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." Clearly his meaning is, "I am a follower of Christ. Therefore be ye followers of me." He then says, "I praise you, brethren." We might look ahead to verse 17, where he says, "I praise you not." This comparison shows us that he was ready both to give commendation where it is deserved and withhold it where it is not merited. So our next consideration is "What is the basis for his praising them at this point?" He says, "Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you." When we think of "ordinances" in connection with the church, this usually brings up the idea of baptism, the Lord's Supper, etc. The majority of this chapter, especially verses 17 through 34, will immediately dispel this consideration concerning what Paul has in mind, for it is readily apparent that they were not observing the Lord's Supper as he had taught them. Actually, the word translated "ordinances" is the noun derived from the verb that is translated "delivered" in this same sentence, and literally means "that which was delivered;" and should be considered as those things which the apostle had taught them. Although they had failed in many instances to follow them as they ought, thus deserving the corrections he gives them in this epistle, they maintained them in much the same manner as churches today maintain their "Articles of Faith," and at the same time fail to follow them as they ought. These brethren remembered [acknowledged] Paul in the things he had taught them, in spite of their division over preachers, and their failure to follow that which they had been taught. Through it all they apparently acknowledged that he had originally taught them these things; and it is upon this basis that he often, in this epistle calls their attention to how far they have erred from where they were established. He therefore praises them for their remembering him and his teaching. Apparently the matter he is about to take up is one that has not been previously addressed.

(Verses 3 through 7) " But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is GOD. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of GOD: but the woman is the glory of the man."

For the sake of clarity let us set aside, temporarily, verses 4 through 6, since they are actually parenthetical, and join verse 7 to verse 3 thus: "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is GOD_ _ _. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of GOD: but the woman is the glory of the man." As mentioned earlier, this appears to be a matter about which the apostle has not previously given any instructions. So he calls attention to it by saying, "But I would have you know_ _ _ ," thus signifying that this is something important. This concerns the relation of Christ to GOD, the relation of the man to Christ, the relation of the woman to the man, and the relation of the woman to Christ. From this the apostle shows a matter of our conduct in the service of GOD, and the reason for it. First of all, GOD is the head of Christ. Although many times Jesus told us that He and the Father are One, He also declared, "My father is greater than I." So it remains, "the head of Christ is GOD." Then "the head of every man is Christ." Since this whole letter is addressed to Christians, no doubt the primary reference of this statement is to "every Christian man." But, since Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords, and will be the final judge of both the righteous and the wicked, He is indeed the head of every man. However our principal concern is of Christian conduct and the reason for it. So we are considering the Christ, the head of every Christian man. With Him as the head, the apostle says, "a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of GOD." We are all acquainted with the account of the creation of man, as given in Gen. 1:26-28. It is here recorded that man was created in the image of GOD, but nothing is said about his being the glory of GOD, or even his being created in the glory of GOD. There are many statements in scripture about the glory of the Christ. John says of Him, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." The writer of Hebrews gives this testimony: "Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." So it seems most unlikely that Paul's expression, "_ _ _he is the image and glory of GOD", has reference to any man other than Jesus the Christ Himself, Who is also the head of the man. For this reason a man in the service of our Lord ought to have his head uncovered to symbolize the fact that Christ, our head is always to be presented openly, or uncovered; since He it is Who has wrought out our salvation by His own sacrifice. And although "the head of Christ is GOD," He, Christ, has no need to be covered or hidden, because He and the Father are One. Since, however, the head of the woman is the man, the woman should have her head covered, to signify that her access to GOD is not through man, her head, but directly through Christ. The apostle then says, "Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. One might ask why the Jews require a man's head to be covered in their worship service. The answer is simple. Under the law service the veil is still present, signifying that the way of access to GOD is in that service still hidden. So the covering of the head indicates that the way of access to GOD is still a "mystery," while in the Christ the "mystery" is no longer a mystery, but a revelation; and the removal of the head covering signifies the revelation of that mystery. Then we consider the woman. In so doing, keep in mind that Paul has said, "the head of every woman is the man." This may not please the modern "liberated woman," but it has been an accepted idea from the beginning of human history down to the present; and here, as well as in many other scriptural statements, it is declared to be the truth. At any rate, we continue, "But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head". If she does not cover her head, this says, symbolically, that instead of looking directly to the Christ for salvation, she is looking, as it were, through her husband, thus falsely ascribing to him glory that is not his; and by so doing dishonoring him, while at the same time robbing the Christ of the glory due Him. Since the man is the head of the woman and the Christ is the head of the man, the Christ is, verily, the head of both. As the Christ and the Father are One, there is no reason to consider the matter of head covering as having to extend any farther. It would seem that verse 6 is clear enough as written. "For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered."

(Verses 8 through 12) "For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of GOD."

Since the man was created first, and for a companion and helper to him woman was made of a rib taken from his side, the apostle draws the conclusion that the man was not made of the woman nor created for her, but conversely, the woman was made of the man and was created for the man. This is what gives rise to the relationship already discussed. For this reason, it is right that the woman should cover her head signifying that although her husband is her head in all other matters and in them has power over her, he has no power over her in her relationship to the Christ, and is therefore in this relationship to be covered, or hidden. Many ideas have been set forth; and many words have been written concerning Paul's use of the phrase, "because of the angels." Since there is no other scripture that will with certainty tell us his meaning, it seems best to pass it without comment. "Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of GOD". In spite of the order, established of GOD, which places man as the head over the woman, he, man, is given no exclusive access to GOD, and neither is such granted to the woman. This is practically the same as Paul said in Galatians 3:28 , "_ _ _there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." This does not negate what he has already said about the man-woman relationship. It only declares that neither has any advantage over the other insofar as access to GOD is concerned. "For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of GOD." Although in the original man was first created and the woman made of a rib from his side, in the continuing of the human family, the woman is just as necessary as the man, but that which underlies the whole matter is this fact: "but all things of GOD."

(Verses 13 through 16) "Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray to GOD uncovered? Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory: for her hair is given her for a covering. But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of GOD."

Here again, as in an earlier chapter, Paul calls upon the brethren to consider the matter themselves, and by his questions leads their minds to consider the subject in the light of nature and reason, being confident that in so doing they would be brought to the same conclusion he had already expressed, the whole subject to this point being that when men pray or prophesy they should do so with their heads uncovered, while women should have their heads covered. Now he points out that even nature itself teaches that long hair is a shame to a man but a glory to a woman. He concludes this matter thus: "But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of GOD". Some may think that the apostle is giving up the argument and making a concession to anyone, who might contend against the things he has said. However, in the light of the length of his argument, the force with which he has stated it, and, above all, his reason why this is to be done, (see verse 3,) one can hardly accept this explanation of verse 16. His meaning seems rather to be that if anyone wants to argue against this, he is to be informed that it is not the apostle's custom to tolerate objection to apostolic authority; and neither will the churches of GOD accept such.

(Verses 17 through 19) "Now in this that I declare to you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you."

Earlier we noticed that Paul praised these brethren for some things, but here he tells them "up front" that he does not praise them in, or for, the things he is about to call to their attention. Conversely, it will shortly appear that he is much displeased by their conduct in these things. The very first item on his agenda is what is accomplished in their meetings, that is, "when ye come together in the church." These meetings are not improving things, but only making matters worse. Why? Because they are divided; and evidently when they came together, it was for contention and strife rather than for making peace and showing the love of GOD toward one another. The apostle says that he has heard that they are divided. And since in order that the wheat and the chaff be separated, or as he says it, "that they which are approved among you may be made manifest," there must be heresies among them, he is inclined to believe that they are divided. The fact that these things must come in order that those who are approved, (and the only approval to be considered here is that of GOD,) may be made manifest, that is, that you may see who is approved, does not at all reduce the sadness of the situation when it comes about. Not only do they come together for worse because of their divisions, but Paul takes up another matter which is not as it should be and therefore makes for the worse instead of the better.

(Verses 20 through 22) "When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. For in eating everyone taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? Have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? Or despise ye the church of GOD , and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not."

"When ye come together therefore into one place" is what may be termed a liberal, or free, translation of this clause. The literal is, "When ye come together therefore in this." This might not make a great deal of difference since they, in coming together, would necessarily come to one place. The principal difference is that it would appear from the literal that the central idea might be that of coming together in this service without any special emphasis on the idea of the place. However one may view this, it is certain that the apostle is vastly more concerned about the service in which they are engaged and the manner in which they conduct themselves therein than in the location. He continues, "this is not to eat the Lord's supper". Unquestionably, they were claiming this to be the Lord's supper; but Paul says that it is NOT the Lord's supper. To understand why he would make such a statement, we only have to think for a moment about the Lord's supper, as to its origin and purpose. The apostle will describe it for us in some later verses, but for the present let us simply say that it was instituted by our Lord Himself and is to be kept and observed as a solemn memorial of Him. Since this is true, what they were doing could not be accepted as the Lord's supper; and Paul explains thus: "For in eating everyone taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken." In this quotation the word, "other" is one that was inserted by the translators and was not in the original. It may confuse the issue slightly. What is here described is a practice that was common among them. It was called a "Love Feast," and was, supposedly for the purpose of promoting love and fellowship among the saints. They would bring their food and drink to the gathering place in the pretext of having everyone celebrate this feast together. The wealthier members would bring much food and drink with the claim that they wished to share with their poorer brethren. Nevertheless, when they decided to begin eating they would do so without waiting until a set time for everyone to start so that all might eat together. Of course if some of the poor, who might not be able to bring any food, but were depending upon the largess of wealthier brethren, should be late in arriving, the food and drink had all been consumed, and they were left hungry. At the same time those who had begun eating and drinking earlier were drunken by the time they were ready to observe the Lord's supper. They were just as the apostle described, "one is hungry, and another is drunken." Certainly this is no proper condition in which to observe so solemn a service as the memorial of our Lord's death. Then he asks, "What? Have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? Or despise ye the church of GOD , and shame them which have not?" These questions set before us the only two reasons that one could have for such conduct. The first, if it were true, might be to some extent excusable, but they knew this was not their case. "Do not ye have houses to eat and to drink in?" They could not claim this, for they did have houses. The other reason is all they have left, and it gives them no excuse at all. "Or despise ye the church of GOD , and shame them that have not?" This is indeed the question that should be kept in mind, not only as pertaining to these brethren and the observing of the Lord's supper, but also as concerning ourselves today and every facet of our service to GOD. Do we think the church of GOD to be of so little worth that we can use it to show how much better off, financially and socially, we are than our brother or sister? As he considers this matter, Paul asks, "What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not." These two questions and the apostle's answer ought to be clear to anyone without comment. There is no way to say it more plainly.

