Commentary on the Epistles to the Corinthians John Calvin (continued)
Commentary on the Corinthians
voluntary exercise of abstinence.
Knowledge may be taken in two senses — either as meaning doctrine itself, or skill in acting properly and knowingly. The latter appears to me the more likely, as he immediately adds — the word of truth The Spirit is taken by metonymy, to denote spiritual graces. Frivolous, however, is the cavil of Chrysostom, who infers from this, that the other excellences are peculiar to the Apostle, because he makes mention of the Spirit separately, as if kindness, knowledge, pureness, armor of righteousness, were from any other source, than from the Holy Spirit. He makes mention, however, of the Spirit separately, as a general term in the midst of particular instances. 1486 The power of God showed itself in many things — in magnanimity, in efficacy in the maintaining of the truth, in the propagation of the Gospel, in victory over enemies, and the like.
7. By the armor of righteousness By righteousness you must understand — rectitude of conscience, and holiness of life. He employs the metaphor of armor, because all that serve God require to fight, inasmuch as the devil is always on the alert, to molest them. Now they must be completely armed, because, if he does not succeed in one onset, he thereupon makes a new attempt, and attacks them at one time from before, at another from behind — now on this side, and then on that. 1487
8. By honor and dishonor This is no slight test for subjecting a man to trial, for to a man of a noble spirit nothing is more unpleasant, than to incur disgrace. Hence we may observe in all histories, that there have been few men of heroism that have not fallen back, on being irritated by insults. 1488 Hence it is indicative of a mind well established in virtue, not to be moved away from one's course by any disgrace that may be incurred — a
Paulus {ἀκατάστατος}, (Jacobi 1:8) dici potest, licet sine animi sui vitio;'' --- (``As not being allowed to remain long at rest, as it were, in one place, but always changing his place and soil (for the sake of avoiding dangers.) The Jews were enemies to Paul, so exasperated and deadly, as appears even from Luke's narrative in the Acts, that Paul may be said to have been unstable, (James 1:8,) though without any fault on his part.'' --- ``I agree,'' says Dr. Bloomfield, ``with Theophyl., Schleus., and Leun., that the term refers to that unsettled and wandering kind of life, which, that the Apostle thought very miserable, is plain from his connecting it at 1 Corinthians 4:11, with the endurance of hunger, thirst, and nakedness,({Πεινῶμεν} {καὶ} {διψῶμεν}, {καὶ} {γυμνητεύομεν}, {καὶ} {ἀστατοῦμεν}) which passage, indeed, is the best comment on the present, and shows that {κόποις} (labors) must be chiefly understood of his labors at his trade, and {νηστείαις}, (fastings,) of that insufficient support, which labors so interrupted by his ministerial duties, could alone be expected to supply. {᾿Αγρυπνίαις} (watchings) seems to refer to the abridgment of his rest by night, to make up for the time expended by day on his ministerial labors.'' --- Ed.
1486" {᾿Εν} {πνεύματι} {ἁγίω} --- 'In demonstration of the Holy Spirit --- so that I showed that the Holy Spirit wrought by me.' It is possible, that in these words, Paul makes an allusion to the {χαρίσματα}, (gifts,) but it seems better, nevertheless, to suppose with Calvin, that he sets genus and species over against each other.'' --- Billroth. --- Ed.
1487"Here the spiritual arms are not particularized; yet the terms {τῶν} {δεξιῶν} {καὶ} {ἀριστερῶν}, (on the right hand and the left,) are very comprehensive, referring to the complete armor and arms, on both sides, with which the {ὁπλίτης}, or completely armed soldier was furnished, who was thus said to be {ἀμφιδέξιος} (ambidexter.) Thus the general sense is: `We employ no other arms than the panoply of righteousness.' '' --- Bloomfield. --- Ed.
1488"Il y en a eu bien peu, qui estans irritez des iniures et mauuais traittemens que on leur faisoit, ne se soyent descouragez, et n'ayent laissez leur train de vertu;" — "There have been very few of them, who have not, on being irritated by injuries and bad treatment shown them, felt discouraged, and left off their virtuous career."