Commentari biblici

In this chapter the apostle, I. Reproves them for going to law with one another about small matters, and bringing the cause before heathen judges, 1Co 6:1-8. II. He takes occasion hence to warn them against many gross sins, to which they had been formerly addicted, 1Co 6:9-11. III. And, having cautioned them against the abuse of their liberty, he vehemently dehorts them from fornication, by various arguments, 1Co 6:12-20.

The main design of this chapter is to reprove the Corinthians for the practice of going to law before pagan courts, or magistrates, instead of settling their differences among themselves. It seems that after their conversion they were still in the habit of carrying their causes before pagan tribunals, and this the apostle regarded as contrary to the genius and spirit of the Christian religion, and as tending to expose religion to contempt in the eyes of the people of the world. He, therefore, 1 Corinthians 6:1-7, reproves this practice, and shows them that their differences should be settled among themselves. It seems also that the spirit of litigation and of covetousness had led them in some instances to practice fraud and oppression of each other, and he, therefore, takes occasion 1 Corinthians 6:8-11 to show that this was wholly inconsistent with the hope of heaven and the nature of Christianity.

It would seem, also, that some at Corinth had not only indulged in these and kindred vices, but had actually defended them. This was done by plausible, but sophistical arguments, drawn from the strong passions of people; from the fact that the body was made for eating and drinking, etc. To these arguments the apostle replies in the close of the chapter, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, and especially considers the sin of fornication, to which they were particularly exposed in Corinth, and shows the heinousness of it, and its entire repugnance to the pure gospel of Christ.

The Corinthians are reproved for their litigious disposition; brother going to law with brother, and that before the heathen, 1 Corinthians 6:1-6. They should suffer wrong rather than do any, 1 Corinthians 6:7, 1 Corinthians 6:8. No unrighteous person can enter into the glory of God, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 1 Corinthians 6:10. Some of the Corinthians had been grievous sinners, but God had saved them, 1 Corinthians 6:11. Many things may be lawful which are not at all times expedient, 1 Corinthians 6:12. Meats are for the belly, and the belly for meats; but the body is not for uncleanness, 1 Corinthians 6:13. Christ's resurrection a pledge of ours, 1 Corinthians 6:14. The bodies of Christians are members of Christ, and must not be defiled, 1 Corinthians 6:15-17. He that commits fornication sins against his own body, 1 Corinthians 6:18. Strong dissuasives from it, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Corinthians 6:20.

