1 Corinthians 14:40

1Co_14:40

Let all things be done decently and in order.

Propriety

1. Be done in its proper time.

2. Be kept to its proper use.

3. Be put in its proper place.

Decently and in order

Decently--i.e., so as not to interrupt the gravity and dignity of assemblies. In order--i.e., not by hazard or impulse, but by design and arrangement. The idea is not so much of any beauty or succession of parts in the worship, as of that calm and simple majesty which in the ancient world, whether Pagan or Jewish, seems to have characterised all solemn assemblies, whether civil or ecclesiastical, as distinct from the frantic or enthusiastic ceremonies which accompanied illicit or extravagant communities. The Roman senate, the Athenian areopagus, were examples of the former, as the wild Bacchanalian or Phrygian orgies were of the latter. Hence the apostle has condemned the discontinuance of the veil (1Co_9:1-16), the speaking of women (1Co_14:34), the indiscriminate banquetting (1Co_11:16-34), the interruption of the prophets by each other (1Co_14:30-32). The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, is a principle of universal application, and condemns every impulse of religious zeal or feeling which is not strictly under the control of those who display it. A world of fanaticism is exploded by this simple axiom; and to those who have witnessed the religious frenzy which attaches itself to the various forms of Eastern worship, this advice of the apostle, himself of Eastern origin, will appear the more remarkable. The wild gambols yearly celebrated at Easter by the adherents of the Greek Church round the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem show what Eastern Christianity may become; they are the living proofs of the need of the wisdom of the apostolic precept. (Dean Stanley.)

Decency and order in Divine worship

These terms may seem to be of no very great importance; but little words may be of great account when they are applied to the highest things; and if the want of order and decency is capable of defiling our whole religion, it behoves us carefully to avoid it. Remember that--

I. God is the object of worship.

1. That we may think reverently of the worship of God, let us first think of God Himself, who and what He is. If we look beyond the heaven the eye of faith beholds Him seated in light inaccessible, and surrounded with myriads of angels excelling in strength and wisdom. If we attend to the effects of His power here below, we must acknowledge Him the contriver and artificer of all those wonderful works which delight the eye and minister to the life and comfort of His creatures.

2. This great Being is surely worthy of our attention. It is an honour to us that we are invited to lift up our eyes toward the place of His dwelling, and permitted to speak to Him in prayer.

II. We have no other way of affronting God than by neglecting His service and making light of His institutions. God Himself is not an object of our bodily senses; but His religion, His Churches, and His altars are present to us; and if we despise them, we do all that is in our power to show that God Himself is despised by us. The Bible teaches us, and reason must needs assent to it, that God will take to Himself every act of contempt against the Church and its administration. Tribute is due from subjects to their prince: if it is paid in base metal, the act is not only deficient, but treasonable, and would be punished accordingly. Worship is the tribute due from man to God; it is the honour due to His name: but if it is an unholy worship, it is worse than the silence and ignorance of a savage, and will be required of us as an act of treason and impiety,

III. No blessing can be expected upon ourselves, but only so far as our service is acceptable. The subject who pays the tribute that is required of him is rewarded with protection under an execution of the laws: and certainly God is not so unmindful of His subjects as to leave them without the protection of His providence. In what respects are order and decency required in a congregation of Christians?

1. A composed and serious mind. The want of gravity is a sign of great ignorance and ill-breeding in the company of men our superiors: how much more, then, is gravity required in the presence of our Maker!

2. Punctuality. They who come in at an unseasonable time do more harm to others than their presence is like to do good to themselves: they either drown the voice of the minister with their noise, or take off the attention of the people from their prayers.

3. Reverence and attention. We despise the Turks, yet in this they far exceed the Christians. They are called to prayers by the voice of a man crying from the tops of their steeples, at whoso voice they wash themselves, and having put off their shoes at the door of their mosque, are ready to enter with silence and gravity before their minister begins his prayer. You will never find one of them coughing, or yawning, or shifting his place, or speaking a word to his neighbour. They attend to nothing but the service, and when the service is over, they put on their shoes again in silence, and depart without entering into any impertinent conversation.

4. Union and earnestness. In the course of our liturgy the offices are divided between the minister and the people. If the minister were to fail in his part, it would be so remarkable that every person would observe it, and the service would be at a stand; but the people, being many, the inattention of particulars is not so easily perceived, and therefore it is too common for many to fail in making their proper responses. This is a bad custom, and should by all means be corrected. Conclusion: What I have said ought to dispose those who have heard me to join in those words of Jacob: How dreadful is this place! etc. He who blessed the piety of Jacob, will bless us also if we are the heirs of it. But if we treat the house of God, like the profane Jews, who had turned it into a house of merchandise and a den of thieves, a far worse visitation will befall us. (W. Jones, M. A.)

