Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Corinthians 1:7
So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
7. come behind ] should rather be translated fall short. No comparison with other Churches seems to have been intended.
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ ] The word in the original and in the margin of the English version is revelation. But this is not always equivalent to coming. The ‘revelation of Jesus Christ’ unquestionably means (1) the Last Day in such passages as 2Th 1:7 and 1Pe 1:7, and the same is the case with St Luk 17:30. But on the other hand, in passages such as 2Co 12:1; Gal 1:12; Gal 1:16; Gal 2:2, it means (2) the fuller revelation of the mysteries of God’s kingdom; while in Rev 1:1, it signifies (3) the unfolding of things to come. The second of these three meanings would seem most appropriate here. The testimony of Christ, confirmed originally by the inward witness of the Spirit, receives additional confirmation by the gradual unfolding of things Divine, until the believer, fully grounded in the faith, stands without reproach before Christ at His coming.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
So that – God has so abundantly endowed you with his favors.
Ye come behind – hustereisthai. You are not missing, or deficient. The word is usually applied to destitution, want, or poverty; and the declaration here is synonymous with what he had said, 1Co 1:5, that they abounded in everything.
In no gift – In no favor, or gracious endowment. The word used here charisma, does not refer necessarily to extraordinary and miraculous endowments, but includes also all the kindnesses of God toward them in producing peace of mind, constancy, humility, etc. And the apostle meant evidently to say that they possessed, in rich abundance, all those endowments which were bestowed on Christians.
Waiting for – Expecting, or looking for this coming with glad and anxious desire. This was, certainly, one of the endowments to which he referred, to wit, that they had grace given them earnestly to desire, and to wait for the second appearing of the Lord Jesus. An earnest wish to see him, and a confident expectation and firm belief that he will return, is an evidence of a high state of piety. It demands strong faith, and it will do much to elevate the feelings above the world, and to keep the mind in a state of peace.
The coming … – Greek The revelation – ten apokalupsin – the manifestation of the Son of God. That is, waiting for his return to judge the world, and for his approbation of his people on that Day. The earnest expectation of the Lord Jesus became one of the marks of early Christian piety. This return was promised by the Saviour to his anxious disciples, when he was about to leave them; Joh 14:3. The promise was renewed when he ascended to heaven; Act 1:11. It became the settled hope and expectation of Christians that he would return; Tit 2:13; 2Pe 3:12; Heb 9:28. And with the earnest prayer that be would quickly come, John closes the volume of inspiration; Rev 22:20-21.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
1Co 1:7-8
So that ye come behind in no gift.
Gift
This word plays a large part in this Epistle. As the form of the Greek indicates, it denotes in general every concrete product in which grace is embodied. The various powers, which so often in St. Pauls writings bear the name of , are certainly the effects of the supernatural life due to faith in Christ; but they fit in, notwithstanding, to pre-existing natural aptitudes in individuals and peoples. The Holy Spirit does not substitute Himself for the human soul; He sanctifies it and consecrates its innate talents to the service of the work of salvation. By this new direction He purifies them and exalts them, and enables them to reach their perfect development. This was what had taken place at Corinth, and it was thus especially that the apostolic testimony had been divinely confirmed in the Church. We see how Paul still carefully avoids (as in 1Co 1:5) speaking of the moral fruits of the gospel, for this was the very respect in which there was a grave deficiency at Corinth. (Prof. Godet.)
Gifts and graces
Gifts show what a man has; graces, what he is.
Gifts and prayer
In mining operations, the full and empty carriages or vessels being connected together, those which have been emptied are from time to time raised up the ascent by the descending of those that have been filled. In this way let the descent of Gods mercies and the gifts bestowed out of His fulness raise your empty vessels to receive again and again from His inexhaustible treasury all that you need. (R. Bickersteth.)
Waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Waiting for the coming of the Lord
I. The object of expectation to all true believers. The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It should rather have been rendered, the discovery or manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ. The primary idea is that of stripping off a garment, rolling away a curtain, or removing a screen; and under whichever of these aspects we contemplate the image depicted by the apostle, it will come home with equal power to our own consciousness of frailty, our own liability to death. Practically, that moment will be to us the manifestation of Christ as Judge, which shall strip off this garment of mortality, roll away the dark curtain of the grave, and remove the screen which divides us from the invisible world. The believer does not, like one conscious of unacknowledged and unrepented sin, start back from judgment with apprehension and alarm. It is not a Judge who will be manifested to his spiritual view, arrayed in lightnings and attended by ministers of wrath–it is not such a Judge, but our Lord Jesus Christ: yea, he can even say, with all the confiding appropriation of the Apostle Paul, Christ Jesus, my Lord, the excellency of whose knowledge is life eternal, and in whom I desire to be found, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.
II. The mode of so preparing for the coming or manifestation of Christ Jesus, that it shall be, not the apprehension of impending evil, but the expectancy of certain and enduring good. The apostle speaks of God confirming these Corinthians unto the end. Confirming them, you will ask, in what? The reference is to the fourth verse, in which St. Paul speaks, first, of the producing cause, in which alone preparation had commenced or could commence, even the grace which had been given through Jesus Christ; and afterwards of the effect which had been produced thereby–that they were enriched in all utterance and in all knowledge; in which utterance, being the declaration of a good confession–and in which knowledge, being that which is to life eternal–he desires that through the same grace, and by the same power, they may he confirmed.
III. The consequence of being thus prepared by grace and confirmed of God unto the end: viz., that we shall be found blameless in the day of Jesus Christ. This word blameless is strictly a forensic term, applicable to the trial of the soul in the high court of heaven, and by God, the Judge of all. Whatever may be the discoveries of the last day, or to whomsoever made, of one thing we are certain, beyond all fear of a contingency, there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. (T. Dale, M. A.)
Waiting
1. We are all doing this in one way or another. Some watchful and faithful at our post, in the midst of a wicked world, like the sentry who died on guard in sinful Pompeii; some in slothful forgetfulness, like the foolish virgins; others in abject fear, like condemned criminals who wait the coming of the executioner; many, I trust, with patience, and hope, and peace.
2. Waiting is very hard work, far harder than doing. Waiting too for uncertainties, and better times which may never come; hoping against hope, with that hope deferred which maketh the heart sick, is one of the hardest of the tasks which we have to do. Waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ is also hard work, because of the sin which is in us and around us, but it is not hopeless or doubtful. In due time we shall reap if we faint not.
