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DIVINITY SCHOOL
TROWBRIDGE LIBRARY

THE EPISTLES OF PAUL
IN
MODERN ENGLISH

THE

EPISTLES OF PAUL

IN

MODERN ENGLISH
& Paraphrase

BY

GEORGE BARKER STEVENS, Ph.D., D.D.
DWIGHT PROFESSOR OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY IN
YALE UNIVERSITY

NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
li

Copyright, 1898,
By Charles Scribner's Son%.

SSntbersttg ^fress :
John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U. S. A.

Preface
In this volume I have sought to reproduce
the thought of Paul's epistles, and of the kin
dred letter to the Hebrews, in the language
of to-day. The terms of our English versions
have purposely been avoided, so far as practi
cable, because their very familiarity is often a
hindrance to the apprehension of the meaning.
I have hoped to awaken a fresh interest in the
apostle's thoughts by breaking up the form in
which he expressed them and by setting forth
his ideas in a free modern rendering.
The reading of a " literal," or verbal, trans
lation of Paul's letters is attended by many
difficulties. The apostle's carelessness of form,
his vehemence in utterance, his use of complex
figures, and his involved and elliptical style, are
among the peculiarities which often render his
meaning obscure. Now a translation can only
represent in English words the form of the origi
nal; it is debarred not only from introducing
explanatory words, but even, to a great extent,

VI

Preface

from the use of free idiomatic English render
ings. A literal translation is a kind of Anglicized
Greek text. It necessarily reproduces, in large
part, the idioms of the Greek language in English
words, and taxes the mind of the reader by
compelling him to grapple with all the perplex
ing irregularities of the apostle's style.
It has seemed to me that a paraphrase, or
thought-translation, which purposely disregards
the form, and expresses in idiomatic English the
substance of the apostle's thought, would greatly
aid the understanding of our popular versions
by presenting the meaning in a fresh setting, by
disentangling, in some instances, the idea from
its figurative form, by expressing the implied
thought of many passages, and by concentrat
ing attention upon the main drift of the argu
ment. It is believed that such a version will be
adapted for use in schools in which Bible study
is a part of the curriculum, and, especially, for
use in Sunday-school classes which have occasion
to study this portion of the New Testament.
It is obviously impossible to represent in a
paraphrase every shade and turn of Paul's
thought. To do that would require a commen
tary, and I have wished to avoid the danger to

Preface

vn

which commentaries are exposed, namely, that
of obscuring the general sense by the elaborate
treatment of details. I have, therefore, con
stantly aimed to bring into clear relief the
central idea, the essential substance, of Paul's
arguments and exhortations. If, in doing this,
minor phases of his thought have sometimes
been neglected, it is believed that the omission
is justified in the interest of simplicity and
clearness. This version of Paul's epistles has of course
been written with constant reference to the origi
nal Greek and with the aid of various critical
helps for the determination of its exact meaning.
In cases where there are important variations of
text the reading which seemed to me preferable
has been followed. Where different interpreta
tions are current among scholars the paraphrase
has been based, without justification or comment,
upon that interpretation which commended it
self as the best. It did not accord with the
plan of this book to append to it critical notes
and explanations. If this were to be done at all
it would need to be done on a far greater scale
than was possible in a small volume. Moreover,
there is no lack of critical commentaries for

viii Preface
those who have the time and patience to use
them. I have preferred simply to present my
conception of the meaning of these writings
in as readable a form as possible, without dis
tracting attention by a multitude of critical
details. The book should be judged by its
purpose and used in accordance with it. I
trust that it may be found helpful to the
understanding of Paul's epistles and to the
appreciation of his teaching.

GEORGE BARKER STEVENS.

Yale University, October I, 18

Contents

Page
The First Epistle to the Thessalonians . 3
The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians 15
The Epistle to the Galatians  23
The First Epistle to the Corinthians . . 49
The Second Epistle to the Corinthians . 107
The Epistle to the Romans  147
The Epistle to the Colossians  197
The Epistle to Philemon  211
The Epistle to the Ephesians  217
The Epistle to the Philippians  237
The First Epistle to Timothy  253
The Epistle to Titus  27l
The Second Epistle to Timothy  279

The Epistle to the Hebrews  291

The First Epistle to the
Thessalonians

Chapter I
I, Paul, and my companions send to
you Thessalonians our Christian greet
ings and good wishes. [i]
We are grateful to God for all the
fidelity and zeal which you have shown
in your Christian life and work. We [2, 3]
well know the history of your religious
life from the beginning ; with what eager
ness you received the gospel and what
full proof you gave of the Spirit's power
dwelling in you — just as you know our
zeal in work on your behalf. In this [4. 5l
steadfastness and willingness to suffer for
your faith, you caught the spirit of our
work and of the Lord's life, and set a
worthy example to your fellow-Christians
far and near. For, indeed, you did, by [6, 7]
your faithfulness and endurance, preach
the gospel, not only throughout Greece,
but throughout the Christian world, so
that we have no need to tell the story of
3

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
[6-8] your faith to others. On the contrary,
we find others ready to tell this story to
us. They speak of our great success in
winning you to Christ ; how you forsook
your heathen divinities and believed on
the one true God ; how you received the
doctrines of Christ's resurrection and
saving work, and adopted the belief in
[9» io1 his second coming.

Chapter II
You Thessalonians know the nature
and effect of our mission when we preached
the gospel to you. You know that, before
coming to you in our journey, we had
been persecuted for our faith and that,
despite trials and dangers, we fearlessly
[i, 2] taught you the way of salvation. For
our preaching does not proceed from
false or base motives, but from a convic
tion of the truth of our message and of
our responsibility to God for faithfully
[3. 4l declaring it. Our conduct refutes the
suspicion of impure motives. We neither
sought selfishly to please others nor to
gratify ourselves. Though in virtue of
4

Thessalonians I [Chap. 2.
our office we might have claimed consid
eration, we made no such claim. Instead [5, 6]
of exacting honor, we rendered affection
ate service to you, and gave you, — so
great was our love to you, — not only
our truth, but our very hearts. You will [7, 8]
also testify that when we were with you,
we supported ourselves by our own labor,
so that our work might incur no suspi
cion of being mercenary. I call you, t9l
yes, I call God himself to witness to our
uprightness, purity, and service when we
were among you ; how with a love like
that of a father we sought your spiritual
profit and endeavored to lead you into
the God-like life and to prepare you for
his heavenly kingdom. [10-12]
And since God has thus called you to
such a glorious destiny, we are thank
ful that you so heartily accepted his call
at our hands and entered upon the life to
which it summoned you. This life in- [13]
volved suffering for your faith, but in this
you emulated the patience of the Judean
churches and endured the same treatment
at the hands of your Gentile countrymen
as the Jewish Christians did at the hands
of the unconverted Jews. These perse- [14]
5

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
cutions by the Jews are of a piece with
their killing of Jesus and the prophets
and with their banishment of us preach
ers from Judea, — conduct whereby they
disobey God and oppose the good of
mankind, since they seek to prevent us
from carrying the message of life to the
heathen ; conduct by which they are fill
ing up the cup of their iniquity, and for
which the final divinely appointed doom
[15,16] is now impending over the nation.
Our interest in you being such as I
have described, our enforced separation
from you for a little time was painful to us.
We earnestly sought an opportunity to
visit you, and I, at least, did so more
[i7> 18] than once, but unsuccessfully. How
gladly would we have visited you ! For
you give us occasion to rejoice; espe
cially do we so rejoice when we contem
plate the Lord's coming and think of the
praise and the reward that will then be
[19,20] yours.

Chapter III
When we could no longer restrain our
anxiety for you, we determined to remain
6

Thessalonians I [Chap. 3.
alone at Athens, and to send our faithful
companion Timothy to visit you and to
encourage you in the Christian life, in
order that you might not be overcome by
the sufferings which, in the course of
God's providence, have befallen us. For [1-3]
when we preached to you at Thessalo-
nica we warned you that the Christian life
would involve suffering for your faith, as
you now see that it does. And this was W
the reason why I was so anxious con
cerning you, and so eagerly wished to
hear from you; I was afraid lest you
should be overcome by your trials and
give up your faith. But now since Tim- [5]
othy has just returned from his visit
to you, and has reported your steadfast
ness and your affectionate attachment to
us, and desire to see us, our anxiety for
you is greatly relieved; it is like living,
to know that you are still firm in your
Christian faith. How shall we be grate- [6-8]
ful enough to God for all the comfort
which Timothy's report of you has given
us ? Constantly do we pray that we may
yet see you and do something to add to
the completeness of your Christian life. [9. 101
May our gracious Father and our Lord
7

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
Jesus open the way for our making such
["] a visit, and may the Lord increase the
richness and fulness of your love so that
it will flow out to one another and to all
[12] men, as our love does towards you, in
order that you may be perfectly prepared
for the kingdom of Christ at his glori
ous coming.

Chapter IV
In conclusion, we urge you to enter
ever more deeply into the power of the
Christian life which we made known to
you, for our instructions must be still
U, 21 fresh in your minds. God requires that
[3] you live a holy life ; that you refrain from
unchastity; that, unlike the heathen, you
enter into the marriage relation and pre-
[4. 5] serve it pure from base passion ; that you
keep yourselves free from covetousness
and injustice, for, as we have taught you,
[fil the Lord will surely punish such sins.
God requires purity, and he who disre
gards that requirement refuses to obey
the will of God, who graciously gives
[7. 81 his Spirit to cleanse us from sin.
8

Thessalonians I [Chap. 4.
It is not necessary that I exhort you
to the duty of fraternal love ; that lesson
you have already learned, and you illus- [9]
trate it in your relation to the Christians
of your own province. But we may re
mind you that love is a growing thing. [10]
Aim to possess and to evince it more and
more completely in a peaceable and in
dustrious life which will be irreproach
able in the eyes of those who are not
Christians, and will save you from de
pendence for your support upon others. [",12]
With respect, now, to those of your
number who are asleep in death, I wish
you to understand their relations to the
Lord's coming and the resurrection, so
that you may not grieve as unbelievers
do who have no expectation of a resur
rection or eternal life. For the belief lr3]
of the Christian, that Jesus rose from
the dead, carries with it the conviction
that the dead who are united to him will
be joined in eternal fellowship with him. [14]
For the Lord's own teaching respecting
his coming assures us that those of us
who are living at the time of his return
will not more promptly enter into the
blessedness of his kingdom than will

Chap. 5.] The Epistles of Paul
[iS] those disciples who have died. For this
will be the order of events: The Lord
will come from heaven with signs of
power and glory; thereupon will occur
[16] the resurrection of the Christian dead;
following that, we that are living at the
time will be caught up into the sky to
enter upon an eternal blessed fellowship
[17] with the Lord. Let these assurances
solace your grief with regard to those
[18] members of your church who have died.

Chapter V
But it is not necessary that I should
dwell upon the order of events connected
with the advent, for you are aware that
the Lord will return suddenly and unex-
[1, 2] pectedly. While sinners are living in a
false security, this dread event and its
accompanying judgment will break sud-
[3] denly upon them and overwhelm them.
But to you, my Christian friends, that
event will wear a different aspect. You
are God's children and will welcome his
Son when he comes ; let us then be ready

Thessalonians I [Chap. 5.
and watching and waiting for his return. [4-6]
Those who are sunken in indifference
and sin will be unprepared, but we be
lievers must be equipped with Christian
virtue and expectation, and be ready, [7, 8]
assured that God's purpose for us is a
purpose, not of condemnation, but of
grace, since he gave Christ to die for
us that, whether we live or die, we
should share in his glory. Therefore [9, 10]
comfort and edify one another with this
hope. [„]
Recognize the labors on your behalf
of your teachers and rulers, and accord
them all proper honor. Cultivate a [12,13]
quiet, orderly, helpful, generous, and pa
tient life. Avoid revenge, and seek to [14]
promote the best interests of each other
and of all men. Let Christian joy, con- [15]
stant prayerfulness, and gratitude to God, ,
the requirements of God's gracious will,
mark your life. Welcome God's Spirit; [16-18]
respect his gifts, testing them all, pre
serving and using only what is helpful
to the spiritual life. [19-22]
And may God, the Source of all spirit
ual blessing, keep you perfect till the
coming of Christ. Seek God's blessing [23,24]

Chap. 5.] The Epistles of Paul
for us. Let those who receive this let
ter greet the other members of the church
with the kiss of peace, and read this let-
[25-27] ter to the assembled congregation; and
[28] may the grace of Christ be with you.

The Second Epistle to the
Thessalonians

Chapter T
I, Paul, and my companions, send to
the church at Thessalonica wishes of
grace and peace. rI( 2j
We must always be grateful to God
for your growth in Christian fidelity, and
for your mutual love. Wherever we go [3]
among the churches, we praise your
Christian fortitude and faithfulness as
shown in your endurance of persecutions
for the name of Christ. This suffering [4]
of yours is a clear proof that in the
righteous judgment of God you will be
thought worthy of his kingdom, while, [5]
at the same time, it is a token that God
will justly punish those who persecute
you. To you he will, at the Lord's glo- [6]
rious coming, recompense peace for your
sufferings; to your wicked persecutors
he will mete out their just penalty, utter [7, 8]
exclusion from the Lord's presence, and
from the blessedness of his kingdom. [9]
*5

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
While he will be terrible to his enemies,
he will be an object of praise and ad
miration to his people, to those who have
[10] believed on him (as you have). In order
that this blessedness may be yours, we
continually pray that your Christian con
secration may prove sincere and com
plete, and that God may bless you with
[", 12] all spiritual blessings in Christ.

Chapter II
Regarding this glorious advent of
Christ, and the assembling of believers
[i] with him, we urge you not to be thrown
into sudden excitement or alarm either
by prophetic utterances on the part of
your own number, or by unwarranted
appeals to our oral teaching, or by refer
ence to any letter purporting to come
from us, and which represents us as
teaching that the day of the Lord's com-
[2] ing is just on the point of dawning. Do
not be deceived on this subject. I tell
you plainly that certain events will occur
before the Lord comes. There will be
a signal manifestation of wickedness,
16

Thessalonians II [Chap. 2.
culminating in the appearance of a false
Messiah who shall make the most blas
phemous pretensions, even setting him
self up as an object of supreme worship. [3,4]
Do you not recall my teaching on this
point? At present there is a certain [5]
power which is repressing these evil
forces, so< as to prevent their premature
manifestation. In secret they are work- [6]
ing and preparing to break forth, but
some one is holding them in check. For
a time he will restrain them; then he
will himself be removed, and thereupon [7]
the one who embodies this wickedness
will assert himself; the Lord will come
in his glory and power, and utterly de
stroy the monstrous pretender who with [8]
Satanic wickedness sought to deceive sin
ful men and to prevent them from being
saved by Christ. Because these sinners [9, 10]
preferred falsehood to truth, God deliv
ered them over to the consequences of
their own wicked folly, that their pref
erence for evil might meet its just
condemnation. [11,12]
We must always be grateful to God,
dear brethren, for his gracious calling
of you into the Christian life, — a call
2 17

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
which you realized in a renewed char
acter, and in the appropriation of the
gospel, which you received at our hands,
that you might attain the blessedness
[13,14] offered in Christ. Steadfastly adhere to
the instruction which we have given you
[15] orally and by letter. And may Christ,
the Ruler of the Church, and the gra
cious God of love, strengthen you and
[16,17] fit you for every Christian duty.

Chapter III
In conclusion, pray that our preach
ing of the gospel may be successful, — as
[1] much so as it was in your case, and that
we may escape the persecutions of unbe-
[2] lieving and fanatical opponents. God
will be true to you, will strengthen and
[3] keep you. We believe, too, that you
[4] will observe our requirements. And
may Christ cause you to be filled with
love to God, and with a patient endur-
[5] ance like that of Christ.
With respect to those who, refusing
our instruction, adopt unseemly courses
of life, we direct you, on the authority
18

Thessalonians II [Chap. 3.
of Christ, to avoid their company. We [6]
set you an example, when among you, of
the conduct required. We supported [7]
ourselves by continual labor, that we
might occasion no complaint. Although [8]
we might with propriety have accepted
support from you, we preferred, for the
sake of setting you an example of inde
pendence, to forego this right. And [9]
when we preached to you we strictly en
joined the duty of self-support. There [10]
are some of you who are disregarding
this injunction, and have given your
selves up to idleness and mischief. Now [n]
to such we say, in the name of Christ,
that they resume their occupations and
their self-support. Steadfastly adhere [12]
to what is right and proper. And if
any member of the church longer per
sists in disobeying this direction, with
draw from all association with him, that
he may be led to regret and abandon
his evil course. Do not, however, for- [13,14]
get that he is a fellow-Christian, or fail
to direct him back, if possible, to the
right way. And may Christ, the author [15]
of peace, ever dwell with you and bless
you with his peace. And now with my [16]
19

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
own hand I add these closing words of
greeting, which are a mark of genuine
ness in all my letters, — such is my
[17] handwriting. The grace of Christ be
[18] with you.

20

The Epistle to the Galatians

Chapter I
I affirm the genuineness of my apos-
tleship (which my opponents in Galatia
have called in question), and declare
that I did not receive my commission
from any human source, but from God,
through a revelation of the risen and
glorified Christ, who is the world's Sav
iour from sin, and to whom belongs
eternal glory. [1-5]
I am surprised that so soon after your
conversion you should have deserted the
doctrine of grace, which I taught you,
for that of works, which may be called a
"different gospel," but would better
(since there is but one true gospel) be
called no gospel at all. This counter-
teaching only aims to mislead you and to
overthrow the true Christian doctrine. [6, 7]
My teaching is true, and I should de
nounce any pretended "gospel" which
was subversive of it, even though it were
23

Chap, i.] The Epistles of Paul
delivered by an angel from heaven;
should any man teach contrary to my
doctrine of grace and faith, I pronounce a
[8, 9] curse upon him. I justify this boldness
and vehemence by the confident assur
ance that in my preaching I am not
seeking human favor, but obeying God's
[10] will. As a ground for my strong assertions,
I allege the certainty that my teaching
is not shaped by a human standard or
derived from a human source, but that
it came to me by a revelation of Jesus
[11,12] Christ. My zealous adherence to the
Jewish religion which led me to become
the persecutor of the church, is proof
that I could not have been transformed
into a Christian apostle by mere human
[13,14] means. It was only when God, who had
a great purpose to serve in my life, was
pleased to reveal Christ as the truly
risen and glorified Messiah to my spirit,
that I became a Christian and a mission
ary ; after this event no more than before
can my course be explained as a result
[i5>l6l of human influence or instruction; I did
not resort (as may be supposed) to the
primitive apostles at Jerusalem, there
24

Galatians [Chap. 2.
to be taught the truths which I pro
claim ; on the contrary, I went away into
the remote regions of Arabia whence I
returned to Damascus (rather than to
Jerusalem). [17]
After my conversion my course was
such as to prove my independence of
human teachers. For three years I did
not see Jerusalem and the authorities of
the church there. At the expiration of
that period, however, I went thither to
interview Peter, but my visit was a brief
one. I -saw only one other apostle. I [18,19]
solemnly allege the truth of these state
ments. I next returned through Syria [20]
to my native province. My brief stay in
Jerusalem and Judea occasioned, indeed,
a new interest and rejoicing at my con
version, but I was not there long enough
so that the churches at large even knew
me by sight. [21-24]

Chapter II
It was fourteen years before I again
visited Jerusalem ; when I did so it was
in response to an impulse from the
25

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
Spirit, and with the desire to be assured
by the apostles there in person that my
[i, 2] teaching was acceptable to them. So far
from their criticising or amending my
teaching they did not even require the
circumcision of my Gentile travelling
companion, Titus (though in the cir
cumstances to do this might have been
natural and, in itself, allowable ) ; there
were, indeed, those who urged it, but I
refused to allow it because of the pres
ence of Pharisaic extremists who, by
insisting upon the necessity of circum
cision in order to the attainment of sal
vation, sought to restrict our freedom, as
Christians, from the law, and 'to put us
again under its burdens; to have yielded
would, in this case, have compromised
[3-5] the essential principles of the gospel.
The influential primitive apostles (and
however great their influence or author
ity might be, it could not affect the
truth and divineness of my mission,
since God's approval does not follow
human judgment) did not in any way
attempt to supplement or correct my
teaching, but rather agreed that I had a
divine commission to continue my pres-
26

Galatians [Chap. 2.
ent work among the Gentiles as truly as
had Peter to proceed with his among the
Jews ; this conviction was based upon [6, 7]
our success in our respective spheres of
labor. The three who were present at [8]
this interview accordingly approved the
course and teaching of myself and Barn
abas, and in token of this approval gave
us the right hand-of fellowship, and com
mended us in our Gentile-Christian mis
sion, only urging us to continue mindful [9]
of the poor Christians at Jerusalem, and
to collect from the wealthier Gentile
churches contributions to their support,
thus keeping this bond of Christian
charity between the Jewish and Gentile
Christians, and, by so doing, helping to
prevent jealousy and alienation. [H
On a later occasion at Antioch, also,
I maintained my independence. Peter
had been accustomed, when there, to
mingle freely with the Gentile converts
who. had not been circumcised, eating
at the same table with them at the
love-feasts. But certain Judaizers, al
leging the authority of James for their
position, had opposed this fellowship
with the uncircumcised, and Peter, on
27

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
this occasion, timidly yielded to this
persuasion and withdrew from the com
pany. For this I rebuked him because
[11,12] he was worthy of blame. The other
Jewish Christians followed his example,
[13] not excepting my companion Barnabas.
Deeply feeling that the integrity and
sole sufficiency of the gospel was com
promised by this action, I publicly chal
lenged Peter in the matter as follows:
How is it that you now deviate from
your ordinary and normal course of freely
associating with Gentile converts, and
not only renounce that course but go
farther and by your action demand that
even Gentiles shall live as do the Jews ;
that is, be circumcised and observe the
[14] law? We Jewish Christians have long
ago learned that it is faith in Christ, not
works of law, which saves us. How is
it, then, that you now act as if legal ob
servance was also necessary, thus incon
sistently, by your action, denying that
[15,16] the faith which we hold is sufficient?
If now we again resort to the legal
course, may it not give occasion to say
that we confess ourselves still unfor-
given sinners and that Christ, so far
28

Galatians [Chap. 2.
from delivering us from sin and its curse,
plunges us deeper into them ? We cannot
admit any such conclusion, and no more
can we tolerate any principle of action
which (like yours in this case) gives occa
sion to it. The real " transgressor, " the
"sinner," is not the man who renounces
the law altogether and clings solely to
Christ (as we all should), but it is he
who tries to " build up again those things
which he destroyed;" that is, to still
cling to and even to insist upon the ob
servance of the legal system whose re
nunciation as a means of salvation is
logically involved in the very idea of
Christian faith, which means the sole
sufficiency and necessity of Christ.
Hence it is the Judaizing course, rather
than that of the Gentile Christians,
which stamps those who pursue it as
"sinners, " or unjustified persons, by the
tacit confession contained in the idea
that something additional to faith in
Christ is needful. For the law itself [17,18]
through its revelation of my sin to me
and its ethical death-sentence, slew me.
I thus broke all relation to the law, as
earthly relations are broken by death. [19]
29

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
I died with Christ on the cross, to the
old life and old relations, and yet, in a
new and higher sense, I live; or rather,
it would be more correct to say, that
Christ lives in me, for my new spiritual
life has its source and support in him,
who, through love, gave himself up to
[20] death for my salvation. Thus I in my
teaching magnify God's grace (as is not
the case with those who still cling to the
law and to works), and well I may, for if
men could ever have been justified by
the law, Christ need not have died ; and,
since it is an axiom with all Christians
that Christ's death was not for naught,
that fact may prove the entire futility of
seeking righteousness in any other way
[21] than through faith in him.

Chapter III
You Galatians have been drawn away
as if by magic from the truth so plainly
taught you, that you were saved through
[i] Christ's death. Reflect whether, when
you were converted, you received the gift
of the Spirit by the doing of meritorious
3°

Galatians [Chap. 3.
works, or by obeying the call simply to
believe on Christ. Of course, the latter
was the case. Will you, then, after hav
ing begun the life of the Spirit, fall back
upon that lower plane where the flesh is
the ruling element of life, — a power
from which the law is unable to deliver
you ? What folly to endure persecution [2, 3]
for the gospel, when you do not really
remain true to it ! Have not all your [4]
spiritual gifts come to you in the line of
faith, and not of works ? Be true, then,
to this principle, and renounce the rival
and futile principle of legal works of
merit. From the typical case of Abra- [5]
ham you may learn the truth which I am
urging. He was not justified by works,
but by faith ; now all believers are his
spiritual sons, and are saved in the same
manner. The Old Testament recognizes [6, 7]
the universal validity of the principle of
faith. On the contrary, those who [8, 9]
stand upon the plane of law and seek to
be saved by obedience to it, will fail, for
an absolutely perfect performance of all
that the law requires is necessary in
order to justification by law, and that
man can never render. The law-prin- [10]
31

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
ciple says : Do all that the law requires
and thou shalt live; the faith -principle
says : Trust in God and thou shalt live.
These indicate two different methods
of salvation, and the Scripture sanctions
[11,12] the latter as the only practicable one.
So far from having hope of being saved
by the law, man had fallen under its
curse and was helpless, but Christ, by
taking the curse upon himself, freed us
from it, that we might be justified and
saved simply by trusting in him and his
[13, 14] work for us.
Even a covenant between men, when
once ratified, no third party may annul
or supplement with new provisions;
much less may God's gracious covenant
of promise with Abraham be affected in
its conditions and provisions by any sub-
[15] sequent dispensations. Now the prom
ise to Abraham's seed is fulfilled only
in Christ, and thus an identity and con
tinuity of principle exists between that
ancient covenant and the Christian gos-
[16] pel. Now the law which was given so
long after this primitive gospel, cannot
affect its validity or change its provi-
[17] sions, and since salvation cannot be both
32

Galatians [Chap. 3.
by works and by faith, we must adhere
to the more original and fundamental
principle. What purpose, then, did the [18]
law serve if not that of justifying men?
It showed them their need of justifica
tion, and the impossibility of themselves
achieving it, because it made them con
scious of the depth and heinousness of
their sins; thus this divinely ordained
system was designed to lead men to
Christ for salvation, rather than to be
itself a means of saving them. It was [19]
a dispensation given to men through
the agency of Moses ; it was, therefore,
mediate and conditional. But in giving
the promise, and so in promulgating the
gospel of faith, God stands forth alone
and acts in independence and sovereignty.
Hence the promise stands on a higher
plane than the law. But it does not fol- [20]
low from this difference that the two
dispensations, and their characteristic
principles, are in all respects contrary.
The legal system is subordinate to the
gospel, but it serves the ends of the gos
pel; it must be subordinate, for other
wise the gospel would not have been
needed as a saving agency. But it [21]
3 33

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
serves the ends of the gospel by teach
ing men their sinfulness, putting them
in the prison-houses of remorse and de
spair until they shall long for the gra
cious deliverance which Christ freely
[22] offers to those who trust in him.
It was the office of the law to im
prison us by its condemnation until we
[23] should be set free by believing on Christ.
The law may be called our tutor who, by
his stern discipline and chastisement,
prepared us for Christ and made us glad
to find freedom and peace in him by
[24] faith. But now, as believers, we are no
longer subject to this severe master, but
possess the sense of liberty and sonship
[25.26] through Chriat. For truly all believers
have entered into a unique relation to
Christ which affects their whole attitude
and standing. The distinctions of na
tionality, condition, and sex are as noth
ing in the presence of that deeper unity
which binds together all believers in
Christ, so that all who believe, regard
less of these distinctions, are really
Abraham's seed (since Abraham's great
significance was not in the fact that he
was a. Jew, but in the fact that he was a
34

Galatians [Chap. 4.
man of faith), and therefore inherit the
blessings promised to him and to his
seed in the covenant which God made
with him. [27-29]
Chapter IV
THE heir, before he attains his major
ity, can no more enter upon the actual
possession of his destined estate, than
can a bondservant in the family possess
himself of it. Until the set time, he [1]
must continue in a subordinate position,
under the authority and discipline of
others. The position of us Jewish [2]
Christians under the law was analo
gous. We were as children, having a
great inheritance (the gospel) in pros
pect, but kept in a preparatory process
of training; the coming of Christ marks [3]
the period of release from this tute
lage and of entrance upon the promised
possession. This full sense of sonship [4. sl
is imparted by the testimony of the
Holy Spirit to the heart of the believer,
assuring him of the divine fatherhood ; [6]
hence we are no longer in the position
of servants, but in that of the sons, of
35

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
full age in the family who have attained
the clear consciousness of sonship and
with it have entered upon their rightful,
[7] destined possession.
We were all in bondage before we be
came Christians, either to the law, or
[8] under a worse master, idolatry; but
since we have through Christ learned to
know the true and only God, or rather,
since he has made himself known to us,
how unreasonable in us to wish to return
to an elementary stage of religion again,
by continuing to adhere to the Jewish
observances. That is like going back
to bondage after having been once set
[9] free. This you Galatians are doing;
your observances of Jewish feast-days
and ceremonies make me afraid that my
labor among you will prove to have been
[10,11] for naught.
Let me plead with you to come to my
point of view in this matter, even as I,
in renouncing Judaism, put myself upon
[12] the same plane with you Gentiles. I
hope for this result from my experience
of your former kindness and attachment,
for I remember that when I was de
tained among you by sickness, in conse-
36

Galatians [Chap. 4.
quence of which I became your Christian
teacher, you did not consider my pres
ence among you burdensome, nor did
your regard fail to endure the test to
which it was put; on the contrary, you
received me with the utmost, indeed,
with excessive, honor. But all seems [13,14]
changed now ! You appear not to count
it any felicity now to receive and obey
my instructions. How great the change
of temper, for when I was among you,
you would gladly have made the greatest
sacrifice for me. Have I become the [15]
object of your enmity because I now urge
upon you the true and only gospel ? [16]
The Judaizers who are leading you
astray from my teaching are indeed
eager in courting your favor, but it is in
no good spirit and for no good end ; what
they really seek is to impart to you an
exclusive and partisan spirit, that they
may attach you to themselves as fol
lowers and supporters. It is always [17]
well to be zealously sought after by
others if the object of this enthusiasm
is a worthy one. I do not begrudge you
this attention from others; when I am
absent others must exercise this care. [18]
37

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
My children, so great is my anxiety for
you on account of your defection from
the truth, that I seem to be again under
going the pains and labors by which you
were brought into the church. I should
be glad to be personally present with
you, and to adopt a less censorious tone ;
for I am perplexed and uncertain whether
I can by any means win you back, and
[19,20] would gladly make ali possible efforts.
My readers who are familiar with the
Old Testament will readily recall the
history of Abraham's two sons, Ishmael
and "Isaac, the former the child of the
bondwoman, Hagar, whose birth was
merely in the ordinary course of nature,
and Isaac, the child of Sarah, born in
[21-23] accordance with a divine promise. These
persons and events have an allegorical
significance. The two women, Hagar
and Sarah, represent respectively the
Old and the New Testament systems;
the former — the bondwoman — corre
sponds to the covenant whose sign or
symbol is Mt. Sinai, since her children,
like those who continue under the old
covenant, are brought forth in and for a
[24] state of bondage. Now this analogy is
38

Galatians [Chap. 4.
the more appropriate because Mt. Sinai
is actually situated in Arabia, the land
of Hagar: s descendants. If, then, Hagar
fitly represents Sinai, she may as fitly
be said to represent the earthly city of
Jerusalem, which stands as a symbol of
the Jewish religion. Sinai and Jerusa
lem have the same religious significance.
Jerusalem (personified as the mother of
the Jewish people), like Hagar and her
descendants, is in bondage with her
children. But the upper Jerusalem, [25]
the spiritual commonwealth, typified by
Sarah, is free, and since she is the
mother of all believers, her children
(Christians) are also free. Our spiritual [26]
mother may rejoice, therefore, in the
language of ancient prophecy concerning
the hope of the childless, and we, her
children, like Isaac, are heirs of God's
gracious promise, made to all believers. [27,28]
But as in ancient days, so now, the
spiritual must suffer persecution from
the unspiritual. But, as then, the Ish- [29]
maelites were rejected from the true the
ocracy, so now shall the unfree Jews who
persist in refusing their spiritual free
dom in Christ be excluded from the
39

Chap. 5.] The Epistles of Paul
[3°] people of God. We are free, then; let
us maintain and prize our freedom, and
not surrender it by returning to the
bondage with which the law enslaves
[31, v. 1] those who try to be saved by its works.

