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THE APOSTLE OF THE RECONCILIATION
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further than the `milk' of the Word - `Jesus Christ and Him Crucified' (1 Cor. 2:1-7; 3:1-3); and as a steward of the
mysteries of God, the apostle withheld the further teaching until they were ready for it (1 Cor. 4:1-3).
(6) The question of idolatry and immorality (1 Cor. 5 to 10).- Romans 1:18-32 reveals the state of the nations
resulting from the `giving up' of them by God. This passage we must deal with when considering Romans itself, but
we can see on the surface that idolatry (they `changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image') and
uncleanness (`for this cause God gave them over to vile affections') were the accompaniments of that condition
which was the very antithesis of the reconciliation.
(7) Spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12 to 14). - These were given to the Gentile church as signs to them that were `this
people' spoken of `in the law' (1 Cor. 14:21,22), designed, humanly speaking, to provoke Israel to emulation, just in
the same way as the magnifying by the apostle of his apostleship to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13).
(8) The resurrection (1 Cor. 15). - This fundamental doctrine is shown to be not only essential to the gospel, but
also to that phase of reconciliation that goes back to Adam and on to the time when the kingdom shall be delivered
up to God, even the Father, that God may be all in all. The reconciliation impresses itself strongly on this chapter.
(9) The collection for the saints at Jerusalem (1 Cor. 16). - This too, was a tangible expression of the
reconciliation and so takes its place in the list.
It is clear, we trust, that the strange miscellany of subjects that occupy the epistle are nevertheless marshalled
and ordered to clear the way for the enunciation of the truth which constituted the great basis of the apostle's
ministry among the Gentiles.
Whether 1 Corinthians 5:9 refers to a `lost' epistle written before that known to us as 1 Corinthians, and whether
2 Corinthians is to be conceived of as composite, we do not intend to discuss. The answers given by either side of
the discussion do not alter the teaching of the epistles, and with this we are here concerned. The first epistle owes its
origin, humanly speaking, to five allied causes:
(1)
The report of the household of Chloe.
(2)
A common report concerning their morals.
(3)
A letter from the Corinthian church containing a number of questions.
(4)
A special error in doctrine - the resurrection.
(5)
The arrangements for the collection for the saints at Jerusalem.
The epistle is divided by these subjects, and follows the order given:
Chapters:
1 to 4
deal with the schisms in the church.
5 and 6
deal with the immorality in the church.
7 to 14
deal with the letter from the church.
15
deals with the subject of the resurrection.
16
deals with the collection for the saints.
The structure of the epistle follows fairly closely the same lines and divides it up for us in convenient sections,
which we now approach. The structure of the epistle as a whole is as follows.
1 Corinthians as a whole
A 1:1-9.
Waiting for the coming of the Lord.
B 1:10 to 4:21. `It hath been declared unto me'. - Things that
prevented the teaching of the reconciliation.
C 5:1 to 14:40. The body, physically, spiritually,
ecclesiastically.
B 15.
`I declare unto you'. - Things that were essential
to the reconciliation.