Order recommended

1. In the conduct of your affairs.

2. In the distribution of your time.

3. In the management of your fortune.

4. In the regulation of your amusements.

5. In the arrangement of your society. (J. Lyth, D. D.)

A useful and general rule

I. How things ought to be done--(εὐσχημόνως) consistently--in order, without discord, confusion, tumult.

II. Where. Everywhere--especially in the Church and in the worship of God.

III. Why. For our own credit, for the glory of God, for the edification and prosperity of the Church. (J. Lyth, D. D)

Minor morals

Things cannot be done decently and in order--

I. Without thoughtfulness. There is the thoughtfulness--

1. Of servants.

2. Of the feelings of others. A thousand times a day gentlewomen and polite men say and do things which wound by their thoughtlessness, because they dont consider the peculiarities of their neighbours.

3. Of our own reputation. Strange as it may seem, the best of people often do things which would be a matter of shame to persons in a lower state of life.

II. Without carefulness.

1. In property. The waste which is allowed in all classes of house, holds is astonishing. Few can realise how great it is or how sinful its results. God allows nothing to waste.

2. In habit. Some make a point of keeping others waiting; they know nothing of punctuality.

3. In dress. It will not do to be carried away with the infatuation of fashion, nor to neglect due regard to comely appearance.

4. As to cleanliness. Not merely personal, but universal; in the home, in the street, in every detail of life.

5. With regard to debt, and the strict and just keeping of accounts.

6. About the waste of time. There should be a proper division of the duties of life, and a right use of the valuable opportunities God has given us.

III. Without self-control.

1. Of evil feelings. Satan suggests evil thoughts, bitter sentiments. Even religious minds entertain religious and political animosities.

2. Of unseemly passions. Passions of lust must be checked; passions of anger and rage be kept in hand.

3. Of self-esteem. Proper self-esteem is valuable, but it may degenerate into pride, harshness, haughtiness, and a cruel, overbearing disposition. The various forms of egotism are numerous, and are neither lovely nor of good report.

4. Of actions. Many act from impulse, and so bring upon themselves untold misery which can never be rectified. Conclusion: These things are part of religion. We find them all brought before us in the example of Christ, and in the daily acts of His life. If we neglect to carry them out, we are not acting up to our religious profession, neither are we making the world better for our being in it. Whatsoever things are honest, just, lovely, of good report, think on these things. (J. J. S. Bird.)

On regularity in the conduct of life

It may seem to you at first sight that the observing of order in the various occupations and concerns of life is not a matter of such consequence as to deserve to be much insisted on. It did not seem so to the great apostle, who thought it not below the dignity of his sacred ministry to recommend it to the Corinthians in the words of my text. Nor can it ever seem so in the eye of prudence and rational discernment. I say considered in a religious light; for although the observance of order hold not the highest rank among the injunctions of the Christian religion, though it claim not equal dignity with the commandment of Divine love, and the exercises of faith, hope, and repentance; yet it possesses its separate importance by contributing not a little towards punctuality and facility in the discharge of those higher and more essential duties, and therefore justly demands a share of a Christians attention. As in every well-connected piece of mechanism the subordinate springs or wheels, though apparently insignificant, are each of them necessary to the carrying on of its operations; so in the variety of moral and religious precepts one reflects light upon another, one facilitates the observance of another, and all jointly contribute to that perfection of character to which every Christian is bound to aspire. Indeed, if you look abroad into the world you may discover, even at the first glance, that the life of the wicked and of the libertine is always a life of confusion.

1. First, then, as to the duties of your state of life. Every man, in every department of society--the king, the statesman, the soldier, the artisan, the master, the servant--has certain particular duties to comply with, either public, domestic, or private, which successively require his attention. We in particular, who live in the midst of the agitations of the world, are called upon by Almighty God to exert ourselves in our respective stations, that we may promote His honour and glory, at the same time that we become useful to ourselves and our fellow-creatures. In proportion as the multiplicity and variety of your affairs increase, the observance of order becomes more indispensably necessary for you; and let your train of life be ever so simple and uniform, however little you may be engaged in the hurry and bustle of life, yet you cannot fail to lose something, and a great deal too, by the neglect of regularity. For the orderly conduct of your temporal affairs forms a very material part of your duty as Christians. All your employments are properly religious exercises. Who has allotted you these employments? Doubtless it was that God whom your religion honours and serves. In discharging them, therefore, you do Him homage. Oh! what a train of heroic virtues might you display in the very meanest of your employments, if you were always careful to do them well, with an upright intention, actuated by a wish to approve yourselves to Heaven! The sanctity we aspire to does not consist in doing extraordinary actions, says a great prelate, but in doing our ordinary actions extraordinary well. But will they, can they be done without regularity? Will not hurry, perplexity, and confusion take off much from their perfection? You well know that for want of your having traced out for yourselves an orderly plan of life, many of your duties have been very ill done; perhaps not done at all. By conducting your affairs with method and order you will be enabled to give to each duty a becoming share of attention. This regard to order will likewise insure you an interior peace of mind and constant cheerfulness of temper; for you will find that a peevish and fretful disposition is ever the characteristic of such as are negligent of it. The hurry and confusion in which they live, the difficulties they have to struggle with for their dispositions. But if order must be maintained in your affairs, it will be necessary that you attend to order in the distribution of your time.

