Acts of the Apostles (40)
Introduction
The next city that Paul came to was Corinth, which came to be the home of one of the more important churches in the New Testament. Two significant letters were written to these saints. Corinth is about 48 miles southwest of Athens, and is situated on the Isthmus of Corinth, a narrow strip of land that connected Attica (northern Achaia) from the Peloponnese (southern Achaia). The isthmus was narrow enough that before Christ a track had been carved out such that ships could be dragged across it. Corinth was an important trading center, with access to the sea in both eastern and western directions.
The Text
“After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. And when they 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. And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man’s house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat, Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law. And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you: But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such matters. And he drave them from the judgment seat. Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things” (Acts 18:1–17).
Summary of the Text
Paul left Athens and arrived in Corinth (v. 1). He there met Aquila and his wife Priscilla (v. 2). Aquila was a Jew from Pontus, which runs along the southern shore of the Black Sea. This couple was in Corinth at that time because the Emperor Claudius had recently banished all Jews from Rome (v. 2). They were tentmakers, as Paul was, and so he took up residence with them (v. 3). He took every sabbath as an opportunity to reason with both Jews and Greeks at the synagogue (v. 4), which means these Greeks were likely God-fearers. Silas and Timothy finally arrived, and Paul became more importunate, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ (v. 5). They reacted in opposition, even to the point of blasphemy, and so Paul shook the dust from his clothing saying that they had condemned themselves. He then turned to the Gentiles (v. 6). He moved house, moving in with Justus, a worshiper of God, and who lived right next door to the synagogue (v. 7). But after Paul had written off the Jews, the chief ruler of the synagogue, a man named Crispus, believed. And he and his entire house were baptized, and a large number of Corinthians believed also (v. 8). The Lord then encouraged Paul in a night vision, encouraging him to speak out because He had many people in this city. Paul would not be hurt (vv. 9-10). And so Paul taught there for a year and a half (v. 11). Gallio was the proconsul of Achaia at the time, and this enables us to date the planting of the Corinthian church at 51/52 A.D.
During Gallio’s tenure, the Jews made a concerted attack on Paul, dragging him before the judgment seat—which has recently been discovered in the old city (v. 12). Their accusation was that Paul was persuading men to worship God in ways contrary to (Roman) law (v. 13). Paul was about to defend himself when Gallio, who saw through the schemers, and threw the case out of court (vv. 14-15). The bailiff, or someone like him, escorted all of them forcibly to the curb (v. 16). There are clearly some elements to this unfolding drama that we don’t have because then it says that certain Greeks then beat up Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, but Gallio didn’t care (v. 17).
Gallio’s Inconsistency
We begin with at least some sympathy for Gallio. He was the brother of Seneca the philosopher, and we can understand why a Roman of his stature would not want to be dragged into arcane Jewish theological disputes. So far so good. But not only had Paul led Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue to the Lord a year and a half before, but now he had apparently done it again. This Sosthenes was apparently the next chief ruler of the synagogue, and he had also been converted (see 1 Cor. 1:1). There would be no good reason for assaulting him otherwise.
Gallio had begged off settling a theological dispute, but to have some Greeks assaulting an innocent man in front of the judgment seat was his business, and it was the kind of business that he had claimed he would attend to. As we consider this, our sympathy for Gallio begins to fade. The magistrate is a deacon of God, assigned the task of punishing the wrongdoer and rewarding the righteous (Rom. 13:4).
Tumultuous Grace
There is no way to introduce efficacious grace into a sinful world without causing turmoil. And the more abundant the grace, the more violent the reactions.
Remember that Paul was encouraged here in this city in that night vision. The Lord assured him that He had many people in this city (vv. 9-10). The genuine believers there were most dear to Paul (1 Cor. 4:14-15; 2 Cor. 6:11-13). There had been no riot in Athens, and why? Because that was a place where the elect just trickled in. Here, as in other places, the elect of God began to pour in. And what happened then?
Well, the Jews attacked them. And then the Greeks attacked. Then Gallio refused to help. And then, as we see from the two letters to the Corinthians that we have, not to mention a letter to them that we have from Clement, Paul’s good friend (Phil. 4:3), the church there was afflicted by internal dissensions and disruptions. Satan knows how to attack from without and from within. And every true reformation according to grace is going to be attacked both ways. The one reaction we should not display is that of being surprised.
The response to the gospel in Athens had been tepid, so they have a “good reputation.” No riots. The response to the gospel in Corinth had been extraordinarily strong—the grace of God was mighty there. When we look at all the problems they had, a bad takeaway would be that Corinth was a basket case of a church, a helicopter crash. No, the takeaway ought to be that Satan counterattacks with energy, and with all his weapons, whenever the grace of God moves powerfully. Is the goodness of God manifest? Is it manifest here, in our community? Absolutely. So expect controversy. Expect lies. Expect scandals. Expect friends to veer off into moronic behavior. Expect legal trouble. Reformations are never accomplished with the world providing a pleasant background sound of golf applause.
This is because Christ, the friend of sinners, has never been the friend of sin.