1 Coríntios 16
Bob Utley · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Coríntios 16
Utley writes "This seems to relate to (1) the size of the offering; (2) the one who started this offering accompanying it; or (3) Paul’ wanting this church, which had such problems with his authority, to recognize his proper role and trustworthiness." Pratt - Paul could not anticipate the circumstances they might face upon his arrival in Corinth. So he left the matter open-ended. Once again, Paul demonstrated great practical wisdom. (Holman New Testament Commentary – I & II Corinthians) Wuest on "if it is fitting" sees this as referring to the amount of the gift and so translates it "And if it [the gift] be sufficiently large so as to warrant me also going, they shall go with me." Paul would make the journey if circumstances were such that the work demanded him going As it came to pass Paul decided to go to Jerusalem as he recorded in Romans writing "I am going to Jerusalem serving the saints.(Ro 15:25+) Fitting (adjective) (514) áxios from ágō = to weigh) strictly speaking means bringing up the other beam of the scales. Having the weight of another thing of like value, worth as much. Bringing into balance and hence equivalent or equal value/similar worth. Counterbalancing - weighing as much (of like value, worth as much). Bringing into balance and hence equivalent or equal value/similar worth (Ro 8:18, see use in Lxx of Pr 3:15, 8:11). Other nuances of axios include describing that which is fitting or appropriate (1Cor 16:2), that which is deserving (Mt 10:10), that which "deserves" to be considered or accepted (1Ti 1:15), that which is worthy of praise (Rev 4:11), that which corresponds to or is congruent with something else (Mt 3:8, Luke 3:8, 23:41, 26:20). Worthy or deserving of evil (Rev 16:6). 1 Corinthians 16:5 But I will come to you after I go through Macedonia, for I am going through Macedonia; after: Ac 19:21 Acts 20:1-3 2Co 1:15-17 1 Corinthians 16 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 2 Corinthians 1:15-17 (DESCRIBES PAUL'S ORIGINAL PLAN TO MAKE TWO TRIPS TO CORINTH) In this confidence I intended at first to come to you, so that you might twice receive a blessing; 16 that is, to pass your way into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be helped on my journey to Judea. 17 Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time? Click to enlarge - from the Holman Bible Atlas (digital book; Hardcover) copyright © 1998 B&H Publishing Group, used by permission, all rights reserved. This is one of the best resources for Bible maps. Please do not reproduce this map on any other webpage. Thank you. PAUL'S PLANS TO VISIT CORINTH Keep the context in mind - Paul is writing 1 Corinthians from Ephesus on his Third Missionary Journey (see map above). He was later vilified by some in the church at Corinth because of his aborted (and to them "fickle") travel plans (2 Cor. 1:15-20). He first was going to take the sea route to Corinth and pass through Macedonia then back to Corinth, but since he wanted to stay longer, he decided to go by land route through Macedonia first and then to Corinth. He stayed the winter there (Acts 20:2-3+). Some in the church used Paul’s indecision (to them "vacillation") in his travel plans to attack his gospel. But I will come to you after I go through Macedonia (which I plan to pass through), for I am going through Macedonia - Paul's itinerary was to depart Ephesus, go north to Macedonia and then southward to Achaia, location of Corinth. Acts 19:21-22+ Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the Spirit (or "his spirit") to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia (aka GREECE - location of CORINTH), saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. Acts 20:1-3+ After the uproar had ceased (DESCRIBED IN Acts 19:23-41), Paul sent for the disciples, and when he had exhorted them and taken his leave of them, he left to go to Macedonia (NORTHWARD, PROBABLY TO TROAS AND ACROSS THE AEGEAN SEA TO MACEDONIA). 2 When he had gone through (dierchomai) those districts (CHURCHES INCLUDED PHILIPPI, THESSALONICA, BEREA) and had given them much exhortation, he came to Greece (aka ACHAIA). 3 And there he spent three months (MOST OF THIS TIME APPARENTLY IN CORINTH), and when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. Go through (pass through)(1330)(dierchomai from dia = through + erchomai = come, go) means to go through, to pass through, to move through an area and seems to be almost a technical term for a missionary tour or evangelistic journey. Dierchomai seems to be almost a technical term for a missionary tour or evangelistic journey, the district traversed being in the accusative without a preposition: Ramsay, St Paul, pp. 72, 384; Knowling on Acts 13:6. In contrast to this tour through Macedonia he intends making a long stay (παραμενῶ) at Corinth. Summary of the Third Missionary Journey Antioch Acts 18:23+ Phrygia/Galatia Acts 18:23-28+ Ephesus Acts 19:1-41+ Macedonia Acts 20:1+ -- This is the visit to which Paul alludes here in 1 Cor 16:5. Greece (PROBABLY CORINTH) Acts 20:2-3+ Macedonia Acts 20:3-5+ Philippi Acts 20:6+ Troas Acts 20:6-12+ Assos Acts 20:13+ Mitylene Acts 20:14+ Samos Acts 20:15+ Miletus Acts 20:15-38+ Cos Acts 21:1+ Rhodes Acts 21:1+ Patara Acts 21:1+ Tyre Acts 21:3-6+ Ptolemais Acts 21:7+ Caesarea Acts 21:8-14+ 1 Corinthians 16:6 and perhaps I will stay with you, or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way wherever I may go. winter: Ac 27:12 Acts 28:11 Tit 3:12 that: Ac 15:3 17:15 20:38 21:5 Ro 15:24 2Co 1:16 3Jn 1:6,7 1 Corinthians 16 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries FLEXIBILITY OF PAUL'S PLANS and perhaps (quite possibly, perchance) I will stay with you (for a while), or even spend the winter - Once winter is past ships can sail again. The winter season would thus compel Paul to sojourn at Corinth (Grosheide). Land travel was generally closed from Nov. 11 to Mar. 10. Sea travel was considered very dangerous during this time A T