2. That portion of time which Providence hath allotted for the measure of your life is intended partly for the concerns of this world, partly for those of the next; yet so that the interests of the earth be made ever subordinate to those of eternity. In the distribution of your time give to each of these concerns that space which properly belongs to it. Be ever impressed with a just sense of the value of time. Remember that by a fatal neglect and loss of it, you store up for yourselves many future pains and miseries.

3. Introduce order into the management of your fortune. Whatever be the extent of your possessions, whether great or small, let the administration of them proceed with method and economy. Provide what is necessary before you indulge yourselves in anything superfluous. Never, perhaps, was admonition more necessary than this is to the age in which we live; an age manifestly distinguished by a propensity to thoughtless extravagance. But prodigality does not only sink men to contempt and misery; it frequently impels them to open crimes. When they have begun with ostentation and vanity they often end in infamy and guilt. Be assured, then, that order, frugality, and economy are the necessary supports of Christian virtue, and will deliver you from the assaults of many very dangerous temptations. How humble and trifling soever these qualities may appear to some people, they are the guardians of innocence.

4. Observe order in your amusements; that is, allow them no more than their proper place; study to keep them within due bounds; mingle them so prudently with your serious duties that they may relieve the mind and be a preparation for acting with more vigour in the discharge of your obligations.

5. Preserve order likewise in the choice of your society. Select with prudence those with whom you choose to associate, and let virtue be the object which determines your choice. Endeavour in the first place to make yourselves happy at home. By this fondness for home it is past conception how much evil you may avoid. (J. Archer.)

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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Co 14:40. Εὐσχημόνως, decently) which applies to individuals.—κατὰ τάξιν, in order) in turns, [after one another.]

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Co_14:40

Let all things be done decently and in order.

Decently, i.e. in such a way as not to offend against propriety. The adjective, the adverbial form of which is here used, means well-formed, comely; that which excites the pleasing emotion of beauty. The exhortation therefore is, so to conduct their worship that it may be beautiful; in other words, so as to make a pleasing impression on all who are right-minded. And in order (κατὰ τάξιν), not tumultuously as in a mob, but as in a well-ordered army, where every one keeps his place, and acts at the proper time and in the proper way. So far as external matters are concerned, these are the two principles which should regulate the conduct of public worship. The apostle not only condemns any church acting independently of other churches, but also any member of a particular church acting from his own impulses, without regard to others. The church as a whole, and in every separate congregation, should be a harmonious, well-organized body.

Charles Hodge — Commentary on Romans (1835), First Corinthians (1857), and Ephesians (1856) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Let, &c.--The oldest manuscripts read, "But let," &c. This verse is connected with Co1 14:39, "But (while desiring prophecy, and not forbidding tongues) let all things be done decently." "Church government is the best security for Christian liberty" [J. NEWTON]. (Compare Co1 14:23, Co1 14:26-33).

Next: 1 Corinthians Chapter 15

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 40. Let all things be done decently] ευσξημονως. In their proper forms; with becoming reverence; according to their dignity and importance, Every thing in the Church of God should be conducted with gravity and composure, suitable to the importance of the things, the infinite dignity of the object of worship, and the necessity of the souls in behalf of which those religious ordinances are instituted.

And in order.] κατα ταξιν. Every thing in its place, every thing in its time, and every thing suitably.

Let all things be done decently and in order, is a direction of infinite moment in all the concerns of religion, and of no small consequence in all the concerns of life. How much pain, confusion, and loss would be prevented, were this rule followed! There is scarcely an embarrassment in civil or domestic life that does not originate in a neglect of this precept. No business, trade, art, or science, can be carried on to any advantage or comfort, unless peculiar attention be paid to it. And as to religion, there can be absolutely none without it. Where decency and order are not observed in every part of the worship of God, no spiritual worship can be performed. The manner of doing a thing is always of as much consequence as the act itself. And often the act derives all its consequence and utility from the manner in which it is performed.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

40. All things decently and in order Here we have a more general conclusion, which does not merely include, in short compass, the entire case, but also the different parts. Nay farther, it is a rule by which we must regulate everything, that has to do with external polity. As he had discoursed, in various instances, as to rites, he wished to sum up everything here in a brief summary — that decorum should be observed — that confusion should be avoided. This statement shows, that he did not wish to bind consciences by the foregoing precepts, as if they were in themselves necessary, but only in so far as they were subservient to propriety and peace. Hence we gather (as I have said) a doctrine that is always in force, as to the purpose to which the polity of the Church ought to be directed. The Lord has left external rites in our choice with this view — that we may not think that his worship consists wholly in these things.

