1 Corinthians 16:15-24

June 2, 2019

Lord’s Day Worship

Sean Higgins

The sermon starts at 16:25 in the audio file.

Or, The Difference Between Maranatha and Anathema

We have made it to the final sentences in Paul’s epistle to the saints in Corinth. There are a few more things to observe and then I want to make some letter-wide observations myself. I’ve spent a lot of hours with half a dozen commentators over the last two years and, as usually happens at the end of the kind of commentaries I read, I feel sort of let down when I come to their final comments on the last verse with no, “So this!” to follow. I think we should ask what we learned. How did this part of the Lord’s living sword cut us up as living sacrifices?

Last Lord’s Day we considered the five exhortations in verses 13-14. From verse 15 to the end we see some more typical parts of a Hellenistic first-century letter, with some notable Christian additions. Paul mentions the men who brought him the Corinthians’ letter, he mentions greetings from fellow believers to the Corinthians, and he writes his own greeting, warning, prayer, and blessing.

The Letters Carriers (verses 15-18)

Though Paul doesn’t refer to their letter to him or his letter back (though he does mention the latter in verse 21), there is no reason for him to mention these three men in the way he does unless they were the sent representatives of the Corinthians. These guys weren’t on a business trip or vacation to Ephesus and just happened to run into the apostle.

Now I urge you, brothers — you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints — be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer.

There is some good stuff in here. Of smallest focus, but still noteworthy, is that the household of Stephanas were converts, and of a mature enough age with capacity for having devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I mention it at least to say that arguments are made for things that happen to whole households, especially when it comes to baptism, that must have included the babies. But here is at least one household where all of them were converts who were old enough to commit to ministering to others.

These were the first converts in the region, the “first-fruits,” same word as used in 1 Corinthians 15:20. As such Paul saw them as proof that more converts were coming, and the work of Stephanas gave further indication.

They devoted themselves to the work, they “put themselves in line…for such service; they made a regular business of it” (Lenski). The KJV: “they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.”

Because of the household’s service, the Corinthians were to be subject to them. When men give themselves for others, pay attention to them. When a man tries to push you into doing what he won’t, don’t follow. When a man serves you and shows an example of jumping up to serve and then asks you to jump, you should ask: how high?

I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such men.

Stephanas and his household were baptized by Paul (see chapter 1:16). Fortunatus and Achaicus are both Roman/Latin names, and could be slaves or even freedmen who had joined the household.

The ESV translation makes sense of the nature of the visit to Paul. Paul received the presence of the three men as the representation of “what was lacking” (NAS), which was the presence of the Corinthians. “They were a little bit of Corinth” to Paul (Thiselton). Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus had been sent with the letter that Paul has been responding to throughout this letter, and no doubt they carry Paul’s letter back to them. If there were others who brough[...]