Chapter V
To receive circumcision as being ne
cessary to salvation is a virtual renunci-
[2] ation of Christ. When one submits to
this rite as a condition of justification,
he thereby commits himself to the legal
method, and, by the very meaning of his
act, is bound to do all that the law re
quires, and must do this, if he is to be
[3] saved. You Galatians, in so doing, are
cutting your life loose from Christ by
renouncing the faith-principle of salva
tion, and are already turned away from
God's free grace in the attempt to
achieve your own salvation by works of
[4] merit. I assure you of your great error
and certain failure, for we who hold to
the opposite course base all our hope
[5] upon the grace in which we trust; and
rightly so, for, with reference to the
40

Galatians [Chap. 5.
attainment of salvation, the question
whether one is circumcised or not is of
no importance; the only essential con
dition being a faith which gives evidence
of its vital power by love. You were [61
making good progress in Christian life
and knowledge ; who has checked you in
this and led you into such disloyalty to
the truth ? Their dissuasion of you from
the right path is not in line with God's
call. This wrong tendency is indeed
serious, for, though the defection be
limited, it will spread like leaven. I [7. 8]
have good hope, however, that you Gala
tians as a whole will not be led astray
by this error, but will continue faithful
to my instructions; but the leader in
this sedition will receive a heavy chas
tisement. As for the accusation of the [10]
Judaizers, that I too, upon occasion,
preach circumcision, it involves an ab
surdity ; they would not continue to per
secute me if I were not in antagonism
to them; if their accusation were true,
there would no longer be any offence to
the Jews from my preaching of the cross;
but the fact that my work still arouses
Jewish opposition proves their charge
41

Chap. 5.] The Epistles of Paul
untrue. These extremists who pervert
your faith and hinder your Christian
growth — who think so much of circum
cision — should have it to the point of
[11,12] mutilation! I speak thus vehemently, for you,
Christian brethren, were destined, in
your divine call, for the enjoyment of
freedom from these legal requirements.;
but this freedom does not mean lawless
ness, but requires a loving service to
others; for love to one's fellows as to
himself is the sum of the law for which
[13.14] you profess so much zeal. But if, in
stead of living the life of love, you con
tinue in disputes, such as that now
prevailing, the result must be the utter
[15] destruction of your Christian fellowship.
My advice is : Live under the power
of the Spirit and, in so doing, you will
find the true safeguard against the evils
[16] of which I warn you. For there is a
sharp conflict in Christian men between
the inspiration of the Spirit and the sin
ful impulses which operate to prevent
your doing what your conscience would
[17] prompt. But if you keep your lives
under the guidance of the Spirit you
4.2

Galatians [Chap. 5.
shall have the victory over evil, because
you will not then be under that condem
nation and bondage which they experi
ence who live under the law, but will
enjoy the sense of freedom and pardon
which the Spirit imparts. Now by con- [18]
sidering the sins which spring from car
nal impulse, you will see how wholly
incompatible they are with participa
tion in the kingdom of God, and by con- [19-21]
templating the fruit in human life of the
Spirit's guidance, you will see, too, that
those who produce it cannot be under
the bondage of sin and the sentence of
the law, since those virtues are the ideal
requirements of all law. Now Chris- [22,23]
tians have put to death the impulses
which lead to the works of the flesh. If, [24]
then, we have our life in the power of
the Spirit and not of the flesh, let our
outward action be ruled by the true
power of Christian living, • — that of the
Spirit; let us not "act as if we were ruled
by the contrary and inconsistent prin
ciple which excites factious boasting,
leading to the challenging of one another
to conflicts and to jealous retaliation. [25,26]

43

Chap. 6.] The Epistles of Paul

Chapter VI
Brethren, if sin overtake one of your
number, you who are guided by the
Spirit should correct the fault and re
store the man in a temper of gentleness,
remembering that you too may be simi
larly tempted and may need a similar
[i] forgiveness. The true law which you
are to obey is that of Christ, which re
quires you, through love, to share the
[2] cares and sorrows of others. For if, on
the contrary, one cultivates the opposite
spirit of pride and self-sufficiency, he
exercises a perverted moral judgment,
[3] and is self-deceived. Each man stands
for himself, and not by comparison with
others. Let him, therefore, test his own
actions on their own merits, for each
must bear his own burden of responsi-
[4, 5] bility and accountability.
Those who receive Christian instruc
tion should share with their teachers in
the good things which God has given
[6] them. Do not deceive yourselves by
thinking that you can shun this obliga-
44

Galatians [Chap. 6.
tion of love; God does not submit to the
mockery attempted by those who think
they may escape the just consequences
of their actions; he that lives and acts
in accord with the natural, selfish im
pulses shall incur the consequence, — a
corrupted moral life; while he who lives
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit
shall attain the goal of an incorruptible
existence. Let this law of the spiritual [7. 8]
harvest encourage us to right-doing, for
our reward is secure; let us, accord
ingly, faithfully discharge our obliga
tions to all men, remembering those
special duties which we owe to Chris
tian brethren. [g, t0]
Observe with what large characters
I have written this epistle with my
own hand. To sum up: Those who [n]
are constraining you to be circum
cised are thereby but displaying their
zeal for carnal ordinances; their aim is
to escape those persecutions from the
Jews which they would suffer if, like
myself, they avowed their adherence
solely to the doctrine of the cross. They [12]
are themselves inconsistent in observing
the law, but they are anxious to have
45

Chap. 6.] The Epistles of Paul
you circumcised that they may make a
great show of zeal for the Jewish reli
gion by having won you Gentiles to its
[13] observance. But, as for me, I disclaim
all grounds of glorying except the cross
of Christ, by which I have broken off
all relations to the sinful world as if by
[14] death. Since Christ's death is the true
saving power, I am indifferent to the
question of circumcision (in itself) and
make newness of life through Christ my
[15] great concern. This truth (the impor
tance of- renewed life) supplies the rule
and test of action and belief. Peace and
mercy be upon all such (who will thereby
prove themselves the true Israelites) as
[16] adopt and obey it ! Let me not be
troubled more by these errors and ac
cusations, for the proof that I am Christ's
is found in the scars upon my body which
I have received in his service. Grace
[17.18] be with you.

46

The First Epistle to the
Corinthians

Chapter I
I, Paul, an apostle of Christ by a
divine call, and Sosthenes, my Christian
brother, write to the church in Corinth,
consecrated to God through faith in
Christ, and to all who worship Jesus as
Lord; grace and peace be with you. [1-3]
I praise God for your progress in Chris
tian character and knowledge, by which [4. 5]
you have attested the truth of the gospel
which I preached to you. In no gift of [6]
grace are you surpassed by any other
church. You are not dreading, but an
ticipating the coming of the Lord, who
will keep you steadfast, and make you
ready to welcome him at his advent. [7, 8]
God, who has called you into the Chris
tian life, will be true to you and will
complete your salvation in his eternal
kingdom. [9]
Let me use our common relation to
Christ as the basis for an exhortation to
4 49

Chap, i.] The Epistles of Paul
[10] harmony and unity. For I have heard
rumors of strifes and parties within your
["] church. What I mean is that some are
professing themselves to be followers of
me; others are using in the same way
[12] the names of Apollos, Peter, and Christ.
What! the name of Christ a party
watchword ! My name used by some as
if I had died for them, and as if their
baptism meant some special relation to
[13] me ! If such a perversion of the import
of baptism is possible, I am glad that I
baptized so few of your number and so
[14-16] gave the less occasion for it. For, in
deed, preaching, not baptizing, was my
special, divinely appointed work, — and
preaching not of a rhetorical and specu
lative sort, but consisting in the proc
lamation of salvation through Christ's
[17] death. I know that this message of salvation
through the death of Christ seems folly
to wicked men ; but to us Christians, who
have experienced God's saving grace, it
[18] is full of divine meaning and efficacy.
For, as the Old Testament says, God
sets at naught the pretended wisdom of
[19] men. Self-sufficient sages and rhetori-
5°

Corinthians I [Chap. i.
cians have no standing in the presence
of the divine wisdom of which the cross
is the symbol. Philosophy has long [20]
tried to find out God, and to disclose his
will and requirements, and has failed,
notwithstanding his display of his wis
dom in his works. Hence God was
pleased to reveal his saving purpose
through the gospel of Christ. The Jews [21]
want miracles; the Greeks are devoted
to philosophy; we proclaim salvation
through the crucified Messiah, — a doc
trine equally offensive to Jew and to
Greek. But the Christian, whether he [22,23]
be a Jew or a Greek, knows that Christ
is the true miracle and the true wisdom. [24]
For what men in their folly conceive
to be wisdom and power bears no com
parison with the divine wisdom and
power of God as revealed in Christ. [25]
See the method of God in salvation,
and observe to what class it appeals.
Very few of those who are wise and pow
erful in the eyes of the world are drawn
to the Christian gospel. The churches [26]
are composed of people of humble sta
tion and limited education. But in
them God will vindicate his method.
5i

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
He will show how the true divine power
and wisdom will triumph over those of
[27-29] which the world boasts. You Corin
thian Christians are examples of what I
say. God has brought you into fellow
ship with Christ, who has become to you
[3°] the power that cleanses and saves. You
verify the Scriptural word: Let him that
boasts of his privileges and advantages
[31! ascribe them, not to himself, but to God.

Chapter II
When I preached to you I did not
present the gospel in a rhetorical or
[1] speculative form. I purposed to display
no knowledge to you but that of Jesus
[2] Christ and of his saving death. My in
tercourse with you was accompanied by
[3] great anxiety and depression. My mes
sage was not made effective by rhe
torical artifices, but by the working of
[4] the divine Spirit, so that your faith
might have, not a human, but a divine
[sl foundation. But although I thus disclaim depend
ence upon mere human skill in thought
52 "

Corinthians I [Chap. 2.
and speech, we Christians have a divine
philosophy which we teach to those who
are mature enough to receive it. It is
widely different from the false, earthly
wisdom of those who are now in high
places, but whose reign will be short. [6]
It is a deep, divine secret which God has
long kept in his own purpose. The [7]
mighty ones of earth do not know it; if
they had known it, they would not have
crucified Jesus. It is a philosophy [8]
which may be described in the Old Tes
tament words which speak of gifts of
God which surpass the power of the
senses and the capacity of the mind to
imagine and know. This philosophy [9]
speaks of a revelation to the heart of
man, by the divine Spirit, of things
which wholly surpass human knowledge. [10]
What man can know another as he knows
himself? Who can know the deeps of
God's nature and ways as the Holy Spirit
knows them? Now in accepting the gos- [n]
pel we have become the recipients, not of
the false wisdom of the world, but of the
heavenly wisdom which the divine Spirit
teaches, and which enables us to appre
ciate God's highest gifts. It is this [12]
53

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
spiritual wisdom which we teach, not in
terms adapted to the communication of
the false wisdom, but in those adapted to
the teaching of the true, thus fitting the
method of instruction to the nature of
[13] the truth to be taught. Now the irreli
gious man does not discern the meaning
of this higher wisdom ; it requires for its
appreciation a capacity for spiritual in-
[14] sight which he does not possess. The
spiritually minded man can rightly esti
mate all things, while he himself is
above the judgment of those who have
[15] not this spiritual organ of vision. No
one, indeed, can instruct Christ ; but we
Christians have a knowledge of his
thought and will; therefore, as spiritu
ally minded men, we have an experi
ence of divine truth which no one can
[16] gainsay.

Chapter III
WHEN I preached to you I was obliged
to treat you, not as mature men, but as
[1] spiritual children. I taught you only
the rudiments of the heavenly wisdom;
54

Corinthians I [Chap. 3.
you were not able to receive anything
beyond these, and you have not yet
grown mature enough in the Christian
life to be able to do so. Sufficient proof [2]
of this inability is found in the selfish
divisions which exist in your church. [3]
Are you not acting like unconverted men
in making the names of your teachers
symbols of alienation and schism ? Who [4]
are these teachers ? Merely agents whom
God has employed to bring to you the
message of salvation. Each did his work
according to the gift of grace which he
possessed. We teachers may be likened [S]
to those who cultivate a field ; one plants
the seed, another irrigates the soil ; but
it is God alone who can make the seed
grow. The laborers are but his instru
ments, and have no power, of them
selves, to produce a harvest. Besides, [7]
all the work of the different laborers has
the same end, and each will be held re
sponsible for doing his own part well. [8]
I say we are one, for we are all laborers
whom God has employed to co-operate
with him in carrying out his divine
plan. You Corinthians are like a tilled
field on which we have expended our
55

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
labors, — like a building to whose con-
[9] struction we have contributed.
In regard to my own personal service
in the upbuilding of your church, I re
mind you that I was its founder. I
taught you to know Christ. Whoever
comes after and seeks to serve you, let
him see to it that he builds nothing in
congruous with the foundation, which is
[10] Christ. There can be no other basis for
your church than faith in Christ as Sav-
[n] iour. Other teachers may come, and,
as it were, build into the superstructure
of your church various materials, some
perishable, some permanent. The day
of the Lord's coming will disclose what
is abiding and what is transient. That
day will test the work of these various
teachers as fire tests the materials of a
[12,13] building. If any teacher has contrib
uted something lasting to your church
[14] life, he shall be rewarded. But if any
teacher's work has not really advanced
your Christian growth, it will go for noth
ing. The faith shown in the good in
tention of the teacher will save him, but
not his work. In the judgment he will
be like one who should barely escape the
56

Corinthians I [Chap. 3.
flames which consume a building which
he has built. [15]
Do you not know that your church is
a sacred spiritual building of God, in
habited by his Spirit ? To ruin such a [16]
structure is sacrilege, and will be pun
ished with spiritual destruction. [17]
Beware of self-deception. Do not
confound earthly and heavenly wisdom.
Each is folly in the view of the other.
Renounce the self-sufficient folly of the
world that you may become truly wise. [18]
For such vanity and conceit are folly in
the eyes of God, as the Scripture says. [i9,2°]
Away, then, with this proud and selfish
boasting through preference for one and
another Christian teacher ! For you all [21]
have a right, not merely to what you de
rive from your favorite teacher, but to
what you may derive from them all.
Yes, more; the Christian's possession is
boundless; Christ unlocks to you the
world's treasures, clothes life with mean
ing, robs death of its terrors, fills the
present with victory and the future with
hope. Such is your privilege ; only re
member that all this will prove true in
your case only on condition that you
57

Chap. 4-] The Epistles of Paul
belong to Christ as he belongs to
[22,23] God.
Chapter IV
YOUR proper attitude towards us
teachers should be determined by what
we are, — servants who handle posses
sions not our own. Now, it is the part
of subordinates such as we are to render
[2] allegiance to our Master. Faithfulness
to him is. the test to be applied to us.
It is a matter of small concern to me
what estimate with reference to the ful
filment of my office you or other men
may place upon me. Of just as little
consequence would be my own estimate
[3] of myself. For, though I am not con
scious of any unfaithfulness to my stew
ardship, yet the approval of my own
conscience and self-judgment is not a
just ground of complacency; it is Christ
[4] who is my judge. Cease, then, from
passing these comparative judgments on
your teachers. Whatever praise we each
deserve we shall receive at the Lord's
coming, when the deserts of men, which
are now hidden, shall be fully made
[5] known. 58

Corinthians I [Chap. 4
Now I have meant these principles to
apply to your attitude towards myself and
Apollos, that you may avoid conduct
contrary to the Scriptures, and the pride
and partisanship connected with prefer
ences for individual teachers. If some [6]
of you possess any gift of superiority
over others it is God who has bestowed
the advantage ; what you have you have
received from him, and cannot boast of
its possession, as if_ it had originated
with yourselves. But in your conceit [7]
you think you have everything; you act
as if you had already entered upon the
full enjoyment of Christ's kingdom, and
that quite independently of us; would
that you had entered upon it in reality,
and that we might share it with you! [8]
For we apostles are very- far from the
exaltation which you fancy yourselves
to have attained. Our hardships and
perils make us a gazing-stock, a subject
of wonder to angels and men. In the [9]
estimation of such wise and sagacious
Christians as you are, we have no stand
ing at all in virtue or influence. Our [10]
poverty, sufferings, homelessness, and
toil ; our patient endurance under insult
59

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
and persecution ; the contempt and oblo
quy which we have experienced, seem to
["-13] count for nothing with you.
I am writing in this severe way for
M your own good. I am your spiritual
father. Though you may have many
other teachers, I shall always be the one
[15] who brought you to Christ. As such, I
beg you to adopt my doctrine and prac-
[16] tice of humility and self-denial. And
that you may do this, I have sent to you
my trusted pupil Timothy to teach you
the meaning and requirements of these
[¦7] principles. Some among you who are
hostile to me boast that I dare not come
to Corinth myself, but they will find
that I will come, and that very soon, if
the Lord permits, and then I will put
these boasters to the test and see whether
the results of their work correspond with
[J8,i9] their great pretensions. For that is the
true test. The kingdom of God, which
both they and we profess to promote, does
not consist in boastful claims, but in the
[20] divine power which produces a new life.
In what temper I shall be when I come
will depend upon you. If your pride and
division continue, I shall be severe, but
60

Corinthians I [-Chap. 5
if you forsake your evil courses, you will
find me gentle and indulgent. [21]

Chapter V
Another rumor which I have heard
concerning you is that unchastity is com
mon among you; and, indeed, that there
is a case of incest in your church which
not even the immoral heathen would
tolerate, that of a church-member living
as if in marriage with his own step
mother. Instead of being grieved at [1]
this, and proceeding to exclude the
offender, you are as proud and self-sat
isfied as ever. He ought to have been [2]
removed, for, though personally absent,
yet as being present with you in interest
and sympathy, I have passed this verdict
of exclusion. Consider me, then, as if
present among you, and with your co
operation as pronouncing, in the name of
Christ, the judgment of excommunica
tion on this man, and remanding him to
Satan, that he may inflict upon him suf
ferings which will break the power of his
sinful lusts, so that he may be led to re-
61

Chap. 5.] The Epistles of Paul
pentance and recovery, and thus be saved
[3-5] at last at Christ's coming. Instead of
boasting, you ought to be purifying your
church of such evils. However limited,
they will rapidly spread, like leaven in
meal. Remove this evil, as the Israel
ites were required to remove leaven from
[6, 7] their houses before the paschal feast.
For Christ the antitypical passover Lamb
has been sacrificed for us, and we Chris
tians are to keep a feast which celebrates
deliverance from sin. We must allow
no defiling element to mingle in our fes
tival, but celebrate it in simplicity and
[8] purity. In a previous letter I warned you not
to associate with men like the one just
[9] mentioned ; but I did not mean that you
must have no relations, in the world at
large, with such men, or with greedy
and grasping men, or with idol worship
pers ; it would be wholly impossible, as
you suggest, to avoid all association
[10] with such men. What I meant to say —
and I now repeat it — was that if a pro
fessing Christian is guilty of such sins,
you should withdraw from all fellowship
[n] with him. I cannot undertake to regu-
62

Corinthians I [Chap. 6.
late the action of the outside world in
such matters. I am" concerned to keep
the church without reproach, and this is
equally your own duty and prerogative.
Our discipline cannot extend to those
outside the church. These are amenable
to God's final judgment alone. But I [12]
have said enough. Excommunicate this
man ! M

Chapter VI
WHEN differences arise among you, do
not take them before the heathen law-
courts, but settle them among yourselves
by arbitration. It surely cannot be that [1]
those who are to participate with Christ
in judging the world are incompetent to
settle the most trivial disputes. Surely, [2]
if angels are to be amenable to the judg
ment in which Christians are to partici
pate, the settlement of affairs pertaining
to this life may safely be left in their
hands. When, therefore, cases of con- [3]
troversy arise in your church, do not
refer them to the heathen judges, who
have no standing in the estimate of
63

Chap. 6.] The Epistles of Paul
Christians; to do so would be disgrace-
[4] ful. It must be that there is some one
in your church who is competent to set
tle such disputes; you do not need to
[6] resort to the heathen courts. Indeed,
you are seriously at fault in having such
disputes at all. They cause more evil
than they avert. Under the pretext of
defending your rights you do injury and
[7,8] injustice to your Christian brethren.
Let me sum the matter up by reminding
you of the nature of the kingdom of
God. Its primary demand is righteous-
[9, 10] ness. Wicked men cannot enter it.
Before your conversion you were very
wicked. Remember what your Chris
tian profession means : purity, consecra
tion to God, salvation through Christ
["] and the Holy Spirit.
With respect to the principle of per
sonal liberty, I maintain it — with qual
ifications. One qualification is, that
many things which are in themselves
permissible are not wise,; another, that
one should not enslave himself to any
course of action, even if it is, in itself,
[12] allowable. Apply this principle to the
question of liberty in respect to the eat-
64

Corinthians I [Chap. 6.
ing of various kinds of food. With re
spect to the relation of food to the body,
it is simply a question of adaptation.
Both belong to a perishable order.
Within this sphere one may freely use
his liberty. But the relation of unchas
tity to the body is different. That rela
tion is moral, and to give the body over
to uncleanness is not within the province
of an allowable liberty. The body of [13]
the Christian man is sacred because of
his relation to Christ, and is to share in
the blessedness of redemption. In the [14]
mystical union of the believer with
Christ the body is included. How utterly
inconsistent is this union with that which
is established in social immorality. For, [15]
as the Old Testament says, the marital
union makes the persons so united " one
flesh." And equally does Christian [16]
faith mean spiritual union with Christ.
Now these two unions are wholly in
compatible. Therefore avoid unchastity, [17]
which, above all sins, defiles the body.
This sin is pre-eminently sin against the
body. Now the body of the Christian is [18]
sacred to God, and he has no right to de
file it. You have been consecrated to
S 65

Chap. 7.] The Epistles of Paul
God through Christ's death; therefore
you are bound to honor him to whom
[19,20] you belong by a pure life.

Chapter VII
Now with regard to the questions
which you have asked concerning the
advisability of marriage, I recommend
[1] the choice of the single state. How
ever, marriage is, no doubt, a relative
good, for it has a certain restraining
[2] power, and averts many temptations.
Let both husband and wife fulfil their
[3, 4] mutual obligations. Do not incur the
risks of separation, unless it be by mutual
agreement for a time, in order that you
may give yourselves more entirely to
[5] religious devotion. Now this advice I
give not by explicit commandment from
the Lord on the subject, but by way of
[6] allowance for the conditions of the time.
But, in general, I prefer that people
should remain unmarried. Yet marriage
and celibacy are equally gifts from God
[7] in which purity may be preserved.
I repeat the expression of my prefer-
66

Corinthians I [Chap. 7.
ence for the unmarried state, but in cases
where self-control might be endangered
by following this advice, I recommend
marriage. But this preference, which, in [8, 9]
the present condition, I express for celi
bacy, is not to be construed as indorsing
separation of the married, — not even in
cases of intermarriage between Chris
tians and heathen. Jesus spoke plainly
against divorce. If, therefore, partners
have separated, let them either refrain
from contracting new marriages or be
come reunited. But a further question [10,11]
arises : What shall those couples do who
were married before one of the parties
became a Christian ? Jesus gave no in
struction respecting such cases, but I
give this judgment : If such couples can
peacefully dwell together, let them by
all means do so. For in such cases the [12,13]
unbelieving partner and the children of
the union are brought within the sancti
fying influence of a Christian life. But [14]
what if the heathen partner refuses to
live with the Christian? Then the lat
ter must acquiesce in the separation, for
the effort to perpetuate the union would
only lead to strife. But some one may [15]
67

Chap. 7.] The Epistles of Paul
reply that if the Christian insists upon
continuing the union, it may be a means
of saving the non-Christian party. I re
ply that this result is by no means cer
tain. The more obvious advantages of
separation in such cases outweigh this
[16] remote possibility. I have said that in
such cases the Christian party is not
bound to try to perpetuate the union,
but this liberty, in turn, should be regu
lated by the principle that the relations
in which one finds himself should not be
lightly esteemed and readily broken up.
[17] This maxim I everywhere insist upon.
If a Jew becomes a Christian, let him
[18] be content to be a Christian Jew. Not
nationality, but obedience to God, deter-
[19] mines Christian character. Christianity
does not purpose to break up national
[20] and social distinctions. If a slave is
converted, let it not trouble him that he
is a slave; let him use his position as a
slave in a Christian way, and not seek to
become free on the ground that he has
[21] become a Christian. For in Christ
social distinctions disappear in a higher
unity. The Christian slave is Christ's
free man, and the Christian free man is
68

Corinthians I [Chap. 7.
Christ's slave. You all belong to one [22]
Master; your relation to him transcends
all other relations. Let each be content I23]
in his providential station. r2.i
Respecting the question which you
raise as to parents giving their daughters
in marriage, I have no word of Christ on
the subject to which I can appeal, but
as one whom God has graciously enlight
ened and guided, I give my opinion. I [25]
think that in view of the impending
calamities which will precede the Lord's
advent it is wise for them to remain un
married. In relation to marriage, let [26]
each remain in the state in which he is. t27]
I do not claim divine authority for this
advice. A person who disregards it
does not thereby commit a sin. But I
warn you that those who disregard it
will reap the consequences in added suf
fering, and this is what I should like to
ward off from you by my present advice. [28]
The Lord's coming is near, and very
soon it will make no difference as to
what are one's outward relations or con
ditions, for the present order is soon to
cease. My concern for you is that you [29-31]
be free to give yourselves unreservedly
69

Chap. 7.] The Epistles of Paul
to the Lord's service. This the unmar
ried can do more easily than the one who
is encumbered by the cares of married
[32,33] life. Here the virgin has an advantage
as compared with the married woman.
The former may devote herself wholly to
the religious life, while the latter is
likely to concern herself with cares
[34] which distract her from this purpose.
I do not wish to put needless restrictions
upon you, but to give you such advice
as shall promote your devotion to Christ
[35] and his service. But if now, after all I
have said, a parent or guardian thinks
that in withholding his daughter or ward
from marriage after she has reached a
marriageable age, he would be doing her
a wrong, or exposing her to temptation,
let him exercise his liberty and give her
[36] in marriage; he does not sin in so doing.
But where no such conditions as I have
supposed exist, it will be wise to follow
[37] my advice. In the former case no sin is
committed ; in the latter, the preferable
[38] course is followed. The marriage bond
is broken by death. After the death of
the husband, the wife may marry, but
[39] she must marry a Christian. But I repeat
70

Corinthians I [Chap. 8.
my opinion that she will be wiser if she
remain unmarried ; and I think that on
this subject I am rightly interpreting the
divine will. [40]
Chapter VIII
Now in regard to the question of eat
ing the meat of animals killed in idola
trous sacrifices, we enlightened Christians
know that such meat cannot defile us. M
But in the Christian life love, and not
mere knowledge, is the safest guide. The [2]
man who determines to act solely accord
ing to what is theoretically allowable has
not yet learned the Christian way; for
when a man loves God then a relation of
fellowship and likeness between man and
God is constituted. Now, as bearing on [3]
this question, we Christians know that
idols have no real power to defile meat,
and that there is but one true God. For [4]
although in the heathen religions there
are numerous so-called divinities, yet in
our belief there is only one God, the
source and end of all things; and one
Lord, Jesus Christ, the agent of creation
and redemption. But not all possess this [5,6]
71

Chap. 8.] The Epistles of Paul
knowledge. Many uninstructed Chris
tians who have been brought up to think
of heathen divinities as having real power,
cannot rid themselves of the idea that
meat which has been in connection with
a heathen sacrifice is defiled and ought
[7] not to be eaten by a Christian. But our
acceptableness to God does not depend
upon such matters. The question of
eating it, or not eating it, is, in itself,
[8] morally indifferent. But while you are
thus free to follow either course, you
should consider how your action in so
doing will affect others, and regulate the
use of your liberty by regard for their
[9] good. To illustrate : If a person who
has scruples as to his right to partake of
such meat as we have spoken of, sees
you, a fellow-Christian, who have no such
scruples, partaking of an idolatrous sacri
ficial feast, will he not be encouraged by
your example to do what he is not clear
in his conscience that he has the right to
[10] do? This is what I mean by a use of
knowledge which is not regulated by
love. You may so use your liberty, in
itself allowable, as to make it a means of
[n] moral destruction to the weak Christian.
72

Corinthians I [Chap. 9.
If you do thus proceed in a reckless dis
regard of the weakness and ignorance of
others, you do them a great moral injury
and violate the law of Christ. So that if [12]
the exercise of my liberty to eat of sacri
ficial meat is likely to have such an evil
effect upon others, I will utterly forego
its use. [,,]

Chapter IX
In regard to freedom and self-denial,
I have practised the principle which I
now commend to you. My apostolic
office, my relation to Christ, and my work
in converting you to Christ would seem
to involve some rights and claims. For [1]
whoever else may doubt or deny these,
you Corinthians, my converts, certainly
will not do so. When the validity of my [2]
apostleship is called in question, your
conversion by me is my effectual answer. [3]
Have I not, then, a right to support at
the hands of the church which I have
founded? Have I not a right to marry a
believing wife and to take her with me
on my apostolic journeys, as other Chris-
73

Chap. 9.] The Epistles of Paul
[4, 5] tian workers have done ? On what
ground can it be claimed that Barnabas
and I are the only Christian teachers
who have no right to be supported by
[6] those for whom we labor ? Do soldiers
support themselves? Do planters and
shepherds refrain from sharing the pro-
[7] duct of their vineyards or herds? Does
some one answer that I am pleading a
principle of mere human prudence?
Does not the Scripture contain our prin-
f8] ciple? When the law forbids the putting
of a muzzle on the ox when threshing,
does the maxim relate to mere brutes?
In giving this law God is not concerning
himself for them, but is giving a principle
which is applicable to us Christian teach
ers in order to encourage us in our work
with the prospect of a just reward for our
[9, 10] labor. Now if we bestowed upon you
spiritual benefits, the greater good, is it
unreasonable that we should receive from
you our material support, the lesser
[11] good? No one else ever did for you
what I and my helpers have done. If
any one possesses the right to support
from you, surely we do; but we have
freely renounced all our claims and have
74

Corinthians I [Chap. 9.
willingly endured hardships and priva
tions, in order that we might not give to
any one a ground of criticism or complaint
against us and thus embarrass our work. [12]
The priests, indeed, have a portion of
the animals offered in sacrifice for their
own needs. And Jesus taught that the [13]
laborer in his service is entitled to his
food. I have freely relinquished my [14]
rights in this matter, and I am not de
fending them now in order to claim
them, for I would rather die than forego
the joy of preaching the gospel without
asking anything in return. In relinquish- [15]
ing my right to support from my converts,
I have, indeed, a ground of boasting, for
I do that of my own accord ; but in the
matter of preaching the gospel there is
no such ground, for I am not doing that
of my own independent volition, but in
consequence of a divine call. That I
must do; I should be guilty of disobe
dience to God if I did not. For one may [16]
speak of reward, a claim to some special
credit, in cases where, as in the matter of
support, one renounces a right which he
is at perfect liberty to enjoy ; but when,
as in the matter of my preaching, my
75

Chap. 9.] The Epistles of Paul
duty is divinely imposed, I am acting
subject to the will of another, and it
is a question not of personal liberty to
choose either of two courses, but only of
[17] faithfulness to the divine command. Now
if in this matter of my self-denial I speak
of reward, in what does the reward con
sist? I find it in making the gospel free
and in being able to ask nothing in re-
[18] turn for preaching it. So far from doing
what I had the abstract right to do, I
have made every possible concession
wherever I saw a possibility of winning
[19] men to Christ. I have accommodated
myself to Jewish prejudices, that I might
win the Jews ; I have been careful to lay
no needless burdens upon the heathen.
In all cases I have made the law of Christ
the necessary and essential thing, and have
aimed to win both classes to its accept-
[20,21] ance. I have made concessions to the
scrupulous for the sake of their salvation ;
in fact, I have made it my principle to do
everything possible to adapt myself to
the needs, prejudices, and weaknesses of
all classes of men, in the hope that I
[22] might lead some of them to Christ. And
through this consecration to Christ's work
76

Corinthians I [Chap. 10.
I hope myself to become a partaker in
the final salvation. In the Greek athletic [23]
games there is something to be won.
All the contestants strive for it, but only
one receives it. This fact imparts eager
ness and zeal to the contest. Let a
similar zeal animate the runner in the
Christian race. Again, the athlete who [24]
will win must be trained and disciplined.
If men will practise rigid self-control as a
means to winning a mere earthly prize,
how much more should we practise self-
discipline as a means to winning the
heavenly reward ? I am trying so to run [25]
with the confident assurance of success ;
I am waging the conflict as the boxer
does when he does not uselessly strike
into the air, but vanquishes his opponent. [26]
I am subjecting my body to severe dis
cipline, lest I fail in my effort to win men
and so prove myself an unacceptable
servant of Christ. [27]
Chapter X
Let me enforce my exhortation to
faithfulness and zeal by lessons from our
Jewish history. Our fathers passed
77

Chap. 10. J The Epistles of Paul
safely through the Red Sea under the
[i] protection of Jehovah. In this experi
ence they entered into special relation
to Moses as their divinely appointed
[2] leader. They enjoyed the divine pro
vision for their spiritual needs, for Christ
[3,4] was invisibly present with them. But in
spite of all these blessings, most of them
were disobedient to God and incurred
his displeasure, in consequence of which
[5] they perished on the journey. Now these
events illustrate the danger of disobe-
[6] dience and sinful desire. Do you, then,
beware of idol worship with the frivolity
[7] and revelry which accompany it. Avoid
with equal care social impurity, such as
some of them were guilty of, and in conse
quence of which large numbers of them
[8] suddenly died. And let us not presume
upon God's mercy, as they did, and
[9] thereby miserably perished. Neither
complain against God, as they did, and
[10] died by a plague. Now these events
contain lessons for us; they are appli
cable to our case, who live in the closing
[11] age of the world. Give heed to the warn
ing and remember that your moral trial is
not too great to be borne, and that God
78

Corinthians I [Chap. 10.
will give you strength and victory. The [12, 13]
conclusion of all is : Avoid idol worship. [14]
Let me now apply this warning ; you
shall see if the application is not just. [15]
Do not the wine and the bread in the
Lord's supper symbolize fellowship with
Christ? And does not this common fel- [16]
lowship with Christ constitute all believers
one, even as the source of their spiritual
life is one? Look at the outward, typical [17]
Israel. Did not participation in the sac
rifices make them sharers in the truths
and blessings for which the altar stood? [18]
I do not mean to imply in this illustra
tion that heathen sacrificial feasts have
any such realities corresponding to them
as the Jewish sacrifices have. There are [19]
no beings corresponding to the heathen's
conception of their divinities. The de
mons correspond more closely to those
conceptions than any other beings.
Really, idol worship is demon worship,
and Christians must have no fellowship
with demons. You cannot be in fellow- [20]
ship with Christ and in fellowship with
demons at the same time. Or, if we [21]
think that we can unite things so diverse,
are we prepared to challenge the Lord's
79

Chap. 10.] The Epistles of Paul
anger? Could we escape the conse-
[22] quences of his displeasure?
Returning now to the question as to
the limits of Christian liberty, I repeat
that the Christian has the abstract right
to do whatever is not in itself sinful ; but
considerations of Christian wisdom and
expediency sometimes put practical lim
its upon that freedom. Some things, in
themselves allowable, are not adapted to
[23] the building up of Christian character,
and the Christian is not to regard his
own interest alone, but also that of
[24] others. Respecting the perplexing ques
tion of eating sacrificial meat I would
give the following advice : In the pur
chase and use of meat raise no questions
and indulge no scruples as to whether it
l2Sl is sacrificial meat or not, for all that the
[26] Lord has made is good. But if some
one else has scruples the case may be
altered. Suppose, for example, that you
are invited to a dinner at the house of
an unbeliever and you wish to go. Do
so freely, and eat what is provided with
out raising any question, on grounds of
[27] conscience, respecting the meat. But if
some one points out to you the fact that
80

Corinthians 1 [Chap. 10.
the meat offered is sacrificial and evinces
scruples as to his right to eat it, then
refrain from eating it yourself for the
sake of conscience ; not, indeed, for the [28]
sake of your own conscience, but for
the sake of the conscience of the other
man, who would be misled and injured
by your eating. Such action would
have its entire reason in the weakness
of the scrupulous man, for, in itself con
sidered, one's liberty is not determined
by some one else's conscience, but by his
own. I say, then, that it is wholly on [29]
the other man's account, and not on my
own, that I should refrain from eating in
such a case, for if I can eat with genuine
thanksgiving to God, why should any
one impute sin to me in so doing? Let l3°l
us do all things, including eating and
drinking, in such a way as to honor God
in the doing of them. Beware of creating [31]
moral hindrances for any one. Adopt
my principle of renouncing personal ad
vantages and rights, and let your motto
be, the salvation of the greatest possible
number. Follow this rule of serving [32.33]
love which I have adopted, for I have
derived it from Christ himself. [xi. 1]
6 81

Chap, u.] The Epistles of Paul

Chapter XI
I PRAISE you for the deference which
[2] you show to me and to my teachings.
But there is one point of propriety on
which I wish to correct your practice.
God has established an order of depend
ence. Every man is dependent upon
Christ, and in like manner is woman, in
the order of nature, dependent upon
[3] man, as Christ is dependent upon God.
Now it agrees with this natural headship
of man, on the one hand, and' the natural
dependence of woman, on the other, that
in the public assembly the men should
appear with unveiled, and the women
with veiled, heads. If the man wears the
symbol of dependence, he offends against
the order of nature, and if the woman
prays or speaks in public without this
symbol, it is as disgraceful as for her to
[4, 5] have her hair cut short. I therefore say
that a woman might just as well have her
long hair cut off as to appear thus in the
[6] public assembly without the veil. Man
should not wear the badge of depend-
82

Corinthians I [Chap. n.
ence, since as God's first creation, accord
ing to Genesis, he is the direct reflection
of God's glory, whereas woman as an in
direct and mediate creation of God, has
a secondary position and should wear the
mark of her dependence upon man. For [7]
man was not made from woman and for
woman, but woman was made from man
and for man ; therefore ought she to wear
the veil, the sign of man's authority over
her, — the more so since the angels are
looking down upon your assembly, noting
your behavior. But there is also a sense [8-10]
in which man and woman are mutually
dependent. For as, at the beginning, [n]
woman was created from man, so, subse
quently, man is born of woman, and both
alike in all their relations and functions
are dependent upon God. I leave it to [12]
your own sense of propriety whether it is
seemly for a woman to pray in public with
unveiled head. Does not a natural sense [13]
of what is fitting clearly show the impro
priety of a man's letting his hair grow
long; and, with equal clearness, the pro
priety that woman should wear her hair
long, since nature has thus provided her
with a kind of natural veil? [14, 15]
83

Chap, i i.j The Epistles of Paul
Now if any one cares more for his own
personal and selfish will than he does for
the common good, let me say to him
that the interests of the churches are in-
[16] consistent with any such habit of mind.
I am constrained to rebuke your spirit
of contention, because it makes your
meeting together in the church more of
a hindrance than a help to your Chris-
[17] tian life. For, to begin with, I hear that
your church is badly divided, and I must
think that the report is in a large degree
[18] true. Such factions are the unavoidable
means whereby the genuine Christian
[19] life is tested and shown. But with your
present habits it is impossible for your
church properly to celebrate the Lord's
[20] supper. You make the occasion a scene
of contention and revelry, for, instead of
waiting till all may be supplied, each one
eats and drinks what he has brought, and
the result is that those who have made.
no contribution to the feast receive
[21] nothing, while others drink to excess.
If the object is simply to eat and drink,
why do you not do so at home ? Or,
have you no reverence for the assembly
and no consideration for the poor who
84

Corinthians I [Chap. u.
are thus left unsupplied? I cannot but
condemn such behavior. How incon- [22]
gruous it is will be evident when I recall
to you the origin of the Holy Supper.
It has been handed down to me from
Christ himself how on the solemn night
of his betrayal he took bread and wine
and instituted this sacred rite, telling his
disciples that it was a memorial of him
and a token of his suffering and death
on their behalf, and that they should
observe it as such till his advent. Now [23-26]
by such shameful conduct as I have de
scribed you profane Christ and his sav
ing death. Let every one test himself [27]
by considering whether he is partaking
of the supper with a fitting sense of its
sacredness. For one's participation in it is [28]
self-condemned if he partakes of the feast
with no sense of the saving significance
of Christ's death. The prevalent sick- [29]
ness among you, and the death of some
of your number, is a punishment upon
such irreverence. If, in this matter, we [30]
exercised self-judgment, we should not
incur the divine judgment. But when [31]
we do thus incur sickness or suffering
for our sins, it is the Lord's discipline
85

Chap. 12.] The Epistles of Paul
whereby he is seeking to lead us to
[32] repentance and salvation. The conclu
sion is: When you meet to observe the
Lord's supper, avoid all unseemly greed
[33] and haste ; wait till others can be served.
Do not make the sacred feast a mere
occasion for satisfying hunger ; to do so
is a wicked perversion of its purpose.
As to other matters of order, I will regu-
[34] late them when I visit you.