In verses 23 through 27, Paul gives us a description of the Lord's supper and a warning against partaking of it in an unworthy manner. "For I have received of the Lord that which I also delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when He had given thanks, He brake it and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He took the cup when He had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He come. Wherefore whosoever  shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord."

This should need very little explanation since it is, for the greater part, only a recounting of the events of the Lord's supper as our Lord Himself established it. Yet a few observations may be in order. The first point for consideration is that Paul was not present at that supper, but received his account of it, not from the other apostles, but from the Lord Himself. Not only so, but he delivered it to these brethren just as he had received it, and just as he retells it to them at this time. Should anyone inquire as to how the Lord told Paul about this, the apostle gives answer, (Galatians 1:12 ) "For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." Since this answer was concerning the gospel that Paul preached and what we are considering here is a part of that gospel, without doubt, this answer covers the present matter of consideration. The apostle then tells us how at the end of the Passover supper in the night in which He was betrayed, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to His disciples, with these instructions: "Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me." In view of what Paul said in chapter 10, verse 16, "The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" we consider that when our Lord gave the bread to His disciples, and said, "_ _ _this is My body", He was speaking symbolically instead of literally, although there are those who contend that the bread literally becomes the very flesh of Christ when taken in the communion service. The same is to be said concerning the cup, as it is the "communion of the blood of Christ." When we partake of these symbols, we are to do this in remembrance of our Lord, and especially of His death. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He come." We are therefore to observe this memorial of our Lord's death until He returns in glory. Upon this fact, and the solemnity in which it should be observed, the apostle says, "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord." We sometimes hear someone express fear that he is not worthy to partake of this solemn service. Because of that feeling of unworthiness he may fear that what is said here is directed at him. Let us hasten to assure you that no one who sincerely feels his unworthiness is even under consideration in the apostle's statement. One who feels thus, does so only as a result of the work of GOD in imputing to him the righteousness of  the Christ by which he is made worthy although, of ourselves, none of us are, or ever will be, worthy. Moreover, the question is not whether or not one is worthy, but whether or not one is partaking of this memorial "unworthily." That is, is it being done in the right manner and for the right purpose? This occasion, by its very nature, demands that we observe it in a sober and solemn manner for the purpose of being the memorial of the most solemn event that has ever taken place in this world, the death of our Lord, the only begotten Son of the living GOD. Whoever partakes of it in any other manner, or for any other purpose, is doing so unworthily; and, in the apostle's words, "shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord."

(Verses 28 and 29) "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

Notice that Paul does not say, "Let a man examine his brother." Instead he says, "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat _ _ _." In view of what he has told us regarding this matter, when we examine ourselves, some of the questions of this examination might be, "Do I believe that Jesus actually came in the flesh and died on Calvary 's cross for me? Do I believe that it is by His broken body and shed blood that I am redeemed, and all my sins are forever taken away? Do I believe that He is literally coming back again to, if I am already dead, raise me up from the grave, and if still alive on earth, change me, and take me to be forever with Him? Am I eating of this bread and drinking of this cup in His memory, and the memory of His death?" There may be many questions we would ask, but they are all to be asked of ourselves, and not of our brother. If after such self-examination, one feels that he can eat of this bread and drink of this cup, let him do so. I have no right, nor authority to deny him that privilege. But if he partakes of this memorial in an unworthy manner or for an unworthy purpose, he does so at his own peril. "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." There is no reason for us to read any more, or any less into this than what it says. The word translated "damnation" carries the idea of the "judgment of GOD", or whatever penalty He may see fit to inflict. One thing is crystal clear: it is not a desirable condition in which to be.

(Verses 30 through 32) "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world."

Does not verse 30 sound like a description of many of the churches today? "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep." Although we may be sure that Paul was compassionate enough to be concerned about the physical health of the brethren, we can also be sure that this is not what he has under consideration at this point. He is describing their spiritual condition. In every church, no doubt, there can be some who are not children of GOD and are therefore spiritually dead. (See our Lord's parable of the net that is cast into the sea.) There are also some who, although born of the Spirit, become temporarily so inactive and seemingly unconcerned that they may well be referred to as sleeping. Since Paul sometimes uses "sleep" as an euphemism for "death," it may not be absolutely clear which meaning he intends here. Nevertheless, since he says that there are many of these, as well as many that are weak and sickly, we may assume that he is speaking of Christians who have become so cold and unconcerned that they are properly spoken of as sleeping. He tells us that the reason for this weak, sickly, and sleepy condition is the lack of self-examination or self-judgment. They have not exercised proper care in requiring of themselves a "lifestyle," as many today like to call it, in closer keeping with what the apostle had already taught them. How like so many of us today! Now he gives the cure for this spiritual illness: "for if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." It sounds very simple. There is only one medicine necessary; and it is to be self-administered. That medicine is, "if we would judge ourselves." The problem is that this medicine has to be taken daily, and sometimes, many times a day. Yet if we will use it, we will find that less judgment comes upon us than if we neglect the treatment. For us to judge ourselves, according to Paul's instructions, does not mean that after we have done something we are to consider whether we have done good or evil. Rather the judgment is to be made before the deed is done. Then avoid the evil and perform the good. No doubt this will apply to all our activities, but in the light of what was said in verses 28 and 29, it seems to have special reference to judging ourselves before we partake of the Lord's supper. Yet even when we are judged, we can find comfort in the apostle's statement, "But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." How thankful we should be for such a merciful and loving GOD! 

(Verses 33 and 34) "Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come."

The apostle purposes to answer any other questions concerning this matter at his next visit to the church at Corinth . Until then his present instructions should suffice. In order that they not bring upon themselves the judgment of GOD and, of course, whatever punishment He may deem fitting, they are to follow some very simple rules. The first is: "When ye come together to eat, tarry one for another." This may apply, not only to the Lord's supper, but also to any meal for which they might come together. On such an occasion, let everyone wait until all are ready so that there will be no confusion. As it regards the Lord's supper, this is not to be a great feast for gluttonous appetites; and therefore if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home. Then when you come together for this occasion, there will be no undue concern for natural food; and all minds can concentrate upon the spiritual matters involved. Thus there will be no fear of condemnation for having observed this service unworthily.

(Verses 1 through 3) "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of GOD calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."

These verses are the key to all that the apostle says in this chapter, and should be kept in mind all the way through it. The subject, spiritual gifts, is introduced in the first verse; and Paul says that he does not want these brethren to be ignorant of them. He then reminds them of their background, saying, "Ye know that ye were Gentiles," (or, as this word can also be translated, heathen, or pagans,) "carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led." With this background there is no way they can know anything about spiritual gifts unless they are taught. So he begins their instruction in these things by first giving them the rule by which all gifts can be recognized, as to whether or not they are spiritual, that is, by the Spirit of GOD. He is much concerned that they learn this, and hold on to it, for he says, "I give you to understand." That is, "I want you to know and understand this." The information about which he is so concerned that they understand is twofold. It has both a positive, and a negative side. He says that, "no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and no man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." Sometimes Paul uses the word "gift" to mean the actual gift given, and at others to mean the one to whom the gift is given. So, if one appears to have some gift, no matter how great that gift may seem, there is a test that both it and he who has it must pass. If he says that Jesus is accursed, he is not speaking by the Spirit of GOD; and therefore his apparent gift is not a spiritual gift. It is not by the Spirit of GOD. To say that Jesus is accursed does not necessarily mean to say that He is an evil being or is an agent of Satan, although that would certainly be calling Him accursed. Just to consider Him as anything less than a full and complete Saviour is to say that He is accursed, for that is to say that He failed in that for which He was sent into the world. He came into this world and died on the cross to save sinners, not to provide a way in which they, if they will, can save themselves. Surely, if He has to wait for the sinner's consent and approval before saving him, He is less powerful, or lower than the sinner, and in such a situation He would be accursed. On the other hand, to call Him Lord is to acknowledge Him for Who He is, "the Christ the Son of the living GOD," and able to save and keep all of GOD'S elect forever and ever. The gifted ones who so acknowledge Him, must indeed have spiritual gifts, because it is only by the Holy Ghost that they are able to do so. This test will apply to all gifts.

(Verses 4 through 7) "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same GOD Which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal."

Having assured the brethren that there is only one Spirit that can acknowledge Jesus as Lord, and that Spirit can not call Jesus accursed, the apostle quickly tells them that all gifts are not the same. There are diversities of gifts, but all can be tested by this rule already given, because they are all by the same Spirit. Not only are the gifts different, but so is the manner of their being administered; yet they are of the same Lord. They also differ in their operation, but the same GOD works all of them in all to whom they are given. Now we come to one thing that is the same always, and everywhere. "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." Every man is not given the same gift, but the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man, that is, to every man who is given a spiritual gift. The manifestation of the Spirit is found in the acknowledging of Jesus as Lord and Christ; and this is what is profitable withal. It is what identifies every spiritual gift as spiritual; and it makes every spiritual gift profitable, not financially, but spiritually. One needs to keep in mind that the Apostle Paul was always concerned about the spiritual welfare of the church, not the financial.

(Verses 8 through 13) "For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: but all these worketh the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit".

