Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Corinthians 4:18

Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.

18. Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you ] See note below, ch. 1Co 5:2. As the whole of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians shews (see for instance, ch. 1Co 10:2), there were those at Corinth who depreciated St Paul’s authority. Such persons persuaded themselves that they had so undermined his reputation that he would not dare to come again to Corinth, and they grew more self-asserting in consequence. But though St Paul submitted to contempt and insult from without, he demands the respect due to his office from those within. He bore the reproach of the infidel and scoffer: among his own people he acts upon the precept, ‘Let no man despise thee.’ Paley remarks on the undesigned coincidence between this passage and 2Co 1:15-17; 2Co 2:1. It appears that there had been some uncertainty about the Apostle’s visit. It was this which had led some of his opponents to assert that he would never shew his face at Corinth again.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Now some are puffed up – They are puffed up with a vain confidence; they say that I would not dare to come; that I would be afraid to appear among them, to administer discipline, to rebuke them, or to supersede their authority. Probably he had been detained by the demand on his services in other places, and by various providential hinderances from going there, until they supposed that he stayed away from fear. And possibly he might apprehend that they would think he had sent Timothy because he was afraid to come himself. Their conduct was an instance of the haughtiness and arrogance which people will assume when they suppose they are in no danger of reproof or punishment.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 18. Some are puffed up] Some of your teachers act with great haughtiness, imagining themselves to be safe, because they suppose that I shall not revisit Corinth.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

I hear that some of your teachers, and some of your members, are so conceited of themselves, that they would persuade you that I durst not see their faces, or come to discourse with them face to face, and therefore

would not come unto you.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

18. some . . . as though I would notcomeHe guards against some misconstruing (as by the Spirit heforesees they will, when his letter shall have arrived) his sendingTimothy, “as though” he “would not come” (or,”were not coming”) himself. A puffed-up spirit wasthe besetting sin of the Corinthians (compare 1Co 1:11;1Co 5:2).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Now some are puffed up,…. Some with their gifts, learning, and eloquence, and with the high station they were in, in the church; believing they should continue therein undisturbed, thinking them selves safe and secure through the absence of the apostle, and which they flattered themselves would always be the case:

as though I would not come to you; and others that were for Apollos and Cephas against Paul, were puffed up against their fellow members on the same account; hoping they should never see him more, to put them in any other situation than what they were in, by demolishing their factions and parties; and others, as the incestuous person, and those that took encouragement to sin by his example, were also puffed up upon this score, and mourned not over, nor repented of their iniquities, but remained secure and hardened; believing the apostle would never more come among them, to call them to an account for their malpractices.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Some are puffed up (). First aorist (effective) passive indicative of which see on verse 6.

As though I were not coming to you ( ). Genitive absolute with particle (assuming it as so) with as negative.

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

1) “Now some are puffed up.” Evidently the report from the Chloe household had indicated to Paul that certain Corinth members were puffed up with pride, arrogance, and cynicism against Paul because of his long delay to return.

2) “As though I would not come to you.” The term “hos” means “as” or “when” (Greek me erchomenou humas) “I was not coming to you,” (as planned). The Greek term (epusiathesan) indicates “a puff-adder,” serpentine attitude. The hissing world of railing against Paul were fleshly (a lot of wind) without either real power of hurt of influence, 1Co 5:11.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

18. As though I would not come to you This is the custom of the false apostles — to take advantage of the absence of the good, that they may triumph and vaunt without any hindrance. Paul, accordingly, with the view of reproving their ill-regulated conscience, and repressing their insolence, tells them, that they cannot endure his presence. It happens sometimes, it is true, that wicked men, on finding opportunity of insulting, rise up openly with an iron front against the servants of Christ, but never do they come forward ingenuously to an equal combat, (263) but on the contrary, by sinister artifices they discover their want of confidence.

(263) “ Si est-ce que jamais ils ne vienent a combatre franchement, et s’ ils ne voyent leur auantage: mats plustot en vsant de ruses et circuits obliques, ils monstrent leur deffiance, et comment ils sont mal asseurez;” — “So it is, that they never come forward frankly to a combat, and unless they have a view to their own advantage; but on the contrary, by making use of tricks and indirect windings, they show their want of confidence, and how distrustful they are.”

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(18) Now some are puffed up.Some of those in Corinth who were puffed up were in the habit of saying that the Apostle would not come and visit the Corinthian Church. The moment they heard the announcement that he was sending Timothy, they would naturally say, That is a proof of the truth of our assertion. He is afraid to come himself, so he sends Timothy in his stead. But, says St. Paul, I will come to you shortly, God willinghis intention was to remain at Ephesus until after Pentecost (see 1Co. 16:8)and then I shall take cognisance of spiritual power, and not of empty and boastful words; for that kingdom which Christ founded, and which we, his ambassadors, are establishing, does not consist in mere words, but in spiritual might.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

18. Some They must have been a small and bitter minority. The large majority was Pauline; the admirers of Apollos were in affinity with the Pauline; and even the Christine party would prefer the apostle of the Gentiles to the Judaizers, who abused the name of Peter by writing it upon their banners. It is among these last that we must specially look for this bitter some.

Puffed up Swelling with boastful hostility.

Would not come This spurious apostle, say they, who never saw Christ except in a fancied daydream, and who abolishes circumcision, will scarce dare to return to Corinth and face us, the true circumcised disciples of Peter, the chiefest of Jesus’ own apostles.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘Now some are puffed up as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the Kingly Rule of God is not in word, but in power.’

Now he turned his attention to those who seemed to think (and probably claimed) that he had deserted the Corinthians. They accused him of being a fly-by-night, and that he would not be coming back. Well, they were wrong. In God’s will he intended to come to them shortly, although it did of course depend on God being willing (compare 1Co 16:7; Jas 4:15), for Paul was an assistant to Christ and not His master. And then he would see what power these men who puffed themselves up really had in their ministry. For it in the end it was not a matter of words but the power of God. Through those who were His true servants, God works in power, for the Kingly Rule of God was revealed in power (Mar 9:1; Act 1:7-8; Act 3:12; Act 4:7; Act 4:33; Act 6:8) and continued in power. This would especially include power, not in mere words, but in the word of the cross. It finishes off where Paul began. But he may well have intended them to remember miracles that God had done through him. Could these puffed up ones speak of the same?

