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Paul in Corinth
18 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.
When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.” But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” And he drove them from the tribunal. And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.
Paul Returns to Antioch
After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.
When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
Apollos Speaks Boldly in Ephesus
Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
(ESV)
Acts 18 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Corinth had a bad reputation for being a city chock full of immorality. It was known as the hub for Aphrodite (fertility goddess) worship. It was also known for having a major temple dedicated to Apollo. Among the Greeks, it was a well-known and interchangeable phrase to refer to someone steeped in sexual immorality as a “Corinthian” even if they weren’t from Corinth.
As he did many times in a new city, Paul started by bringing his message to the Jews. After it became apparent that they were not open to the Gospel, he moves almost exclusively to the Gentiles. I’m sure Paul was relieved to get a message from the Lord promising his protection as he had been beaten badly in other cities. That message was enough to propel Paul into an aggressive and determined state of mind. We need this many times in our lives. When we open the Word, we can be encouraged that the promises of God are readily available to His children.
Immediately after receiving this message from the Lord, the text states that Paul set up camp. He knew he would be in Corinth for awhile and he knew he would be protected while he was there. For a year and a half, Paul told everyone he could about the Gospel. This infuriated the Jews and they had heard enough. Ironically, there was a new proconsul named Gallio who was appointed by the Roman senate to govern the province of Achaia. The Jewish leaders undoubtedly planned to take advantage of this new governor by bringing charges against Paul.
And, that’s exactly what they tried to do. The problem was, Gallio wasn’t budging. In fact, it’s very likely God hardened Gallio’s heart toward the Jews in order to fulfill his promise to protect Paul during his time in Corinth. Once the charges were brought, Paul didn’t have to say a word. Keep in mind, this decision not only had ramifications for Paul personally, but the Jews wished for Gallio to ban Christianity completely. Judging Christianity to be illegal would have sent the church reeling as persecution would have been looked upon favorably by the Roman government.
However, God already had a plan. Gallio considered Christianity to be a sect of the Jewish religion and therefore not a crime against Rome. He basically told the leaders to work it out on their own. All of this is a reminder to us of how God protects us as He’s promised. For some Christians today, hearing a promise like Paul received can send them into a comfortable and complacent mindset. Instead of warring for the Gospel, they take it as a moment to relax. Do we trust God enough to invest like Paul did? God’s Word was enough for Paul. He was all in.