John Wesley

yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist.

“From whom are all things - By creation, providence, and grace. And we for him - The end of all we are, have, and do. And one Lord - Equally the object of divine worship.”

But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that they eat such food as if it were sacrificed to an idol.

“Some eat, with consciousness of the idol - That is, fancying it is something, and that it makes the meat unlawful to be eaten. And their conscience, being weak - Not rightly informed. Is defiled - contracts guilt by doing it.”

For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols?

“For if any one see thee who hast knowledge - Whom he believes to have more knowledge than himself, and who really hast this knowledge, that an idol is nothing-sitting down to an entertainment in an idol temple.”

So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.

“And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? - And for whom thou wilt not lose a meal's meat, so far from dying for him! We see, Christ died even for them that perish.”

Do I say this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing?

“Does not God also say, in effect, the same thing? The ox that treadeth out the corn - This was the custom in Judea, and many eastern nations. In several of them it is retained still.”

If my preaching is voluntary, I have a reward. But if it is not voluntary, I am still entrusted with a responsibility.

“And so, in the next verse, another might have used that power without abusing it. But his own using it at all, he would have termed abusing it. A dispensation is intrusted to me - Therefore I dare not refrain.”

Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.

“I made myself the servant of all - I acted with as self-denying a regard to their interest, and as much caution not to offend them, as if I had been literally their servant or slave.”

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.

“Know ye not that - In those famous games which are kept at the isthmus, near your city. They who run in the foot race all run, though but one receiveth the prize - How much greater encouragement have you to run; since ye may…”

Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air.

“I run straight toward it. I cast away every weight, regard not any that stand by. I fight not as one that beateth the air - This is a proverbial expression for a man's missing his blow, and spending his strength, not on his enemy…”

These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did.

“The benefits are set down in the same order as by Moses in Exodus; the sins and punishments in a different order; evil desire first, as being the foundation of all; next, idolatry, ver. 7, 14; then fornication, which usually accompanied it, ver.”

We should not test Christ, as some of them did, and were killed by snakes.

“In speaking of the fifth benefit, he expressly mentions Christ; and in speaking of the fourth sin, he shows it was committed against Christ.”

Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

“On whom the ends of the ages are come - The expression has great force. All things meet together, and come to a crisis, under the last, the gospel, dispensation; both benefits and dangers, punishments and rewards.”

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.

“Common to man - Or, as the Greek word imports, proportioned to human strength. God is faithful - In giving the help which he hath promised. And he will with the temptation - Provide for your deliverance.”

Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ?

“The cup which we bless - By setting it apart to a sacred use, and solemnly invoking the blessing of God upon it.”

Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf.

“For it is this communion which makes us all one. We being many are yet, as it were, but different parts of one and the same broken bread, which we receive to unite us in one body.”

Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?

“What say I then - Do I in saying this allow that an idol is anything divine? I aver, on the contrary, that what the heathens sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils.”

But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

“I would have you know - He does not seem to have given them any order before concerning this. The head of every man - Particularly every believer.”

Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.

“With his head - And face. Covered - Either with a veil or with long hair. Dishonoureth his head - St.”

And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for it is just as if her head were shaved.

“But every woman - Who, under an immediate impulse of the Spirit, (for then only was a woman suffered to speak in the church,) prays or prophesies without a veil on her face, as it were disclaims subjection, and reflects dishonour on man, her head.”

If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off.

“Therefore if a woman is not covered - If she will throw off the badge of subjection, let her appear with her hair cut like a man's.”

A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.

“A man indeed ought not to veil his head, because he is the image of God - In the dominion he bears over the creation, representing the supreme dominion of God, which is his glory.”

In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.

“Nevertheless in the Lord Jesus, there is neither male nor female - Neither is excluded; neither is preferred before the other in his kingdom.”

Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

“Judge of yourselves - For what need of more arguments if so plain a case? Is it decent for a woman to pray to God - The Most High, with that bold and undaunted air which she must have, when, contrary to universal custom, she…”

If anyone is inclined to dispute this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God.

“And in all things merely indifferent the custom of each place was of sufficient weight to determine prudent and peaceable men. Yet even this cannot overrule a scrupulous conscience, which really doubts whether the thing be indifferent or no.”

For as you eat, each of you goes ahead without sharing his meal. While one remains hungry, another gets drunk.

“For in eating what ye call the Lord's supper, instead of all partaking of one bread, each person brings his own supper, and eats it without staying for the rest.”