In this selection Paul sets forth some of the gifts, nine in fact, that are given by the Holy Ghost. It is not to be thought that these are all the gifts that are given by the Spirit of GOD, but they are sufficient to show the "diversities of gifts" mentioned in verse 4. Although these gifts differ one from another, they are all given by the same Spirit, the Holy Ghost. To one may be given the "word of wisdom." He may be enabled to understand the deeper doctrines of GOD and better discern the will of GOD. To another is given the "word of knowledge." Since, in the apostle's day, the New Testament had not been written, but was in the process of being developed by the revelations of GOD to His apostles, and perhaps a few others of His choosing, this gift, the word of knowledge, may embrace those who were given such revelations, and as it is here separated from the "word of wisdom," may not refer to the understanding of the deeper doctrines of GOD so much as to a wider scope of other things necessary to the church. To another may be given the gift of faith. Certainly Paul has more in mind than just that faith which enables us to believe in our Lord Jesus the Christ, for this is given to all God's children. Although faith is required in the operation of all the gifts of the Spirit, and is, of course, given by the Holy Ghost to all to whom He gives spiritual gifts, the fact that he separates "the gift of faith" from the others seems to indicate that he has something special in mind. It may indicate such faith as our Lord spoke of, "as a grain of mustard seed", that could move mountains, or that faith that will enable a man to stand forth and preach the gospel in the face of all threats, persecutions, and even death itself. It is recorded that some have preached the word, or prayed, or sung the praises of our Lord even while being burned at the stake. This could well be the gift of faith he has in view. Then there is the gift of healing, which was given by our Lord to his disciples, both before and after His crucifixion. This gift was also given to some others as the Lord saw fit. Following this the apostle mentions the gifts of working miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues (languages), and the interpretation of tongues. Yet all of these, and indeed all other spiritual gifts, are given by the same Spirit. The names of most of these gifts are well enough understood that they need no explanation, yet some comment may be appropriate concerning some of them. We are all familiar with the gift of prophecy as it was given to such men as David, Daniel, Elijah, and others. It is the ability to foretell future events. In its New Testament usage, however, it also includes the ability, not so much to foretell, but also to "forthtell," or preach the word of GOD. The gift of discerning of spirits is the ability to KNOW whether or not a person is telling the truth; to be able to judge whether or not a person's profession of faith is real. This is not the ability to guess, but the ability to know. There are three outstanding examples of this in the scriptures. One is Acts 5:1-10. The occasion is the Apostle Peter's dealing with Ananias and Sapphira. He knew that they were lying. Then consider Peter's words to Simon, as recorded in Acts 8:22-23. Finally, notice what Paul said to Elymas. (Acts 13:9-10) "Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes upon him, and said, O full of all subtilty and mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?" These scriptures give us some examples of the use of this gift. The gift of "divers," or different, kinds of tongues, or languages, was first manifested on the day of Pentecost, when the disciples who knew Hebrew and, possibly, the koine Greek language that was in common use, were enabled to speak in other languages so that people gathered in Jerusalem from all parts of the world were able to hear them in their own language. This gift was given to others as it pleased the Lord. Paul was himself given this gift. We do not know how many languages he could speak from being educated therein, but his statement, (1 COR. 14:18 ) "I thank my GOD, I speak with tongues more than ye all," is a reference to this gift. Since sometimes one might come before a congregation of people whose language he did not know, and he had not been given the gift of tongues, another gift came into use, that of interpreting tongues. One to whom this gift was given would, as the speaker addressed the congregation, "interpret," or more properly, translate, what was said so that the congregation might understand it. With all the diversities of gifts, there still remains but one Giver, the Holy Ghost; and since His will is the same as that of the Father and the Son, He divides, or distributes these gifts "to every man severally as He will." Then Paul likens the church, (and this applies to the whole church as well as to the local assembly,) to a body, the body of Christ. Just as a human body has many members, such as hands, feet, eyes, ears, etc., so we although many are only members and therefore constitute only one body. "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." The apostle has no reference here to water baptism, as is obvious from the fact that it is done by "by one Spirit." Rather, his focus is on regeneration, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, which is the only baptism by which we are "baptized into one body," or as Paul expresses it in Romans 6:3, "baptized into Jesus Christ."  As an illustration of the church as the body of the Christ, though made up of many members, the apostle, in verses 14 through 26, mentions various members of the natural body and calls our attention to the situation that would exist if the individual members of that body could become jealous one of another and refuse to function because they are what they are and not some other member. He points out that if all members were the same, such as all being an eye, or all being an ear, or some other member, there would be no body at all. Further he tells us that one member can not say that it is self-sufficient, and has no need of other members. Also he says that the members of the body that seem to be weaker than others are just as necessary as the stronger ones; and parts that may not be so beautiful as others must also be cherished. All the various members of the natural body were designed of GOD to make the body operate according to His purpose. Notice what Paul says in verse 18. "But now hath GOD set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him." And in verses 24 through 26, "But GOD hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another, and whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it." What he says here is applicable to both the natural human body, and to the spiritual body, the body of Christ. Having established this illustration, Paul continues his principal message.

(Verses 27 through 31) "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And GOD hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? but covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way."

Just as the natural body is made up of many members, all of them differing one from another in their assigned purpose and operation, the mystical body of Christ is made up of many members, each placed as the Lord will have him, and each given the gift that GOD sees fit to bestow upon him that he may fulfill the work to which he is appointed and the position in which he is been placed. Furthermore every member is needful regardless of how weak he may perceive himself, or others may consider him. Therefore the apostle tells us, "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." All the family of GOD together make up one mystical body of Christ. But each is a particular member, not the whole body; and between any two members there may be as much difference as in the natural body exists between a hand and a foot, or an eye and an ear, etc. Yet every member is important to the well being of the body. Paul continues, "And GOD hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." No doubt is left by the apostle as to the order of importance of these gifts. His very word choice indicates that. Most of these gifts have already been discussed. It may, nevertheless, be in order to mention a few things concerning some of them. As already stated, in the New Testament, the gift of prophecy, although it can, and sometimes does, include the gift of foreseeing and foretelling future events, often refers not so much to this as to the preaching of the gospel of Christ, wherein the principal thought is that of "forth telling" rather than "foretelling." The gift of "helps" has not heretofore been mentioned. We would think that it is perhaps the gift of being able to recognize a need and to know how to take hold of the situation in the best way to fulfill that need. Surely, all of us would gladly help a brother or sister in any situation that requires help; yet how often we have been faced with such, and have found ourselves confused as to how to take hold of the matter. Then someone comes along and seems to know instinctively just exactly what to do and how to do it. This may not be just what Paul has in mind as the "gift of helps" but it is a gift, and one that is oftentimes very valuable. Then we have the gift of "governments." This gift might be thought to extend even to the governing of a community or a country. But, since Paul is teaching concerning the church rather than political entities, it seems better to consider this gift as the ability to discern what is right, or proper in situations that confront the church. Thus in advising the church in such matters one is considered as guiding, or governing. This does not mean that one has the gift, and thereby the authority to, of himself, legislate to the church. Now having established the order of these gifts in the church, Paul asks a series of questions, "Are all apostles? Are all prophets?" etc. The obvious answer to each and all of these questions is "No." This does not mean that none of these gifts overlap nor that no one has been given more than one of these gifts; witness the fact that to some were given the gift of apostleship, together with that of teaching, prophecy, working of miracles, healing, and others. The questions are simply, "Do all have this, or that gift;" and the answer is, "No." So GOD has given, and is giving, these gifts to men, as is pleasing to Him. The apostle then says, "But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way." The word, "covet" is most often used in a bad sense, but not so here. It simply means "desire;" and since Paul says, "covet earnestly," we are constrained to believe that he means that we ought to maintain a high level of desire for them, and pray that GOD will give them. We should pray for these gifts, not only that GOD might bestow them upon us individually, and certainly not for our own personal benefit or gratification, but that He would bestow them upon the church for the edification of the whole body. Still after we have done this, the apostle says, "And yet shew I unto you a more excellent way." This more excellent way is the one thing that gives value to all the other gifts, and without which they are all worthless. He explains more fully in the next chapter.

(Verses 1 through 3) "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. and though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove all mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."

The Greek word here translated, "charity," also means "love;" and we are told by some who are learned in that language that, of the several Greek words meaning "love," this one is considered as love in its highest plane. From what the Apostle Paul says about it in this chapter, we would be forced to agree with that idea. Having urged the brethren to earnestly desire the best gifts, Paul then said, "And yet shew I unto you a more excellent way." In this chapter he takes up that more excellent way. He mentions five of those spiritual gifts, and declares that if he, (or anyone else,) had all of them and did not have charity, or love, it would all be to no avail. So far as the gift of tongues is concerned, he says that if he had such a great measure of that gift that he could speak all languages of men and that of angels also, it would be worthless without love. He would be no more than "sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." The "sounding brass" to which he refers is not a trumpet, or bugle, or any other of the musical instruments we usually associate with the brass section of the band. But it is a large somewhat dish-shaped brass gong, which like the cymbal is used only for emphasis in the performance of certain musical compositions. Their function is neither for melody nor harmony, but for emphasis only. When one becomes "as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal," he is only making a noise. From a musical standpoint there is neither melody nor harmony in his sound; and so far as his message is concerned, it is just as worthless. Then the apostle says that if I have the gift of prophecy, the gift of the word of wisdom, (understand all mysteries,) the gift of all knowledge, and added to this the gift of faith so great that I could remove mountains, (What wonderfully endowed man!) "and have not charity, I am nothing." Without love everything and everybody is of no value. We habitually consider that if someone gives something to the poor, or to some cause that is of some benefit to others, this is charity. This is not in agreement with what we are told here. True enough, it could be charity that moves one to do such, but it could also not be charity. Two things are here mentioned, "though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor," and "though I give my body to be burned." The first surely is clear enough, but someone may wonder what the apostle has in view in the second. We must keep in mind that at the time of Paul's writing, Christians were suffering persecution and death, even death by being burned at the stake; and, no doubt this is what he is considering. We would probably think that no one would willingly suffer martyrdom for his faith unless he was filled with the love of GOD. Notice that Paul does not say that such would, or even could happen. He only says that if it did it would be totally worthless. Without love nothing is worthwhile. So this is, without question, the "more excellent way."

(Verses 4 through 7) "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

Having told us that literally nothing is of any value without this love, the apostle now tells us how we may recognize it. He tells us both what it will, and what it will not, do. Its first characteristic is long suffering, then kindness. This love does not grow impatient and, because of impatience, become harsh in its dealing with others. Instead it will be patient, and continue to show kindness even to those who may cause unpleasantness and lay extra burdens upon it by their continued irritating manner. Now for some things it will not do. It will not envy. When one becomes envious or jealous of another, this is not brought about by love. Neither does love cause one to "show off," or boast of his great abilities, achievements, or even how great he may feel is the gift with which he has been blessed. Love is never "puffed up" and neither does it cause one who has it to be so. A puffed up person always looks down on others, while one filled with love looks up to them. When one behaves himself in an unseemly, or inappropriate, manner toward others, is seeking his own advancement and not the good of the whole body, is easily provoked, or made angry, or is ready to think evil of someone, we may be sure that this is not the result of love, because love does none of these things. Further, love does not rejoice in iniquity. If one is pleased with the evil things he has done, or is pleased to hear about the iniquities of others, he is not moved in this by love. That which causes love to rejoice is truth, hearing, knowing, and meditating upon the truths of GOD, dealing in truth with others, and finding others walking in truth. The first thing that was said about charity is that it "suffereth long." Now, in continuing, we find that charity "beareth all things, believeth all things, endureth all things." Charity, or love, will bear and endure whatever may come against it; and to make the assurance of this as strong as possible, this same apostle said, (Romans 8:38-39), "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature [created thing] shall be able to separate us from the love of GOD, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Charity believes all things and hopes all things. Certainly the love of GOD makes us believe and expectantly await the fulfillment of all the promises of GOD, but it does not stop there. If we have the love of GOD in our hearts, we will believe one another and hope [have confidence] in one another so that we will be looking over each other for good and not for evil. He who looks upon a brother or sister, expecting him or her to do something evil is not led by charity.

