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The Church At Corinth
Paul did not remain long in Athens where he found a lukewarm reception for the gospel. He resumed his travel southward and came to the city of Corinth which is the southernmost extent of Greece. Corinth was the political and commercial center of Greece, surpassing Athens in importance. It has a reputation for great wickedness and immorality. A temple to Aphrodite, goddess of love and war, had been built on a large hill behind the city. In this popular region, people worshiped the goddess by giving money to the temple and taking part in sexual acts with male and female temple prostitutes. Paul found Corinth a challenge and a great ministry opportunity.
While in Corinth, Paul met a Christian couple who had recently come from Rome. They had departed Rome because of an edict in A.D. 49 or 50 from Claudius for all the Jews to leave Rome. They came to Rome to work in their trade, which was tent making. The man was Aquila, a Jew from northeast Asia Minor, and his wife was Priscilla. Paul immediately formed a close relationship with them because they not only shared a common faith, but also a common trade. They all were tent makers. Although the word for their trade is translated “tentmaker”, it refers more generally to leather worker. They made all sorts of leather goods.
For awhile, Paul was at a disadvantage as he tried to evangelize Corinth because the rest of his missionary team had remained in Macedonia. In Athens Paul sent back a message asking Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. Yet as he waited, Paul did not slip into doing nothing. He was not content to work each day at his craft. Rather, as was his custom he went every Sabbath to the synagogues and engaged both the Jews and the Greeks in discussions about Christ.
With the arrival of Silas and Timothy, Paul launched a fresh assault on the ignorance and unbelief of all around him. He declared to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. Here we pause for a moment to ponder a question. Had not Paul already been presenting Jesus as the Christ? The answer is yes, but when Silas and Timothy came they brought financial assistance from Macedonia (2 Cor. 11:9). Earlier, he received help only from the Philippians (Phil. 4:15), but it is possible that by now other churches had joined in contributing to his support. The money freed Paul from his trade and allowed him to devote himself full-time to the ministry. With all the lost souls weighting on him, Paul could now preach more aggressively.
When Paul intensified his campaign to convince the Jews that Jesus was the Christ, he stirred up much opposition. When the Jews raised their opposition to the level of blasphemy, Paul decided that it was time to leave the synagogue. He shook his clothes to show that he was free of any obligation to reason with them further, and he declared that from now on, having their blood on their own hands they alone would be held accountable for their eternal destiny. Paul will now go to the Gentiles who will be more receptive.
After Paul left the synagogue, he found a fortunate location for preaching the gospel to the assembly of saints next door in the house of one called Titus Justus. Titus was a God fearing Gentile who opened his house to Paul. In addition, Crispus the synagogue ruler with his family believed and were baptized by Paul. One night Paul heard the Lord speaking to him in a vision, with encouraging words. The Lord urged Paul not be afraid but to preach the gospel boldly because Divine protection was with him, and the Lord have many people in the city. Paul obediently followed the Lord’s direction and stayed in Corinth for a year and a half. During Paul’s stay in Corinth, a new man came to assume control of the government. He was Gallio, a member of a Roman family. He was the brother of Seneca the philosopher. Gallio came to Corinth because it was the Roman seat of government for the whole province of Achaia, that is, Greece.
As soon as he took office, Jewish enemies of the church decided to move against Paul. The Jews charged Paul with persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to Roman law. Rome did not permit the propagation of new religions. Judaism was an accepted and established belief. These Jews were saying in effect that Christianity was a new and different cult, distinct from Judaism. Before Paul could defend himself, Gallio spoke and stunned the Jewish leaders. He rebuked the Jews for wasting his time with charges that had no substance. This was a major judicial decision for the spread of the gospel in the Roman Empire. Judaism was a recognized religion under Roman law. As long as Christians were seen as part of Judaism, the court refused to hear cases brought against them. In essence Gallio told them to handle the matter themselves and not bother him.
Crispus had been the leader of the synagogue, but he and his family were converted and joined the Christians (18:8). Sosthenes was chosen to take his place. The whole Greek community rose up against the Jews, and arrested Sosthenes brought him before the judgment seat. There they subjected him to the humiliation of a public beating. Whether Sosthenes had conspired against Paul, we do not know. As Gallio watched the beating, he raised no objection, choosing rather to appear indifferent.