Chapter XII
Now with respect to spiritual endow
ments concerning which you have asked,
I would remind you, in the first place,
that, as converts from heathen super
stition, you need instruction and guid
ance. The very first thing to be
understood is that the confession of
Jesus Christ as Lord is the key-note of
all inspired speech. The primary test
of the Spirit's inspiration is: Do you
[1-3] acknowledge the Lordship of Christ?
Another point to be noted is that the
gifts in question, no matter how various
they may be, have one source. It is God
86

Corinthians I [Chap. 12.
who by his Spirit bestows them all. A [4-6]
further test to be applied to these endow
ments is that of utility. Now all these [7]
diverse gifts of speech and of action have
one source, — the divine Spirit, who ap
portions them to the different members
of the community. [8-n]
The unity of those who possess the
various gifts is analogous to the unity of
the body; they are all one in Christ. [12]
Their baptism into Christ signifies their
unity in him, whatever their nationality
or social condition. Apply the analogy [13]
of the body; no one member constitutes
the body; no member can refuse to be
a part of the body, because it is not
some other member. What kind of a
body would that be which consisted of
only one part or member? As a matter [14-17]
of fact, God has constituted the body out
of various members, each with its special
function. Otherwise, there would be no [18]
real body at all ; but now, in fact, many
members compose the one body. That [19.2c1
being so, no one member can dispense
with any other, not even in the case of
the weaker parts of the body ; for these,
too, are necessary to the completeness of
'87

Chap. 13.] The Epistles of Paul
the body; nor in the case of the less
honored members, upon which, however,
we bestow an honor peculiar to them
selves, thereby offsetting the special
honor which nature has bestowed upon
some parts of the body. Thus God has
given unity and harmony to the body by
assigning to each part its own place and
use, so that the good of one is the good
[21-26] of all. Now apply the analogy to the
church, the mystical body of Christ.
Each Christian is a member of Christ and
has his own function to fulfil. There are
the various offices and gifts, greater and
lesser. Estimate them according to their
relative value and usefulness, and I will
now tell you what is the principle by
which they are to be tested and meas-
[27-3O ured; it is love.

Chapter XIII
IF love does not inspire and direct
the use of the gift of tongues, its expres
sion, however ecstatic, is mere mean-
[1] ingless and valueless sound. The ability
to interpret divine truth, the knowledge
88

Corinthians I [Chap. 13.
of divine mysteries in their entire num
ber and compass, the most heroic trust
in God's power, would have no value
without love. The noblest gifts of gen- [2]
erosity, the greatest deeds of self-sacri
fice, are morally worthless if love is not
their motive. Love is patient under [3]
provocation, is not jealous of others'
good fortune, is not vainglorious or
proud, is averse to unseemly contentions,
is unselfish, does not yield to anger or
hate, nor harbor revenge ; glories not in [4, 5] -
the triumphs of wrong, but in the tri
umphs of righteousness ; endures, trusts, [6]
expects, and perseveres without limit. [7]
Love is an imperishable virtue ; the gifts
of prophecy, of tongues, and of knowl
edge serve a temporary purpose and
shall pass away. For these gifts are all [8]
partial, and the partial must give place
to the perfect principle, the sum of all
goodness. Our future perfection in love [9, 10]
will be as much greater than our present
spiritual endowments and attainments as
the speech and thought of mature man
hood are superior to those of childhood. ["]
For how imperfect is our present appre
hension of divine things ! Our present
89

Chap. 14.] The Epistles of Paul
knowledge of them is only indirect and
unclear; but in the future life it will be
direct and immediate ; now it is partial,
but then shall I plainly know spiritual
[12] things with a knowledge like that of God.
To sum the matter up: In contrast to
the temporary gifts, there are three en
during virtues, faith, hope, and love, but
the most fundamental and comprehensive
[13] of these is love.

Chapter XIV
Cultivate love, which is the regulative
principle of all the gifts, yet not in such
a way as to neglect the latter, of which
[1] prophecy is especially useful. Prophecy,
I say, is preferable, because the ecstatic
speaking with tongues is unclear and does
[2] not edify the hearers. The prophetic
exposition of truth, on the contrary, is
helpful and instructive to those who hear
[3] it. Prophecy, as compared with tongues,
ministers more to the general good of the
[4] believing community. The former is,
therefore, the preferable gift, because it is
more useful, unless the ecstatic speaking
[5] be interpreted. What would be the profit
90

Corinthians I [Chap. 14.
of my speaking to you in ecstasy unless
I accompany such speech with some clear
communication of truth? To do so would [6]
be as useless as it would be to make con
fused and meaningless sounds when a
trumpet-call to battle was needed. In like [7, 8]
manner our religious utterance will be to
no purpose if it is not clear and intelli
gible. Each language has, no doubt, a [9]
meaning of its own, but if one does not
know the language which is spoken to
him, no idea is conveyed. Let the prac- [10,11]
tical test of utility and helpfulness be
applied in your cultivation of all spiritual
endowments. Let the speaker in tongues [12]
seek the gift of interpretation, for in ec
static prayer there is no clear idea corre
sponding to the feeling expressed. I will [13,14]
therefore so engage in prayer and praise
that there shall be not merely an energy
of devout feeling, but of thought as well. [15]
For if prayer is only fervent and excited
without being intelligible, how can one
who is unaccustomed to such utterance
make it his own? In such a case the [16]
worship is, no doubt, sincere but it is
unprofitable to the hearers. I yield to [17]
none in my mastery of this gift, but I in-
91

Chap. 14.] The Epistles of Paul
sist that the fewest words of intelligible
speech are more useful in the public
assembly than any amount of mere ec-
[18,19] static utterance.
You must cultivate the power of distin
guishing the useful from the useless ; it is
only with respect to evil that you are to be
[20] as innocent as children. As the prophet
warned Judah of an invasion by the
Assyrians, so now God is warning unbe
lievers by means of the strange language
[21] of this gift of tongues, — a gift which
serves to point out unbelievers and to
evoke expressions of their contempt for
the church, whereas prophecy tends to
[22] evoke faith and to call out its expression.
In illustration, suppose the whole con
gregation to be assembled and all to
be engaged in ecstatic speech. Suppose
there comes in a person who is unfamiliar
with such an exercise or who is prejudiced
against your religion. What will be the
effect upon him? Will not his opposition
and contempt be strengthened and ex-
[53] pressed? But, on the contrary, suppose
all to be occupied in prophesying. How
different the impression and effect ! The
truth clearly and strikingly uttered finds
92

Corinthians I [Chap. 14.
his heart, discloses his need, and over
powers his unbelief so that he bows in
penitence and confession. [24,25]
What, then, is the conclusion to be
drawn from the fact that the gift of tongues
is attended with all these disadvantages?
It is that each should exercise his peculiar
gift without exaggeration or extravagance
and with a view to edification. Let edi- [26]
fication, I repeat, be the test of all such
exercises. On any given occasion let
there not be more than two or three
speakers in tongues ; let these speak, not
at once, but successively, and let what
they say be explained to the congregation.
If no interpreter is at hand, let the ecstatic
speaking be a silent exercise between the
speaker and God. Let the same rule as [27,28]
to the number of speakers apply to the
prophets, and let those who listen judge
whether what is said proceeds from the
Spirit of God or not. If while one [29J
prophet is speaking, some truth is dis
closed to another who is sitting and
listening, let the one who is speaking stop
and let the other speak. For by thus [30]
giving way to one another all the prophets
can speak in turn, so that all the mem-
93

Chap. 14.] The Epistles of Paul
bers of the church may be benefited by
[31] the utterance of each. And the truly
inspired prophet will be self-restrained
[32] and self-controlled, for God's inspiration
does not lead to disorder and excess, but
to quietness and harmony. This principle
[33] I everywhere insist upon.
The women of your church are not to
speak in the public assembly, but to be
under the law of dependence, as the Old
[34] Testament requires. They are not even
to ask questions in public ; if they wish
instruction let each ask her own husband
at home, for it is grossly improper for
women to take part in the public meet-
[35] ings of the congregation. Or, as against
these instructions, will you assume that
you were the originators and sole posses
sors of Christianity and have a right to
[36] determine its demands?
Once more, with respect to the use of
the spiritual gifts, — let each man who
prides himself on possessing such a gift
recognize in the regulations which I have
given concerning them a divine command-
[37] ment. But if any one from vanity and
rivalry wilfully ignores my instruction, let
[38] him know that God ignores him.
94

Corinthians I [Chap. 15.
My conclusion is : The gift of tongues
need not be disused, but the gift of
prophecy is more helpful; but, in any
case, the rule is: A seemly and orderly
use of all gifts. [39,40]

Chapter XV
LET me remind you of the nature and
basis of the gospel which I taught you
and on which — if it is a valid gospel —
your salvation is based. Chief among the [1,2]
facts which I derived from the tradition
of Christ's deeds were these : his death
on behalf of our sins in fulfilment of
prophecy; his burial; his resurrection on
the third day in agreement with Scripture ;
his manifestation of himself to various
disciples, some of whom have died, but
the majority of whom are still living;
then, his appearance to various apostles,
and, finally, his appearance on the road
to Damascus to me, who am utterly
unworthy of such a favor from heaven. [3-8]
F"or when I think of my persecution of
the church I feel unworthy the name of
an apostle of Christ. Yet, through the [9]
95

Chap. 15.] The Epistles of Paul
favor of God, I am such, and by his divine
aid I have been able to prove myself such,
and to outdo in toil and suffering all the
other apostles ; yet I take no personal
credit for this, for it was God who girded
[10] me for my work. But no matter who did
the work of setting the gospel on its way,
the substance of that gospel, as I preached
it to you and as you received it, consists
[n] in the facts which I have just stated.
Now, assuming the truth of the cardi
nal point in my preaching, — namely, that
Christ rose from the dead, — how can some
of your number say that there is no such
[12] thing as resurrection of the dead? Look
at the consequences of such a denial.
If resurrection in general is to be thus
denied, the resurrection of Christ (which
you have believed as an essential fact
of the gospel) would have to be denied
[13] also ; and if that is denied, our teaching
would have to be regarded as false, and
your faith (which was built upon this
[14] alleged fact) would be undermined. A
further consequence would follow: Such
a sweeping denial would challenge the
truth of our testimony to the fact of
Christ's resurrection; we asserted his
96

Corinthians I [Chap. 15.
resurrection as a fact; if the current
denial of resurrection is warranted, our
assertion is false. For if there is, in [15]
general, no such thing as resurrection,
then, of course, there could be no spe
cific instance of it such as the resurrec
tion of Christ; and if this alleged event [16]
on which you based your hope of salva
tion did not occur, then your confidence
was groundless, and you have not been
saved at all. A further consequence [17]
would follow from such a denial: Our
fellow-Christians who have died have not
been saved. If in our present life we [18]
have only a hope which is doomed to
disappointment, how dreary a prospect
should we have in view of all our labors
and sufferings ! [19]
But how contrary to fact are all such
doubts ! Christ did rise from the dead,
and his resurrection is the pledge of
the resurrection of his people. For as [20]
Adam, the natural head of the race, in
troduced sin and its consequence, death,
so has Christ, the spiritual head of hu
manity, guaranteed the victory of life. [21, 22]
In achieving this victory this is the
divinely arranged order: First, Christ's
7 97

Chap. 15.] The Epistles of Paul
resurrection, the type and pledge of
resurrection; then the resurrection of
[23] his followers at his advent; then, the
consummation of the age when he shall
surrender his mediatorial rule to God,
having put in subjection all hostile
[24] powers. For he will subdue all foes,
the last of which is death, as the Scrip-
[25-27] ture intimates. But, of course, this sub
jection of all things to Christ does not
include God himself; on the contrary,
God remains supreme, and even Christ
shall voluntarily subject himself to God,
that he may be the Power which rules
supreme in the perfected Messianic,
[28] kingdom. If we could not cherish such a hope
of future blessedness, there would be
no meaning or comfort in vicarious
baptism on behalf of the dead. If the
dead are not to live, it is meaningless to
[29] receive baptism in their stead. If the
dead rise not, what folly it is for us
Christian workers to go on exposing
ourselves to dangers and to death ! For
such is my life. I solemnly assert that
as truly as I boast over you as my con
verts, I am every day at the point of
98

Corinthians I [Chap. 15.
death from peril and hardship. If with [30.31]
no good hope of reward in the future
life I contended with strong and cruel
enemies at Ephesus, of what use was
my effort? On this supposition the
natural conclusion would be : Let us
freely enjoy the present life, for there
is nothing beyond it. But I warn you [32]
against the immoral conclusion which
is likely to follow the denial of resurrec
tion; association with such deniers will
lead to the adoption of their evil princi
ples. Arouse yourselves from the stupor [33]
caused by this denial; refuse to yield
to those who defend it ; their pretended
knowledge is but ignorance of God ; I
speak thus to shame you for having
allowed yourselves to be influenced by
such persons. [34]
But some one will raise the objection :
How can resurrection be conceived?
With what sort of a body do men come
forth from the realm of the dead? A [35]
thoughtless objection ! In the reproduc
tion of grain death is necessary to the
fuller life which issues from the seed
sown; and, moreover, the product which [36]
issues from the seed is something new
99

Chap. 15.] The Epistles of Paul
and something greater than the seed
[37] itself. God, in the mysterious processes
of nature, clothes the life of various seeds
in new forms which are appropriate to
[38] their various natures. Another analogy
carries us a step further. In nature
we observe a great variety of bodies
adapted to the elements — earth, sea,
air — in which various creatures are to
[39] live. In like manner, as between heaven
and earth there is a difference in the
bodies of their inhabitants as respects
[40] dignity and beauty; likewise among
the heavenly bodies, sun, moon, and
stars, there is wide difference in bril-
[41] liancy. There is an equal difference
between the resurrection body and that
which dies and is buried : the former
is subject to the law of corruption, decay,
and death, sharing the fate of nature,
while the latter is free from this law
and belongs to a higher order. As the
present body is adapted to this perish
able order of nature in which we now
live, so the future body shall be adapted
[42-44] to the life of the world of the spirit.
Hence Adam, the head of natural hu
manity, may be described as partaking

Corinthians I [Chap. 15.
in nature's decay and corruption; while
Christ, the head of spiritual humanity,
may be described as a Spirit who brings
our life to perfection in the world to
come. But the processes of nature come [45]
first, those of the spiritual world last,
in order of time. The head of natural [46]
humanity belongs to the changing and
perishing order; the head of spiritual
humanity to the higher and heavenly
sphere ; and, accordingly, man on his [47]
natural side shares in the changing and
perishing order of nature, while through
union with Christ he shares in the
heavenly order. As, therefore, we share [48]
the fate of nature in this world, so we
shall attain the likeness of the glorified
Christ in the world to come. [49]
But we may be certain that our present
corruptible bodies cannot partake in the
life of that heavenly world. A marvel- [50]
lous transformation will be accomplished
at Christ's coming. That transformation
will affect living and dead alike. Sud
denly the Lord will come and raise the
dead and transform us all, whether living
or dead, into his own likeness. For our [51,52]
natures must be purged of all corruptible
101

Chap. 16.] The Epistles of Paul
[53] elements. And when this transformation
shall be accomplished, then the triumph
of life over death will be complete, and
[54.55] the soul can celebrate its final victory.
It is sin which imparts bitterness to death,
and it is the law which intensifies the
power of sin, but we praise God that
through Christ he delivers us from both
[56. 57l these hostile powers. And now since we
obtain this deliverance only through
Christ, let us be obedient, faithful, and
true to him, and we shall not fail of our
[58] heavenly reward.

Chapter XVI
Be diligent in laying aside your alms
on each Lord's day for your needy
fellow-Christians at Jerusalem, so that
your . contributions may be ready when
[1.2] I next visit you. Then your gifts may
be sent by such delegates as you may
appoint, and, if occasion serve, we may
[3.4] g° together. I am coming to you by
way of Macedonia, and expect to remain
some time, perhaps all winter, and then
to move on, for I do not want to pay you
102

Corinthians I [Chap. 16.
a mere passing visit ; but I hope to stay
here at Ephesus till Pentecost, where I
am meeting at once with great oppor
tunities and with great opposition. [5-9]
If Timothy visits you give him no cause
of anxiety but receive him with respect,
and send him back to me with the bearers
of this letter. Apollos was not disposed [10,11]
to visit you at present, but hopes to do so
later. [12]
Be ready for the Lord's coming,
faithful, courageous, and manly in your
religious life, banishing the spirit of
faction by the spirit of love. Accept the [13,14]
leadership of those faithful laborers who
in coming to me supplied the lack of
your presence. All the Christians here [15-18]
send salutations. I add my greeting in [19,20]
my own handwriting. If professing [21]
Christians among you continue by jeal
ousy and strife to deny their love to
Christ, their end must be destruction.
Our Lord is coming to judgment. The
grace of Christ and my love be with [22-24]
you.

103

The Second Epistle to the
Corinthians

Chapter I
I, Paul, a divinely appointed mes
senger of Christ, and Timothy, my fellow-
worker, salute you Corinthians, and all
the Achaian Christians, with wishes of
mercy and peace. [1,2]
We render praise to God, the Father
of Christ and the Source of all spiritual
consolation and grace, by whom we are
strengthened in our sufferings and enabled
to strengthen and encourage others. For [3,4]
as we are one with Christ in suffering, so,
through Christ, are we one with you in
comfort. But whether we experience [5]
pain or consolation, it is for your spiritual
good ; and we know that if you must
suffer as we do, you may also share the
consolation which is ours. For you know [6, 7]
how we did suffer, almost' beyond the
power of endurance, in Asia, so that we
seemed doomed to death. This experi
ence taught us our dependence for life
107

Chap, i.] The Epistles of Paul
upon God, the Giver of life, by whose
power, in answer to your prayers, we
were delivered from death, and for whose
[8-n] mercy we all render praise to him.
We are conscious of an earnest and
pure purpose in our preaching and teach
ing, and especially so in our work on
[12] your behalf. Our letters are to be un
derstood in their plain and obvious mean
ing, and I hope that we shall have, more
and more, a mutual understanding and
sympathy, which shall be perfected at
[13, 14] the Lord's coming. It was in this hope
that I formerly planned to make you two
visits, one on my way to Macedonia, and
one on my return from it, and then to
[15,16] go on to Judea. Now that you find me
writing to you from Macedonia, you may,
perhaps, consider me changeable and
[17] my promises unreliable. But I solemnly
assure you that I am guilty of no such
[18] capricious vacillation. Christ, who was
the subject of our preaching, is the ab
solutely true and trustworthy One; he
spoke with a divine authority and certi
tude, and he it is who saved us and made
us his representatives. [How contrary,
then, to Christ and his gospel would be
108

Corinthians II [Chap. 2.
the weak and fickle conduct which is
falsely imputed to us !] [19-22]

Chapter II
But I assert before God, as my soul
shall answer for it, that I changed my
plan of visiting you so as to avoid the
necessity of severely censuring you. In [i. 23]
so speaking I do not mean to assume the
control over your religious life, but only
the right to act towards you in such a
way as to promote your true happiness
and well-being; for your faith is stead
fast. I wish to cause you happiness, not P- 24]
sorrow; therefore I decided not to visit
you at a time when the only result of my
so doing would be painful to us both. [1]
For if I were to come and rebuke you,
thus causing you pain, you, who should
welcome me with joy, would only receive
me with the grieved and wounded feelings
which I had myself caused. I accord- [2]
ingly wrote the rebukes contained in my
former letter, in order that, by repentance
and reformation, you might be enabled
to give me joy instead of grief at my
109

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
coming, knowing, as I do, that you will
[3] find your own happiness in mine. The
severity of that letter cost me bitter suf
fering; but I wrote as I did, not for the
sake of wounding you, but that you might
see the abundance of my love in my anx-
[4] ious desire for your spiritual good.
Now as respects the offender who was
the chief occasion of all this pain, it was
not myself so much as a portion of your
church that he injured, — a portion of the
church, I say, for I do not hold the
whole congregation responsible for sym-
[5] pathy with him. Since this offender has
been adequately punished by the sen
tence of the majority, the course to be
pursued now is not that of inflicting fur
ther penalty, but that of forgiveness and
consolation, so that he be not driven to
[6, 7] despair. Give him full proof of your
Christian sympathy and pity, for the
punishment which, by my direction, you
inflicted upon him has amply shown
[8, 9] your readiness to obey my instructions.
In the matter of forgiving offences I am
sure that we are in entire sympathy; if
you are willing to pardon this man, I
also am willing, and, in turn, I suppose

Corinthians II [Chap. 2.
that, in any case of my pardoning, your
forgiveness would follow mine. In all
cases of my forgiving such offences I do
it in the interest of the church and with
the remembrance that Christ is the wit
ness of my behavior ; thus do I forgive l10!
and seek to restore the wrong-doer, lest
Satan may obtain control over him, for
we know very well his eagerness to
exercise such power. [n]
When in my missionary journey I
reached Troas and found there great
opportunities for Christian work, I was
so distressed because I did not find Titus
there with news from you that I at once
crossed over to Macedonia. But I give [12, 13]
thanks to God, who leads me on in tri
umph over Christ's foes, and by me
spreads far and wide the knowledge of
himself like a cloud of fragrant incense. ThI
For our preaching, like an odor of in
cense, proclaims victory and salvation to
those who accept the gospel, while it
proclaims defeat and condemnation to
those who refuse it. Who is qualified [r5, 16]
for so responsible a work? I can at
least say this, that, unlike most of my
adversaries, I do not make my teaching

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
a source of personal profit, but preach
the gospel of Christ with a pure purpose
and under a sense of my accountability
[17] to God.

Chapter III
I SUPPOSE you see in these statements
a fresh example of that self-commenda
tion which my adversaries ascribe to me.
Do I need, like them, to avail myself
[1] of commendatory letters? No. You
Corinthian Christians are my letter of
recommendation ; the story of your con
version and growth is inscribed on my
heart, and, wherever I go, that story is
read, and constitutes the best commenda-
[2] tion of my work. Your Christian life is
like a letter written by Christ, using us
as his amanuenses, and written, not with
perishable ink, but with the Spirit of the
Eternal, — written, not as the law was, by
the finger of Godvon stone tablets, but
by the living power of God on human
[3] hearts. It is this divine attestation of my
ministry which guarantees the success of
[4] my apostolic labors, not because I am
in myself adequate for such a work, but

Corinthians II [Chap. 3.
because God gives me the needful wis
dom and strength. He has equipped me [5]
for my work as a preacher of the gospel
of life, which, unlike the old covenant,
is not a legal system, but a spiritual
power; for the law can only pronounce
the sentence of death for sin, while the
Spirit delivers man from its power by
bestowing life. How completely does [6]
the gospel surpass the law ! For if the
law, with its threats of penalty for sin, its
external rules and commandments, was
ushered in by such splendors on Sinai
that the face of Moses, when he descended
from the mount, was still so radiant with
the divine glory that the people could
not look upon it (although it was but a
transient glory), how much more glorious
is the gospel of liberty and life. For if [7,8]
the dispensation which could only pro
nounce doom upon sin was glorious,
how much more so is the gospel which
bestows forgiveness and freedom from
sin. For glorious as the law was, its [9]
glory pales before the surpassing splen
dor of the gospel. For if that which was [10]
transient was glorious, how much more
glorious is that which endures forever. ["]
8 113

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
Inspired by the hope of success which
the nature of the gospel warrants, I speak
[12] without reserve or disguise. I have no
occasion to dissemble or to conceal any
thing (as my Judaizing opponents do),
as Moses veiled his face so that the
[13] people might not see the fading glory.
The people were blind to the temporary
character of the legal system, and even
to this day are they unable to perceive
that the old covenant has been done
[14] away in Christ. The Jews and Judaizers
are still unable to receive the truth that
[15] the law has come to an end. But when
they shall truly receive Christ their eyes
[16] will be opened to this truth. Now Christ
is the life-giving Spirit that makes free,
and those who receive him are delivered
[17] from slavery to sin and to the law. And
as we Christians thus attentively look with
unclouded vision upon the reflection of
the divine glory which is revealed in the
gospel of Christ, we are changed more
and more into the likeness of the perfect
ideal upon which we look, through the
operation upon us of the transforming
power of Christ, the Giver of spiritual
[18] life. 114

Corinthians II [Chap. 4.

Chapter IV
SINCE now, in accordance with the
mercy bestowed upon me, I have been
intrusted with this life-giving gospel, I
proclaim it with boldness and courage. [1]
I have pursued no course which can
justly bring upon me the charge of
shamefulness, of cunning, or of adulterat
ing the gospel; on the contrary, I have
avoided all arts and intrigues (such as
others have adopted), and, knowing that
God is the judge of my work, have
sought access to the hearts of men only
by bringing to them the truthful message
of God's word. For if the meaning of [2]
the gospel which I preach is hidden, as
by a veil, from any minds, it is so only in
the case of those who are persisting in an
evil life and whose minds are so blinded
by Satan that they cannot see the light
of the glad tidings of Christ, the embodi
ment of all divine perfection. Criticisms [3, 4]
of us and of our work are of small
moment. Our preaching consists in the
proclamation that Christ is Lord and not.
"5

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
in defences of ourselves; so far as we
proclaim anything about ourselves it is
only this, that we are set to do the will of
[5] Christ in seeking your salvation. Our
message is from God. As at creation he
called light into being, so has he caused
his spiritual light, the knowledge of his
saving grace through Christ, to spring up
in our hearts, not that we might keep and
enjoy it for ourselves, but that we should
convey to others this knowledge of God,
this heavenly light which shines with
undimmed splendor in the countenance
[6] of the Lord.
But the labor of spreading the glori
ous gospel is limited and hindered by a
frail body, so that it should be all the
more evident that it is God's power and
[7] not mine which explains my success. I
am subject to every kind of hindrance
and discouragement; I am, as it were,
repeating the death of Christ in my own
experience, in order that I may also
repeat his glorious victory over the suf-
[8-n] ferings and perils of death. And thus in
undergoing such labors and hardships, I
am all the while exposed to death, while
.the deliverance that Jesus gives me con-
116

Corinthians II [Chap. 4.
stantly contributes to your spiritual bene
fit. But, despite my weakness and [I2]
suffering, I am sustained by faith in the
unseen Saviour ; my work proceeds in
the confidence that we all together shall
share in the glorified life of Christ in
heaven. All my sufferings I have cheer- [13- J4]
fully endured, in order that I might in
crease your Christian zeal, so that the sav
ing benefits of God's mercy may be, by
our united efforts, the more widely ex
tended, and a fuller chorus of praise,
increased by many voices, may rise to
God in gratitude for his salvation. [15]
With such encouragements I am not
disheartened ; although the body is
perishing, the spirit is sustained by fresh
strength. The sufferings which I am [16]
now enduring are trifling when weighed
over against their reward in the abiding
glory of the life to come; meanwhile I
fix my view not upon the visible, but
upon the invisible world, for the visible
world is destined to pass away, but the
invisible is imperishable. [17,18]

117

Chap. 5.] The Epistles of Paul

Chapter V
I am certain that even if I should not
live till the Lord comes and my perish
able body should be destroyed by death,
God will provide me in the life to come
with a permanent and imperishable resur-
[1] rection body. For while we dwell in
this present earthly body, as in a de
structible tent, we are conscious of our
imperfection, and we sigh and yearn for
that transformation which awaits us when
[2] the glorified body shall be given us,
cherishing as we do the confidence that
when Christ comes, we shall meet him,
not as disembodied spirits, but in posses-
[3] sion of bodies. For we who are living in
the body do, indeed, shrink from death ;
we naturally dread the process of dissolu
tion and should prefer to live till the pa-
[4] rousia, and to be transformed alive. Now
God has by his Spirit wrought in us the
assurance that the perishable body shall
be transformed and glorified in the resur-
[5] rection life. In all our afflictions we are
sustained by the thought that, so long as

Corinthians II [Chap. 5.
we are living this perishable life in the
flesh, we are only waiting to enter upon
the greater blessedness of the heavenly
world (for in this life we live in the anti
cipation rather than in the possession of
the vision of the glorified Christ) ; we
are, I say, cheered by the prospect of
that coming glory, and are ready at any
time to die, and thus to enter into the im
mediate presence of Christ. Since we are [6 8]
thus as ready to die as to live, it is our
one ambition to make ourselves accept
able to Christ, whether we be among the
dead or the living at his coming. For [9]
whether at that event we be living or
dead, we must all be judged by Christ
and receive from him the reward corre
sponding to what we have done in our
earthly life. [10]
Since we thus recognize the awe which
is due to Christ as judge, we seek to in
duce men to prepare for the judgment;
whether we do this with any admixture
of human motives, God knows, and on
this question I hope that your own moral
judgment will not hesitate to give a favor
able verdict. I am not resuming the [n]
practice of self-praise (which my critics
119

Chap. 5.] The Epistles of Paul
impute to me), but am supplying you" a
basis on which you may defend me and
reply to the aspersions of my hypocritical
opponents who base their claims upon
external advantages rather than spiritual
[12] endowments. For whether our zeal is
madness (as they say), or springs from
sound understanding, in any case, it is
directed to the honor of God and to your
[13] salvation. For the sense of Christ's great
love for men has been the compelling
motive of my service ever since I reached
the conclusion that in Christ's saving
death the moral transformation of all,
which I may call death to sin, was in
cluded, and that his saving death had this
for its meaning and purpose ; namely,
that they who are quickened into a holy
life in him should not live selfishly, but
should give themselves up to his service
[14,15] who died and rose to save them. Since
it is thus the holy and unselfish life which
is essential, I attach no importance to
what is outward and incidental in the
life of men ; not even in the case of
Christ do his earthly, outward appear
ance and relations constitute for me, as
formerly, his chief significance; I now

Corinthians II [Chap. 5.
know him according to his higher, spirit
ual nature as the risen and glorified
Redeemer. If, then, one knows Christ [16]
in this living, spiritual fellowship, it will
follow that he has a new and higher point
of view from which the world and life
will be regarded. This new world has [17]
been opened to us through the grace of
God, who in the death of Christ has
abolished the discord which existed
between himself and us and has com
missioned me to proclaim its abolition. [18]
And this is the burden of our message :
It was God, who in the* saving work of
Christ restored the broken fellowship
between mankind and himself, proclaim
ing full and free forgiveness and making
us the messengers of his saving mercy. [19]
Accordingly, we herald in Christ's name
the gospel which God has bidden us
speak ; we beg you to accept the prof
fered salvation, and thus fulfil the purpose
of Christ's death on your behalf. For it [2°]
was for our salvation that God subjected
the sinless Christ to the experience of
death, the lot of sinners, that we might
be forgiven and accepted with God
through his saving work. [21]

Chap. 6.] The Epistles of Paul

Chapter VI
And since we are joint laborers with
Christ, we exhort you not to frustrate
the work of God's grace in your hearts
[i] by an unchristian life. For God has
warned us in Scripture that the present
is the time for receiving his gracious sal-
[2] vation. Avoid all conduct which might
bring criticism and reproach upon my
[3] work among you. My work bears its
own testimony to my sincerity and zeal
through the sufferings and toils which I
[4] endured, through the purity, consecra
tion, and gentleness of my life, and
through the abundant gift of divine
inspiration and strength which was given
me, which armed me for attack and de
fence against the evils by which I was
[5-7] surrounded. Whether I was esteemed
[8] or defamed, my work commended itself;
though regarded as dishonest, I was true;
though treated as obscure, I was recog
nized for my work's sake; though at
the point of death from danger and
hardship, God preserved my life ; though

Corinthians II [Chap. 6.
severely disciplined by suffering, I did
not sink under it; though grieved, I re
joiced; though poor and homeless, I
enriched many lives from my store of
spiritual treasures. [9-10]
I am speaking to you Corinthians with
the utmost frankness and confidence ;
my heart is full of love for you. If there [u]
is any lack of love between us, it is on
your side, not on mine. Now, in return [12]
for my affection (I am speaking to you
as a father speaks to his children), open
your hearts in love to me. [13]
Avoid alliances with unconverted
heathen which would compromise the
difference between purity and corrup
tion, Christ and Satan, faith and unbelief, [14,15]
God's temple and idol worship; for we
Christians are a spiritual sanctuary of
God ; to us apply the words of Scripture
which speak of those with whom God
dwells and who are his special possession,
sanctified, purified, and fitted for loving
obedience and fellowship with him. [16-18]
Since we have such assurances of God's
favor, let us purify ourselves from every
pollution, whether of body or of spirit,
and, incited thereto by a sense of God's
123

Chap. 7.] The Epistles of Paul
holy requirements, bring our Christian
[vii. 1] character to its full perfection.

