CHAP. V.]

d

SIN FOR US.

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who

e

knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

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d Is. liii. 6, 9,

12. Gal. iii.

13. 1 Pet. ii.

22, 24. 1 John iii. 5.

• Rom. i. 17.

& v. 19. & x. 3.

article of faith as the Resurrection, they had great need to put away from them such things as these, all which were irreconcilable with a state of true peace with God.

18. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might," &c. We have here the idea which pervades the Epistle to the Hebrews, that God made Christ, or that Christ made Himself, to be an atoning Sacrifice. It also runs through Isaiah liii., "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." God could not possibly make Christ actual sin, but He could treat Him, or by His providence bring about that He should be treated, as a sinner. This took place at His Crucifixion. He was condemned by both Jewish and heathen judges. He was executed between two notorious sinners. The death which was inflicted upon Him was that inflicted only on the vilest criminals: so that so far as could be, short of His being made to commit sin, He was made sin. He was made sin in a sacrificial sense; not, I think, in a forensic so much as in a sacrificial sense. The animal, in the preparatory dispensation, was accepted for the offerer to make atonement for him (Levit. i. 4). Farther than this we cannot go. The redemptive work was a transaction between Two Persons in the Godhead, but it is represented to us in Scripture under the figure of One offering a Sacrifice, and the Other accepting it, and with this we must be content, and in humble faith we must throw ourselves into God's mind respecting both the expression and the realization, on our own part, of this great mystery.

The

"That we might be made the righteousness of God in him." whole purpose of the redemptive work of Christ was that we should be reconciled to God, not by an outward or forensic or imputative reconciliation, but by an inward one; that is, by our souls being cleansed from all that keeps them apart from God, and by having the life of God put into us, that we should live lives of dedication to God. This is most fully set forth at the beginning of Romans viii. "God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin (as a sin offering: πeρì àμaprías) condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

364 WORKERS TOGETHER WITH HIM.

[II. COR.

WE

с

CHAP. VI.

b

E then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in 1 Cor. iii. 9. vain.

b ch. v. 20.

c Heb. xii. 15.

d Is. xlix. 8.

2 (For he saith, "I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I suc

1. “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye," &c. "As workers together with him." So 1 Cor. iii. 9: "We are labourers together with God."

"Beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." What is this grace? It may stand for all grace, conversion, regeneration, sacraments; but I rather think that here, taking into account what precedes it and what follows it, we must consider it to be the grace of the Apostolic message of salvation, for he had said, "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you," &c. And he illustrates this grace by the quotation from Isaiah, "I have heard thee in a time accepted-behold now is the accepted time."

It is the great underlying truth of all St. Paul's Epistles that those to whom he writes are already in a state of grace, and must see to it that they receive it not in vain-i.e., that they receive it without conscious efforts to live to it, and to bring forth fruit answering to what they have received.

2. "For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day," &c. The question which arises respecting these words is, Does St. Paul quote them as containing a general truth falling in with the purpose of his argument, or does he quote them having reference to their context? Now the whole passage from which they are taken is a very clear prophecy of Christ. Thus the verse before (Isaiah xlix. 7): "Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. Thus saith

CHAP. VI.]

NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME.

365

coured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the Rom. xiv. ministry be not blamed:

13; 1 Cor. ix. 12. & x. 32.

the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people that thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth," &c. All this is in the highest degree Messianic; and if St. Paul remembered it, he must have had in his mind the Intercession of the Messiah, the one thing which made that day far beyond any which had preceded it, a day of salvation.

"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." Now-not always. Let us remember the words of the Lord: "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up," &c. (Luke xiii. 24).

These words are, of course, the words of the Apostle, applying the words of God in Isaiah, "I have heard thee in an acceptable time." It is as if God said to the Messiah, "I have heard Thee in an acceptable time, when I brought Thee up from the grave, and set Thee on My right hand, and made Thee a Mediator on behalf of the people I have given Thee." And then the Apostle adds, "Now is the time of the all-prevailing Mediatorship. Now is the time when whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

This time extends over the whole period between the first and the second Advent. Now is our acceptable time-yours and mine, reader. Now is our day of salvation-now by God's grace we can make our calling and election sure. Now we may lay hold on eternal life. Now we may apprehend that for which we are apprehended by Christ Jesus (Phil. iii. 12).