After a long, successful ministry in Corinth, Paul was ready to leave. He gathered all the believers and said farewell to them. Accompanied by his friends, Aquila and Priscilla, he left intending to return to Syria by the way of Jerusalem. Some time earlier, he had taken a vow of a Nazarite, as described in the Law of Moses (Num. 6:1-8). The ship did not go directly to Jerusalem, but stopped in Ephesus, the main city on the coast of western Asia Minor. It was the greatest commercial city in the region and among its citizens were a large group of Jews. Rather than go with Paul, Aquila and Priscilla decided to remain. Paul stayed long enough to proclaim Christ in the synagogue, but soon continued on his journey, even though some of the Jews wanted him to stay and explain more of the gospel. Paul wanted to reach Jerusalem in time for the feast (Passover).
After greeting the believers in Jerusalem, Paul went down to Antioch. This verse (22) marks the end of Paul’s second missionary journey and the beginning of his third missionary journey. After leaving the church at Antioch (his home base), Paul headed toward Ephesus but along the way he revisited the churches in Galatia and Phrygia (18:23), strengthening the disciples. During Paul’s absence from Ephesus, God sent the city another preacher. He was Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria. Apollos had only heard what John the Baptist had said about Jesus (Luke 3: 1-8), so his message was not the complete story. John message focused on repentance from sin, the first step. But the whole message is to repent from sin and then believe in Christ. Apollos did not know about the life, crucifixion, and resurrection, nor did he know about the coming of the Holy Spirit. Priscilla and Aquila taught him the right gospel.
Armed with the new doctrine, Apollos crossed the Aegean Sea to Achaia where he preached mighty. He refuted the Jews who did not believed that Jesus was the Messiah. The phrase “mightily convinced” the Jews implies that a great number of Jews came to Christ through his witness.
Questions/Answers
Who was Apollos?
Apollos was a learned and eloquent Jew from Alexandria in Egypt and an influential leader in the early church. He was an early disciple of John the Baptist.
All Scripture references are from the King James Version
Paul did not remain long in Athens where he found a lukewarm reception for the gospel. He resumed his travel southward and came to the city of Corinth which is the southernmost extent of Greece. Corinth was the political and commercial center of Greece, surpassing Athens in importance. It has a reputation for great wickedness and immorality. A temple to Aphrodite, goddess of love and war, had been built on a large hill behind the city. In this popular region, people worshiped the goddess by giving money to the temple and taking part in sexual acts with male and female temple prostitutes. Paul found Corinth a challenge and a great ministry opportunity.
While in Corinth, Paul met a Christian couple who had recently come from Rome. They had departed Rome because of an edict in A.D. 49 or 50 from Claudius for all the Jews to leave Rome. They came to Rome to work in their trade, which was tent making. The man was Aquila, a Jew from northeast Asia Minor, and his wife was Priscilla. Paul immediately formed a close relationship with them because they not only shared a common faith, but also a common trade. They all were tent makers. Although the word for their trade is translated “tentmaker”, it refers more generally to leather worker. They made all sorts of leather goods.
For awhile, Paul was at a disadvantage as he tried to evangelize Corinth because the rest of his missionary team had remained in Macedonia. In Athens Paul sent back a message asking Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. Yet as he waited, Paul did not slip into doing nothing. He was not content to work each day at his craft. Rather, as was his custom he went every Sabbath to the synagogues and engaged both the Jews and the Greeks in discussions about Christ.
With the arrival of Silas and Timothy, Paul launched a fresh assault on the ignorance and unbelief of all around him. He declared to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. Here we pause for a moment to ponder a question. Had not Paul already been presenting Jesus as the Christ? The answer is yes, but when Silas and Timothy came they brought financial assistance from Macedonia (2 Cor. 11:9). Earlier, he received help only from the Philippians (Phil. 4:15), but it is possible that by now other churches had joined in contributing to his support. The money freed Paul from his trade and allowed him to devote himself full-time to the ministry. With all the lost souls weighting on him, Paul could now preach more aggressively.