3. How may we best wait for this?
4. Though we are waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus, He is in a sense always with us.
5. We must wait for our Lords coming with our armour girded on and in the front of the battle. (H. J. W. Buxton, M. A.)
The coming of Christ
When we expect any one we turn our eyes that way, as the wife looks towards the sea when she expects her husbands return. Surely, then, if we look for Christ to come we shall keep our eyes heavenward, and our minds occupied with the country from which He cometh.
Christs second coming
We are not afraid to go alone on a journey to a strange place when we are sure that a friend will meet us at the end of the journey. The husband in a distant city telegraphs to his wife to come to him, and he will be at the station to receive her.
Faith and preparation as to the second coming of Christ
The coming of Christ literally refers to His appearing at the last day, but in its substantial meaning, and as to all its practical effects, it may be considered as equivalent to our death, because there not only is our future condition determined, but we enter into that scene in which His award shall fix us when He pronounces our final sentence. Let us, then, consider what is implied in the Christians waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I. A firm conviction that Christ will come. In any other state of mind the term waiting would be inapplicable. And, indeed, the second coming of Christ forms a part of the deliberate and cherished creed of every true disciple. It is not a mere speculation indulged in because it is agreeable; a conjecture suggested by appearances, and adhered to as being probable and useful; the result of a process of reasoning, liable to errors and doubts; it is a point of settled belief, which the Christian maintains because it is founded on the testimony of Him who is equally omniscient and true. It is the subject of a Divine prediction, of a Divine promise, of a Divine assurance; and therefore we cannot withhold our full assent to it without impeaching the absolute perfection of that absolutely perfect Being by whom it has been attested. And remember that it is not set down merely as one of a multitude of events which will happen, but as a constituent portion of that scheme which the Son of God undertook to execute as the Redeemer of sinful men. Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them who look for Him Christ will appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation.
II. That this event is the subject of habitual thought and contemplation. How, indeed, can it be otherwise, seeing it is so true and so important in His regard? Were it a merely probable circumstance, a fact of little interest, or nothing more than a dry abstract truth, the mind of the Christian could not entertain it with much cordiality, or look forward to the period of its being realised with any intensity of feeling. But how differently must he be affected towards it, when he considers its indubitable certainty–the touching concerns which it involves–the various attractions which it presents in its every aspect–and the bearing which it has on all that he now is, and all that he is to be for ever!
III. A diligent and faithful preparation for it. Unless we had this preparation, we could not with any propriety be said to wait for Christs coming, because, if unprepared for His coming, it would be an event to be feared and deprecated. Christ will come for two purposes: to reward His people and to punish His enemies. But if we are among the number of His enemies, then, when He comes, we must suffer the condemnation which He has threatened against all those who have refused or neglected to become what He required them to be. Those who wait for His coming, and are prepared for that event, are–
1. Believers. Relying on Christ in the exercise of a true faith, we may wait for His coming, because His merit, appropriated by that faith, has cancelled our guilt, the prevalence of which would have made His coming terrible, and has obtained for us a title to the celestial kingdom, which we never could have entered through any doings or deservings of our own.
2. Saints–holy persons. When Christ comes it is to conduct His people to their reward. But how can He take us into His Fathers house, if our principles and dispositions and habits are all in irreconcilable hostility to the exercises and enjoyments of that blessed abode? Nothing that defileth can enter into the New Jerusalem.
IV. A decided and ardent desire for it. The feeling is dictated by all our present experience, and by all our future prospects. There are evils from which that event alone can emancipate us, and there are enjoyments to which that event alone can introduce us. And if it be a right thing to wish for deliverance from the one, and for the attainment of the other, then it is right to wish for the second advent of Christ, because that is identified with both advantages.
1. Here you are subject to disease–to its pain, and its languishing, and its mortal issue. But when your Saviour comes He will put upon you the crown of life, and you shall neither sicken, nor suffer, nor die any more.
2. Here your reputation may be wounded from ignorance, envy, prejudice, or malevolence. But when your Saviour comes He will place you among those whom God hath justified, and whom no man can condemn–in whose society calumny cannot reach you, and reproach cannot hurt you.
3. Here you may have to struggle with the numerous ills and hardships of poverty. But when your Saviour comes you shall have no wants which He will not supply with inexhaustible abundance.
4. Here your cherished friends may betray you when you are most confiding, and those who were dear to you as your own soul may be torn from your embrace by the relentless hand of death. But when your Saviour comes He will wind up this scene of trial, and will take you where ingratitude and treachery and dissolution shall be unknown.
5. Here you have the plague of sin to trouble and torment you. But when your Saviour comes He will place you where you shall be beyond the reach of temptation, and beyond the fear and the capacity of transgressing.
6. Here your eye and your heart are often pained by the sight of abounding iniquity. But when your Saviour comes He will conduct you into a region as pure as it is happy.
7. Here your best services and highest attainments are mixed with much imperfection and weakness. But when your Saviour comes He will make you perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
8. Here all your enjoyments, however exquisite, multiplied, and prolonged, are but mingled at the best, and soon over. But when your Saviour comes He will impart to you a happiness immortal as the souls that are to enjoy it–as the uncreated source from which it is to flow.
9. Here it is a trial to your patience that the Cross of Christ should be such a rock of offence, and that He who bore its agony and its shame should be despised and rejected of men. But when your Saviour comes His enemies will be destroyed, the numberless trophies of His humiliation and His blood will be assembled to honour Him, and all the hosts of heaven will unite with all the redeemed from the earth, to ascribe to Him the blessing, and dominion, which He had so richly won.
V. The exercise of patience and resignation. Submission to the Divine arrangements is a necessary part of the Christian character, and particularly in this regard. You should wait for Christs second coming with patience, because–
1. The period of that coming is fixed by Gods appointment. It is a part of the plan which He has formed for your salvation. It originates in the same mercy which prompted Him to give up His Son to suffering and to death for you. And does not every view of the Divine perfections constrain you to acquiesce in all that has been fixed as to the second coming, as well as in all that took place with regard to the first coming of Christ?
2. It is conducive to your own improvement and advantage. The present is a scene of preparation for the future. Every temptation that you successfully resist; every obligation that you faithfully fulfil; every trial to which you patiently submit; every step that you advance in the career of godliness and virtue; every victory that you achieve over the devil, the world, and the flesh, by that faith and patience which characterisc the saints of God upon earth, will put a loftier note in your song of praise, and add another gem to your crown of righteousness and glory in heaven. Seeing, then, that your continual stay here is conducive to your everlasting benefit, let not your souls be cast down, and let not their desires for deliverance overstep the limits of devout resignation to the will of Him who has arranged your lot in this world with a view to your destiny beyond it, and whose redeeming mercy will lead Him to make all things work together for your good.