1 Coríntios 16
Utley has a good point on if the Lord permits - This is a THIRD CLASS CONDITIONAL sentence, which means potential action. This was not a trite phrase with the NT Christians. They believed their steps were providentially guided by the Lord (see passages above) (ED: THE SPIRIT GUIDES OUR "STEPS" AND OUR "STOPS!") Hope (1679) elpizo from noun elpis = hope, absolute assurance of future good) means to look forward with confidence to that which is good and beneficial. To express desire for some good with the expectation of obtaining it. Some of the NT uses of elpizo convey the sense of "to expect" (to look forward, to consider as probable, or even as obligated) (Lk 6:34, 2Co 8:5). Elpizo means a firm conviction based on the Jesus' resurrection, that we too can have confidence as we face the future (Ro 8:24, 25-note, 1Co 15:18). We can have confident expectation (He 11:1+. Elpizo in 1-2 Cor- 1 Co. 13:7; 1 Co. 15:19; 1 Co. 16:7; 2 Co. 1:10; 2 Co. 1:13; 2 Co. 5:11; 2 Co. 8:5; 2 Co. 13:6; Lord (master, owner)(2962) kurios from kuros = might or power, related to kuroo = to give authority) primarily means the possessor, owner, master, the supreme one, one who is sovereign and possesses absolute authority, absolute ownership rights and uncontested power. Kurios is use 5x in 1 Cor 16:7, 10, 19, 22, 23. Permits (gives permission)(2010) epitrepo from epi = upon + trepo = to turn) means to turn to, entrust, hence to permit, let someone do something. In Mark 5:13, John 19:38, and Acts 21:39 it carries the sense of release from restraint in order to have freedom of choice. 17v in the NT - Matt. 8:21; Matt. 19:8; Mk. 5:13; Mk. 10:4; Lk. 8:32; Lk. 9:59; Lk. 9:61; Jn. 19:38; Acts 21:39; Acts 21:40; Acts 26:1; Acts 27:3; Acts 28:16; 1 Co. 14:34; 1 Co. 16:7; 1 Tim. 2:12; Heb. 6:3 1 Corinthians 16:8 But I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; 1Co 15:32
1 Coríntios 16
Utley - The text can be interpreted in two ways: (1) it was not Apollos’ will to come or (2) it was not God’s will for him to come. Zodhiates adds "Observe that Paul not only recognizes this as the prerogative of Apollos to choose when to go to Corinth, but he does not presume to know better what is the best time. When we assume the choosing of the time that someone else should do something, we give the impression that he is not mature enough to make a wise choice or that God cannot lead him directly, but only through us. Although Paul was an apostle, he did not want to infringe upon Apollos' freedom to do as he felt the Lord was leading him. The verb eukairḗsē, good or opportune time, is in the active voice, meaning that it was the right of the individual to choose for himself. For this reason, Paul only requested Apollos to go to Corinth when he wanted him to go, but he left the execution of the plan to Apollos' judgment." (1 Corinthians Commentary) Desire (2307) (thelema from thelo = to will with the "-ma" suffix indicating the result of the will = "a thing willed") generally speaks of the result of what one has decided. One sees this root word in the feminine name "Thelma." In its most basic form, thelema refers to a wish, a strong desire, and the willing of some event. (Note: See also the discussion of the preceding word boule for comments relating to thelema). Zodhiates says that thelema is the "Will, not to be conceived as a demand, but as an expression or inclination of pleasure towards that which is liked, that which pleases and creates joy. When it denotes God's will, it signifies His gracious disposition toward something. Used to designate what God Himself does of His own good pleasure. (Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament) Has opportunity (has time)(2119) eukaireo from eukairos - from eu = good + kairos = opportunity) to have convenient time or opportunity (Mk 6:31 = "have time to eat"). "To have a favorable opportunity, time, or leisure." To take advantage of the element of time as providing an opportunity. To enjoy doing, spend time enjoying. To experience a favorable time or occasion for some activity. (BDAG) Accompanied by the prep. it means “to devote one’s leisure to”. Used on 3x - Mk 6:31, Acts 17:21, 1 Cor 16:12 (have time(1), opportunity(1), spend...time(1).) Question - . Who was Apollos? Answer: Apollos was an evangelist, apologist, church leader, and friend of the apostle Paul. Apollos was a Jew from Alexandria, Egypt, described as “eloquent,” “mighty in the Scriptures,” “fervent in the spirit” and “instructed in the way of the Lord” (Acts 18:24). In A.D. 54, he traveled to Ephesus, where he taught boldly in the synagogue. However, at that time, Apollos’ understanding of the gospel was incomplete, since he was “acquainted only with the baptism of John” (Acts 18:25). This probably means that Apollos preached repentance and faith in the Messiah—he maybe even believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah—but he did not know the full magnitude of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Aquila and Priscilla, friends of Paul, spent some time with Apollos and filled in the gaps in his understanding of Jesus Christ (Acts 18:26). Apollos, now armed with the complete message, immediately began a preaching ministry and was used of God