receive his own reward, according to his own la bour. 9 For we are labourers together with God : ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble: 11 Θεμελιον γαρ αλλον ουδεις δυναται ειναι παρα τον κείμενον, ὁς εςιν Ιησους ὁ Χριςος. 12 Ει δε τις εποικοδομεί επι τον δημελιον τουτον, χρυσον, αργυρον, λιθους τίμιους, ξύλα, χορτον, καλαμην· Ver. 9.1. Te are Gol's feld. (Beza, arvum. The word γεωργιον, is used to signify a field, Prov. xxiv. 30. LΧΧ. It may likewise signify a vineyard, or any piece of ground that is under cultivation. See Isa. v. 1, 2. where the Jewish nation is called God's vineyard. The metaphor is aptly used to denote the pains which the ministers of religion, God's labourers, ought to take for making their people fruitful in goodness. 2. God's building. The original word, οικοδομη, denotes the act of building, but here it signifies the building itself. The building which God reared by his labours, was the great temple of the Christian church. This metaphor, the apostle prosecutes in the subsequent part of the chapter; having discussed the metaphor of the field in the preceding part, where he speaks of his own planting, and of Apollos watering, and of God's making to grow. Ver. 10.-1 According to the grace of God. This I take to be the grace of apostleship, spoken of, Rom. i. 5. 1 Cor. xv. 10. Gal. ii. 9. See also 2 Cor. vi. 1. xii. 9. 2. As a skilful architect. The word σοφος, literally signifies wise : but it is also used to denote skilful in any art or business. Exod. xxxi. 3. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, anu in knowledge—in all manner of workmanship. ceive his proper reward, according to his proper labour. 9 (Tag, 93.) Wherefore, we are joint labourers of God. YE ARE God's field,1 ye are God's building. 10 According to the grace of God which is given to me, as a skilful architect, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every one take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation no one can lay,' except what is laid, which is Jesus the Christ. 12 Now, if any one build on this foundation, gold, 1 silver, valuable stones, wood, hay, stubble; shall receive his proper reward, according to his fidelity in his proper labour, and not according to his success in labouring. 9 Wherefore, we teachers are joint labourers belonging to God. Ye the people are God's field, which he employs us to cultivate. And, to use another similitude, ye are God's building, which he employs us to rear. 10 According to the grace of apostleship, which I have received of God, like a skilful architect, I have laid the foundation of the temple of God at Corinth properly, by preaching that Jesus is the Christ, (See ver. 11.) and the false teacher buildeth thereon; but let every teacher take heed how he buildeth thereon: let him take heed that the superstructure which he rears, be suitable to the foundation. 11 For other foundation of God's temple, no teacher, if he teaches faithfully, can lay, except what is laid by me, which is Jesus the Christ, promised in the scriptures. 12 Now, if any teacher build on the foundation Christ, sincere disciples, represented in this similitude by gold, silver, valuable stones; or if he buildeth hypocrites, represented by wood, hay, stubble, Ver. 11.-1. Other foundation no one can lay. In this place the apostle speaks not of the foundation of a system of doctrine, but of the foundation of the building or temple of God, consisting of all who profess to believe the gospel, as is evident from ver. 9. 16, 17. Of this great temple, Jesus Christ is called the foundation, because on him as the Christ or Son of God, the whole fabric rests. Hence all believers are said, Ephes. ii. 20. to be built upon the foundation of the apostles, and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. See Isa. xxviii. 16. Ver. 12.-1. Build on this foundation gold, &c. As the apostle is speaking of the Christian church, consisting of believers of all nations, of which church Christ is the foundation, it is evident, that the materials built on this 13 Every man's work. shall be made manifest. 13 Εκαςου το έργον φα νερον γενήσεται ἡ γαρ ήμερα For the day shall declare δηλώσει, ότι εν πυρί αποκα it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the λυπτεται και έκαςου το ερ fire shall try every man's γον όποιον εςι, το πυρ δοκι work, of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burnt, he shall suffer loss: but he him self shall be saved; yet so, as by fire. μασει. foundation, called gold, silver, &c. cannot represent the doctrines, but the disciples of Christ: So Jerome, Theodoret, and Oecumenius thought. Besides, in no passage of scripture, is the temple or church of God said to consist of the doctrines, but of the disciples of Christ, who are called living stones built up a spiritual house or temple, 1 Pet. ii. 5, 6. Ver. 13.-1. It is revealed by fire. That the fire of which the apostle speaks, is the fire of persecution, I think evident from 1 Pet. iv. 12. where the persecution to which the first Christians were exposed, is called upwots, a burning among them, which was to them for a trial.