1 Corinthians 10

1 Cor. 10:1-2 our fathers...were all baptized unto Moses

Some have assumed that the ordinance of baptism originated with John the Baptist. However, latter-day saints know that the gospel and its ordinances were had in all ages, including that of Moses. As Joseph Smith stated, "Paul told about Moses' proceedings; spoke of the children of Israel being baptized. (1 Cor. 10:1-4.) He knew this, and that all the ordinances and blessings were in the Church." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 159.)

Gerald N. Lund

"There are so many types and symbols of Christ in the law of Moses. There are types in the Exodus and the great night of the Passover. There are types in the wanderings in the wilderness, in the baptism of the Red Sea, and in the pillar of fire (see 1 Cor. 10:1-2). The manna and the water from the rock are likewise types or symbols of the Savior (see vv. 3-4). There are symbols, types, and similitudes in the tabernacle, in the clothing of the priests, and in the feasts and festivals. Everywhere one looks, everything bears witness of the Savior in the law of Moses." (Selected Writings of Gerald N. Lund: Gospel Scholars Series [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1999], 43.)

Bruce R. McConkie

"Baptism is an eternal ordinance, which was universally practiced in Israel, whenever that people followed the counsel of her prophets. Indeed, the very law of Moses itself was 'the preparatory gospel, . . . the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins.' (D&C 84:26-27.) All this the Corinthians knew, which makes Paul's analogy even more persuasive, for he is saying that even as Israel, when they passed through the Red Sea, fled from the worldliness of Egypt, so their Christian descendants, through baptism, are to forsake the lusts of the flesh and live godly lives; their fathers, Paul reasons, had been disciples of Moses, as it were, but they are disciples of Moses' Master, who is Christ." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 2: 355.)

1 Cor. 10:2 baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea

While it is commonly understood that Moses led the children of Israel through the midst of the Red Sea, Paul herein references another symbolic element. What is the symbolism of the cloud? Some may have forgotten that God very literally led the children of Israel along every step of their journey through Sinai. During the day, there was a cloud over the tabernacle of Moses. When the cloud moved, the people would break camp and follow it. When the cloud stayed still, the Israelites would keep their camp in that location. Hereby, the Israelites were literally led by the hand of God through the wilderness (Numbers 9:15-22). In Exodus, we read, 'And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people' (Ex. 13:21-22).

Here again, Paul references the guiding influence of the Holy Ghost that attends baptism (2 Ne. 31:13). As the pillar of cloud led the children of Israel through the wilderness of Sinai, the Holy Ghost will lead us successfully through the wilderness of mortality. We must first leave our own personal Babylons and Egypts, pass through this sacred ordinance (as the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea), and begin a new journey as a disciple of Christ. Nevertheless, the Lord has not left us without a tour guide for the journey. Rather, he has given us the gift of the Holy Ghost to be for us 'a pillar of a cloud, to lead [us] the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give [us] light; to go by day and night.'

1 Cor. 10:3-4 did all the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink

Gerald N. Lund

"In the wilderness of Zin, the Israelites ran out of water to drink and once again began to murmur to Moses. By command of the Lord, Moses and Aaron gathered the people before a rock, Moses smote it, water came forth, and Israel lived (see Exod. 17:1-7). At the well in Samaria, Jesus told the woman of the 'living water' he could give, which, if partaken of, would become 'a well of water springing up into everlasting life' (John 4:14). In the closing parable of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus likened his teachings to a rock. Moses and other Old Testament prophets called Jehovah the Rock of salvation (see, for example, Deut. 32:4, Deut. 32:15, Deut. 32:18; Sam. 22:32, Sam. 22:47; Ps. 18:2, Ps. 18:31, Ps. 18:46). Thus we see that when Israel hungered they were fed the bread that came down from heaven and when they thirsted they received the waters of life from the Rock." (Neal A. Lambert, ed., Literature of Belief: Sacred Scripture and Religious Experience [Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1981], 56.)

Bruce R. McConkie

"For their whole sojourn in the wilderness, nearly fifteen thousand consecutive days, their fathers had eaten manna, to preserve them temporally, in similitude of the fact that all men forever, both they and their fathers and all others, must eat of the Bread of Life if they are to gain eternal life. That their fathers understood this, even if it was hidden from some of them, is seen from these words of Paul: 'Our fathers,' he said, 'did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.' (1 Cor. 10:1-3.)" (The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1978], 399)

Bruce R. McConkie

"Christ is the bread which came down from heaven, the Bread of Life, the spiritual manna, of which men must eat to gain salvation. (see John 6:31-58.) He is the spiritual drink, the living water, the water of life, which if men drink they shall never thirst more. (John 4:6-15.) He is the rock-foundation upon which all must build to gain an inheritance in his Father's kingdom. To eat of the bread and drink of the waters of life is to keep the commandments of God, which includes (as the Corinthians are here being counseled) the forsaking of all that is carnal and evil." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 2: 355.)

