Paul In Corinth; Acts 18: 1 – 17 Part 3

Church History: Date: A.D. 49-52

Paul declared himself finished them, and left them to perish in their unbelief. He had done his part, and was clean from the blood of their souls; he had, like a faithful watchman, given them warning, and thereby had delivered his soul, though he could not prevail to deliver theirs. He had tried everything, but all was in vain, so that if they perish in their unbelief their blood is not on his hands. They would certainly perish if they persisted in their unbelief, and the blame would lie wholly upon themselves: "Your blood be upon your own heads, you will be your own destroyers, your nation will be ruined in this world, and particular persons will be ruined in the other world, and you alone shall bear it." If anything would frighten them at last into a compliance with the gospel, surely this would.7

Upon leaving the synagogue, he was not driven into the streets for a meeting-place; but, as was usually the case, while he was urging, with so little success, the claims of Jesus upon the Jews, at least one Gentile, who had learned to worship the true God, heard him more favorably, and offered him the use of his private dwelling, which stood close by. Justus was not yet a disciple, but, as suits the meaning of his name, he was disposed to see justice done to the persecuted apostle.8

Crispus was the chief ruler of the synagogue. He held an office of considerable consequence; and therefore his conversion to Christianity must have been very galling to the Jews. It belonged to the chief or ruler of the synagogue to preside in all the assemblies, interpret the law, decide concerning things lawful and unlawful, punish the refractory, excommunicate the rebellious, solemnize marriages, and issue divorces. It is likely that, on the conversion of Crispus, Sosthenes was chosen to succeed him. Many of the Corinthians to whom the Luke refers were probably Gentiles, and were the fruits of the apostle's labors after he had ceased to preach among the Jews.