It is clear that these opponents were using any tactic to discredit him. They also tried to downgrade him by making out that he used gifts that he was given in order to look after his own needs and to make himself comfortable, and give himself plenty of free time (1Co 9:3-7). They accused him of misuse of funds and time-serving. Indeed they were spreading so many rumours and innuendoes that Paul felt it necessary to defend himself against the charge. Fortunately he had the perfect answer. He earned his own living. But he also makes clear out of deference to his colleagues that a soldier of Christ in the field has a right to be supported (1Co 9:7-18). So Paul is not just being unkind when he speaks of the being puffed up. He is defending himself against their unpleasantness and pointing out what they really are, boasters and liars.

‘Some are puffed up.’ Compare 1Co 5:2. This makes clear that they are self-seekers, but it is also preparation for the jolt he will shortly bring home to them when he deals with one of the causes of their being puffed up. In 1Co 8:1 he will state that ‘knowledge puffs up’. These are some who are puffed up by knowledge. And this has caused them to think too much of themselves. They see no good in anyone but themselves.

‘Not the word — but the power.’ Here ‘the word’ represents their teaching. They may be eloquent. Their words might be beautifully put together and seem to have something heavenly and mysterious about their content. But are they spiritually effective? That is the test. Do they make men holy? He will in the next chapter demonstrate that they certainly do not.

‘The Kingly Rule of God.’ This is God’s present rule among His people revealed in His powerful activity and the resulting spiritual living and service. Compare Rom 14:17. Note that here the Kingly Rule of God is specifically linked with the word of the cross in power. We have no right to separate ‘the kingdom of God’ from the Gospel. Note also that it is expressed through power. Thus it ties back to the idea of the word of the cross in power (1Co 1:18).

In 1Co 4:8 he had hinted at the claim of these opponents that they were rulers in heavenly things and had sarcastically wished that it was true. Now he makes clear that it is not true. They lacked the power that suggested that they truly reigned with Christ under the Kingly Rule of God.

The reference to the Kingly Rule of God is also further preparation for chapters 5 and 6. What is to be described there is very much connected with what is being described here, and with the word of the cross. The reason that they can act as judges within the community of the church is because the Kingly Rule of God is here and because God has spoken in terms of the cross.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

1Co 4:18 . As though now I were not coming to you, some are puffed up . It is likely that these boasters, who belonged more probably to the Apollonians than to the Christ-party (1Co 4:19 f.), believed and affirmed that the apostle had not the courage to appear again in Corinth (2Co 10:1 ); and it is to prevent their being strengthened in their delusion by the mission of Timothy that Paul now adds these remarks, 1Co 4:18-20 . Hence we are not to make the new section begin here (Tertullian and Theodoret referred . even to the incestuous person, 1Co 5:1 , and Theophylact makes it include a reference to him); on the contrary, it breaks upon us suddenly, like a thunderstorm, in 1Co 5:1 .

Upon as the fourth word in a sentence, see Winer, p. 519 [E. T. 699].

, as , denotes: on the assumption that ; see Matthiae, p. 1320. It introduces the ground of the . from the point of view of those that were puffed up. Comp Khner, II. p. 374; Lobeck, a [723] Soph. Aj. 281.

.] not for (Flatt), but indicative of the subsisting relation. “ Paul is not coming ” was their conception, and this made them bold and boastful; , Chrysostom.

] as in 1Co 15:12 .

[723] d refers to the note of the commentator or editor named on the particular passage.

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

B. Anticipation of misconception as to his motives in sending Timothy and of consequent arrogance, on the part of some. Such to be tested in point of power. The kingdom of God a thing of power

1Co 4:18-21

18Now some are [have been] puffed up, as though I would not come [were not coming] to you. 19But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. 20For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 21What will ye? shall I come unto you with [] a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?13

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

1Co 4:18. He here obviates an inference which might be drawn [and, it would seem from the Apostles language, had actually been drawn], from his sending Timothy to Corinth. It was, that he was not coming there himself. And some were elated, in consequence, with the idea, that it was because he dared not come.Some have been puffed up.By , puffed up, we are not to understand that conceit of wisdom, spoken of before, which lifted certain of them high in their own esteem, above the simplicity of the Apostle. He alludes rather to that arrogant manner, that overweening insolence, which is a common feature of party spirit. Whether any declarations of theirs, respecting his not coming to Corinth, had been communicated to Paul; or whether he only inferred from their conduct that they must be indulging in such expectations; or whether he only intended to say that they were puffed up, as though he were not to be present among them again, may be left undecided. Bengels idea, that a Divine inspiration discovered to him the thoughts which would arise in their minds on reading his letter, is ingenious, but hardly suitable.as though I also were not coming. The relates to the sending of Timothy, and puts in conjunction with him. [ expresses the assumption in their minds: the present participle refers to their saying : he is not coming. And, inasmuch as forms one idea, the is placed after it all. See Hart. Partikellehre 1, p. 190. Alf.].