In the meantime, he has not allowed us a rambling and unbridled liberty, but has inclosed it (so to speak) with railings, or at least has laid a restriction upon the liberty granted by him in such a manner, that it is after all only from his word that we can judge as to what is right. This passage, therefore, when duly considered, will show the difference between the tyrannical edicts of the Pope, which oppress men’s consciences with a dreadful bondage, and the godly regulations of the Church, by which discipline and order are maintained. Nay farther, we may readily infer from this, that the latter are not to be looked upon as human traditions, inasmuch as they are founded upon this general injunction, and have a manifest approval, as it were, from the mouth of Christ himself.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(40) Let all things be done decently.—The former verse reiterates in a condensed sentence the principles laid down regarding the gifts in the first part of the chapter (1Co_14:1-25). This verse similarly deals with the general principle laid down in the latter part of the chapter regarding the style and order of public worship. The object of all church assemblies is to be the building up of the Body of Christ, which is His Church; and therefore seemliness and ordered regularity are absolutely necessary to this end. Here again, as in so many other instances in this Epistle, while the particular and unique circumstances which called forth the apostolic instructions have for centuries passed away, the writings of St. Paul are of permanent and abiding application, because of the general and eternal principles on which his instructions are based. The strange outbursts of incoherent fanaticism which have occurred from time to time in the after-history of the Church are condemned by the principle with which St. Paul combatted the disorder of the gift of tongues in Corinth; and the practice of the Roman Church, in performing her public services in a tongue not “understanded of the people,” is at variance with the principle which in this chapter he reiterates with varied emphasis—that all public utterance of prayer and praise should be such as those present can join in, not only with emotional heart but with clear and understanding intellect.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

40. Let all things be done decently and in order] Rather, ‘only let,’ &c. For decently see Rom_13:13, where the same word is translated honestly. Also 1Th_4:12, and ch. 1Co_12:23, where a word of similar derivation occurs, and is translated comeliness. In ch. 1Co_7:35, the adjective of the same derivation is rendered comely; in St Mar_15:43 and Act_13:50, honourable. Its original meaning is well formed. Compare the Latin forma for beauty, and the English shapely. For in order, cf. 1Co_14:33. The Christian assembly should be a reflection of the universe, where form and order reign supreme.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

Ver. 40. Let all things, &c.] A general rule of great moment. In things both real and ritual decency and order must be observed in Church meetings. For this the Colossians are much commended, Col 2:5. Our Saviour caused the people whom he had fed to keep order in their sitting on the grass; they sat down rank by rank, as rows or borders of beds in a garden; so the Greek imports. {a} Whereupon an expositor noteth, Ordinatim res in Ecclesia faciendae, order must be observed in the Church.

{a} πρασιαι πρασιαι, Hebraisc. ut Exo 8:14. Cartwright.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Let all things be done decently and in order - Let all things be done in an “appropriate” and “becoming” manner; “decorously,” as becomes the worship of God. Let all be done in “order, regularly;” without confusion, discord, tumult. The word used here (κατὰ τάξιν kata taxin) is properly a military term, and denotes the order and regularity with which an army is drawn up. This is a general rule, which was to guide them. It was simple, and easily applied. There might be a thousand questions started about the modes and forms of worship, and the customs in the churches, and much difficulty might occur in many of these questions; but here was a simple and plain rule, which might be easily applied. Their good sense would tell them what became the worship of God; and their pious feelings would restrain them from excesses and disorders. This rule is still applicable, and is safe in guiding us in many things in regard to the worship of God. There are many things which cannot be subjected to “rule,” or exactly prescribed; there are many things which may and must be left to pious feeling, to good sense, and to the views of Christians themselves, about what will promote their edification and the conversion of sinners. The rule in such questions is plain. Let all be done “decorously,” as becomes the worship of the great and holy God; let all be without confusion, noise, and disorder.