3. It is for the advantage of your brethren and fellow men. This was one of Pauls motives, when amidst his longings to depart and to be with Christ, he was still contented to remain where the great Head of the Church had ordained him to labour. Nevertheless, said he, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. (A. Thomson, D. D.)
The uncertainty of Christs coming
This blending of light and obscurity–
I. Leaves us in a state more suitable and more profitable than either absolute ignorance or perfect knowledge.
1. It awakens feelings which the former would fail to excite, and which–
2. The latter would quench as they arose.
II. It is specially adapted to keep alive expectation, by bringing emphatically before us the perpetual possibility of an immediate manifestation. It keeps us in a state of–
1. Lively hope;
2. Watchfulness;
3. Humility;
4. Fidelity;
5. Earnest inquiry after truth;
6. Reverence and dread. (W. A. Butler, M. A.)
The revelation of Jesus Christ
This revelation would do two things–
I. Confirm them unto the end (1Co 1:8). All is well that ends well. The end of the Christian will confirm the wisdom of his choosing such an end. Hence the end of a thing is better than the beginning. The world calls him a fool; the day of Christ will confirm his wisdom. The world calls him ignoble; the day of Christ will confirm his pretensions to greatness and glory. The world calls him poor; the day of Christ will confirm his claims to an inheritance incorruptible, &c. We are now confirming the testimony of Christ, and proving Him true (1Co 1:6). In that day Christ will confirm our testimony, and prove us true. It will be the manifestation of the sons of God.
II. Make them blameless. Then all imperfections will end. Sins damp mists will no longer rise to obscure the moral heavens. Lessons:
1. Encouragement to the faithful worker.
2. Confidence. Do circumstances look discouraging in your labours of love? Do long-looked-for wants tarry? Do the desired clouds refuse to break in blessings on the parched heart? Have faith. The blessing will come, though it tarry, for God is faithful, &c. (1Co 1:9). He will keep His promises, &c.
3. Stimulus. The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ will be a revelation of unrecognised or undeveloped gifts. Therefore come behind in no gift, &c. When that day dawns, the grand confirmation service will be held–confirming the good and the bad alike. (The Study.)
Who shall also confirm you unto the end.
The Christians strength
The writings of St. Paul contain frequent assurances to the converts of the continuance and increase of Gods blessing and the grace of Christ, and of strength to support them under their trials, to carry them through their difficulties, and to make them more than conquerors through Him who loved them (Rom 8:37; Php 1:6; Rom 8:31-32; Rom 8:38-39; 1Co 1:4, &c.). In what sense, and with what necessary restrictions, are such promises as these always to be understood? It is manifest, both from the reason of things and from Holy Writ, that some spiritual blessings are so entirely the work of God, that, when considered in themselves, it is impossible that man can contribute to them, or bear any part in their completion. Thus, forgiveness of sins; adoption into Gods family; a resurrection from the dead; and the gift of eternal life; though they suppose due preparations in man, repentance, faith, hope, charity, fixed purposes of obedience, and patient continuance in well-doing are in themselves the absolute gifts of God, simple in their nature, and, as far as we can perceive, admitting of no addition nor decrease. But there are other blessings or endowments, implying increase and variety, in the advancement of which man must bear his part, and work with God. Such are those graces which qualify the human soul for pardon, and peace, and everlasting glory; which are the rudiments or first principles of the heavenly character. For these set out, for the most part, from small and often imperceptible beginnings, and are strengthened and ripened into habits by exercise and godly discipline. When, therefore, St. Paul assures the converts that God will confirm them unto the end, that they may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, he does not comfort them with an assurance of support, divorced from all conditions and contingencies; nor does he lead us to believe that there are any particular persons whom God will at all events endow with an unfailing perseverance. Since, therefore, faith is spoken of in Scripture sometimes as Gods gift, sometimes as mans duty, it is manifest that the gift and the duty mutually imply each other. On the one hand, our faith can neither begin nor continue, nor be perfected, without Gods grace and blessing. On the other hand, we have no ground for supposing that He will confirm our faith until the end, unless we endeavour to hold fast our own faith, to improve it by acts of piety and obedience, and to abound in it more and more. Man is, of himself, strongly inclined to evil: he has a sinful nature stirring within him: his passions are continually provoking him to transgress the restraints of conscience and reason, and the laws revealed to him by his God. God, therefore, who well knows his indisposition to bear up against the power of corruption, mercifully promises to take him in hand, to discipline his imagination and affections (Eze 36:26; Deu 30:6). But though God thus promises to circumcise the hearts of His people, and to subdue them to His own purposes, in other passages of Holy Writ He calls upon them to circumcise their own hearts, and to master and mortify themselves (Deu 10:16, Jer 4:4; Eph 4:22; Col 3:5-6). But in order to complete the Christian character, man stands in need of continual improvement in righteousness and true holiness, the daily renewal of his mind, and confirmed habits of piety and obedience. But since, when unassisted, he has no power in himself to help himself, and is, at the best, a mere beginner in the trade of virtue, God has graciously promised to renew and to supply him with spiritual sufficiency (Eze 11:19-20; Eze 36:26-27). Yet these promises of grace and spiritual succour are accompanied with earnest exhortations to the performance of our duty, and pressing calls upon us to do that for ourselves which God has, in some sort, engaged to do for us (Eze 18:31; Eph 4:23-24). Hence it follows that Gods promises of help to perfect our inner man, require diligence and exertion on our part; that our prayers for renewal will bring no blessing with them, if we do not endeavour to renew the spirit of our own minds; and that it is worse than idle to presume that God will not leave nor forsake us, if we shrink from our duty, and leave and forsake ourselves (Eph 5:1; Col 3:14-15). I shall lay down a few practical lessons which the consideration of this subject naturally suggests.
1. You should make it your business to study the whole of Gods Word, and, as far as you are able, to compare and combine its contents; and you must not accustom yourselves to dwell on the particular parts of it to the exclusion of other portions which require an equal degree of consideration and deference.
2. You will learn from those statements of the scriptural doctrine which have been laid before you, the folly and presumption of relying on Gods goodness, and the grace and promises of Christ, without the exercise, on your own part, of religious labour and spiritual industry.
3. Whatever measure of religious industry you may exert, whatever progress you may make in the improvement of your souls and the reformation of your hearts and habits, still remember that you owe everything to God; that you are yourselves inclined to evil, and that it is your bounden duty to refer back all holy desires, good counsels, and just works to the Author and Giver of all goodness. (Bp. Bethel.)
