Chapter 18

Verse 1 – “departed from Athens.” The word “departed” in the Greek means to withdraw, to leave under conditions of resentment, to sever connections because there is no interest. Romans 1:18-32 describes the general attitude in Athens. They had rejected the gospel/work of Christ. Christ was clearly presented to these people but in the presentation they rejected it, primarily because the means of salvation is faith, the only non-meritorious system of perception. Most of these people were either Stoics or Epicureans who used rationalism, which will not work according to 1 Corinthians 2:5-16. They rejected Christ and stood on whatever human good they had accumulated. There were over 30,000 idols in Athens, which means there was a great concentration of demon activity, and very few people responded to the gospel. So Paul severed all connection with them and moved on; “and came to Corinth.” Paul is going to have an eighteen-month ministry here which is going to be very fruitful. Thousands of people will accept Christ as saviour.

Verse 2 – “And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy,” because of the decree of Claudius which expelled the Jews; “with his wife Priscilla,” a Gentile Roman citizen of great nobility.

“and [Paul] came unto them” – here is the contact.

Verse 3 – “And because he was of the same craft.” Paul had been in the same business; “wrought for them” – produced for them. When Paul first came to Corinth he worked for a living. This is a part of the law of expediency so that people would not say that Paul was in the business of giving out the gospel so he could make money from it. Because he was working for a living Paul was very limited as to what he could do in Corinth and it was not until later on when a gift came from Macedonia that he was able to stop working and devote his full time to teaching and preaching.

Verse 4 – his ministry begins. “And he reasoned in the synagogue.” The word for “reason” is dialegomai which means to utilise categories to communicate information, to dispute. The categories which he used were Old Testament doctrines.

“and persuaded” – kept on persuading, imperfect linear aktionsart; “the Jews and the Greeks.” So he was successful with both Jews and Gentiles as far as his ministry was concerned.

Verse 5 – “Paul was pressed in the spirit.” The Greek actually says he was influenced by the Word. It should read, “And when Silas and Timothy were come from Macedonia, Paul was influenced [or, pressurised] by the word.”

It is at this point that Paul writes 1 Thessalonians because Timothy and Silas had some things to report from Thessalonica that were disturbing. He also writes to thank them for the monetary gift which makes it possible for him to be financially independent, to refrain from taking an offering from the Corinthians, and now to continue his ministry on a full scale basis. So now he is ready to go and the only pressure he has is the pressure of the Word. To be influenced by the Word means study.

“and testified” – the word means to declare or communicate vigorously.

Verse 6 – “And when they [the Jews] opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.” Here is his change of policy. “Opposed themselves” – the Greek word a)ntitassw means to form an organised opposition, to form ranks against him. The word “blaspheme” means to malign. This is when Paul begins to have a great ministry.

Verse 7 – Paul moves next door and starts a church.

Verse 8 – “And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue believed on the Lord.” In Corinth Paul is going to be responsible for two of the most prominent Jews in the town, Crispus and Sosthenes; “with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.” Now everything is breaking out. The word “believed” here is in the imperfect tense, which means it went on habitually and continually.

Verse 9 – “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision.” The night seems to be the time when the depression and despondency of Paul reached its peak, and this point the Lord actually speaks to Paul. This gives him some information and anticipation of the great victory which is about to break out in the next eighteen months. The aorist tense indicates a point of time when Paul especially needed this type of information; “be not afraid” – part of this discouragement and occupational hazard was apparently fright in some sense. Apparently Paul was not only engaged in some kind of fear and despondency but he had also more or less closed up and no longer communicating the Word. He had been communicating to the Jews and there was a tremendous rumble in the synagogue which would become open opposition in a moment and the violence of the mob.

