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Acts 18:9–11
“The Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people’” (vv. 9–10).
Enemies of the gospel in the synagogue at Corinth strongly opposed Paul’s evangelistic work there (Acts 18:6). The Apostle was no stranger to such antagonism, for Jews had managed to force him out of Thessalonica and Berea earlier during his second missionary journey (17:1–15). This time, however, Paul would not be leaving the city of Corinth earlier than he had planned. Instead, he would be ministering there for much longer than he had in any other city to that point.
Today’s passage helps us understand that one of the reasons that Paul stayed a long time in Corinth was a vision from the Lord Himself. One night when the Apostle was in Corinth, God spoke to him, telling him not to fear but to go on speaking, for the Lord would protect him from harm while he was there. In other cities, the Apostle sometimes suffered violence, but in Corinth he would enjoy divine protection. Paul would not leave the city before he was ready (18:9–10).
God was protecting Paul in Corinth because many people in the city were His people (v. 10). The Lord’s statement assumes the truth of the doctrine of election unto salvation. Paul could do his work, confident that it would bear fruit, for God already knew that many Corinthians would believe through the Apostle’s preaching. Yet God did not merely know what would happen in some kind of passive way, as if He could merely foresee the future or see into the hearts of others. Instead, the Lord knew that He had many people in Corinth because He had chosen them in Christ from all eternity (Eph. 1:3–4). Matthew Henry comments, “The Lord knows those that are his, yea, and those that shall be his; for it is by his work upon them that they become his.” The doctrine of election and God’s sovereign regenerating work to give people new hearts actually gives us confidence in evangelism. Because we know that God has a chosen people and has ordained whatsoever comes to pass, we know that preaching the gospel is never in vain. It will certainly bring about the salvation of all those whom the Lord has elected (see also Isa. 55:10–11).
Acts 18:11 reports that Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, with commentators suggesting that he labored there from the fall of AD 50 to the spring of 52. As the Corinthian epistles demonstrate, Paul labored hard in that city to establish the church in Corinth in the Word of God.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Paul could preach the gospel with confidence because he knew that God had many people in that city. We do not know where God’s people who have not yet converted are. We do know that the Lord has His people around the world who, whether they know it or not, are waiting to hear the gospel and be converted to Christ. We can support the work of evangelizing the world, knowing that such efforts are never in vain.
For further study
- Genesis 25:19–26
- Matthew 22:14
- Romans 9:1–29
- 1 Corinthians 2:1–5
The bible in a year
- Psalms 96–98
- Romans 12