Confirming grace
I. What does it include?–Confirmation.
1. In faith, holiness, love.
2. Unto the end.
II. How is it effected?
1. By Christ.
2. Through the means of grace.
III. Why is it so necessary?
1. That ye may be blameless.
2. In the day of Christ. (J. Lyth, D. D.)
Firm to the end
Steadfastness is one of the most important characteristics of a Christian. What are love, self-denial, patience, and faith without it? It is not the best regiment which makes the most headlong charge, but which can stand firm. The Spartans were forbidden by their laws to flee. In the Pass of Thermopylae stands a monument to Leonidas and his followers, bearing this inscription–Go, stranger, and tell at Lacedaemon that we died here in obedience to our laws. What we want, as soldiers of Christ, is not so much zeal, or enthusiasm, or outward profession, as firmness to the end, steadfastness to die, if need be, for the laws of our God. We find plenty of zealous professors, but after a time the fire dies out into dead ashes; they have no staying power. Note–
I. Some of the dangers of the Church now.
1. The restless spirit of the age. This is the result of various causes.
(1) The spread of education. Men are taught to cultivate their heads at the price of their hearts.
(2) The growth of cheap literature. The fact is, some of us in these days are getting too clever. We have got a few drops of learning, and we fancy that we can pour the whole ocean of knowledge into our poor little bottle. True education makes us humble, because it shows us our ignorance. What are the doubters and the unbelievers going to give you in exchange for what they rob you of? They can take away the Saviour, and only leave you your sins. They may scoff you out of believing in the resurrection. But can they laugh you out of believing in death?
2. A constant desire for something new, and, if possible, sensational. And, above all, these people want a religion made easy. They have no objection to being saved provided that the process is quick and cheap. They turn away from the thought of self-denial, &c.; they must be made good all at once. Beware of this mushroom religion; the best fruit is not that which ripens most quickly, and the best Christian certainly does not come to maturity all in a moment. The Persian fable tells us how a gourd wound itself round a lofty palm-tree, and in a few weeks climbed to its very top. The gourd asked the palm-tree its age, and the tree answered, An hundred years. Then the gourd answered boastingly that it had grown as tall as the palm in fewer days than the tree could count years. True, answered the palm-tree, every summer has a gourd climbed round me, as proud as thou art, and as short-lived as thou wilt be.
3. This is a specially busy age. Every walk of life is crowded, and competition is most keen. Now there is great danger in all this to a mans spiritual life, if he has not God with him in his work. He will become selfish and unscrupulous.
II. The means by which Christ will confirm you unto the end. (H. J. W. Buxton, M. A.)
Blameless in the day of Christ.—
Unimpeached
So as to be unimpeached in the day of our Lord; for when the saints stand before the tribunal of Christ, they will not indeed be found to have been free from sin in their earthly life, but having persevered in the faith and in good works will find themselves under the wing and shelter of Gods righteousness, safe from all impeachment. Unimpeached of whom? Probably of the accuser of the brethren, the adversary Satan. But being found holy in Christ and blameless to God, who shall then lay an impeachment against Gods elect? It is God that justifieth (Col 1:22-23). (Canon Evans.)
Eternal blamelessness
I. Judicial. The word used here is the judicial one. A Christian is one against whom there is not only no condemnation, but no accusation. He is a sinner, yet no man, nor angel, nor devil, may accuse him, or mention his guilt to God.
II. Priestly. I might call it sacrificial. The word used in such places as Eph 1:4 is the same as that in 1Pe 1:19, the Lamb without blemish, and without spot. This unblemishedness has special reference to our fitness for worship and service.
III. Personal (Php 2:15; 1Th 3:13). We are forgiven and delivered from wrath that we may be personally holy; holy in heart and life; saved from sin, conformed to Christ. Holiness is to be everywhere in and about the man. If, then, you call yourself a Christian, consider how much is expected from you. Consider–
1. Your names. They are saint, Christian, redeemed from among men, follower of the Lamb. Do not these call you to blamelessness?
2. Your designations. You are the lights of the world, the salt of the earth; pilgrims, strangers, virgins, cross-bearers, kings and priests; a temple, a habitation of God.
3. Your calling. You are called to glory, honour, and immortality.
4. Your hopes.
5. Your companionships. They are all heavenly and pure. Old friendships are severed, and new ones formed. If you are Christians, then, be consistent. Be Christians out and out; Christians every hour, in every part, and in every matter. Beware of half-hearted discipleship. (H. Bonar, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 7. So that ye come behind in no gift] Every gift and grace of God’s Spirit was possessed by the members of that Church, some having their gifts after this manner, others after that.
Waiting for the coming of our Lord] It is difficult to say whether the apostle means the final judgment, or our Lord’s coming to destroy Jerusalem, and make an end of the Jewish polity. – See 1Th 3:13. As he does not explain himself particularly, he must refer to a subject with which they were well acquainted. As the Jews in general continued to contradict and blaspheme, it is no wonder if the apostle should be directed to point out to the believing Gentiles that the judgments of God were speedily to fall upon this rebellious people, and scatter them over the face of the earth; which shortly afterwards took place.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Not that every one of them was filled with all the gifts of the blessed Spirit; but one excelled in one gift, another excelled in another, as the apostle expounds himself, 1Co 12:7,8; neither doth the apostle assert them perfect in their gifts, but saith that they came behind-hand, or were defective, in no gift; but were all waiting for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to judgment, of which he mindeth them, to encourage them to go on as they had began.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. ye come behindare inferiorto other Christians elsewhere [GROTIUS].
in no giftnot that allhad all gifts, but different persons among them had different gifts(1Co 12:4, c.).
waiting for . . . coming of .. . ChristThe crowning proof of their “coming behind inno gift.” Faith, hope, and love, are all exercisedherein (compare 2Ti 4:8 Tit 2:13).”Leaving to others their MEMENTOMORI (remember death), do thou earnestly cherish this joyousexpectation of the Lord’s coming” [BENGEL].The Greek verb implies, “to expect constantly, not onlyfor a certain time, but even to the end till the expected eventhappens” (Ro 8:19,[TITTMANN, GreekSynonyms of the New Testament]).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
So that ye come behind in no gift,…. Ordinary or extraordinary; a detail of the gifts which were bestowed on them is made in 1Co 12:8; by which it appears that they were not inferior in gifts to any of the churches:
waiting for the coming; or “the revelation”
of our Lord Jesus Christ; who will appear a second time, come in great glory, will raise the dead, and judge both quick and dead; when gifts will cease and be of no more use, and when they must all be accounted for; and therefore, till that time comes, should be diligently made use of, and improved to the interest and service of Christ; who will surely come again, and call his servants and churches to an account for the talents he has intrusted them with; and whose coming is to be believed, loved, looked, and hoped for by all, that love him in sincerity and truth.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
So that ye come behind in no gift ( ). Consecutive clause with and the infinitive and the double negative. Come behind () is to be late (), old verb seen already in Mark 10:21; Matt 19:20. It is a wonderful record here recorded. But in 2Cor 8:7-11; 2Cor 9:1-7 Paul will have to complain that they have not paid their pledges for the collection, pledges made over a year before, a very modern complaint.
