Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
PauTa Hope of L'Urnal Glory 2 CORINTHIANS V. in the Resurrection Body, made the verb to this nominative, " we are willing" (rather, "well content"), but digressing on the word "confident" {v. 6, 7), he resumes the word in a different lorm, viz., as an assertion : " We are confident and well content." "Being confident ... we are confident" may be the Hebraic idiom of emphasis; as Acts 7.
Grotius and Bengel, <ra»w?a<e, "The fear of the Lord"
(ch. 7. 1 ; Ecclesiastes 12. 13 ; Acts 9. 31 ; Romans 3. IS ; Ephesians 5. '21). persuade—Ministers should use the terrors of the Lord to persuade men, not to rouse their enmity (Jude 23). Bengel, Estius, and Alfoud, explain: "Persuade men" (by our whole lives, v. 13), fiz., of our integrity as ministers. But this would have been expressed after "persuade," had it been the sense. The connectiou seems as follows: He had been accused of seeking to please and win men, he therefore says (cf. Galatians 1. 10), " It is as knowing the terror (or fear) of the Lord that we persuade men; but (whether men who hear our preacning recognize our sincerity or not) we are made manifest unto God as acting on such motives (ch. 4. 2); and I trust also in your consciences." Those so " manifested" need have no "terror" as to their being "manifested (English Ver-
31, Greek, "Having seen, I have seen," i. e., I have surely seen, always—under all trials. Bengel makes the contrast between " alivays confident" and "confident," especially at the prospect of being "absent from the body," &c. We are confident as well at all times, as also most of all in the hope of a blessed departure. 'Whilst ... at liome . . . absent — translate as Greek, "Whilst we sojourn in our home in the body, we are away from our home in the Lord." The image from a "house" is retained (cf. Philippians 3.20; Hebrews 11. 13-lG ; 13.14).
7. we walk—in our Christian course here on earth, not Xiy »lg,\\t— Greek, "not by appearance." Our life is governed bj' faith in our immortal hope; not by the outward specious appearance of present things. [Tittm. Synonyms.]
sion, appear) before the judgment-seat" {v. 10). X'i. For The reason why he leaves the manifestation of his sincerity in preaching to their consciences (ch. 3. 1), viz., his not wishing to "commend" himself again, occasion to glory—(Ch. 1. 14)—viz., as to our sincerity, in appearance —Greek, "face" (cf. 1 Samuel 16.7). The false teachers gloried in their outward appearance, and in external recommendations (ch. 11. 18) their learning, eloquence, wisdom, riches, not in vital religion in their heart. Their conscience does not attest their inward sincerity, as mine does (ch. 1. 12). 13. be — rather as Greek, "have been." Tlie contrast is between the single act implied by the past
Cf. "apparently," LXX., " by appearance," Numbers 12.
8. Wahl supports English Version. Ch. 4. 18 also confirms it (cf. Romans 8. 2t; 1 Corinthians 13. 12, 13). God has appointed in tliis life faith for our great duty, and in the next, vision for our reward [South] (1 Peter 1. 8). 8. willing—HZ., " well content." I'ranslate also, " To go {lit., migrate) from our home in the body, and to come to our home with tlie Lord." We should prefer to be found alive at the Lord's coming, and to be clothed upon with our heavenly body {v. 2-4). But feeling, as we do, the sojourn in the body to be a separation from our true home " with the Lord," we prefer even dissolution by death, so that in the intermediate disembodied state Vie maj' go to be "with the Lord" (Pliilippians 1.23). "To be with Christ" (the disembodied state) is distinguished from Christ's coming tense, "If we have ever been beside ourselves," and the habitual state implied by the present, " Or whether we be sober," i. e., of sound mind, beside ourselves—The accusation brought by Festus against him (Acts '20. 24). The holy enthusiasm with which he spake of what God effected by His apostolic ministry, seemed to many to be boasting madness, sober—liumbling myself before you, and not using my apostolic power and privileges, to God . . . for your cause—The glorifying of his office was not for his own, but for God's glory. The abasing of himself was in adaptation to their infirmity, to gain them to Christ to take us to be with Him in soul and body (1 Thessalonians
4. 14-17, "with the Lord"). Perhaps the disembodied spirits of believers have fulness of communion with Christ unseen ; but not the mutual recognition of one another, until clothed witli their visible bodies at the resurrection
(1 Corintliians 9.22). 14. For—Accounting for his being "beside himself" witli enthusiasm: the love of Christ towards us (in His death for us, the highest proof of it, Romans 5. 6-8), producing in turn love in us to him, and not mere " terror" (y. 11). coustralnetli us—with irresistible power limits us to the one great object to the exclusion of other considerations. The Greek Implies to compress for-
(cf. 1 Thessalonians 1. 13-17), when they shall with joy recognize Christ's image in each other perfect. 9. Wlierefore—with such a sure "confidence" of being blessed, whether we die before, or be found alive at Christ's coming, we labour— Z(<., "make it our ambition:" the only lawful ambition, wliether present or absent—whether we be found at His coining present in the body, or absent from it. accepted— G'ree/c, "well-pleasing." 10. appear —rather, "be made manifest," viz., in our true character. So "appear," Greek, "be manifested" (Colossians 3. 4; cf.