—According to the common interpretation of this passage, the doctrine which one teaches, is called his work. But in that case I wish to know, how doctrines can be tried by the fire either of persecution, or of the last judgment; or how they can be burnt by these fires. To introduce doctrines into this passage, quite destroys the apostle's imagery, in which he represents the whole body of those who then professed to believe in Christ, as formed into one great house or temple, for the worship of God; and that temple, as soon to have the fire of persecution thrown upon it. And therefore, if nominal believers, represented by wood, hay and stubble, were by any teacher built into the church, the fire of persecution would discover them; because, as parts of the church, they would soon perish by apostacy. The false teacher at Corinth, had in this respect been very blameable, by complying with the passions and prejudices, both of the Jews and Gentiles and by encouraging them in their sins, had allured into the church at Corinth, a number of wicked men, particularly the person who was guilty of incest, and others who denied the resurrection of the dead, whereby he had corrupted the temple of God, ver. 17. Some of the fathers, perceiving that the apostle in this passage spake, not of doctrines but of persons, supposed that the fire which was to try every one's work, was the fire which is to happen at the day of judgment. And therefore, as the apostle speaks of persons, whose work was to be burnt, 13 Every one's work shall be made manifest: for the day will make it plain, because it is reveal ed by fire ;1 (xa, 212.) and so the fire will try every one's work, of what sort it is. 14 If the work of any one remaineth, which he hath built upon THE FOUNDATION, he shall receive a reward. 15 If the work of any one shall be burnt, he will suffer loss himself, how ever, shall be saved, yet so as (dia up) through a fire.1 13 Every teacher's disciples shall be made manifest in their true characters: for the day of persecution which is coming on them, will make every one's character plain, because it is of such a nature as to be revealed by the fire of persecution; and so that fire falling on the temple of God, will try every teacher's disciples, of what sort they are. 14 If the disciples which any teacher has introduced into the church, endure persecution for the gospel without apostatizing, such a teacher shall receive the reward promised to them who turn others to righteousness, (Dan. xii. 3.) 15 If the disciples of any teacher, shall, in time of persecution, fall away through the want of proper instruction, he will lose his reward: he himself, however, having in general acted sincerely, shall be saved; yet, with such difficulty, as one is saved, who runs through a fire. but themselves saved, they fancied that all men, the righteous as well as the wicked, are to be burnt in the general conflagration; that the separation of the righteous from the wicked is thereby to be made; that the wicked are to be consumed; and that the righteous are to suffer, some more, some less, according to their character. The passages of the fathers to this purpose, Burnet hath collected, De Stat. Mort. ch. vi But the Romish clergy, perceiving that this doctrine, properly managed, might be made an inexhaustible source of wealth to their order, have represented this fire of pur. gatory as lighted up from the very beginning of the world, and have kept it burning ever since, and have assumed to themselves, the power of detaining souls in that fire, and of releasing them from it, according to their own pleasure; whereby they have drawn great sums of money from the ignorant and superstitious. Ver. 15.-1. Yet so, as día rug☞, through a fire. This, as Elsner observes, is a proverbial expression, for one's escaping some evil with great difficulty, Psal. Ιxvi. 12. Διελθομεν δια πυς και δια ύδατG, We went through fire and through water; that is, we were in the greatest danger.—Isa. xliii. 2. When thou walketh through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt.-Amos iv. 11. Ye were as a fire brand plucked out of the burning.—Jude ver. 23. Snatching them out of the fire. See the note on that verse. 16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy : for the tem ple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 18 Let no man deceive himself: If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God: for it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20 And again, The Lord 17 Ει τις τον ναον του Θεου φθείρει, φερει τουτον ὁ Θεος ὁ γαρ ναος του Θεου ἅγιος εςιν, οιτινες εςε ύμεις. 18 Μηδεις ἑαυτον εξαπατατω ει τις δοκει σοφος είναι εν ἱμιν εν τῷ αιωνι τουτῷ, μωρος γενεσθω, ἵνα γενηται σοφος. 19 Ἡ γαρ σοφια του κοστ μου τούτου, μωρια παρα τῷ Θεῳ εςι γεγραπται γαρ Ὁ δρασσόμενος τους σοφούς εν τη πανουργία αυτών. Κύριος Ver. 17.—1. If any one, φθείρει, destroy the temple of God. Here the apos. tle describes the sin and punishment, not only of such teachers as from worldly motives, allure bad men into the church, or continue them in it, by wilfully perverting the doctrines and precepts of the gospel; but also of those hypocrites who, for worldly ends, intrude themselves among the faithful, and put on a great shew of godliness. Whereas, in ver. 15. he describes the sin of those teachers, who introduce bad men into the church, by igno rantly misrepresenting the doctrines and precepts of the gospel.-The expression in this verse, If any one destroy the temple of God, being general, is no doubt applicable to any false teacher and hypocritical Christian, who spoils the temple of God. Nevertheless, I agree with Locke in thinking, that the apostle, in this passage, had the false teacher and the faction at Corinth more particularly in his eye, who had spoiled the temple of God in the manner above described. 1 Ver. 18.1. If any one among you, δοκει, thinketh to be wise. So δικα is translated, 1 Cor. viii. 2 The false teacher at Corinth, thought himself, it seems, extremely wise, because he had allured the heathens into the church, by concealing some of the doctrines and precepts of the gospel, and by mis-> representing others of them. But that sort of wisdom the apostle severely condemned, because it stood in opposition to the wisdom of God, who commanded all the preachers of the gospel, to teach its doctrines and precepts sincerely. |