In view of this chapter, we may remark:

(1) That public worship should be in a language understood by the people; the language which they commonly employ. Nothing can be clearer than the sentiments of Paul on this. The whole strain of the chapter is to demonstrate this, in opposition to making use of a foreign and unintelligible language in any part of public worship. Paul specifics in the course of the discussion every part of public worship; “public preaching” 1Co 14:2-3, 1Co 14:5,1Co 14:13, 1Co 14:19; “prayer” 1Co 14:14-15; “singing” 1Co 14:15; and insists that all should be in a language that should be understood by the people. It would almost seem that he had anticipated the sentiments and practice of the Roman Catholic denomination. It is remarkable that a practice should have grown up, and have been defended, in a church professedly Christian, so directly in opposition to the explicit meaning of the New Testament. Perhaps there is not even in the Roman Catholic denomination, a more striking instance of a custom or doctrine in direct contradiction to the Bible. If anything is plain and obvious, it is that worship, in order to be edifying, should be in a language that is understood by the people.

Nor can that service be accepable to God which is not understood by those who offer it; which conveys no idea to their minds, and which cannot, therefore, be the homage of the heart. Assuredly, God does not require the offering of unmeaningful words. Yet, this has been a grand device of the great enemy of man. It has contributed to keep the people in ignorance and superstition; it has prevented the mass of the people from seeing how utterly unlike the New Testament are the sentiments of the papists; and it has, in connection with the kindred doctrine that the Scripture should be withheld from the people, contributed to perpetuate that dark system, and to bind the human mind in chains. Well do the Roman Catholics know, that if the Bible were given to the people, and public worship conducted in a language which they could understand, the system would soon fall. It could not live in the midst of light. It is a system which lives and thrives only in darkness.

(2) Preaching should be simple and intelligible. There is a great deal of preaching which might as well be in a foreign tongue as in the language which is actually employed. It is dry, abstruse, metaphysical, remote from the common manner of expression, and the common habits of thought among people. It may be suited to schools of philosophy, but it cannot be suited to the pulpit. The preaching of the Lord Jesus was simple, and intelligible even to a child. And nothing can be a greater error, than for the ministers of the gospel to adopt a dry and metaphysical manner of preaching. The most successful preachers have been those who have been most remarkable for their simplicity and clearness. Nor is simplicity and intelligibleness of manner inconsistent with bright thought and profound sentiments. A diamond is the most pure of all minerals; a river may be deep, and yet its water so pure that the bottom may be seen at a great depth; and glass in the window is most valuable the clearer and purer it is, when it is itself least seen, and when it gives no obstruction to the light. If the purpose is that the glass may be itself an ornament, it may be well to stain it; if to give light, it should be pure. A very shallow stream may be very muddy; and because the bottom cannot be seen, it is no evidence that it is deep. So it is with style. If the purpose is to convey thought, to enlighten and save the soul, the style should be plain, simple, pure. If it be to bewilder and confound, or to be admired as unintelligible, or perhaps as profound, then an abstruse and metaphysical, or a flowery manner may be adopted in the pulpit.

(3) We should learn to value “useful” talent more than that which is splendid and showy; 1Co 14:3. The whole scope of this chapter goes to demonstrate that we should more highly prize and desire that talent which may be “useful” to the church, or which may be useful in convincing unbelievers 1Co 14:24-25, than that which merely dazzles, or excites admiration. Ministers of the gospel who preach as they should do, engage in their work to win souls to Christ, not to induce them to admire eloquence; they come to teach people to adore the great and dreadful God, not to be loud in their praises of a mortal man.

(4) Ministers of the gospel should not aim to be admired. They should seek to be useful. Their aim should not be to excite admiration of their acute and profound talent for reasoning; of their clear and striking power of observation; of their graceful manner; of their glowing and fervid eloquence; of the beauty of their words, or the eloquence of their well-turned periods. They should seek to build up the people of God in holy faith, and so to present truth as that it shall make a deep impression on mankind. No work is so important, and so serious in its nature and results, as the ministry of the gospel; and in no work on earth should there be more seriousness, simplicity, exactness, and correctness of statement, and invincible and unvarying adherence to simple and unvarnished truth. Of all places, the pulpit is the last, in which to seek to excite admiration, or where to display profound learning, or the powers of an abstract and subtle argumentation, “for the sake” of securing a reputation. Cowper has drawn the character of what a minister of the gospel should be. in the wellknown and most beautiful passage in the “Task.”

Would I describe a preacher, such as Paul.

Were he on earth, would hear, approve, and own,

Paul should himself direct me. I would trace.

His master-strokes, and draw from his design.

I would express him simple, grave, sincere;

In doctrine uncorrupt; in language plain;

And plain in manner; decent, solemn, chaste,

And natural in gesture; much impress’d.

Himself, as conscious of his awful charge,

And anxious mainly that the flock he feeds.

May feel it too; affectionate in look,

And tender in address, as well becomes.

A messenger of grace to guilty men.

