Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
We ought to Follow the Apostles, 1 CORINTHIANS V. The Case oj the Incestuous Person.
17. For this cause—that ye may the better " be followers connection is called " fornication," and neither Christian nor Gentile law would have sanctioned such a marriage, however Corinth's notorious profligacy might wink at the concubinage. JJ. pufled up—with your own wisdom and knowledge, and the eloquence of your favourite teachers: at a time when ye ought to be "mourning" at the scandal caused to religion by the ince.st. Paul mourned because they did not mourn (2 Corintliians 2. 4). We ought to mourti over the transgressions of others, and repent of our own (2" Corinthians 12. 21). [Bengel.] that— ye have not felt such mourning as would lead to the result that, (fee. taken away from among you—by excommunication. The incestuous person was hereby brougiil of me" (v. 16), through his admonitions, sent . . . Timotheus—<Ch. 16. 10; Acts 19. 21, 22.) "Paul purposed . . . when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem. So he sent into Macedonia Tiniotheus and Erastus." Here it is not expressly said, he sent Timothy into Achaia (of which Corinth was capital), but it is implied, for he sent him witli Krastus before him. As he therefore purposed to go into Achaia himself, there is every probability they were to go thither also. They are uaid only to have been sent into Macedonia, because it was the country to which they went immediately from Ephesus. The undesignedness of the coincidence estabto bitter repentance, in the interval between the sending of the first and second Epistles (2 Corinthians 2. 5-10/. Excommunication in the Christian Church corresponded to that in the Jewish synagogue, in there being a ligliter and heavier form: tlie latter an utter separation from church-lellowsliip and tlie Lord's house, the former exclusion from the Lord's Supper only, but not from Church. 3. as absent—The best MSS. read, " being absent." present in spirit—(2 Kings 5.26; Colossians 2.5.) so done— rather, " perpetrated," as tlie Orcek word here is stronger than that for "done" in v. 2. "So," i. e., so scandalously whilst called a brother. 4. In the name of our £.ord Jesus Clirlst—By His autliority and as representing His person and will (2 Corinthians 2. 10). Join this with "to deliver such a one unto Satan" (v. 5). The clause, " When ye have been gatliered together and my Spirit (wherein lishes the genuineness of both the Epistleand tlie history. In both, Timothy's journey is closely connected witli St. Paul's own (cf. v. 19). Erastus is not specified in the Epistle, probably because it was Timothy wlio was charged with St. Paul's orders, and possibly Erastus was n Corintliian, who, In accompanying Timothy, was only returning home. The seeming discrepancy at least shows that the passages were not taken from one another. [PaI/EY's HorcB Paulince.] son i. e., converted by me (cf.
V. 14,15; Acts 14.6,7; with 16.1,2; 1 Timothy 1.2,18; 2 Timotliy 1.2). Translate, "My son, beloved and faithful In the Lord." bring you into remembrance—Timothy, from his spiritual connection with St. Paul, as converted by him, was best suited to remind them of the apostle's walk and teaching (2 Timothy 3. 10), whicli tiiey in some respects, though not altogether (cli. 11. 2), liad forgotten, as I teach ... in every cliurch—an argument implying that what the Spirit directed St. Paul to teach "everywhere" else, must be necessary at Corinth also (ch. 7. 17). 18. Some ... as titough I would not come—he guards against some misconstruing (as by the Spirit he foresees they win, when his letter shall have arrived) his sending Timothy, "as though" he "would not come" (or, "were notc'/ming") himself. A puffed-up &x>\T\t was the besetting sin of the Corinthians (cf. ch. 1. 11 ; 5. 2). 19. Alfokd
I am "present," though "absent in body," f. 3), with tlie power of our Lord Jesus," stands in a parenthesis between. Paul speaking of himself uses the word "spirit;' of Christ, "power." Clirist's power was promised to be present with His Church "gathered together in His name" (Matthew 18. 18-20): and here St. Paul by inspiration gives a special promise of liis apostolic spirit, which in such cases was guided by the Holy Spirit, ratifying their decree passed according to his judgment (" I have judged," v.
translates, "But come I will;" an empliatical negation of their supposition {v. 18). shortly—after Pentecost (ch. 16.