(Verses 8 through 10) "Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away."

Charity [love] is the one thing that shall never fail.  One thing should be observed at this point. Of the many gifts GOD has given us for the edification of the body, the church, charity is the only one that will stand alone. All the others are dependent upon it. It is one we should constantly cultivate in our lives and conduct toward our fellow Christians, and for that matter, toward all men. We should cultivate love that it may be the ruling force in all phases of our lives. Paul says that love never fails, meaning not only that it never grows weak and fails to accomplish its work, but also, and more to the point, it will never end. He then says that prophecy will fail. His meaning here also is not that that which is prophesied will not come to pass, but that the gift of prophecy and the need for it will cease to be. Further, he tells us that tongues shall cease and knowledge shall vanish away. Then, although in giving the reason for the cessation of these he only mentions prophecy and knowledge, the same will apply to all the other gifts. "For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away." Only love is perfect. All the "gifts" are in part. Therefore when perfection of all things is come there will be no further need for those things that are in part.

(Verses 11 through 13) "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now there abideth faith, hope, and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."

Since he has just told us that when that which is perfect comes on the scene those gifts that are in part will no longer be needed, and will vanish away. It is evident that his analogy in verse 11 is that our present life is to be compared to childhood, wherein, he says, "I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child." Then his manhood answers to our situation when our Lord returns and those things that are in part, which can be compared to childish things, will be put aside. He continues, saying that in our present condition we are not able to get a clear view of things as they are, but it is like looking through a glass which distorts the picture, so we see only darkly, or dimly; but then we will be able to see clearly, or "face to face." This is in perfect harmony with what the Apostle John says. (1 John 3:2) "Beloved, now are we the sons of GOD, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is". Paul continues, "now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." The best knowledge we have now is only in part; but when our Lord returns we will see Him as He is and be made like Him in that, among other things, we will be given perfect knowledge. He fully knows us, and in that day we will be given perfect knowledge of Him. "And now abideth faith, hope, and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." Certainly faith and hope are both great, and they are wonderful in their comfort and consolation to us while we are in this world. Not only so, but they will abide with us as long as we are in this world. Nevertheless charity is greater than either, or both of them. First because, as Paul has insisted throughout this chapter, Charity is what gives value to all other gifts. It therefore must be the foundation upon which all other gifts are established. In addition to this, it is the one that will never fail, or be done away, while all others, including faith and hope will be laid aside when they have served their purpose. Faith and hope will no longer be needed when that to which they look has come.

(Verses 1 through 5) "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto GOD: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied; for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying."

From what the apostle says, all the way through this chapter, it is evident that some in the Corinthian Church had fallen into the same error that some even today subscribe to: namely, that speaking in other tongues, if not the MOST IMPORTANT gift of all, is at least the equal of any other. Paul's manner of using the expression, "unknown tongue," shows it to be a far cry from what most people today seem to think that it is. His first commandment in this chapter, (and that it is a commandment is proved in verse 37), is, “Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy." Since in New Testament usage "prophesy" means "preach" more often than it does "foretell," we will use in our discussion, except in direct quotation, "preach" instead of “prophesy." Now if we will keep his commandment, which is also the commandment of our Lord, and follow after charity, letting it be our guide in all things, whether thought, word, or deed, what a wonderful change it will make in our lives, and in the church! While following after the love of GOD, we are to desire spiritual gifts, not only for ourselves, but for the church, "but rather that ye may prophesy." Undoubtedly then, Paul considered preaching the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ as the most important work to be done in the church: for he says that we should desire spiritual gifts, that is, all spiritual gifts, but rather, or even more, desire that we may preach. So this must be the most important gift. Some have taken verse 2, totally overlooked verse 4, and come up with the modern idea that the phrase, "unknown tongue," means a lot of unintelligible gibberish that neither the speaker nor anyone else understands. If we examine both verses, 2 and 4, we will immediately see that this is not the case. In verse 2 Paul says, "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto GOD: for no man understandeth him." This alone might seem to give some credibility to the earlier mentioned idea. However in verse 4 he says, "He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself." The question then arises, "How can he possibly be edified by that which he cannot understand?" Thus we see that the meaning in verse 2 is that no man OTHER THAN THE SPEAKER understands what he says in an unknown tongue. Yet he understands what he is saying, is in communication with GOD, and is edified by that which he is speaking. Almost invariably when someone mentions this subject, he will say, "the unknown tongue," indicating that there is only one unknown tongue, or language; while in Chapter 12 of this epistle, the apostle refers to this matter three times; once as "divers kinds of tongues," then as "diversities of tongues," and finally, he says, "Do all speak with tongues?" In Chapter 13 he mentions it twice; first he says, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels," and again, "whether there be tongues, they shall cease." In the present Chapter he refers to this gift six times as "an unknown tongue," once as "a tongue," and seven times as "tongues." At one point he also says, "except ye utter by the tongue," meaning not the gift of tongues, but the member of the body by which it is considered that speaking is done. At another point he quotes a declaration GOD had made long before, saying, "With men of other tongues_ _ _." Since these chapters make up practically the entire scriptural coverage of the gift of tongues; and the record of the Pentecostal occasion indicates that the language used there, although very amazing, instead of being unknown, seems to have been universally known; where does the modern doctrine of "The Unknown Tongue" come in? Some may object to our statement above concerning the incident on the day of Pentecost, on the ground that Acts 2:4 says, "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues," indicating that more than one language must have been used. This may well have been the case, but the same result was still achieved, "Now when this was noised abroad, the whole multitude came together, and were confounded because that EVERY MAN HEARD THEM IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE." Let us return to the chapter at hand. He that speaks in an unknown tongue may indeed be in communication with GOD, and may himself be edified thereby, but it is worth nothing to the church, although he may be speaking "mysteries," the deep doctrines of GOD. On the other hand, one who preaches the gospel speaks unto men, and this is to their edification, exhortation, and comfort. Inasmuch as GOD had given to some the gift of tongues, they who had been so blessed evidently felt that they ought to exercise this gift in the assembly of the brethren, whether there was a need for it or not. The purpose of this gift was for communication with those with whose language the speaker was not acquainted, not for "showing out" before the church. It is apparent from the way the apostle addresses this subject, and the space he allots to the discussion of it, that the Corinthians had attached inordinate importance to this gift and had set too high a priority upon it. So Paul is correcting this situation among them. "I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye all prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying." Here he sets the priorities. He does not criticize the gift of tongues, but rather says, "I wish all of you did have this gift, but it would be better if all of you could preach the gospel, because the preacher is greater than the one who speaks with tongues". He is by no means saying that the preacher is on a higher plane than he who speaks with tongues, nor that the preacher should be looked up to by the one who speaks with tongues, nor for that matter, by any other member. His consideration is for the welfare of the church. And the preaching of the gospel is greater, that is, of greater benefit to the church, than is the speaking with tongues, unless the speaker can also interpret, or translate, what he is saying into the local language, "that the church may receive edifying." Although the apostle does not mention such, this brings up other questions: "If I were blessed with the gift of tongues, what advantage would there be in my using that gift with the local body and then translating my speech back into our local language for them? Would it not be better simply to address them in our common language to begin with?" On the other hand, if a brother who is a stranger to our language should come among us, of what value would be his preaching to us in his native language unless there is one among us who can translate his language into ours? One might, of course be able by education to do so, but that is not what Paul is considering when he speaks of the gift of interpretation of tongues. Rather it is a gift of the Holy Ghost to one, who is not otherwise qualified for this work.

(Verses 6 through 11) "Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or doctrine? And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me."

Notice that the apostle's principal concern in this is the same as in earlier verses, and the same as it will remain throughout this chapter, the benefit to the church. We do not know how many languages Paul was able to speak as a result of his education, but he was by the Holy Ghost given the gift of tongues so that he was able to communicate wherever he was sent. Now he asks, "_ _ _ if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, _ _ _?" That is, what good is such action? When He says, "except _ _ _," he is not saying that in speaking in tongues he would, or even could, be speaking "by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine." Because the point of his consideration is the imparting of these things to the hearers; and although he might indeed be blessed with all these things, as long as he spoke in a tongue that they could not understand, the hearers could not possibly receive any of them. So he is simply saying, "Unless I lay aside the gift of tongues, and speak to you in words that you can understand so that in my speaking I may impart to you these things, what will you get out of it?” He would be of no profit to them. He then mentions musical instruments, saying that if one is to have any knowledge of what is played upon them they must give a distinction of sounds. He mentions the pipe and the harp, but if one has ever heard a child who knows absolutely nothing about music start banging away upon a piano, he can readily recognize the analogy. The child may say, "I am playing this, or that, song," but the listener certainly can not bear witness to it. The trumpet was very often used to sound the alarm when the enemy was approaching, but Paul says, "If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself for the battle?" Then he says that if we engage in giving forth by speech such uncertain sounds instead of words that are easy to be understood no one will know what we have said, because all we have done is to speak into the air. We have not communicated with those whom we have tried to address. Then he tells us that however many kinds of voices there may be in the world, there is not one of them that is without signification, or meaning to those who use it. Not only do men communicate by speech, one to another, but even animals communicate in some measure by voice. Yet if I cannot understand the meaning of the voice, or language, of the one speaking, I will be to him a barbarian, and he will be the same to me. We cannot communicate. What then will be the value of speaking to him, or having him speak to me, since neither of us knows what the other is saying?

(Verses 12 through 17) "Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray, that he may interpret. For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say, Amen, at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well but the other is not edified."