He stablishes the strong, restores the weak,

Reclaims the wanderer, binds the broken heart,

And, arm’d himself in panoply complete.

Of heavenly temper, furnishes with arms,

Bright as his own, and trains, by every rule.

Of holy discipline, to glorious war,

The sacramental host of God’s elect.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

He forbade them not to speak with tongues, provided they did it decently and orderly, as all other things ought to be done in so grave an assembly as that of the church, and so grave an action as the worship of God. For women to prophesy in the public assemblies, was an indecent thing; he had said, 1Co 14:35, that it was a shame. For many of them to speak together, confusedly, making a noise, that was disorderly. Nor did this decency or indecency, order or disorder, arise from obeying or disobeying the apostolical constitution, but from the law of God, the light of nature, the common usage of all the churches of Christians, as 1Co 14:33. All things ought so to be done, (especially in religious assemblies and actions), as they may not be judged by the law of God, or the light of nature, or the common custom of other churches, to be done indecently or confusedly, without order. It is very observable, that though the apostle, in these things, hath given rules, yet he hath determined nothing shameful or uncomely, but what he hath made to appear so, either from the Divine law, (as in the case of the women’s prophesying, 1Co 14:34), or from nature and reason, (as in the case of many speaking at the same time), it being useless to the end, which was teaching and instructing those to whom they spake, and what unbelievers would count the effect of madness, 1Co 14:23.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

40. Decently—Seemlily; the reverse Greek word to unseemly in 1Co_13:5. That which accords with the sense of the becoming.

Order—Each exercise single and in due succession. So Josephus is quoted by Alford as saying of the Essenes, “Neither loud voice nor tumult ever dishonours their house, but their discourses they yield to each other in order.”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Let all things. The "but" of the original should not be omitted. It is a final caution against the abuse of the permission accorded in the last clause. Decently; that is, "with decorum." Thus Milton uses the term ...and held Before his decent steps a silver wand.

Rom_13:13 and 1Th_4:12 it is translated "honestly," i.e. honourably. In order. Time, proportion, regulation, self suppression, are as necessary in worship as in "the music of men"s lives."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Decently - By every individual. In order - By the whole church.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

40. “Let all things be done decently and in order.” This verse is woefully belied and perverted by the dead churches and respectable worldlians. The order of a thing depends altogether on what kind of a thing it is. The great end in view in every gospel meeting is edification, hence the unintelligible choir and solo singing and inaudible prayers and testimonies, as well as the humdrum routine generally and the highfalutin preaching, are all flagrantly violatory of the gospel order propounded in this chapter. We find that when the people come together, and all fall on their knees and pray till they so get hold of the Omnipotent Arm as to move Heaven, earth and Hell, flooding their own souls with rivers from the Heavenly ocean till they all break out and shout so uproariously that, like the Pentecostians, they stir the city and bring together a motley rabble of Satan’s infidels and idiots, who rally from all directions to see the show, and then all turn loose on them, preaching and exhorting with tongues of fire till they see Hell open and the devil after them, and the very prelude of damnation lacerates them with conviction so terrible that they fall like dead men, cry and agonize till the resurrection power comes on them from Heaven, and they rise and roar like oxen lowing (Act 8:7), and raise the whole community on tiptoe, men roaring, women screaming and dogs barking on all sides, remember that this is most perfect gospel order, Paul himself encumbering the witness stand (1Co 14:23-25). It is awfully impudent for the devil to lay down rules of order to regulate God’s Church. The diabolical order of popular churchism is that of a graveyard; while the true order of a gospel church is that of a graveyard on the resurrection morn while the trumpet is blowing, the graves bursting, the saints leaping into the air with shouts loud enough for the angels in Heaven to hear them.

William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But let all things be done decently and in order . [Paul concludes with a recapitulation. The higher gift is to be sought and the lower gift is not to be prohibited. But as a caution against the abuse of the lower gift, he lays down that rule of order and decorum which the church has too often forgotten to her sorrow.]

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

40. δέ. So אABDEFG, Vetus Lat. Peshito, Vulg. Rec. om.

