Acts 18:7-17

Read Acts 18:7-17

One interesting note brought up by John Gill is that this man may have been the same man (full name Titius Justus) to whom Paul wrote a letter, the very short book of Titus that we find tucked between 2 Timothy and Philemon!

Regardless though, Paul enters his house and there preaches...and whether this Crispus came in to hear him or whether he overheard because of the closeness of the house to the synagogue...he believes and is saved...along with his family! And the testimony of his faith is used by God to bring in many other Corinthians to saving knowledge.

Keep in mind the words of Paul in verse 6, "your blood be upon your own heads."

The Bible quite clearly teaches the doctrine of human responsibility! Nobody is SENT to hell by God...they choose to go there! Acting in full accordance with the nature they have, they willingly reject God and stupidly jump into the fires of hell!

I mention this because we must stop to consider the ways of God here...Crispus was ruler of the synagogue! A man with authority and whose words and decisions would greatly impact the synagogue...Imagine this if you will: here is a man that we must assume is well versed in Scriptures...a man of knowledge...and he believes!! What excuse do the rest of the Jews have if one of their leading men converts? NONE!!

Therefore, they are without excuse for rejecting the precious truth of the Gospel!
Crispus, incidentally, had a very rare honor in that he was one of the few people whom Paul baptized (1 Corinthians 1:14)!

v9-10)
It is probable that Paul was in danger here...that the Jews were pretty upset over the conversion of one of their chief men and laid the blame directly at his feet...
And Paul receives a vision from the Lord...and what a promise he receives as well!

Was Paul afraid of the crowds? He will not be harmed is what he is told...

Did Paul perhaps consider moving on already? He is told to be bold and not to be silent...

Did Paul think nobody would pay attention? He is told that Jesus has many people in the city!

"I have many people in this city"

You can choose to believe, wrongly, that Jesus meant there were so many Believers in Corinth that they would protect him from harm...

But what the Word is saying here is that Paul was to be bold in preaching BECAUSE God planned a work in this city...there were those for whom there was an appointment with the grace of God...and so God forbid Paul to remain silent! There was a harvest in Corinth and it MUST be brought in!

Matthew Henry:
"though [Corinth] be a very profane wicked city, full of impurity, and the more so for a temple of Venus there, to which there was a great resort, yet in this heap, that seems to be all chaff, there is wheat; in this ore, that seems to be all dross, there is gold. Let us not despair concerning any place, when even in Corinth Christ had much people."

Brothers and sisters...if there is any comfort to be had when we encounter opposition to the preaching of the Word of God, it is that God has His people everywhere! When the time comes that we stand before our Living God there will be people from "all nations, tribes, peoples, tongues," all of them standing before the throne! Revelation 7:9

Having received such a vision and such a promise, Paul stays in Corinth for a VERY long time...and for all its faults, we well know that a church is established in this city!

v 12)
Enraged, probably because of how many people were being converted to the faith, Paul is brought before the proconsul of Achaia...once again likely dragged to this place. And it bears mentioning here that now Paul knew that he was being used mightily by God, for he is provoking people to anger!! :)

But notice the reaction of Gallio...what cares he for the internal struggles of a conquered people? Rome cared about one thing: keep the tribute rolling in and don't try and rebel!

So even though Paul is ready to give a defense, Gallio dismisses the case!

A word here: note verse 13: "this fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law."

Even though Gallio lightly dismisses the charges here...there would be a time when Rome would not react such to this charge against the followers of Christ.

Later on there would be rumors of cannibalism...of drinking blood, of sacrificing children, of sexual perversions...all of these aimed against the Christians...but none would upset the power of Rome more than the refusal to say that the Emperor was a deity!

So even though at this time the Christians are persecuted by people...it has not yet reached the point of official, state sanctioned persecution. That will come later.

But look now at verse 17:
Here we see the apathy of Rome at work. Gallio would not prosecute Paul when falsely accused, but neither would he intervene when Sosthenes is beaten by the Greeks before his very judgment seat!

Why beat on poor Sosthenes?

Likely, after the dismissal of charges against Paul, he was taken to safety by his followers...so the crowds turned against someone known to be a Christian...Sosthenes.

This is conjecture on the part of the commentators, of course, but it seems to fit the bill. Sosthenes is referred by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians as a brother...

Matthew Henry:
"As for the Greeks that abused him, it is very probable that they were either Hellenist Jews, or Jewish Greeks, those that joined with the Jews in opposing the gospel and that the native Jews put them on to do it, thinking it would in them be less offensive. They were so enraged against Paul that they beat Sosthenes; and so enraged against Gallio, because he would not countenance the prosecution, that they beat him before the judgment-seat".

It was not an easy thing to call yourself a Christian in these early times!