Jesus the Lord; and are ourselves your servants for the 6 sake of Jesus. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shone in our hearts, to give the lustre of his glorious knowledge in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8 We are every way afflicted, but not distressed; we are 9 perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not for10 saken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing 7 * about in our body the death of Jesus; that the life also of 11 Jesus† may be made manifest in our body. For we who are alive are continually delivered to death for the sake of Jesus; that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in 12 our mortal flesh. So that death worketh in us, but life 13 in you. Yet having the same spirit of faith, as it is writ ten, "I believed, and therefore I have spoken," we also 14 believe, and therefore speak; knowing that he who raised up the Lord Jesus, will raise up us also by Jesus, and will 15 place us before himself together with you. For all things are for your sakes; that the favour of the gospel ‡ which hath abounded, might abound, through the thanksgiving 16 of many, to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but, even though our outward man perish, yet the 17 inward man is renewed day by day. For our present light affliction worketh for us a very exceeding and 18 everlasting weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are for a short timell, CH. but the things which are not seen are everlasting. For we know that, if our earthly house of this tabernacle ¶ were destroyed, we have a building from God, a house 2 not made by hands, everlasting in the heavens. For we groan in this tabernacle, earnestly desiring to be clothed V. * Or, exceeding greatness, N. m. Or, the gracious gospel, N. m. + Of the Lord Jesus, R. T. Or, the house of our earthly tabernacle, or tent, N, m. 3 upon with our habitation which is from heaven: since we shall indeed be found clothed upon, and not naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle groan, being burthened; not that we wish to be unclothed, but clothed upon; that 5 mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now he that hath prepared us for this very purpose, is God; who 6 hath also given to us the earnest of the spirit. Wherefore we are always of good courage, and know that, while we are present in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (for we walk by faith, not by sight:) we are of good 8 courage, I say, and desirous rather to be absent from the 9 body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we earnestly strive also, that, whether present or absent, we 10 may be well-pleasing to him. For we must all appear before the judgement-seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; and we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest in your consciences also. 12 For we commend not ourselves again to you, but give you occasion to glory on our account; that ye may have somewhat to answer those, who glory in appearance, and 13 not in heart. For, whether we were beside ourselves, it or whether we be of a sound mind, it For the love of Christ constraineth us; regarded God 14 regardeth you. because we have thus judged, that, if one died for all, 15 then all were in a state of death*; and that he died for → All mankind were subject to mortality, without any reasonable hope of being re stored to life. Christ died for the benefit of all; that all by his doctrine and resurrec tion might be recovered to the hope of life; and that under the influence of this hope they might live to him, that is, might yield obedience to his gospel, and live in the prac tice of virtue and piety. Mr. Alexander in his Commentary on 1 Cor. xv. p. 95, gives a different turn to the passage. "For the love of Christ binds us together, q. d. in the closest bonds of friendship and benevolence, because we thus judge, that if one man died for all, then all have died, i. e. to themselves. Christians are here elegantly represented as dy. ing with Christ to all kinds of sin; and more especially to the selfish and malignant passions." all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who died and rose again for them*. 16 Wherefore henceforth we know no man according to the flesh yea, though we have known Christ according to 17 the flesh, yet now we no longer know him. Wherefore if any man be in Christ, there is a new creationt: the old things are passed away; behold, all things are be18 come new. But all things are of God; who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us 19 the ministry of reconciliation: namely, that God through Christ reconciled the world to himself, imputed not to them their trespasses, and committed to us the doctrine 20 of reconciliation. We are therefore ambassadors fort Christ, as though God besought you by us we, for 21 Christ, entreat you, "Be ye reconciled to God." For God hath made him, who knew no sin, to be a sin for us, that we may be justified before God through him. CH. VI. Now we as working together with God, beseech you 2 also that ye receive not the favour†† of God in vain : (for Isaiah saith, "I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation I have assisted thee :" behold, now is the well-accepted time: behold, now is the day of 3 salvation :) giving none offence in any thing, that our 4 ministry be not blamed but in all things recommending ourselves as the ministers of God; by much patience, by 5 afflictions, by necessities, by distresses, by stripes, by *Or, who died and was raised for them. † he is a new creature, N. See N. m. A sin-offering for us, N. that is, Christ who had never violated the law, suffered death as a transgressor, that we gentiles, who as such were regarded as sinners and outlaws, might be justified or acquitted, and admitted to the privileges of the gospel-covenant. By the death of Christ the new covenant was ratified; the blessings of which are offered equally to Jews and gentiles. The apostle in writing to the gentiles expresses himself in the first person, as one of their number. See Locke's preface to the Epistles, p. 6. In all this there is no allusion to the commonly received doctrine of atonement by vicarious sufferings. "So as to be admitted into the christian covenant by faith; and into heaven, by adding obedience to faith." Newcome. + Or, gracious gospel, N. m. imprisonments, by danger in disturbances, by labours, 6 by watchings, by fastings; by purity, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the holy spirit, by love 7 unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on 8 the left; through honour and disgrace, through evil 9 report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, 10 we live; as chastened, and not killed; as grieved, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as 11 having nothing, and yet possessing all things. Our mouth is opened to you, O Corinthians, our heart is en12 larged. Ye are not straitened in us; but ye are straitened 13 in your own bowels. Now as a recompense for this, (I 14 speak as to my children,) be ye also enlarged. Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with iniquity? and what 15 communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath a believer with 16 an unbeliever? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the liv ing God as God hath said, “I will dwell among them, and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they 17 shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and ye be separated," saith the Lord, "and touch 18 not any unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be unto me sons and daughters," saith the Lord Almighty. CH. VII. Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Receive us : we have wronged no man; we have cor3 rupted no man, we have defrauded no man. I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before that ye are 4 in our hearts, to die together and live together. Great is my freedom of speech toward you, great is my glorying 5 of you: I am filled with comfort, I abound exceedingly in joy under all our affliction. For when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side without 6 were oppositions, within were fears. Nevertheless God, who comforteth those that are brought low, comforted us 7 by the coming of Titus: and not by his coming only, but by the comfort with which he was comforted because of you, when he told us your earnest desire, your lamen8 tation, your zeal for me: so that I rather rejoiced. For though I grieved you by my epistle, I do not repent; though indeed I did repent: for I perceive that my epis9 tle hath grieved you for a short time only. Now I rejoice, not that ye were grieved, but that ye were grieved to repentance: for ye were grieved in a godly manner, 10 so that ye received damage by us in nothing. For a godly sorrow* worketh repentance to salvation, not to be re11 gretted but the grief of the world worketh death. For, behold, this very thing that ye grieved in a godly manner, what diligence did it work in you, yea, what defence of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what earnest desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what punishment! in all things ye have proved yourselves to 12 be clear in this matter. Wherefore, though I wrote to you, I did it not so much for his cause that had done the wrong, or for his cause that had suffered the wrong, as that your care for us might be made manifest to you, in 13 the sight of God. We were therefore comforted by reason of your comfort and we rejoiced exceedingly more by reason of Titus's joy, because his spirit was refreshed 14 by you all. For if I have gloried to him in any respect concerning you, I have not been put to shame: but as we spake all things to you in truth, so our glorying also, 15 which I made before Titus, is found a truth. And his grief in a godly maumer, N. |