40. πάντα δὲ εὐσχημόνως καὶ κατὰ τάξιν. ‘Only let,’ &c. For εὐσχημόνως, see notes on 1Co 7:35-36. For κατὰ τάξιν, cf. 1Co 14:33. The Christian assembly should be a reflection of the universe, where form and order reign supreme.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

40.] δέ, only provided, that.…

κατὰ τάξιν] i.e. in right time, and due proportion.—Meyer compares Jos. B. J. ii. 8. 5, of the Essenes: οὔτε κραυγή ποτε τὸν οἶκον οὔτε θόρυβος μολύνει, τὰς δὲ λαλιὰς ἐν τάξει παραχωροῦσιν ἀλλήλοις. See Stanley, edn. 2, pp. 293 f.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

40. πάντα δὲ εὐσχημόνως καὶ κατὰ τάξιν γινέσθω. ‘Only (δέ) let all things be carried on (pres. imperat.) with seemliness and in order.’ For εὐσχημόνως comp. Rom 13:13; 1Th 4:12, where see Milligan’s note and quotations from papyri. Ecclesiastical decorum is meant; beauty and harmony prevail in God’s universe, where each part discharges its proper function without slackness or encroachment; and beauty and harmony ought to prevail in the worship of God. In κατὰ τάξιν we probably have a military metaphor. The exact phrase occurs nowhere else in either N.T. or LXX, but is used of the Greeks’ manner of fighting at Salamis as opposed to the disorderly efforts of the barbarians (Hdt. 8:86). Possibly εὐσχημόνως refers to the celebration of the Supper and the behaviour of the women, κατὰ τάξιν to the exercise of the gifts.

In these three chapters (12-14.) the Apostle has been contending with the danger of spiritual anarchy, which would be the result if every Christian who believed that he had a charisma were allowed to exercise it without consideration for others. He passes on to the danger of one form of philosophic scepticism,—doubt as to the possibility of resurrection.

* Magna distantia est inter res temporales et spiritales: temporales enim, cum non habentur, multum desiderantur; si vero habeantur, fastidiunt atque vilescunt: spiritales autem, cum non habentur, minus desiderantur; cum vero habentur, magis magisque desiderium in nobis accendunt (Atto of Vercelli).

D D (Sixth century.) Codex Clarmontanus; now at Paris. A Graeco-Latin MS. 14:13 διο͂ ὁ λαλῶν-22 σημεῖον ἐστίν is supplied by a later but ancient hand. Many subsequent hands (sixth to ninth centuries) have corrected the MS. (See Gregory, Prolegomena , pp. 418-422).

E E (Ninth century). At Petrograd. A copy of D, and unimportant

A A (Fifth century.) The Codex Alexandrinus; now at the British Museum.

K K (Ninth century). Codex S. Synod. xcviii. Lacks 1:1-6:13 ταύτην καί: 8:7 τινὲς δὲ—8:11 ἀπέθανεν.

L L (Ninth century). Codex Angelicus; At Rome.

אԠא (Fourth century.) The Sinaitic MS., now at St Petersburg, the only MS. containing the whole N.T.

B B (Fourth century.) The Vatican MS.

P P (Ninth century). Porfirianus Chiovensis. A palimpsest acquired in the East by Porphyrius Bishop of Kiew. Lacks 7:15 ὑμᾶς ὁ θεός-17 περιπάτει: 12:23 τοῦ σώματος-13:5 οὐ λογί-: 14:23 τὸ λαλεῖν μή. A good type of text in St Paul’s Epistles.

F F (Late ninth century). Codex Augiensis (from Reichenau); now at Trin. Coll. Cambr. Probably a copy of G in any case, secondary to G, from which it very rarely varies (see Gregory, p. 429).

* Thus Origen says, προφητεία ἐστὶν ή διὰ λόγου τῶν ἀφανῶν σημαντικὴ γνῶσις. διδαχὴ ἐστὶν ὸ εἰς τοὺς πολλοὺς διανεμόμενος διδασκαλικός λόγος (JTS. x. 37, p. 36). See Abbott, The Son of Man, pp. 200 f.

G G (Late ninth century). Codex Boernerianus; at Dresden. Interlined with the Latin (in minluscules). Lacks 1Co 3:8-16, 1Co 6:7-14 (F).

d d The Latin text of D

e e The Latin text of E

* Here ‘make ready’ or ‘make preparations’ is better than ‘prepare himself.’ The intransitive use of the middle is older and more common than the reflexive. Undoubted instances of the reflexive are rare in the N.T., J. H. Moulton, Gr. p. 156. The καί may be ‘even’; ‘For if even a trumpet.’

* The rare compounds, ἀεροβατεῖν and ἀερομετρεῖν do not illustrate this expression: they suggest vagueness rather than futility.

† ἐν οὐρανῷ, ἐν οἴκῳ, ἐν πόλει, ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἐπὶ γῆς are similar phrases: in such cases the idea is definite enough without the article. There was a tendency, apparenty in the papyri, to drop the article after a preposition. J. H. Moulton, Gr. p. 82, and on εἰ τύχοι, p. 196.