INTRODUCTION TO 1 Corinthians 6

The principal view of this chapter is to dissuade Christians from going to law with one another before Heathens, and also from fornication: the apostle begins with the first of these, and argues against it, from its being a daring, dangerous, and scandalous practice; and from the different characters of the persons, before whom controversies about civil things among Christians should and should not be brought; the one being saints, and so conscientious persons, and would do the right thing; the other unjust, and so justice could not be expected to be done by them, 1 Corinthians 6:1, and that the former, and not the latter, should be appointed judges in such cases, is argued from the greater to the lesser; that seeing these will judge the world, much more then should they be employed in matters of less consequence, 1 Corinthians 6:2 and by the same sort of argument it is further urged, that even angels themselves shall be judged by the saints; then much more might affairs appertaining to this life, be brought before them, and be decided by them, 1 Corinthians 6:3 yea, even the things that were litigated by them, and which they had power of judging in, were such as might be determined by the men of the least capacity among them, and therefore had no need to bring them before Heathen magistrates, 1 Corinthians 6:4 besides, it could not be spoken of, but to their shame, that after all their boast of their gifts, learning, and eloquence, there was not one man of wisdom and ability among them, to judge in matters of civil property, 1 Corinthians 6:5 and this evil of commencing law suits in Heathen courts of judicature, is aggravated by its being done, not between Christians and heathens, but between one Christian brother and another, and that before men that were infidels, 1 Corinthians 6:6 and which to do, showed a great deficiency of love, wisdom, and care; and much better it was to take and suffer wrong, than to be guilty of such criminal conduct, 1 Corinthians 6:7 yea, those, that drew their brethren before such judgment seats, did them wrong, both by bringing them thither, and by getting their cause in an unjust manner, 1 Corinthians 6:8 wherefore, to deter from such unrighteous procedures, the apostles declares, that all injurious persons, and wicked men in any way, and of any sort, should not inherit the kingdom of God, 1 Corinthians 6:9 and whereas some of those the apostle writes to had been such, but now through the grace of God were otherwise, this should be considered as an argument, why they should not contend with one another before persons destitute of the grace they were partakers of, 1 Corinthians 6:11 and now the apostle having mentioned fornication as a sin which excluded from the kingdom of God, and this being reckoned by the Gentiles an indifferent thing; he first observes of indifferent things in general, that are really so, that though they are lawful to be used, it is not expedient to use them at all times, and under all circumstances; and especially care should be taken, that by the use of them, we do not become slaves unto them, 1 Corinthians 6:12 and then particularly instances in meats, which without distinction might be lawfully eaten, they being made for the belly, and the belly for them; which was answering the original design of them, though hereafter both will be destroyed; yet fornication must not be put upon a level with them, and reckoned indifferent as they are; since the body was not made to be abused and defiled, or for fornication: but to be redeemed and sanctified by the Lord, and to serve him, and who was appointed for the redemption and sanctification of that, 1 Corinthians 6:13 moreover, the sin of fornication is dissuaded from, by the consideration of the resurrection of the body as a glorious one, by the power of God, of which Christ's resurrection is a pledge; and therefore should not be defiled with this sin, 1 Corinthians 6:14 as also from the bodies of the saints being the members of Christ; and therefore should not be made the members of an harlot by fornication, these things being utterly absurd and inconsistent, 1 Corinthians 6:15. Which is illustrated by observing, that he that is joined in unlawful copulation with an harlot, becomes one flesh with her, 1 Corinthians 6:16 which is confirmed by a passage cited out of Genesis 2:24 which regards carnal copulation in general; but one that is in union with Christ, and is become a member of him, is one spirit with him; and therefore since there is such a spiritual union between them, fornication, which joins, unites, and makes a man one with an harlot, should be carefully avoided, 1 Corinthians 6:17 and in order the more to deter from this sin, the apostle observes, that it is not like some other sins, which are without the body, but this is by it, and with it, and against it; it is dishonourable, and may be hurtful to it, 1 Corinthians 6:18 to which he adds, that the bodies of the saints are the temples of the Holy Ghost, where he dwells, and therefore should not be polluted with fornication, 1 Corinthians 6:19 and closes all with an argument, taken from their bodies not being their own property, to use and abuse at pleasure, but the purchase of Christ's blood; and therefore it was incumbent upon them to glorify him with them, as well as with their spirits, and not defile them with fornication.

CHAPTER 6

1 Corinthians 6:2. ἤ] is wanting in Elz., but has decisive evidence in its favour.—1 Corinthians 6:5. λέγω] Lachm. has λαλῶ, on the authority of B alone. In the absence of internal grounds for decision, this is too weakly attested, far weaker than in 1 Corinthians 15:34.

ἔνι] so Griesb. Lachm. Scholz, Rück. Tisch., following B C L א, min[857] Chrys. Theodoret, al[858] How easily the familiar ἐστιν (so Elz.) would creep in!

σοφὸς οὐδὲ εἷς] Lachm. and Rück. read οὐδεὶς σοφός, with B C א, min[859] Copt. Damasc. D* E, Clar. Germ. Aeth. Athan. have simply σοφός; F and G have οὐδὲ εἷς σοφός. In A, the whole passage 1 Corinthians 6:3-6 is wanting (from the similarity of the two last syllables ίστων in 1 Corinthians 6:2; 1 Corinthians 6:6). From this it appears that the evidence for οὐδεὶς σοφός certainly preponderates, against which, however, there must be set the difficulty of seeing why this reading should have undergone alteration. Were σοφὸς οὐδὲ εἷς, on the other hand, the original reading (D*** L, most of the min[860] Vulg., both Syr[861] Ar. p. and the majority of the Fathers), we have in the first place a very natural explanation of the omission of οὐδὲ εἷς (which Griesb. approves of), inasmuch as copyists went right on from σοφοΣ to ΟΣ, and the two other variations would then arise from dissimilar critical restorations of the text.—1 Corinthians 6:7. Elz. has ἐν ὑμῖν, against decisive evidence. An interpretation.—1 Corinthians 6:8. καὶ ταῦτα] Lachm. Rück. and Tisch. have καὶ τοῦτο, following A B C D E א, min[862] vss[863] and Fathers. Rightly; the plural crept in, because two things were mentioned (ἀδικ. and ἀποστ.).—1 Corinthians 6:9. There is conclusive evidence for reading Θεοῦ βασ. in place of βασ. Θεοῦ. In 1 Corinthians 6:10, again, this order is too weakly attested to be received.—1 Corinthians 6:10. The οὐ before κληρ. is wanting in A B C D E א, min[864] Copt. Ignat. Method. Athan. Chrys. al[865] Deleted by Lachm. and Rück. with justice; for while the preceding Θεοῦ might in itself just as easily lead to the omission as (by repetition of the last syllable) to the insertion of the οὐ, the latter was favoured by 1 Corinthians 6:9.—1 Corinthians 6:14. ἡμᾶς] Elz. has ὑμᾶς, against decisive testimony (perhaps from Romans 8:11).