1 Cor. 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things

"Paul, who drew freely upon the experiences of Israel for types to sustain his teachings, reminded the Saints in Corinth that ordinances alone did not save. To illustrate his point he recalled that many who had received gospel ordinances under Moses were later destroyed by the Lord because of their wickedness and rebellion. 'All our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,' Paul said, 'And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.' (1 Corinthians 10:1-5.) Paul's argument is not against the efficacy of ordinances, but rather that no blessings come from broken covenants. By analogy he is saying that as Israel passed through the Red Sea, leaving the worldliness of Egypt, so their descendants, through baptism, are to forsake the lusts of the flesh and live godly lives; as Israel by passing through the Red Sea committed themselves to follow Moses, so we must leave the world and pass through the waters of baptism and follow Christ." (Joseph Fielding McConkie, Gospel Symbolism [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1999], 52.)

1 Cor. 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents

Gerald N. Lund

"While wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites were also afflicted with a plague of fiery serpents, and many died. The Lord told Moses to make a brass serpent and place it on a pole so that if a person were bitten he could look upon the brass serpent and he would live (see Num. 21:6-9). How can one miss the typology of that event? The covenant people, wandering in the wilderness (notice the similarity to Lehi's dream, 1 Ne. 8:4) because of rebellion were being bitten by serpents (a symbol for Satan) and were suffering death. To be saved, they looked to a figure lifted up on a pole and death was averted. Again, the evidence is clear that this event had more than mere historical coincidence (see John 3:14-15; 2 Ne. 25:25; Alma 33:19-21; Hel. 8:14-15)." (Selected Writings of Gerald N. Lund: Gospel Scholars Series [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1999], 26.)

1 Cor. 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples

In verses 7-8, Paul describes an incident in which the Israelites 'began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods' (Num. 25:1-2). There is great similarity between these iniquities and those of some of the Corinthian members. But there was a great difference between how the Lord responded to the Israelite sinners and the Corinthian sinners. The Israelites were killed, even 'twenty and four thousand' (Num. 25:9). But the Corinthian transgressors were not immediately killed.

Many read the Old Testament with frustration because they don't understand how God could be so cruel to his people. Twenty-four thousand killed! They don't believe that the "God of the Old Testament" could be the same as the "God of the New Testament" because he seems to show no mercy, patience, or longsuffering. Paul, however, gives us the answer to this problem: 'all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition.' The immediate retribution of God as brought upon the Israelites was to be a reminder to all subsequent generations that anyone who would follow the Lord must be completely obedient or suffer the consequences.

The Lord's policy in this regard can be referred to as a "pay now or pay later" policy. The justice of God cannot be denied and a payment must always be made for sin. Among the Israelites, unrepentant or heinous sin fell under the "pay now" policy and many were killed for their transgressions. Since that time, the Lord has usually operated under a "pay later" policy. This policy is more merciful, and longsuffering in the immediate sense, but one cannot avoid payment for unrepentant sin (DC 19:16-17). Payment is required in spirit prison. For those who live in the latter-days, this principle is particularly important because we are used to the Lord's merciful "pay later" policy. However, when the cup of iniquity is full, the Lord will switch back to a "pay now" policy. This will occur when he comes again to destroy the wicked. This is why the Joseph Smith translation indicates that the Lord's "pay now" policy was given 'for an admonition for those upon whom the end of the world shall come.'

1 Cor. 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall

George Q. Cannon

"However faithful men and women may be, they still are required to watch and pray; for they are commanded, 'Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.' (1 Corinthians 10:12.) But the man or the woman who does not pray is positively unsafe and is liable to be overcome at any moment and to become an alien to all the covenants and promises of the Lord." (Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon, selected, arranged, and edited by Jerreld L. Newquist [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1987], 410.)