Very little explanation is here needed. Paul's instruction to these brethren is simply, "If you are really so desirous of spiritual gifts, seek, and pray for, the ones that will edify the church, those that will be the most benefit to the entire body. There probably were many Christians moving from place to place, some perhaps because of persecution and some for other reasons. Should one come among the congregation speaking an unknown tongue, or language, the apostle tells him to pray that he may interpret, or translate, so that he may be understood. "For," he says, "if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful." In verse 4 he has said, "He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself." Therefore his meaning in the phrase, "but my understanding is unfruitful," cannot be that his understanding is unfruitful to himself; but to the church. Since if it were unfruitful to him he could not be edified thereby; and to this also agree verses 16 and 17, to which we will come shortly. First, however, let us consider verse 15. Here his question is, "What is it then?" That is, "What is the remedy for this situation?" Then he gives the answer: "I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." His meaning in the phrase, "with the understanding also," must be not just "that I can understand," but "that the church may understand also." "Else how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?" This seems to imply that some among you may be sufficiently educated that they may understand one who speaks in a different language from that in common use, but surely some will be unlearned and therefore unable to understand. How then can such say, "Amen." to your prayer since they have no idea what you have said? Your prayer may have been very good to those who understood it, but to the one, or ones, who did not, it meant nothing. All things done in the public service of GOD, whether preaching, praying, singing, or whatever activities there may be, are to be done in such manner as to be edifying to the whole church, not to just a few members.

(Verses 18 through 20) "I thank my GOD, I speak with tongues more than ye all: yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men."

Here the apostle declares that he is thankful to GOD that the Holy Ghost has bestowed upon him such a gift of tongues, (and this IS what he means instead of his education and learning,) that he is able to speak more languages than all of those at Corinth . This is a great gift, and one very useful in his travels. Yet when speaking publicly he would rather say only five words in such a manner that his understanding of his subject might be imparted to his hearers, "that by my voice I might teach others," than to make a ten thousand word speech in a language that those who heard him could not understand. Then, in effect, he says to these brethren, "Your trying to place such great importance upon this gift, and your attempting to give it pre-eminence over all others does not show mature judgment, or understanding, but is more like children playing and being concerned about frivolous things. It is desirable to be as children in malice, for they soon pass it by and forget it; but in understanding you ought to use mature judgment as men, so that the church will receive the greater benefit."

(Verses 21 through 25) "In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that they will not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not; but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them, which believe. If therefore the whole church come together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: and thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and falling down on his face he will worship GOD, and report that GOD is in you of a truth."

Here Paul says that there is in the law a declaration of GOD thus, "With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that they will not hear me, saith the Lord". This seems to be a liberal quotation from Isaiah and not from Moses’s writings which we usually think of as the "law;" but in general the Jews often referred to the writings of Moses and the prophets as "the law," hence Paul's usage of the term. GOD had repeatedly spoken plainly to Israel by both the law and the prophets and they would not listen or obey. So He said that He would speak to them by men of other languages and they still would not believe, or hear Him. One might then wonder why GOD would do this since He already knew that they would not listen. The apostle answers this question thus: "Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not." Of what then is it a sign? In the light of what has already been said about it and what Paul says in verse 23, it must be a sign of GOD'S rejection of them in their unbelief. At the same time the preaching of the gospel is not a sign to the unbeliever, but to him, who believes. Instead of being a sign of rejection, it is a sign of the mercy of GOD. No doubt the greatest contrast between the "speaking with tongues" and "prophesying," or preaching the gospel was seen on the day of Pentecost. While the disciples were speaking with other tongues, many of the people accused them of being overcome with wine; and those who did not make this accusation were more impressed by the manner in which they heard what was said than by the substance of the message. About the best they could come up with is set forth in Acts 2:12 , "And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?" However when the Apostle Peter preached to them the death, burial, resurrection, and glorification, of our Lord Jesus the Christ, and brought home to them the fact that they had crucified the Lord of glory, the Holy Ghost pricked them in their hearts and they "said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’" Now Paul says, “If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?" Dr. Gill says that the apostle's expression, "and all speak with tongues," does not mean that all were speaking at the same time, but rather one after another; and that as each spoke he would speak in a different language. This may possibly be his meaning; but from what he says in verse 27, it seems likely that they did not hold to the practice of "speaking by course," but rather all at once. Certainly it would be bad enough, speaking one at a time, for each to use a different language from the others, and from that in common usage. But the practice of speaking simultaneously in different languages would be ridiculous and would be sufficient grounds for the unlearned and unbeliever to say they were insane. This may indeed serve as a sign against the unbeliever, but where in it would there be any value to the church? On the other hand, if in a meeting all who speak do so in an orderly manner, and preach the gospel of our Lord, an unbeliever, or one who is unlearned in the things of GOD might come in, and while hearing the wonderful word of GOD, be pricked in the heart as were those on the day of Pentecost. Thus the gospel, blessed by the Holy Ghost, would convince him of all his sins, manifest to him GOD'S judgment against all such, and direct him to Jesus the Christ for salvation. Then indeed "falling down on his face, he will worship GOD, and report that GOD is in you of a truth." Perhaps a more apt word instead of "report" would be "declare;" because such a person will openly declare that GOD is in, or among you. This is profitable to the church.

(Verses 26 through 28) "How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself and to GOD."

It seems that the apostle's question is designed, not to receive an answer, but to bring attention to their situation. We might therefore paraphrase it thus: "Brethren, look at your condition." Paul then says, "When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation". This seems to indicate that each had something new he wanted to show off to the church. One might say, "I have a new song I want to sing to you;" another, I've learned a new doctrine you don't know about;" and on down the line. Evidently Paul was not favorably impressed by this, nor does it seem that he considered it in the best interest of the church, for he says, "Let all things be done unto edifying." Thus if it is not beneficial to the church, leave it off. Then he gives instructions for the proper use of the gift of unknown tongues. It is better if no more than two ever speak in the same session; and the most permissible are three. They must never speak at the same time, but by course. that is, let one finish before another is permitted to start. In addition to this, when one is speaking there must be a qualified interpreter present to translate what he is saying. If there is no interpreter do not permit the gift of unknown tongues to be exercised in public. Let the one with this gift speak only to himself and to GOD. Certainly these rules would also apply to one who though not having the gift of unknown tongues yet by nature spoke a language not understood by the local body. He should neither be called upon to address the church in a public manner nor to lead in public prayer.

(Verses 29 through 33) "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let other judge. If anything be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For GOD is not (the author) of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."

As with those speaking in an unknown tongue, so it is also with preachers. They are not all to speak at the same time, but one by one. Not only so, but only three are allowed to speak even when speaking in order of one after another. If while one is speaking, the Holy Ghost should reveal something to one who is sitting by, the speaker is to stop, "hold his peace," while the one to whom this revelation has been made declares it. This might become subject to abuse, but the apostle has already said, "Let all things be done unto edifying." Thus one should consider whether or not what he feels has been revealed to him is of such moment that it would be edifying to the church for the speaker to be interrupted. "For ye all may prophesy." Surely this intends only those who have the gift of prophecy. Paul has already asked, in chapter 12, verse 29, "Are all prophets?" thus forcefully reminding us that all are not. None who have this gift are to be slighted, but neither are they all to speak at the same time, nor even at the same meeting. Nevertheless all may preach for the teaching and comforting of all. "And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets." That is, each can wait until his proper time to speak. "For GOD is not (the author) of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. The first clause of this sentence bids fair to be one of the most abused passages of scripture among people today. The primary reason for this abuse is found in two words which the translators added into it. The words, "the author," are not in the original as witnessed by the fact that they are always printed in italics. Let us consider this sentence with these words omitted. "For GOD is not of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." So many people try to take the first clause of this sentence out of context, use it as translated with the two added words, and come up with something that other scriptures prove to be false. To understand what we are saying, one only needs to look in GOD'S word for the answers to these questions: Who caused the confusion at Babel when GOD confounded the language of man? Who caused the confusion when Gideon was sent against the Midianites " and the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host?" Many other instances can be found of GOD'S causing confusion or promising that He will cause confusion. So we need to be very careful not to remove scriptures from their context. Paul has all the way through this chapter taught that GOD is to be worshipped, not with a lot of confused noise, such as all speaking in diverse languages at once, or even more than one preacher speaking at one time. His reason for teaching this is, "For GOD is not of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." Our Lord said that they who worship GOD "must worship in Spirit and in truth." Paul adds that if we worship in a church capacity, we should let all be done unto edifying, and in the last verse of this chapter he says, "Let all things be done decently and in order." Here he tells us that GOD is not of confusion, that is, He is not to be worshipped in confusion, but in peace, and this does not apply just to the Corinthian Church , but in all churches of the saints.

(Verses 34 and 35) "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for a woman to speak in the church."

In spite of the so called "liberal" views of many professed Christians today, we make no apology for Paul's words in these verses. There is no place in the ministry, speaking in the church, for a woman. Some have also questioned His statement, "let them ask their husbands at home." Their question is; "What if she is not married?" In that case she could ask her father or brother, and if she has neither, surely she can discuss the matter with another sister who does have a husband.

(Verses 36 through 38) "What? came the word of GOD out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant."

This is a clear rebuke to all who think themselves great enough to object to, or criticize the commandment of the apostle. He first asks, and we paraphrase, "Are you the source of the word of GOD? Or are you only a recipient thereof?" Obviously, if they or we are the source of it, we might have some right to criticize it or even change it to fit the occasion; but if we are only recipients of it, our only right in the matter is to acknowledge it as we have received it. Next he says that if any man thinks that he is a preacher, or even a spiritual man, his first act must be to recognize and acknowledge the authority of the apostle by acknowledging that those things he has written are the commandments of our Lord. But if any man is ignorant, that is, persists in not recognizing this, there is nothing to do with him but leave him in his ignorance, that is, have nothing to do with him.

(Verses 39 and 40) "Wherefore brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order."

Thus Paul closes out the subject of "unknown tongues." He instructs the brethren, as he has before, to desire that they might preach the gospel. This is the most profitable gift for the church so far as they are concerned. He then says, "and forbid not to speak with tongues." In the light of the teaching he has done on the subject, this undoubtedly means "forbid it not within the restrictions already set forth." If his instructions are followed, all things will "be done decently and in order."

This chapter is, without question, the greatest and most extensive discussion of the resurrection in the entire Bible. It should be kept in mind that the whole theme in this chapter is the resurrection. The only asides that appear in it are those that illustrate or enhance the principal theme.