Waiting for the revelation ( ). This double compound is late and rare outside of Paul (1Cor 1:7; Gal 5:5; Rom 8:19; Rom 8:23; Rom 8:25; Phil 3:20), 1Pet 3:20; Heb 9:28. It is an eager expectancy of the second coming of Christ here termed revelation like the eagerness in in Tit 2:13 for the same event. “As if that attitude of expectation were the highest posture that can be attained here by the Christian” (F.W. Robertson).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Come behind [] . See on Luk 14:14, and compare Rom 3:23. Contrast with were enriched.
Gift [] . See on Rom 1:11. Its prevailing sense in this epistle is that of special spiritual endowments, such as tongues, prophecy, etc. Here of spiritual blessings generally.
Waiting [] . See on Rom 8:19. Denoting assiduous waiting. Dr. Thayer compares the phrase wait it out [] .
Revelation [] . See on Rev 1:1.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “So that ye come behind.” Grace had so enriched the Corinthian brethren that they had (Greek me hustereisthai) “Been wanting, lacking, or behind”
2) “In no gift.” (Greek en medeni Charismati) “In not one or any charismatic thing or spiritual gift.” Their imperfections of moral, ethical, and doctrinal nature had not debarred them from having Spiritual gifts – See 1Co 12:1-31; 1Co 14:26.
3) “Waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Enriched by God’s grace in all things, and lacking or behind in no Charismatic gift the Corinthian brethren were also (Greek apekdecho – menos) “awaiting” the (Greek apokalupsin) “unveiling” of the Lord Jesus Christ – His appearance in all his “glory and great power,” not merely His (parousia) bodily appearance in the air, for His saints, 1Th 4:14-18; Mat 25:31. For the revelation, unveiling see also 2Th 1:7; 1Pe 1:7; 1Pe 1:13; 1Pe 4:13; Rom 8:18-19.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
7. So that ye come behind in no gift ̔Υστερεισθαι means to be in want of what you would otherwise stand in need of. (49) He means, therefore, that the Corinthians abound in all the gifts of God, so as not to be in want of anything, as if he had said, “The Lord has not merely honored you with the light of the gospel, but has eminently endowed you with all those graces that may be of service to the saints for helping them forward in the way of salvation.” For he gives the name of gifts ( χαρίσματα) to those spiritual graces that are, as it were, means of salvation to the saints. But it is objected, on the other hand, that the saints are never in such abundance as not to feel in want of graces to some extent, so that they must always of necessity be “ hungering and thirsting ” (Mat 5:6.) For where is the man that does not come far short of perfection? I answer, “As they are sufficiently endowed with needful gifts, and are never in such destitution but that the Lord seasonably relieves their need; Paul on this ground ascribes to them such wealth.” For the same reason he adds: waiting for the manifestation, meaning, that he does not ascribe to them such abundance as to leave nothing to be desired; but merely as much as will suffice, until they shall have arrived at perfection. The participle waiting I understand in this sense, “In the meantime while you are waiting.” Thus the meaning will be, “So that ye are in want of no gift in the meantime while you are waiting for the day of perfected revelation, by which Christ our wisdom (1Co 1:30) will be fully manifested.”
(49) The word is used in this sense in the following passages: Luk 15:14; 2Co 11:9; Phi 4:12; and Heb 11:37. The proper meaning is — to come too late for a thing, and so miss of it. Xenophon uses it in this sense. Αβροκόμας ὑστερησε τὢς μάχης : — “Abrocomas came too late for the battle.” The word occurs in the same sense in Hebews 4:1 and Hebews 12:15. — Ed
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(7) So that ye come.Not exactly as in the English, so that ye come behind (or, are wanting) in no gift, but the result being that ye come behind others in no gift. You have as fully as any others those spiritual gifts which sustain you and enable you to wait for the revelation (i.e., the second visible appearance, which the early Church expected would soon occur) of our Lord Jesus Christ, not with fear, or with impatience, but with a calm trustfulness (Luk. 17:30; Tit. 2:13).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. Come behind Such was the vivid Greek temperament of the Corinthian Church, and such the operations of the Spirit within it, that they equalled any Church in charismatic manifestations. This was the bright side of their case. The shadier side was, the fact that this was no demonstration of their preeminent piety; and even in the use of their gifts there was such a mixture of human with divine, that they needed the guidance of apostolic wisdom.
Gifts Grace, , is sanctifying; gifts, charisms, are edifying as manifestations of divine power.
Coming Note on 2Th 2:2.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Co 1:7 . Result of . . . . , consequently parallel to . . The negative expression is conceived quite after the analogy of the positive . (see on 1Co 1:5 ), so that denotes that, in which one is behind (defectively constituted). Hence: so that ye in no gift of grace are behind ( i.e. less rich than other churches). Comp Plat. Pol. vi. p. 484 D: . Sir 51:24 . The sense would be different, if the words were ( so that no gift of grace is lacking to you ). See Rom 3:22 ; Luk 22:35 ; Joh 2:3 . Ruhnk. a [124] Tim. p. 51. Lobeck, a [125] Phryn. p. 237; a [126] Soph. Aj. 782. is here to be taken (with Calvin and others, including Rosenmller, Pott, de Wette, Maier) in the wider sense of the spiritual blessings of Christianity generally , in so far as believers are made partakers of them by the divine grace through the (Rom 1:11 ; 1Co 7:7 ); not, with most of the older expositors, as well as Billroth, Rckert, Olshausen, Hofmann, in the narrower sense of the extraordinary gifts (chap. 12 ff.). The proof of this is, first, that the immediately following . . . [127] makes the appear as an ethical endowment; second, that the significant retrospective reference of the in 1Co 1:8 does not suit the in the narrower sense, but does suit all the more strikingly the moral character of the Christian gifts of the Spirit in general. The form of expression in the singular here stands as little in the way of this view (in opposition to Hofmann) as at Rom 1:11 , and is, in fact, necessitated by the negative form of the discourse. Rckert, indeed, objects: “that Paul could not at all mean here those purely moral blessings, seeing that the Corinthians did not possess them.” The apostle, however, is not speaking of every individual, but of the church taken as a whole (comp already Chrysostom and Theophylact); and, moreover, expresses himself with much caution in a negative way, so that he only needs to answer for the presence of a sufficienter praeditum esse to stand comparison with other churches.