17 17. (Ev. 33, Act_13. Ninth century.) At Paris (Nat. Gr. 14). See Westcott and Hort., Introd. §§ 211, 212.

f f The Latin text of F

* On this verse Erasmus remarks; “They chant nowadays in our churches what is an unknown tongue and nothing else, while you will not hear a sermon once in six months telling people to amend their lives. Modern church music is so constructed that the congregation cannot hear one distinct word. The choristers themselves do not understand what they are singing” (Froude, Life and Letters of Erasmus, p. 117).

† Repuerascere nos eta postolus jubet secundum deum, ut malitia infantes per simplicitatem, ita demum sapientes sensibus (Tert. Adv.Valent. 2).

* Origen says, ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα εὔρομεν παρὰ Ἀκύλᾳ καὶ ταῖς λοιπαῖς ἐκδό σεσιν, οὐ μὴν παρὰ τοῖς ἐβδομήκοντα: and again, εὗρον τὰ ὶσοδυναμοῦντα τῇ λέξει ταύτῃ ὲν τῇ τοῦ Ἀκύλου ἑρμηνείᾳ κείμενα (Philocalia ix. 2). On γέγραπται of Scripture, see Deissmann, Bible Studies, pp. 112f. The connexion with the argument may be; ‘Tongues do not engender faith, while prophecy does’ (v. 24); or, ‘Tongues appeal to no faith, as prophency does, in the hearers. Tongues, then, are a sign to unbelivers.’

* Abbott, Johannine Grammar, 2534b, expands the passage thus; ‘Just when ye are assembling for sacred worship, and ought to be thinking of Christ and of Christ’s Body, the congregation, each one is perhaps thinking of himself, ‘I have a Psalm,’ ‘I have a Doctrine,’ ‘I have a Revelation.’ Have done with this! Let all be done to edification.’

* In St Paul ἀνά occurs only here and 6:5. In the N.T. it is generally distributive, as here, or in the phrase ἀνὰ μέσον, as 6:5. Nowhere else in N.T. does τὸ πλεῖστον, ‘at the most,’ occur: δύο ἢ τό γε πλεῖστον τρεῖς is found in papyri.

† ἀψοφητὶ καὶ ἠρέμαι καθʼ ἑαυτόν (Theoph.).

* Perhaps, as Origen takes it, St Paul contemplated the possibility of all the congregation being prophets. There must, he says, have been something of a prophetic spirit in Israel, sufficient for the discerning of prophets; for the utterances of the false prophets, who were such favourites at court, have all perished, while the utterances of the Prophets of God, who were so persecuted, have been preserved (JTS. 10:37, p. 41).

* St James (3:8) calls the tongue ἀκατάστατον κακόν, as promoting the disorder which is directly opposed to God’s will: see Hort ad loc.

† Sicut et in omnibus ecclesiis sanctorum doceo (Vulg.).

* Tertullian takes it so; caeterum prophetandi jus et illas habere jam ostendit, cum mulieri etiam prophetanti velamen imponit (Adv. Marcion. 5:8). So also does Harnack, The Mission and Expansion of Christianity, 2. pp. 65, 71; pp. 395, 400, ed. 1902. Weinel suspects that this verse is an interpolation by a later hand, and that 1Ti 2:12 also is late. Hilgenfeld, Holsten, Schmiedel, and others regard vv. 34, 35 as an interpolation: see Moffatt, Historical N.T., pp. 727 f. In some MSS of Ambrosiaster, vv. 34 and 35, with the notes, are transferred to the end of the chapter, after v. 40 (A. Souter, A Study of Ambrosiaster, p. 189).

* Haec quae vobis trado, tenere debetis, non vestra instituta meis traditionibus praeferre, et caeteris fidelibus quasi fontem religionis velle tradere. Quoniam a nobis qui de circumcisione sumus coepit evangelica praedicatio, non a vobis; nec beneficium vos dedistis, sed accepistis. Nec quasi singulariter electi debetis gloriari, aut de singulari scientia extolli (Herveius).

* It is possible that with D* F G, Orig. we ought to omit ἐντολή: the brief ὅτι Κυρίου ἐστίν is imopressive. The AV. follows E K L, Vulg. Syrr. in reading εἰσὶν ἐντολαί. Resch assumes an unrecorded saying of Christ (Agrapha, p. 31).

* μὴ κωλύετε cannot mean ‘cease to hinder,’ for they had been too eager to encourage speaking with Tongues. Perhaps the previous ζηλοῦτε has caused the pres. imperat. to be used. Or, St Paul may be alluding to his own apparent discouragement of the exercise of this gift. ‘Do not, in consequence of what I have said, attempt to hinder.’ Comp. μὴ ἀμέλει, μηδενί ἐπιτίθει, μηδὲ κοινώνει (1Ti 4:14, 1Ti 5:22), where ‘cease to’ seems to be quite out of place. J. H. Moulton, Gr. p. 125.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.