3), as ttfough he were present in person (John 20. 21-23; 2 Corinthians 13.3-10). Tliis power of infallible judgment was limited to the apostles; for they alone had the power of working miracles as their credentials to attest tlieir in-
8). if the I<ord tvlH—a wise proviso (James 4. 15). He does not seem to have been able to go as soon as he intended, and ivlll know—take cognizance of. but ftie power — I care not for their high-sounding "speech,"' "but" what I desire to know is "their power," wlietlier they be reallj' powerful in the Spirit, or not. The predominant feature of Grecian character, a love for power of discourse, rather than that of godliness, sliowed itself at Corinth. 30. kingdom of God is not in wovA—lranslate, as in V. 19, to which the reference is "speech." Not empty "speeches," but the manifest " power" of the Spirit attests the presence of " the kingdom of God" (tlie reiyn of the fallibiiity. Their successors, to establish their claim to the latter, must produce the former (2 Corintliians 12. 12i. Even the apostles in ordinary cases, and where not specially and consciously inspired, were fallible (Acts 8. 13, 23; Galatians 2. 11-14). 5. Besides excommunication (whicli the Corintliians tlieniselves had the power of), St Paul delegates here to tlie Corinthian Church his own special power as an apostle, of inflicting corporeal disease or death in punishment for sin ("to deliver to Satan such an one," i. e., so heinous a sinner). For instances of tliis power, see Acts 5.1-11; 13.11; 1 Timothy 1.20. As Satan receives power at times to try tlie godly, as Job (Job 2. 4-7) and Paul (2 Corinthians 12. 7; cf. also as to Peter, Luke 22. 31), much more the ungodly. Satan, the "accuser of the brethren" (Revelation 12. 10) and the "adversary" (1 Peter
Oospel spiritually). In a Church or in an individual (cf. ch. 2. 1, 4; 1 Thes&alonians 1.5). itl. with a rod, or in love—the Greek preposition is used in both clauses; must
I come IN displeasure to exercise the rod, or in love, and the Spirit of meekness (Isaiah 11. 4; 2 Corinthians 13. 3)7
5. 8), demands the sinner for punisliment on account of sin (Zechariah 3. 1). When God lets Satan have his way. He is said to "deliver the sinner unto Satan" (cf. Psalm 109. 6). Here it is not finally; but for the affliction of the body with disease, and even death (ch. 11. 30, 32), so as to deslroy fleshly lust. He does not say, "for the destruction of the body," for it shall share in redemption (Romans 8. 23) ; but of the corrupt " flesli" which "cannot inlierit tlie kingdom of God," and the lusts of which had prompted this oflender to incest (Romans 7. 5; 8. 9, 10). Tlie " destruction of the flesh" answers to "mortify tlie deeds of the 6(,rf.(/" (Romans 8. 13), only that the latter is done by one's self, the former is effected by chastisement from God (cf. 1 Peter
CHAPTER V.
Ver. 1-13. The Incestuous Person at Corinth : The Corinthians reproved for Connivance, and warned ro Purge out the Bad Leaven. Qualification of HIS FORMER COMMAND AS TO ASSOCIATION WITH SiNNEKS OF THE World. 1. commonly — i-allier, "actually." [Alford.] Absolutely. [Bengel.J " It is reported," implies, that the Corintliians, though they " wrote" (oil. 7. 1) to St. Paul on other points, gave him no informat ion on those things which bore against themselves. Tliese latter matters reached tlie apostle indirectly (oh. 1. 11). so much as named — The oldest MSS. and autliorities omit "named:" "Fornication of such a gross kinij as (exists) not even among the heatlien, so that one (of you) hatii (In concubinage) his father's wife,"t. e., his stepniotlier, whilst his fatlier is still alive (2 Corintliians 7. 12; cf. Leviticus 18. 8). She was perliups a heatlien, for wliich l ea Bon he does not direct his rebuke against her (cf. v. 12, 13). 4.Ui'ord thinks "liave" means have in marriage : but the
4.6). tlie spirit . . . saved— llie spiritual part of man, in the believer the organ of the Holy Spirit. Tetnporary iiffliction often leads to permanent salvation (Psalm 83. Itl). 6. Your glorying in your own attainments and those of your favourite teachers ((-h. 3. 21 ; 4. 19; 5. 2), wliilst all the while ye connive at such a scandal, is quite unseemly, n little leaven leaveneth . . . witole lump—(Galal ian« \
9), viz., viMh present complicity in the guilt, and tlie dau271