1 Corinthians 1:13-17
1:13 a Paul asks three rhetorical questions, all expecting the obvious answer, “no.” Christian devotion is to be given to Christ, not to his messengers.1:14 b Crispus and Gaius were two of Paul’s earliest converts in Corinth. Crispus was a former leader of the synagogue in Corinth (see Acts 18:8 c), and Gaius later offered Paul the use of his home (see Rom 16:23 d). This might identify him with Titius Justus, an earlier convert to Judaism who lived next door to the synagogue (see Acts 18:7 e). His full Roman name would then be Gaius Titius Justus.
1:16 f The household of Stephanas were the first converts in the province of Achaia (southern Greece; see 16:15 g). Household refers to all who lived in the house, which might include more than Stephanas’s immediate family.
1:17 h The important thing is not baptism, but the preaching of the Good News; baptism signifies people’s response to the message.
• clever speech: Eloquence, or an appeal to human wisdom.
• for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power: Too much emphasis on eloquence and the persuasiveness of human reason can distract from the simple message that Christ died for people’s sins so that they could be forgiven (1 Cor 2:1-5 i; 15:1-3 j).
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