When Paul intensified his campaign to convince the Jews that Jesus was the Christ, he stirred up much opposition. When the Jews raised their opposition to the level of blasphemy, Paul decided that it was time to leave the synagogue. He shook his clothes to show that he was free of any obligation to reason with them further, and he declared that from now on, having their blood on their own hands they alone would be held accountable for their eternal destiny. Paul will now go to the Gentiles who will be more receptive.
After Paul left the synagogue, he found a fortunate location for preaching the gospel to the assembly of saints next door in the house of one called Titus Justus. Titus was a God fearing Gentile who opened his house to Paul. In addition, Crispus the synagogue ruler with his family believed and were baptized by Paul. One night Paul heard the Lord speaking to him in a vision, with encouraging words. The Lord urged Paul not be afraid but to preach the gospel boldly because Divine protection was with him, and the Lord have many people in the city. Paul obediently followed the Lord’s direction and stayed in Corinth for a year and a half. During Paul’s stay in Corinth, a new man came to assume control of the government. He was Gallio, a member of a Roman family. He was the brother of Seneca the philosopher. Gallio came to Corinth because it was the Roman seat of government for the whole province of Achaia, that is, Greece.
As soon as he took office, Jewish enemies of the church decided to move against Paul. The Jews charged Paul with persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to Roman law. Rome did not permit the propagation of new religions. Judaism was an accepted and established belief. These Jews were saying in effect that Christianity was a new and different cult, distinct from Judaism. Before Paul could defend himself, Gallio spoke and stunned the Jewish leaders. He rebuked the Jews for wasting his time with charges that had no substance. This was a major judicial decision for the spread of the gospel in the Roman Empire. Judaism was a recognized religion under Roman law. As long as Christians were seen as part of Judaism, the court refused to hear cases brought against them. In essence Gallio told them to handle the matter themselves and not bother him.
Crispus had been the leader of the synagogue, but he and his family were converted and joined the Christians (18:8). Sosthenes was chosen to take his place. The whole Greek community rose up against the Jews, and arrested Sosthenes brought him before the judgment seat. There they subjected him to the humiliation of a public beating. Whether Sosthenes had conspired against Paul, we do not know. As Gallio watched the beating, he raised no objection, choosing rather to appear indifferent.
After a long, successful ministry in Corinth, Paul was ready to leave. He gathered all the believers and said farewell to them. Accompanied by his friends, Aquila and Priscilla, he left intending to return to Syria by the way of Jerusalem. Some time earlier, he had taken a vow of a Nazarite, as described in the Law of Moses (Num. 6:1-8). The ship did not go directly to Jerusalem, but stopped in Ephesus, the main city on the coast of western Asia Minor. It was the greatest commercial city in the region and among its citizens were a large group of Jews. Rather than go with Paul, Aquila and Priscilla decided to remain. Paul stayed long enough to proclaim Christ in the synagogue, but soon continued on his journey, even though some of the Jews wanted him to stay and explain more of the gospel. Paul wanted to reach Jerusalem in time for the feast (Passover).
After greeting the believers in Jerusalem, Paul went down to Antioch. This verse (22) marks the end of Paul’s second missionary journey and the beginning of his third missionary journey. After leaving the church at Antioch (his home base), Paul headed toward Ephesus but along the way he revisited the churches in Galatia and Phrygia (18:23), strengthening the disciples. During Paul’s absence from Ephesus, God sent the city another preacher. He was Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria. Apollos had only heard what John the Baptist had said about Jesus (Luke 3: 1-8), so his message was not the complete story. John message focused on repentance from sin, the first step. But the whole message is to repent from sin and then believe in Christ. Apollos did not know about the life, crucifixion, and resurrection, nor did he know about the coming of the Holy Spirit. Priscilla and Aquila taught him the right gospel.
Armed with the new doctrine, Apollos crossed the Aegean Sea to Achaia where he preached mighty. He refuted the Jews who did not believed that Jesus was the Messiah. The phrase “mightily convinced” the Jews implies that a great number of Jews came to Christ through his witness.
Questions/Answers
Who was Apollos?
Apollos was a learned and eloquent Jew from Alexandria in Egypt and an influential leader in the early church. He was an early disciple of John the Baptist.
All Scripture references are from the King James Version
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