1Co 4:19. Counter-statements.But I will come to you shortly.Pauls courage here speaks out resolutely in an emphatic, I will come (), which is put first. The shortly (comp. 1Co 16:6), [but why not also the entire fact of his coming also?], he makes dependent on the will of the Lord (1Co 16:7), whose servant he is, and who might appoint him tasks, the discharge of which would prevent him from executing his purpose,if the Lord will.Thus courage and assurance are coupled with a humble consciousness of dependence, and with submission to the control of a higher power. [So constantly did Paul live in communion with Christ as his God, submitting to Him and trusting to Him at all times. Hodge].and I will know, .This denotes, not a judicial finding upon I a previous trial, nor yet a simple taking knowledge of by observation (Meyer), but a consciousness attained by experience, and by tests applied. It implies that Apostolic discernment, which penetrates through all outward shows into the very essence of things, which does not suffer itself to be deceived by lofty phrase, or high sounding threats (1Co 1:17; 1Co 3:4), but which accurately detects the presence or absence of a true capacity for energetic and successful labors in the kingdom of God (comp. 1Co 4:20).not the speech of them that are puffed up, but the power.There is the same contrast between and here, that we have 1Th 1:5; comp. 2Ti 3:5, where instead of speech we have the form of godliness contrasted with power. is the essential power, or true nature and efficacy of a thing in opposition to mere external show. Neander. To explain it of the power to work miracles [Chrys., Grotius], or of moral virtue [Theod., Pelagius], or of the influences of doctrine upon life [Calvin], would not suit the context. [It is power to work for the furtherance of Gods kingdoma power conditioned on the possession of true inward spiritual energy (which de Wette makes it to mean). Examples of this are seen in Paul himself, in Luther and in others. Meyer. It was such power as the Apostles were commanded to wait for at Jerusalem, ere they went forth to be witnesses for their Lord, and which was exhibited so wonderfully at the day of Pentecost; such power as Paul speaks of, when to the Thessalonians he said: Our Gospel came not unto you, in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost (where we see that the antithesis in the text is not to be taken absolutely but relatively); such power as is mentioned in Rom 15:18, the Gentiles being made obedient by word and deed, through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Ghost. It was an essential attribute of the Church, and especially of the ministry of the Church, as energized for the conquest of the world by the indwelling spirit of God, and so made mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. The lack of power, therefore, indicated an absence of the spirit,the want of a Divine commission and of a heavenly unction].

1Co 4:20. Reason for the foregoing. The eye of an Apostle must be directed to the kingdom of God, and to whatever promotes its advancement. And this kingdom is not built up by beautiful and high-sounding speeches, but by that spiritual energy which awakens and develops the inward life of the spirit.For the kingdom of God.By this is meant the Divine kingdom of the Messiah as a life in communion with God, or as a social state pervaded and regulated by the Divine will. It must, therefore, bear upon itself the signature of righteousness, holiness and blessedness. Or, as the Old Testament describes it (e. g. Psalms 72), it is a kingdom of righteousness and peace; in which character it is! spoken of again in Rom 14:17. This is also the ruling idea in historical Christianity, whose primitive form is the Church. Its full realization, however, where the living law penetrates and pervades all that is phenomenal, or, in other words, where the archetypal idea and the fact wholly correspond, belongs to the future age. To exclude the ethical element from the conception, is just as incorrect as to hold by it altogether. In the New Testament both are united, prominence being given, sometimes to one, and sometimes to the other, in different passages. But that only the truly pious and believing can properly be members of this kingdom (Col 3:3; Php 4:21; Eph 5:5), is seen in the fact, that it is a fellowship in holiness. [For a good exposition of this important term, see Fairbairns Herm. Man. p. 56. Olsh. Com. on Matt. 3:21].is, is to be understood and associated with , in, and is to be taken as in 1Co 2:5, to mean, consists in, stands in.not in word, but in power.From this it is evident that the ethical element of Gods kingdom is mainly considered. But whether the Apostle is here speaking of the ground or condition upon which a person participates in this kingdom, or of its direct active advancement, may be questioned. In the former case the sense would be: that, whereon participation in Gods kingdom is conditioned, viz., faith and love, is not brought about through word, but through the power that is at work in its behalf, i. e. of the minister or teacher (Meyer); in the latter ease it would mean: he only is able truly to advance Gods kingdom, in whom this power exists. The latter interpretation, which includes also the idea, that such a person alone can be regarded as rightly belonging to Gods kingdom, is simpler and more suited to the context. It must be said, however, that the distinction here made between word and power, is not for the purpose of separating the latter from the former, and attributing to it an operation that manifests itself apart form and independent of the word, as fanatics teach; but in order to contrast with the empty declamation of false teachers that true preaching which is filled with the spirit,to oppose to their mere artificial rhetoric the power of God which resides in the simplicity of the Gospel. Burger.

1Co 4:21. Having expressed his determination to go to Corinth, he here leaves it for them to decide in what form his authority shall be exercised (2Co 10:6; 2Co 13:2 ff.). This verse some commentators [Calvin, Beza, Lachmann, Stanley Words.,] connect with the following chapter as opening a new topic for rebuke. But, as no allusion is there made to his coming to Corinth, and there is no particle to connect it with what follows, it is better to take it as concluding this chapter. [So Meyer, Alf., Hodge],What=, but is more forcible, inasmuch as the alternative presented does not appear at once.will ye?[As Chrys. strikingly says, The whole thing lies with you. Meyer].Shall I come.The verb is not dependent on to you with a rod, [The use of to express the relation of accompaniment or instrumentality, is not a Hebraism, but a genuine Geek idiom. So Meyer. But Winer, 48. d. says, it is also used like the Hebrew in cases where Greek authors employ the Dative alone. Its significance in the text is well given by Alf. not only with a rod, but in such purpose as to use it. The preposition here gives the idea of the element in which, much as ]. Here also he presents to view his paternal relation. The rod is the symbol of fatherly severity. [It means the rod of His mouth. For the word of God, spoken by such as Paul, was sharp and powerful. There is an intimation here of Pauls consciousness of power]. In contrast with this, and as the alternative before them, love is mentionedor in love.This indeed is not excluded from severity; but it forms an antithesis to it, inasmuch as in severity the natural expression of love is kept in abeyance, and it is compelled to manifest itself in ways alien to itself. This idea is more fully brought out in the associated clauseand (in) the spirit of meekness.Luther says: with tenderness of spirit, so that would then mean the subjective disposition. But Meyer, following the analogy of such passages as Joh 15:26; Rom 8:15; 2Co 4:13; Eph 1:17; Rom 1:4; [where, as here, is followed by the abstract genitive and evidently denotes the Holy Spirit, whose specific working is expressed by the noun in connection], interprets the word here in like manner. [But, as Alf. shows, Meyer is mistaken when he affirms, that this meaning attaches to in all kindred passages of the New Testament. There is plainly no fixed usage compelling this interpretation here. It were better, therefore, with Calvin, de Wette, Stanley and others, to understand by the phrase: a meek, gentle spirit. See Winer 34:3 b]. denotes sparing, forgiving mildness. In this winning way he gives them to understand that he would much rather be spared the necessity of discipline. [It is plain from this, as from numerous other passages, that the Apostles exercised the, right of discipline over all the churches. They could receive into the communion of the Church, or excommunicate from it at discretion. This prerogative was unseparable from their infallibility as the messengers of Christ, sent to establish and administer his kingdom. Hodge. For nerve and vigor, for dignity and composed confidence, this passage cannot be easily paralleled even in Demosthenes himself. Bloomfield].

