Chapter XVII. - Paul Revisits Corinth.
It was autumn when Paul again visited Corinth. As he beheld
the Corinthian towers and lofty citadel in the distance, the clouds that
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enshrouded the mountains and cast a shadow upon the city
beneath, seemed a fitting emblem of the error and immorality which threatened
the prosperity of the Christian church in that place. The mind of Paul was
agitated by conflicting thoughts. He was to meet his children in the faith of
the gospel. Some of them had been guilty of grievous sins. Some of his former
friends had forgotten his love and the sweet friendship and confidence of
earlier days. They had become his enemies, and questioned and disputed whether
he was a true apostle of Christ, intrusted with the gospel. Though the majority
of the church had turned from their sins and submitted to the commands of Paul,
yet it could not be with them entirely as it was before their immorality. There
could not exist that union, love, and confidence between teacher and people, as
upon the occasion of his former visit. {LP 183.2}
There were still some in the church, who, when reproved by
the apostle, had persisted in their sinful course, despising his warnings and
defying his authority. The time had come when he must take decisive measures to
put down this opposition. He had warned the Corinthians of his purpose to come
and deal in person with the obstinate offenders: "I write to them which
heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that if I come again, I will not
spare; since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me." He had delayed his
coming, to give them time for reflection and repentance. But now all who
continued in their course of error and sin, must be separated from the church of
Christ. They had charged Paul with timidity and weakness because of his long
forbearance through love for their souls.
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He would now be compelled to pursue a
course which would disprove this charge. {LP 184.1}
As Paul thus approaches Corinth, how striking the contrast to
the close of a former journey, when Saul, "breathing out threatenings and
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord," drew near to Damascus! How widely
different the appearance, purposes, and spirit of Saul and Paul! Then he was
intrusted with the sword of secular power, he was the agent of the Sanhedrim,
the Jewish inquisitor, the exterminator of heretics, seeking victims to
imprison, to scourge, or to stone. Filled with pride, he rode toward Damascus,
with servants at his command to convey his prisoners to Jerusalem. Now he
journeys on foot, with no outward tokens of rank or power, and no officers of
justice to do his bidding. The utmost that he can do to punish those who
disregard his authority, is to separate them from a society whose members are
everywhere regarded as ignorant and degraded. His enemies declare that his
bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible. Yet the apostle is not so
powerless as he is represented. He bears a commission from the King of kings.
All Heaven is enlisted to sustain him. His weapons are not carnal, but mighty
through God to overthrow the strongholds of sin and Satan. {LP 185.1}
There has been as great a change in the spirit of the
apostle, as in his outward appearance. Then he was "breathing out threatenings
and slaughter against the disciples;" he "made havoc of the church;" he "haled
men and women to prison;" he "compelled them to blaspheme;" he was "exceedingly
mad" against all who revered the name of Jesus. His heart was filled with
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bitterness, malice, and hatred; yet he was so deluded as to
imagine himself serving God, while in reality doing the work of Satan. Now the
proud, passionate nature of Saul has been transformed by the grace of Christ.
His heart yearns over his most bitter opponents. The thought of causing them
pain, fills him with sorrow. He wrote to his brethren, "If I cause you grief,
who is there to cause me joy?" He entreated them to spare him the necessity of
dealing severely with them. All that was good and noble in the character of Saul
remains, the same zeal burns upon the altar of his heart; but it has been
purified, and sacredly consecrated to the service of Christ. {LP 185.2}
Paul was accompanied to Corinth by a little band of
fellow-labourers, some of whom had been his companions during the months spent
in Macedonia, and his assistants in gathering funds for the church at Jerusalem.
He could rely upon these brethren for sympathy and support in the present
crisis. And though the condition of the Corinthian church was in some respects
painful and discouraging, there were also reasons for joy and gratitude. Many
who had once been corrupt and degraded worshippers of idols, were now sincere
and humble followers of Christ. Not a few still regarded the apostle with warm
affection, as the one who had first borne to them the precious light of the
gospel. As he once more greeted these disciples, and saw the proof of their
fidelity and zeal, he felt that his labour had not been in vain. In the society
of his beloved companions and these faithful converts, his worn and troubled
spirit found rest and encouragement. {LP 186.1}
For three months Paul stayed at Corinth.