3. "Giving no offence in anything, that the ministry be not blamed." No offence-i.e., no occasion of stumbling. The preacher of Christ is bound to preach against sin, and false doctrine, and so he is bound to give offence to some. "Woe unto you, woe unto you, when all men speak well unto you, for so did their fathers unto the false prophets." But he must give no offence to the true

366

APPROVING OURSELVES.

[II. COR.

4 But in all things + approving ourselves 'as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,

+ Gr.commending, ch.

iv. 2.

f 1 Cor. iv. 1.

g ch. xi. 23, &c.

Or, in tossings to and fro.

5 In stripes, in imprisonments, || in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;

servants of God by a course of living which comes palpably short of his preaching. He is bound, also, to give no needless offence by doctrine or ritual for which men are not prepared. He must be careful to explain what he means, so that men who fear God and trust in Christ should not misunderstand it.

“That the ministry be not blamed." When the minister acts in any way contrary to his profession, he brings not only himself but his office into disrepute. This is the artifice of Satan-to seek some misconduct on the part of ministers that may tend to the dishonour of the Gospel. For when he has succeeded in bringing the ministry into contempt all hope of profit is at an end. (Calvin.)

4, 5. “But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God." The whole of the enumeration that follows is written to show that all the tests by which the Lord was accustomed to try His servants were applied to the Apostles.

“In much patience." This may mean "in much patience in bearing with individual souls, and even with Churches;" or it may have reference to what follows, as afflictions. Afflictions are probably the griefs endured from the ingratitude of some, and the falling away of others; the necessities are probably the straits which he endured with regard to his worldly sustenance, which forced him, even for long periods, to work with his own hands. "The

"In distresses." This may probably mean "straits." idea of narrow straits suggests to him the thought of actual persecution of which he gave the three to which he was most frequently exposed the stripes,' as in Acts xvi. 23; 'the imprisonments' ('in prisons more frequent,' xi. 23); the tumults and disorders, as in Asia Minor (Acts xiii. 50, xiv. 19)." (Stanley.)

"In labours." Perhaps with his own hands for his mainte nance, but rather his laborious journeying, and preaching, and visiting.

"In watchings." These watchings probably mean watchings lest he should fall into some snare of his enemies. Thus, Acts

CHAP. VI.]

BY THE WORD OF TRUTH.

367

6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,

7 "By the word of truth, by 1 the power of God, h ch. iv. 2. &

vii. 14.

i 1 Cor. ii. 4.

xx. 19, "temptations which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews."

"In fastings." Perhaps voluntary fasts, in the way of disciplining his body (Acts xiii. 2); perhaps long periods of hunger through poverty.

Now he comes to enumerate the virtues and graces of the Spirit by which he had proved himself the minister of God.

6. "By pureness." This, in his case, can scarcely refer to chastity, but probably means purity of intention, and, as the virtue is not mentioned afterwards, sincerity of aim and singleness of purpose.

"By knowledge "—that far extended survey of the whole field of Divine truth of which his Epistles furnish such examples.

"By longsuffering." This, I think, must be ministerial longsuffering-bearing long with the faults, and failings, and dulnesses, and declensions of those whom he has converted to the faith.

"By kindness"-not only by a charitable heart, for without that a man cannot be a Christian, but by a kind, sympathizing demeanour.

"By the Holy Ghost." This probably means by the Spirit's gifts and manifestations, because, all the other graces enumerated, pureness, longsuffering, kindness, are the fruits of the Spirit.

"By love unfeigned." Let love be without dissimulation. It is soon seen whether the appearance of love be assumed, and, if so, all its virtue in attracting others is gone.

7. "By the word of truth." Not necessarily the Scriptures, but the word of the Gospel. Still there must be an intimate knowledge both of the letter and spirit of Scripture, if the workman is not to be ashamed. How can he rightly divide the word of truth unless he knows it? (2 Tim. ii. 15.)

"By the power of God." Dean Stanley explains this "by the power of working miracles." Calvin, "by the power of God showing itself in magnanimity, in efficacy, in the maintenance of the truth, in the propagation of the Gospel, in victory over enemies, and the like."