ἐξεγερεῖ] Lachm. and Ewald read ἐξεγείρει, with A D*. B and 67** have ἐξήγειρε. The Recept[866] should be adhered to, with Tisch., following C D*** E K L א, min[867] Vulg., both Syr[868] Copt. Aeth. Arr. and many Fathers. The connection makes the future necessary as the correlative relative of καταργήσει in 1 Corinthians 6:13, and the evidence in its favour is preponderant, in view of the divided state of the codd[869] for the other readings. As to ἐξήγειρε and ἐξεγείρει, the former looks like a mechanical repetition of the preceding tense, and the latter a slip of the pen.

ἢ οὐκ (not the simple οὐκ) has decisive evidence on its side.—1 Corinthians 6:19. τὸ σῶμα] Matth. and Tisch. read τὰ σώματα upon insufficient evidence, part of which is in favour of the plural in 1 Corinthians 6:20 also. The alteration to the plural was naturally suggested by the connection.—1 Corinthians 6:20. καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι ὑμῶν, ἅτινά ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ is deleted by all modern editors (except Matth.) since Mill and Griesb., following A B C* D* E F G א, min[870] Copt. Aeth. Vulg. It. Method. Didym. Cyr. Maxim. Damasc. Tert. Cypr. Ir. Ambrosiast. and all the Latin Fathers. An ascetic addition, although a very old one (occurring even in the Syriac), which got into all the wider circulation because a church-lesson begins with δοξάσατε. Comp Reiche, Comm. crit. I. p. 165 ff.

[857] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[858] l. and others; and other passages; and other editions.

[859] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[860] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[861] yr. Peschito Syriac

[862] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[863] ss. vss. = versions.

[864] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[865] l. and others; and other passages; and other editions.

[866] ecepta Textus receptus, or lectio recepta (Elzevir).

[867] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[868] yr. Peschito Syriac

[869] odd. codices or manuscripts. The uncial manuscripts are denoted by the usual letters, the Sinaitic by א.

[870] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

1Co 6:1-11.

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--This 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, namely, one concerning justice. Though all Gentiles were not altogether unjust, yet in the highest view of justice which has regard to God as the Supreme Judge, they are so: Christians, on the other hand, as regarding God as the only Fountain of justice, should not expect justice from them.

before . . . saints--The Jews abroad were permitted to refer their disputes to Jewish arbitrators [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 14.10,17]. So the Christians were allowed to have Christian arbitrators.

Dare any of you - The reasons why the apostle introduced this subject here may have been:

(1) That he had mentioned the subject of judging 1 Corinthians 5:13, and that naturally suggested the topic which is here introduced; and,

(2) This might have been a prevailing evil in the church of Corinth, and demanded correction. The word "dare" here implies that it was inconsistent with religion, and improper. "can you do it; is it proper or right; or do you presume so far to violate all the principles of Christianity as to do it."

Having a matter - A subject of litigation; or a suit. There may be differences between people in regard to property and right, in which there shall be no blame on either side. They may both be desirous of having it equitably and amicably adjusted. It is not a difference between people that is in itself wrong, but it is the spirit with which the difference is adhered to, and the unwillingness to have justice done that is so often wrong.

Against another - Another member of the congregation. A Christian brother. The apostle here directs his reproof against the "plaintiff," as having the choice of the tribunal before which he would bring the cause.

Before the unjust - The pagan tribunals; for the word "unjust" here evidently stands opposed to the saints. The apostle does not mean that they were always unjust in their decisions, or that equity could in no case be hoped from them, but that they were classed in that division of the world which was different from the saints, and is synonymous with unbelieveRS, as opposed to believers.

And not before the saints - Before Christians. Can you not settle your differences among yourselves as Christians, by leaving the cause to your brethren, as arbitrators, instead of going before pagan magistrates? The Jews would not allow any of their causes to be brought before the Gentile courts. Their rule was this, "He that tries a cause before the judges of the Gentiles, and before their tribunals, although their judgments are as the judgments of the Israelites, so this is an ungodly man," etc. Maimon, Hilch, Sanhedrin, chapter 26 section 7. They even looked upon such an action as bad as profaning the name of God.