1 Corinthians 1: 16 Commentary

Some have said the epistles are just letters to churches and that Paul would have been more careful if he would have known what people would do with his letters.

These things that are being posted were from a class they let me teach a few years ago. I am not, or never have been a preacher or anybody of influence in any church.

The preacher say things in the pulpit and I might agree with 60% of what he is saying.

Sometimes I wonder if passages are taken out of context to promote an agenda (like baptism or Holy Spirit). Myself I get more out of an open, honest discussions.

Maybe I am still searching.

By James Richter (wrote 536 Bible Commentaries - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 2/2/2011 20:54 pm

Frankly speaking, James, I am not a scholar, simply a student of the Bible. I love to study the Bible and keep learning like Bearans. I just look at what others are saying and compare it with what the Bible says.

As for the meaning of inspiration, the first verse that comes to my mind is 2 Peter 1:21. It is God who inspires His words (God breathed); God spoke to Holy men, They were moved by the Holy Spirit, they spoke the word from God. They spoke in as far as God revealed to them. God used them as they were, with all the background they were from, not destroying their personalities; but in His soverignity God coveyed what He did want to. So what ever God has given us are His words, though in human words! Paul said he has the mind of God; yes, but in so far as God was pleased to let it known to him, not beyond it. Only the revealed things belong to us, the rest are of God. I may be correced where I need to be.Thanks. (You have now pervading presence on this website! Ho, Ho ho Ho….)

By Jayant Christian (wrote 287 Bible Commentaries - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 2/1/2011 09:39 am

Jayant Christian, maybe you can point me in the right direction. What does ‘inspiration’ mean? I have an open mind on this and will put it in my notes.

By James Richter (wrote 536 Bible Commentaries - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 1/30/2011 23:33 pm

It is not said that Paul cannot remember, but that he did not know; he is sure about it.

By Jayant Christian (wrote 287 Bible Commentaries - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 1/30/2011 17:07 pm

This brings us to the topic of inspiration. What is inspiration?

Notice v.16 where Paul can’t remember if he baptized anyone else. “I know not whether I baptized any other.”

William Barclay says of inspiration: ” Paul quotes scripture and his quotation is a mixture of a variety of passages, none quoted accurately, from Lev.26:11-12, Isa.52:11, Eze.20:34, Eze.37:27 and 2Sam.7:14.

It is a fact that Paul seldom quotes accurately….he quoted from memory, and so long as he got the substance right he did not worry about the actual wording.” Cf. Barclay’s Comment on 2Cor.6:14-7:1.

At that time the bible was written on papyrus rolls. A book the size of Acts, for instance, would be a huge roll.

At that time the bible had no chapter and verse divisions. It wasn’t until the 16th century that these divisions appeared.

It was the message of the scripture that mattered to him and not the exact words.

One would argue “it is not necessary to be inspired, except as to matters that were vitally concerned with their teaching.”

This is not like an episode of today’s ‘daytime television idiot shows’ where they channel the “great spirit”.

Epistles are real letters to real congregations.

By James Richter (wrote 536 Bible Commentaries - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 1/26/2011 21:05 pm