Barnes New Testament Notes

Verse 18. Who concerning the truth have erred. To what extent they had erred is unknown. Paul mentions only one point -- that pertaining to the resurrection; but says that this was like a gangrene. It would certainly, unless checked, destroy all the other doctrines of religion. No man can safely hold a single error, any more than he can safely have one part of his body in a state of mortification.

Saying, that the resurrection is past already. It is not known in what form they held this opinion. It may have been, as Augustine supposes, that they taught that there was no resurrection but that which occurs in the soul when it is recovered from the death of sin, and made to live anew. Or it may be that they held that those who had died had experienced all the resurrection which they ever would, by passing into another state, and receiving at death a spiritual body fitted to their mode of being in the heavenly world. Whatever was the form of the opinion, the apostle regarded it: as a most dangerous error, for just views of the resurrection undoubtedly lie at the foundation of correct apprehensions of the Christian system. Comp. See Barnes "1 Co 15:12, seq.

And overthrow the faith of some. That is, on this point, and as would appear on all the correlative subjects of Christian belief. Comp.1 Ti 1:19,20.

{c} "have erred" 1 Ti 6:21 {d} "saying" 1 Co 15:12