Elder Charles A. Callis

"...a man shuts himself up in the crumbling fortress of pride when he boasts that he is saved, sanctified and beyond sin. Such a man should indulge in a little self-examination, and purge himself of this unwholesome pride, for it is the pride that goeth before a fall. He should take to heart this warning. 'Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.' (1 Cor. 10:12.) The Apostle John severely rebukes those who are under this sort of self-deception. He says: 'If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.' (1 Jn. 1:8.) From of old has it not been written: 'For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.' (Eccl. 7:2.)" (Handbook of the Restoration: A Selection of Gospel Themes Discussed by Various Authors [Independence, Mo.: Zion's Printing and Publishing Co., 1944], 74 - 75.)

1 Cor. 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man

One of Satan's great lies is to tell an individual that his tribulations are greater than any other-that his particular trials are more trying, that his temptations are more tempting, and that his situation is different than anyone else. The natural conclusion-if one buys into Satan's argument-is that failure is justified because no one else has been asked to go through such a terrible temptation. Paul refutes this self-absorbed argument, reminding the Corinthians that their trials are not so special after all. Indeed, their temptations were 'such as is common to man.' From latter-day doctrine we understand that God's plan included provision for Satan's lies. Indeed, we learn that the Savior descended below all things for this reason-so that no one could ever tell him that there was something unique about his particular trials, temptations, and oppressions. Those who would lay hold to such a special claim need to respond to the Lord's probing question, 'The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?' (DC 122:8).

Elder Charles A. Callis

"Jesus 'was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.' Not to yield to temptation, but to resist and overcome it is a glorious victory. We are prone to think that we have temptations and struggles which others have not, but Paul says: 'There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man...'" (Conference Report, April 1918, Overflow Meeting. 107.)

Neal A. Maxwell

"...it is not uncommon for individuals to feel that the temptations and the trials they face are simply too much for them to manage. Happily, we can feel overwhelmed and yet not be overwhelmed, but self-pity adds to our vulnerability. Paul gave us, therefore, a much-needed promise when he wrote this to the saints at Corinth: (quotes 1 Corinthians 10:13)

"Certain temptations are common to those who come to this earth. It is our task to deal with these common temptations in an uncommon manner. The Lord has promised to succor us in our temptations, reminding us that He 'knoweth the weakness of man and how to succor them who are tempted.' (D&C 62:1.) He truly knows our infirmities firsthand because He has actually borne them. (Alma 7:11-12.)" (We Will Prove Them Herewith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982], 41.)

1 Cor. 10:13 God...will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able

Bishop H. Burke Petersen

"Did you get the significance of that scriptural promise-we will have no temptation or trial beyond our ability to overcome-He will provide a way for us to rise above-whatever it may be.

"May I suggest the best way I know to keep close to the source of this great strength is through prayer. No man can stand alone in his struggle through life. Sometimes in discouragement our prayers, at best, become occasional or maybe not at all. Sometimes we forget or just don't care. Brigham Young once said, 'Prayer keeps man from sin, and sin keeps man from prayer.'" (LDS Church News, 1995, 08/05/95)

Joseph B. Wirthlin

"You young people face the same temptations that have been common throughout history, plus many others that were unknown to earlier generations. However, be sure you understand that God will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability to resist. (See 1 Cor. 10:13.) He does not give you challenges that you cannot surmount. He will not ask more than you can do, but may ask right up to your limits so you can prove yourselves. The Lord will never forsake or abandon anyone. You may abandon him, but he will not abandon you. You never need to feel that you are alone." ("Running Your Marathon," Ensign, Nov. 1989, 75)

Neal A. Maxwell

"...the storm fronts that come into our lives will not last forever. We can surmount the drifts of difficulties and we can hold out if we maintain our perspective and faith. But while we are in the midst of all these things, the experiences that can be for our long-term good are very, very real. We may feel that such are simply more than we can bear. Yet if we have faith in an all-knowing and all-loving God, we understand He will not give us more than we can bear." (Even As I Am [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982], 102)

Neal A. Maxwell

"Some men may justify sin by saying the level of temptation and trial they experience is unavoidable or that it is beyond their ability to cope with it. However, we have the double assurance of Paul writing on one continent and Alma on another, that there is nothing in the mathematics of life to excuse us when we sin: '. . . but God . . . will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.' (1 Corinthians 10:13.)

"'Pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear. . . .' (Alma 13:28.)

"Prayerful people will not be pressed beyond their limits, although, as C. S. Lewis observed, some of us quit or surrender just before the relief column comes into sight. We can, and often do, of course, dig pits for ourselves and burn the escape ladder; but such irrationality is of our own willful doing-not God's!" (A Time to Choose [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1972], 56.)