as an effective apologist for the gospel (Acts 18:28). Apollos traveled through Achaia and eventually found his way to Corinth (Acts 19:1), where he “watered” where Paul had “sown” (1 Corinthians 3:6). This is important to remember when studying the first Epistle to Corinth. Apollos, with his natural gifts, had attracted a following among the church in Corinth, but simple admiration was growing into divisiveness. Against Apollos’ wishes, there was a faction in Corinth that claimed him as their spiritual mentor, to the exclusion of Paul and Peter. Paul deals with this partisanship in 1 Corinthians 1:12-13. Christ is not divided, and neither should we be. We cannot love personality over truth. The last mention of Apollos in the Bible comes in Paul’s letter to Titus: “Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need” (Titus 3:13). Obviously, Apollos was on his way through Crete (where Titus was) at this time. And, just as obviously, Paul still considered Apollos to be a valuable co-laborer and friend. Some believe that Apollos eventually returned to Ephesus to serve the church there. It’s very possible that he did, although there’s no biblical confirmation of this detail. Also, some identify Apollos as the unknown author of the book of Hebrews; again, there is no biblical support for such an identification. The author of Hebrews remains unknown. In summary, Apollos was a man of letters with a zeal for the Lord and a talent for preaching. He labored in the Lord’s work, aiding the ministry of the apostles and faithfully building up the church. His life should encourage each of us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord” (2 Peter 3:18) and to use our God-given gifts to promote truth. GotQuestions.org Naves - Apollos An eloquent, Christian convert at Corinth Acts 18:24-28; 19:1; 1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4-7 Refuses to return to Rome 1 Corinthians 16:12 Whyte's Bible Characters Apollos - THE founding and the naming of Alexandria, its matchless situation, its architectural beauty, the rare wisdom of its statesmanship, and the splendid catholicity of its sacred scholarship,-all these things greatly interest us and greatly impress us. And all these things tell at once upon the text and serve richly to illustrate the text. For Apollos, though a Jew, was born in Alexandria, and received his education in Alexandria. The repeated dispersions of the Jewish people had filled the Jewish quarter of Alexandria with tens of thousands of that expatriated people, but everywhere an industrious, enterprising, and successful, people. By that time the Jews of Alexandria had almost the half of the whole city given up to themselves, and the Jewish merchants, and bankers, and scholars of Alexandria were, in all their several walks of life, in the very foremost rank. And, without in any way forsaking or forgetting the faith of their fathers, the Jews of Alexandria had opened their own minds, and the minds of their children, to the best learning of that eminently learned city. Apollos, when an inquiring boy, would be taken up by his father to the famous synagogue every Sabbath day, where he would see the seventy elders sitting on their seventy thrones of gold, and where he would watch for the waving of the far-off flag that summoned the immense congregation to fall down at the same moment on their knees to say their Amen. On the week-days, and in spite of the fierce anathemas of the fanatical scribes of Jerusalem, young Apollos would be sent to school where he would learn to read Homer and Plato, as well as Moses and Isaiah. And in his holidays he would be taken out of the city to walk along the seven furlong mole to the famous lighthouse island, on which the Sacred Septuagint had received its finishing touches. And as the talented boy became a student he would often find his way to the world-renowned library of Alexandria, into which had been collected the whole literature of the ancient world, sacred and profane; all the best books of Israel, as well as all the best books of Greece and Rome and Egypt and India. It is not in our power to fix down the exact date of Apollos's birth, but we are quite sure of this, that he was a contemporary, and almost certainly a schoolfellow, of Philo the famous Hellenistic Hebrew of Alexandria. We possess no book of Apollos's authorship, unless Luther's bold guess is also a correct guess that Apollos wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews in his mature years. And unless that other guess is also correct that he wrote the Book of Wisdom in his Alexandrian years. These, to be sure, are only guesses at his authorship, but the guesses of men of learning and genius have often far more truth in them than the proofs and certainties that satisfy less learned and less imaginative men. At the same time, if it is but an illuminating guess that we possess anything at all from Apollos's pen, we are quite sure about the many extant works of Philo. And so much alike were those two great contemporaneous men, that we can almost transfer to the one what we are told about the other. For, just as of Philo it may with absolute certainty be said that "he was a Jew, born in Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures," so, on the other hand, it is no great stretch of the imagination to picture Apollos to ourselves as the author of The Allegories of the Sacred Laws, The Theology of Moses, and The Indictment of Flaccus. Paul was not what we would call an eloquent preacher. The Apostle's detractors were wont to set Paul aside with this contemptuous sentence, that his bodily presence was weak, and his