1 Corinthians 1:1-2

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 1:1-3

To feel, to be, and to desire. "Paul, called to be an apostle," etc. This salutation of Paul suggests I. WHAT ALL MINISTERS SHOULD FEEL . They should feel: 1. That they have a call to their mission. Paul did so. "Called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God." No man will do his work effectively in any sphere unless he is assured in his own mind that he is called to it. The inner evidence of this call is sympathy with the work and aptitude for it. ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 1:1-3

Christian salutation. I. CHRISTIAN SALUTATION SHOULD BE COURTEOUS . Christianity teaches the truest politeness. It seeks to eradicate the harsh and the brutal. Life is rough enough without our making it rougher; Christianity tends to smooth the ruggedness of life and to make it more kindly. Courtesy in others towards ourselves we greatly value; we have to be towards others what we would have them to be towards us. Paul's courtesy is evidently of the right type—it is heart- ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 1:1-3

The salutation. As usual in Paul's Epistles, this preface contains the name of the writer, the persons addressed, and a prayer for blessing. We have— I. APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY . Paul's authority as an apostle was disparaged by some at Corinth, who regarded him as inferior to the twelve. Each of the opposing factions had its favourite teacher ( 1 Corinthians 1:12 ), and party spirit led them to decry all but their own. In opposition to this, the apostle opens his letter by presenting... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

St. Paul and the apostleship. First of all, HE ASSERTS THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF HIS OFFICE , to which he was "called though the will of God." This pro found sense of the dignity belonging to his vocation, as one sent of God, was a supreme principle of his nature; not an opinion, but a conviction, and a conviction too strong to be dislodged from its central seat in his mind by any assault of adverse circumstances. It must needs be subjected to manifold and severe tests, ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

The approach to rebuke. The occasion of this letter was largely furnished by the need of rebuke. The Corinthian Church had erred grievously. To rebuke is frequently painful, but when called for it should not be shrunk from; not to rebuke under such circumstances is unalloyed cruelty. To rebuke, often painful, is always perilous. By maladroitness we may easily drive men from the right instead of drawing them to it. Unwise rebuke adds to the ill. We need to prepare for rebuke if when... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Paul's claim to apostleship. The personal appearance and characteristic disposition of Paul, with the particular circumstances which led to the writing of this letter, and roused intense personal feeling, form a fitting introduction. Paul blends Sosthenes with himself in the salutation, partly because of this man's connection with Corinth (see Acts 18:17 ), partly as an answer to those who charged him with making too much of himself and his apostolic rights. By associating this name in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 1:1-31

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 1:2

Unto the Church. This form of address is used in 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Galatians. In St. Paul's later Epistles, for some unknown reason, he prefers the address "to the saints." These forms of address show the absence of any fixed ecclesiastical government. He does not in this Epistle address any "bishops" or "presbyters" whom he might regard as responsible for the growing disorders which prevailed at Corinth, but he appeals to the whole Church. The word ecclesia— ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 1:2

"Called to be sailors." The term "saint" is, in common use, limited to certain classes of holy men. It is applied to the inspired evangelists and apostles; to the great doctors and martyrs of the early Church, especially to such as were "canonized;" and to the glorified in heaven. But the New Testament usage is more general. In the Acts and in the Epistles, Christians generally, otherwise designated "disciples" and "brethren," are also called "saints." In all except two of St. Paul's... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 1:2

What the Church is, and what the Church ought to be. In introduction deal with the features of Christian life in towns and cities, as represented in Corinth, noticing its relation to complicated civilization, diversity of sects, class distinctions, society evils, and intellectual pride. Out of the population of such a town as Corinth Paul gathered what he calls a Church, and this body he regards ideally and practically. Here the full conception of what it should be is the... read more

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