The life and work of St. Paul

CONDITION OF THE CHTJBCH AT COEINTH. 387
as a wise master-builder, has laid the foundation ; others were building on it all
sorts of superstructures. But the foundation was and could be only one namely,
Christ and the gold, silver, precious marbles, logs, hay, stubble, built on it should
be made manifest in its true quality in God's ever- revealing fire, 1 and if worthless,
should be destroyed, however sincere the builder might be. If his superstructure
was sound, he would be rewarded if ; perishable, it would be burnt in the consuming
flame, and he should suffer loss, though he himself, since he had built on the true
foundation, would be saved as by fire. 1 Did they not know then that they were a
temple, a holy temple for the spirit of God ? If any man destroy God's temple, God
shall destroy him. And human wisdom might destroy it, for before God human
wisdom was folly. The mere human wisdom of this or that favourite teacher has
nothing to do with the real building. If a man wanted Divine wisdom, let him
gain it by the humble paths of what was regarded as human folly. How unworthy,
then, to be boasting about mere human teachers how unworthy was it of their own
immense privilege and hope when all things were theirs Paul, Apollos, Kephas,
the universe, life, death, the immediate present, the far future all theirs, and they
Christ's, and Christ God's. Their party leaders were but poor weak creatures at
the best, of whom was required one thing only faithfulness. As for himself ha
regarded it as a matter utterly trivial whether he were judged by their tentative
opinions or by man's insignificant feeble transient day;* nay, he even judged not
himself. lie was conscious iiidi-od of no sin as regards his 4
ministry; but even on
that he did not rely as his justification, depending only on the of the
judgment
Lord.
" So then be not ye judging anything before the due time until the Lord come, who
shall both illuminate the crypts of darkness and reveal the counsels of the heart."
Then, and not till then, shall the praise which he deserves, and no other praise,
accrue to each from God.*
6. He had, with generous delicacy, designedly put into prominence his own
name and that of Apollos (instead of those of Kephas or the Jerusalem emissary) aa
unwilling loaders of factions which they utterly deprecated, that the Corinthians
might learn in their case not to estimate them above the warrant of their actual
words,' and might see that he was actuated by no mere jealousy of others, when he
denounced their inflated exasperation amongst themselves in the rival display of
what after all, even when they existed, where not intrinsic merits, but gifts of God. r
And what swelling self-appreciation they showed in all this ! party spirit For
them the hunger, and the poverty, and the struggle, are all over. What plentitude
and satiety of satisfaction you have gained ; how rich you are what thrones ; you
sit on and all without us. ; Ah, would it were really so, that we might at least
share your royal elevation 1 For the position of us poor Apostles is very different.
"
God, I think, displayed us last as condemned criminals, 3 a theatric spectacle to the
universe, both angels and men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in
Christ ; we weak, but ye strong ; ye glorious, but we dishonoured. Up to this very
1 iii. IS, an-oKoAvirrerai, By calling this & vraeseni futuroKxnt, and not recognising the normal,
unceasing operation of the moral laws of God, commentators have missed a great truth (cf. Matt.
Iii. 10 ; Col. iii. 6 ; Eph. v. fi).
* St. Paul does not care to make
"
his metaphor run on all fours." The general application in
sufficient for him. (See Keruss, Let t.
Xjpttres, 189.)
* ir. 8, rn.raxpi.8ia. An onakn'jw was an examination preliminary to trial. ij*i