speech contemptible. But his greatest enemies could not say that about Apollos. Depth of mind and fluency of speech do not always go together. They did not go together in Moses and Paul, the two greatest men of the Hebrew race. But Apollos was both a man of a deep mind and of great oratorical genius. Quintilian, another contemporary of Apollos, has a fine chapter on this theme, that a great orator is just a good man well skilled in speaking. Now, Apollos satisfied both parts of that excellent definition also. For Apollos was first a good man, and then he was a skilful speaker. No man in the Apostolic Church was nearly such a skilful speaker as Apollos was. And the sacred writer is careful to add concerning Apollos that he was "mighty in the Scriptures" also. In saying that the sacred writer intends what he says to be all but the very highest praise that can possibly be given to Apollos. A great mind alone will not make a man mighty in the Scriptures. A great gift of oratory alone will not do it. It is the moral and spiritual qualities of the sacred orator, when they are added to his intellectual qualities, that make men confess his might when he handles the Holy Scriptures. The acknowledged might of Apollos in the pulpit was the might of conviction and of character; it was the might that has its seat in the conscience and the heart of a good man, taken together with that other might of a great intellect and real eloquence. The great might of Aristotle and Quintilian combined would still have left Apollos weak as other men in the things of God, unless there had been united with all that the might of a conscience on fire against all unrighteousness, and of a heart on fire with the love of all truth and all goodness. Apollos has much still to learn, but this is a right noble foundation on which to build up a great preacher of the Gospel: "a Jew, born in Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures"; so far, that is, as he as yet understands the Scriptures. This then was the Alexandrian scholar and orator who came to Ephesus on an Old Testament mission immediately after Paul had left that city. Paul and Apollos had no acquaintance as yet with one another. They had never met, and though they were both great preachers, they did not at all preach the same Gospel. With all his Alexandrian learning, and with all his finished eloquence, and with all his knowledge of Moses and Isaiah and John the Baptist, Apollos knew nothing, or next to nothing, of Jesus Christ. How Apollos had come to know so much as he did know, we are not told; but we are told distinctly that his knowledge came to an end with the preaching and the baptism of John, the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth. It perplexes us to be told that about such a man as Apollos was. That such a universal student, and such a lover of all kinds of truth, and especially of revealed truth, should have lived so long in the very metropolis of all intelligence, and not have got beyond the school of John-that quite staggers us about Apollos. At the same time, we must remember that with all his marvellous activity and success, Paul had never been so far as Alexandria. If Paul had preached Christ even once in that magnificent synagogue, what a chapter we would have had in the Acts of the Apostles about Paul's conversations with Apollos. But as it was, Apollos was still preaching just as John had both preached and baptized twenty years before at Bethabara beyond Jordan. John's doctrines and exhortations were preached by Apollos with tremendous passion and impressiveness; with all John's own tremendous passion and impressiveness; and with a polish of manner and a perfection of style to which John was an utter stranger. But that was all the preaching that Aquila and Priscilla listened to Sabbath after Sabbath, as Apollos stood up in the pulpit of Ephesus. Sabbath day after Sabbath day, Aquila and Priscilla came up to the synagogue and listened to Apollos preaching John; and every returning Sabbath day they listened to him with increasing regret that he had not come to Ephesus in time to have heard Paul preaching Christ. With a weekly increasing distress they listened to what they heard, or rather, did not hear, till, at last, they took Apollos and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. Such then is this so beautiful passage, and so full of all manner of lessons for students, for young preachers, and for old people. And first, for old people, and for people far on in the spiritual life. I can overhear Aquila and Priscilla on their way home from the synagogue Sabbath after Sabbath; or, rather, I can overhear them after their children are asleep. For you may depend upon it, Aquila and Priscilla did not discuss Apollos's sermons at the church door or at the dinner table. Was that a good sermon today, father? asked young Keble. All sermons are good, my son, answered his wise father. And Aquila was like old Keble. All the way home from church Aquila talked to his sons and daughters about Alexandria and her schools; about the Septuagint; about Apollos's great learning and great eloquence; about the work that he had laid out on that sermon; about his noble style; about his commanding manner, and about the great lessons to be learned from every sermon of his. And then, when the Sabbath was over, and they were alone, Aquila and Priscilla would open their minds quite freely to one another about the young preacher. Now how would we have done had we been in Aquila's and Priscilla's place? This is what we would have done. We would have let the whole congregation see what we thought of Apollos. We would