John Wesley

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

“And Sosthenes - A Corinthian, St. Paul's companion in travel. It was both humility and prudence in the apostle, thus to join his name with his own, in an epistle wherein he was to reprove so many irregularities.”

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our…

“With all that in every place - Nothing could better suit that catholic love which St. Paul labours to promote in this epistle, than such a declaration of his good wishes for every true Christian upon earth.”

My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.

“It hath been declared to me by them of the family of Chloe - Whom some suppose to have been the wife of Stephanas, and the mother of Fortunatus and Achaicus. By these three the Corinthians had sent their letter to St. Paul, chap.”

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with words of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

“Lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect - The whole effect of St. Paul's preaching was owing to the power of God accompanying the plain declaration of that great truth, "Christ bore our sins upon the cross."”

Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

“Where is the wise? &c. - The deliverance of Judea from Sennacherib is what Isaiah refers to in these words; in a bold and beautiful allusion to which, the apostle in the clause that follows triumphs over all the opposition of human wisdom to the…”

He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are,

“Things that are not - The Jews frequently called the gentiles, "Them that are not," 2 Esdras vi. In so supreme contempt did they hold them. The things that are - In high esteem.”

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

“I determined not to know anything - To wave all my other knowledge, and not to preach anything, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified - That is, what he did, suffered, taught. A part is put for the whole.”

I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.

“And I was with you - At my first entrance. In weakness - Of body, 2 Cor. xii, 7 And in fear - Lest I should offend any. And in much trembling - The emotion of my mind affecting my very body.”

None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

“In like manner the Father is styled, "the Father of glory," Eph. i, 17; and the Holy Ghost, "the Spirit of glory," 1 Pet. iv, 14.”

The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God.

“Receiveth not - Does not understand or conceive. The things of the Spirit - The things revealed by the Spirit of God, whether relating to his nature or his kingdom.”

For when one of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?

“I am of Apollos - St. Paul named himself and Apollos, to show that he would condemn any division among them, even though it were in favour of himself, or the dearest friend he had in the world.”

For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

“For we are all fellowlabourers - God's labourers, and fellowlabourers with each other. Ye are God's husbandry - This is the sum of what went before: it is a comprehensive word, taking in both a field, a garden, and a vineyard.”

For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

“Can no man lay than what is laid - In the counsels of divine wisdom, in the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament, in the preaching of the apostles, St. Paul in particular.”

his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work.

“The time is coming when every one's work shall be made manifest: for the day of the Lord, that great and final day, shall declare it - To all the world.”

If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward.

“He shall receive a reward - A peculiar degree of glory. Some degree even the other will receive, seeing he held the foundation; though through ignorance he built thereon what would not abide the fire.”

Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are yours,

“Let none glory in men - So as to divide into parties on their account. For all things are yours - and we in particular. We are not your lords, but rather your servants.”

whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All of them belong to you,

“Whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas - We are all equally yours, to serve you for Christ's sake. Or the world - This leap from Peter to the world greatly enlarges the thought, and argues a kind of impatience of enumerating the rest.”

and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

“And ye are Christ's - His property, his subjects. his members. And Christ is God's - As Mediator, he refers all his services to his Father's glory.”

So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

“Let a man account us, as servants of Christ - The original word properly signifies such servants as laboured at the oar in rowing vessels; and, accordingly, intimates the pains which every faithful minister takes in his Lord's work.”

My conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who judges me.

“I am not conscious to myself of anything evil; yet am I not hereby justified - I depend not on this, as a sufficient justification of myself in God's account.”

Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written.

“These things - Mentioned, chap. i, 10, &c. I have by a very obvious figure transferred to myself and Apollos - And Cephas, instead of naming those particular preachers at Corinth, to whom ye are so fondly attached.”

when we are slandered, we answer gently. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

“We are made as the filth of the world, and offscouring of all things - Such were those poor wretches among the heathens, who were taken from the dregs of the people, to be offered as expiatory sacrifices to the infernal gods.”

Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you.

“Now some are puffed up - St. Paul saw, by a divine light, the thoughts which would arise in their hearts. As if I would not come - Because I send Timothy.”

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.

“Fornication - The original word implies criminal conversation of any kind whatever. His father's wife - While his father was alive.”

hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.

“To deliver such an one - This was the highest degree of punishment in the Christian church; and we may observe, the passing this sentence was the act of the apostle, not of the Corinthians.”