Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
The Old Leaven to be Puryed out. 1 CORINTHIANS VI. Christiaiis must not Go to Law together.
"now" is used, Hebrews 11. IG. Thus we avoid making the apostle Jiotw retract a command whicli he had before given. I have written—i. e., my meaning in the letter I wrote, was, &c. a brotlier—contrasted with a "fornicaeer of future contagion (cIi. 15.3:}; 2 Timothy 2. 17). 7. old leavm—Tlie remnant of tlie "old" (Epliesiuns 4.22-24) heallienish and natural corruption. Tlie image is taken from the extreme care of the Jews in searching every corner of their houses, and "purging out" every particle of leaven from the time of killing tlie lamb Ijelore the Passover (Deuteronomy Hi. 3, i). So Christians are continually to search and purify their hearts (Psalm 139. 24). as ye are imleaveucd — normally, and as far as your Christian calling is concerned: free from the leaven of sin and deatli (cli. 6. U). St. Paul often grounds exhortations on the assumption of Christian prolessors' normal slate as realized (Romans 6. 3, 4). [Alford.] Regarding the Corinthian Ciiurch as the Passover "unleavened lump" or mass, he entreats tliem to correspond in fact with this their normal state. " For Christ our Passover (Kxodus 12. .5-11, 21-23; John 1. •X))h(is been (English Version, "is") sacrificed for us;" i. p., as tlie Jews began the days of unleavened bread with the slaying of the Passover lamb, so, Christ our Passover having been already slain, let there be no leaven of evil in you who are the "unleavened lump." Doubtless he alludes to the Passover which had been two or tliree weeks before kept by the Jewish Christians (ch. 16. 8) : the Gentile Christians probably also retraining from leavened bread at the love-feasts. Thus the Jewish Passover naturally gave place to our Christian Easter. The time, however, of keeping feast (metaphortor, i&c, of the world" (v. 10). There is less danger in associating with open worldlings than with carnal professors. Here, as in Ephesians 5. 3, 5, " covetousuess" is joined witli "fornication:" the common fount of both being " the fierce and ever fiercer longing of the creature, which has turned from God, to fill itself with the inferior objects of sense." [TitEUCH, S'yn. New 7'estament.] Uence" idolatry" is associated with tliem: and the covetous man is termed an " idolater" (Numbers 25. 1, 2). The Corintliiaua did not fall into open idolatry, but ate things ollered to idols, so making a compromise with the heathen ; just as they connived at fornication. Thus this verse prepares for the precepts, ch. 8. 4, &c. Cf. the similar case of fornication, combined with a similar idolatrous compromise, after the pattern of Israel witli the Mldianites (Revelation 2. 14). no not to eat—not to sit at the same table with such; whether at the love-feasts (Agapse) or in private intercourse, much more at the Lord's table: at the last, too often now the guests "ai'e not as children in one family, but like a heterogeneous crowd of strangers in an inn" LBengel] (cf. Galatiaus 2. 12; 2 John 10. 11). lA. wliat Uave I to do—You might have easily understood that my concern is not with unbelievers outside the Church, but that I referred to those within it. also—Implying, Those within give me enough to do without those outside, do not ye, &c.—Ye judge your fellow-citizens, not strangers: much more should I. [Bengel.] Rather, ical ; i.e., leading the Christian life ofjoy in Christ's finished work, cf. Proverbs 15. 15) among us Christians, corresponding to the Jewish Passover, is not limited, as the latter, to one season, but is all our time; for the transcendent benefits of the once-for-all completed sacrifice of our Passover Lamb extends to all the time of our lives and of this Christian dispensation; in no part of our time is the leaven of evil to be admitted. " For even :" an additional reason, besides that in v. 6, and a more cogent one for purging out every leaven of evil, viz., that Christ has been already sacrificed, whereas the old leaven is yet unrenioved, which ought to have been long ago purged out.
Is it not your duty to judge them that are within? God shall judge them that are without: do you look at home. [Gkotius.] God is the Judge of the salvation of the heathen, nf>t we (Romans 2. l'2-l(i). St. Paul here gives an anticipatory censure of their going to law with saints before heathen tribunals, instead of judging such causes among themselves within. 13. put away from among yonrselves tliat wicke<l—Sentence of excommunication iu language taken from Deuteronomy 24.7.
8. not . . . old leaven—of our unconverted state as Jews or heathen, malice—the opposite of " sincerity," which allows no leaven of evil to be mixed up with good (Mat-
CHAPTER VI.
thew 10. 6). wickedness—the opposite of "truth," which allows not evil to be mistaken for good. The Greek for " malice" means the evil luibil of mind; "wickedness," the outcoming o{ the same in word and deed. Tlie Greek for "sincerity" expresses lit., a thing which, when examined by the sun's tight, is found pure and unadulterated. 9. I wrote . . . In an epistle— rather, "in the Epistle:" a former one not now extant. That St. Paul does not refer to the present letter is proved by the fact that no direction "not to company with fornicators" occurs in the previous part of it; also the words, "in an (or the) epis-
Ver. 1-11. Litigation of Christians in Heathen COURTS CENSURED: ITS VERY EXISTENCE BETRAYS A WRONG SPIRIT: Better to bear wrong now, and HEREAFTER THE DOERS OF WRONG SHALL BE SHUT OUT OF Heaven. 1. Dare—Tliis word implies treason against Christian brotherhood. [Bengel.] before the unjust— The Gentile judges are here so termed by an epithet appropriate to the subject in question, t-iz., one concerning justice. Though all Gentiles were not altogether unjust, yet in the highest view of justice whicli has regard to God as the Supreme Judge, they are so: Christians, on the other hand, as regarding God as the only Fountain of tle," could not have been added if he meant, "I have just written" (2 Corinthians 10. 10). ''His letters" (plural; not applying to merely o(ie) confirm this. 2 Corinthians 7.8 also refers to our first Papistic, just as here a former letter justice, should not expect justice from them, before . . . saints—The Jews abroad were permitted to refer their disputes to Jewish arbitrators (Josephus, Antiquities, 14.
is referred to by the same phrase. St. Paul probably wrote a former brief reply to ii Kiuiries of the Corinthians our lirst Epistle, as it enters more fully into the same
10, 17). So the Christians were allov/ed to have Christian arbitrators. 3. Do ye not know—as a truth universally recognized by Christians. Notwithstanding all your glorying in your "knowledge," ye are acting contrary to
Bul)ject, has superseded the former, which the Holy Spirit did not design for the guidance of tlie Church in general, and whicli therefore has not beeti preserved. See my Init (ch. 1. 4, 5; S. 1). Tlie oldest JNISS. have "Or" before "Know ye not;" i.e., "What! (expressing surprise) know ye not," &c. saints . . . Judge i.e., rule, including7»(/<7ment: as assessors of Christ. Matthew 19. 28, "judging," troduction. 10. Limitation of the prohibition alluded to In V. 9. As in dissolute Corinth to "company with no fornicators," <Stc., would be almost to company with none In the (unbelieving) world; ye need not utterly ("altogether") forego intercourse with fornicators, Ac., of the nubelieving world (cf. ch. 10. 27; John 17. 15; 1 John 5. 18, i. e., ruling ovei: Cf. Psalm 49. 14 ; Daniel 7. 22, 27 ; Revelation 2. 26; 3. 21 ; 20. 4. There Is a distinction drawn by able expositors between the saints who judge or rule, and the world which is ruled by them: as there Is between the elected (Matthew '20. '23) twelve apostles who sit on thrones judging, and the twelvt; tribes of Israel that are Judged by them. To rei<,n, >\nd to be saved, are not necessarily synonymous. As Jehovah employed angels to carry th« law Into ett'ect when He descended on Sinai to establish His tlinme in Israel, so at His coming the saints shall administer the kingdom for, and under. Him. The nations of the eartli, and Israel the foremost, lu the
1))). As "fornicators" sin against themselves; so " extortion ers" against tlieir ncighlioiirs, mid " idolaters" against Oo I. The attempt to get "out of the world," in violation of Uo<i's will that believers should remain in it but keep themselves from its evil, led to monastlcdsm and Us consc(iuent evils. H. Bnt now I Uave written—"Now" does not express time, but "the ease being so," viz., that to avoid fornicators, Ac, of the world, you would have to leave the worlti altogether, which would be absurd. So 272