Chapter VII
Make room for me in your hearts;
[2] when I was among you I injured no one.
And this I say not to taunt you for your
lack of love to me, but, as I have said be
fore, because of a love for you which
[3] shall not fail whether I live or die. I
use no restraint with you ; I am proud of
[4] you ; my joy outweighs all my suffering.
For when I arrived in Macedonia I
was oppressed with trials and hardships,
[5] both from without and from within. But
God, who comforts those who are bowed
down with grief, granted me the consola-
[6] tion of meeting Titus. Not only did his
presence cheer me, but especially did
the comfort which he had derived from
his visit among you, and the report
which he gave of your sorrow for your
faults and your eager desire to see me,
soothe my spirit; when I received this
[7] news, my joy was all the greater. For
merly I regretted saddening you by the
124

Corinthians II [Chap. 7.
severity of my earlier letter (for I know
that it pained you for a time), but now I
am glad that I rebuked you as I did, not,
indeed, because my letter grieved you,
but because it led you to a sincere re
pentance in the sight of God, proving
that my course issued not in injury, but
in blessing to you. For the effect of a [8, 9]
sincere grief for sin in the sight of God
is a penitence which leads to the attain
ment of salvation with its eternal satisfac
tion ; while a mere selfish grief which
regrets only the reproof, but not the sin
itself, tends only to moral ruin. Con- [10]
sider the effects of this true sorrow in
yourselves, what efforts to make amends
for the offence, yes, what eagerness to
clear yourselves from blame, what vexa
tion at the disgrace, what fear of my dis
pleasure, what desire for my approval,
what readiness to discipline the offender,
what a punishment of him ! You have
fully cleared yourselves from the guilt of
sharing or condoning this offence. I [n]
wrote thus severely to you not so much
to punish the wrong-doer or to avenge
him who suffered the wrong, as that I
might evoke into clear expression, before
"5

Chap. 8.] The Epistles of Paul
God, that zealous interest which you
[12] cherish towards me. Since this object
has been attained, I am content; the joy
which Titus derived from his presence
with you added greatly to my own con
solation, for he found great comfort in
[13] your company. For all the commenda
tions of you which I had expressed to
him were confirmed by his knowledge
[14] of you. And now, since his visit, he
loves you even more than before, as he
recalls your readiness to obey our coun
sel and your eager and anxious zeal to
[15] do your whole duty. I am glad that in
every respect you sustain my confidence
[16] in you.

Chapter VIII
Now I want you to know how gra
ciously God has wrought upon the
churches of Macedonia in quickening
them, in the midst of their poverty and
distress, to attest their Christian zeal by
[1,2] abundant generosity. For to the limit of
their ability, yes, and beyond it, did they
voluntarily give, even urging us to grant
126

Corinthians II [Chap. 8.
them the privilege of sharing in the con
tribution for their needy fellow-Christians,
and their giving quite surpassed my ex
pectations, since they made not only
contributions of money, but surrendered
themselves, in obedience to God's will, to
Christ's authority, and to my guidance. [3-5]
This success of the collections in Mace
donia led me to entreat Titus to return
to Corinth and complete the work of
charity which had been begun among
you on his former visit. And I hope [6]
your liberality will prove equal to the
other Christian virtues which you have
shown yourselves to possess. I do not [7]
command you to contribute ; I only desire
by holding up before you the example of
others, to test the genuineness of your
Christian love. Consider the example [8]
of Christ's self-denying love ; although in
possession of divine glory and blessed
ness, he renounced these in order by his
renunciation to bless you with the fulness
of his salvation. I give you my advice [9]
in the matter; and this advice, instead of
command, is wholesome for you and
sufficient to enlist your co-operation, since
you had, a year ago, anticipated all others
127

Chap. 8.] The Epistles of Paul
in beginning to make the collection, and,
[i°] indeed, were the first to propose it. Now
complete the work, that you may show
yourselves as ready to carry the collection
[n] into effect as you were ready to plan it.
For if you have the willingness to give,
God measures his approval of your con
tributions by your ability and does not
[12] require you to go beyond it. I am not
proposing this collection to relieve others
at the cost of distress to you ; burdens
must be equalized ; as you are generously
supplying the need of others now, so, at
another time, your need may be equally
relieved by others, so that the principle
of equity may obtain and — as when the
Israelites gathered manna — each person
may haye neither more nor less than he
[!3-i5] needs. I give thanks to God who has inspired
the heart of Titus with the same earnest
ness in making this contribution which I
myself feel ; he did, indeed, receive a
summons from me to go to Corinth, but
it was not needful, for of his own free will
[16,17] he determined to visit you. And with
him I have sent the Christian brother
whose labors in preaching the gospel
128

Corinthians II [Chap. 8.
render him worthy of all confidence ; [18]
who, moreover, has been designated by
the churches of Macedonia to accompany
me to Jerusalem when I bear this gift,
with whose collection I am charged, that
Christ might be honored and the burden
of my responsibility lightened. For I am [19]
careful to guard myself from all suspicion
to which my administration of this bene
faction may expose me, in my eager
regard for what is right, not only in God's
sight, but in the estimate of men. With [20,21]
Titus and the brother just named I have
sent a fellow-Christian whom we have put
to the proof by many trials, and who is
now even more zealous than ever for the
work among you from the full trust which
he has in you. If inquiry be made about [22]
Titus, commend him as my associate and
fellow-laborer on your behalf; as for the
brethren who accompany him, they are
the delegates of the churches and an honor
to Christ. Give to them and to the [23]
churches which have sent them the
proof of your Christian love and show-
how well-founded is my praise of your
generosity. [24]

129

Chap. 9.] The Epistles of Paul

Chapter IX
It is needless for me to write you
about the collection in question, for the
willingness of you Achaians, during the
year past, to participate in it has been
well known and has been an occasion of
my praising you to the Macedonian Chris
tians, upon most of whom your readiness
[1,2] has operated as a strong incentive. Now
I have sent to you Titus and his two
companions, in order to prove that my
praise of you was not an empty boast with
respect to the readiness which I have
[3] claimed for you. I was anxious to test
and justify this claim lest, perhaps, when
I come to visit you, Macedonians who
may accompany me should find that you
are not ready, and thus shame should fall
upon me (not to speak of your disgrace)
by the failure of the claim which I had
[4] made respecting your readiness. There
fore I thought it needful that these breth
ren should visit you before my coming and
arrange for the completion of the bounty
130

Corinthians II [Chap. 9.
which you promised to have ready so that
it might be liberal and not scanty. [5]
Remember, he who scatters but a
little seed reaps but a small harvest,
while he who largely distributes blessing
reaps a rich reward of blessing. In this [6]
matter let each man give freely and spon
taneously; not reluctantly or as if from
compulsion, for, as the Scripture says, it
is the willing giver whom God approves. [7]
And God is able to furnish you abun
dantly with all earthly goods, so that all
your own wants may be supplied and
you may give of your abundance to
every worthy cause, and thus may realize [8]
the blessedness which the Psalmist as
cribes to the generous, beneficent man. [9]
Now God, who supplies you with
the good seed for sowing out of which
a harvest of blessing shall grow, will
richly increase your means of benefi
cence and multiply the fruitage of your
goodness by means of your enrichment l10!
with all earthly goods by the free giving
of which you will call forth thanksgivings
to God from those to whom I bear your
bounty. For the benefit flowing from [«]
your generosity is not simply that it
131

Chap. 10.] The Epistles of Paul
supplies the necessities of your fellow-
Christians, but that it evokes from them
[12] praise and gratitude to God, inasmuch as
they praise God for the proof which your
generosity gives of your obedience to
the gospel and for the sincerity of your
[13] fellowship with them and with others,
while they, too, with prayer long with
grateful love for your fellowship because
they see God's grace so manifested in
[14] your life. God be praised for the inde
scribable gift of his grace to us in the
[15] blessings of salvation through Christ.

Chapter X
Now as for myself, I earnestly entreat
you by the gentle and forgiving love of
Christ which I wish to imitate (I, who, my
enemies say, am very humble when pres
ent among you and courageous only
when absent) — I pray that, when I
next visit you, I may have no occasion
to treat any of you with that boldness
which I am conscious of the right to use
in the name of Christ, and which I may
have to exercise towards certain persons
132

Corinthians II [Chap. 10.
who charge me with inconsistency and
timidity. For though we are still living [i, A
the natural life, the sinful impulses of
unrenewed human nature are not the
powers by which our campaign against
evil is carried on, for the weapons which [3l
we wield are not the implements of
human weakness, but are such as God
makes effective for the overthrow of the
fortresses of evil ; before these weapons [4]
all hostile plans and every battlement of
human pride shall fall, and every rebel
lious thought be brought into submission
to Christ; and when your obedience is [5]
complete, I am ready to punish those
who still resist. Do you, too, think that [6]
you saw in me, when present with you,
the appearance of weakness and coward
ice? In answer I unhesitatingly affirm
that I am as sincere and devoted a
servant of Christ as are those who claim
superiority over me. For if I glory more [7]
than ever in the authority which Christ
has given me (not for your destruction
but for your edification), the truth will
not refute my claim, as if I were one who
merely sought to overawe you with
empty threats. "For," say my oppo- [8,9]
i33

Chap. io.J The Epistles of Paul
nents, " though he writes with energy and
courage, when present he acts without
force and his teaching commands no
[10] respect." Let any one who says this
rest assured that what I write when
absent I will bear out in action when
[n] present. For our courage does not con
sist in comparing ourselves with certain
of our self-satisfied opponents ; I leave
it to them to exhibit the folly of such a
["] method of defence. But I, for my part,
will make no boast which goes beyond
the limits of the actual work, including
your conversion, which God has enabled
[13] me to do. For in caring for the inter
ests of your church I am not seeking
unduly to extend the sphere of my apos
tolic labors, for in the preaching of the
[14] gospel I did extend my work to Corinth.
I am not, I repeat, setting up claims to
the results of others' labors, but cherish
the hope that, with the increase of your
Christian devotion, I may still further
[15] expand the sphere of my apostolic work,
so as to carry the glad tidings to regions
beyond you and not to lay claim (as
some do) to work furnished ready to
hand within the field of activity divinely
r34

Corinthians 11 [Chap. n.
destined for another. The true maxim [16]
for all assertion of claims is this: Not
ostentatious self-glorying, but glorying in
the grace of God by which our labors
are achieved. For it is not our self- [17]
assertions, but God's blessing attending
our work and making it successful, that
attests it as acceptable to him. [18]

Chapter XI
I HOPE you can still endure a little
more of my foolish boasting, but I need
hardly express the hope ; you are really
enduring my self-exaltation bravely, [x]
This boasting is not selfish, but springs
from my jealous affection for you ; I
have given you as a pure bride to Christ
and cannot endure the thought of your
becoming unfaithful to him. I am anxious [2]
lest false and pretentious teachers should
seduce you, as Satan beguiled Eve, from
your single-minded faithfulness to Christ. [3]
For I observe that towards those who
purport to bring you quite a different
gospel from that which I preached to
you, you are very tolerant; why not
'35

Chap, ii.] The Epistles of Paul
towards me, for I venture to think myself
in no respect inferior to your pre-eminent
[4. 51 apostles. Yes, though I am, as they say,
untrained in the art of speech, yet I am
not wanting in the knowledge of divine
truth which I have amply shown to all
[6] in my work among you. Or, perhaps I
forfeited my claim to be an apostle by
renouncing my right to support in order
[7] to teach you gratuitously. This is what
I did ; I took more than their due for my
support from other churches in order that
I might render service to you without
[8] compensation. And during my stay with
you, though I was in need, I asked no
gift from any one, for my lack was sup
plied by the contribution which the
Macedonian churches sent to my aid by
the hands of the brethren whom you
know, and I thus maintained myself with
out gifts from you, and will continue to
[9] do so. I solemnly assure you that I shall
permit no one in Achaia to deprive me
of the claim that I preach the gospel
[10] without compensation. Why? Is it be
cause I disdain the gifts which your love
[n] would prompt? No; but because I will
persist in the effort to deprive my oppo-
136

Corinthians II [Chap. ii.
nents of the opportunity to charge me
with selfishness; this I do in order that
in the matter of unselfishness on which
they plume themselves, I may show that
they are on no higher plane than I. They [12]
are hypocritical self-seekers, wearing, for
concealment, the garb of apostles. And [13]
such an effort to conceal their true char
acter is quite natural for them, since
Satan, their real master, puts on, in his
temptations of men, the guise of a pure
angel. It is not strange, therefore, that [14]
his servants should pretend to be pro
moting the cause of truth ; their final
fate shall be appropriate to their action. [15]
I repeat : Do not think me a fool ; but
if you do think me such, yet bear with
me a little in my folly, that I too, like my
opponents, may boast a little. To this [16]
boastful speech I feel impelled not by the
higher impulse of Christ's inspiration, but
by the necessity of self-defence. Since [17]
others are so forcibly urging their claims
upon you, I am not at liberty to be
wholly silent concerning my own. For [18]
you Corinthians, being so very wise your
selves, have a wonderful tolerance for
fools. I observe that you are even capa- [19]
i37

Chap, it.] The Epistles of Paul
ble of bearing with people who only
insult and injure you in their proud
[20] superiority. I freely admit that for such
treatment of you I was (to use their word)
too weak. Yet- — resuming my foolish
boasting- — I venture to say that I can
[21] match any of their claims. If they pride
themselves upon their descent from the
chosen people, I can make the same
[22] claim. If they refer to their services for
Christ, I (foolish as I feel in making
such comparisons) dare claim to surpass
them. What sufferings in Christ's cause
, [23] have they endured to compare with mine?
Hear the story of the punishments, the
perils, the privations, the toils, the hard
ships which I have endured for Christ's
[24-27] sake, and judge. And add to these the
burdens of anxiety which press upon me
[28] in my concern for all the churches. By
sympathy I enter into the life of my con
verts ; I realize the doubts of the waver
ing and am grieved at the fall of the
[29] tempted. Thus if in self-defence I must
boast, I will appeal, in support of the
claims of my apostleship, to my suffer-
[3°1 ings and hardships. God is my witness
[31] that I speak with sincerity and truth. At
138

Corinthians II [Chap. 12.
the very beginning of my Christian life
the Arabian viceroy at Damascus tried to
capture me, but I was let down in a
basket outside the wall and thus evaded
him. [32,33]

Chapter XII
It is necessity rather than expediency
which impels me thus to defend my
apostleship; but no more of it. I will
appeal to my experiences as a recipient
of divine revelation. Fourteen years ago [1]
I was the subject of an incomprehensible
ecstasy, in which truths too great for
human language were imparted to me. r2~4]
I will base my boast on such experiences,
in which I was but the dependent, passive
instrument of the Lord. But if I should [5]
urge my claims, I should not therefore
be guilty of vanity, for my claims would
be true; but I refrain from such self-
defence lest any be led to form a higher
opinion of me than my words and deeds
seem to warrant. And lest I should be [6]
rendered proud by my extraordinary ec
static experiences, a painful bodily infirm-
139

Chap. 12.] The Epistles of Paul
[7] ity was inflicted upon me. Earnestly
did I pray for release from the infliction,
but the Lord's answer was : " It is enough
for thee that thou hast my grace; my
power makes itself felt when there is no
other support." Therefore it is in such
suffering and helplessness that I exult,
because then I am most clearly con-
[8,9] scious of Christ's help. It is in such
moments of utter dependence that the
divine strength most sustains me and
[io] makes my service effective.
If my folly in self-defence still continues,
it is your fault, for you knew my work and
ought to have appreciated it ; for, though
I make no claims, I think I may claim
[n] equality with your super-eminent apostles.
For that I am a genuine apostle my
labors and behavior among you ought
[12] to show. For what injustice did you
receive at my hands except this, that I
asked no support from you ? I hope you
[13] can overlook this fault.
I am hoping to visit you a third time,
and I shall continue, as before, to sup
port myself; for it is not your possessions
but your hearts that I want ; you are my
children, and children do not treasure up
140

Corinthians II [Chap. 12.
wealth for their parents, but parents for
their children. I will gladly give my all [14]
for you. Am I to find that the greater
my affection is for you, the less is yours
in return? But 'some one may suggest [15]
that though I did not receive personal
support from you, I shrewdly managed
to obtain your money through those
whom I sent to you. Is this insinuation El6J
true? Did Titus or any of my other
messengers defraud you in any way?
Did not we pursue the same course of
unselfish service? [17,18]
Do not suppose that for this long time
I have been arguing my case before you
as if you were my judges. No ! As
Christ's minister, God alone is my judge.
But I do seek the upbuilding of your
Christian life. I am anxious lest, when ['9]
I visit you, you will not be in such a
state as I could wish and I shall have to
be severe in consequence'; anxious, I say,
lest I shall find Corinth a scene of fac
tion, calumny, and disorder, and shall [20]
be humiliated by finding that my labor
was misspent, and shall have to mourn
over the impenitence of those who have
fallen into sins of gross sensuality. [21]
141

Chap. 13.] The Epistles of Paul

Chapter XIII
I SHALL visit you a third time and thus
I shall have concerning you a threefold
testimony such as the law requires to es-
[1] tablish a case. As I have repeatedly
assured you, there will be no sparing of
severity this time in the case of those
[2] who persist in sin. You challenge me
to prove that I am a true messenger of
Christ; you should find proof enough
in your own experience of my work,
for through me Christ has wrought
[3] wonders in your spiritual life. For
though like a helpless man he submitted
to death on the cross, in the strength of
God he still lives and works ; in like man
ner I have shown the " weakness " of
humble service and pitying love towards
you, but I will show his holy energy
W when I come to deal with you. Do not
always be examining me ; examine your
selves. Test the soundness of your Chris
tian life. Such a testing will show that
Christ is the ruling power within you,
unless, indeed, you are only spurious
142

Corinthians II [Chap. 13.
Christians. I trust that you will find [5]
me abiding the test and proving myself a
genuine apostle. I pray that you may [6]
lead a good life, not with the selfish mo
tive of seeing my career attested, but that
you yourselves may be attested by your
upright conduct, even though I should
be disapproved. For the power of Christ [7]
is bestowed upon us for one end, — the
effort to promote a pure and holy life. [8]
How glad would I be to find your Chris
tian conduct so excellent that I should
be powerless to proceed in severity
against you ;. your perfection in such a
life is the end of all my desires. This is [9]
the reason why I am now writing these
warnings and exhortations, that you may
so reform your action that when I come
I shall not be compelled to use severity
in the strength of that authority which
the Lord has given, and the purpose of
which is encouragement and edification,
not degradation and punishment. [io]
And now I take my leave of you. Re
form your faults ; encourage one another ;
cultivate harmony and peace; and then
God, whose gifts are love and peace, will
dwell with you. Salute one another with [n]
i43

Chap. 13.] The Epistles of Paul
the sacred kiss of love. Your fellow-
[12, 13] believers greet you. The favor of
Christ, the love of God, and the com
munion of the Holy Spirit be with you
[14] all.

144

The Epistle to the Romans

Chapter I
I, Paul, address you Romans as one
obligated to the will of Christ, commis
sioned by a divine call and specially set
apart to the work of spreading the gospel
which God has given to man, — a mes- [i]
sage whose truths were heralded in ad
vance by divinely inspired men in writings
which, by reason of their origin and con
tents, are sacred, because they bear wit
ness to the Messiah, who was, indeed, in
his earthly manifestation, a descendant
of David, but who, in his spiritual and
essential life, was proven to be God's Son
by a glorious act of power, even an act
of resurrection. Such is the divine at- [2-4]
testation of Jesus, who has applied God's
grace to me and made me a messenger
to secure, for his glory, that obedience
to him which springs from faith, among
the heathen peoples, — to whom you [5]
Christian Romans also belong, — and so,
147

Chap, i.] The Epistles of Paul
since you fall within the scope of my
apostolate, I write you with salutations
[6,7] of grace and peace.
Let the first theme of my letter be the
gratitude which I feel for your growth
and progress in the Christian life, which
is evidenced by your reputation for faith-
[8] fulness in the whole Christian world. I
may thus speak of my feeling of grati
tude, for I solemnly avow that it is con
firmed and illustrated by my constant
prayer that God would grant me the op-
[9, 10] portunity to visit you, — an opportunity
which I sought because of an eager desire
to confirm you in the Christian life, or,
rather, that both you and I might together
receive new strength from the reciprocal
influences upon one another of the faith
[11, 12] which we both alike cherish. Nor has
this desire to visit you been a mere desire
with me ; I have often formed a fixed
purpose to carry it into effect (but have
thus far been providentially prevented
from so doing), — the end I had in view
being to extend the work of the gospel
at Rome as I have done and am doing
[13] in other Gentile communities. This purr
pose to visit you was thus in line with
148

Romans [Chap. i.
my mission to fulfil my divinely imposed
obligation to the heathen, regardless of
nationality or condition. Hence my Lm]
readiness to come and work among you, .[15]
— a readiness which I boldly profess, for
I confidently glory and trust in the gospel
as God's effective means of saving from
sin every one who believes on Christ,
whether Jew or heathen (though I do
not forget the economic precedence which
has been providentially accorded the Jew
in receiving the glad tidings). The gos
pel, I say, can save men, for in it a way
is revealed in which sinful men may be
accepted before God and may stand in
his presence approved and forgiven.
Faith is the condition — the procuring
cause, on the human side, of this accept
ance — and also its result ; that is, the
attainment of this standing of acceptance
with God is a matter of faith through
out, as the Old Testament itself already
intimates. [16, 17]
Apart from faith, it is God's wrath
(rather than his righteousness) which
awaits those who, by the practice of sin,
prevent the truth which they do possess
from ruling their lives. For a knowledge [18]
149

Chap, i.] The Epistles of Paul
of God is possessed by men universally.
The evidence that God has made himself
known to them is found in the fact that
they have had, in all periods of the
world's history, through reflection upon
the works of God, an idea of divine maj
esty, — a fact which renders them guilty
for the consequences of a neglect of that
[19,20] knowledge. It was because the heathen
sinned against divinely given light, and
became irreverent, ungrateful, and wick
edly foolish in their thoughts of the
divinity, that the moral degradation which
[21] they are experiencing came upon them.
They gave themselves up to the follies
and perversions of idolatry, and degraded
the idea of God to the level of mere
[22,23] creature-life. In consequence of this, God punished
them by plunging them, through the
operation of moral laws, into that degra
dation in which they now live and in
which their lives are characterized by the
most revolting and unnatural vices, in
stead of by supreme reverence for God,
[24, 25] as should have been the case.
To such a life, I say, did God give
them over, — a life in which the relations
15°

Romans [Chap. 2.
of the sexes were basely disregarded and
perverted, and the dire consequences of
such vice realized. And so, as they cast L26, 27]
out God from their mind, he gave them
in return an outcast^ mind which led
into every namable sin those men who,
all the while, knew God's just decree that
such action leads to moral death, and yet
were not only themselves guilty of it, but
have reached the deeper depth of actually
justifying and approving it. [28-32]

Chapter II
Since the picture which I have just
drawn of the sinfulness of the heathen
world is true of mankind universally,
any one of you who condemns the Gen
tile must, in so doing, condemn himself,
for he is guilty of the same sins. I say [1]
that all are guilty before God because
it is certain that he must condemn such
conduct as I have described (and it is
universal among men). Can one of you [2]
1 By this clumsy play upon words I have attempted
to represent the paronomasia of the apostle : oIik
eSoni^acav . . . dSSKifioy vow, k, t. A.
!5!

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
who passes the false judgment that he
is free from the guilt of such sin while
yet committing it, suppose that he will
[3] be exempt from God's true judgment?
Or, not to speak of judgment, will you
by such pride and folly show that you
have no appreciation of God's gracious
treatment which would lead you to sal
vation, and will you go on accumulating
guilt until the final and terrible judgment
[4,5] day? — a day when God will render just
awards to all men: eternal life to those
who have been faithful and obedient
to him ; condemnation upon the fac
tious and unrighteous, — the penalties
of his wrath upon these, the blessings
of his favor upon those, — awards in the
administration of which God has regard
to the degree of light and privilege which
men have neglected, so that a severer
condemnation awaits the Jew than the
[6-10] Gentile. I said that God's judgment of
men would be a just one, for he is not
partial to one division of mankind as
against another, for it is sin which he
will punish, whether committed by the
Gentile, who has but the light of nature
and conscience to guide him, or by the
"52

Romans [Chap. 2.
Jew, who possesses the fuller knowledge
of duty which the Mosaic law imparts [11,12]
The Jews who have not kept the law
cannot be saved by its mere possession,
for it is not the knowledge of what God
requires, but the performance of it, which
he accepts. The Gentiles have just as [!3]
much prospect of salvation by works as
the Jews, but neither can be saved thus,
for the moral perceptions of right and
duty which the heathen often exhibit
show that they have a moral law within
them and are amenable to the principle :
Doers of law shall be justified; and since
neither Jews nor Gentiles are " doers "
in the sense required, that of perfect
obedience, they both alike fail to sustain
the test. On the plane of law, then, [x4, 15]
there is one principle for all: Justifica
tion for those only who fully meet
the divine requirements; punishment for
such as do not. This will be the law
of the future judgment for all such as
do not avail themselves of the provisions
of God's grace by repentance and faith. [16]
What though you bear the theocratic
name of Jew, and rest in secure confi
dence of divine favor, and possess the
153 >

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
knowledge of God and duty which the
Old Testament furnishes, and regard
yourself as a spiritual superior among
men? What does all this signify if you
fail to justify those claims, and, by im
moral life, forfeit the benefits of your
['7-2i] knowledge? Do you not commit the very
sins which you denounce, and so cause
the heathen to despise the God whom
[22-24] you pretend to worship? It is, indeed,
a fortunate thing to be a Jew and to
enjoy the advantages which God has
afforded him ; but if these are not put to
the uses of a good life by the Jew, he
[25] becomes no better than a heathen. In
deed, if a heathen should, with his feebler
light, do the deeds which your law re
quires, and which you yourselves fail
to do, he would show himself to be more
truly God's' servant than you, and would
[26,27] meet with more favor at the judgment.
For it is not the practice of rites, or
the possession of principles, but inward
purity of life, which proves one to belong
[28, 29] to the true people of God.

i54

Romans [Chap. 3.

Chapter III
If, then, Jew and Gentile may thus ex
change places in God's estimation, does
anything remain of the Jew's boasted
advantage? Yes, much remains, in what
ever point viewed ; and, first, his posses
sion of Old Testament revelation. I say [1, 2]
this advantage remains, for, even if the
objection be made that many of the Jews
have not accepted the Messiah, and so
have been false to this same Old Testa
ment revelation, yet God's faithful per
formance of the promises which he made
to his people is not thereby precluded.
Let us remember that, though all men be
false, God is true. It would seem, then, [3, 4]
that human faithlessness is not only con
sistent with God's faithfulness, but rather
exhibits it in clearer light. Is man, then,
to blame for it? Is it not (looked at
in a human way) rather commendable?
No, for on such a principle there could
be no just judgment of the world, since
it confuses all moral distinctions. If, [5, 6J
then, I, by my falseness, become a
'55

Chap. 3-] The Epistles of Paul
means of eliciting and magnifying the
fidelity and truthfulness of God, can my
falseness, which serves so good an end,
be regarded as sinful? But carry the
argument a step further. Must not this
lead to the principle : Increase falseness
that God may be shown to be true ;
promote disobedience that God's faith
fulness may more plainly appear ; that is,
" Do evil that good may come " ? I am
wickedly charged with such teaching.
Those who do maintain such principles
17. 8] are under a just condemnation. What,
then, is the general conclusion of the
whole argument? Have we Jews any
advantage over the Gentiles in respect
to the prospect of salvation by works?
None at all, for both classes have been
proven to be, by reason of their sinful-
[9] ness, without hope of such salvation, a
conclusion which the Old Testament
[10-18] picture of human depravity confirms.
And this testimony must be true of
the Jews, since it is found in the very
Scriptures which God gave especially to
them. All, then, are guilty. None can
be saved by obeying law ; the less so
because the law only intensifies the
156

Romans [Chap. 3.
power of sin, instead of delivering man
from it. [19,20]
We have seen that in the line of legal
works there is no possibility of attaining
acceptance with God. But there is
another way of securing it, — the very
way which the Old Testament teaches,
— that is, by an act of trust in God's
mercy as now revealed in Christ, and this
way is open to all without distinction of
race or privilege. For just as all men [21,22]
have, by sin, closed the path of salvation
by merit, so to all is open on equal terms
the way of a gracious salvation which is
brought to man through that work of
Christ by which he has purchased men's
release from sin. This liberation was [23,24]
accomplished by God's so manifesting, in
the death of Christ, his holy displeasure
against sin that he thereby dispelled the
appearance of being indifferent to evil
(which was occasioned by his lenient
treatment of sinners in pre-Christian
times), and showed that, in forgiving the
sinner who should trust in Christ, he was
not acting inconsistently with the require
ments of holiness. Since salvation is [25,26]
secured only by the renunciation of all
i57

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
meritorious deeds, none may allege his
rights or privileges as constituting a valid
claim upon God. The law-principle of
salvation may encourage, but the faith-
[27] principle shuts out, such presumption.
For man is justified by faith, which in
volves the renunciation of merit, whether
his previous obedience to the require
ments of the law have been more or less
[28] complete. In the light of this principle
we see the universality of Christianity.
All stand on the same plane before God ;
none may claim salvation ; all may re-
[29] ceive it on the same gracious terms.
God's uniform requirement is faith ; he
will accept all men on this one simple
[30] condition. Do we then set the law
(whose efficacy as a means of salvation
we deny) and faith (whose efficacy we
affirm) in opposition? No. The law
itself confirms the very principles of faith
[31] which we maintain.

