The Sabbath-School

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Nov 22, 1883

The Sabbath-School.

Lesson for Pacific Coast.—December 1.

1 CORINTHIANS 5-9.

NOTES ON THE LESSON.

THE fifth chapter of 1 Corinthians is devoted to a scandalous offense that had been committed by a number of the Corinthian church. From the first verse we learn that the apostle did not always receive his information concerning the needs of the church direct from the Spirit, but often from other sources. The fact that he often depended upon credible reports, does not in the least detract from his character as an inspired apostle. God does not tell men that which they can find out as well for themselves. In this case Paul charges the church to purge itself, lest the single sin should corrupt the whole body. Verses 6, 7. Strict discipline is what the church owes to the steadfast members, no less than to the disloyal ones. The church at Corinth, however, was puffed up, not because of this sin, but in spite of it. While the whole body should have been mourning the shame that had come upon them, and making efforts to remove it, they were congratulating themselves on their prosperity. Indeed this sin may have served to make manifest their pride, because it is likely that many were Pharisaically boasting because they had not walked disorderly, not thinking that by tolerating sin in the church, they themselves became responsible for it. It has been well said that "Men are always elated and proud when they have the least occasion for it." When church members feel a tendency to complacence and boasting, it is time to examine themselves to find out what is wrong.

"I WROTE unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators." 1 Cor. 5:9. The apostle here refers to a previous epistle, which has not been preserved. After briefly considering the supposition that the reason why it was not preserved was that it was not inspired (a thing not very probable), Barnes says: "If inspired, they may have answered the purpose which was designed by their inspiration, and then have been suffered to be lost—as all inspired books will be destroyed at the end of the world. It is to be remembered that a large part of the discourses of the inspired apostle, and even of the Saviour himself (John 21:25), have been lost. And why should it be deemed any more wonderful that inspired books should be lost than inspired oral teaching? Why more wonderful that a brief letter of Paul should be destroyed than that numerous discourses of him who spake as never man spake should be lost to the world? We should be thankful for the books that remain, and we may be assured that all the truth that is needful for our salvation has been preserved and is in our hands. That any inspired books have been preserved, amidst the efforts that have been made to destroy them all, is more a matter of wonder than that a few have been lost, and should rather lead us to gratitude that we have them, than in grief that a few, probably relating to local and comparatively unimportant matters, have been destroyed."

"BUT now have I written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such an one no not to eat." Verse 11. This is by many regarded as equivalent to saying that they should not partake of the Lord's Supper with members of the church who were guilty of the above-mentioned sins; but the connection seems to strongly indicate that the prohibition extends to ordinary meals. Of course this would shut off communion, for they could not commune with one with whom they could not eat a common meal. To say that they shall not eat with a certain class is a far greater restriction than to say that they must not commune with them. Now in his former epistle Paul had said that they were not to company with fornicators. Of course that would effectually shut off partaking of the Lord's Supper with them. Still they were not to abstain absolutely from all dealings with such men, for that would necessitate, as Paul says, a removal from the world. But now he is more rigid than before, and says that if one who professes to be a Christian is guilty of such practices, they are to show their abhorrence of his course, by refusing even to eat with him. The reason for this is readily seen: If a man made no profession, but was known to be a heathen, no one would think of holding the church responsible for his crimes, even though its members had dealings with him. But should the members of the church associate with one who had been, and perhaps still professed to be, one of their own number, and who was notoriously licentious, the world would think that the church still recognized him as a Christian. So they were not to be seen in his company at all. This course was to be followed, not in a spirit of harshness, but for the reputation of Christ's cause. And this restriction would not prevent them from relieving the wants of any who might need aid.

THE violation of the tenth commandment is quite generally regarded as a comparatively venial offense, but Paul places the covetous man in no enviable position. Covetousness, the use of abusive language, and extortion, are classed with drunkenness and adultery. The Greek word for covetous is defined by Liddell and Scott as "one who has or claims more than his share." If Paul's injunction were strictly obeyed, what a thinning out there would be in many churches. There are few churches in which there are not some who are so desirous of having more than their share that they will even rob God of his portion.