(Verses 1 and 2) "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain."

This is simply the setting of the stage for the discussion that is to follow. Here the apostle tells these brethren that he is declaring to them nothing new, but the same gospel which he had formerly preached to them, and which they had received. His expression, "which also ye have received," signifies that they not only had heard it but had also believed it. This very point comes into his argument a little later. He further says, "and wherein ye stand," meaning that they are holding to this, or at least those among them who are maintaining the gospel, are standing in this very thing. It is fundamental to them. Also he says, "by which ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain." The clause, "if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you," is a descriptive clause identifying those who are standing in this gospel and are saved by it. Paul, in his writings uses the word, "gospel" in two different ways, or with two somewhat different meanings, just as we commonly use the word, "news." Sometimes his meaning is the written or spoken report of the works of our Lord in the salvation of sinners, and at other times it is the very works themselves. When he uses such expressions as, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation_ _ _," or, "_ _ _by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel," one can be sure he is not referring to the written or spoken report, but to the very works themselves. In the present passage he is certainly considering, not the report, but the works, and especially the resurrection of our Lord, as will be fully evidenced as we continue. Here he says that it is this in which these brethren, and we also, stand and are saved, "unless ye have believed in vain." Let us leave this expression until the apostle explains it a little later in this discussion.

(Verses 3 through 9) "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures: and that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: and after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that He was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all He was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of GOD ."

Since in another place Paul tells us that so far as the gospel he preached is concerned, he did not receive it of man and was not taught it by man, but by the revelation of Jesus the Christ, we are to understand that he is still maintaining that same position, although it was, no doubt, reinforced by the testimony of at least some of the witnesses here mentioned. The three things that he mentions here are the true essence of the gospel. First, Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; then He was buried; then on the third day He rose again according to the scriptures. Paul's use of the phrase, "according to the scriptures," does not mean "as the scriptures report that He did," but "as the scriptures foretold that He would." The third member of the above trio is the one upon which Paul's discussion is centered as he continues. As proof to these brethren, and to us, that Christ is risen the apostle tells us that after His resurrection He was seen by Cephas [Peter], then by the twelve, and after this there were more than five hundred of the brethren who saw Him at the same time. Not only so, but at the time of this writing most of them were still living, although some of them had died. This would certainly seem to be a sufficient number of witnesses to establish the fact of His resurrection, but even after this James, and all the other apostles saw Him. Then Paul says, "And last of all He was seen of me also, as one born out of due time." That is, it was as if Paul should have been with the other apostles when there were so many appearances of our Lord, but that he was "born out of due time," too late to see them. Nevertheless the Lord appeared to him also in spite of his not being with the others, in order that he be an eyewitness of Him, as were all the apostles. Paul then tells us of his feelings about the great position in which the Lord placed him. "For I am not meet [worthy] to be an apostle, because I persecuted the church of GOD ."

(Verses 10 and 11) "But by the grace of GOD I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of GOD which was with me. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed."

Notice that Paul wastes no time on self-recrimination or lamenting his past. He does mention the fact that he did persecute the church of GOD and is therefore not worthy of the great office to which the Lord has called him, but there he leaves the matter and gives glory to the grace of GOD for this great blessing. Some might think him to be boasting as he says, "and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all." Instead of boasting he was simply saying that the grace of GOD was sufficient to accomplish that which the Lord purposed, and now instead of persecuting the church he has, since being made an apostle, labored harder than those who were apostles before him. Then he sets the whole matter in its proper perspective: "yet not I, but the grace of GOD which was with me." Here he repeats the same principle that he set forth in Chapter 9, verse 16, concerning his preaching the gospel. He deserves no credit nor glory for this, because not he but the grace of GOD is the moving cause of it. Then he says, "Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed." No matter who the witness, "whether I or they," the important thing is, He arose, and that is what we preach. "So we preach, and so ye believed." That is, what we preach, (and, for that matter, did preach,) is that Jesus rose from the dead, and was seen by so many witnesses that no space is left for doubting it. Not only so but you believed this very teaching. Thus he approaches the point at which he has aimed from the beginning of this chapter.

(Verses 12 through 17) "Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of GOD; because we have testified of GOD that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is Christ not raised: and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins."

Obviously someone had begun to teach that there will be no resurrection, that when these bodies are laid in the grave they will never come forth again. All the former proofs that Christ was raised from the dead have been brought forth for one purpose, to overthrow that heresy. With all the preaching that had been laid before these brethren, and which they had believed, concerning the fact that Christ arose from the dead, how could there be any excuse for anyone to say that there is no resurrection of the dead? It was common knowledge among them all that Christ WAS dead. Therefore if there is no resurrection of the dead, He IS STILL dead, because if the dead do not rise, neither did, nor could He, for He WAS dead. If this were true, not only would the preaching of the apostles be vain, or worthless, but so would be the faith of those who believed it. He then says that if the dead do not rise, the preaching of the apostles is false, they are false witnesses of GOD because they have testified that He raised up Christ from the dead; and this can not be true if the dead do not rise. Therefore if the dead do not rise, neither did Christ; for He was dead. If then that is the case, hear Paul's solemn declaration: "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." This is exactly what he meant in verse 2 when he said, "unless ye have believed in vain." They had believed that Christ arose from the dead. Therefore if He did not, they had believed in vain; and if that be the case they were still in their sins, and so are we, for if He did not rise, there is no Saviour.

(Verses 18 through 21) "Then they which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead."

The apostle continues the argument by telling us that if Christ did not rise, which certainly He could not have done if there is no resurrection of the dead, not only is our faith vain and we are yet in our sins, but even our loved ones who have fallen asleep in Christ, that is, have died trusting in Him, are perished. And the word here translated "perished" simply means "are forever destroyed." He then concludes this side of the argument thus: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." If there is no resurrection of the dead, then of all the people in the world we are most to be pitied, not only because we may have suffered so much, and given up so much in the hope of the resurrection, but also because we have been so foolish as to center our entire life around a lie. For that is exactly what it all comes down to if there is no resurrection of the dead and Christ therefore is not risen. That would be a most terrible situation to consider, but Paul declares that this is only a hypothesis which can not be true or acceptable, as he says, "But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead." Thus he tells us that all his former argument has been to add force to the declaration that Christ has arisen from the dead and has become the first-fruits of them that slept. "The first-fruits" is, of course, used in reference to the offering of the first-fruits required under the law. It was to be offered when the crop was matured but not ripe, that is, not ready for the harvest. Thus it was a witness that there would be a harvest. So it is with the resurrection of Christ. He having arisen from the dead and become "the firstfruits" of that harvest is the proof that there will be a resurrection of all the dead. Therefore since it was by man, Adam, that sin entered into the world, and with it brought death, it is also by man, Christ Jesus, that righteousness came into the world and by it the resurrection of the dead.

(Verses 22 through 28) "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to GOD, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For He hath put all things under His feet. But when He saith all things are put under Him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under Him. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that GOD may be all in all."

This is, perhaps, the most misunderstood section of this entire chapter, all because some have tried to take one verse (verse 22) completely out of context and apply it to something to which it has absolutely no reference. They try to use it for regeneration. It must be remembered that the only subject of consideration in this chapter is the resurrection. To this point, the primary focus has been on the resurrection of Christ Jesus our Lord, and the witness it bears to the fact that there is a resurrection of the dead. At this point we remind you of our Lord's statement concerning the resurrection, or as He sets it forth, resurrections. (John 5:28-29) "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." Thus we have two resurrections; the first, the resurrection of life, or the resurrection of the saints; the second, the resurrection of damnation, or the resurrection of the wicked. Paul's primary focus is on the first, which is the resurrection of the saints. He covers both in a general way but gives particulars only of the first. He says, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." In Adam was the cause of death as a result of his sin. Because of this every person, saint or sinner, that has ever lived in this world, except Enoch and Elijah, and, of course, those of us who are now living, has died. The rest of us, unless our Lord returns before death overtakes us, will die; and this also applies to all who may come after us. Thus in Adam all die, the entire human race. Some of the early Christians believed that the two witnesses of Rev., chapter 11, are Enoch and Elijah, brought back to earth for the work there described. Should that prove to be the case, they too will die, thus indeed making death universal to the human race. "Even so," says the apostle, "in Christ shall all be made alive." Remember that we are still faced with the subject of the resurrections, and as above quoted from our Lord, it is by His voice that "all that are in the graves," meaning all the dead, whether saint or sinner, shall be raised, or "made alive." Maintaining this same subject matter, the apostle says, "But every man in his own order." Now Paul sets his attention on only the resurrection of the saints. His discussion from here through verse 28 is primarily that of the order of the resurrection of the saints. He says no more about that of the wicked, having already established that it is by the power of the Christ that they are raised, or "made alive." which is proper since He is to be their final judge; and the judgment is described elsewhere. Having said that every man will be made alive "in his own order," Paul continues, "Christ, the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming." In verse 20, he has said, "But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that slept." Obviously then the first stage of this order, "Christ the first-fruits," is already an accomplished fact. That is the foundation upon which the apostle has based this entire discussion. The next phase is set forth thus: "afterward they that are Christ's at His coming." For a more detailed description of this event one should turn to this apostle's first epistle to the Thessalonians. In chapter 4 of that letter, verses 13 through 17, he gives such a description of our Lord's return and His gathering of His saints to Himself that it will thrill the heart and soul of every one who is sincerely looking for His return. Paul then says that something else must also take place before the final act of this wonderful event. "Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to GOD, even the Father." He does not say, "Then immediately cometh the end," but "Then cometh the end, when_ _ _," signifying that the end will come only when those things have been done which he tells us about in this and the next four verses. So we continue: "_ _ _ when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power," that is, all rule, authority, and power, except that of GOD, which He, the Son, will be manifesting in the subduing of all His enemies. If one will but take the time to turn to the book of "The Revelation Of Jesus Christ," written by the Apostle John, begin at the first verse of chapter 6, and read through chapter 20, he will find this great warfare described, battle by battle. "For He must reign until all enemies are put under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." The only place in all scripture that describes the destruction of death is to be found in Rev. 20:14. "And death and hell [Hades] were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." It will be noted that earlier in that same chapter (verse 5) we find, "And the rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection." Sometimes we may be inclined to think that the expression, "This is the first resurrection," embraces only those things mentioned in the preceding verse. However, in the light of what the Apostle Paul says, in the scriptures presently under consideration, it seems that it is being used much as we, even today, often use similar statements. When the last act of a production is finished, we often will speak of it as if it were the entire composition, whereas it is only the finale. Paul has set the order of the first resurrection as in three parts. It actually began with the resurrection of the Christ, the first-fruits, continues in the resurrection of His sleeping saints, and the changing of those still living at His coming, and is concluded in that of Rev. 20:4-5. In the interim between the last two stages He will dispossess Satan from the world which he has usurped, and will subdue all His enemies. Then He will deliver "up the kingdom to GOD, even the Father." For He, Jesus, must reign until all enemies are subdued and proper sentence executed upon them. "For He hath put all things under His feet." This seems to be a liberal quotation of the last part of Psalms 8:6, and that it certainly refers to Christ Jesus our Lord the apostle witnesses by quoting it here. Also the writer of the Hebrew letter bears testimony to the same. See Hebrews 2:6-10. Now Paul calls our attention to the obvious: "But when He saith all things are put under Him it is manifest that He is excepted, which did put all things under Him." Then, "And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that did put all things under Him, that GOD may be all in all." We sometimes now hear brethren asking, or discussing, what part the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Ghost, has in this, or that work. On the day in which the Son delivers up the kingdom to the Father that question will forever be put aside. GOD will be all in all. Although some works are, in the scriptures, specifically ascribed to One or Another of the Persons in the Godhead and are to be so acknowledged, if the scriptures do not definitely establish this, it is not profitable to inquire: for that which is done by One is in perfect harmony and accord with the will of All.