DOGMATICAL AND ETHICAL

The kingdom of God, a thing of power. This kingdom, formerly typified in shadowy outlines () through the promise and the law, and through a series of special providences, and prepared through miracles and signs, and through the gracious, wise and holy guidance and training of a chosen people, was first exhibited in its original principles, and perfectly realized as the kingdom of heaven upon earth, in the person of the Son of man, come from Heaven (comp. Luk 2:14; Mat 12:28). He was the first to fulfil all righteousness, always doing that which was well pleasing to the Father (Joh 8:29; Mat 3:15). In the plenitude of the Spirits might, which rested on Him, (Joh 1:32), He exercised a constraining and subduing power over the hearts of men, and in word and deed evinced a Divine puissance of love, that overcame the hostile spirits of darkness, proved invincible to Satanic assaults, loosed all manner of bonds, and removed evil of every kind. Though externally weak and depressed, we find Him emerging victorious out of that judgment and death, to which He had freely subjected Himself, and, as the one to whom all power in Heaven and upon earth had been given, rising far above all creaturely limitations into the right hand of the Majesty on High.

Having thus in His own person and history laid the foundations of the Kingdom of God, and illustrated its character and career and triumphs, we behold Him gathering a Church, through the dispensation of the Spirit, out of that apostate race, (whose nature He had assumed and had, essentially as well as morally, united to God), and exhibiting in it, as in a germ, the kingdom of righteousness and peace, in the exercise of a lofty power over the hearts of men and in the manifestation of ability to redeem and save. This Church, which, from its unseen beginnings, has, after a lapse of ages, spread out into a mighty tree, continues to exist now, precisely as it originated, only through the might of the Divine Spirit, who works in its membersespecially in those who are active in its causefor the continued illumination and sanctification of mankind. And only by the same Divine agency is the kingdom of God, which is enclosed in the Church, advanced, and that period hastened, when it shall be made manifest in all its glorious reality, and when the Lord shall reign King over all the nations. (Zec 14:9). The powers which rule in the Church are, in fact, the powers of the world to come, the (Heb 6:5); and while these powers display their Divine energy, in cleansing the heart more and more from the filthiness of the flesh and the spirit, in promoting knowledge and sanctification, and in strengthening the will to endure under all assaults of temptation and persecution, the Church is ripening towards that glorious epoch when, in the union of all the holy in Heaven and upon earth, it will appear supreme in Christ, over all things, as the true Kingdom of God, wherein God shall be all in all (1Co 15:28).

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

[1. The carnal-minded in the Church, 1, are apt to gather presumption, and take courage for self-display, during the absence of their Divinely appointed guides, 1Co 4:18; 1 Corinthians 2, need to be thoroughly tested as to their really spiritual qualities, and exposed, 1Co 4:19; 1 Corinthians 3, are deserving of rebuke and discipline, 1Co 4:21.

2. Since the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power, its ministers must be, 1, full of courage and fearless of opposition, 1Co 4:19; 1 Corinthians 2, dependent on the Lord, from whom their power comes, for direction in all their movements, 1Co 4:19; 1 Corinthians 3, capable of testing human pretensions, 1Co 4:19; 1 Corinthians 4, prepared for severe or lenient dealing, as circumstances may require, yet disposed in spirit to the latter, rather than the former, 1Co 4:21.

3. In the truth, that the kingdom of God is not in word, but in powerthe power of the Holy Ghost, we have, 1, A lesson of instruction. It shows us to what source ministers and all Christian laborers are indebted for the success of their words and efforts; 2, A criterion for judgment. We can ascertain whether the kingdom of God is present in any person, or church, which claims to possess it, by the ability shown to achieve those results for which the Divine power is given; 3, A ground of encouragement. Weak as believers are in themselves, and great as is the work to be accomplished, the kingdom of God in them can strengthen them to do all things; 4, A lesson of duty. If we would do great things for God, we must trust, a. not to our own skill in persuasion, but b. in the power which the Holy Ghost imparts; 5, A rebuke. Lack of achievement for the kingdom of God cannot be charged upon a lack of power in it, but upon a lack of faith in Christians to use the power given].

Luther: 1Co 4:20. Faith is a living, essential thing; it makes a man entirely new, changes his disposition, and turns him completely about. Wilt thou continue to remain in thy pride and immodesty, in avarice and anger, and wilt thou boast and prate much of faith ? then comes Paul to thee and says, Listen, good friend; the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power and in deeds.

Starke:The point to be looked at is not how a person talks about religion, but whether the essentials of Christianitytruth, experience, actionare in him (1Co 4:19). O, precious declaration! It is powerpowernot prating and show that makes the Christian.Hed. Where the kingdom of God is, there Christ is, and the Holy Spirit also, who regenerates men (1Co 4:20).If soft words wont serve, then the minister must rebuke sharply.Love remains the same when it is severe, as when it is mild, provided it only leads to God. Its various arts of regulation must first be thoroughly learned and then practised when needful.Righteousness, holiness and love exist in God combined; and as both Law and Gospel have alike issued therefrom, so should every evangelical minister rightly employ both. 2Ti 2:15 (1Co 4:21).

