|
UNION GROVE CHURCH OF CHRIST, CLEVELAND TN. |
|
|
THE CONVERSION OF THE CORINTHIANS
Acts 18:1-11 is a record of the preaching and work that the apostle Paul did in the city of Corinth. What a great start the church of the Lord had in that ancient city! To the glory of God, ". . . many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized" (18:8). We see in the text of the Bible three important factors in the conversion of those lost souls: the preacher, the message, and the response of the hearers. The Preacher – The preacher was the apostle Paul, a former persecutor of the church (Acts 8:1; 9:1,2). In Corinth Paul at first "reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath" (18:4), then later he continued his teaching in the private house of Justus (18:7). Paul reasoned with people and persuaded them (18:4). This implies that in the preaching of the gospel there is an appeal to the intellect of the listeners. True conversion to the Christ is always preceded by both understanding and a personal choice to obey on the part of the one that is converted. As a preacher, Paul searched for fertile soil. When the Jews rejected the gospel message, Paul said, ". . . henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles" (18:6). Today we need to keep looking for good soil, that is, people that have "an honest and good heart" (Luke 8:15). Also, Paul did not shy away from "hard" cases. Among those whom Paul taught was Crispus, the chief ruler of the Jewish synagogue, certainly not one that many would count as "a great prospect." Yet, Crispus believed and was baptized (18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:14). The Message – To his listeners in Corinth Paul preached Jesus as the Christ or Messiah (18:5). Verse eleven describes Paul’s message as being "the word of God." Paul later wrote to the saints in Corinth and reminded them that he had preached "the gospel" unto them (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). "The Christ," "the word of God," "the gospel" – those are three terms that simply describe the same message. By the Spirit Paul preached only one message, not three. Why preach the gospel? Because it is God’s power unto salvation (Romans 1:16). Why preach the gospel? Because those who hear it, believe it, and obey it receive salvation (Mark 16:15,16). Why preach the gospel? Because only through it are men born again (1 Peter 1:22,23,25). In order to be saved, people need to hear the gospel of the Christ, not something that "is like" the gospel. Anything short of being the real gospel cannot save lost people! Let us hasten to add that we cannot entertain or party people into the Christ. We must with kindness, yet without apology, boldly proclaim the gospel to those that are lost outside of the Lord. God’s gospel is what draws people to Jesus for salvation (John 6:44,45). The response – Sadly, some who heard Paul’s preaching rejected it, opposing him and blaspheming (18:6). Thankfully, some of the residents of Corinth "received" the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1). Such a mixed response of some receiving the gospel and some rejecting it ought not surprise us. The book of Acts is filled with similar examples, such as, "And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not" (Acts 28:24). Remember, Paul, a great preacher, preached the greatest message, but still not everyone obeyed it. We can expect the same today. "And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized" (Acts 18:8). The expression "believed on the Lord" describes what Crispus did. The word "believed" is used in this case to mean an obedient faith that includes all that a lost person must do in order to receive the remission of sins. But Crispus was never baptized, was he? 1 Corinthians 1:14 says that he was baptized. Others were also saved in Corinth. And what did they do in order to be saved? Heard the gospel, believed it, and were baptized (Acts 18:8). There was one way, not two, for everyone in Corinth to be saved. Because "God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34), what He requires one lost person to do in order to be saved, He requires of all others. The conversion of the ancient Corinthians involved a faithful teacher, the right message and the right response to that message. Friend, have you obeyed the gospel? We urge you to respond to heaven’s invitation of salvation by believing in Jesus as the Son of God, repenting of every past sin, confessing your faith in the Christ, and being baptized for the remission of your sins. A life of faithful service to the Lord must follow baptism. -- Roger D. Campbell |
|
|