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During this period he not only laboured unweariedly for the
church in that city, but he found time to look forward to wider missions, and to
prepare for new conquests. His thoughts were still occupied with his
contemplated journey from Jerusalem to Rome. To see the Christian faith firmly
established at the great centre of the known world, was one of his dearest hopes
and most cherished plans. A church had already been raised up at Rome, and the
apostle desired to secure their co-operation in the work which he hoped to
accomplish. To prepare the way for his labours among these brethren, as yet
strangers, he addressed them by letter, announcing his purpose to visit Rome,
and also by their aid to plant the standard of the cross in Spain. {LP 186.2}
In his Epistle to the Romans, Paul set forth the great
principles of the gospel which he hoped to present in person. He stated his
position on the questions which were agitating the Jewish and Gentile churches,
and showed that the hopes and promises which once belonged especially to the
Jews were now offered to the Gentiles. With great clearness and power he
presented the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ. While addressing the
Roman Christians, Paul designed to instruct other churches also; but how little
could he foresee the far-reaching influence of his words! The great truth of
justification by faith, as set forth in this epistle, has stood through all the
ages as a mighty beacon to guide the repentant sinner into the way of life. This
light scattered the darkness which enveloped Luther's mind, and revealed to him
the power of the blood of Christ to cleanse from sin. It has guided thousands of
sin-burdened souls to the same
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source of pardon and peace. Every
Christian has reason to thank God for that epistle to the church at Rome. {LP
187.1}
While Paul looked with interest and hope to new fields of
labour in the west, he had cause for serious apprehension concerning the fields
of his former labour in the east. Tidings had been received at Corinth from the
churches in Galatia, revealing a state of great confusion, and even of absolute
apostasy. Judaizing teachers were opposing the work of the apostle, and seeking
to destroy the fruit of his labours. {LP 188.1}
In almost every church there were some members who were Jews
by birth. To these converts the Jewish teachers found ready access, and through
them gained a foot-hold in the churches. It was impossible, by scriptural
arguments, to overthrow the doctrines taught by Paul; hence they resorted to the
most unscrupulous measures to counteract his influence and weaken his authority.
They declared that he had not been a disciple of Jesus, and had received no
commission from him; yet he had presumed to teach doctrines directly opposed to
those held by Peter, James, and the other apostles. Thus the emissaries of
Judaism succeeded in alienating many of the Christian converts from their
teacher in the gospel. Having gained this point, they induced them to return to
the observance of the ceremonial law as essential to salvation. Faith in Christ,
and obedience to the law of ten commandments, were regarded as of minor
importance. Division, heresy, and sensualism were rapidly gaining ground among
the believers in Galatia. {LP 188.2}
Paul's soul was stirred as he saw the evils
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that threatened speedily to destroy these churches. He
immediately wrote to the Galatians, exposing their false theories, and with
great severity rebuking those who had departed from the faith. {LP 188.3}
In the introduction to his epistle, he asserted his own
position as an apostle, "not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and
God the Father, who raised him from the dead." He had been commissioned by the
highest authority, not of earth, but in Heaven. After giving his salutation to
the church, he pointedly addresses them: "I marvel that ye are so soon removed
from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is
not another." The doctrines which the Galatians had received, could not in any
sense be called the gospel; they were the teachings of men, and were directly
opposed to the doctrines taught by Christ. {LP 189.1}
The apostle continues: "But there be some that trouble you,
and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from Heaven,
preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let
him be accursed." {LP 189.2}
How different from his manner of writing to the Corinthian
church is the course which he pursues toward the Galatians! In dealing with the
former, he manifests great caution and tenderness, while he reproves the latter
with abrupt severity. The Corinthians had been overcome by temptation, and
deceived by the ingenious sophistry of teachers who presented errors under the
guise of truth. They had become confused and bewildered. To teach them to
distinguish the false from the true, required great caution and patience in
their instructor. Harshness or
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injudicious haste would have destroyed his influence over
those whom he sought to benefit. {LP 189.3}
In the Galatian churches, open, unmasked error was
supplanting the faith of the gospel. Christ, the true foundation, was virtually
renounced for the obsolete ceremonies of Judaism. The apostle saw that if these
churches were saved from the dangerous influences which threatened them, the
most decisive measures must be taken, the sharpest warnings given, to bring them
to a sense of their true condition. {LP 190.1}
To deal wisely with different classes of minds, under varied
circumstances and conditions, is a work requiring wisdom and judgment,
enlightened and sanctified by the Spirit of God. The minister of Christ should
learn the importance of adapting his labours to the condition of those whom he
seeks to benefit. Tenderness, patience, decision, and firmness are alike
needful; but they are to be exercised with proper discrimination. It is only by
maintaining a close connection with God that his servants can hope to meet
judiciously the trials and difficulties that still arise in the churches. {LP
190.2}
Paul had presented to the Galatians the gospel of Christ in
its purity. His teachings were in harmony with the Scriptures; and the Holy
Spirit had witnessed to his labours. Hence he warned his brethren to listen to
nothing that should contradict the truth which they had been taught. {LP 190.3}
The apostle reverts to his own experience, of which the
Galatians have been previously informed. He reminds them of his proficiency in
the learning of the Jews, and his zeal for their religion. Even in early manhood
he had achieved
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distinction as an able and zealous defender of the Jewish
faith. But when Christ was revealed to him, he at once renounced all his
prospective honours and advantages, and devoted his life to the preaching of the
cross. He appeals to his brethren to decide whether in all this he could have
been actuated by any worldly or selfish motive. He then shows them that after
his conversion he had no opportunity to receive instruction from man. The
doctrines which he preached had been revealed to him by the Lord Jesus Christ.