Chapter IV
In accord with the statement that in
my doctrine of justification I confirm the
158

Romans [Chap. 4.
law, and as an illustration of it, what do
we find that our ancestor Abraham at
tained? Did he secure any meritorious
claim upon God? For if he was justified [1]
by works he may make such a claim, but
this supposition is really out of the ques
tion, for (while his life may be honorable
before men) it can furnish no ground of
merit before God. For all personal [2]
merit even in his case is excluded by the
scriptural statement that it was his faith,
not his works, which God accepted, and
on account of which he pronounced him
righteous. Now in the matter of legal [3]
obedience, not grace but debt is the prin
ciple of award. But where there is no [4]
claim to perfect obedience, but, instead, a
spirit of trust in God, it is that trust
which God accepts. This thought of a [5]
gracious treatment of man by God — a
treatment better than he deserves — 'finds
expression in the Psalm where David
pronounces the man happy against whom
the Lord does not reckon up the whole
sum of his sins, but graciously hides them
with his forgiving mercy. In accordance [6-8]
with the truth that righteousness is
attained, not in the line of works, but of
159

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
faith, is not the blessing of justification
open to all, irrespective of circumcision?
Yes, for the Scripture, in narrating
Abraham's justification, speaks, not of
[9] circumcision, but only of faith. That
justification takes place without regard
to circumcision is also evident from the
fact that Abraham was not yet circum-
[10] cised when he was justified. Circumci
sion followed faith as its sign, and was
therefore secondary and dependent upon
it. Its chief meaning, therefore, was to
bear testimony to Abraham as the man
[11] of faith, irrespective of circumcision.
Hence Abraham's religious significance
is connected primarily with his faith and
not with his circumcision. Hence it is
not Jews as such, but believers, whatever
their nationality, who are best entitled to
[12] claim to be his spiritual sons. For his
religious pre-eminence was not won by
legal works, but rests upon God's gra-
[13] cious acceptance of his faith. Essentially
the same must be true of all real followers
of Abraham, for if they won their reward
by works, the principle of grace would
[14] be nullified, because the law brings, not
righteousness, but wrath, through its
160

Romans [Chap. 4.
intensification of the power of sin. Its
immediate effect is therefore directly
against man's salvation, for when it ap
pears, transgression and a consequent
consciousness of sin which forebodes pun
ishment, inevitably follow. Since the law [J5l
makes us objects of the divine displeas
ure rather than subjects of salvation, the
inheritance of the blessings promised to
Abraham must be entered upon by faith,
the condition which corresponds to the
grace which bestows them. Thus it is
seen how Abraham (of whose numerous
descendants the Scripture speaks) stands
as the prototype of all believers before
God, in whose boundless power he so im
plicitly believed. This faith of his which [l6, 17]
remained confident in the face of all hu
man improbability of its realization was
what enabled God to make Abraham the
spiritual father of mankind, — this un- [lS, 19]
wavering confidence, I say, is what God
graciously accepted for righteousness. [20-22]
Now the narrative of Abraham's justifica
tion in Genesis has its chief value not as
the history of an individual, but because
it is typical of all God's dealings and
illustrates the principles upon which he
11 161

Chap. 5.] The Epistles of Paul
always proceeds. The narrative contains
the truths which apply to us who are
believers in. Christ as the divinely ap-
[23"25] pointed Mediator of salvation.

Chapter V
The consequences of justification are,
first, a sense of security in our relations
to God, which we have obtained through
Christ, who has introduced us into this
new status of acceptance with God ; next,
[1, 2] a joyous hope of future blessedness ;
then, the ability to be glad even when
beset by trials and hardships, because
we understand that these conditions
develop moral perseverance, and this,
[3, 4] well-tested Christian character. More
over, the reason why this hope of future
good does not disappoint us is that the
realization of God's love to us assures us
[5] of its fulfilment. What is the guarantee
of this love and of the hope founded
upon it? It is found in Christ's giving
himself up to death for us in our moral
[6] impotence, — an act of sacrifice which
could only spring from a greater love
162

Romans [Chap. 5,
than is known among men. Thus the [7]
greatness of the divine love is seen in the
fact that those for whom Christ died were
not the obedient and faithful, but the sin
ful who were the objects of God's holy
displeasure. [S]
If, now, we know that the divine love
went out thus towards sinners, how much
easier it is to believe that the beginning
of our salvation will be fulfilled in its
completion. For, to repeat the argu- [9]
ment, if God began the work of our sal
vation when we were the objects of his
wrath ; if his love was great enough for
that, how much more certain is it that,
now that we have been acquitted of our
guilt, we shall. come to our complete life
in Christ? How justly, then, may we [10]
rejoice in that divine love which has
removed all obstacles to our acceptance
with God, and made it possible for us to
be at peace with him ! [n]
In view of the truths which have been
established, we may compare Christ,
his work, and its result, salvation, with
Adam, his fatal transgression, and its
consequence, physical death, which be
came the portion of all because his sin
163

Chap. 5.] The Epistles of Paul
involved as its result the sinning of all
[12] his descendants. I affirm this relation
between sin* and death on the ground
that even before the law came in to con
demn sin and to stamp it as transgres
sion, all were falling a prey to death;
even those who lived during this period
and had, unlike Adam, no explicit, posi
tive command which they could break,
[13,14] continued to die. [But, before carrying
out the comparison between Adam and
his work, and Christ and his work, note
certain differences. The grace of God in
Christ is more than a match for the sin
which began with Adam and spread
itself over all mankind. Man's condem
nation issued from one -trespass, but
God's restoring grace has more power
than many trespasses even, since it saves
man from the power of many. We may be
sure of this because it is more easily con
ceivable and more certain that those who
receive God's gift in Christ will triumph
over sin than that all should have be
come involved in death in consequence
[15-17] of Adam's trespass.] So then — as we
began to say — as by Adam's sin all
became involved in death, by Christ's
164

Romans [Chap. 6.
work of righteous obedience is accept
ance with God opened to all, for the two
cases are parallel. Christ is the second
Adam, come to restore to God's favor
those who as descendants of the first
Adam, are lost to it. Now the Old Tes- [18, 19]
tament system, whose saving function I
deny, had just the purpose to brjng out
this indwelling sin into its greatest
strength, so that the case of man was
rendered even more hopeless than
before; but the grace of God in Christ
is able to overcome even this power of
sin when thus intensified by the law and
to bring man back to divine favor and
assure him of eternal bliss. [20,21]

Chapter VI
Shall we, from the fact that where
the law brought out human sinfulness in
its full force God's grace appeared in
even greater power, — shall we from this
fact conclude that sin is a good thing,
because it evokes God's grace? Such a [1]
conclusion is opposed by the very nature
of the Christian life. How can those
165

Chap. 6.] The Epistles of Paul
who have broken off, as by a death, all
relation to the old sinful life, seek to jus-
[2] tify any further connection with it? Our
baptism expressed that entrance into
personal life-fellowship with Christ whose
deepest meaning is : participation in the
benefits of his sin-atoning, sin-destroying
[3] death. This participation involves an
ethical dying with Christ on his cross, —
a complete breaking off of relations with
the old, sinful life, — and a burial into
moral death ; that is, a permanent separa
tion from the sinful world in which we
formerly lived, in order that a new life in
a new world of motive and action might
be begun, — a life as different from the
. former one as was Christ's life after his
[4] resurrection from what it was before. I
may thus emphasize the fact that the
negative process called " death " and
" burial " to sin implies also the positive
process called " resurrection " to holiness,
for if we experience that moral process
which is the analogue of Christ's death,
that is, separation from the old life, we
must also experience its counterpart, the
analogue of Christ's resurrection, that
[5] is, a renewed, and purified moral life.
166

Romans [Chap. 6.
Our old sinful self has been put to
death ; the body, where sin so manifested
its power, has been subdued. Such a [6]
death means separation from sin. And [7]
if it means separation from sin through
union with Christ, it must also mean a
new life of holiness through union with
him. Christ in his death broke off all [8] /
relations to sin, never again to enter into
them, and at his resurrection entered a
life belonging wholly to God. So should [9,10]
the Christian consider his regeneration
which is typified by his baptism as de
manding at once the cessation of the sin
ful life and the beginning and continu
ance of the holy life. I exhort you, [n]
therefore, not to permit sin to control
your bodies and their passions as it for
merly did, but to subject your bodily
powers to the uses of righteousness as
the nature of your Christian profession
demands. You must not permit sin to [12,13]
dominate your lives, and you need not,
for you are not under the law-system,
which always tends to intensify the bond
age of men under sin, but under God's sys
tem of grace, in which is disclosed a way
of deliverance from sin's guilt and power. [14]
167

Chap. 6.] The Epistles of Paul
From the fact that we Christians are
not under the Old Testament law, but
under God's grace in the gospel, shall we
conclude that we are free to break the
[15] divine law by sin? By no means. In
refuting such an inference let us start
from the position that a man is the ser
vant of whatever he obeys. If a man
obeys sin he is sin's servant ; if he obeys
righteousness, then he is bound to fulfil
[16] the demands of righteousness. Now this
latter is your case. Your obedience and
service to sin are things of the past.
You have committed yourselves to my
teaching, which enforces the demands of
[17] righteousness upon every life. When
you thus broke away from bondage to
sin, you entered a bondage to righteous
ness, thereby obligating yourselves to
[18] obey its requirements. I am applying
to these high spiritual truths terms de
rived from human relations so as to
make the contrast between the character
istic of the old life and that of the new
plain to the most undiscerning. And I
apply this truth thus : just as you used
to allow your bodily powers to be domi
nated by sin, so you should now, as
168

Romans [Chap. 7.
Christians, make them the means of serv
ing and promoting holiness of life. For [19]
(to repeat my distinction between the
two kinds of life) in your old life you
were freemen in respect of righteousness,
and bondmen in respect of sin ; the
opposite is now true ; you are now free
from sin and bound to righteousness. [20]
But looking away from the principle to
the consequences of the old sinful life,
what reward did it bring? Only a fruit
age of which you are ashamed, for all its
results are in the line of that final issue,
moral death. But the opposite of all this [21]
is your case now. Being freemen in
relation to sin and bondmen in relation to
God, you have holiness and everlasting
life as your portion. So diverse are the [22]
outcomes in the two cases. The just
desert of the former is death; the
gracious gift which, in the case of the
latter, God bestows, is eternal life through
the merit and mediation of Christ. [23]

Chapter VII
THOSE who, like you Romans, are ac
quainted with law, will at once recognize
169

Chap. 7.] The Epistles of Paul
the truth of the principle that the law
ceases to have dominion over the man
at the man's death. The relation between
the person and the law is sundered by
[1] death. We see an illustration and proof
in the fact that when a husband dies the
wife is then free to marry another man.
[2] The marriage bond is dissolved by death.
Previous to the death of one of the par
ties the other is not free to contract
another marriage ; to do so would be
[3] adultery. In like manner — applying
this principle to spiritual relations — the
bondage of you Christians to the Old
Testament law was broken by a death, —
the moral death to sin of one of the par
ties (that is, yourselves). You were under
the law as your master, but are now
under Christ, just as the woman whose
first husband has died, comes under the
authority of another whom she is then
[4] free to marry. Our former situation
under the law was one of bondage under
a hard master, sin, with which the law
allied itself to enslave us. But now we
are freed from that master by a moral
death, in order that we may freely and
gladly serve our new master, Christ, not
170

Romans [Chap. 7.
from outward constraint, but from inward
impulse. [5, 6]
Does it follow from my apparent de
preciation of the law that it is evil? No ;
it is not itself evil, but only the occasion
of developing, by the reaction which it
provokes on the part of indwelling sin,
the evil in men into expression. With
out law men are comparatively unaware
of their inherent wickedness, but when
law comes with its demands and ideals
they are seen to have utterly failed to
meet its requirements, and thus its im
mediate effect is rather to conduct them
to condemnation than to the holiness of
life which the law, in itself considered,
contemplates. Sin, not law, is the cause [7-1°]
of this condemnation. The law is an in
strument which sin uses for its purpose,
but is in itself holy. The moral destruc
tion which I speak of is wrought by sin
which dwells in the flesh. It is against
this overmastering foe that the good
desires and aspirations which survive in
the unregenerate man contend, but con
tend in vain. My efforts to keep the [n-'4l
law are rendered unavailing by the power
of sin, which that very law calls out into
171

Chap. 8.] The Epistles of Paul
greater strength. I am no more my true,
my would-be self, but sin so rules my
life that I am powerless to realize my
best desires. Two laws or forces contend
within me, — sin, which allies the law
with itself, and my reason; in other
words, the flesh, the evil propensities
and passions, and my deeper, truer moral
feelings and desires. In this conflict the
evil power is completely victorious, so
that I am rendered a helpless slave of
[r5-23] sin. Whence shall release come? I
well know now that it comes alone from
Christ. Such is the inner conflict in the
i, life that aspires after goodness ; such the
despair to which it is driven in its oft-
baffled strivings, and such the release
[24,25] which Christ affords.

Chapter VIII
The state of the Christian is thus the
very opposite of that which I have just
described. The verdict of the law is not
out against him, because he has been
delivered from that condemnation which
the law pronounces, and from the sin
172

Romans [Chap. 8.
which occasioned the condemnation, by
the power of the Spirit, which entered his
life in consequence of his union with
Christ. The law could not free him from [i, 2]
its own curse, but could only reaffirm its
adverse verdict, not because of any defect
in the law, but because of the power of
sin, which perpetually exposed the man
to the law's condemnation. But Christ,
whom God sent into the world to share
our nature, apart from its sinfulness, has
accomplished this deliverance, so that a
way is opened for the fulfilment of the
law's just requirements. This result is [3, 4<0
attained by establishing in man the inner
dominion of the Spirit, which overthrows
that of the flesh and determines all the
aspirations and conduct of the man
toward holy, spiritual life, instead of
toward the moral death to which it was
formerly tending. Thus the man is [4^-6]
brought into real harmony with God, —
for only through the rule of the Spirit
in us can the old enmity to God which
sin occasioned be removed. The pos
session of Christ's Spirit alone proclaims
us truly his. If we possess that Spirit, [7-9]
we have the guarantee of an imperishable
i73

Chap. 8.] The Epistles of Paul
life. The body must indeed die in con
sequence of the curse which human sin
brings with it, but this death cannot
affect the spirit of the man who has
[10] participated in Christ's salvation. If we
possess the life-giving Spirit of God, he
will grant us a future life and resurrec
tion through the power of that indwell-
["] ing Spirit.
Since the Spirit is the determining
element of the Christian life, we Chris
ty] tians are bound to follow his guidance.
Only that life which he inspires is worthy
to be called life. The carnal life is death,
and the death of the carnal impulses is
[13] life. It is through following the im
pulses of the Spirit that we prove our-
[14] selves God's sons. When we became
Christians we did not enter a servile con
dition similar to that in which we were
under the law, but we entered a filial re
lation in which we can address God as
[15] our Father. And the inner testimony of
the Spirit in our hearts assures and con-
[16] firms this relation. If we are God's chil
dren, then of course we inherit the great
blessings of his kingdom. This we do,
however, only because we are joined
174

Romans [Chap. 8.
with Christ and share the sufferings
which faithful service to him may entail. [17]
At present the Christian must suffer for
Christ's sake, but how much will the
future glory of the Messianic kingdom
outweigh such suffering ! Of this coming [18]
blessedness we find everywhere an eager
expectation. Even inanimate nature
seems to be awaiting it. The reason is [19]
that God, in subjecting nature to the
law of decay and death, mingled an ele
ment of hope with this condition, which
leads her to expect deliverance from this
law and participation in the freedom from
sin's curse which awaits God's children. [20,21]
Such a prospect for nature seems sug
gested by the condition of eager yearn
ing and intense dissatisfaction which she
shows with her present condition. But not [22]
only do we see this yearning for deliver
ance from sin's consequences on the part
of nature ; even Christians, who have
been acquitted of their sins and have
become obedient children of God, are
subject to this condition of perishable-
ness which has been impressed upon
nature. They too must die, and they
naturally await with hope their future
i75

Chap. 8.] The Epistles of Paul
deliverance from the reign of sickness
and death ; that is, the bestowment of an
[23] imperishable embodiment for the soul.
I say " with hope," for this element is
mingled with all our experience of salva
tion. We have not yet enjoyed its full
fruition. Our incomplete emancipation
from the law of decay and death leaves
us this great boon to expect in the
[24,25] heavenly world.
Not only does the hope just described
inspire us, but the Holy Spirit aids us in
our weakness and in our prayers by his
[26] all-prevailing intercessions. Since this
intercession is accordant with God's will,
he alone knows its full significance and
[27] power. But there is one thing which we
do know ; that is, that all events co-oper-
[28] ate to secure the final good of believers.
Because we were from the beginning in
cluded in God's foreknowledge and pur
pose and thus our standing as Christians
[29] has the whole plan of God to support it.
The realization of our salvation in the
past and in the future but fulfils the gra-
[30] cious plan of God for our lives.
The practical conclusion is, that God's
[31] purpose of grace is pledged to us. God,
176

Romans [Chap. 9.
who provided for our salvation in the
great gift of his Son, will not withhold
from us any lesser benefit. None can [32]
bring a charge against God's chosen
ones, since God himself has acquitted
them. None may condemn them, since L33]
Christ died, rose, and intercedes for
them. There is no hardship or suffer- [34]
ing, not even death, — no, nor any power
whatsoever in all the universe which can
separate us from the love which Christ
has for us. [35-39]

Chapter IX
How deep is my interest in my coun
trymen and how deeply I lament their
rejection of the Messiah is evidenced by
my willingness to perish if thereby I
might save them. Their lapse seems [1-3]
the more sad in view of their great
privileges and advantages as the theo
cratic people, chief of which is the
descent of Christ from Jewish ancestry
on his human side, while, in the depths
of his being, he partakes in the nature of
the blessed Deity. But the unbelief of [4, 5]
12 1 77

Chap. 9.] The Epistles of Paul
my people will not involve the failure
of God's promise. If we look back at
our history we perceive that there has
been a selective process going on ; not
all members of the nation proved them
selves true children of God. We see
this in the case of the two sons of Abra
ham, Ishmael and Isaac, and their de
scendants. Only one of these lines
proved faithful to God ; yet God's
promise to his people was not thereby
annulled. Another example is found in
[6-9] the two lines which are descended from
Isaac, that of Esau and that of Jacob.
The fact that God made choice of the
latter rather than of the former shows
that Jacob was not chosen for any merit
[10-13] of his own.
Because God chooses one and rejects
another, shall we conclude that he is
unjust? No; for in the law he claims
that prerogative. His choice of any is
based, not upon their merits or strivings,
[14-16] but upon his own sovereign mercy. An
example of this absoluteness of God's
action is seen in his dealing with the
Pharaoh. The Old Testament says
that God brought him upon the field
178

Romans [Chap. 9.
of history in order to exhibit his power
upon him. This example also shows
that God extends his mercy to men or
hardens them in sin according to his
good pleasure. [17,18]
But this view will provoke the objec
tion: If a man, in pursuing a sinful
course, is but fulfilling the divine will,
how can God attach guilt to his action?
The question is presumptuous. Man is
quite incompetent thus to judge the pro
cedure of God. Men are like clay in
the hands of the potter. Can the clay
complain if the potter makes from the
same lump vessels for noble and vessels
for ignoble use? So if God, while wish- [19-21]
ing, on the one hand, to exhibit his
justice in the punishment of some men.
for whom this penalty had been deter
mined, yet, out of compassion, withheld
its execution for a time, who has a right
to complain (either of the long suffering
or of the determination to destroy)? and
if, further, it was his purpose to exhibit,
during this period of forbearance, his
saving mercy on some whom he had
chosen for this end, — whether Jews or
Gentiles, — who has the right to com-
179

Chap. 10.] The Epistles of Paul
[22-24] plain? The Old Testament speaks of
such acts of God as being wholly inde
pendent of all claims or merits on man's
part, as, for example, in the call of the
Gentiles, and in the preservation of a
[25-29] remnant in Israel.
Since God's action is never based upon
human merit, and since he always acts
justly, what must we conclude is the
reason, on the Jews' side, of their rejec
tion and of the Gentiles' acceptance? It
is that while the Jews were striving to
establish their own righteousness by
works, the Gentiles have accepted the
righteousness which is offered through
the gospel on condition of faith. As of
old, Israel found the divine word the oc
casion of their overthrow and calamity,
because of their disobedience to God, so
do they now again stumble over the truth
l3°-33] that faith is that which God requires.

Chapter X
How earnestly do I yearn for the salva
tion of my people, and well I may, for
they still have much interest in their
180

Romans [Chap. 10
ancestral religion, but how mixed with
misconception of its real principles and
demands ! From this misconception flows
this futile effort to win salvation by merit
instead of accepting that which God
graciously offers. There can be no [1-3]
thought of the law as the means of salva
tion now that Christ has come ; and, in
deed, it was never actually a means of
salvation, because its requirement was
perfect obedience; it could not save
without that and that was always want
ing. The faith-principle is quite differ- [4,5]
ent. It sets before us no impracticable
task. It only asks us to accept the divine
promise and truth which are close at hand ;
it demands only that we lean in faith upon
Christ; resting in him and confessing
him as Saviour, we shall have security and
peace. This is a truth of universal appli- [6-u]
cation. Its promise of salvation is as
wide as the race. All may accept it.
Nor can the Jews justly say that this way
of grace was not known to them, and so
excuse themselves. [12-15]
Let us examine this justification of dis
obedience. Have they not had abundant
opportunity to learn these truths of grace

Chap, u.] The Epistles of Paul
and faith? Yes; they pervaded their own
Scriptures as the light of the sun pervades
the world. Already, in Moses and the
' prophets, we find allusions both to the
extension of the true religion to the
heathen and to the hardness of the chosen
people. [Thus the truths which I now
teach and the reasons for them are not
new, but old, and should have been un
derstood and appreciated by the Jewish
[16-21] people.]

Chapter XI
That God has not utterly cast off the
Jewish people from his favor I am myself
a living evidence. Remember that, as in
former times, when the nation seemed lost
in idolatry and sin, a remnant was still
[1-4] left who remained true to God, just so
now there is, in accordance with the pro
visions of God's grace, a faithful few.
The majority, seeking to uphold their
own self-righteousness, have fallen a prey
to moral hardening, but some have ac
cepted the terms of God's purpose of
grace. To the others we might apply

Romans [Chap. u.
the Old Testament language in which
the prophets describe the obduracy of the
faithless. But even the lapse of the na- [5-10]
tion as a whole will not be permanent.
By rejecting the Messiah they have oc
casioned his earlier and fuller proclama
tion to the heathen, who, by accepting
him, will prove to the Jews what they
have lost by not doing so. The Jews
will thus be stimulated, by the example
of the Gentiles and by the blessings which
the heathen will be seen to enjoy, to ac
cept Christ also. If a benefit resulted to
the Gentiles from the Jews' lapse, how
much greater a blessing will flow from
the recovery of the Jews to the Messianic
kingdom which the conversion of the
heathen will facilitate! [11,12]
I am writing to a Gentile church. As
the messenger of the gospel to Gentiles,
it will be seen that I am acting within the
true scope of my office in pointing out
the bearing of the Jews' fall upon the
heathen world. Certainly, if God could
thus overrule their fall for good, he surely
could make their conversion a yet greater
good, and this is that for which I hope,
for the nation is still holy unto God, —
183

Chap, n.] The Epistles of Paul
[13-16] his peculiar possession. But you Gen
tiles, whose entrance into the Messianic
kingdom the fall of the Jews has facilitated,
should not conclude that this was due to
some merit of yours and so fall into pride
and boasting over the Jews. Remember
that the ancient theocracy is still the
[17, 18] basis of the Messianic kingdom. Do not
therefore imagine that it was favoritism
on God's part for you which led him to
reject the Jews in order to receive you.
He will as readily reject you if you, like
the Jews, become unfaithful to him. Be
humble, then, and beware lest you repeat
[19-21] their sad history.
In these dispensations we behold at
once God's leniency and his severity ; to
those who have been true to him he has
been very gracious ; with the disobedient
he has been severe. If now he would
graciously receive you Gentiles upon faith,
how much more will he take back into
his favor his peculiar people when they
[22-24] shall forsake their disobedience !
Consider well these providential dispen
sations, nor presume to criticise or explain
them. In God's wisdom, a partial and
temporary fall of Israel has been per-
184

Romans [Chap. n.
mitted, but, at last, the nation as a whole
shall be saved and the hopes of future
good which her prophets express be
realized. The displeasure of God at the [25-27]
Jews inured to your benefit, but for the
sake of the founders of the nation his
ancient people shall still be the object of
God's favor. God's purpose in the choice
of the nation shall not finally miscarry,
for as the Jews' lapse occasioned your
speedier reception, so shall the divine
favor bestowed upon you be the means,
in turn, of hastening their recovery.
God's purpose in the hardening and re
jection of both classes (Jews and Gentiles)
is subordinate to his purpose to make
both the object of his mercy. [28-32]
How profound are these mysteries of
God's providence and government ! We
cannot explain them. No man can pene
trate his secrets, as the Scriptures say,
for he is himself at once the source, the
means, and the end of all things ; as such
let us render him all praise ! I33-36]

185

Chap. 12.] The Epistles of Paul

Chapter XII
By appeal to God's goodness to you,
brethren, I urge you to consecrate your
selves, body and mind, to his service, —
the true, real spiritual service of the
heart, — so that you may prove in ex
perience the blessedness of doing his
[i, 2] holy will. This service you can only
accomplish in the spirit of humility and
soberness, which is inspired and regulated
l3l by faith. We have various gifts of faith,
as the different parts of the body have
various functions; let us exercise them
all with fidelity, remembering that unless
we are guided by trust in Christ in so
doing, we shall fall into self-righteous-
[4-8] ness and vanity. Let us diligently prac
tise the various Christian virtues, of
which love is the chief, and whose high
est exercise is seen in kindness, sym-
[9-16] pathy, and humility. This temper will
prevent the spirit of revenge, and enable
us to dwell peaceably with mankind.
Remember that God will requite wrongs
done; do not seek to forestall his judg-
186

Romans [Chap. 13.
ment ; treat foes with kindness ; you will
so best lead them to remorse and repent
ance, and will conquer their malignity by
love. [17-21]

Chapter XIII
We must obey the civil power, for it is
a divinely ordained agency for the pun
ishment of wrong-doing and for the com
mendation of well-doing. Only if we do [1-3]
evil have we anything to fear from the
state. In that case we shall fall under its
just and certain penalties. Therefore let
us obey, not from fear only, but because
obedience is right. The right of 'the [4, 5]
state to obedience involves its right to
levy taxes ; render, therefore, to the dif
ferent authorities the dues which they
have a right to exact. Pay, I say, all [6, 7]
debts, except the debt of love. That is
a perpetual obligation, since it is the
essence of the whole divine law which
never relaxes its demands upon us. To [8-10 ]
the duties of love I would, then, exhort
you. The time of our redemption draws
near ; let us devote ourselves to deeds of
goodness and not to works of vice. [n-14]
187

Chap. 14.] The Epistles of Paul

Chapter XI V
Receive to Christian fellowship such
as have doubts and scruples as to certain
courses of action, — in themselves unes
sential, — but not with a view to making
such scruples objects of special attention
[1] and judgment. An example of such
scruples is found in the case of one who
refrains from eating meat. Let not him
and the one who has no such scruple
judge one another, since God accepts
both. Both are Christ's servants, and it
[2-4] is his to approve or disapprove them.
Another example is found in one who
still holds by the Jewish sacred days.
Both those who do this and those who
do not are moved by conscientious con
viction for the Lord's service. Let them
[5,6] not judge one another. So in general
we must carefully regard the feelings and
convictions of others. Whatever we do
we must do in the spirit of service to our
Master, who both died and rose that he
[7-9] might be the Lord of us all. Why, then,
judge one another? God alone is judge;
188

Romans [Chap. 14.
all must bow to him, not to each other.
Each must stand for himself before God's
judgment, — not that of other men. [10-12]
* Whatever judgments, then, we pass in
regard to our Christian brethren, let us by
all means pass this one, that we ought
not to hinder their religious life. [13]
The man who has no such scruples as
I have named is, no doubt, theoretically
right. He has all the rights which he
claims, but love may require him, in
certain cases, to forego their exercise.
Otherwise he may, by his failure to apply
the Christian law of love, injure those
whom Christ has so greatly loved as to
die for them. Try to keep the Christian [14, '51
fame of your church without reproach,
by avoiding all such disputes with their
unhappy consequences, for religion does
not consist in the maintenance, on either
side, of such points of difference, but of
an inner spiritual life. He who lives that [l6, 17]
life is approved of God; therefore seek
to promote harmony and to build up
Christian character in others. Such [18, 19]
rights as I have named yield to the
higher obligations of Christian helpful
ness ; cherish strong convictions of such
189

Chap. 15.] The Epistles of Paul
rights, if you will, but do not try to im
pose them upon those who cannot admit
or accept them. Fortunate, indeed, is
the man who in such matters has no scru
ple as to the course which he decides to
pursue, for, of course, those who are in
doubt about their right to act as they do
must be self-condemned, because they are
not acting with the full consent of con
science, and one sins against his own
moral nature when he does, in such
cases, what his conscience is not clear
[20-23] in approving.

Chapter XV
It accords with the spirit of Christ, as
shown in his earthly life, to show a kindly
and concessive feeling for the weak and
hesitating. His was a life of reproach
[1-3] rather than of self-gratification. The pic
ture of the suffering Messiah found in
the Old Testament was given for our in
struction, that we, steadfastly following
his example and cultivating his spirit,
might have the hope of future blessed-
190

Romans [Chap. 15.
ness with him in his kingdom. May [4]
God give us a spirit of harmony, so that
we may unitedly honor him. Be there- [5,6]
fore considerate and helpful to one
another, for Christ has made all, without
distinction, the object of his love, — the
Jews, according to God's ancient prom
ises, and the Gentiles, for his mercy's
sake. Let all alike praise the Messiah,
as the psalmist says ; let all acknowledge
him as the true Davidic King of whom
Isaiah prophesied, and may you all find
peace in trusting him and hope in the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit. [7-13]
I am indeed confident of your sincerity,
spirituality, and disposition to aid one
another. It was that you might be even
more perfect in this regard that I have in
some expressions very frankly reminded
you of your duty, — in accordance with
my commission to promote the gospel
among the Gentiles. Let me not speak, [i4-!6]
however, of what / have done for you or
others ; Christ has rather done it through
me by giving me strength and inspiration,
enabling me to carry the gospel from its
starting-point in Jerusalem to the remote
province of Illyricum. In all this labor I [17-19]
191

Chap. 15.] The Epistles of Paul
made it a point of honor not to work
where others were working, but to go to
the outlying regions where the gospel
[20, 21] had not yet been carried.
The greatness of my task has prevented
me from coming to Rome, but now that
my work in the regions named is finished,
I hope to fulfil the hope of many years,
to come to Rome. I want to travel by
[22-25] way of your city when I go to Spain.
Meantime I must make a journey to
Jerusalem to carry up thither the contri
bution of the Macedonian and Achaian
churches to the poor members of the
mother-church, — a gift which fittingly
recognizes the indebtedness of the Gen
tile churches to the primitive Jeru
salem church for a knowledge of the
[26-28] gospel. I am confident that when I come I shall
be provided with the power to help and
strengthen you. Pray earnestly for me,
that I may suffer no harm at the hands of
the Judaizing opponents of the gospel in
Judea ; that my mission thither may fully
accomplish its end, and that, this done, I
may come and find spiritual refreshment
among you. Meantime and always may
192

Romans [Chap. 15.
the divine presence, the true source of
peace, be yours ! 1 [29-33]
1 Chapter XVI. consists so largely of personal
references that it did not seem practicable, as it
did not seem necessary, to try to paraphrase it.

J3 193

The Epistle to the Colossians

Chapter I
I, PAUL, made an apostle of Christ by
a divine call, and Timothy, our brother
in the gospel, to the holy and faithful
Christians in Colossae; the favor and
peace of God be with you. [1,2]
We render unceasing thanks to God
for the report which we have heard con
cerning your steadfast devotion to Christ
and your love to your fellow-Christians. [3, 4]
These graces are inspired by that hope
of the blessed life in heaven which was
begotten in you by your earlier instruc
tion in the gospel, — that gospel which
everywhere bears fruit in blessing, just as
it has done in you ever since you received
it. Such was the gospel taught you by [5, 6]
our dear fellow-laborer, Epaphras, who
has represented us among you and who
now brings us tidings of your Christian
love. [y, 8]
Since we heard the joyful news of your
faith and love, we have not ceased to
197

Chap, i.] The Epistles of Paul
pray that you may increase in the knowl-
[9] edge of God and in spiritual discernment
so as to be able to do the divine will ; I
pray that you may more and more ap
prehend God's truth and may be filled
with the strength which his glorious
power gives, which will enable you to
bear all sufferings and hardships with
[10,11] cheerfulness, and to render praise to
God, who has prepared us to share in his
[12] heavenly glory. Yes, he has rescued us
from the bondage of moral darkness and
made us citizens in the kingdom of his
beloved Son, who procured our release
[13, 14] from our former bondage ; he is the
manifestation of the unseen God, the One
who antedates all creation, by whose
agency all beings and powers in heaven
and earth were created ; and as he is the
means, so also is he the goal of all things ;
he exists before creation and he is the
Power which sustains and holds together
[15-17] all things. And he who stands in this
relation of priority and superiority to the
universe sustains a similar relation to
the church, which is his mystical body.
As the Risen One, he is the Source of
its life ; thus in both the natural and the
198

Colossians [Chap. i.
spiritual orders he is supreme. And this [18]
supremacy is his, because God willed that
all the plenitude of Deity should reside
in him, and that by his death he should
abolish the discords of the universe and
bring in harmony among all powers and
beings, in earth and heaven. You Gen- ['9, 20]
tiles, who were by your former evil life
estranged from God, are included in the
terms of that great divine peacemaking ;
by Christ's death you have been saved,
that you might stand blameless before
God in the judgment, if you remain [21,22]
firmly grounded in the truth of the gospel
which was taught you, — the same gospel
which the apostles have spread far and
wide and of which I was called to be a
servant. [23]
Sustained by such encouragements, I
can glory in those hardships by which I
am supplementing, in my own person,
the sufferings which Christ endured, for
the sake of his spiritual body, the church, f24]
of which he made me a steward, that I
might perform for you Gentiles the ser
vice of dispensing to you God's abound
ing grace and publish the glorious divine 125]
mystery which had been kept a secret
199

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
from the beginning, but now in these last
[26] days has been revealed to his people.
This mystery, in all its fulness of blessing,
God was pleased to make known in the
calling of you Gentiles; namely, that
[27] Christ is also your Saviour. This Saviour
we apostles preach to all men without
distinction as their true Guide and
Teacher. Our aim is that all may be
[28] complete in him. In order to further
this aim, I discipline myself in self-
denying toil, and put forth all the energy
[29] which Christ inspires within me.