. . . [129] ] is a significant accompanying definition to what has gone before: as persons, who are not in any wise afraid of the revelation of Christ (1Pe 1:7 ; Col 3:3 f.) and wish it away, but who are waiting for it. This waiting and that afflux of grace stand in a mutual relation of action and reaction. Bengel says rightly: “ Character Christiani veri vel falsi, revelationem Christi vel expectare vel horrere.” The fact that there were among the Corinthians deniers of the resurrection (and consequently of the Parousia in its full idea) which, we may add, might naturally enough cause this hope to become all the more vividly prominent in the case of the rest does not take away from the truth of the words, which hold good of the church a potiori . Just as little can they (contrary to the winning tone of the whole preamble) have it as their design to terrify with the thought of the day of judgment (Chrysostom), or to censure the doubters (Grotius, Rckert), or even to make ironical reference to the fancied perfection of the Corinthians (Mosheim). The participial clause, which needed neither nor the article, is not merely a temporal definition consequently “ for the time ” of the waiting (Hofmann) any more than at Tit 2:13 ; Rom 8:23 ; Jud 1:21 .
.] denotes the persevering expectation. See on Rom 8:19 ; Fritzsche in Fritzschior. Opusc. p. 150 ff. The word does not indicate the element of longing (de Wette). See Rom 8:25 ; 1Pe 3:20 . For the subject-matter, comp Phi 3:20 ; Tit 2:13 ; 2Ti 4:8 ; Luk 12:36 .
[124] d refers to the note of the commentator or editor named on the particular passage.
[125] d refers to the note of the commentator or editor named on the particular passage.
[126] d refers to the note of the commentator or editor named on the particular passage.
[127] . . . .
[129] . . . .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Ver. 7. So that ye come behind, &c. ] Yet were babes and carnal, 1Co 3:2-3 , and fell short in many graces. We must distinguish between gifts and graces, and covet these rather than those, 1Co 13:1 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
7. ] So that ye are behind (others) in no gift of grace ; not, lack no gift of grace , which would be genitive. here has its widest sense, of that which is the effect of , not meaning ‘spiritual gifts’ in the narrower sense, as in ch. 1Co 12:4 . This is plain from the whole strain of the passage, which dwells not on outward gifts, but on the inward graces of the Christian life.
.] which is the greatest proof of maturity and richness of the spiritual life; implying the coexistence and co-operation of faith , whereby they believed the promise of Christ, hope , whereby they looked on to its fulfilment, and love , whereby that anticipation was lit up with earnest desire; compare , 2Ti 4:8 .
. . . ., is taken by Chrys., who understands of miraculous powers, as implying that besides them they needed patience to wait till the coming of Christ; and by Calv., “ideo addit expectantes revelationem , quo significat, non talem se affluentiam illis affingere in qua nihil desideretur; sed tantum qu sufficiet usquedum ad perfectionem perventum fuerit.” But I much prefer taking as parallel with and giving the result of . . . .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
1Co 1:7 describes the result of the firm establishment of the Gospel: . . . ( with inf [87] of contemplated result: see Bn [88] 369 ff.), “causing you not to feel behindhand in any gift of grace”; the mid [89] implies subjective reflexion , the consciousness of inferiority (Ev [90] ): similarly in Rom 3:23 , “ find themselves short of the glory of God” (Sanday and Headl.); and in Luk 15:14 , “he began to feel his destitution ”. The pr [91] inf [92] and ptp [93] of the vbs. bear no ref [94] to the time of writing; their time is given by the governing : the strong assurance with which the Cor [95] embraced the Gospel was followed by a shower of spiritual energies, of which they had a lively sense. A (see parls.) is in some concrete result (see Cr [96] s. v. ), a specific endowment of ( God’s ) grace , whether the fundamental charism, embracing all others, of salvation in Christ (Rom 5:16 ), or, e.g. , the special and individual charism of continence (1Co 7:7 ). No church excelled the Cor [97] in the variety of its endowments and the satisfaction felt in them. Chaps. 12 14 enumerate and discuss the chief Cor [98] , setting in their midst; ethical qualities are included under this term, 1Co 1:8 f. . . . . “while you eagerly awaited ( or eagerly awaiting, as you did) the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”. The vb [99] is one of P.’s characteristic intensive compounds (see parls.). The anarthrous pr [100] ptp [101] implies a continuous state conditioning that of the foregoing clause: the unstinted plenty of Divine gifts continued while the recipients fixed their thought upon the day of Christ; 1Co 15:12 ; 1Co 15:33 f. show that this expectation had been in many instances relaxed. Rom 8 and Col 3 (also 1Jn 2:28 to 1Jn 3:3 ) illustrate the bearing of faith in the on Christian character; cf. Mat 25 , Luk 12:32 ff., etc. It is an , an “ unveiling ” of Christ that the Cor [102] looked for; since although they are “in Christ,” still he is hidden (Col 3:3 f.); His presence is a mystery (Col 1:27 , Eph 5:32 ). “ denotes the fact of Christ’s (future) presence, its visibility” and splendour, “ its inner meaning” (Ed [103] ); (it might be added: Col 3:4 ) its open display. The Cor [104] were richly blessed with present good, while expecting a good far exceeding it: “a tacit warning against fancied satisfaction in the present” (Gd [105] : cf. 1Co 4:8 ).
[87] infinitive mood.
[88] E. Burton’s Syntax of the Moods and Tenses in the N.T. (1894).
[89] middle voice.
[90] T. S. Evans in Speaker’s Commentary .
[91] present tense.
[92] infinitive mood.
[93] participle
[94] reference.
[95] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.
[96] Cremer’s Biblico-Theological Lexicon of N.T. Greek (Eng. Trans.).
[97] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.
[98] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.
[99] verb
[100] present tense.
[101] participle
[102] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.
[103] T. C. Edwards’ Commentary on the First Ep. to the Corinthians . 2
[104] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.