have shifted about in our seat. We would have looked at the clock. We would have held down our head. We would have covered our eyes with our hands. We would have glanced at our neighbours to see how they were taking it all. We would have smiled sadly, so that all might see us. And then, at the door-"How did you like him? Poor boy! he does not know the very A B C of the Gospel!" And so on, till it would all have been told to Apollos, and till we had ruined our influence with him, and his influence with us and with our children for ever. How Aquila and Priscilla managed it I cannot imagine. But manage it they did, for "they took Apollos unto them," says the sacred writer, "and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly." "An old and simple woman, if she loves Jesus, may be greater than our brother Bonaventure." I admire all the three so much, that I really do not know which to admire the most; Aquila and Priscilla in their quite extraordinary wisdom and tact and courage, and especially love; or Apollos in his still more extraordinary humility, modesty, and mind of Christ. A shining student of Alexandria, a popular and successful preacher, not standing-room when he preached in the synagogue, followed about by admiring crowds, and with many seals to his ministry among them; such a famous man to be taken to task about his pulpit work by two old workers in sail-cloth and carpets, and to be instructed by them how to preach, and how not to preach-"the whole thing is laughable, if it were not for its impudence." So I would have said had I been in Apollos's place. But like the true Alexandrian he was, and the true preacher, and the true coming colleague and successor of Paul, Apollos instantly saw who and what he had in Aquila and Priscilla. In a moment he felt they were by far his superiors in the things of the pulpit at any rate, and he at once made it both easy and successful for them to say to him all that was in their minds and hearts. I would far rather have Apollos's humble mind and quiet heart at that supreme moment of his life than all his gold medals, first-class certificates, and all his crowds to boot; the noble young Christian gentleman that Apollos at that moment proved himself to be. It was their own experience of the way of God that enabled and authorised Aquila and Priscilla to take Apollos and teach him that way more perfectly. It was not Paul's preaching that did it. Their own experience, in their case, went before Paul's preaching, accompanied it, and came after it. They knew the doctrine of Christ perfectly because they had lived the life of Christ perfectly. Tent-makers as they were, and wholly unlettered as they were, they received it as soon as it was written, and read and quite well understood the Epistle to the Ephesians, because they had all its deep mysteries already in their own hearts. Paul in his best preaching had only told Aquila and Priscilla, with all his authority, what they knew to a certainty before. Every true preacher comes on the same thing continually among his people. And every wide reader of such literature knows where to find illustrations of the same thing. Brother Lawrence, the humble cook, instructing the theologians of his day about the practice of the presence of God; Jacob Behmen enlightening William Law; Thomas Boston's old soldier giving his minister a loan of "The Marrow"; and Cowper's poor Cottager. But the classical passage is in Grace Abounding. "Upon a day the good providence of God did cast me to Bedford to work on my calling; and in one of the streets of that town I came where there were three or four poor women sitting at a door in the sun, and talking about the things of God; and being now willing to hear their discourse, I drew near to hear what they said, for I was now a brisk talker myself in the matters of religion. But I may say, I heard, but I understood not; for they were far above, out of my reach. Their talk was about a new birth, the work of God in their hearts, also how they were convinced of their miserable state by nature. They talked how God had visited their souls with His love in the Lord Jesus, and with what words and promises they had been refreshed, comforted, and supported against the temptations of the devil. And, methought, they spoke as if joy did make them speak; they spoke with such pleasantness of Scripture language, and with such an appearance of grace in all they said, that they were to me, as if they had found a new world, as if they were people that dwelt alone, and were not to be reckoned among their neighbours. Therefore I should often make it my business to be going again and again into the company of these poor people, for I could not stay away. And presently I found two things within me at which I did sometimes marvel; the one was a very great softness and tenderness of heart; and the other was a great bending of my mind to a continual meditating on them, and on all other good things which at any time I had read or heard of." All that might have been found in the best Alexandrian Greek among Apollos's papers after his death. Better Greek he could not have written, nor a better description of his experiences as he came and went to Aquila's and Priscilla's house in Ephesus. "By these things," adds Bunyan, "my mind was now so turned that it lay like a horse-leech at the vein, still crying out, give, give." They complain that there threatens to be a dearth of candidates for the Christian ministry. But that can never be. For where can the flower of our youth find a field for their scholarship and for their eloquence like the evangelical pulpit? What other calling open to a talented young man can compete with spiritual preaching? What other occupation can possess and satisfy a pure mind and a noble heart, and that more and more, to the end of life? Where will our intellectual youth find a literature for one moment to compare with the literature of Jerusalem and Alexandria? And a sphere of work like a congregation full of such people as Aquila and Priscilla? How long halt the flower of our Scottish youth between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him. But if Baal, then follow him. Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. Will ye also go away? Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. Related Resources: What happened on Paul’s third missionary journey? | GotQuestions.org American Tract Society Apollos Bridgeway Bible Dictionary Apollos Easton's Bible Dictionary Apollos Fausset Bible Dictionary Apollos Holman Bible Dictionary Apollos Hitchcock Bible Names Apollos Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Apollos Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Apollos Morrish Bible Dictionary Apollos Smith Bible Dictionary Apollos Webster Dictionary Apollo Watson's Theological Dictionary Apollos 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica Apollos International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Apollos Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Apollos McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia Apollos The Jewish Encyclopedia Apollos 1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Be on the alert: Mt 24:42-44 25:13 26:41 Mk 13:33-37 14:37,38 Lu 12:35-40 21:36 Eph 6:18 Col 4:2 1Th 5:6 2Ti 4:5 1Pe 4:7 5:8 Rev 3:2,3 16:15 stand firm: 1Co 15:1,2,58 2Co 1:24 Ga 5:1 Php 1:27 4:1 Col 1:23 4:12 1Th 3:8 2Th 2:15 act like men: 1Co 9:25-27 1 Cor 14:20 1Sa 4:9 2Sa 10:12 1Ch 19:13 Eph 6:13-17 1Ti 6:12 2Ti 2:3-5 4:7 Heb 11:32-34 be strong: Jos 1:6,7,9,18 1Ki 2:2 1Ch 28:10 Ps 27:14 Isa 35:4 Da 10:19 Da 11:32 Hag 2:4 Zec 8:9,13 2Co 12:9,10 Eph 6:10 Php 4:13 Col 1:11,12 2Ti 2:1 1 Corinthians 16 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries A GREAT CHRISTIAN "TETRAD" FOR ALL GOD'S CHILDREN Tetrad describes a set of four things, especially four things regarded as a similar object or thought. W E Vine - these four exhortations have a military tone; the believers must be as sentinels on guard, must maintain their position, must manifest courage, and must become strong. And the exhortations were evidently needed, against insensibility to spiritual dangers, against desertion from the truth, against moral weakening.(Collected Writings) Spiros Zodhiates has an interesting title for this verse = Imperatives for a Victorious Christian Life. The Corinthian church was replete with problems. Paul had sent spiritual leaders and teachers among them with mixed results. He now gives a few final exhortations which are concise but poignant. In simple words, Paul is telling the Corinthian Christians to grow up and behave like men. Swindoll - Paul’s commands (1 Cor 16:13-14) were not merely to be memorized or written down—they were meant to be put into practice immediately and lived out continually. (Swindoll's Living Insights New Testament Commentary – 1 & 2 Corinthians) Robertson and Plummer - In five clear and crisp charges he gathers together the duties which he has been inculcating, the duties of a Christian soldier. Four of these have reference to spiritual foes and perils, while the last sums up their duty to one another. They are an army in the field, and they must be alert, steadfast, courageous, strong; and in all things united. “The four imperatives are directed respectively against the heedlessness, fickleness, childishness, and moral enervation of the Corinthians” (Findlay). Comp. 1 Cor 7:29–31, 10:12, 13, 15:1, 14:20, 9:24, 13. (Critical and Exegetical Commentary) WAKE UP! Be on the alert (be on guard, be watchful, be vigilant, stay awake spiritually, watch out) - This great exhortation from Paul to the Corinthians who needed correction has four "staccato-like" commands, each one in the present imperative giving four "opportunities" (necessities) to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey. Matthew Henry on Be on the alert - That they should watch (KJV), be wakeful and upon their guard. A Christian is always in danger, and therefore should ever be on the watch; but the danger is greater at some times and under some circumstances. The Corinthians were in manifest danger upon many accounts: their feuds ran high, the irregularities among them were very great, there were deceivers among them, who endeavored to corrupt their faith in the most important articles, those without which the practice of virtue and piety could never subsist. And surely in such dangerous circumstances it was their concern to watch. If a Christian would be secure, he must be on his or her guard; and the more his or her danger the greater vigilance is needful for security. THOUGHT - In the USA an alert system was established with five color-coded levels of terrorist threat: green = low; blue = guarded; yellow = elevated; orange = high; red = severe. Given the fact that Christians (some more than others) are continually "in danger every hour," (1 Cor 15:30+, cf Ro 8:36+ = Christians are "being put to death all day long."), we should continually consider ourselves at threat level red. Therefore it behooves us to NEVER let down our guard, but to remain vigilant against our mortal enemies, the world, the flesh and the devil, for they NEVER take a FURLOUGH (leave of absence) and neither can we, beloved! Are you taking a furlough from the spiritual battle