Berl. Bible:The whole kingdom of our God is pervaded with Divine and heavenly powers. And although indeed He utters words from thence, yet these words are spirit and life, yea, the words of eternal life (Joh 6:63; Joh 6:68). Hence words, fraught with the spirit and quickening in their influence, are also a fruit of the kingdom of God, which consists in power. In short, every thing which God speaks, works and does, in and through his Son, carries in itself a kind of power, and manifests this power wherever it is not hindered (1Co 2:5; Rom 1:16), (1Co 4:20). People say sometimes: Where is love? More is accomplished by love than by severity. True, provided we are not compelled to use severity. Then severity itself is also an effect of love (1Co 4:21).

Heubner:The puffed up are mighty in words, but weak in deeds. Inward spiritual power lies in humility. The Church of Christ does not need braggarts, but true workers (1Co 4:19).The unction of the true preacher is detected in the power he exerts upon the hearts of men (1Co 4:20).Man determines for himself the treatment he shall receive, whether it shall be severity or mildness. Well for him, who is still enjoying the gracious period of discipline. He is better than one altogether. reprobate. God has a two fold staff, the staff of mildness and the staff of woe (Zec 11:7-14) (1Co 4:2).

Footnotes:

[13]1Co 4:21.The Rec. has [with D. F. L. Cod. Sin.]; but Tisch. [according to A. B. C., or 2] reads [so Words., Alf., Stanley].

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange

18 Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.

Ver. 18. Now some are puffed up ] Swelling in the body is an ill symptom. So it is in the soul. A swelling wall will shortly fall.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

18 20 .] To guard against misrepresentation of the coming of Timothy just announced, by those who had said and would now the more say, ‘Paul dare not come to Corinth,’ he announces the certainty of his coming, if the Lord will .

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

18. ] forms one idea, and the is in consequence placed after it all: so Thucyd. i. 6, : Isocr. ., p. 160, . Hartung, Partikellehre, i. 190.

expresses the assumption in their minds: the present part. refers to their saying , as Meyer.

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

1Co 4:18-19 . : “Some however have been puffed up, under the idea that I am not coming to (visit) you”. The contrastive points to a group of inflated persons ( cf. 1Co 4:6 , 1Co 5:2 , 1Co 8:2 ) hostile to Paul’s “ways”. The wish was father to the thought, which was suggested to “some” by the fact of Timothy’s coming. They bore themselves more insolently as not fearing correction; or did they imagine that Paul is afraid of them! Amongst these, presumably, were mischievous teachers (1Co 3:11-17 ) who had swelled into importance in Paul’s absence, partisans who magnified others to his damage and talked as though the Church could now fairly dispense with him (1Co 4:3 ; 1Co 4:6 ; 1Co 4:8 ; 1Co 4:15 ). On with ptp [775] , see Bn [776] 440 f., or Goodwin’s Syntax , or Grammar, ad rem; cf. note on , 1Co 4:7 , also 2Co 5:20 , 2Pe 1:3 : “because (as they suppose) I am not coming”. The aor [777] points to the moment when they heard, to their relief, of Timothy’s coming. is postponed in the order of the sentence to avoid separating the closely linked opening words (Wr [778] , pp. 698 f.) “But (despite their presumption) I shall come speedily, if the Lord will”. They say, “He is not coming; he sends Tim. instead!” he replies, “Come I will, and that soon” (see 1Co 16:8 , and note). (see parls.), varied to in 1Co 16:7 ; the aor [779] sbj [780] refers the “willing” to the (indeterminate) time of the visit. “The Lord” is Christ; that and (see note on 1Co 12:11 ) are elsewhere referred by P. to God (Mr [781] ) is no sufficient reason for diverting . from its distinctive sense ( cf. 1Co 4:17 above, and note on 1Co 1:31 ). Christ determines the movements of His servants (1Co 4:1 ; cf. 1Th 3:11 , Act 16:7 ; Act 18:9 , etc.).

[775] participle

[776] E. Burton’s Syntax of the Moods and Tenses in the N.T. (1894).

[777] aorist tense.

[778] Winer-Moulton’s Grammar of N.T. Greek (8th ed., 1877).

[779] aorist tense.

[780] subjunctive mood.

[781] Meyer’s Critical and Exegetical Commentary (Eng. Trans.).

“And I shall know (take cognisance of) not the word of those that are puffed up (pf. pass [782] ptp [783] , of settled state ), but their power.” “ : verbum judiciale; paternam ostendit potestatem” (Bg [784] ). High-flown pretensions P. ignores; he will test their “power,” and estimate each man (he is thinking mainly of the of chap. 3) by what he can do , not say . The “power” in question is that belonging to “the kingdom of God” ( 1Co 1:18 ; 1Co 1:24 , 1Co 2:4 ).

[782] passive voice.

[783] participle

[784] Bengel’s Gnomon Novi Testamenti.

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

some. App-124.

would not come = were not coming.

to = unto. App-104.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

18-20.] To guard against misrepresentation of the coming of Timothy just announced, by those who had said and would now the more say, Paul dare not come to Corinth, he announces the certainty of his coming, if the Lord will.

Fuente: The Greek Testament

1Co 4:18. , as though) Because I send Timothy, they think, that I will not come. This is the meaning of the particle , but.- , some were puffed up) Paul wrote this under Divine illumination, laying bare and clearly showing their thoughts, which would rise in their minds at the very time, when they were reading these words. They were puffed up about various things; see next verse, and ch. 1Co 5:2. He says, I will restrain such persons, when I come. Perhaps also the apostle might have learned about this puffed up spirit of the Corinthians from the members of the house of Chloe (1Co 1:11). But the Corinthians seem to have been puffed up about the delay of the coming of Paul, not until after he had sent Timothy, his second self, with this very epistle. Then indeed these puffed up thoughts suddenly arose in their minds; Paul himself, then, will not come. A puffed up spirit was the frequent fault prevalent among the Corinthians.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

1Co 4:18

1Co 4:18

Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.-These false teachers were puffed up, haughty, thinking he would not come unto them. [His sending Timothy was no indication whatever that he did not intend to visit Corinth, as some in their pride and self-importance affirmed. Pauls writings clearly indicate that the false teachers in different ways endeavored to destroy his influence among them by calling in question his apostleship (1Co 9:1-3; 2Co 12:12); accusing him of fickleness (2Co 1:17); and asserting that his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account (2Co 10:10). These detractors and their followers were the ones who were puffed up. They were so conceited as to their own importance, and as to the success of their injurious representation respecting him, as to make it appear that he was afraid to come to Corinth, and therefore sent Timothy in his stead.]