[105] F. Godet’s Commentaire sur la prem. p. aux Corinthiens (Eng. Trans.).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
come behind = are not (App-105) lacking (Greek. hustereo). See Rom 3:23.
no. Greek. mideis. A double negative.
gift. App-184.
waiting for = eagerly expecting. Greek. apekdechomai. See Rom 8:19.
coming = revelation. App-106. There are two other words used with reference to the Lord’s coming, parousia (see Mat 24:3), and epiphaneia (see 2Th 2:8). Compare 2Th 1:7. 1Pe 1:7, 1Pe 1:13.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
7.] So that ye are behind (others) in no gift of grace;-not, lack no gift of grace, which would be genitive. here has its widest sense, of that which is the effect of ,-not meaning spiritual gifts in the narrower sense, as in ch. 1Co 12:4. This is plain from the whole strain of the passage, which dwells not on outward gifts, but on the inward graces of the Christian life.
.] which is the greatest proof of maturity and richness of the spiritual life; implying the coexistence and co-operation of faith, whereby they believed the promise of Christ,-hope, whereby they looked on to its fulfilment,-and love, whereby that anticipation was lit up with earnest desire;-compare , 2Ti 4:8.
. …, is taken by Chrys.,-who understands of miraculous powers,-as implying that besides them they needed patience to wait till the coming of Christ; and by Calv.,-ideo addit expectantes revelationem, quo significat, non talem se affluentiam illis affingere in qua nihil desideretur; sed tantum qu sufficiet usquedum ad perfectionem perventum fuerit. But I much prefer taking as parallel with and giving the result of . …
Fuente: The Greek Testament
1Co 1:7. , So that ye are not behind) This clause depends on ye are enriched by antithesis.-, expecting, [waiting for]) The character of the true or false Christian is either to expect or dread the revelation of Christ. [Leaving to others their MEMENTO MORI, do thou urge this joyful expectation.-V. g.].
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
1Co 1:7
1Co 1:7
so that ye come behind in no gift;-The gifts were so freely bestowed that they fell behind other churches in no gift. For what is there wherein ye were made inferior to the rest of the churches, except it be that I myself was not a burden to you? (2Co 12:13).
waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ;-These gifts were to impart all instruction and knowledge while they waited the coming, or restitution, of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is difficult to determine whether this coming refers to the destruction of Jerusalem, which would be a full confirmation of all that had been said of Christ and the apostles; or whether to when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed… in that day. (2Th 1:10). [That it has reference to the latter there can be but little doubt, since the Lord promised his anxious disciples when he was about to leave them that he would return, and this promise was renewed by the angel on the very day that he ascended into heaven. (Act 1:11). It became the settled hope of Christians that he would return. (Tit 2:12-13; 2Pe 3:12; Heb 9:28). And the apostle John, who was present when Jesus ascended, closed the volume of inspiration with the earnest prayer that he would come quickly. (Rev 22:20). The expectancy of the coming of the Lord steadied and strengthened the Christian life, and probably here it is introduced as the motive by which they were kept from anything that would impoverish their spirituality. This earnest desire and expectation is the greatest proof of maturity and richness of the Christian life.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
coming
Three words are used in connection with the return of the Lord:
(1) Parousia, “personal presence,” also used by Paul of the “coming” of Stephanas 1Co 16:17 of Titus 2Co 7:6; 2Co 7:7 and of his own “coming” to Philippi Php 1:26. The word means simply personal presence, and is used of the return of the Lord as that event relates to the blessing of the saints; 1Co 15:23; 1Th 4:14; 1Th 4:17 and to the destruction of the man of sin 2Th 2:8.
(2) Apokalupsis, “unveiling,” “revelation.” The use of this word emphasizes the visibility of the Lord’s return. It is used of the Lord 2Th 1:7; 1Pe 1:7; 1Pe 1:13; 1Pe 4:13 of the sons of God in connection with the Lord’s return Rom 8:19 and of the man of sin 2Th 2:3; 2Th 2:6; 2Th 2:8 and always implies visibility.
(3) Epiphaneia, “appearing,” trans. “brightness” 2Th 2:8 A.V.; “manifestation,” R.V.), and means simply an appearing. It is used of both advents.; 2Ti 1:10; 2Th 2:8; 1Ti 6:14; 2Ti 4:1; 2Ti 4:8; Tit 2:13.
coming (Greek – revelation, unveiling).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
ye: 2Co 12:13
waiting: 1Co 4:5, Gen 49:18, Mat 25:1, Luk 12:36, Rom 8:19, Phi 3:20, 1Th 1:10, 2Ti 4:8, Tit 2:13, Heb 9:28, Heb 10:36, Heb 10:37, Jam 5:7, Jam 5:8, 2Pe 3:12, Jud 1:21
coming: Gr. revelation, Luk 17:30, Col 3:4, 2Th 1:7, 1Ti 6:14, 1Ti 6:15, 1Pe 1:13, 1Pe 4:13, 1Pe 5:4, 1Jo 3:2
Reciprocal: Exo 35:35 – the cunning Psa 119:33 – I shall keep Isa 64:4 – waiteth 1Th 3:13 – at the Heb 12:2 – finisher 2Pe 1:16 – coming 1Jo 2:28 – at his
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Co 1:7. Come behind in no gift. Not every member of a congregation was given a spiritual gift, but a sufficient per cent of the membership would be thus endowed to accomplish the Lord’s work. The Corinthian church was large in numbers (Act 18:8), which would call for a proportionate number of gifted men. Waiting for the coming. All persons must of necessity wait literally for the coming of Christ. Strong defines the original word, “to expect fully.”
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
1Co 1:7. so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. The faith of His first coming, to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, and the hope of His second appearing without sin unto salvation to them that look for Him
these were the two wings on which Christians were taught to mount up as eagles in their spiritual life (1Th 1:8-10).
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Vv. 7. So that ye come behind in no gift, waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the explanation of the preceding verse, which we have rejected, the , so that, is made to refer to the verb of 1Co 1:6 : Your faith was confirmed in such a way, that in consequence no gift was lacking to you… But in the sense of 1Co 1:6, which we have adopted, this verse being rather an observation thrown in by the way, it is natural to refer the to the of 1Co 1:5, which gives a simpler and clearer meaning: Ye were so enriched, that in point of gifts ye lacked nothing. There is indeed an evident contrast between the two ideas of being enriched and lacking.
The word , to lack, denotes a deficiency either relatively to the normal level which a Church should attain (1Co 16:17; Col 1:24; 1Th 3:10), or comparatively to other Churches more richly endowed (2Co 11:5; 2Co 12:11). The first of these two meanings is evidently the more suitable here. The Corinthians realize, in respect of gifts, , all that can be desired for a Church on the earth. The corresponds to the of 1Co 1:5.