because it is just too intense? If so, rest assured that you are vulnerable and potentially placing yourself in danger of "being wounded" by the enemy. And because our enemy is largely invisible, we falsely conclude there is a "ceasefire" in the battle, but that is not sound nor sober thinking! Charles Simeon writes that "Unwatchfulness, even in a victorious army, exposes it to defeat: much more must it subject us to the power of our subtle enemy." Zodhiates notes that "the Christian life is one of constant danger and trouble, and if we are going to be victorious, we must always be alert. " Robertson and Plummer - Watchfulness against various enemies and dangers and watchfulness for the coming of Christ are specially meant here. (Critical and Exegetical Commentary) Utley - Paul is admonishing them to be alert and watchful against a factious spirit, heresy, debauchery, and pride! Thomas Constable on Be on the alert - Paul urged his somewhat unstable readers to be watchful regarding danger from inside as well as outside the church (cf. Acts 20:29-30). Most of the problems in this church evidently arose from within the congregation. This expression sometimes occurs with anticipation of the Lord's coming, so that may have been in Paul's thinking as well (e.g., Matt. 24:42). (Commentary) Hunter & McShane on Be on the alert - The sense here is to watch, be vigilant against all the evils that he had exposed amongst them, the evils of dissension, fornication, litigation, fellowship with demons, abuses at the Supper etc. We in our day cannot afford to be self-satisfied, for many dangers lurk all around us, and only vigilance will detect the danger early enough to enable us to raise the warning.(What the Bible teaches – 1 and 2 Corinthians) Be on the alert (1127)(gregoreuo from egeiro = to arise, arouse) means to be watchful or to refrain from physical sleep. Later gregoreuo came to used in the moral and religious sphere and was used to call for one to be on the alert, in a constant state of readiness and vigilant (alertly watchful especially to avoid danger this word suggesting intense, unremitting, wary watchfulness; keenly alert to or heedful of trouble or danger as others are sleeping or unsuspicious). We are to be be watchful and ready to respond to external influences, focused, alert for the winds of temptation or overt attacks of evil. We are to remained alert lest we be deceived by the devil the deceiver or sin which is deceitful (Heb 3:13). The first use of gregoreuo by our Lord is in relation to His Second Coming. He wants us to be alert for we do not know the hour when He will return, but we know He will return. Most of the NT uses are in reference to the Christians’ being spiritually awake and alert, as opposed to being spiritually indifferent and listless. Gregoreuo conveys the idea of alertness. It is like a sleeping man rousing himself. It means to give strict attention to, to be active, to take heed lest through remissness and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one. Secular Greek used gregoreuo to describe people carefully crossing a river while stepping on slippery stones. If they did not pay strict attention to their steps, they would end up in the water. So the idea of vigilance is to stay alert and cautious. Gregoreuo, is used of mental alertness, the condition of the mind opposite to that which characterizes it in sleep. Gregoreuo means to to take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one. "Confidence in God must not lead to slackness; the spiritual warfare that they wage demands vigilance" (Beare) 22v in NT - lert, 10; awake, 1; keep, 1; keep watch, 4; keep watching, 1; keeping alert, 1; stay on the alert, 1; stays awake, 1; wake, 2 Matt. 24:42; Matt. 24:43; Matt. 25:13; Matt. 26:38; Matt. 26:40; Matt. 26:41; Mk. 13:34; Mk. 13:35; Mk. 13:37; Mk. 14:34; Mk. 14:37; Mk. 14:38; Lk. 12:37; Acts 20:31; 1 Co. 16:13; Col. 4:2; 1 Th 5:6; 1 Th 5:10; 1 Pet. 5:8; Rev. 3:2-3; Rev. 16:15 Matthew 24:42 “Therefore be on the alert (gregoreuo in the present imperative), for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. (cf Mt 25:13) Matthew 26:41+ (Mark 14:38) (THIS PASSAGE HELPS US KNOW HOW WE CAN REMAIN SPIRITUALLY ALERT - PRAYING!) “Keep watching (gregoreuo in the present imperative see need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) and praying (present imperative) that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Acts 20:31+ (PAUL ADDRESSING THE EPHESIAN ELDERS) “Therefore be on the alert (gregoreuo - present imperative), remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. Colossians 4:2+ Devote yourselves to prayer (present imperative), (present tense - continually) keeping alert (gregoreuo) in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 1 Thessalonians 5:6+ so then (WHAT HAS HE JUST SAID TO PROMPT THIS CONCLUSION? - 1 Th 5:5) let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert (gregoreuo - present tense - continually) and sober. 1 Peter 5:8+ Be of sober spirit (nepho in aorist imperative), be on the alert (gregoreuo - present imperative) (WHY???). Your adversary, the devil, (present tense - continually) prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Revelation 3:2-3 ‘Wake up (gregoreuo - present imperative), and strengthen (aorist imperative) the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3‘So remember (present imperative) what you have received and heard; and keep it (present imperative),, and repent (aorist imperative)). Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. STAND UP! Paul had warned of the danger of prideful "standing" writing "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed present imperative see need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) that he does not fall.." (1 Cor 10:12+) In giving the "definition" of the Gospel Paul alluded to "standing" - "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, (perfect tense - took their stand by grace through faith and still standing) 2by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain." (1 Cor 15:1-2+) Stand firm (be unmoved) in the faith - This command parallels 1 Cor 15:58+ for them to be steadfast, immovable. Keep standing firm. Make this the habit of your life. The only way to "stand firm" is to be standing on a rock solid, unshakeable foundation and here the foundation is the faith, not subjective faith (believing) but objective faith (the object believed) (Amplified Version is not correct as it renders "the faith" as subjective). "The faith of which Paul speaks here is not the faith of trusting but the faith of truth, the content of the gospel." (MacArthur) Indeed, most often in the NT, the faith refers to the sound Christian doctrine, especially the Gospel. Paul had just written "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand (perfect tense = your state) " (1 Cor 15:1) In other words, Paul is saying in essence keep standing firm in the Gospel of your salvation. The Gospel saved you in the past (justification - past tense salvation), it continues to save you daily (progressive sanctification) and will "save" you into Heaven (glorification - future tense salvation) when you receive your new resurrection body. In sum, the faith refers not to the ACT of believing but rather to WHAT is believed. The phrase stand firm has three modifiers in the NT and all are critical if one is to stand firm - (1) stand firm in the faith (1 Cor 16:13), (2) standing firm in one spirit (or Spirit) (Php 1:27+), and (3) stand firm in the Lord (Php 4:1+, 1 Th 3:8+). Robertson and Plummer - ‘The faith’ means belief in the Gospel as a whole, and especially in the atonement won by Christ’s death on the Cross (1) and in the life guaranteed by His Resurrection (1 Cor 15:1-58). There must be no desertion, no λειποταξία, with regard to that. These first two charges have reference to the Christian warrior awaiting attack; the next two refer to the actual combat. (Critical and Exegetical Commentary) Matthew Henry on "Stand firm in the faith, to keep their ground, adhere to the revelation of God, and not give it up for the wisdom of the world, nor suffer oneself to be corrupted by it. Stand for the faith of the gospel, and maintain it even to death; and stand in it, so as to abide in the profession of it, and feel and yield to its influence. A Christian should be fixed in the faith of the gospel, and never desert nor renounce it. It is by this faith alone that he will be able to keep his ground in an hour of temptation; it is by faith (HE IS NOW SWITCHING TO SUBJECTIVE FAITH) that we stand (2 Co 1:24); it is by this that we must overcome the world (1 Jn 5:4), both when it fawns and when it frowns, when it tempts and when it terrifies. We must stand therefore in the faith of the gospel, if we would maintain our integrity. Stand firm is used by Paul in similar contexts calling for believers. 1 Th 3:8+ for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord. 2 Th 2:15+ "stand firm (present imperative calling for us to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey ) and hold to (present imperative) the traditions you were taught." Galatians 5:1+ It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm (present imperative calling for us to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) and do not be subject (present imperative with a negative) again to a yoke of slavery. Stand firm (4739) steko can mean to stand literally ("whenever you stand praying… " Mk 11:25) but in the other NT uses steko is used figuratively meaning in a positive sense of to stand firm in faith and duty, to be constant, to persevere, to remain steadfast, to continue in a state. It can mean to be firmly committed in conviction or belief. In Jn 8:44 Jesus uses steko in a negative sense describing the fact that the devil absolutely does not stand in the truth. 11 times in the NT - Mark 3:31; 11:25; John 8:44; Ro 14:4; 1 Cor 16:13; Gal 5:1+; Phil 1:27+; Php 4:1; 1 Th 3:8; 2 Th 2:15; Rev 12:4) and is translated: stand, 2; stand firm, 4; standing, 1; standing firm, 2; stands, 2. The Psalmist writes "Those who trust in the LORD are as Mount Zion (God's holy city firmly set by Him on the hill), which cannot be moved, but abides forever." (Ps 125:1) Spurgeon's comment - They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion. The emphasis lies upon the object of their trust, namely, Jehovah the Lord. What a privilege to be allowed to repose in God] How condescending is Jehovah to become the confidence of his people! To trust elsewhere is vanity; and the more implicit such misplaced trust becomes the more bitter will be the ensuing disappointment; but to trust in the living God is sanctified common sense which needs no excuse, its result shall be its best vindication. There is no conceivable reason why we should not trust in Jehovah, and there is every possible argument for so doing; but, apart from all argument, the end will prove the wisdom of the confidence. The result of faith is not occasional and accidental; its blessing comes, not to some who trust, but to all who trust in the Lord. Trusters in Jehovah shall be as fixed, firm, and stable as the mount where David dwelt, and where the ark abode. To move mount Zion was impossible: the mere supposition was absurd. John