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Pelagius

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

Commentary

61–80 of 465
2 Corinthians 2:15

For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

Paul calls the knowledge of God an aroma. Its presence is sensed rather than seen.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 2

2 Corinthians 3:1

Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?

Paul is not saying this in order to boast but so that the Corinthians will not be seduced by others.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 3

2 Corinthians 3:3

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

It was clear to everybody that the Corinthians owed their conversion to Paul’s teaching, which the Holy Spirit had confirmed. We know that we belong to Christ if we have received the Spirit.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 3

2 Corinthians 3:6

Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

The law kills the sinner, but grace revives him if he repents. There are some people who say that the literal sense of Scripture is the thing which kills, but this is to forget that not all Scripture is meant to be taken literally, nor can allegory be pressed into service in every passage. For just as some things are said in an allegorical way, so other things, like the commandments, will lose all their meaning if they are taken allegorically and become destructive. The spiritual meaning of Scripture is not found in allegory but in letting the meaning of the text explain the essence of truth.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 3

2 Corinthians 4:4

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

The god of this world may be understood to be the devil, on the ground that he has claimed to rule over unbelievers. Or, on account of the attacks of the heretics it may be understood to mean that God has blinded the minds of unbelievers precisely because of their unbelief.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 4

2 Corinthians 4:11

For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

We do not suffer because of doing wrong but for the sake of the body of Christ, which is the church. He suffered for us so that his life, which is eternal, might be made manifest in our mortal bodies, so that they too might become immortal.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 4

2 Corinthians 4:13

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

Here Paul is attacking those who have believed in false apostles, who claimed that Paul was suffering because he had little faith. According to them, faith ought to guarantee that there will be no suffering at all. But Paul shows that, on the contrary, he has endured all things precisely because of his faith.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 4

2 Corinthians 5:2

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

Our groanings are like those of a woman in labor, awaiting a new birth.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 5

2 Corinthians 5:5

Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

God has given us the Spirit as a guarantee so that we might know that he will not allow the temple of his Spirit to perish.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 5

2 Corinthians 5:6

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

As long as we are in this present body, we are tossed about by events in this world and do not know how it will all end. But once we have left the body, we know that we are going to be with God, since we are freed from the uncertain and hostile cares of this world. Here we are pilgrims, and as wanderers we should not worry too much about the things of this world. Let us be content with what is necessary and concentrate all our desire and longing on getting to our Father’s home.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 5

2 Corinthians 5:20

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

We are reconciled to God if we believe in Christ.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 5

2 Corinthians 6:9

As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

Paul and his companions were unknown to the wicked and reprobate but well known to the faithful and just.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 6

2 Corinthians 6:10

As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

The person who has only the bare necessities lacks nothing.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 6

2 Corinthians 8:2

How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

Some are poor in material terms but rich in their simplicity. They would rather give than receive.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 8

2 Corinthians 8:18

And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches;

This is to be understood of Luke, who was highly honored because he had written a Gospel, not to mention the Acts of the Apostles as well.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 8

2 Corinthians 10:7

Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.

No one is more foolish than the person who thinks that he alone belongs to Christ.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 10

2 Corinthians 10:10

For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.

Paul is saying all this precisely in order to avoid charges of this kind.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 10

2 Corinthians 11:1

Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.

Paul calls himself foolish in order to demonstrate that it is those who boast about themselves who really are the foolish ones.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 11

2 Corinthians 11:3

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

The serpent deceived Eve by lying to her about God, saying that God merely threatened men with death, but would never actually kill anyone. Likewise, the false apostles in Paul’s day were saying that the gospel was merely added to the Old Testament and that it was therefore necessary to go on keeping the law of Moses as before. In our own time, there are those who claim that hell is merely a threat, either because it does not exist at all or because it is not an eternal punishment—notions which are contrary to the teaching of Scripture.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 11

2 Corinthians 12:2

I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

You see how pressed Paul was to make his point, if he had to recall something which had happened as long as fourteen years before.

COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 12

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