Chapter II
CONSIDER the greatness of my apostolic
labors, — my anxiety for you and for
your Laodicean neighbors and for many
others who have not seen me face to
[J] face. Constantly do I wrestle in spirit
that they may be confirmed in faith and
united in love, and may attain to full
conviction and perfect understanding re
specting that glorious mystery of God,
which is Christ, who contains in himself
[2, 3] all fulness of heavenly wisdom. There-

Colossians [Chap. 2.
fore I warn you against those who would
persuade you with plausible arguments
to give up your faith in him. For [4]
though I am personally absent from you,
I am present with you in interest and
sympathy and am glad to see the firm
position which you take up against such
persuasions, and the loyal trust in Christ
which you display. Do not abandon [5]
him of whom you have learned, but 1
remain constant in your devotion to
him, growing ever stronger in Christian
truth and life and rejoicing in God's
goodness to you. [6, 7]
Beware lest you fall a prey and are
made captive by the representatives of
a shallow and pretentious " philosophy,"
based on human conceit and childish
fancy, which degrades the person of
Christ, for in him, in his glorified bodily [8]
form, dwells all the plenitude of Deity
and in him you receive the fulness
of your spiritual life, since he is the
Chief of all the angelic orders (of which
your would-be teachers say so much). [9, 10]
In him, too, you have the true spiritual
circumcision, which means the abandon
ment of carnal appetites and passions, [n]

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
This spiritual renewal is expressed in
your baptism, which signifies death to
the old life and resurrection to the new
life, through the grace of him who raised
[12] Christ from the dead. Yes, you Gentiles,
who were spiritually dead in your sinful
ness, even you has God raised up to life
[f3] in Christ and has purged away your sins.
The condemnation of the law which
stood against us he has abolished, abro-
[14] gating it by the death of Christ; yes,
like a conqueror he has despoiled all
hostile powers of their armor, has put
them to open shame, and led them cap-
[15] tive in the triumph of Christ.
Since, then, you are freed from the
bondage of the law, let no one bring
[16] you under the tyranny of its observances,
which are but a shadow, of which Christ
['7] is the substance. Let no one prevent
you now from winning the Christian vic
tory by inducing you to adopt a preten
tious humility which expresses itself in
the worship of angel-powers, in supposed
[18] visions and vaunted wisdom, — a false re
ligion which abandons Christ and destroys
the true unity, and prevents the growth
[19] of the church over which he is supreme.

Colossians [Chap. 3.
You Christians have broken all rela
tions with elementary religions as by
a death; why, then, do you citizens of
heaven still long for the outward ordi
nances whiah are only fitted for the
discipline of children, ascetic rules of [20]
abstinence from various meats and drinks
(things which are material, perishable,
and unimportant), precepts which have
but a human authority? In such prac- [21,22]
tices, with their forced devotion, their
parade of humility, and ascetic rigor,
there is only a pretence of superior
knowledge; they are utterly useless as
a check upon the power of sensual
passion. [23]

Chapter III
SINCE now you have risen into a holy
life with Christ, you should fix your
thoughts upon that heavenly world of
truth and reality in which Christ lives
and reigns. On spiritual, not on ma- [1]
terial, interests should your hearts be
set. For when you became Christians, [2]
you broke relations, as by death, with
203

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
the old sinful life, and through Christ
entered into a fellowship with God which
[3] the world does not know. But when
Christ, the Source of our spiritual life,
shall be revealed in glory at his coming,
then you too shall shine forth in your
[4] real nature as his redeemed ones.
Since you have entered upon this new
and holy life, you must forsake all that
is inconsistent with it, all base desires
and practices, and especially greed, the
[5] worship of riches. Such sins call down
upon those who abandon themselves to
[6] them the judgment of heaven ; in the
power of them you lived before your
[7] conversion. But now that you have be
come Christians, you must forsake all
malicious passion and all false and slan-
[8, 9] derous speech, for you have left the old
evil life behind you and have begun a
new life whose nature it is to develop
into an increasing knowledge and likeness
[10] to God, — a life in which the old distinc
tions of race and social condition are
annihilated and Christ is the sole bond
["] of union and fellowship.
Therefore you, as God's chosen people,
must practise the virtues of gentleness,
204

Colossians [Chap. 3.
endurance, and forgiveness, bearing with
one another and reconciling your differ
ences in the spirit in which Christ has
granted you his grace ; and let all these [12,13]
virtues be embraced within the all-com
prehending virtue of love which binds
together and completes them all. And [14]
let your hearts be governed by the peace
which Christ imparts and for whose reali
zation, in the unity of his church, he has
called you into the Christian life ; and do
not fail to be grateful. Let Christ's truth [15]
enrich your hearts with its spiritual
wisdom. Inspire one another by your
common worship and praise, and let your
thanksgiving be no mere outward service. [16]
Let all your life be religious, — a service
to Christ, a thank-offering to God. [17]
Christian duty requires that wives obey
their husbands ; that husbands cherish
their wives and use no harshness with
them ; that children obey their parents,
and that, in turn, parents vex not their
children, lest they grow disheartened and
sullen ; also that slaves render to their [18-21]
masters cheerful and sincere service, and
regard such service as a duty to Christ.
Let each fill his place and faithfully do [22]
205

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
his work, considering it as a divinely
given task, for the performance of which
he will be duly rewarded by Christ at the
[23,24] judgment. On the other hand, he who
injures another shall be requited therefor,
[25] and by an impartial tribunal. Therefore
let masters see to it that they treat their
bondmen with justice and equity, not
forgetting that they, too, are servants of
[iv.i] Christ, who holds them responsible.

Chapter IV
Be earnest and alert in prayer and
[2] praise. Pray that God may open to us
new opportunities to offer the gospel to
men, for which I am now suffering
[3] imprisonment, that, as I ought, I may
[4] fearlessly proclaim it. Be discreet in
your relations with unbelievers ; let no
[5] opportunity for doing good escape you.
Let your converse with others be tem
pered by pleasantness and wisdom, so
that your account of your life and doc-
[6] trine may have a wholesome moral effect.
Tychicus, who has been my faithful
helper in the gospel, will give you, when
206

Colossians [Chap. 4.
he delivers this letter, full tidings regard
ing me. Indeed, I have sent him to you [7]
that you may learn from him how I fare,
and that by messages from me he might
encourage you in the Christian life. With [8]
him will come our dear fellow-believer,
Onesimus, who is himself a Colossian.
They will tell you fully the state of matters
here. [9]
I send you greetings from Aristarchus,
my companion in prison ; from Mark,
cousin to Barnabas (concerning whom I
have already sent directions to welcome
him heartily if he pays you a visit), and
from Jesus, surnamed Justus ; all three
Hebrew converts. These alone of the
Jews have co-operated with me in Chris
tian work and have supported me in my
time of trial. Epaphras, your fellow- [10,1 1]
townsman, and a devoted Christian, also
sends greetings. He is earnest in prayer
that you may prove faithful and steadfast
in the service of God. I bear testimony [12]
to his deep anxiety for your church and
for those at Laodicea and Hieropolis. [13]
Greeting also from my dear friend, Luke,
and from Demas. Greet from me the [14]
Laodicean Christians, and especially
207

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
Nympha and the company of believers
[15] which assembles in her house. And when
this letter has been read to your church
see that it is read also to the Laodicean
church, and be sure that you read the
letter which I have sent to the Laodicean
church and which you will obtain from
[16] them. Give to Archippus this message
from me : Attend diligently to the service
which, in the name of Christ, I committed
[17] to you.
I add a personal greeting in my own
handwriting. Remember my chains.
[18] God's grace be yours.

208

The Epistle to Philemon

Philemon
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and
Timothy, our brother in the faith, to Phi
lemon, our dearly beloved and fellow-
laborer in the gospel, and to Apphia, our
sister, and to Archippus, our fellow-sol
dier in Christ, and to the church which
assembles in your house : Grace and
peace be with you from God our Father
and from the Lord Jesus Christ. [r.3]
I thank God for your growth in faith
and goodness every time I mention you
in my prayers; for I hear of the love
and faith which you show towards Christ
and all your fellow- Christians. I pray [4,5]
that in the knowledge of spiritual good,
your faith may evidence itself in commu
nicating blessing to others, to the praise
of Christ. For it was a great solace to [6]
my heart when I learned how you, my
brother, had, by your deeds of love,
cheered your fellow-disciples. [7]

The Epistles of Paul
Since I have heard these tidings of
your Christian love, although I might
enjoin upon you to do what accords with
that love, yet I prefer to ask it as a
favor, — inasmuch as I am an old man and
a prisoner, because of my devotion to the
[8,9] gospel. I have a favor to ask of you
regarding my child in the faith to whom
I became as a spiritual father by leading
[10] him to Christ here in my imprisonment.
I mean Onesimus, who, in time past, has,
indeed, belied the meaning of his name
{" Profitable ") and proved very unprofita
ble to you, but who now, as a Christian,
will fulfil the meaning of his name and
[n] prove himself profitable to us both. I
have sent him back to you now with this
letter, dear as he is to me, yes, dear as
[12] my very heart. I should have been glad
to keep him that he might represent
yourself in ministration to me in my im-
[13] prisonment; but I did not feel at liberty
to do this without your consent lest I
seem to be forcing a service from you
[14] which you had not freely authorized. It
has occurred to me that Providence may
have permitted him to be separated from
you for a time that he might come back

Philemon
to you in a new character and relation,
no longer as a mere slave, but as a be
loved fellow-Christian. Such is he to
me, and how much more so should he be
to thee, towards whom he sustains both
a worldly and a spiritual relation. Now, [15,16]
in view of our friendship, I ask you to
receive and treat him as you would me,
and whatever he owes you — charge it
to me. Here is my bond in my own [17,18]
handwriting: /, Paul, will pay it; I
say nothing here of what you owe me,
since it was I who led you to Christ. [!9l
Receive Onesimus, then, and thereby
prove yourself my Onesimus — " profit
able " to me — and thus cheer my spirit
by your Christian conduct. I feel sure [20]
that in this matter you will do even more
than I ask you to do. Prepare, also, to
receive a visit from me, for I hope that
in answer to your prayers I shall be re
leased and permitted to visit you. [21,22]
Epaphras, my fellow-captive in Christ,
greets you, and so do my fellow-laborers,
Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke.
The grace of Christ be with you. Amen. [23-25]

213

The Epistle to the Ephesians

Chapter I
I, PAUL, a divinely appointed mes
senger of Christ, send to you Ephesian
Christians wishes of grace and peace. [1,2]
I praise God that in Christ he has be
stowed upon us all spiritual and heavenly [3]
gifts, according to his eternal purpose of [4]
love, to make us pure and sinless through
the work of Christ. For our salvation
is grounded in God's gracious purpose
of redemption, wherein he has accom
plished his loving design and has saved
us through his Son. For it is due to the [5,6]
abundant grace of God that we are saved
by the death of Christ and delivered from
our sins. In the gospel we see revealed [7]
the heavenly secret of the divine wisdom,
which God will, at length, fulfil in the
saving work of Christ; namely, to bring
all beings and powers, whether in heaven
or earth, into unity and harmony in
him; and in him we receive our herit- [8-10]
217

Chap, i.] The Epistles of Paul
age of mercy, according to God's saving
and effective purpose, that we Jews who
had set our hope on Christ might realize
[11,12] the purpose of God's love. And you
Gentiles too, when you heard the mes
sage of salvation through Christ, believed
on him and received the Holy Spirit as
a pledge that your deliverance from sin
should be complete, in fulfilment of
[13,14] God's loving will.
On this account, since I heard the
story of your devotion to Christ and to
his people, I unceasingly praise God for
[15,16] it, and beseech him to enrich your life
[17] with all spiritual wisdom and knowledge;
to illumine your hearts that you may
appreciate the hope to which he calls
you, the glorious blessings in store for
you, and his effective working for the
[18, 19] salvation of believers, — a power which
he has shown in the resurrection and
glorification of Christ, whereby he has
placed him in the supreme seat of au
thority in -heaven and has subordinated
to him all existing powers, and made
him Sovereign over his church, his mys
tical body, which is filled and penetrated
[20-23] by his life. 218

Ephesians [Chap. 2.

Chapter II
And you Gentiles, likewise, did God
raise to a holy life from the moral death
of sin, — a state of sin in which you [1]
were formerly dominated by the princi
ples of this evil age, in obedience to
Satan, the Prince of the powers which
inhabit the upper air, the evil Spirit
which is now ruling in those who dis
obey God. To these disobedient ones we [2]
Jews also belonged when, in our former
life, we gave ourselves up to evil pas
sions and imaginations, and, thus giving
the rein to nature, became objects of God's
displeasure as really as the rest of man
kind. But, despite our wickedness, God f3l
in his great love raised us from the
moral death into which we had sunk, into
a blessed life of fellowship with Christ
(to his grace be all the praise !), and
made us partakers in his heavenly do
minion and glory. For God's grace is [4-6]
the ground of our salvation, as faith is
the condition of its appropriation ; we
do not achieve it by our good works;
219

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
God freely bestows it, and we must as-
[7-9] cribe it to his goodness alone. Our
Christian life is his work ; we are his
new creation and in his gracious purpose
he has given us our place and work in
[10] his kingdom.
Do not forget your former condition
when you were carnal heathen ; when
Jews, the so-called " circumcision," used
to speak of you with contempt as " the
uncircumcision ; " when you had no
knowledge of Christ, of God's chosen
people, or of his gracious revelation
[11,12] to them, — were hopeless and godless.
How great the change ! now through
the death of Christ you have been made
[13] part of the true spiritual Israel. For
by his saving death for all men he has
undone the old division of Jew and
Gentile ; he has set aside the law which
hedged the Jews off" from the rest of
mankind ; he has united and harmonized
in himself all mankind, so that humanity
[14, 15] is no longer two but one. In his death
for our entire race he has healed the old
division and has united Jew and Gentile ;
his common salvation brings them to-
[16-18] gether as sons of a common Father.

Ephesians [Chap. 3.
You must no longer be regarded as out
casts ; you are a part of the family of
God ; yours is the full heritage of reve
lation through apostles and prophets ;
yours the saving benefits of Christ. You [19,20]
are a part of his spiritual temple. You
must be fitted and shaped to your own
place, so that the whole structure, harmo
nious and beautiful, may rise into a
perfect dwelling-place for the Spirit of
God. [21,22]

Chapter III
It is to promote your edification in the
spiritual life that I am enduring the hard
ships of imprisonment, — for of course [1]
you know that I was entrusted with the
mission of proclaiming the grace of God
to you Gentiles. You know that to me [2]
was disclosed the secret of God's universal
benevolence, on which I have already
commented in few words, by the reading
of which you can perceive my acquaint
ance with God's saving purpose in Christ. [3, 4]
In ancient times the knowledge that
God's merciful designs embraced the
221

Chap. 3.] The. Epistles of Paul
Gentiles, as well as the Jews, was hidden
from the thoughts of men; but it has
now been revealed by the Spirit to the
apostles and prophets, whom God has
made the chosen recipients of this knowl-
[5] edge, that God purposes to save the
[6] Gentiles through Christ. And this is the
message which God has commissioned
[7] and empowered me to proclaim. Yes,
to me, once the wicked persecutor of the
Christians, has God given the great priv
ilege of assuring the heathen that they
[8] may be saved through Christ, and of
helping them to believe that the sover
eign God has disclosed in Christ his lov-
[9] ing purpose towards them. Thus by the
union of all mankind in the church shall
it become apparent to all supernal Powers
how glorious is God's redemptive purpose
in Christ, through faith in whom we come
[10-12] to God in trustful confidence. Such being
my mission on your behalf, do not be
disheartened in your zeal because I must
suffer persecution; rather should you
feel honored by my endurance of suffer-
[13] ing for your sake.
That you may be encouraged I humbly
pray the Father, from whom every order

Ephesians [Chap. 4.
of his children receives its name,1 that in [14,15]
his abundant grace he would enrich
your inner life; that through faith you [16]
may have living fellowship with Christ, [17]
so that, being firmly established in love,
ye may be fully able to grasp, with all
your fellow-believers, the boundless great
ness of Christ's love for men, that all gifts
of divine grace may be yours. [18, 19]
Now unto him who is able to bless us
far beyond all our desires and concep
tions, according to that power whereby
he works within us, — unto him, in Christ,
be honor rendered in his church, forever
and ever. Amen. [20, 21]

Chapter IV
Therefore I, the Lord's prisoner,
exhort you to fulfil in your life the true
meaning of your Christian profession. [1]
1 There is a paronomasia here which it is impossible
exactly to reproduce in English. God is the Tar-ftp
after whom every irarpid is named ; that is, the very
name iraTpii points to God as its jra-rijp; every order
of God's creatures by its very name (irm-pia) recog
nizes him as the Father. The practical import of the
whole phrase is : Father of angels and men.
223

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
Be humble, meek, gentle, patient, and
[2] loving. Strive to maintain the unity
which the Spirit fosters, being bound to
tal gether by the tie of peace. The church,
Christ's mystical body, is one, and is ani
mated by one Spirit ; the hope of salva
tion, to which you are summoned by the
[4] gospel, is the same for all believers. We
have a common Lord ; faith and baptism
mean the same for us all; we have one
God and Father, whose Spirit pervades
[5, 6] and rules all Christian hearts. But,
along with these grounds of unity, there
is also variety in the church. Christ has
[7] distributed to us various gifts of grace.
As the Scripture says, When he ascended
to heaven in triumph, he bestowed gifts
[8] upon men. [Now this ascent implies a
previous descent to the underworld. It
implies also the identity of the One who
first went down to the world of the dead
and then went up to the highest heavens
[9, 10] there to reign in glory and power.] His
various gifts are illustrated by the various
offices and functions in the church, such
as those of the apostle, the prophet, the
[n] evangelist, the pastor and teacher. All
these gifts are designed to equip his
224

Ephesians [Chap. 4.
people for their work of service and to
enable them to build up his church, until [12]
we all attain the ideal of unity and har
mony in faith and knowledge, — the full
maturity of Christian manhood, measured
by the standard of Christ's own perfec
tion. The purpose of his gracious gifts [13]
is that we should not continue immature
and unstable in our Christian life, so as
to be susceptible to every deception and
error ; but that, living in truth and love, [14]
we should become like him from whom
we draw our spiritual life, even Christ. [15]
He is the bond which binds us all to
gether. He is the Head of a body of
which we are all parts. By him each
part, filling its own place and performing
its own function, is made to contribute to
the growth and perfection of the whole
in love. [16]
Such being the nature and require
ments of the Christian life, you should
not live, as other Gentiles do, in wicked
folly and moral blindness, estranged from
God by ignorance and perversity, in [17, 18]
moral insensibility giving themselves over
to the indulgence of the basest passions. [19]
Such a life is contrary to Christ. When
15 225

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
the gospel was preached to you, you were
taught that discipleship to Christ requires
the giving up of the old sinful life, with
[20,22] its corruptions, and the living of a new,
[23,24] inward, spiritual, and holy life.
Renounce, then, the sins which marked
that former evil life. Cease lying and
speak the truth, for this is a duty based
[25] in our common humanity. Let not your
anger betray you into sin; let no day's
close find you still harboring resentment ;
do not allow Satan to obtain power over
[26,27] you. Those who have been guilty of
stealing must cease from it and support
themselves by honest labor, that they
[28] may also aid their needy brethren.
Avoid all corrupt speech and employ
such as shall build up the church and
[29] bless the hearers. And grieve not the
Holy Spirit, given you as a pledge of
[30] your redemption. Put away from you
every resentful and malicious passion,
and imitate the kindness, tenderness, and
forgiveness with which God, through
[31, 32] Christ, has regarded and treated you.

226

Ephesians * [Chap. 5.

Chapter V
THIS love of God is the pattern of life
for you, his beloved children. Let love [1]
therefore rule your life, even as it ruled
that of Christ, who gave himself up to
death for us, an offering acceptable in the
sight of God. As Christians you must [2J
wholly avoid all impurity, lust, and ava
rice, all buffoonery and ribald jesting,
for such speech becomes you not, but
rather thanksgiving. For you know well [3, 4]
those who are guilty of such sins (covet-
ousness is a kind of idol worship) have
no part in the kingdom of heaven. Let [5]
no man persuade you that such sins are
innocent; for they are the deeds which
provoke God's holy indignation agajnst
those who are guilty of them. Refuse all [6]
partnership with such persons ; for your
former evil life, with which such vices are
in keeping, is now passed, and you are
now the possessors of the light of purity
and truth; let your conduct be pure, for
the Christian life yields moral rectitude
and uprightness as its fruit. Make sure [7-9]
227

Chap. 5.] The Epistles of Paul
of what is acceptable to Christ and
wholly avoid the evil life which brings
no fruitage of blessing, but rather expose
[10,11] its real character. For of the secret
deeds of the heathen it were disgraceful
even to speak. The light of truth, shin
ing upon them, makes their foulness
manifest. And that this judgment of
the light upon evil may take place, we
Christians must rouse ourselves from
moral stupor and become the bearers of
[12-14] Christ's light to men.
Take careful heed, then, to your con
duct; be discerning and make the most
of your opportunities, for the times are
[15, l6] evil. Do not give way to folly, but learn
[17] to know the will of Christ. Do not seek
the excitement of intoxication, but the
joy which comes from the Spirit's indwell-
['8] ing, so that you may edify one another
with devout songs of praise to Christ,
[J9] accompanied by the melody of the heart.
Render perpetual thanks to God for all
the blessings which he has bestowed
[20] upon you through Christ.
Observe among yourselves the proper
relations of subjection and dependence,
[21] remembering that Christ is your judge.
228

Ephesians [Chap. 5.
This law of dependence requires the obe
dience of the wife to her husband, which is
involved in obedience to Christ. For the [22]
husband possesses authority over the
wife, even as Christ does over the church,
his mystical body, which he saves. But [23]
as the church obeys Christ, so let wives
in all things obey their husbands. Hus- [24]
bands, on their part, must love their
wives with a love such as Christ showed
in his willingness to die for the church,
in order that, having purified it in the
baptismal waters, he might hallow it by
the indwelling of God's word, that, at [25,26]
his coming, he might set before himself
his church as a pure and spotless bride. [27]
With such love should husbands love
their wives, — even as they cherish their
own bodies. Since husband and wife
are morally one, to love the wife is to
love one's self. Men do not disregard, [28]
but care for and preserve their bodies, as
Christ also cherishes his body, the church
of which we are members. Therefore, [29,30]
just as in marriage (according to the Old
Testament) a man is to leave his parents
and become one with his wife in wedlock,
so shall Christ at his coming become
229

Chap. 6.] The Epistles of Paul
[31] united with his spiritual bride, the church.
A deep meaning underlies this language,
and I apply it to the mystical union of
[32] Christ with the church. Now, to pursue
the subject no further, let each one of
you (according to the analogy of Christ's
love for his church) love his wife as him
self, and let the wife in turn reverence
[33] her husband.

Chapter VI
THE principle of dependence and sub
mission in question requires children to
render obedience to their parents as a
[>] Christian duty. They are to honor their
parents according to the commandment,
which is the first one which has a promise
attached to it ; namely, that of long life in
[2, 3] the land of promise for those who obey.
And fathers, on their part, should not by
harshness provoke angry passions in
their children, but should discipline and
[4] train them in the spirit of Christ.
Servants are to obey their natural
superiors with a zeal which is careful to
leave no duty undone, without hypoc-
230

Ephesians [Chap. 6.
risy or duplicity, as rendering service to
Christ. Their service should not be [5]
rendered with a mere semblance of
fidelity or with a view to human appro
bation, but in the conviction that, as
Christ's servants, their work is divinely
appointed and is to be faithfully per
formed as a duty which they owe to
God. They should remember that [6, 7l
every man — whatever his social stand
ing — shall receive from Christ the just
reward of his service. And, in turn, the [8]
masters must treat their bondmen with
kindness, refraining from all undue
severity and remembering that they, as
well as their slaves, are under the au
thority of the exalted Christ and that
he will impartially judge men without
reference to their social condition. [9]
Finally, equip yourselves with the con
quering power which the Lord bestows, [io]
As Christian warriors, array yourselves in
the panoply of God in order that you
may stand your ground against the cun
ning assaults of the devil. For our [«]
Christian conflict is not against feeble
human strength, but against the super
human powers which rule this dark and
231

Chap. 6.] The Epistles of Paul
evil age, — against the wicked spirit-hosts
[J2] which inhabit the upper air. Wherefore
put on the whole armor of God, that you
may be able to withstand them in the
day of battle, and, having achieved the
victory over all foes, may still stand up-
[13] right ready for conflict. Stand forth,
therefore, girded with the belt of truth,
wearing the breastplate of moral upright
ness and shod as ready messengers of the
[H, J5] glad tidings of peace. And in addition to
these equipments, take up the shield of
faith by means of which you will be
able to extinguish all the burning arrows
[16] of Satan. And put on as a helmet
the certainty of salvation and grasp the
sword which the Spirit provides, the
[17] gospel of divine truth. Continue to pray
unceasingly and earnestly for all our
fellow-Christians, and for me, that God
would guide and teach me in my efforts
to disclose to men the heavenly secret
[18, 19] contained in the gospel for the proclama
tion of which I am in my imprisonment
fulfilling the office of Christ's represen
tative. Continue, then, to pray that I
may deliver my message with boldness,
[20] as it is my duty to do.232

Ephesians [Chap. 6.
Now that you, as well as others, may
know my condition, Tychicus, the be
loved brother and faithful servant of
Christ, will fully inform you. I have [21]
sent him for this very purpose, that you
might know how we do and that he
might encourage you in the Christian
life. [22]
Peace be to the brethren, and love with
faith, from God our Father, and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love
our Lord Jesus Christ with never-failing
love.

233

The Epistle to the
Philippians

Chapter I
Paul and Timothy, bondmen of Jesus
Christ, to all the Christians at Philippi,
together with the bishops and deacons, [i]
Grace and peace from God our Father
and from the Lord Jesus Christ be with
you. [2]
I am thankful to God whenever I think
of you. I always gladly remember you
all in my prayers, for you have co-oper
ated with me in extending the gospel
from the time when you first heard of it
until now. I am confident that God, who [3-5]
has begun the work of your salvation, will
carry it forward to its perfection at the
Lord's coming. I justify this confidence [6]
by my affection for you and by your
sympathy and co-operation with me in
my imprisonment and in the promotion
of the gospel. Thus have you all shown
yourselves to be sharers in the grace which
Christ has bestowed upon me. I call [7]
237

Chap, i.] The Epistles of Paul
God to witness that I yearn after you all
[8] with a Christ-like affection. I pray that
your love may grow more and more in
intelligence and discrimination, that you
may discern and approve the good, that
you may be found pure and blameless at
Christ's coming, and that you may be full
[9-11] of all good works, to the praise of God.
Now my trial and imprisonment,
brethren, so far from hindering my work
[12] of preaching, have rather promoted it.
That I was imprisoned for my devotion
to Christ has become known not only to
the soldiers of the imperial guard, but to
[13] the whole people of Rome, and my ex
perience and success have inspired most
of my fellow-disciples with new zeal and
boldness in the proclamation of the gos-
[14] pel. But not all who preach Christ do
so from worthy motives. Some are act
uated by envy of me ; others by kind
ness towards me. The latter work in
sympathy with me as a divinely appointed
defender of the gospel; the former are
moved by a spirit of contention and par
tisanship, designing only to annoy and
[i5_I7] wound me. What shall be said of the
work of those who do this? I will only
238

Philippians [Chap, i.]
say of it that, in any case, whether with
pure or with impure motives, Christ is
proclaimed and in that I rejoice ; yes, and
I will continue to rejoice. For I know that [iS]
this trial which they are causing me will
result in my spiritual profit, in answer to
your prayers and through the grace of
the Spirit. And thus shall I realize my [19]
eager longing and confidence that my
efforts will not be defeated, but that now,
as always, I shall act and speak with all
courage, so as to honor Christ with my
life, whether I give it up in his service
or live to labor on in his cause. Be- [20]
tween life and death I have little care to
choose. Life means labor for Christ;
death means blessed fellowship with him. [21]
When I think of what I might do for
Christ by continuing to live — but I will
express no preference. Each alternative [22]
powerfully appeals to me. My personal
wish would be to die and dwell with
Christ ; for me that would be better than
living. But when I think of you and of
what I can do for you, I should wish to
live and labor on. And when I view the [23,24]
question thus, I am persuaded that it will
be so. I shall continue with you all, that
239

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
I may promote your Christian life and
your joy in believing, so that you may
greatly rejoice in Christ when you have
[25,26] me present with you once more. But
whether I come or not, do you act worthily
of your citizenship in the heavenly king
dom, that, whether present or absent, I
may learn that in unity of spirit you are
standing firm and are vigorously defend
ing the faith in Christ which the gospel
[27] requires. I hope to hear that in the
presence of the assaults of your enemies
you display a courage which will be at
once an omen of their utter defeat and
a divine pledge of your victory, for God
has graciously bestowed upon you the
privilege, not only of believing on Christ,
[28, 29] but also of suffering for his sake. In your
present trials you are engaged in the
same struggle in which you saw me con
tending when I was at Philippi, and which
you now hear of my waging here in my
[3°] Roman prison. Chapter II
I APPEAL to you in the name of your
Christian experience, your mutual love,
240

Philippians [Chap. 2.
your spiritual fellowship, and your affec
tions and sympathies, to give me the joy
of knowing that you continue in unity
and harmony. Avoid all partisanship [1,2]
and vain ambition and cultivate humility
and unselfishness. Let no one of you [3]
regard merely his own interests, but let
him also consult the interests and wants
of others. Cherish the disposition which [4]
dwelt in Christ, who, though he existed
in a divine mode of being, did not regard
that state of existence as something to
be eagerly grasped and retained, but re
linquished it and assumed the likeness of
men by taking on a servant-form. Nor [5-7]
was this all. Having assumed the fashion
of our humanity, he stooped to suffer, in
obedience to God, the shameful death of
the cross. But the path of humiliation [8]
proved to be the way of true exaltation,
for in consequence of his self-renuncia
tion God exalted him to a place of supre
macy and dominion and bestowed upon
him the highest title and dignity, and or
dained that all beings should pay homage
to his majesty and acknowledge his lord
ship to the praise of God the Father. [9-1 1 J
Inspired by this example of Christ, con-
16 241

Chap; 2.] The Epistles of Paul
tinue to show the same spirit of obedience
which you have always shown. Do not
depend upon my presence to incite you
to your duty, but now while I am absent
from you, diligently seek to carry to com
pletion the work of your salvation with
[12] all care and anxiety lest you fail. And
remember that you do not strive at this
task unaided. God is meanwhile work
ing within you, inspiring your determina
tion and directing your progress, in order
that his gracious will may be accom-
[13] plished in your completed salvation.
Avoid complaints and dissensions, that
you may provoke no censure and may
show yourselves to be God's true chil
dren in the midst of a corrupt people,
among whom you are to appear as lumi
naries in a dark world, holding out to
[14,15] others the gospel of life. Let me be able,
when Christ shall appear, to point to
your faithfulness as proof that my efforts
[16] on your behalf have not been fruitless.
Yes, to secure this result I weuld willingly
pour out my life as a libation, in addition
to the sacrifice of your faith which you
are offering to God ; I can rejoice in pro
moting your salvation even at such a cost,
242

Philippians [Chap. 2.
and I ask you also to rejoice and to con
gratulate me. [17, 18]
But I am hoping for such a favorable
turn in my case that I can send Timothy
to you soon and obtain news of your
condition. For, besides him, I have no [19]
other who would so genuinely interest
himself in your welfare. For all the rest [20]
are occupied with their own interests, not
with those of Christ. But Timothy you [21]
have tested, and you know with what
filial fidelity he served me in promoting
the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send [22]
him as soon as I learn what turn my
affairs will take. And I also hope that [23]
Providence will soon open the way for
me to visit you. Meanwhile, I have [24]
deemed it necessary to send to you
Epaphroditus, my comrade and the
bearer of your bounty to me. For he [25]
yearned to see you, and was distressed
because he knew that you had received
the report of his sickness. And, indeed, [26]
he was very sick, so that we despaired of
his life. But God was merciful to him
and to me, and restored him and thus
spared me the additional sorrow which
his death would have caused. I have, [27]
243

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
therefore, the more willingly sent him to
you, that you may be cheered by seeing
him, and that the knowledge of your joy
may lighten the burden of my present
[28] suffering. Welcome him with all glad
ness as a Christian brother. Such as he
are deserving of all respect, for in his
devotion to the work of Christ he risked
his life and was brought near to death's
door that he might render that service
of love which, had it been possible, you
would gladly have rendered to me in
[29,30] person.

