Act 18:1 | KingComments | STEP | The next destiny of Paul is Corinth, the capital of the province of Achaia. The city had two ports on the Mediterranean Sea and was a competitor of Athens. As a port city, it was a meeting point and residence for all kinds of nationalities. Like Athens, Corinth was known for its wisdom and scholarship, but even more for its great corruption and immorality. This is evidenced by the fact that the name of the city was made into a verb, ‘Corinthianizing’. That word means as much as ‘living in harlotry’. Paul does not come here with an attitude to teach a lesson to that worldly city. He is aware that he is entering a field where people do not take God and His commandments into account at all and where there is no respect whatsoever for human life. He comes there “in fear and in much trembling” ( ). To win them for the gospel, he has not made use of excellence of words or wisdom. That would not have convinced them of their sinfulness, but rather made them insensitive to the gospel. No, when he went to them, he had determined to know nothing among them “except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” ( ). In the face of all immorality, he presented Christ and Him crucified. He presented the Person of Christ and His work on the cross to them. Thus he announced God’s grace for them, and he also showed God’s judgment on sin in it.

‏ Acts 18:1

Paul Comes in Corinth

The next destiny of Paul is Corinth, the capital of the province of Achaia. The city had two ports on the Mediterranean Sea and was a competitor of Athens. As a port city, it was a meeting point and residence for all kinds of nationalities. Like Athens, Corinth was known for its wisdom and scholarship, but even more for its great corruption and immorality. This is evidenced by the fact that the name of the city was made into a verb, ‘Corinthianizing’. That word means as much as ‘living in harlotry’.

Paul does not come here with an attitude to teach a lesson to that worldly city. He is aware that he is entering a field where people do not take God and His commandments into account at all and where there is no respect whatsoever for human life. He comes there “in fear and in much trembling” (1Cor 2:3).

To win them for the gospel, he has not made use of excellence of words or wisdom. That would not have convinced them of their sinfulness, but rather made them insensitive to the gospel. No, when he went to them, he had determined to know nothing among them “except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1Cor 2:2).

In the face of all immorality, he presented Christ and Him crucified. He presented the Person of Christ and His work on the cross to them. Thus he announced God’s grace for them, and he also showed God’s judgment on sin in it.