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

1Co 4:6-8, 1Co 5:2

Reciprocal: 1Co 4:8 – without 1Co 4:19 – not 1Co 5:6 – glorying 1Co 8:1 – Knowledge 1Co 13:4 – is not 2Co 12:20 – and that Gal 4:17 – exclude you Col 2:18 – vainly

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

8

1Co 4:18. Puffed up means to “be proud” or act in a boastful manner. The ones who were having that feeling were not especially eager for Paul to come, lest he chastise them orally and severely for their contentious behavior. When they learned that Timothy was coming instead of Paul at that time, they triumphantly asserted that the apostle was not coming.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

1Co 4:18. Now some are puffed up as though I were not coming to you (afraid to shew myself).

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

Observe here, 1. The advantages which the height and haughtiness of some envious teachers took, upon St. Paul’s absence from Corinth; they entertained low and contemptuous thoughts of him, and vaunted that he durst not come before them, nor stand among them.

Observe, 2. St. Paul’s positive resolution to come again to Corinth, with God’s permission, with the reason for that resolution: I will come, and know, not the speech of them that are puffed up, but the power; that is, I will certainly come and try your boasting, envious teachers, not by their plausible words and fine talk, discovering who hath the smoothest tongue: but I will examine the power; that is, first their authority to preach; and next, what power and efficacy there is in their preaching; and lastly, what power and influence their preaching has upon their own practice: I will find out what real good they have done among you, after all their ostentatious braggings. Behold here the true and great end of episcopal visitations.

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power; that is, Christianity doth not consist in talking, but in doing; not in vaunting, but in performing great things. But by power, here, may be understood, a power of working miracles for confirming and propagating the gospel, which the apostles had, but these teachers at Corinth had not. To convince men at first of the truth of Christianity, the dead were raised, the devils cast out, and many mighty wonders wrought by the apostles; by all which the gospel doctrine was planted, propagated, established, and confirmed. The kingdom of God, or the gospel church, was not raised at first, or carried on since, by the wisdom of words, by the charms of popular eloquence and rhetorical flourishes; but by a plain way, and familiar manner of preaching the doctrines of the gospel, attested by miracles, and accompanied with works of divine efficacy and power. Thus the kingdom of God was not in word, but in power.

Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament

1Co 4:18-21. Now some are puffed up Are grown insolent; as though I would not come To censure them for their misconduct, and to reform abuses; fancying that, because I have sent Timothy, I am not coming myself, being afraid to appear in a place where I have so many opposers. The apostle saw, by a divine light, the thoughts which would arise in their hearts. But I will come to you shortly So he purposed in spirit,

(Act 19:21,) intending to take Macedonia in his way; if the Lord will Who guides us in all our journeys, Act 16:7-10; Gal 2:2; and will know Consider, examine, and find out; not the speech of them that are puffed up Their specious profession of religion, and vain ostentation of knowledge and eloquence; but the power How much of the power of God attends the ministrations of such of them as take upon them to teach, and how much true and vital godliness is found in their disciples. For the kingdom of God Real, genuine religion, Rom 14:17; is not in word Does not consist in empty professions, and vain boastings, nor in delivering elegant and eloquent discourses; but in power Namely, the power of God, creating men anew, and governing their hearts and lives in the fear and love of God, and obedience to his holy will. What will ye What, on the whole, do ye desire? Shall I come unto you with a rod To chastise by the exercise of my apostolic power? Will you, by persisting in your dissensions and disorders, compel me to come in this spirit, and for this purpose? Or in love, and a spirit of meekness Commending and comforting, instead of chastising? Will you amend your ways, and reform what is amiss, that I may be kind and gentle toward you? The apostle, in speaking of coming with a rod, alludes to the power which he and the other apostles possessed of punishing obstinate offenders by miracle. For that they had often such a miraculous power, extending even in some cases of aggravated offence to the inflicting of temporal death, appears from several other passages of Scripture; (see Act 5:5, &c.; Act 13:10; Act 13:14; 1Ti 1:20;) and is referred to more than once or twice in these epistles to the Corinthians; (as 1Co 5:5; 2Co 1:23; 2Co 10:6; 2Co 10:8; 2Co 13:2-3; 2Co 13:10.) And here we see the wisdom of Providence in permitting such opposition to arise against St. Paul, particularly at Corinth; as it gave him an opportunity of making the strongest appeals to what they knew of his miraculous power; appeals which, had they not been indeed founded on the most certain and evident truth, must, instead of restoring him to their regards, (as we find in fact they did,) have been sufficient of themselves utterly to have ruined all his reputation and interest among the Corinthians, had it before been ever so great.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Vv. 18. But some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.

The is adversative: But do not proceed to conclude therefrom that… The present participle , as if I were not coming, has been explained by supposing that Paul here is quoting verbally the saying of his adversaries: He is not coming! This is far-fetched; the present is simply that of the idea; comp. 1Co 16:5.

Who are those some, so ready to interpret the steps taken by the apostle in a sense unfavourable to his character? The partisans of Apollo, answer many. There is nothing to lead us to this idea. On the contrary, we find, 2Co 10:9-10, a statement which is manifestly related to this: Paul’s adversaries charged him with seeking to terrify the Church by threatening letters of excessive severity, but not daring to appear himself to bear out the energy of his language by his presence, because he was well aware of his personal weakness and insufficiency. It cannot be doubted that the people of this stamp were already at Corinth at the date of the First Epistle to the Corinthians and were passing such judgments. Now these people, as we know from Second Corinthians, were those of Christ (1Co 10:7 and 1Co 11:23). Such then were the men who, even at the date of the first letter, were allowing themselves to accuse the apostle so gravely. Perhaps, however, by the word some should rather be understood those of the Corinthians who had been led away, than those strangers themselves; in his First Epistle, Paul seems not yet inclined to come to close quarters with the latter.