The word , gift, will play a large part in this Epistle. As the form of the Greek term indicates, it denotes in general every concrete product in which grace is embodied. Several commentators (Calvin, de Wette, Meyer) apply the word here to the blessings of salvation in general, as in Rom 1:11; but the evident relation to 1Co 1:5 (comp. the reference of to , and that of to ) leads us to give a more definite sense to the word . According to the two expressions, knowledge and utterance, it must be applied here to the new spiritual powers with which the Spirit had endowed the members of the Church at Corinth. These various powers, which so often in Paul’s writings bear the name of , gifts of grace, are certainly the effects of the supernatural life due to faith in Christ; but they fit in notwithstanding to pre-existing natural aptitudes in individuals and peoples. The Holy Spirit does not substitute Himself for the human soul; He sanctifies it and consecrates its innate talents to the service of the work of salvation. By this new direction, He purifies and exalts them, and enables them to reach their perfect development. This was what had taken place at Corinth, and it was thus especially that the apostolic testimony had been divinely confirmed in this Church. We see how Paul still carefully avoids (as in 1Co 1:5) speaking of the moral fruits of the gospel, for this was the very respect in which there was a deficiency, and a grave deficiency, at Corinth.
The following words, waiting for the revelation…, have been very variously understood. Grotius and Rckert have seen in them an indirect reproof to those of the members of the Church who, according to chap. 15, denied the resurrection. But the apostle speaks of waiting for the Lord’s return, and not of faith in the resurrection. Chrysostom supposes that he wishes to alarm them by thus glancing at the approach of the judgment; but this would not be very suitable to a thanksgiving. Calvin, Hofmann, Meyer suppose, on the contrary, that he wishes to encourage them: Ye can go to meet the Lord’s advent with confidence, for ye possess all the graces that suffice for that time; or, as Meyer says: The blessings which ye have received fit you to see the Lord come without fear. But would the apostle thus reassure people whom he saw filled with the most presumptuous self-satisfaction, and given over to a deceitful security? Comp. 1Co 4:6-8, 1Co 10:1-22. Reuss supposes that Paul wishes to lead them to put to good account the spiritual aids which they now enjoy. But Paul would have declared this intention more clearly. Mosheim seems to me to have come nearer the true sense, when he finds irony here: Ye lack nothing, waiting however the great revelation! Without going the length of finding a sarcasm which would be out of place here, I think that there is really in this appendix, waiting the revelation…, the purpose of bringing this too self-satisfied Church to a more modest estimate. Rich as they are, they ought not to forget that as yet it is only a waiting state: they lack nothing…waiting for the moment which will give them everything. As is said, indeed (1Co 13:11), all our present gifts of utterance and knowledge have still the character of the imperfect state of childhood, in comparison with that which the perfect state will bring about. There was a tendency among the Corinthians to anticipate this latter state; they already imagined that they were swimming in the full enjoyment of the perfected kingdom of God (1Co 4:8). The apostle reminds them that real knowledge is yet to come; and this no doubt is the reason why he here uses the term, the revelation of Jesus Christ, to denote His advent. He means thereby less to characterize His visible presence (), than the full revelation both of Him and of all things in Him, which will accompany that time. In that light what will become of your knowledge, your present prophesyings and ecstasies? Comp. 2Th 1:7; 1Pe 1:7, where the use of this term is also occasioned by the context.
The term , compounded of the three words, , far from (here, from far), , from the hands of, and , to receive, admirably depicts the attitude of waiting.
After expressing his gratitude for what God has already done for his readers, the apostle, as in Eph 1:17 seq., and Php 1:6 seq., adds the hope that God will yet accomplish in them all that is lacking, that they may be able to stand in that great day; such is the idea of the two following verses.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
so that [causing that] ye come behind [other churches] in no gift [or miracle-working power of the Spirit]; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ [Christ taught all his followers to be constantly ready for his coming, and the Corinthians were conforming to this rule];
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Verse 7
So that ye come behind in; are deficient in. No church had been more highly favored in respect to its spiritual blessings.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; {10} waiting for the {f} coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
(10) He says along the way that there is no reason why they should be so pleased in those gifts which they had received, seeing that those were nothing in comparison of those which are to be looked for.
(f) He speaks of the last coming of Christ.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
God had blessed the Corinthians greatly with spiritual gifts. Note that Paul praised his readers for their gifts but not their behavior. Ancient orators typically praised their audiences for both. [Note: Keener, p. 22.] But Paul could not do that. The revealing of the Lord Jesus Christ to His saints at the Rapture would be God’s greatest gift to them. The early Christians awaited His return eagerly. This reference to the Rapture is one of many indications that the apostles taught the imminent (i.e., any moment) return of the Lord for His own (cf. 1Co 4:5; 1Co 15:51-52; 1Co 16:22; Php 3:20; Php 4:5; 1Th 1:10; 2Th 1:10-12; Tit 2:13; Jas 5:7-9; 1Jn 2:28; Rev 3:11; Rev 22:7; Rev 22:12; Rev 22:17; Rev 22:20). [Note: See Wayne A. Brindle, "Biblical Evidence for the Imminence of the Rapture," Bibliotheca Sacra 158:630 (April-June 2001):146-48.]
"Three words are prominently employed in connection with the return of the Lord: (1) Parousia, also used by Paul of the coming of Stephanas (1Co 16:17), of Titus (2Co 7:6-7), and of his own coming to Philippi (Php 1:26). The word means personal presence, and is used of the return of the Lord as that event relates to the blessing of Christians (1Co 15:23; 1Th 4:14-17) and to the destruction of the man of sin (2Th 2:8). (2) Apokalupsis, employed here, and meaning unveiling, revelation. This word emphasizes the visibility of the Lord’s return. It is used of the Lord (2Th 1:7; 1Pe 1:7; 1Pe 1:13; 1Pe 4:13), of the sons of God in connection with the Lord’s return (Rom 8:19), and of the man of sin (2Th 2:3; 2Th 2:6; 2Th 2:8), and always implies perceptibility. And (3) epiphaneia, translated ’brightness’ (2Th 2:8) or ’manifestation’ in some other versions. It means an appearing, and is used of both advents (first advent, 2Ti 1:10; second advent, 2Th 2:8; 1Ti 6:14; 2Ti 4:1; 2Ti 4:8; Ti. 1Co 2:13)." [Note: The New Scofield Reference Bible, p. 1233.]