Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Corinthians 1:7

"so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ;" — 1 Corinthians 1:7 (ASV)

So that. God has so abundantly endowed you with His favors.

You come behind. Hustereisthai. You are not lacking, or deficient. The word is usually applied to destitution, want, or poverty; and the declaration here is synonymous with what he had said in 1 Corinthians 1:5, that they abounded in everything.

In no gift. In no favor, or gracious endowment. The word used here, charisma, does not refer necessarily to extraordinary and miraculous endowments, but also includes all the kindnesses of God toward them in producing peace of mind, constancy, humility, etc. And the apostle evidently meant to say that they possessed, in rich abundance, all those endowments which were bestowed on Christians.

Waiting for. Expecting, or looking for this coming with glad and anxious desire. This was, certainly, one of the endowments to which he referred; namely, that they had grace given them earnestly to desire, and to wait for the second appearing of the Lord Jesus.

An earnest wish to see Him, and a confident expectation and a firm belief that He will return, is evidence of a high state of piety. It demands strong faith, and it will do much to elevate the feelings above the world and to keep the mind in a state of peace.

The coming, etc. Greek, the revelation—tēn apokalypsin—the manifestation of the Son of God. This means waiting for His return to judge the world and for His approbation of His people in that day.

The earnest expectation of the Lord Jesus became one of the marks of early Christian piety. This return was promised by the Savior to His anxious disciples when He was about to leave them (John 14:3). The promise was renewed when He ascended to heaven (Acts 1:11). It became the settled hope and expectation of Christians that He would return (Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 3:12; Hebrews 9:28).

And with the earnest prayer that He would quickly come, John closes the volume of inspiration (Revelation 22:20).