After the vision at Damascus, Paul retired into Arabia, for communion with God.
It was not until three years had elapsed that he went up to Jerusalem; and he
then made a stay of but fifteen days, thence going out to preach the gospel to
the Gentiles. He declares that he was "unknown by face unto the churches of
Judea which were in Christ. But they had heard only, that he which persecuted us
in times past, now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. And they
glorified God in me." {LP 190.4}
In thus reviewing his history, the apostle seeks to make
apparent to all that by special manifestation of divine power he had been led to
perceive and to grasp the great truths of the gospel, as presented in the Old
Testament scriptures and embodied in the life of Christ on earth. It was the
knowledge received from God himself which led Paul to warn and admonish the
Galatians in that solemn and positive manner. He did not present the gospel in
hesitancy and doubt, but with the assurance of settled conviction and absolute
knowledge. In his epistle he clearly marks the contrast between being taught by
man and receiving instruction direct from Christ.
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{LP 191.1}
The apostle urged upon the Galatians, as their only safe
course, to leave the false guides by whom they had been misled, and to return to
the faith which they had received from the Source of truth and wisdom. Those
false teachers were hypocritical, unregenerate men; unholy in heart, and corrupt
in life. Their religion consisted in a round of ceremonies, by the performance
of which they expected to receive the favour of God. They had no relish for a
doctrine which taught, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God." Such a religion required too great a sacrifice. Hence they clung to their
errors, deceiving themselves, and deceiving others. {LP 192.1}
To substitute the external forms of religion for holiness of
heart and life, is still as pleasing to the unrenewed nature as in the days of
the apostles. For this reason, false teachers abound, and the people listen
eagerly to their delusive doctrines. It is Satan's studied effort to divert the
minds of men from the one way of salvation, --faith in Christ, and obedience to
the law of God. In every age the arch-enemy adapts his temptations to the
prejudices or inclinations of the people. In apostolic times he led the Jews to
exalt the ceremonial law, and reject Christ; at the present day he induces many
professed Christians, under the pretence of honouring Christ, to cast contempt
upon the moral law, and teach that its precepts may be transgressed with
impunity. It is the duty of every faithful servant of God, to firmly and
decidedly withstand these perverters of the faith, and to fearlessly expose
their errors by the word of truth. {LP 192.2}
Paul continues to vindicate his position as the
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apostle of Christ, not by the will of men, but by the power
of God. He describes the visit which he made to Jerusalem to secure a settlement
of the very questions which are now agitating the churches of Galatia, as to
whether the Gentiles should submit to circumcision and keep the ceremonial law.
This was the only instance in which he had deferred to the judgment of the other
apostles as superior to his own. He had first sought a private interview, in
which he set the matter in all its bearings before the leading apostles, Peter,
James, and John. With far-seeing wisdom, he concluded that if these men could be
led to take a right position, everything would be gained. Had he first presented
the question before the whole council, there would have been a division of
sentiment. The strong prejudice already excited because he had not enforced
circumcision on the Gentiles, would have led many to take a stand against him.
Thus the object of his visit would have been defeated, and his usefulness
greatly hindered. But the three leading apostles, against whom no such prejudice
existed, having themselves been won to the true position, brought the matter
before the council, and won from all a concurrence in the decision to leave the
Gentiles free from the obligations of the ceremonial law. {LP 192.3}
Paul further disproved the accusations of his enemies, by
showing that his position as an apostle of Christ had been acknowledged by the
council at Jerusalem, and that in his labours among the Gentiles he had complied
with the decisions of that council. Those who were seeking to destroy his
influence, professed to acknowledge Peter, James, and John as pillars of the
church.
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They were constantly extolling these
apostles, and endeavouring to prove them superior to Paul in position and
authority. But Paul showed that his enemies could not justify their course by a
pretended regard for these apostles. While he honoured them as faithful
ministers of Christ, he showed that they had not attempted to instruct him,
neither had they commissioned him to preach the gospel. They were convinced that
God had called him to present the truth to the Gentiles, as he had designated
Peter to go especially to the Jews. Hence they acknowledged before the council
Paul's divine commission, and received him as a fellow-labourer of equal
position with themselves. {LP 193.1}
It was not to exalt self, but to magnify the grace of God,
that Paul thus presented to those who were denying his apostleship, proof that
he was "not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles." Those who sought to
belittle his calling and his work were fighting against Christ, whose grace and
power were manifested through Paul. Hence the apostle felt that he was forced,
by the opposition of his enemies, and even by the course of his brethren, to
take a decided stand to maintain his position and authority.
{LP 194.1}