The word are puffed up refers to the air of triumph with which this party hasted to proclaim the grand news in the Church: Timothy is coming instead of Paul; Paul is not coming.

Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)

Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.

Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)

18. Certain ones were inflated, as if I would not come unto you. During Pauls long absence in Asia, some of the preachers from Judea (doubtless sincerely, who were eye-witnesses to the fact that he was not with Christ during His ministry), unfortunately had impeached his apostolical authority. How natural for those who had been with Jesus from the baptism of John to say, Well, Brother Paul is a good preacher, but no apostle, for I was with Jesus when He called the twelve, and Paul was not in the country, and never came into Judea till after Pentecost. So of course he is no apostle. The same preachers pointed them to Peter, who also had been there, and commended him as a genuine apostle; not only one of the original twelve, but the senior, honored with the first gospel sermon on the day of Pentecost. This had damaged Pauls influence among them for good. Some who had imbibed party spirit to their spiritual detriment, and fallen in line with the Apollosican and the Petrine party (though Apollos and Peter gave those parties no encouragement), were crying, He will not come back here any more.

Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament

Verse 18

Puffed up; with pride and self-importance, assuming an undue influence and authority.

Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament

1Co 4:18-21. Not only has he sent Timothy to remind them of his conduct but he will himself come shortly.

Supposing etc.: perhaps because Paul did not fulfill his purpose (2Co 1:15) to go first to Corinth and then to Macedonia. Some of the Corinthians interpreted this to mean that Paul dared not face them: and thus his change of purpose gave them an inflated notion of their own importance. The real reason of the change, Paul tells us in 2Co 1:23.

If the Lord will: Jas 4:15. That Paul speaks always and frequently of the will of God, never unless here of the will of Christ, suggests that here as in the LXX. the Lord denotes the Father. But Paul’s constant use of this word as the distinctive title of the Son outweighs this, and warrants us in accepting this passage as a solitary reference to the will of Christ as the Master whose work Paul was doing.

Power: ability, given by God, to produce spiritual results in the hearts of men by means of the Gospel. Cp. 1Co 1:18; Rom 1:16. When Paul comes, he will know, not what they say, but what they can do to advance the kingdom of God among men.

Kingdom of God: Rom 14:17 : the eternal kingdom to be set up in full splendor at the coming of Christ, of which believers are already citizens, and which is therefore already spreading on earth as day by day men are enrolled as citizens. Its progress depends, not on man’s talk, but on the putting forth, through men, of God’s power. Therefore not word but power is the element in which it is being set up. And Paul cares, not what the inflated ones say, but for the degree of power which attends them. We have here the only true standard for self-measurement.

1Co 4:21. With a rod: which belongs to a father. With what terrible power Paul could use it, we learn from 1Co 5:5. Cp. 2Co 13:2-10. We are not told to what kind of discipline he here refers.

Or with love: i.e. giving vent to his love for them. In either case, love to them will be the animating principle of Paul’s conduct. But whether he comes to them armed with a rod, or manifesting his love, depends on themselves.

Meekness: see under 2Co 10:1; Eph 4:2; Col 3:12; 1Ti 6:11; 2Ti 2:25; Tit 3:2; Jas 1:21; Jas 3:13; 1Pe 3:4-5 : absence of self-assertion, a disposition moving us to forego our supposed rights and to refrain from putting forth our powers in defence of them. By inflicting punishment, Paul would assert his authority and manifest his power. His usual conduct (1Th 2:7) was the opposite of this.

Spirit of meekness: the Holy Spirit, of whose activity meekness (cp. Gal 5:23) is a characteristic. Cp. Isa 11:2; Rom 8:15; 2Co 4:13; Eph 1:17; 2Ti 1:7. For to Him much more frequently than to the human spirit does the word refer. It points here to the divine source of that Christian meekness which Paul wishes to display at Corinth.

From 1Co 4:18 we learn that, though the factious spirit was universal (1Co 1:12) at Corinth, certain men were especially guilty of self-inflated opposition to Paul. This suggests that he has here in view the two classes of special offenders mentioned in 2Co 11:13 ff and in 2Co 12:21 ff. Of these, the former would certainly foster the partisanship just condemned; and the latter would tolerate the crime mentioned in the next chapter.

After expounding in 5 the principles which ought to regulate his readers’ view of himself and Apollos, Paul begins 6 by reminding them that there are others besides himself to whom these principles apply, and points to inflated self-esteem as the root of the church-parties: 1Co 4:6. Against this, he appeals directly in 1Co 4:7-8; and supports his appeal by the contrasted career of himself and his colleagues, 1Co 4:9-13. This contrast he depicts, not to put them to shame, but to correct them, as their father in Christ: 1Co 4:14-16. That they may imitate him, he has sent to them his trustworthy son Timothy, who will remind them of his example: 1Co 4:17. And, in spite of the self-flattering predictions of some, he will himself come soon, and test the real worth of those who think so much of themselves: 1Co 4:18-20. Upon themselves it depends whether his visit be marked by severity or kindness.

The CHURCH PARTIES at Corinth are known to us only from the foregoing chapters and from uncertain allusions in the Second Epistle.

The whole church (1Co 1:12) was divided into four parties calling themselves by the names of Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and Christ. That Paul passes at once from the church-parties to discuss in 3, 4 the practical worth of human wisdom and then returns to the parties called by the names of himself and Apollos, his sudden reference in 1Co 3:18 to wisdom, and his warning in 1Co 3:21 not to boast in such men as himself and Apollos, suggest that these parties had their real source in an overestimate of human knowledge or skill. And, that they arose from an inflated self-estimate in the church-members generally, we are in 1Co 4:6 told expressly. The same verse implies that behind the names inscribed on the banners were other men who were the real leaders of the parties. And this was so, probably, in all the parties.