“but speak” – the communication of doctrine. It is a present active imperative and it means don’t speak once or twice, but keep it up. It is the constant and continual communication of the Word of God that changes the situation as nothing else will do it. From the stability created by this communication of doctrine things are really going to get hot and move in Corinth; “and hold not thy peace,” i.e. Do not keep silent. This is an aorist active subjunctive followed by a present active imperative—keep on doing it. The aorist active subjunctive says, Don’t be silent in any point of time when you have a chance to communicate doctrine, even though you are going to be tempted to keep silent because of the opposition and discourtesy and many other factors. The subjunctive mood indicates the potentiality of the pressures on Paul finally getting him down, and yet Paul is going to get up and move on. Paul’s dejection and despondency could very easily silence him permanently as he observes Jews in the synagogue who are indifferent to the Word of God, and in his witnessing he hasn’t at this juncture had much success.

Verse 10 – Paul is not really doing this because of people. He is obviously at this moment rather despondent, but the purpose of his ministry is not people reaction but his doing it as unto the Lord. “For I am with thee, and no man shall set upon thee [assault thee] to hurt you: for I have much people in this city.” Paul has only been dealing with the Jews up to this point in Corinth with only a minimum contact with Gentiles. But in the Gentile segment of the city there are thousands of people who went on positive volition at the point of God-consciousness. These people are now ready.

Verse 11 – “teaching the word of God among them.” The word “teaching” is his ministry, a present active participle, and meant he kept on communicating the Word of God. This summarizes the rest of the chapter with regard to Corinth. But he continued there eighteen months because a mob rose up against him and sought his destruction. Behind this mob was religion. Religion, which is Satanic, is often behind the mob.

Verse 12 – “And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia.” The word “deputy” means proconsul. Gallio was brilliant in the field of law and very fair minded, and also a man of great strength of character. He was also famous for his impeccable manners.

“the Jews made insurrection” – the Greek word katepesthmi [kata = against; i(sthmi = to stand] means to stand against, and eventually to put a mob against. It means here to suddenly develop a mob and rush upon someone. The Jews developed a mob against Paul. Here is religion using mob violence in order to eliminate the truth; “and brought him to the judgment seat.”

Verse 13 – “persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.” They are talking about Roman law and have brought Paul to the Roman judge, the highest representative of Rome outside of Rome itself. The Roman empire tolerated the Jewish religion, providing it did not proselytise Roman citizens. By attempting to prove that Paul was violating the Roman law they hoped to do one of two things. In their accusation they were simply getting things started. They hoped that Gallio would use Roman law to get rid of Paul, or that after proving that he was in violation of Jewish law Gallio would turn him over to the Jews, and the Jews would get rid of him. They thought they had a watertight case. It must be understood that the entire accusation is not given; the entire case is not given; it is merely summarized.

Verse 14 – here is a judge who is so smart that he doesn’t even allow the person to defend himself. The Jews have brought this case on the basis of Roman law and therefore the judge must judge on the basis of Roman law. “And when Paul was about to open his mouth. He had the right to defend himself under Roman law, he knew this, and he was about to speak in his own defence. But he didn’t have to. Gallio actually threw this out of court because it was a violation of Roman law. He saw that Roman law was being used as an expediency.

“If it were a matter of wrong” – the word for “wrong” means a civil indictment; “or wicked lewdness” means a criminal act. In other words, if it is a matter of a civil indictment or a criminal act. “ye Jews, according to your reason, then I would put up with you,” i.e. I would listen to your indictment; I would have the case tried.

Verse 15 – “But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law [your system of doctrine], look ye to it.” In this case the state refuses to enter into a religious controversy. The state has no right to resolve religious controversies, it’s job is to protect the rights of individuals to make their own decisions. “I will be no judge of such matters.” In other words, the Roman law has no jurisdiction over your personal religious viewpoints.

Verse 16 – “And he drove them from the judgment seat.” He threw the case out of court.

Verse 17 – The Greeks of Corinth had been standing around listening to the trial and the decision of Gallio has caught their admiration. The realised they had a Roman representative who would govern in an equitable manner. They were so elated over the fact that there was going to be a system of government that recognised the rights of the individual that they beat Sosthenes up. 1 Corinthians 1:1, Paul addressed himself to Sosthenes especially. So Sosthenes became a believer.