Chapter III
Now, my brethren, whatever your
trials, continue to rejoice in the Lord. I
do not hesitate to mention again an old
subject, for you need to be warned with
[1] regard to it again and again. Be on your
guard against those shameless, mischief-
making Judaizers, whose boasted circum-
[2] cision I should call mere mutilation. For
the true " circumcision " is a spiritual wor
ship and service, such as we Christians
practise who set no value upon mere out-
244

Philippians [Chap. 3.
ward rites. Were any saving value to be [3]
attached to these, I might lay claim to
the boasted advantage. I was born and [4]
reared a strict Jew; I grew up a rigid
legalist and carried out my Pharisaic zeal
consistently by persecuting the Chris
tians; in conformity to the law, I fell
short in no particular. But now I have [5, 6]
renounced all these proud claims ' and
supposed advantages for the sake of
Christ. All my legal righteousness and [7]
meritorious works I now esteem as utterly
worthless compared to the saving knowl
edge of Christ. To me now they seem
the merest refuse if only I can make
Christ my own, and find my true life in
fellowship with him. I renounce all [8]
claim to acceptance with God on the
ground of my obedience to the law,
and seek acceptance and pardon solely
through trust in Christ for salvation. I [9]
desire only fellowship with Christ, — to
rise with him to newness of life, to die
with him to sin, in order that, at length, I
may attain full perfection of life in his
kingdom. But this high attainment is [10,11]
yet far beyond me. Still, I am eagerly
pressing forward in the race in order to
24S

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
reach the goal to which Christ is ever
[12] summoning me. No; I have not reached
it; but one thing I am doing: dissatisfied
with all past attainments and bending
every energy, as the athlete does in a
race, I am striving to reach the high des
tiny to which God, through Christ, has
[13, 14] called me. Let all of us, then, who know
the nature and demands of the Christian
life, give ourselves to this effort, and if,
in any respect, any of us fall short in our
ideal or effort, God will help us to correct
our fault ; but there is one thing we must
remember: if we are to make progress,
we must live up to our best present
knowledge of the ideals and requirements
[15,16] of the Christian life.
Vie with each other, brethren, in imi
tating me, and observe those whose con-
[17] duct resembles mine. For there are
many, of whom I have often spoken to
you and now tell you with tears, whose
conduct shows them to be foes of our
[18] doctrine of salvation by Christ's death.
They are destined to destruction; they
are slaves of appetite; they rejoice in
their own disgrace; their affections are
[19] set on this world. But we belong to a
246

Philippians [Chap. 4.
commonwealth »which has its seat in
heaven, whence we look for the appear
ance of our Lord Jesus Christ to save us, [20]
who, by his all-conquering power, shall
transform the corrupt and perishable
bodies in which we now dwell into the
likeness of his own glorified body. In- [21]
spired by this glorious hope, my brethren
dearly beloved, stand firm in your Chris
tian life and profession. [iv. 1]

Chapter IV
I BEG Euodia and Syntyche to cease
their variance and become reconciled. [2]
Yes, I entreat you, my faithful compan
ion, to help them to compose their dif
ferences, for these women were among
my devoted helpers, along with Clement
and the other faithful laborers whose
names are written in the register of God's
faithful people. [3]
Once and again I exhort you to joy-
fulness in your Christian life. Be gentle [4]
towards all; the Lord's coming draws
near. Be not distracted by anxious care, [5]
but in prayer and praise commit your
247

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
[6] wants and desires to God. And the
peace which God bestows, which, more
than all human reasoning or forethought
brings rest to the soul, will guard your
[7] hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever is worthy
of reverence, true, just, pure, lovely, and
fair, — - in short, whatever moral excel
lence there is, and whatever praise it
[8] deserves, carefully reflect upon it. Ob
serve my instruction and example, and
[9] God shall bless you with his peace.
It is to me a sacred joy to think
that after so long an absence you have
again proved your generous kindness
towards me, — a feeling which you have
constantly cherished, but lacked the op-
[10] portunity to show. It was not merely
my need which made your gift so wel
come, for I have learned to be contented
[n] in my lot, whatever it is. I know how
to be humbled by want and I know how
to bear abundance. I have become ac
customed to the most various outward
[12] conditions. But my sufficiency is not
from myself, but from him who gives
[13] me strength to endure all things. But,
though I am not concerned for my out-
248

Philippians [Chap. 4.
ward condition, I count it a beautiful
thing in you to show me your sympathy
and aid in my affliction. And this is [14]
not the first time, for you will remember
well, my Philippian friends, that in my
early missionary preaching, as I was leav
ing Macedonia, you were the only church
which contributed to my support, for
when I was at Thessalonica you more than
once sent supplies to me. I prize your [15,16]
gift not so much for itself as for the
spiritual blessing- which its bestowment
will bring to you. My wants are fully [17]
met by your recent contribution to my
need, which Epaphroditus brought, — a
sweet odor of sacrifice, well-pleasing
to God. God will abundantly recom- [18]
pense you out of his full storehouse
of blessing in Christ. To him, our God [19]
and Father, be glory forever. [20]
My salutations to all the members of
your church. My companions here, and
all the members of the Roman church,
especially those of the Emperor's house
hold, salute you. The grace of our Lord [21,22]
Jesus Christ be with you. [23]

249

The First Epistle to Timothy

Chapter I
I, PAUL, a divinely commissioned
apostle of Christ, send to you, my spir
itual son Timothy, salutations of grace,
mercy, and peace. [i, 2]
I now repeat the exhortation which I
gave you when I was about to start for
Macedonia ; namely, that you should warn
certain false teachers from devoting their
attentions to foolish myths and specula
tions concerning the derivation of spir
itual beings, — subjects which provoke
disputes rather than help men to dis
charge their duties as faithful stewards of
God ; for the goal of the gospel require- [3, 4]
ment is love pure and sincere, and faith
without pretence. Some have deserted [5]
these truths and in their folly have as
sumed to be expounders of the divine
law, without knowing at all the true
import of that which they pretend to
teach. Now the law of God is certainly [6, 7]
253

Chap, i.j The Epistles of Paul
profitable if it is used according to its
[8] right meaning and intention, and it is only
rightly used when one considers that it
exists not for him who fulfils the divine
will in free obedience, but to rebuke and
restrain those who are guilty of various
sins and crimes and of whatever conduct
is contrary to the wholesome instruction
[9, 10] contained in the gospel. This is the
view of the nature and use of the law
which accords with the glorious good
news which God has now proclaimed and
with whose proclamation I have been
[n] intrusted. Praise be to Christ, who strengthened
me and deemed me fit to enter his ser-
[12] vice, though I was one who profaned
sacred things and bitterly opposed his
cause. But he had compassion upon me,
for I did not know how sinful my con-
[13] duct was; and the abounding grace of
Christ reached even to me and produced
[14] in me the fruits of faith and love. True
beyond all question is that word,
" Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners," for I was the greatest
[15] sinner. But God had mercy upon me, in
order that, in the case of a great evil-doer
254

Timothy I [Chap. 2.
such as I was, he might show forth all
the richness of his forgiving grace as an
illustration of the forbearance which he
would show towards those who should
afterwards believe on Christ for salvation. [16]
Now to the one God, the glorious King
of the ages, be all praise ascribed, for
ever. Amen. [17]
This instruction, then, my son Timothy,
respecting the true Christian teaching, I
now deliver to you, in accord with the
predictions of your faithful service to
Christ, which were formerly made. In
fulfilment of them do you fight the good
fight. Hold fast to Christ and to a pure [18]
purpose in his service. Be warned by
the loss of faith on the part of some ; for
example, Hymenasus and Alexander,
whom I have remanded to Satan for
punishment, that they may thereby be
restrained from the desecration of sacred
things. [19,20]
Chapter II
The first point, then, which I charge
you to observe is that, in the public wor
ship, all classes of men be remembered
255

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
in the prayers. Let God's guidance be
asked for rulers and magistrates, that the
church may enjoy the blessings of rest
and peace in the practice of all Christian
[i, 2] virtues. The offering of such prayers on
behalf of all men is pleasing to God, since
[3, 4] he desires the salvation of all. For there
is one God, the Author of salvation for
all, and one Mediator, Christ Jesus, who
himself shares man's nature and died to
save all men, — a work of grace which
was destined to be proclaimed to the
[5, 6] world in God's own time, and for whose
proclamation I solemnly declare that I
was divinely appointed as a herald and
messenger that I might lead the heathen
[7] to believe on Christ.
I further direct that, wherever
Christian congregations assemble, the
- men shbuld offer up public prayer in
[8] reverence and peaceableness. Also, that
the women appear in the congregation in
modest guise and demeanor; not decked
out in artificial ornaments and wearing
costly raiment and jewels, but adorned
(as Christian women should be) with the
[9, 10] beauty of a good life. In the public
assembly the women are to listen and
256

Timothy I [Chap. 3.
learn with all docility. I forbid them to [u]
assume the function of public teachers or
to assert their authority over the men in
the conduct of the affairs of the church,
and require that they be quiet in the
assembly. For man was a prior, woman [12]
a subsequent, creation of God ; moreover,
it was not man, but woman, who yielded
to the voice of the tempter; but she [13,14]
shall realize her salvation, not by assum
ing the functions of public life, but by
keeping, in all faithfulness and simpli
city, to her allotted sphere as wife and
mother. [15]

Chapter III
The high estimation in which the
office of overseer is held in the church
is quite warranted. Among the qualifi- \A
cations required in one who would
assume this office are : purity of private
life, generosity, capacity for teaching,
peaceableness, freedom from greed,'
ability to govern his own household and
to restrain his children from all lawless
and froward action (for how could one
17 257

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
administer the affairs of the church who
cannot regulate his own household?), and
experience in Christian work, so that
he may not, by reason of his conceit,
expose himself to the divine judgment
[2-6] which Satan through his pride incurred.
Moreover, he must sustain a good repu
tation among those outside the church, so
as not to fall a prey to the wiles of the
[7] devil. Deacons, too, must be honorable,
straightforward, temperate, free from
covetousness, keeping the treasure of
[8, 9] Christian truth in purity of heart. The
office should not be assumed except by
those whose fidelity has been well
[10] proved. Their wives, also, must possess
the moral qualities which have been
[11] mentioned. Deacons, I repeat, must
be exemplary in private and family life,
for the faithful discharge of their office
leads to an honorable position in the
church and to the confident assurance —
grounded upon faith in Christ — of the
[12,13] church's appreciation.
' I am writing in the hope of visiting
you soon; but if I am prevented from
doing so, these written instructions will
serve to show you how to regulate the
258

Timothy I [Chap. 4.
worship and government of the church,
which is the support and preserver of the
divine truth. And this secret of God's' [14,15]
truth as revealed in Christ is confessedly
deep and weighty, including (as one of
our hymns expresses it) the facts of his
incarnation, his attestation by the Holy
Spirit, the ministration of angels to him,
the preaching of his gospel to the
heathen, its wide-spread reception and
his glorious ascension. [16]

Chapter IV
Now it is expressly foretold in proph
ecy that in the closing period of this
present age some will relinquish their
trust in Christ and give themselves over to
the evil influences of demoniacal powers,
being led astray by pretentious false
teachers who are well aware of their
own wickedness and guilt. Among their [1,2]
erroneous teachings is their prohibition
of marriage and their insistence upon
ascetic abstinence from certain kinds of
food which God created for man's use,
and which Christians should gratefully
259

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
[3] receive and enjoy. For all the provi
sions of God for man's life are whole
some, and should be gratefully accepted
and used, for they are made holy by the
[4, 5] partaker's solemn words of thanksgiving.
If you impress these truths upon the
minds of your fellow-Christians, you will
prove yourself an acceptable servant of
Christ, mature in the Christian life and
knowledge in Which you have been nur-
[6] tured. Pay no heed to the irreverent
[7] and silly myths of the false teachers.
Train yourself in spirituality; for though
physical gymnastic has a temporary value
for our present welfare, spiritual training
secures benefits both for the present and
[8] for the future life. This is a statement
[9] whose truth none can gainsay. That we
may achieve this heavenly good we toil
and struggle, being moved thereto by
our hope in God's salvation, which is
freely offered to all; but is realized by
[10] those who believe on Christ. Enforce
[11] these principles in your instruction. So
conduct yourself that no one shall lose
respect for you on account of your
youth; in public and private life set a
good example before your fellow-Chris-
260

Timothy I [Chap. 5.
tians. While I am absent be diligent in [12]
the public reading of the Scriptures and
in the work of religious instruction. Do ['31
not fail to use God's gracious gift for
teaching and administration, which the
Spirit bestowed upon you in accordance
with a prophecy which was spoken when
the body of elders, by the imposition of
their hands, set you apart to your office. [14]
Bear these exhortations steadfastly in
mind and carefully observe them, that
all may note your attainments in Chris
tian grace and knowledge. Have careful [15]
regard to your own life and to the work
of instruction of which you have super
vision. Be true to all the duties which I
have enjoined upon you, and you will
thereby further both your own salvation
and that of those committed to your
guidance. [16]

Chapter V
ACCORD to the persons of your charge
the consideration and treatment which
are appropriate to their age and position. [1. 2]
Have a special care for those widows
261

Chap. 5.] The Epistles of Paul
[3] who are utterly destitute and dependent.
In cases where widows have children or
grandchildren who can support them,
they should be enjoined to do so, thus
making return for what their parents
had done for them ; God's blessing is
promised upon such a fulfilment of filial
Ul duty. Now .the widow who is wholly
dependent and friendless puts her trust
in God alone and worships and serves
him continually; while she who gives
herself up to wanton pleasures abandons
[5, 6] herself to moral death. Carefully ob
serve these directions, that the widows
of your charge cause no scandal in the
[7] church. Now with respect to the sup
port of widows, the general principle is
that each person must care for his own rela
tives ; if he does not, he fails to show the
natural affection which even the heathen
[8] exhibit. Let no widow be placed on the
list of church pensionaries who does not
fulfil the following conditions : She must
be not less than sixty years of age, must
have lived an unsullied conjugal life, and
must be well attested as one who has
reared and trained her own children well,
shown generosity, served her fellow-be-
262

Timothy I [Chap. 5.
lievers, comforted the sorrowing, and, in
short, as having lived a life of faithful
Christian service. Do not enroll widows [9, r°]
who are under sixty, for they are likely
to turn away from Christ to worldly
pleasures, and to marry again, and thus
to incur the blame of forsaking their
allegiance to Christ. Thus they readily [11,12]
form habits of laziness, gossiping, med
dlesomeness, and recklessness in speech. [13]
I therefore counsel that these younger
widows marry and rear families, so as to
bring no reproach upon the church ; for [14]
some of them have already deserted the
path of the Christian life. If any Chris- [15]
tian woman have widowed relatives de
pendent upon her, let her, if possible,
support them, that the church may be
relieved from assuming their maintenance,
so that it can reserve its entire bounty
for those widows who have no one to
provide for their wants. [16]
Elders who faithfully perform their
office of superintendency, deserve special
praise, especially such as teach and
preach. For the Old Testament, in say- [17]
ing that the ox, while threshing, should
not be muzzled, recognizes the principle
263

Chap. 5.] The Epistles of Paul
which Jesus proclaimed when he said
that the laborer is worthy of his re-
[18] ward. Do not entertain a charge made
against an elder, unless it is supported
by the testimony of two or three wit-
fig] nesses. When elders transgress the law
of the Christian life, rebuke them in the
presence of the whole church, that all
may be warned of the peril of such
[20] action. I solemnly charge you to ob
serve these directions and to apply them
[21] without unjust discrimination. Avoid
all haste in setting men apart to church
offices, so as not to incur blame if they
prove unworthy ; preserve yourself from
[22] all such partnership in their wrong-doing.
Give up the ascetic rule of drinking
water only, and for the benefit of your
[23] health make a moderate use of wine.
The sins of some men are manifest be
fore the eyes of all and herald their
coming judgment, while those of others
are concealed and await the disclosure of
[24] their real character. Similarly, the good
deeds af some are known and recognized
beforehand, while those of others, though
for the time unobserved, are certain to
[25] come to light at the judgment.
264

Timothy I [Chap. 6.
Chapter VI
Christian slaves must accord to their
masters all due respect and obedience, so
as not to bring reproach upon the gos
pel. Those who have Christian masters [i]
must not disregard their obligations to
them on the ground that their superiors
are fellow-Christians, but, rather, render
them all due service just because the mas
ters who receive the service are Christian
brethren. These warnings must be em
phasized in your teaching. [2]
Reverting to the errors of which I was
speaking, I repeat that those who offer
you a different teaching from the whole
some gospel of Christ and the doctrine
which is promotive of piety, do so from
pride and ignorance. They have a mor
bid appetite for idle disputations and
wranglings, which only serve to stir up
evil passions and to promote violent
collisions among those base and false
men who regard religion as a means of
worldly gain. But the true good in life [3-5]
is secured by piety coupled with a con
tented mind ; for why should we be [6]
265

Chap. 6.] The Epistles of Paul
greedy of earthly gain? It is merely
granted to man for a little.while and must
[7] soon be surrendered. How much better
to be satisfied with the supply of our
[8] needs than to crave after riches ! For
those who make the possession of wealth
their goal in life expose themselves to
many perils and evils which often over-
[9] whelm them in moral ruin. For from
avarice springs every sort of sin, and
some have been beguiled by it into re
nouncing their Christian profession and
have thus brought upon themselves bitter
[10] pain and shame.
But do thou, the Lord's servant, avoid
avarice and its consequences and pursue,
[n] instead, the great Christian virtues. Man
fully wage the warfare to which your faith
inspires you, making the life eternal the
goal of your striving, for to this were you
summoned at your conversion and com-
[12] mitted by your public confession of Christ.
I charge you before God, the Source of
all life, and before Christ, who fearlessly
professed his Messiahship before the
Roman procurator, to keep the Chris
tian law unsullied and inviolate till the
[13. r4] Lord's return, which, in due time, shall
266

Timothy I [Chap. 6.
be brought to pass by our great and
mighty God, to whom, changeless, su
premely glorious, majestic, and invisi
ble, be ascribed praise and dominion
forever. Amen. [15, J6]
Enjoin upon those who possess worldly
wealth not to be proud on this account,
and not to trust in their perishing posses
sions, but to trust in God, who gives
abundance of this world's goods, not that
we may be proud over them, but that we
may rightly enjoy and use them. Charge [17]
them to practise benevolence, to seek the
wealth of good works, to be generous and
sympathetic, thus storing up for them- [18]
selves, as a ground of reward, a treasury
of good deeds, that they may attain the
true, heavenly life. [19]
And do you, O Timothy, keep fast
hold of the wholesome teaching which
has been intrusted to you. Avoid the
irreverent and empty word-strifes and
the contradictions and conflicts of the
false teachers who offer you a pretentious
and spurious knowledge, by which some
have already been beguiled from their
allegiance to Christ. May his grace be
yours. [20,21]
267

The Epistle to Titus

Chapter I
I, PAUL, whom God has bound to his
service, and Christ has commissioned to
promote the true faith of God's people
and the right understanding of the whole
some doctrine which assures us of the
blessed life, which the ever faithful God
in ancient days promised to his people, [i, 2]
but now in his own appointed time has
revealed in the gospel which he has
bidden me to preach, — invoke upon you,
Titus, my true spiritual son in Christ, the
blessing of God our Father and of Christ
our Saviour. [3, 4]
The purpose of my leaving you in
Crete was that you should supply the
defects in the organization of the churches
and carry out my previous instruction to
provide each church with a board of eld
ers. Remember that those only are eli- [5]
gible to this office who are, in their moral
life, above suspicion, blameless in their
271

Chap, i.] The Epistles of Paul
marital relations, and whose children are
[6] irreproachable Christians. For the over
seer of the church must be subject to no
accusation ; he must be neither obstinate,
nor irritable, nor quarrelsome, nor avari-
[7] cious, but generous, kind, sober-minded,
[8] upright, and self-controlled, holding fast
the Wholesome teaching of the gospel,
that he may both edify believers and
[9] refute the false teachers.
For there are many self-willed errorists,
devoted to foolish and hurtful questions,
especially certain Judaizers, who ought to
[10] be silenced, — men who lead whole fami
lies into unbelief, exercising a destructive
[u] influence, and all for the sake of base gain.
The corruption which may be found
among the Cretans is described by one
of their own soothsayers, who pronounces
them a treacherous, rude, and 'sensual
[12] people. It is a true indictment. There
fore you will need to employ rigorous
measures to keep them loyal to Christ
and to prevent them from being led
astray by Judaizing speculations and per-
[13, 14] verse human distinctions and abstinences.
To those who have clean hearts all out
ward things are clean; but for those who
272

Titus [Chap. 2.
are inwardly corrupt nothing is clean,
for the impure mind defiles everything. [15]
These errorists pretend to have a special
knowledge of God, but by their utterly
corrupt, detestable, and pernicious deeds
they completely belie this profession. [16]

Chapter II
Let your instruction be in accord with
the healthful teaching of the gospel. Re- [1]
quire the aged men to practise self-con
trol, to maintain a Christian bearing, and
to evince the virtues of faith, love, and
endurance. Exhort the aged women also [2]
to conduct themselves in a manner befit
ting their profession, to avoid slander and
excess in wine-drinking, and to instruct
others in the way of Christian virtue. Bid [3]
them to admonish the young women of
their duty to love their husbands and
children, and to be discreet, chaste,
domestic, and obedient to their husbands,
in order that the gospel may suffer no
reproach on account of their conduct. [4, 5]
Let the younger men be taught self-con
trol. Do you yourself set before others [6]
18 273

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul '
a good Christian example in all respects ;
let your teaching be pure, chaste, and,
both in its form and matter, free from
everything which is at variance with the
gospel, in order that your adversaries
may be disarmed by the irreproachable
[7,8] characterof your life and teaching. Bond
men should be taught to obey and to
please their masters ; not to object to
performing their duties, nor to pilfer from
their superiors, but to render them just
and faithful service, that their conduct
may in all respects do honor to the
[9, 10] gospel. For the revelation of God's all-
embracing, saving purpose, which has
been made in Christ, has shown us that
we must renounce the wicked and cor
rupt life and live purely and uprightly
[11,12] during this brief and evil age, while we
eagerly expect the glorious advent of
Christ, our divine Saviour, who died to
save us from all sin and to acquire for
himself a holy people, devoted to good
[13, 14] deeds. Demand the observance of these in
structions. Permit no one to treat them
[15] lightly.

274

Titus [Chap. 3.

Chapter III
Remind the Christians of Crete to be
obedient to their Roman magistrates, to
stand ready to do every duty, not to
revile any one, not to be quarrelsome, but
peaceable, displaying towards all classes
of men a spirit of gentleness and compas
sion. For before we became Christians [1, 2]
we too lived in the folly, disobedience,
and moral degradation of the sinful life. I3]
But from this wretched life God in his
goodness and love rescued us, not by
reason of our good deeds, but by his
grace working through the cleansing
power of his Spirit, bestowed on us in
Christ; thus were we saved and assured [4-6]
of eternal life by God's undeserved favor. [7]
Trustworthy is this word concerning God's
gracious salvation, and of its meaning for
conduct and character I wish you to be
confidently assured, so that you may teach
the believers under your charge to live a
good life. These instructions are whole
some and useful; but the vain disputings, [8]
speculations, and contentions of the error-
27S

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
[9] ists avoid, for they are utterly profitless.
A man who continues to foment discord
after being reprimanded a second time,
you need not further admonish, since it
is evident that he is deliberately sinning
with a full consciousness of his guilt, and
[10,11] cannot be recovered.
When Artemas and Tychicus arrive in
Crete, be sure to come and visit me at
Nicopolis; for I purpose to spend the
[12] winter there. Take pains to equip Zenas
and Apollos for their journey, so that they
[•31 may be provided with whatever they need.
And let our fellow-believers in Crete be
careful to practise benevolence for the
relief of those in want, thereby showing
[x4] that their faith is living and productive.
All my companions salute you. Give
my greetings to my beloved fellow-Chris-
[15] tians. Grace be with you all.

276

The Second Epistle to
Timothy

Chapter I
PAUL, a messenger of Christ, divinely
set apart for the promotion of the gospel,
to my dear child Timothy; the favor
and blessing of God and of Christ be
with you. [r) 2]
I thank the God of my fathers whom I
also faithfully serve, as I constantly re
member you in my prayers and think of
the tears which you shed at our parting,
and eagerly long for the joy of seeing
you, — I am grateful to God, I say, for [3,4]
the news which I hear, that you are illus
trating and reproducing the sincere faith
which both your grandmother and your
mother possessed. My confidence in [5]
your devotion leads me to remind you to
put to use the equipment for service
which God graciously bestowed upon
you at your ordination. For the Spirit [6]
which God has given us does not pro
duce timidity, but courage, self-denial,
279

Chap, i.] The Epistles of Paul
[7] and self-restraint. Do not shrink from
defending the gospel of Christ nor from
acknowledging your relation to me, his
imprisoned apostle, but prove yourself
my fellow-sufferer for the gospel, through
the grace of God, which will strengthen
[8] us for every trial. For to such endur
ance are we urged by the fact that God
has saved us, not because of our deserv
ing, but according to the gracious pur
pose which he formed before the world
was and has now realized in the coming
of Christ, who has vanquished death and
assured us of a blessed life through the
gospel for the proclamation of which
[9-"] I have been divinely commissioned.
Therefore do I suffer courageously in
the service of Christ, for in him I have an
unwavering trust, and rest assured that he
will safely keep the sacred trust which I
have reposed in him until the day of his
[12] appearing. Let the healthful teaching
which I have given you serve as your
[13] guide in your Christian life and work.
Faithfully fulfil your divinely appointed
work of preaching and teaching by
the help of the Spirit which God gives
[14] you. 280

Timothy II [Chap. 2.
You know how I have been forsaken
by all the Asian Christians, — among
them Phygelus and Hermogenes. The CI5l
Lord's blessing be upon the household of
Onesiphorus, who often comforted me,
and did not forsake me because of my
imprisonment; but when he came to [lfi]
Rome was all the more careful, on that
account, to search me out and visit me, —
may he meet with favor from Christ at
his coming, — and of his kind services to
me at Ephesus I have no need to tell
you. [17,18]
Chapter II
Unlike those who have proved
unfaithful, do you, my spiritual son,
prove yourself a courageous champion
of the gospel through the strength which
Christ imparts. The teachings which [0
you have heard me expound, and which
many others have attested, intrust to
reliable men, who also have the gift for
instructing others. Like myself, you are [2]
a soldier of Christ; you must join me in
suffering in his service. A soldier must 13]
keep himself free from all occupations

• Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
except those of military duty, in order
[4] that he may please his commander. It
is not enough for the athlete to take
part in the games; if he is to win the
prize, he must contend according to the
[5] laws of the contest. The farmer who
toils hard in tilling the soil has the first
[6] right to the product of his labor. Note
well the meaning of these illustrations, and
the Lord will enable you to apply them
[7] in your work. Recall for your encour
agement the triumph of Christ, the Son
of David, over death, — the central truth
of that message for whose sake I am
imprisoned as an evil-doer ; but the gos-
[8, 9] pel itself goes on its way unfettered.
Confident in its power and victory, I can
patiently endure all manner of hardships,
if, thereby, I may promote the spiritual
good and the final salvation of my fellow-
['o] believers. It is a trustworthy saying:
" If we shared Christ's death, we shall
share his life ; if we share his suf
fering, we shall share his glory; if we
prove false to him, he will disown us; if
we are untrue to him, he is never untrue
to himself, for he cannot be false to his
[n-13] own nature."

Timothy II [Chap. 2.
Enjoin upon those under your instruc
tion to be true to Christ and solemnly
warn them to avoid profitless disputes
which can only prove destructive to faith. [14]
Spare no pains to prove yourself in
God's service a well-tested and acceptable
worker, correctly teaching and applying
the truth of the gospel. But avoid the [15]
fruitless disputings of the false teachers,
for they will go further and further in
their impiety, and their teaching will
spread in the church like an eating ulcer. [16]
Such men are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
men who have wandered from the path
of truth in teaching that the resurrection
is a thing of the past, thereby shaking
the confidence of some in a future
resurrection. However, the church which [17, 18]
God has established stands unshaken, and
on its foundations are inscribed the divine
declarations : " The Lord knows his own,"
and, " Let those who confess Christ live
a righteous life." Now just as in a great [19]
mansion some of the utensils are made
of costly and some of cheap materials;
some for higher and some for lower
uses, — so in the congregation there will
be found both genuine and spurious, both
283

Chap. 3.J The Epistles of Paul
[20] useful and useless, Christians. If now a
believer will keep himself free from the
companionship of these counterfeit be
lievers, he will prove himself to be a val
uable instrument for the Lord's work,
always ready for every honorable ser-
[21] vice. Beware of those evil desires to the
power of which the young are especially
exposed; cultivate the virtues of right
eousness, faith, and love, and preserve
harmony with all sincere worshippers of
[22] our Lord. Avoid senseless and profitless
disputings which only engender angry
[23] contentions. The Christian minister must
not be contentious, but amiable, devoted
to teaching, patient, in kindness reproving
those who oppose the gospel, in the hope
that they may be brought through re
pentance to a true experience of salvation,
and may be saved from the toils of Satan,
whose captives, forced to do his bidding,
[24-26] they now are.
Chapter III
I WOULD remind you that in the closing
days of the present age we must look for
[1] special outbreaks of wickedness. Every
284

Timothy II [Chap. 3.
base and violent passion, every moral cor
ruption and perversion, will find expres
sion, and counterfeit piety will abound.
Have no fellowship with those who
illustrate such wickedness. For it is men [2-5]
of this class who insinuate themselves
into houses and captivate weak and base
women, who are eager for novelty, but
incapable of attaining a real apprehension
of divine truth. As the sorcerers Jannes I6, 7]
and Jambres sought to hinder the work
of Moses, so do these corrupt and faith
less men resist the progress of the gospel. [8]
But their evil purpose will be foiled, for
their senselessness, like that of the magi
cians, shall be plainly exposed. In con- [9]
trast to the course of these false teachers,
recall the example of my instruction, ex
perience, and suffering for the gospel, for
those who will be true to Christ must
suffer for his sake. Quite different is it [10-12]
with those wicked and self-deceived im
postors who plunge into ever deeper
depths of wickedness. But do you re- [13]
main true to the teaching which you
received from your parents, and remember
how from early youth you were trained
in the knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures
285

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
which, when read in the light of faith in
Christ, are able to show you the true way
[14,15] of salvation. Since all Scripture is
divinely inspired, it is useful for increas
ing our knowledge, for rebuking our sin,
and for disciplining us in the religious
life, so that the Christian man may be
adequately equipped for every service to
[16,17] which he is called.

Chapter IV
I ADJURE you before God and before
Christ, the Judge of all men, — yes, in the
prospect of Christ's coming to judgment
and of his glorious reign, I adjure you to
be constant and faithful in your work of
[1, 2] preaching, teaching, and admonition.
For the days are coming when professing
Christians will lose their interest in the
healthful doctrine of Christ, and with
eager and morbid curiosity will run
hither and thither after various teachers
to please their fickle desires, and will
desert the gospel and take up with the
[3, 4] myths of the false teachers. But do
you be prudent, patient, and faithful in
286

Timothy 1 1 [Chap. 4.
your work as a preacher and servant of
Christ. For my blood will soon be [5]
poured out in martyrdom; I am on the
point of leaving this world to be with the
Christ. My conflict is over; I stand at [6]
the goal ; through all hardships and
temptations I have continued loyal to
Christ; nothing now remains for me [7]
but to receive the reward of perfect
blessedness which our Lord will confer
when he comes in judgment and victory,
— a reward which he will give not to me
alone, but to all who have set their hearts
on his manifestation and triumph. [8]
Make every effort to visit me soon ;
for Demas in his desire for earthly good
has deserted me and gone to Thessa-
lonica. Both Crescens and Titus have
also gone, and I have only Luke left.
Bring Mark with you when you come,
for his services are useful to me. I have [9-1 1]
sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you
come, bring me the travelling-mantle
which I left at Troas ; also the papyrus-
books, and especially the parchment-
rolls. The brass-founder Alexander did [12,13]
me serious injury; the Lord reward him
as he deserves. Be on your guard against
287

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
him, for he has been a bitter opponent of
[14,15] my statements. At my first appearance
iu court no one espoused my cause, but
all abandoned me; I pray that God
[16] may forgive them. But the Lord Jesus
was my Helper and gave me courage and
boldness, so that the gospel was pro
claimed in the capital and the knowledge
of it extended to the heathen ; and I was
saved from the danger which threatened
[17] me. And the same faithful Master will
save me from all harm and make me a
sharer in his celestial glory. To him be
[18] praise forever. Amen.
My greetings to Prisca and Aquila and
to the family of Onesiphorus. Erastus
stayed at Corinth, and Trophimus I left at
[19,20] Miletus sick. If possible, come to see
me before winter comes on. Eubulus,
Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all my fellow-
[21] believers send you their greetings. May
the Lord Jesus bless you with his pres
ence ! God's grace be with all the
[22] congregation !

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
angels; but he does so apply it to the
[5] Messiah. Moreover, the angels are bid
den by Jehovah to render homage to
Christ, when he shall return to earth in
[6] glory and triumph. Messiah's superi
ority to the angels is further recognized
in the Old Testament. They are there
likened to the swift and subtle powers of
[7] nature;, but prophets speak of Christ
as possessing supreme and universal
dominion. Their language could be ap-
[8, 9] plied to no angel. Further : The creation
of the world and perpetuity of life are
[10-12] attributed to him ; Jehovah describes him
as occupying the seat of authority and
wielding the sceptre of dominion over
[13] all foes ; while to the angels of every
rank is assigned the humble position of
ministering in the interest of those who
[J4] are to become partakers of his salvation.

