Acts 18:4-18

Preaching in Corinth

Following his normal pattern, Paul first preached in the synagogue in Corinth. During that time, Silas and Timothy once again joined the apostle's company. Silas may have come from Berea, while Timothy likely arrived from Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 3:1-2). Luke reported that about the time of their arrival Paul became fully immersed in telling the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. When the Jews rejected the truth and spoke against the Lord, Paul began to preach to the Gentiles.

Paul next did his preaching in the house of Justus, which was adjacent to the synagogue. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed and was baptized by the apostle's own hands. Those in Crispus' family and many other Corinthians also believed and were baptized (Acts 18:4-8; 1 Corinthians 1:14).

The Lord then reassured Paul, in a vision, and encouraged him to continue preaching in Corinth. He promised that Paul would not be harmed and assured the apostle that there were many more who would obey the gospel.

The Jews brought Paul to the judgment seat before Gallio when he was proconsul of Achaia. They accused Paul of preaching contrary to Moses' law, but Gallio drove them out without trying the case because it did not have anything to do with Roman law. Some of the Greeks seized Sosthenes, the new ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before Gallio's judgment seat without the proconsul taking any notice. So, Paul worked on in Corinth for some time before taking leave of the brethren and sailing for Syria with Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:9-18). Luke also reported that the apostle took a vow in Cenchrea and had his head shorn.