Acts 18

After these things Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth.

He found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. He came to them,

and because he practiced the same trade, he lived with them and worked, for by trade they were tent makers.

He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded Jews and Greeks.

When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.

When they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his clothing and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!”

He departed there and went into the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.

Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.

The Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Don’t be afraid, but speak and don’t be silent;

for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”

He lived there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat,

saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”

But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If indeed it were a matter of wrong or of wicked crime, you Jews, it would be reasonable that I should bear with you;

but if they are questions about words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves. For I don’t want to be a judge of these matters.”

So he drove them from the judgment seat.

Then all the Greeks seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. Gallio didn’t care about any of these things.

Paul, having stayed after this many more days, took his leave of the brothers, and sailed from there for Syria, together with Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head in Cenchreae, for he had a vow.

He came to Ephesus, and he left them there; but he himself entered into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

When they asked him to stay with them a longer time, he declined;

but taking his leave of them, he said, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem, but I will return again to you if God wills.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.

When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the assembly, and went down to Antioch.

Having spent some time there, he departed and went through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, in order, establishing all the disciples.

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus. He was mighty in the Scriptures.

This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John.

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside, and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

When he had determined to pass over into Achaia, the brothers encouraged him; and wrote to the disciples to receive him. When he had come, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace;

for he powerfully refuted the Jews, publicly showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter records Paul’s extended ministry in Corinth, where he encountered both opposition and significant gospel advance, before transitioning to Ephesus and introducing Apollos, whose preaching would continue the work among Jews. It stands at a pivotal point in Acts, showing the growing shift toward Gentile mission while highlighting the importance of careful biblical instruction and faithful collaboration in the spread of the gospel.

Flow.

Paul begins his ministry in Corinth by working with Aquila and Priscilla and preaching in the synagogue, gaining converts including Crispus.
After Jewish rejection, Paul turns explicitly to the Gentiles, strengthened by a vision from the Lord affirming God’s presence and purpose in the city.
Hostility arises again, but Gallio’s refusal to intervene under Roman law marks a significant moment of imperial indifference to internal Jewish disputes, allowing the gospel to proceed without legal hindrance.
Paul’s journey to Ephesus and the subsequent ministry of Apollos, corrected and sent forth by Priscilla and Aquila, illustrate the continuity and precision of apostolic teaching.

Connections.
Following chapter 17, which ends with Paul’s controversial preaching in Athens and his partial reception there, chapter 18 shows a more sustained and fruitful ministry in Corinth, demonstrating the pattern of gospel advance through both Jewish resistance and God’s sovereign protection. The Lord’s assurance in 18:10 echoes the call to perseverance in the face of opposition, which chapter 19 takes up in Paul’s extended Ephesian ministry. The introduction of Apollos here sets the stage for the unfolding mission in Ephesus and the clarification of baptismal understanding in later chapters, showing how the early church preserved doctrinal fidelity through mature believers.

What it teaches.
God preserves His people and carries out His mission not through human success but through sovereign call and protection, as seen in Christ’s promise to Paul that “I have many people in this city” (WCF 3.4, 10.4). The conversion of Jews and Greeks in Corinth, the legal dismissal of charges under Gallio, and the correction of Apollos all underscore the priority of preaching Christ according to Scripture (HC LD 7). The episode with Apollos, who was “instructed in the way of the Lord” yet needed fuller understanding, highlights the necessity of accurate doctrine in the life of the church, particularly regarding baptism and the person of Christ (BC Article 26, CD 2.7). Paul’s vow at Cenchreae reflects continuity with Jewish piety under the old covenant, now fulfilled in Christ, without binding obligation for Gentile believers (WCF 20.1).

Apply.
Faithful ministry advances not through cultural favor or legal victory but through the patient, Spirit-led proclamation of Christ and the careful correction of one another in truth.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.