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Pelagius

Nicene & Post-Nicene · AD 325–500 · 465 passages across 8 books

Commentary

41–60 of 465
1 Corinthians 15:15

Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

Our preaching would not just be pointless, it would be downright false, if this were the case.

COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 15

1 Corinthians 15:16

For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

In other words, if you accept that Christ rose from the dead, believe that we shall rise again also.

COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 15

1 Corinthians 15:17

And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

If Christ lied about his resurrection, then he lied about his claim to forgive our sins also.

COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 15

1 Corinthians 15:18

Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

Paul has the martyrs in mind above all. They would have lost their lives in vain if there was no other life to look forward to.

COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 15

1 Corinthians 15:20

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

If the head has risen, then the rest of the body will follow in due course.

COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 15

1 Corinthians 15:35

But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

Everything wrong with our bodies in this life will be healed in the resurrection.

COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 15

1 Corinthians 15:40

There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

If God could make the sun, moon and stars, what problem will he have in making new bodies for us?

COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 15

1 Corinthians 16:16

That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth.

Paul says this, because the people he is referring to dwell among the Corinthians, who can profit greatly from their presence.

COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 16

1 Thessalonians 1:5

For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

The reception of the gospel by the Thessalonians “in power” may mean that Paul’s preaching was accompanied by miraculous signs, but it may also mean that it strengthened the Thessalonians for much endurance in suffering.

PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST LETTER TO THE THESSALONIANS

1 Thessalonians 2:11

As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,

Just as a nurse cherishes small children, now also as a father Paul instructs the Thessalonians to increase their abilities and effectiveness as Christians.

PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST LETTER TO THE THESSALONIANS

1 Thessalonians 2:19

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

Good teachers are accustomed to locate every hope and joy and crown in the progress of their students.

PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST LETTER TO THE THESSALONIANS

1 Timothy 1:1

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;

Timothy is a son in faith, not in flesh.

PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST LETTER TO TIMOTHY

1 Timothy 2:15

Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

When Paul speaks of the salvation that comes through childbearing, he refers to the baptism and rebirth to which their children are led by the believing mother.

PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST LETTER TO TIMOTHY

1 Timothy 3:3

Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

This could range widely in meaning from not delivering blows to the point of death to not striking the consciences of the weak with a bad example.

PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST LETTER TO TIMOTHY

1 Timothy 3:9

Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

The mystery of faith is the passion of Christ, out of which comes the redeeming process by which our salvation is won. “The clear conscience” refers to the fact that the person who knows this mystery purely is not confounded by the spectacle of Christ’s humiliation, or, it means that this mystery should be preached straightforwardly, piety not requiring anything beyond the statement itself.

PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST LETTER TO TIMOTHY

1 Timothy 5:9

Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man,

What is being said here applies in particular to the women who are being considered for ordination as deaconesses.

PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST LETTER TO TIMOTHY

2 Corinthians 1:1

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:

People ask why it is that Paul puts his own name first, when the normal custom in letters is to put the name of the addressee at the beginning. The reason for this is that he is an apostle who is writing to those who are accountable to him. This is why he adopts the custom of secular judges, who do the same thing when they write to those over whom they exercise authority. Note too that he did not say “Paul and Timothy,” because they were not both apostles. But in writing to the Philippians Paul did say that, because it was not so necessary for him to stress his authority in that case..

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 1

2 Corinthians 1:8

For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

Paul recounts his own sufferings so that the Corinthians will realize that what they are going through is nothing by comparison. The disciple who grieves over his own hurt will be comforted when he sees that his master is suffering far more.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 1

2 Corinthians 1:9

But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

Death itself teaches us that all human help is inadequate and that our only hope is to rely on him who can raise us from the dead.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 1

2 Corinthians 2:8

Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.

Through your love the offender will know that he has received forgiveness.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 2

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