“And Gallio cared for none of those things” – this sentence is not connected with the beating. Gallio did not know about the beating. This says, “No one of these things was a care to Gallio,” i.e. an idiom which says, “These matters did not come under his jurisdiction, his personal responsibility.” What was not a matter of Roman law was the religious controversy, not the beating of Sosthenes.

Verse 18 – the introduction to the ministry at Ephesus in chapter nineteen. “And Paul tarried there yet a good while [eighteen months], and then took his leave [departed] of the brethren, and sailed toward Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.” The Jews had a custom that whenever someone was delivered from a very serious crisis he would take a vow. This was not a legalistic vow such as Paul took in Jerusalem. This is not a vow in the absolute sense of the word, it is a recognition of the grace of God. God had delivered Priscilla and Aquila—cf. Romans 16. As a result Aquila took not actually a vow but something more like communion: a memorial vow, which means that he agreed to go a period of time he would not cut his hair. He shaved his head because the vow was over.

Verse 19 – “And he came to Ephesus, and left them there.” This is summarizing the entire verse. Paul will go it alone.

“but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews” – reasoning simply means that from the Old Testament Scriptures he taught them the gospel.

Verse 20 – Paul resisted because God had other things for him to do. There is a right time and a wrong time, and this is a matter of timing. “When they desired him to tarry longer.” This was an intense desire, they begged him to stay longer; “he consented not” – he knew that this was not God’s time for him.

Verse 21 – “the feast that cometh in Jerusalem” is the feast of Pentecost.

Verse 22 – Paul’s interim itinerary begins. “And when he had landed at Caesarea” – a port on the Mediterranean; “and gone up, and saluted the church” – the church at Jerusalem. He only greeted them; he didn’t stay, the reason being legalism. Legalism has now taken over the church at Jerusalem and is becoming worse and worse: “he went down to Antioch” – 300 miles north of Jerusalem. This was his home church.

Verse 23 – indicates simply that he was there for a while and then began his third missionary journey. “And after he had spent some time there.” The time is unknown, but apparently he stayed and rested, and ministered to these people as he had in the past.

“and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, to strengthen all the disciples.” This should be translated “Galatia even Phrygia.” That means south Galatia, the area of the first and second missionary journeys. This is the area where the people were generally unstable, as indicated by the epistle to the Galatians. They are up and down, and either very enthusiastic for the Word or very unenthusiastic.

Verse 24 – “And a certain Jew named Apollos.” “A certain Jew” means a Jew marked out by God in His plan, a Jew who was going to be used in a special way’ “born at Alexandria” – Alexandria had the greatest concentration of Jews in the ancient world at that time.

Verse 25 – “This man was instructed in the way of the Lord.” In other words, he was also a believer. His instruction is limited but he is well versed in certain types of Bible doctrine. He does have a serious gap—no understanding of dispensations—but he is great in Old Testament doctrine.

“and being fervent in spirit” – he was controlled by the Holy Spirit, and when he was he was zealous. The word “fervent means to be zealous; “he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord” – what he knew he taught well; “knowing only the baptism of John” – this was as close as he came to Church Age truth. John the Baptist declared Christ—John 1:29; he understood relationship with the Lord – John 3:30; he talked in terms of “repent ye” – Matthew 3:2, meaning a change of attitude toward Christ; he was very accurate in the mechanics of salvation – Acts 19:4.

Verse 26 – “boldly,” i.e. with confidence. He went to the synagogue in Ephesus and spoke with confidence.

“the way of God more perfectly” – the Greek says, “more accurately.” In other words, he was completely missing as far as information on the Church Age was concerned.

Verse 27 – “And when he was disposed to pas into Achaia [southern Greece], thee brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him.” In other words, here is a man who is great in the Scriptures and he will minister to you.

“who, when he was come, helped them much who had believed” – those who were born again believers were greatly benefited by the ministry of Apollos.

Verse 28 – “For he mightily convinced [using the categorical method of teaching doctrine] the Jews, and that publicly, showing by means of the scriptures that Jesus was [kept on being] Christ.”