(Verses 29 through 34) "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead? and why stand we in jeopardy every hour? I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus , what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die. Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of GOD; I speak this to your shame."

Many words have been written by various men trying to tell us what the apostle meant by "baptized for the dead." It seems that the proper place to find the answer is in his own writing in this chapter, and not in the writings of others. In verse 16 Paul has told us, "For if the dead rise not, then is Christ not raised". Now, if He is not raised, where is He? and in what condition is He? The only possible answers in this case would be: "He is in the tomb, and He is dead.” Of course, Paul has declared and proved that Christ is risen and is alive. But he says, "Else," that is, "If contrary to what I have told you, Christ is dead, What shall they do that are baptized for the dead?" Inasmuch as we are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and upon a profession of faith in our Lord Christ Jesus, the Son, if he is not risen, we are baptized in the name of One Who is dead, thus "baptized for the dead." His next two questions are: "Why are they then baptized for the dead? And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?" To be baptized in the name of Christ was to provoke persecution upon oneself, sometimes even to invite death at the hands of the enemies of our Lord. Thus, if He is dead, why be baptized for Him, that is, in His name, and by so doing set ourselves up as constant targets for the wrath of His enemies? "I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily." Thus he calls to witness their rejoicing in "Christ Jesus our Lord," which he also had, that his protestation to them is the truth. "I die daily." Not that he literally died and was raised up again every day, but that he constantly faced, not just the possibility of dying, which is common to all, but the constant threat of death at the hands of the enemies of the gospel. Now he brings up a situation which he may be using simply as an hypothesis, since he never mentions it again in his writings, Or it could, possibly, be an event he had experienced, but not likely, since the usual outcome of such was death; and his words seem to indicate that had he actually experienced it he would be dead. Either way it teaches the same lesson. "If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus , what advantageth it me if the dead rise not?" Everyone is, no doubt, acquainted, through history, with the practice, that was at that time very popular with many, of putting Christians into the arena to fight, empty handed, against hungry lions, tigers, etc. This is the scene to which Paul refers, and he asks, "What advantageth it me if the dead rise not?," signifying that if he were placed in such a situation, he would surely be killed. So, if the dead do not rise, what possible good would he thus accomplish? Then he says, "Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die." If there is no resurrection, we may as well, or perhaps, we had better take advantage of all the pleasures we can while we can, for we may not be here tomorrow. This is exactly the attitude that results from the denial of the resurrection. So Paul warns us, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners," which simply means, "Do not be led astray by such teaching, because evil doctrine will always bring on evil practice." Then he admonishes us, "Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of GOD: I speak this to your shame." Since evil doctrine will always beget evil practice, let us wake up and consider what we hear and compare it to the word of GOD, which will lead us to righteousness and away from sin. Thus if we awake to righteousness we will not be led into evil doctrine or practice. "For some have not the knowledge of GOD." These are evidently the same ones of whom he spoke in verse 12, when he said, "How say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?" Notice he did not say, "some of you." In verse 12 he says, "some among you," and in verse 34, "some." There are always among GOD'S people some, who are not His people. Here he says that these, to whom he refers as "some," do not have the knowledge of GOD. That is, they do not know GOD; and surely they who deny the resurrection do not know GOD. Then he says, "I speak this to your shame." That is, it is a shame for them, or for us to listen to such teachers, and to such doctrines as deny the resurrection, since they must deny that our Lord is risen, proving positively that they do not know GOD.

(Verses 35 through 41) "But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die: and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body which shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: but GOD giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory."

Paul, of course, knew that, like we and everyone else, the Corinthian Brethren, or at least some of them, would want to inquire into things beyond our ability to understand, and that would be of no benefit to man if we could find them out. His statement, "But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?" describes people today just as well as any who might have been at Corinth . Many now ask, "What will we look like in the resurrection? What will we know? In what will we be employed?" etc. Should we answer them, as did Paul, they probably would want to fight. He says, "Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die." A fool is one without understanding. Actually the apostle may not be accusing one of being without understanding so much as of not using what he has, inasmuch as he reminds him of something that everyone knows, or certainly should know. When we plant a seed it cannot come up and grow as long as the original seed remains intact. Through the process of sprouting and growing a new plant the original seed deteriorates. Thus it dies. He continues: "And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or some other grain". If one who has never seen, and knows nothing about, what a wheat plant looks like, plants a grain of wheat, he will have no idea what to look for when it comes up and begins to grow, to say nothing of how it will appear at maturity. Because what he plants is only the bare grain, and bears no resemblance to the new plant. On the other hand, one who is well versed in planting, cultivating, and harvesting, can plant a bare seed of something with which he is familiar, and as he looks at the seed see in his mind the plant at any stage from the planting to the harvest. Why is this true? The apostle's next statement answers this. "But GOD giveth it a body as hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own body." That is, every seed we might plant will come forth with whatever body [plant] GOD has already, according to His pleasure, assigned to it. It may not, and in most instances will not, look anything like the seed we have planted, but will very likely be far more beautiful, and much greater, than the seed which we planted. Nevertheless, as said above, if we know the species, we will know exactly what to look for when it comes up; because GOD has given to "every seed his own body." If we plant a grain of wheat, the only kind of plant it can produce is a wheat stalk; and this holds true for every species. Although the new plant may in no wise resemble the seed, it is, in reality, the seed in a new, or we may say, a glorified form. One might ask, "Why this discussion of agriculture?" Just look forward to Paul's answer in verse 42: "So also is the resurrection of the dead." Although he brings in several other things to enhance the illustration before he gives this answer, it obviously is his intention that it cover all these things. Then just as the new plant is the old seed in substance, but changed in quality, so the resurrection body is the same body that was buried, but now glorified. Nevertheless, since we have not yet seen the glorified resurrection body, we cannot say just how it will look, what it will know, or what it will do. In verses 39 through 41 Paul tells us that there is difference among the various kinds of flesh in the world, such as men, beasts, fishes, birds, etc. He says that there are celestial, or heavenly, bodies and terrestrial, or earthly, bodies, and that the glory, or beauty of one is different from that of the other. It may be that when he says "bodies celestial," he is referring to angels, but it seems better, in the light of the next verse, to consider the heavenly bodies as those he mentions there. "There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another in glory." These things need no explanation; and that is exactly the apostle's purpose in using them. They are matters we all know, and so he concludes thus: "So also is the resurrection of the dead." In short, we cannot tell just how it will be, for even those things with which we are familiar have their differences of glory, or beauty, and so also will it be in the resurrection of the dead.

(Verses 42 through 44) "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body."

The first statement in this quotation is, in reality, the conclusion of what had gone before; and we have already addressed it. In Paul's discussion here, we should notice two of what we might call "ground rules" to keep everything in proper perspective. First, the pronoun, "it," remains constant throughout the sentence; and since "the dead" in the foregoing sentence is the only antecedent to which it can logically refer, the whole sentence concerns the body, "the dead." Second, the word, "sown," is to be understood as "buried," for which it is an euphemism. So we then have, essentially, "The body is buried in corruption; that same body is raised in incorruption." When the body is buried, regardless of all the embalming that may be done to it, and no matter how fancy the casket, or how strong the vault in which we place it, it will deteriorate and go back to the dust from which it came. Yet that same body, raised by the voice of the Son of GOD in the resurrection, will be incorruptible, or indestructible. The body is buried in dishonor; but that same body, when raised in the resurrection will be raised in glory. It will not only be glorified, but will be received into the glory of GOD, to dwell forever with Him. Some may ask, "How can it be said that the body is buried in dishonor? We do everything in our power to honor our loved ones when they are called away. Even the funeral address often begins: 'We have gathered to pay our last respects to_ _ _.’ How can you say it is buried in dishonor?" The answer is simple. When two are engaged in mortal combat, only one can be honored, he who wins the victory. The other is dishonored. He lost the battle. No matter how great a parade may escort him to the cemetery, he is still dishonored, because his opponent was greater than he. We may, at times, forget, but the moment we were born into this world we entered into mortal combat with the great monster death, that last enemy that shall be destroyed, and unless our Lord returns before the end of that battle, we will surely be dishonored; we will die. However the victory death obtains over us will be temporary because "it will be raised in glory." No more will we ever go down in defeat, for that glory will be eternal. This old body will be buried in weakness, but raised in power. We all are well acquainted with the fact that the body is buried in weakness. As long as the body has strength to make the heart beat, or to draw breath, or has any other continuing function of life, (and we sometimes even use artificial means of continuing some functions after the body has no strength with which to carry them on,) we do not bury it. So it is indeed buried in weakness; but when it is raised, it is raised in power, not just the power it had before death, but infinitely more, so much that we have no means by which to measure it. Then Paul says, "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body." We are now in the natural realm and are designed to function therein. Therefore this body is, and until the time of its burial, will be only a natural body. When we are raised from the dead we will no more be in the natural realm, but the spiritual, and will therefore be prepared for that by being made spiritual, even a spiritual body. Thus the apostle declares, "there is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." We will not be just spirits without bodies, but will be spiritual bodies; yet these spiritual bodies will be the same bodies that were buried natural bodies. What a glorious exhibition of the power of GOD!