"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more the things that pertain to this life?" 1 Cor. 6:2, 3. This language will allow of no other interpretation than that the saints will have some part to act in apportioning the amount of punishment due to wicked men and angels. Some have taught from this text, that the people of God will ultimately gain the ascendancy in this world's affairs, so that all public offices will be filled by them; but this cannot be true, for a plain distinction is made between the judgment which the saints are to exercise, and "the things that pertain to this life." Christ himself taught the same thing to his followers when he said to them: "In the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Matt. 19:28. This is at the last day,—the time when Daniel says that judgment is to be given to the saints of the Most High. Dan. 7:22.

It remains for the prophet John to fix definitely the time when the saints will engage in this work of judgment. We have already learned that it is when Christ comes, and that is when the righteous dead are raised. 1 Thess. 4:16. In Rev. 20:4 we read: "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them; and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." The next verse shows that this thousand years commences with the resurrection of the righteous (at Christ's coming), and ends with the resurrection of the wicked, who will be raised to suffer the second death, which is described in the succeeding verses. From this it is plain that when the saints are made immortal, they at once enter upon the work of judging. Just how much of the work is allotted to them, we cannot of course tell, but it will have to do simply with the fixing of the sentence, and not with the execution, for that is committed to Christ. See John 5:26, 27. If Christians could only realize that they must be ready, when Christ comes, to take part in such a work as this, their minds would not be so much taken up with light and frivolous things that do not elevate and strengthen them.

WHEN Paul says, "Dare any of you, having a matter against another go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?" he must not be considered as giving any sanction to litigation, for he says in verse 7, "Now there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?" Their cause might be just, yet rather than engage in strife, they should suffer themselves to be defrauded. Paul had no sympathy with the idea that men must stand up for their personal rights, although he was very jealous for the honor of God's cause.

"Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me." Chap. 7:1. Although this epistle was an answer to a letter Paul had received from the leaders of the Corinthian church, making earnest inquiry about certain questions, he devotes six chapters to matters they had said nothing about, but which he deemed more important than the things they seemed to be exercised about. There were practices of the vilest nature concealed from him by those who wrote to him, but of which he learned from other sources. How often this same disposition has been manifested in other churches, and by individuals. They worry and contend over the smaller concerns, and overlook greater interests. It is equivalent to a tithing of "mint, cummin, and anise," while neglecting "the weightier matters of the law." They "strain at a gnat and swallow a camel." There will be a great commotion about somebody's marriage, or some other one's property, while the general worldly-mindedness, pride, covetousness, and neglect of spiritual advice on the part of the main body, is a matter of cold indifference, or treated as something to be hidden from view. It often happens that the things God would have us know, as a body and as individuals, are the very last things to cause our deep concern or earnest inquiry.

"CIRCUMCISION is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God." Chap. 7:19. This does not sound much like an abolishment of the commandments. That "circumcision is nothing" had been decided by the apostles at Jerusalem years before, through the interposition of the Holy Spirit in the experiences of several of their number. Paul was present at that council, and was instrumental in bringing about the decision. But his language here is equally emphatic in support of the commandments, the importance of which is placed in direct contrast with the nothingness of circumcision. The following sentences from "Sketches from the Life of Paul," are to the point: "The apostle in his labors encountered a class who claimed that the moral law had been made void, with the precepts of the ceremonial system. He vindicated the law of the ten commandments, and held it up before the people as a rule of life. He showed that all men are under the most solemn obligation to obey that law, which Christ came to make honorable. He taught that Christ is the only one who can release men from the consequences of breaking the divine law; and that it is only by repentance for their past transgressions, faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ, and a life of obedience, that men can hope to receive the favor of God."