cibly tlie energies into one channel. Love is jealous of any rival object engrossing the soul (ch. 11.1-3). because we tliius judge— (as) " having judged thus:" implying a judgment formed at conversion, and ever since regarded as a settled truth, that if—t". e., that since. But the oldest MSS. omit " if." "That one died for all" (Greek, " in behalf of all"). Thus the following clause will be, "Therefore all (tit., 'the all,' viz., for whom He ' died') died." Hi dying is just the same as if they all died; and in their so dying, they died to sin and self, that they might live to God tlieir Redeemer, whose henceforth they are (Romans
1 Corinthians 4. 5). We are at all times, even now, manifest to God ; tJien we shall be so to the assembled intelligent universe and to ourselves : for the judgment shall be not only in order to assign the everlasting portion to each, but to vindicate God's righteousness, so tliat it shall be manifest to all His creatures, and even to the con Bcience of the sinner himself, receive—his reward of grace proportioned to "the tilings done," &c. (ch. 9. 6-9; 2 John 8). Though salvation be of grace purely, independent of works, the saved may have a greater or less reward, according as he lives to, and labours for, Clu ist more or
6.2-11; Galatians 2.20; Colossians 3.3; 1 Peter 4.1-3). 15. tliey wliic.li live—in the present life (cn. 4. 11, " we which live") (Ai.KoiinJ; or, they who are thus indebted to Him for life of soul as well as body. fMENOCHius.] died for tliem—He does not add, " rose again for them," a phrase not found in St., Paul's language. [Bengel.] He died in less. Hence there is scope for the holy "ambition" (Note,
V. 9; Hebrews 6. 10), Tliis verse guards against the On inthians supposing that all sliare in the house... "from heaven" (r. 1, 2). There sliall be a searcliing judguient which shall sever the bad from the good, according to their respective deeds, the motive X,\\c deeds being taken Into account, not the mere external act; faith and love to (Jod are tlie sole motives recognized by God us sound and good (Mattliew 12. 3(i, 37 ; 25. a5-ir)). done in Ikis I»oaj —The Greek may be, "by the iivstruineutality of the body;" l)ut JCnglish Version is legitimate (cf. Greek, Uonums 2. 27). Justice requires that substantially the same body which has l)een tlie instrument of the unbelievers' sin, should be the object of punishment. A proof of the essential identity of tlie natural and the resurrection bo<ly. H. terror of tlie Lord—tlie coming Judgment, so full of terrors to unbelievers. [KsTius.l liLLicorrand Ai.koku, after their stead. He arose again for their good, "for (the effecting of) their justification" (Romans 4.25), and that He might be their Loril (Romans 14.7-9). ELLicoTTand ALiORnJoin "for them" witli both "died" and "rose again:" as
Clirist's death is our death, so His resurrection is our resurrection ; Greek, " Wlio for them died and rose again." not Iicnccfortli Greek, " no longer ;" viz., now that His death for them has taken place, and that tlioy know that His death saves tliein from death eternal, and His resurrection lite brings spiritual and everlasting life to them. IG. VVIkercfore — because of onr settled Judgment {v. 14), liencefortli — since our knowing Christ's constraining love in His dealli for us. Itnow we no man after tlie llesU i.e., according to his mere worldly and external relations (ch. 11, 18; John S'. lo; Philippians 3,4), as dts-