(Verses 45 through 50) "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening Spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of GOD ; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption."

We are all acquainted with the record of GOD'S creation and forming of the first man, Adam; and although it may be inferred from a study of GOD'S commandment to Adam, Adam's failure to keep this commandment, and GOD'S subsequent action to prevent man's partaking of the tree of life and living forever, that had he eaten of the tree of life instead of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would have lived forever, the fact remains that his life, though lasting forever, would still have been only in the natural realm, the earth, since he was of the earth, made of the dust of the earth, and prepared for earthly existence only. The first man, Adam, was made only a living soul. The last Adam, although He took upon Himself a body of flesh, was, and is, a quickening, or life-giving, Spirit. Since the Apostle John says, "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made," we can safely say that it was He Who gave life to the first Adam by breathing into his nostrils the breath of life. So also, as a life-giving Spirit, He will raise these dead natural bodies as living spiritual bodies. When the Apostle Paul says, "Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual," he is in no way implying that Adam comes before Christ in honor or glory, nor even that, chronologically, Christ was not in being before Adam. But in view of verse 47, it seems to mean that in the matter of appearing in the flesh, Adam, the man of the earth, was made to appear before Christ made His advent in the flesh. "The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven." Now Paul tells us, "As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly." Since this is true, we, these present bodies, are as that of Adam; as he was earthy, so are we, his descendants. In contrast, our resurrection bodies, being spiritual, or heavenly, will be as the heavenly. For the comparison of the two look back to verses 42 through 45. Now he says, "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." We sometimes hear someone quote the last portion of 1 John 3:2, "when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is," over extending it so that it gives the impression that there will positively be no difference in any way between anyone of us and our Lord when we are conformed to His image. This is utter nonsense. All the way through these last 24 verses, Paul's discussion has fully shown that there will be difference, not only between our Lord and His saints, but also between one saint and another. "As we have borne the image of the earthy_ _ _." How have we done that? Surely not in all looking alike, and thus being in the image of Adam, and of one another. This is obvious to all. No, we bear his image in that we are partakers of the same characteristics, such as sin, and all its attendant ills. We, as was Adam, are subject to corruption, weakness and even death. Thus we have born the image of the earthy. We will in the same way bear the image of the heavenly. As He, the Heavenly One, is righteous, glorious, powerful, and alive for evermore, we shall be raised in incorruption, glory, and power, never again to be subject to sin, pain, death, nor any such thing. Our bodies will even be changed from natural to spiritual bodies, and thus shall we bear His image. Paul closes this segment of the discussion thus: "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of GOD ; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption." There is therefore no way in which these natural bodies can, in their present condition, inherit, (and the word, "inherit," here has the significance of "be given possession of the inheritance,") the kingdom of GOD . We must all be changed; and that is the very thing to which he now calls our attention.

(Verses 51 through 53) "Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet of GOD shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."

It is obvious that Paul is still speaking of the resurrection of the saints. As mentioned before, he gives no description of the resurrection of the wicked. Since these bodies are not, in there present condition, suitable for the kingdom of GOD , He calls our attention to a mystery that he will show. Sometimes the word, "mystery" is used to signify something that is not understood, but in the present case it rather means something that has been kept a secret in the hidden counsels of GOD, but has now been revealed according to His purpose. So that mystery is, that although "we shall not all sleep," that is, some will still be living on earth when our Lord returns, and will therefore not die, all must be, and will be changed. This will not be a long drawn out process, as one by one, but will be instantaneous at the sound of the trumpet of GOD, "the last trump." When it sounds the dead saints will be raised and those living will be changed at once, as he says, "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." Thus will we be prepared for that kingdom.

(Verses 54 through 57) "So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be unto GOD, Which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Having said that this corruptible body must be clothed in incorruption and this mortal body must be clothed in immortality, Paul now says that this being done is the fulfillment of a saying that is written, that is, a prophecy of GOD. This prophecy is, "Death is swallowed up in victory." Earlier we found that death now holds the victory over these bodies. But, as before said, that victory is temporary. When death is swallowed up in victory, that victory will be forever. Then we can indeed shout, "O death, where is thy sting?" and "O grave, where is thy victory?" We will have no more reason to fear either death or the grave. The apostle then sets the entire matter in its proper perspective: "The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. but thanks be to GOD, Which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Sin is what has brought death into the world, and is therefore the sting of death; and since the law, given by the power of GOD and therefore unbreakable, demands death as the penalty of sin, it is therefore the strength of sin. Yet the grace of GOD abounds over and beyond this to such an extent that through our Lord Christ Jesus GOD gives us the final victory over sin, death, and the grave.

(Verse 58) "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

Thus the apostle sums up this matter. With all he has said about the resurrection and all the evidence he has produced to prove that there is a resurrection of the dead, we know that whatever we may do in the service of our Lord is not in vain. It is not wasted. Therefore let us stand firm upon this foundation, not allowing anyone to move us off it; and as we focus our thoughts upon that wonderful day when our Lord shall return and raise and change these bodies, let us engage fervently in serving our Lord.

Most of this chapter is taken up with instructions and comments that relate to various things and persons of concern to the Corinthian Church only. There are a few that are of value to us, but many things that are said have to do only with Paul's plans and with greetings to various brethren. These we will pass by except when something appears to have application to us today.

The first four verses have to do with a collection that was being prepared for the poor saints at Jerusalem . It was to be made up from the churches of Galatia ; and Paul instructs the church at Corinth to join in this humanitarian project. He gives them explicit instructions concerning the manner of providing this collection. "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as GOD has prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." Some try to make much of "the first day of the week" as the apostle said to these brethren that upon that day each should "lay by him in store" that which was to be part of this collection. Certainly no more needs be made of this than the obvious. By laying aside each week in a systematic manner, upon the same day each week, there would be less likelihood of forgetting. And, since the first day of the week instead of the Jewish Sabbath, which is the seventh, was the day upon which the Christians met, it would be most appropriate because the donation was to be brought together at the time of its being laid up, as Paul said, "that there be no gathering when I come." Now as to the amount each was to give, the instruction is, As GOD has prospered him, meaning "as much as he can afford." In II Corinthians 8:13, Paul mentions a collection in which these same brethren are to participate, whether this same one or another is a little unclear. There he says, "For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened." So it was not his intention to over burden them. However, in another place, he very clearly said, "He that soweth sparingly shall also reap sparingly." So it seems evident that his intent is that each should give all that he can afford; and that it should be brought together on a uniform schedule so that when he comes to them, time may not have to be spent in gathering together this donation, but may be employed in his teaching them more of the things of GOD. No doubt this manner of operation would be proper for any necessary project in which the church might engage today. He then says that they should select messengers to carry this donation to Jerusalem and approve them with letters, that is letters of authority. Then at his coming he will send these messengers to Jerusalem , or if he finds the situation suitable for him to go to Jerusalem , they can go with him.

Then he tells them of some of his proposed plans, which he says "may be." However it is his intention to remain at Ephesus until Pentecost. The reason for this is, "For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries." Not only was there a great opportunity for the effectual preaching of the gospel in Ephesus , but there were also many adversaries there who needed to be put down. He then instructs the brethren to receive Timotheus with proper affection and encouragement, so that he may have no reason to fear, because he is engaged in the work of the Lord just as is the apostle. His expression, "Let no man therefore despise him," seems to relate to the fact that Timotheus [Timothy] is so young that these brethren might be tempted to think him too young to know as much as they thought they did about the things of the Lord. In I Timothy 4:12 Paul said, to Timothy, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." This seems to be his reason for telling the brethren, "Let no man despise him." Then after telling them that Apollos will wait until a later time to visit them, he says, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity." These instructions are just as necessary to us today as they were to the Corinthian brethren.

In verses 15 through 18 Paul says, "I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) that ye submit yourselves unto such, and to everyone that helpeth with us and laboureth. I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such." Certainly since the Corinthians knew the "house", or family, of Stephanas, it was of some import to them that Paul tell them of whom he spoke; but to us the most important thing is not who they are, but what they are doing. The apostle says, "_ _ _they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints". Two things stand out in this statement. First, "They have addicted themselves." This, of course, means that they have taken up a practice, and are giving themselves to it so completely that it is as an addiction. Just as with the drug addict whose whole life is centered around and motivated by his drug habit, so this family have so dedicated themselves to something that their lives are completely wrapped up in it. The second is that to which they have addicted themselves, not the ministry of the gospel, but "the ministry of the saints," literally, "serving," or "helping" the saints. In that day, this service consisted of hiding those saints that they could, from their persecutors, visiting those who for the testimony of our Lord were imprisoned, ministering to those who had been wounded or tortured by their enemies, supplying their material needs, and doing whatever else might be of benefit to them, whether in a material, a psychological, or a spiritual way. Although some who are called to this ministry might also be called to preach the gospel, this ministry, per se, has no direct reference to that. Yet that it is a very valuable work Paul proves by his commandment to these brethren, "submit yourselves unto such and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth." He then mentions a visit to himself by Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, who evidently were engaged in this very ministry at the time, for he says, "For that which was lacking on your part they have supplied. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such."

Paul then takes up salutations from himself and others to the Corinthian Church , and closes out this epistle with these words: "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen." Surely his last two statements are clear enough that they need no explanation. His first declaration, however, may call for a few remarks. It seems that when he says, "If any man," this carries with it the idea of "any man among you," and especially one who has claimed to be a teacher. Since, so far as those who have never professed to love the Lord are concerned, they are to be prayed for and to have the gospel preached to them, and thus are not proper subjects for the remainder of the declaration. So he says, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha." The word, "Anathema," is simply a Greek word transliterated into English without being translated. It most commonly means "cursed" or "a curse."  According to "Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon Of The New Testament" the word, "Maranatha," which is also transliterated, means either, "the Lord comes," or "the Lord will come." So if we restrict the meaning of "any man" to "any man among you," and translate the two Greek words, we have: "If any man among you love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be cursed. The Lord will come." That is, do not follow such teachers, but hold fast to the truth and consider such teachers as being cursed of GOD. In spite of their false teaching, the Lord will come. "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen."