The Expositor's Bible: The First Epistle to the CorinthiansDods, Marcus
Religion
The Expositor's Bible: The First Epistle to the Corinthians
Dods, Marcus
Bible. Corinthians, 1st -- Commentaries
The presence of God's Spirit in any man can of course only be verified
by the results. God's Spirit working in and by means of man's nature
cannot be known in separation from the man's spirit and the work done
in that spirit. This inward revelation which Paul refers to is
accomplished by the action of the Divine Spirit on the human
faculties, quickening and elevating these faculties. The revelation or
new knowledge acquired by Paul was given by God, but at the same time
was acquired by Paul's own faculties, so that it remained with him
always, just as the knowledge we naturally acquire remains with us and
can be freely used by us. An inward revelation can come to a man only
in the form of impressions, convictions, thoughts arising in his own
mind. Paul knew that his knowledge was a revelation of God, not by the
suddenness with which it was imparted, not by supernatural appearances
accompanying it, not by any sense or consciousness of another Spirit
working with his own, but by the results. It is always the substance
or contents of any revelation which proves its origin. Paul knew he
had the mind of Christ because he found that he could understand
Christ's words and work, could perfectly sympathize with His aims and
look at things from Christ's point of view.
In their humility, many persons shrink from making this affirmation
here made by Paul; they cannot ever unhesitatingly affirm that the
Spirit of God is given them or that they have the mind of Christ. Such
persons should recognise that it was the very humility of Paul which
enabled him so confidently to affirm these things of himself. He knew
that the knowledge of Christ's purposes he had and the sympathy with
them were the evidence of God's Spirit working in him. He knew that
without God's Spirit he himself could never have had these thoughts.
And it is when we recognise our own insufficiency most that we are
readiest to confess the presence of God's Spirit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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