The Aramaic name Cephas suggests that the party which bore it was of Jewish nationality. And, if so, the parties of Paul and of Apollos were probably in the main Greek. This agrees with 1Co 1:22, which tells us that a search for wisdom was a mark of Greek, as distinguished from Jewish, nationality. From 2Co 11:22 we learn that there were at Corinth bad men, apparently (2Co 11:4) foreigners, and openly hostile (2Co 10:10) to Paul, who boasted that they were Jews, and whom, like their fellow-countrymen in Galatia, Paul distinguishes (cp. 2Co 10:2-6; 2Co 11:4; 2Co 11:12-15; 2Co 11:20; 2Co 11:22) from the native Christians. Of these men and their followers the Cephas party probably consisted.

That the Christ party is classed with the others, places it under the common condemnation. Indeed the mention of it moves Paul to say that Christ Himself has been divided. The words of 2Co 10:7 are in any case so easily accounted for that we cannot be sure that they refer expressly to this party. But they unveil a spirit which would easily assume form in a party using as its special or exclusive right, and therefore for party purposes, the Great Name which all Christians confess.

That only the parties of Paul and Apollos are mentioned in 1Co 3:4-5; 1Co 4:6, suggests that the other parties were comparatively small in numbers or influence. And this agrees with the indications that the Cephas party was of Jewish nationality. The order of names in 1Co 1:12 is retained in 1Co 3:4; 1Co 4:6, the only other clear references to the parties. This suggests that the order in 1Co 1:12 may be throughout the order of the origin of the parties. All else is mere conjecture.

We can well conceive that the fervent eloquence (Act 18:24 f) of Apollos, contrasted with the simplicity of speech which prompted the taunt of 2Co 10:10 against Paul, would evoke the special enthusiasm of some hearers; and would call forth from others special expressions of loyalty to the great Apostle who seemed to be for the moment forgotten amid the popularity of Apollos. The pride of culture would lead many to set up themselves as judges of the relative merits of their great teachers. And unscrupulous men might make use of the various estimates thus formed to increase their own influence by avowing themselves followers of Paul or of Apollos that thus they might, by flattering the vanity of others, gain a following for themselves. The party spirit, so accordant with Greek character, evoked in some such way as this, soon infected the whole church.

Amid all this, Jewish enemies of Paul and of Christ crept into the Corinthian church, as into others, (cp. Gal 2:4,) under the guise of a false Christian profession. Such men would fan the flame of dissension; and in opposition to both existing parties would proclaim themselves disciples of the great Apostle to whom had been given by Christ the keys of the kingdom of heaven. The solemn warnings of 2Co 10:12., confirm 1Co 1:12 by proving that these foreign intruders found a following at Corinth.

In view of these three parties calling themselves by the names of men, we wonder not that other men claimed independence of men and avowed themselves disciples of Christ, and claimed to be such specially and exclusively, thus separating themselves from their fellow-Christians and forming practically a fourth party. Like some in our own day they used as their own special name the One Name which belongs equally to the whole family of God. But, equally with the others at Corinth, they are condemned by the Apostle as partisans.

The foregoing suggestions accounts for all the known facts of the case. And, till better informed, we accept it as a probable explanation of the rise of the church-parties at Corinth.

The mention of the factions in ch. 47 of Clement’s Epistle to the Corinthians (see Appendix) is only a reference to this Epistle, and gives no further facts. It is, however, very interesting as proof of the genuineness of the Epistle before us, and as showing how deeply seated in the Corinthians was the spirit of faction.

REVIEW OF DIVISION 1. The Corinthian church had written to Paul for instruction on various matters. But other matters had come to his ears, of which they had said nothing, but which demanded prior attention. Of these, the church-parties occupied the first and largest place. For this evil was universal at Corinth; and is utterly inconsistent (cp. Joh 17:21) with the aim of Christianity. Paul reminds his readers that he had, in their midst, purposely avoided everything tending to make himself the head of a party. Since the real source of their divisions was an overestimate of human wisdom, he shows that the Gospel reveals the powerlessness of such wisdom, and that, both in itself and as preached by him, it did not claim acceptance on the ground of the wisdom it displayed. Yet none the less Paul teaches wisdom, a wisdom quite different from that esteemed by men, revealed by the Spirit of God and incomprehensible to all but those in whom the Spirit dwells. How little fit the Corinthians are for such teaching, their divisions prove. Having thus struck at the root of the evil, Paul shows how unsuitable are men like Apollos and himself to be made heads of parties. He warns his readers to build with those materials only which will abide the test of the great Day; and bids them beware lest, instead of building up, they pull down, the temple of God. Once more he appeals against their overestimate of human wisdom. He bids them, instead of boasting about the merits of their teachers, to remember that whatever good there is in any of them belongs to the whole church. Although, as stewards, the apostles must give account, yet the Corinthians are unable to pass sentence upon them; and ought to wait till in the light of the Great Day all things are known. Paul then reminds his readers that he has in view others besides those whose names are inscribed on the banners of the church-parties. He has spoken of himself and Apollos as a rebuke of their overestimate of themselves. He wishes indeed that their estimate were true. For the lot of the apostles is very different from the fancied exaltation of the Corinthians. Yet he wishes, not to put them to shame, but to correct them. For he alone can speak to them as a father. To remind them of his own example, he has sent Timothy. And, though some self-confident men think otherwise, he will himself come soon. It is for them to decide whether his visit be marked by kindness or severity.

Fuente: Beet’s Commentary on Selected Books of the New Testament

4:18 {11} Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.

(11) Last of all he descends also to apostolic threatenings, but yet chiding them as a father, lest by their disorder he was forced to come to punish some among them.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

Some of the Corinthians who did not value Paul as highly as they should have had become puffed up in their own estimation of themselves and their ideas (cf. 1Co 4:6). They had done so as though they would not face him again. Evidently they felt he would not return to Corinth, and even if he did, they could overcome his influence.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

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