Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
1 Corinthians
Book: 1 Corinthians
Chapter: 16
Overview:
A
Collection for the
Poor at
Jerusalem.
(1-9) Timothy and
Apollos commended.
(10-12) Exhortation to watchfulness in
Faith
and
Love.
(13-18) Christian salutations.
(19-24)
1-9 The good examples of other Christians and churches should
rouse us. It is good to lay up in store for good uses. Those who
are rich in this world, should be rich in good
Works, 1Ti
6:17,18. The diligent
Hand will not make rich, without the
Divine blessing, Pr 10:4,22. And what more proper to stir us
up to
Charity to the people and children of
God, than to look at
all we have as his
Gift?
Works of
Mercy are real fruits of true
Love to
God, and are therefore proper services
On his own
Day.
Ministers are doing their proper business, when putting forward,
or helping
Works of
Charity. The
Heart of a
Christian Minister
must be towards the people among whom he has laboured long, and
with success. All our purposes must be made with submission to
the Divine
Providence, Jas 4:15. Adversaries and opposition do
not break the spirits of
Faithful and successful ministers, but
warm their zeal, and inspire them with fresh courage. A
Faithful
Minister is more discouraged
By the hardness of his hearers'
hearts, and the backslidings of professors, than
By the enemies'
attempts.
10-12 Timothy came to do the work of the
Lord. Therefore to vex
his
Spirit, would be to grieve the Holy
Spirit; to despise him,
would be to despise Him that sent him. Those who work the work
of the
Lord, should be treated with tenderness and respect.
Faithful ministers will not be jealous of each other. It becomes
the ministers of the
Gospel to show concern for each other's
reputation and usefulness.
13-18 A
Christian is always in danger, therefore should ever be
On the watch. He should be fixed in the
Faith of the
Gospel, and
never
Desert or give it up.
By this
Faith alone he will be able
to keep his ground in an
Hour of
Temptation. Christians should
be careful that
Charity not only reigns in their hearts, but
shines in their lives. There is a great difference between
Christian firmness and feverish warmth and transport. The
Apostle gave particular directions as to some who served the
cause of
Christ among them. Those who serve the saints, those
who desire the honour of the churches, and to remove reproaches
from them, are to be thought much of, and loved. They should
willingly acknowledge the worth of such, and all who laboured
with or helped the
Apostle.
19-24 Christianity
By No means destroys civility. Religion
should promote a courteous and obliging temper towards all.
Those give a false idea of religion, and reproach it, who would
take encouragement from it to be sour and morose. And
Christian
salutations are not mere empty compliments; but are real
expressions of good-will to others, and commend them to the
Divine
Grace and blessing. Every
Christian family should be as a
Christian Church. Wherever two or three are gathered together in
the name of
Christ, and he is among them, there is a
Church.
Here is a solemn warning. Many who have
Christ's name much in
their mouths, have
No true
Love to him in their hearts. None
Love him in
Truth, who do not
Love his laws, and keep his
Commandments. Many are Christians in name, who do not
Love
Christ Jesus the
Lord in sincerity. Such are separated from the
people of
God, and the favour of
God. Those who
Love not the
Lord Jesus Christ, must perish without remedy. Let us not
Rest
in any religious profession where there is not the
Love of
Christ,
Earnest desires for his
Salvation, gratitude for his
mercies, and obedience to his
Commandments. The
Grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ has in it all that is good, for time and for
eternity. To wish that our friends may have this
Grace with
them, is wishing them the utmost good. And this we should wish
all our friends and brethren in
Christ. We can wish them nothing
greater, and we should wish them nothing less. True Christianity
makes us wish those whom we
Love, the blessings of both worlds;
this is meant in wishing the
Grace of
Christ to be with them.
The
Apostle had dealt plainly with the
Corinthians, and told
them of their faults with just severity; but he parts in
Love,
and with a solemn profession of his
Love to them for
Christ's
sake. May our
Love be with all who are in
Christ Jesus. Let us
try whether all things appear worthless to us, when compared
with
Christ and his
Righteousness. Do we allow ourselves in any
known
Sin, or in the neglect of any known duty?
By such
inquiries, faithfully made, we may
Judge of the state of our
souls.