1 Cor. 10:13 God...will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it

Vaughn J. Featherstone

"What does it mean to 'make a way to escape'? This life provides an opportunity for us to use our agency. It appears...that there will be a special testing for those who will walk in high places. The testing may well be unique to us. And, of course, the greatest trials we face have to do with the things we love the most-our families, our church, our religion, our leaders, our country, and our friends. These things have the potential of hurting us most...Many of us feel that we have been refined in the Lord's crucible more often than we would want, had we a choice. It is not easy to be between the hammer and the anvil. But we must remember always what Paul said: '[God] will with the temptation make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.' It is my opinion that this same principle applies to tests and trials we face. They will never be greater than we can withstand.

"We find how resilient our souls are. We find out how far we can bend and still not break. The Lord knows us better than we know ourselves, and He is constantly molding us to the grand design of His great expectation and divine destiny. We will always come through testings as a more valued human soul. Each trial brings out the 'steel and velvet' in us, as someone has said. Our commitment to the absolute truths of the gospel puts a steel in us that can endure tremendous pressure. On the other hand, the suffering brings about a velvet softness, a Christ-like charity. Suffering or testing, trials or troubles, sinsickness or soulsickness-all take us through our own personal issue of tears." (The Incomparable Christ: Our Master and Model [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1995], 135-136.)

Neal A. Maxwell

"...when we are finally judged in terms of our performance in this second estate, we will see that God indeed is likewise perfect in His justice and mercy. We will also see that when we fail here it will not be because we have been tempted above that which we are able to bear. We would find that there is always an escape hatch were we to look for it-or we would also find that were we to call upon it, the grace of God would give us the capacity to endure and to bear up well.

"We will also see that our lives have been fully and fairly measured. In retrospect, we will even see that our most trying years here will often have been our best years, producing large tree rings on our soul, Gethsemanes of growth!" (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979], 48.)

Neal A. Maxwell

"As to our circumstances, the Lord has promised He will either make a way to escape or a way to bear adversity (1 Corinthians 10:13). As to temptation, most of the time there is an obvious way to escape, but prevention-not being enticed in the first place-is more sure and is part of having sufficient faith." (Not My Will, But Thine [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1998], 75.)

1 Cor. 10:14-21 my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry

J. Reuben Clark, Jr.

"...that was the burden of Paul, 'flee from idolatry,' and leave the food offered to idols alone. We Latter-day Saints do not worship idols, we do not worship relics, we do not have shrines. I wonder sometimes, however, if there is not something of idolatry among us. I call our idolaters, worshipers of dimes and chasers of nickels." (Conference Report, April 1952, Morning Session 97.)

1 Cor. 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?

"The worldly Corinthians would be condemned with the world unless they truly repented through remembering Christ in the sacrament. So Paul's reasoning suggests a double purpose for partaking of the sacrament-remembrance, and resolve to live a righteous life.

"Paul gave the same perspective in his teachings recorded in the previous chapter. He pointed out the inconsistency of social eating in pagan temples (1 Cor. 10:18-20), saying that one cannot 'be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils' (1 Cor. 10:21). But here many readers miss Paul's emphasis on the larger scope of the sacrament. This oversight comes mainly from failing to see the parallel that begins chapter 10, in which Paul used examples from ancient Israel to warn Corinthian converts. Trained by Jewish scholars to use patterns and types, Paul compared Christian baptism to Israel's figurative immersion in the sea and under the cloud of God's presence during the Exodus. (1 Cor. 10:1-2.) Then he added a reference to the symbolic spiritual food of the manna and the spiritual drink that Jehovah gave miraculously to quench their thirst. (See 1 Cor. 10:3-4; 1 Ne. 17:29.)

"'The point of these illustrations is clear,' wrote one commentator. 'The reception of sacraments will not by itself save anyone. Paul emphasizes the fact that all of the Israelites had these benefits, yet most of them were destroyed. Despite their sacraments at the present time, the Corinthians may likewise be destroyed.'" (Richard Lloyd Anderson, "The Restoration of the Sacrament (Part 1: Loss and Christian Reformations)," Ensign, Jan. 1992, 42)

1 Cor. 10:17 we are all partakers of that one bread

James E. Faust

"The multiplicity of languages and cultures is both an opportunity and a challenge for members of the Church. Having everyone hear the gospel in their own tongue requires great effort and resources. The Spirit, however, is a higher form of communication than language. We have been in many meetings where the words were completely unintelligible, but the Spirit bore powerful witness of Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world. Even with language differences, hopefully no minority group would ever feel so unwelcome in the 'body of Christ' (1 Cor. 10:16-17) that they would wish to worship exclusively in their own ethnic culture. We hope that those in any dominant culture would reach out to them in the brotherhood and sisterhood of the gospel, so that we can establish fully a community of Saints where everyone will feel needed and wanted." ("Heirs to the Kingdom of God," Ensign, May 1995, 63.)
 