Chapter II
Since Christ is so superior to the angels
in office and authority, we ought to hear
and obey his message with even greater
reverence than is due to the law which
292

Hebrews [Chap. 2.
angels introduced. Now we know that [1]
God severely punished all disobedience
to the law given on Sinai ; with how
much greater rigor will' he treat indif
ference to the clearer and fuller revela
tion of his will in Christ, — a saving
revelation, which was presented, in the
first instance, in the teaching of the Lord
Jesus himself, and was then securely
transmitted to us by his immediate dis
ciples. This message of salvation through C2> 3l
his Son God attested by miracles and by
bestowing upon those who received it
(1 such spiritual endowments as suited his
gracious purpose. [4]
There is a further proof of Christ's
superiority to the angels: God has not
accorded to them dominion over the
coming Messianic age. But has he
granted it to Christ? Let us see. One [5]
Scripture writer does, indeed, speak of
man's weakness, insignificance, and in
feriority to the angels, but, notwithstand- [6]
ing this, he goes on to assert that God
has exalted him to a place of dominion
and authority. The language used is
very strong ; he describes his sovereignty
as extending to " all things." Now, we
293

Chap. 2.] The Epistles of Paul
do not yet see man exercising any
[7,8] rguch dominion as is here described.
/This exaltation is realized only in Christ.
In him is fulfilled both the humiliation
and the exaltation of which the Psalmist
speaks, — the former by his stooping to
suffer the death of the cross, the latter
[9] by his glorification. Now the temporary
humiliation of Christ below the angels is
no argument against his real supremacy
over them. It was a necessary condition
of his accomplishing his saving work for
man that he should pass through a
[10] career of suffering. For both Saviour
and saved have a common Father, — God ;
hence the Saviour does not scruple to ad-
[11,12] dress men as his brothers, expressing, in
common with them, his trustful depend
ence on Jehovah, and naming himself as
[13] the elder brother of the children of God.
Since the men whom he came to save
were possessed of a weak and perishable
nature, he also himself took upon him
human frailty, in order that by himself
submitting to death he might render
powerless him who introduced death into
[14] the world, that is, Satan, and might free
men from their perpetual bondage to the
294

Hebrews [Chap. 3,
fear of death. For, indeed, he did not [15]
come to earth to save angels, but men. [i6|
Therefore it was necessary that he should
enter into human conditions and limita
tions, in order that he might fulfil his
priestly office of atonement on behalf of
the people, in perfect sympathy with all
their sin and need. For since he has [17]
himself passed through a career of moral
trial, he is able to help those who are
undergoing temptation. [18]

Chapter III
In view of the position and purpose of
Christ which have been described, do
you, fellow-members of the Christian
commonwealth, give careful heed to him
who has introduced and ratified the new
gospel dispensation, namely, Jesus, who [1]
has as faithfully accomplished his divinely
given mission on behalf of man, as did
Moses his work as a leader of the people
of God. But to Christ God assigned a [2]
dignity and authority as much higher
than that given to Moses as the position
of one who organizes and regulates a
29S

Chap. 3.] The Epistles of Paul
household is higher than that of the ser-
[3] vants within it. Now just as every house
hold must have some administrator in
charge of it, so must God's spiritual
household; and it is God himself who
presides over his family and, in various
periods, gives to one and another his
[4] position and function within it. Now in
thus arranging for the administration of
his household God made Moses a servant,
and he faithfully performed the service of
bearing testimony to truths which were
[5] to be more fully revealed through Christ;
but to Christ he gave the authority which
belongs to a Son, placing him in complete
control of his spiritual family, — of which
we are members, if we persevere in our
loyalty to Christ and in our confident
expectation of his kingdom, until his
[6] coming. Now the Scripture describes
the indifference and disobedience of the
people under the leadership of Moses, in
consequence of which Jehovah declared
that they should not enter the promised
[7-"] land. Therefore, do you, my Christian
brethren, beware of disloyalty and dis
obedience to One who possesses so much
higher a dignity and authority than
296

Hebrews [Chap. 4.
Moses had. Be warned of the dangers of [12]
unfaithfulness, in this your day of oppor
tunity; lest any of you be seduced by sin
into disloyalty to Christ. For we' shall [13]
share in blessed fellowship with Christ if
we persevere in trusting him till his
coming. Heed, then, the solemn warn- [14L
ing against unfaithfulness which was
given to the Israelites, and do not repeat
the sin of which they were guilty in the
wilderness. But how general was the [15]
disobedience of which I have spoken?
Was it not universal? And was not God [16]
angry with Israel for her sins in conse
quence of which so many perished in the
desert? And did not God utter a solemn [17]
oath that these faithless people should not
see the promised land? Thus we see [18]
that it was unfaithfulness which prevented
them from entering Canaan, and we should
beware of repeating their experience. [19]

Chapter IV
THE failure of the Jews, through their
unbelief, to enter the promised land
should be a warning to us, lest we, like
297

Chap. 4.] The Epistles of Paul
them, should fail to attain the proffered
[1] peace and blessedness of Christ's kingdom.
For we Christians have had a divine
promise of rest proclaimed to us, as the
Jews did through Moses; they did not
heed the message addressed to them, but
received it only with incredulity. Let us
[2] not follow their example. We conclude
that the rest of God was destined to be
realized by the followers of Christ; the
Jews were excluded from it, as the
Psalmist says, although it was fully pre
pared and waiting from the creation of
[3] the world. For that there was a Sabbath
rest of God from the beginning is implied
in the Scriptural word about God's resting
after creation, and in the refusal of God
[4, 5] to permit the Jewish people to enjoy it.
The case stands thus : God has prepared
a Sabbath rest for his people ; the Jews
by their faithlessness forfeited it; yet the
Psalm which speaks of the "to-day" of
opportunity and warns against disobedi
ence implies that the rest in question is
[6, 7] still available. For if the Jewish people
under Joshua had realized the real rest of
God, the Scripture, so long afterward,
would not have spoken of it as still un-
298

Hebrews [Chap. 4.
entered and unenjoyed, as the Psalmist
does when he proclaims another " to-day "
of God's favor. We therefore conclude [8]
that this rest has been reserved till now,
and is available for believers in the
Messiah. Such a blessed repose in [9]
Christ's kingdom as I speak of is possible
for us, for whoever enters the rest of God
rests from the toils and labors of his life
as God rested after creation. Such being [10]
the glorious prospect which is open to us,
let us beware of disobedience and failure. [11]
For God's requirements are strict and
severe. His messages and command
ments are living and effective, and they
pierce and search the inmost recesses of
our life. None can escape his all-seeing [12]
eye; all unbelief and disobedience are
perfectly known by him to whom we are
accountable. [13]
Since, then, we have so exalted a
Mediator, Jesus, our risen and glorified
Lord, let us continue loyal and faithful to
him. For though he is so highly exalted, [14]
yet he is full of compassionate feeling for
our weaknesses; he has passed through a
full course of moral trial like our own,
without yielding to sin. We may there- I1?]
299

Chap. ;.] The Epistles of Paul
fore fearlessly approach his heavenly seat
in the assurance that he will receive us
with favor and will strengthen us to resist
and overcome the power of evil when we
[16] are tempted.

Chapter V
The priest who is to intercede with
God on behalf of men and to offer sacri
fices in atonement for sin, must himself
[i] be a man; he must be able to sympathize
with men in their weakness and sin,
because he is himself acquainted by ex-
[2] perience with human frailty, and on this
account he must offer sacrifices for his
[3] own sins as well as for those of others.
Moreover, the priest must not assume his
office, but must take it by appointment
[4] from God, as Aaron did. Now Christ
fulfilled these conditions of the priestly
office ; he did not grasp the honor of the
priesthood, but God who, in Scripture, is
described as exalting him to his Messianic
throne and as attributing to him a per
petual priesthood, appointed him to the
[5,6] office. He also fulfilled the first condition
300

Hebrews [Chap. 6.
of exercising the priestly office by endur
ing, in his human life, the severest trials
and sufferings, by which he was disciplined
in obe<djence to the will of God, perfectly
fitted for his work as Saviour of men, and
exalted to the dignity of a perpetual
priesthood. [7-10]
It is difficult to make plain to you the
meaning of this priestly office of Christ
because of your immaturity in Christian
knowledge. For although you have been/ [n]
Christians long enough to have become]
the instructors of others, you need your
selves to be instructed in the very elements
of Christian doctrine ; you are mere
children in the apprehension of the gospel. [12]
For he who can receive only the rudiments
of Christian teaching is a mere child in
understanding. But the deeper mysteries [13]
of our faith are appreciated only by the
mature Christian who is trained in dis
criminating between what is useful and
what is worthless in religious teaching. [14]
Chapter VI
Let us leave behind this elementary
stage of Christian knowledge and go on
301

Chap. 6.] The Epistles of Paul
towards maturity; let us cease to limit
our attention to those primary truths in
which, by this time, we should all be well
[i, 2] instructed. And this progress to higher
stages of knowledge we shall achieve —
[3] with God's blessing. I exhort you the
more earnestly to make this progress,
because if you do not go forward you are
in danger of going backward and forsaking
Christ altogether. I warn you that if,
after having made a beginning in the
Christian life, as you have done, you now
desert the gospel, you will find no other
means of salvation ; you will be treating
with contempt the only One who is able to
save you. You will but show how thank
less you are, — - like the soil which heaven
blesses with frequent showers and which
[4-8] brings forth only briers in return.
But though I thus warn you against
deserting the gospel, I do not believe, my
brethren, that you will thus renounce
[9] your allegiance to Christ. You have
shown, and are still showing, your love to
God by your services done to his people,
[10] and he will bless and reward you for this.
I trust you will persevere in your Christian
faithfulness and confidence, and that with
302

Hebrews [Chap. 6.
God's faithful people you may share in
the blessedness of Messiah's kingdom at
his coming. [",12]
When God assured Abraham of a
numerous posterity, he confirmed his
promise by a most solemn oath taken in
the name of his sacred honor. Abraham
confidently believed the promise, and it
came true. His promises to us are [13-15]
equally sure. For as men make their
oaths, by which they would confirm their
statements, in the name of some one
greater than themselves, so God, in order
to give the most absolute assurance to his
people, confirmed his promise by an oath. [16, 17]
Thus he has given us a double assurance,
by his promise and by his oath, in order
that we who have placed our hope of
salvation in Christ might be kept secure
in our confidence, as a ship is held by its
anchor. Let this steadfast hope bind us
to that spiritual and heavenly world into
which Jesus, our advocate and priest,
after the order of Melchizedek, has now
entered. [18-20]

3°3

Chap. 7.] The Epistles of Paul

Chapter VII
THAT Christ's priesthood is fitly typi
fied by that of Melchizedek is seen in the
fact that in the name of Jehovah this
royal priest pronounced a blessing upon
Abraham, the head of the Jewish nation,
and received from him, as an expression
of honor and homage, tithes of the chief
spoils of war. This fitness is also seen in
the meaning of the priest's name, " king
of righteousness," and in the meaning
[1, 2] of the name of his city, " peace." The
parallel extends further: Melchizedek
suddenly appears on the field of Old
Testament history, and as suddenly dis
appears, — a priest, not by descent, but
by some higher right, suggesting the
priesthood of him whose office is bound
[3] up with his essential, changeless life.
Reflect, now, upon the superiority of
Melchizedek's priesthood, as compared
with that of the Levites. They, indeed,
receive tithes from those who, like
themselves, are sons of Abraham and
who are therefore equal to them in rank, ,
3°4

Hebrews [Chap. 7.
and thus have a certain relative pre
eminence accorded to them ; but Mel
chizedek, whose priesthood does not
pest upon human descent, received tithes
from the great patriarch himself and took
the part of a superior in pronouncing
blessing upon him. Moreover, the [4-7]
Levitical priests are subject to death, but
of the death of Melchizedek the Old
Testament says nothing. Yes, I may [8]
even say that, in a certain sense, Levi
himself paid tithes to Melchizedek, for
Levi, though yet unborn, may be re
garded as rendering homage to Mel
chizedek in the person of his ancestor
Abraham. [9,10],
We have further proof of the inferiority
of the Levitical priesthood : If that
priesthood, on which the whole Old Testa
ment system was based, could have
secured the end which it proposed, — the
reconciliation of men with God, — -then
no other priesthood would have been
needed ; but it could not ; that priesthood
must therefore give place to another.
Now, since the whole system rested upon
the priesthood, the change in the priest
hood must involve the abrogation of the
20 3°S

Chap. 7.J The Epistles of Paul
[11,12] whole system. How radical this change
was is seen in the fact that the new
priest, Christ, comes from another tribe
than that of Levi and rests his claims on
wholly different grounds from those of
[13- T4l descent. And that with this change in
the priesthood the whole Mosaic econ
omy disappears, is still further evident
from the fact that the new priest is of a
different order from the old, and that his
office rests upon a unique basis. He
was not made priest by a rule or statute
but in virtue of an inherent, imperish
able life ; accordingly his priesthood is
[15-17] described as changeless and perpetual.
Thus the old, imperfect, priestly institute
passes away, and with it the system of
which it was a part; and we see that a
secure hope of attaining the goal con
templated by the law is first attained under
[18,19] Christianity. Moreover, the superiority
of Christ's priesthood, as compared with
that of the Levitical priests, is shown by
the fact that he, unlike them, was declared
a priest by the solemn oath of Jehovah ;
it follows that the covenant under which
he ministers is far superior to the Old
[20-22] Testament system. Another point of
306

if

Hebrews [Chap. 8.
difference is that the Levitical priests
stand in an order of succession and are
subject to death, while Christ's office is
t grounded in his immutable life. This [23,24]
' qualification enables him to complete the
work of salvation for all who accept his
mediation, since his ministrations on
their behalf are uninterrupted. [25]
For the completion of our salvation we
needed the ministrations in the heavenly.
sanctuary of such a perfect priest as*
Christ is, — One who does not need, as
the Levitical priests do, to offer sacrifices
for his own sins as well as for those of
others, nor, like them, to repeat his sacri
fice over and over again ; for the priests
of Judaism were frail and sinful men,
while the priest of the new covenant
whom Jehovah has appointed by his oath
is a Son, perfectly fitted for his saving
work. [26-28]
Chapter VIII
A LEADING point in my whole argu
ment respecting the superiority of Christ's
priesthood is that he officiates, not in this \
lower, earthly temple, like the Levitical/
3»7

Chap. 8.] The Epistles of Paul
priests, but in the upper, heavenly sanctu-
[i, 2] ary. I speak of Christ as a ministering
priest; now the very meaning of a priest
is one who offers sacrifices ; wherefore, as
[3] a priest, Christ must offer a sacrifice.
Now it cannot be on earth that he fulfils
this priestly function, because the priestly
office on earth is already filled ; it must be
in the upper, spiritual tabernacle that he
, ministers, — the true sanctuary, of which
. the Mosaic tabernacle, whose construction
Jehovah directed, was but a typical repre-
[4, 5] sentation. This heavenly priesthood is as
much superior to its earthly counterpart
as the new covenant with which it is con
nected is superior, in the hopes and bless-
[6] ings which it offers, to the old covenant.
For if the Old Testament system had been
perfect, it would not have been supplanted
[7] by a new dispensation. But it was not,
and its imperfection is recognized by its
own representatives, the prophets, who
describe Jehovah as promising his people
a new covenant, which shall be different
from that which he gave them on Mount
[8, 9] Sinai. The marks of this new order which
Jehovah promised are, that it shall be a sys
tem of inner law rather than of outer law,
308

Hebrews [Chap. 9.
that it shall aim at making the knowledge
of Jehovah universal, and that it shall be
a dispensation of grace and forgiveness. [10-12]
Now, when the coming of a new system
is thus foretold, it is evident that the
speedy abrogation of the old is implied ;
and if the prophet, so long ago, could
speak of this change as imminent, we
must conclude that by this time it is near
its consummation. [ 3]

Chapter IX
Now the Old Testament system had its
various arrangements for worship and its
visible earthly sanctuary. The tabernacle [0
in the wilderness consisted of two parts :
an outer one, called- the holy place, and
an inner one, called the most holy place,
each with its appropriate arrangements
and furnishings, which it does not now
concern us to describe in detail. This be- [2-5]
ing the construction of the tabernacle, the
priests were allowed at all times to enter
the outer court and offer their sacrifices,
but into the innermost part only the high-
priest could enter, and he but once a year,
3°9

Chap. 9.] The Epistles of Paul
when he made atonement for his own sins
[6, 7] and for those of the congregation. Now
this arrangement by which the most holy
place was made so inaccessible was a sym
bolic expression of the fact that, under the
old system, free access into the immediate
presence of God was not yet permitted,
and that the perfect religion had not yet
[8] been introduced. The sacrifices which
were offered under the old covenant bore
in themselves the marks of their imperfec
tion; they were outward and temporary,
and could not cleanse and renew the
[9, 10] heart. Now, the ideal religion towards which
the Mosaic economy pointed, Christ has
introduced. His ministry on our behalf
is not performed in an earthly and tempo
rary sanctuary, but in the heavenly temple,
the immediate presence of God. The sac-,
rifice which he has offered was not that
of animals, but that of his own life, and 'ml
the heavenly world he is now acting as
[11,12] the Mediator of our salvation. For if the
sacrifice of animals was accepted, under
the old covenant, as accomplishing a cere
monial cleansing, how much more shall
the perfect spiritual sacrifice of the spot-
310

Hebrews [Chap. 9.
less Christ accomplish the real purifica
tion of the inner life. By means of this [13,14]
perfect sacrifice Christ has introduced a
new order, which, by reason of the efficacy
of his death for those who lived under
the imperfect Jewish dispensation, is able
to secure the perfect salvation of all God's
people. This death of Christ was neces- [15]
sary, for a testament1 is only rendered
valid and put into effect by the testator's
death. Accordingly, we find much said ['6, 17]
about death in connection with the old
covenant ; in fact, death by the shedding
of blood is a constant factor in the carry
ing out of that system and an essential
characteristic of its worship. [18-22]
These considerations emphasize, by
analogy, the necessity of Christ's death.
As the lower sanctuary, the symbol of
the true, was ceremonially purified by
sacrifice, so the most holy place on high
must be made ready and accessible for
believers by the perfect sacrifice of
1 There is here a play on the word Siafl^KJj, — which
may mean either covenant or testament. The writer
uses the word in the former sense except in vv. 16, 17,
where he passes over to the other meaning, which was
better adapted to the purpose of his argument.
3i[

Chap. 10.] The Epistles of Paul
[23] Christ. For Christ's priestly ministry is
performed, not in an earthly sanctuary,
but in the very presence of God in
[24] heaven; nor does he need to repeat
his sacrifice, as the Jewish high-priest
did ; for had his priesthood been like
theirs, his death would have needed to
occur many times during the course of
human history ; but since his priesthood
is so superior, it was only necessary that
he should make one final and effectual
[25,26] sacrifice for sins. And just as men die
but once, and thereafter follows, not
another death, but judgment, so Christ
has died once for the sins of mankind,
and when he comes to earth again, will
not come to die a second time, but to
complete for his followers the work of
[27,28] their salvation.

Chapter X
Since the Jewish sacrificial system
deals only with types of the true, spirit
ual realities, it is evident that it could
not, by its repeated ministrations, com
plete the salvation of those who par-
312

Hebrews [Chap. 10.
ticipated in its rites. The perpetual [r]
repetition of its sacrifices is itself a proof
that it could not effectually and perma
nently accomplish its object. The fact [2]
that every year, on the great day of
atonement, confession of sin is made,
shows that the people had not attained
the full consciousness of pardon. And, [3]
no wonder, for, in the nature of the case,
animal sacrifices could not purify the
moral life. Accordingly, we find the W
Scripture describing Christ's work as
consisting, not in burnt sacrifices, but in
the sacrifice of perfect obedience to God.
The old method of approach to God he
has done away, and has opened the new
path of obedience by which we are fully
forgiven and sanctified. How great the [5-IQ]
difference ! In the Old Testament we
see the priests constantly repeating these
ineffectual sacrifices, whereas under the
new dispensation we see Christ offering
one final sacrifice for sin and then taking
his heavenly throne and carrying to com
pletion his saving work. For by one ef- [n-13]
fectual sacrifice he has provided a perfect
salvation for those who believe on him. [14]
How plainly are the greatness and SUIS
SE

Chap. 10.] The Epistles of Paul
ciency of this saving work pictured in
the prophet's proclamation of forgive
ness and moral renewal as the chief
characteristics of the gospel ! Now where
these results are attained, there can be no
[15-18] further occasion for expiatory sacrifices-
Since, now, the immediate presence of
God, the most holy place of the upper
sanctuary, has been made accessible to
us by the rending of the veil of the
Saviour's flesh, and since he now offici
ates as priest on our behalf in the
[19-21] heavenly temple, let us come to God in
all sincerity and confidence, since we
have been purified from sin by the per
fect sacrifice and consecrated to God in
[22] baptism. And let us steadfastly adhere
to the assurance of salvation given us in
Christ, for this promise of God will not
[23] fail of its fulfilment. And let us seek to
promote in one another the spirit of
[24] brotherhood and of benevolence; espe
cially let us not cease our regular attend
ance upon the meetings of the Christian
assembly, as some are doing, but en
courage one another in the Christian life,
the more so as the day of the Lord's
[25] coming draws near. 3J4

Hebrews [Chap. 10.
For if we deliberately abandon the
true way of salvation which Christ has
opened to us through his death, we shall
find no other means of salvation; after [26]
such an apostasy there will remain for us
only the terrible prospect of _the divine
judgment, when God's fiery indignation
will consume his foes. The law of [27]
Moses summarily punished apostasy —
when attested by two or three witnesses —
by the penalty of death; how much [28]
more terrible will be the penalty which
he shall deserve who has treated the
Saviour with contempt, despised, as if
it were impure, his holy sacrifice, and
scorned the work of the divine Spirit in
the church. The penalty of such dis- [29]
obedience cannot be escaped, for in the
Scripture Jehovah solemnly declares that
he will punish his foes and vindicate his
people, and it is a terrible thing to ex
pose oneself to his punitive judgment. [30, 31]
Remember how in the first days of
your Christian life you patiently suffered
persecution for your faith, both by en
during abuses and assaults, which
exposed you to public contempt, and
through your efforts for the alleviation
3i5

Chap. 10.] The Epistles of Paul
[32,33] of the sufferings of your fellow-believers.
Such was your devotion to Christ at that
time that you actively sympathized with
those who were imprisoned for Christ's
sake and cheerfully submitted to the
plundering of your property, being sus
tained by the thought that you had a
precious and eternal inheritance in
[34] heaven. Do not now forsake this zeal
ous and courageous Christian confession
which carries with it the assurance of
[35] eternal blessedness. For steadfast en
durance is necessary, in order that when
you have proved yourselves faithful to the
divine requirements, you may enter into
[36] the possession of the promised blessing.
For soon the Lord will come, and then
the steadfast devotion of the faithful be
liever shall prove his passport to eternal
[37,38] life, but the apostate God will reject.
But I am confident that you and I, my
readers, do not belong to that class who
renounce the gospel and so forfeit their
salvation, but are among those who are
persevering in loyalty to Christ and will
[39] inherit the promised blessedness.

316

Hebrews [Chap. n.

Chapter XI
Now this trust in God's promises of
which I speak, is a firm confidence that
what is hoped for will come to pass, the as
sured conviction of the existence of invisi
ble realities. It was just this inner persua- [i]
sion for which the Old Testament saints
were distinguished. It is only by a con- [2]
viction concerning the unseen that we are
able to believe in the creation of the
world by the power of God, whereby the
visible order came into existence without
being made from pre-existing materials. [3]
It was because Abel had faith that God
estimated his offering as more worthy
than Cain's, and, looking with favor
upon his sacrifice, pronounced him ac
cepted ; and by his faithful example,
though dead, he still summons us to imi
tate him. It was by reason of his faith [4]
that Enoch was taken up alive to
heaven. The Scripture declares that his
life was well-pleasing to God; he must
therefore have had faith, for without
faith one cannot be well-pleasing to God,
3i7

Chap, n.] The Epistles of Paul
for he who approaches God in worship
must believe that he exists, and that he
will bless and save those who seek his
[5,6] favor. It was through the exercise of
faith that Noah, being divinely instructed
concerning future events and in devout
trust in God's word, made ready an ark
for the salvation of his family, by which
trust in God he set the wickedness of the
world in clearer light by contrast with
his own conduct, and acquired the title
of one who was accepted with God in
[7] accordance with his faith. Moved by
faith, Abraham, when God summoned
him, went forth to seek a home in an
[8] unknown land. With persistent confi
dence in God he remained a stranger in
the land which had been promised him
as a possession, being without a perma
nent home in the country, along with his
family, to whom the divine promise also
[9] related ; for his hope was set, not on an
earthly dwelling-place, but on the heav-
[io] enly city of God. In consequence of her
faith, Sarah, who had been unbelieving,
was divinely empowered in her old age
to bear a son, because she believed that
[n] God would keep his promise, in fulfil-
318

Hebrews • [Chap. n.
ment of which there has been born to
Abraham, notwithstanding his advanced
age, a posterity as countless as the stars
in the sky or the sands on the sea-shore. [12]
It was in keeping with their confidence
in God that Abraham and his family,
although they died without having them
selves received the blessings which had
been promised them, yet beheld and re
joiced in them as certain to be fulfilled in
the distant future, and regarded this world
as but their temporary dwelling-place. [13]
For those who take this view of the pres
ent life do certainly show thereby that
their expectations are fixed upon a per
manent home beyond. If now in calling [14]
themselves but temporary sojourners,
they had referred to their absence from
the former home which they had left,
they might easily have returned to it. [J5]
But since they did not refer to that
earthly country, it is evident that they
were longing for a heavenly home, on
which account God owns them as his
children, for he has prepared them a
home in heaven in which all their long
ings will be satisfied. [16]
It was through the power of faith that
3J9

Chap, n.] "The Epistles of Paul
Abraham, when he was put to the test,
offered to God his son Isaac as' a sacrifice;
yes, it was because he implicitly trusted
God's word that he was willing to sacri
fice his only son, the child of promise,
through whom God had assured him that
[17, 18] his numerous posterity should be founded.
He reasoned that if it were necessary to
the fulfilment of this promise, God would
even raise Isaac from the dead, and, in
deed, in rescuing him from imminent
death, God did, as it were, raise him up
[19] from the dead. Through faith Isaac, in
his dying benediction upon his sons, de
clared with confidence what should be
[20] their future lot and relations. By faith
Jacob, in his last hours, pronounced his
blessing upon Joseph's two sons, fore
casting their destinies, and, supporting
himself in his weakness upon his staff,
[21] reverently thanked God for his goodness.
It was faith which moved Joseph, when
his death drew near, to speak of God's
promise to deliver Israel from Egypt and
to give direction concerning the removal
[22] of his body to Canaan. It was the belief
of Moses' parents that God had some
great purpose to serve in the life of the
320

Hebrews [Chap. u.
beautiful child, which led them to con
ceal him for safety during three months,
and this they did in direct opposition to
Pharaoh's command. It was due to his [23]
faith in God that Moses, when he grew
up, disdained the honor and power which
might have been his as the reputed son
of a royal princess, preferring to share
the hardships of God's people rather than
to enjoy the temporary sinful pleasures of
Pharaoh's court; for he judged that to suf
fer for righteousness' sake, as Christ did,
was a far greater good than to possess all
the wealth of Egypt, because his eye was
fixed upon the promised heavenly blessed
ness. It was faith which led him to flee [24-26]
from Egypt, confident that God would
save him from the king's wrath ; for the
clear conviction of God's presence made
him strong and courageous. Through [27]
trust in God's promise he observed the
passover and sprinkled the door-posts
with blood in order that the destroying
angel should not smite the children of
God's people. It was in consequence of [28]
their faith that the Israelites were enabled
to pass through the Red Sea as on dry
land, while the Egyptians, in the effort
21 321

Chap, ii.] The Epistles of Paul
[29] to pursue them, were overwhelmed. It
was due to faith on the part of Israel that
God overturned the walls of Jericho after
the people had marched around them
[3°] daily for seven days. It was Rahab's
belief in God which saved her, through
the friendly reception of the spies, from
the fate of the inhabitants of Jericho, who
[31] refused to open their, city to the Israelites.
But why continue the enumeration of ex
amples? It would take too long to de
scribe all the heroes of faith, such as the
judges and the prophets, and to recount
their great achievements in war and in
government, or to describe the way in
which God has blessed them and deliv
ered them from the greatest personal
dangers, and given them victory over
[32-34] their foes in battle. To believing women
their dead have been restored alive ; others
suffered as martyrs, refusing to obtain their
liberty by renouncing their faith, because
their hope was set on the coming heavenly
[35] blessedness. By every form of trial and
suffering was the faith of others tested ;
they endured hunger, nakedness, and
homelessness, being treated as unworthy
to live in this evil world, which was really
322

Hebrews [Chap. 12.
unworthy of their presence in it. And all [36-38]
these, although attested in Scripture as
examples of faith, failed of realizing the
promise of the Messianic kingdom, since
God had determined that we of the later
time should also share, with them, in the
glorious consummation. [39,4°]

Chapter XII
SINCE then so great a company of the
heroes of faith are observing us, to see
whether we prove steadfast, let us throw
off every hindrance to our success in the
Christian race and discard the evil which
so effectually prevents our progress, and
run with perseverance our appointed
course, with our eyes fixed upon Jesus,
our perfect example of faithful devotion
and confidence in God, who, in antici
pation of the heavenly reward of his
fidelity, suffered the shameful death on
the cross without murmuring, and has
now entered upon his promised glory
and dominion. Fix your attention upon [1, 2]
him who experienced such opposition
from wicked men that it culminated in
323

Chap. 12.] The Epistles of Paul
his death, and let his example inspire you
[3] to steadfastness and courage. The per
secutions to which you have been sub
jected by your opponents have not yet
[4] resulted in martyrdom. Your sufferings
are but salutary chastisements at the
hand of God. Do you not recall the
comforting word of Scripture which
speaks of the discipline which, for their
good, God administers to his beloved
[5,6] children? Your present afflictions are
meant to serve as a divine chastening;
God is treating you as sons, for where
is there a son whom his father does not
[7] chasten? If God did not discipline you by trial and
suffering, — as he did the faithful in Old
Testament times, — he would be treating
your welfare with indifference, as if you
[8] were not his true children. We accorded
respect and honor to our earthly fathers
when they chastised us; shall we not
much more reverence our spiritual Father
[9] and humbly accept his discipline? For
how great is the difference ! Our earthly
fathers trained us for a brief time accord
ing to their imperfect human judgment,
but God is disciplining us for our true
324

Hebrews [Chap. 12.
good, in order that we may be fitted for
perfect fellowship with him. Now chas- [10]
tisement of every kind, while it continues,
is not easy, but hard to bear; but, when
it has been endured, it produces the
blessed results of purity and peace in those
who have been subjected to it. Such [n]
being the purpose and effect of your
sufferings, away with all slackness and
faintheartedness ; keep straight in the
path of the Christian life, so as to encour
age those of your number who are waver
ing to return to the right, way and to
move steadily forward towards the goal. [12,13]
Seek after peace with all men and
moral purity, without which no one can
share the blessedness of the Messianic
kingdom. Beware of suffering any of [14]
your number to forfeit the Christian
salvation by a sinful life ; see to it that no
wicked man be allowed to poison the life
of your church. Be not led astray by [15]
any sensualist or worldly-minded man,
such as Esau was, who bartered away the
privileges of his birthright for a meal of
meat. You are familiar with the story [16]
how, afterwards, v/hen he wished to
receive his inherited possession, it was
325

Chap. 12.] The Epistles of Paul
refused him, for though with bitter tears
of regret he sought the forfeited blessing,
he did not succeed in causing his father
Isaac to change his mind and restore it
[17] to him.
Contrast, now, the two dispensations !
When you became Christians you did
not receive a revelation whose symbols
are startling, sensible manifestations of
God, which strike terror to the heart, like
the dread phenomena which accompanied
[18-21] the giving of the law on Sinai, but you
came to the knowledge of the spiritual
and eternal realities, the heavenly city of
God, the numberless company of his
people on earth and in heaven ; you came
into the immediate presence of God, the
final judge, and under the cleansing
power of Christ's blood, which speaks of
the divine forgiveness for sin, — unlike
[22-24] that of Abel, which calls for vengeance.
Beware of disobedience to this fullest and
final revelation of God, for if they were
severely punished who disregarded the
outward, visible manifestation of God,
how much more severe will be the penalty
of those who disregard the heavenly
message which he has now sent us through
326

Hebrews [Chap. 13.
his Son ; for that earlier voice by which
he spoke on Sinai was, indeed, terrible,
causing the earth to tremble; but Scrip
ture speaks of a yet more terrific shaking
which shall test the permanence of all
things. And what does this reference to [25>26]
a final testing mean if not that everything
temporary is to be destroyed, in order
that the world of abiding, heavenly realities
may appear. Now, since we Christians l27l
have been made sharers in this heavenly
and permanent order, let us be grateful
to God and serve him with reverent awe ;
for our God is severe as well as gracious. [28>29]

Chapter XIII
Continue to cultivate brotherly love.
Do not neglect to be hospitable to
strangers, for we remember how some,
in ancient times, were surprised to find
that they were honored by angel visit
ants. Minister to your fellow-believers [1, 2]
who are in prison, and sympathize with
the persecuted, remembering that you
are liable to incur the same treatment. [3]
327

Chap. 13.] The Epistles of Paul
The marriage-bond must be held sacred
and inviolable, for at the judgment God
[4] will punish those who desecrate it.
Avoid covetousness and cultivate con
tentment, for God has assured his people
of his presence and help, so that we
can joyfully exclaim with the Psalm
ist : " I will securely trust in God, my
[5, 6] keeper ; man cannot harm me." Think
of your deceased teachers and leaders,
and, contemplating their martyr-death,
[7] emulate their Christian fidelity. Christ,
who sustained and strengthened them,
will equally aid us, and all his followers,
[8] now and always. Be not seduced by
false teaching from your loyalty to Christ,
but stand firm in the grace of God be
stowed in the gospel, for we have no
more to do with the profitless sacrificial
[9] feasts of the old covenant. We Chris
tians partake of the saving benefits of
Christ's death on the cross, from which
the Jewish priests and people are ex-
[10] eluded. Now we know that in the Jew
ish system the bodies of the animals
which were offered in sacrifice on the
great day of atonement were burned
outside the camp; neither the priests,
328

Hebrews [Chap. 13.
nor any others, could partake of their
flesh. In like manner the antitypical
sacrifice of Christ was offered outside
the gate of the holy city, and so was
freed from all association with Judaism. [11,12]
None may obtain part in the benefit of
his sacrifice who still adheres to Judaism ;
let us therefore cease to -seek salvation
within its bounds and betake ourselves
to Christ, undisturbed by the disgrace
which, in the eyes of the unbelieving
Jews, we shall thereby incur. For we [13]
Christians do not associate our worship
and salvation with the earthly city of
Jerusalem, but with the heavenly and
abiding city of God. Through Christ, [14]
then, and not through Jewish rites, let
us offer a pure spiritual sacrifice of praise
and confession. And let us not neglect [15]
to do deeds of kindness and generosity,
for they are an offering acceptable to
God. Render all due respect and obedi- [16]
ence to your church officers, for they
are eagerly seeking your salvation in a
sense of their responsibility to God. By
such submission you will enable them,
in exercising their care over you, to
rejoice in your docility, instead of griev-
329

Chap. 13.] The Epistles of Paul
ing over your obstinacy, for surely con
duct which would grieve your superiors
[17] could bring you no advantage.
Let me be remembered in your prayers,
for I trust that in my teaching I have
pursued a course in all respects sincere
[18] and honorable. And I beg this interest
in your prayers the more earnestly,
in the hope that, in answer to them, I
may the sooner be enabled to return to
[19] y°u- And may God, the author of peace,
who raised up from the dead our Lord
Jesus, who has become the Saviour of
his people by virtue of his death, which
seals the new covenant, perfectly equip
you to serve him by richly blessing you
with his grace in Christ, to whom be
[20,21] everlasting praise. Amen.
I beg you, brethren, to heed my ap
peal to you to stand fast in your alle
giance to Christ; for considering the
greatness of the subject, I have presented
[22] it all too briefly. Let me inform you
that our fellow-believer Timothy has been
released from prison ; if he comes here
before I leave, I will bring him with me
[23] on my visit to you. 33°

Hebrews [Chap. 13.
Give my greetings to all your church
officers and to all your fellow-believers.
The Italian Christians here send their
salutations. God's blessing be with you
all. Amen. [24,25]

331

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