1 Cor. 10:21 ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of devils

Delbert L. Stapley

"I plead with all members of the Church to actively and honestly live the gospel of Christ. Our eternal happiness and joy depends upon the kind of life we chart and live here in mortality. The apostle Paul taught: 'Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.' (1 Cor. 10:21.) In other words, we cannot serve two masters, for either we will hate the one and love the other, or else we will hold to the one and despise the other. We cannot serve both God and mammon. (See Matt. 6:24.)" ("The Path to Eternal Glory," Ensign, July 1973, 101)

1 Cor. 10:25 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake

"Paul's meaning becomes clear when it is understood that the word shambles meant 'meat market' in Paul's day. Very often when sacrificing animals to pagan gods, only a portion of the carcass was required; the rest could be, and often was, sold to the local butcher for resale to the poorer class. There would be, of course, no way for a Christian to know whether the meat offered for sale came from animals slaughtered for food or for temple sacrifices. Some of Paul's converts were anxious about keeping the letter of the law and refused to buy anything from the local markets. Paul indicates that such scrupulousness is uncalled for. One can keep the letter of the law and still violate its spirit if he provides, by his example, an excuse for a weaker brother to sin (1 Corinthians 8). On the other hand, one can keep the law so precisely as to the written letter that he moves to a Pharisaical extreme and forgets the very purpose for which the law was given in the first place." (Institute Manual, The Life and Teachings of Jesus & his Apostles, 2nd ed., p. 290)

1 Cor. 10:26 the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof

Spencer W. Kimball

"Years ago I had a friend who took me to his ranch. He unlocked the door of a large new automobile, slid behind the wheel, and said proudly, 'How do you like my new car?' We rode in luxurious comfort into the rural areas to a beautiful new landscaped home, and he said with no little pride, 'This is my home.'

"He drove to a grassy knoll. The sun was setting behind the distant hills. He surveyed his vast domain. Pointing to the north, he asked, 'Do you see that clump of trees?' I could plainly discern it in the fading day.

"He pointed to the east. 'Do you see the lake shimmering in the sunset?' It too was visible.

"'Now, the bluff that's on the south.' We turned about to scan the distance. He identified barns, silos, the ranch house to the west. With a wide, sweeping gesture, he boasted, 'From the clump of trees to the lake, to the bluff, and to the ranch buildings and all between-all this is mine. And the dark specks in the meadow-those cattle are also mine.'

"And then I asked from whom he obtained it. The chain of title of his abstract went back to land grants from governments. His attorney had assured him he had an unencumbered title.

"'From whom did the government get it?' I asked. 'What was paid for it?' There came into my mind the declaration of the Psalmist, boldly restated by Paul: 'The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.' (1 Corinthians 10:26.)

"And then I asked, 'Did title come from God, Creator of the earth and the owner thereof? Did he get paid? Was it sold or leased or given to you?...With what treasures did you buy this farm?'" (President Kimball Speaks Out [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1981], 65-66.)

Spencer W. Kimball

"Prophets of all dispensations have clearly taught the law of tithing and the principles of the gospel with regard thereto. From the beginning we have been taught that 'the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof' (1 Cor. 10:26). From this fulness, the Lord requires that we dedicate one-tenth to him. Tithing is a law of God and is required of his followers. To fail to meet this obligation is to fail in a very weighty matter." ("The Law of Tithing," Ensign, Nov. 1980, 77)

1 Cor. 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God

Howard W. Hunter

"If such little things as eating and drinking are to be done to the glory of God, how much more important it must be that all of our thoughts, the words we speak, or acts, conduct, dealings with neighbors, business transactions, and all of our everyday affairs, be in harmony with our religious beliefs. In the words of Paul, 'whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.' (1 Cor. 10:31) Can we therefore eliminate religion from our week-day affairs and relegate it to the Sabbath day only? Surely not, if we follow Paul's admonition." (Conference Report, October 1961, Third Day-Morning Meeting 108.)