Lessons #595 and 596
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
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Paul’s Travel Plans (1 Cor 16:5-9)
5 After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you—for I will be going through Macedonia. 6 Perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.
In our last study we indicated that the section before us is concerned with the future travel plans of Apostle Paul and his immediate plan for the ministry of God’s word. Based on the apostle’s concern, we stated the message that is derived from our passage that is applicable to us. This message is that You should make your plans subject to the Lord’s approval while effectively carrying out His plan that you already know. Thus far, we have considered the apostle’s travel plans that involve a visit to Macedonia and then to come to Corinth where he planned to spend the winter. We indicated that there is more to the travel plans of the apostle but that we will continue with it in our today’s study. So, it is with the more information the apostle provided regarding his planned visit to Corinth that we begin our study this morning.
Apostle Paul was in Ephesus as he wrote this epistle to the Corinthians and so his travel plans were ones that he intended to follow subject to God’s plan once he left Ephesus. Naturally, the Corinthians would have expected the apostle to come directly to them from Ephesus for after all he went to Ephesus from Corinth on a ship as implied in Acts 18:18–19:
18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
Furthermore, to come to Corinth from Macedonia implies that the apostle would have to travel partly by land and partly by sea. This would not make sense to a person who lived in Corinth when he could have just taken a ship to come to them and then proceed from Corinth to Macedonia retracing his route during the apostle’s second missionary journey in which he came from Macedonia to Athens then to Corinth as stated in Acts 17:13–15:
13 When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
When the apostle left Athens, he went to Corinth as recorded in Acts 18:1:
After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
It was from Corinth that he went to Ephesus. As we have indicated, it would not make sense to the Corinthians that the apostle would go out of his way before coming to them in a roundabout way. The apostle, being aware of this fact, needed to provide an explanation or justification for his planned route of travels. It is this that he provided with a Greek conjunction (gar) that is not translated in the 1984 edition of the NIV and some other English versions such as the NRSV, the TEV and a few others but translated “for” the in the 2011 edition of the NIV as well as many other English versions such as the NASB, the ESV, the NET and a host of other English versions. The Greek conjunction (gar) translated “for” in many of our English versions in 1 Corinthians 16:7 has several usages. For example, it can be used as a marker of inference with the meaning “so, then, by all means” or it can be used as a marker of cause or reason for something in which case it may be translated “for, because.” In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:7, it is used as a marker of reason or justification for the apostle’s travel plans that would take him roundabout way through Macedonia to get him to Corinth.
The reason or justification for the travel plans of the apostle that would take him to Macedonia before coming to Corinth is that he wanted to avoid a hurried visit or a visit that he would not have much time with the Corinthians because he feels that there are matters in Macedonia he needs to address by his personal visit to that region. It is this reason that is given in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 16:7 I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit or literally For (I) do not want to see you now in passing.
The apostle expressed a strong desire as it pertains to his travel plans to Corinth. This we say firstly, because of the word “not” is translated from a Greek word (ou) that is an objective negative, denying the reality of alleged fact fully and absolutely in contrast to another Greek negative (mē) that is a subjective negative, implying a conditional and hypothetical negation. Thus, the apostle states strongly what he does not desire for the Corinthians as it pertains to his travel plans. Secondly, the Greek verb translated “want” in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 16:7 I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit is placed forward in the Greek text implying that the apostle wanted to emphasize the word since verbs are not usually placed first in a Greek sentence unless the writer wants to emphasize what is conveyed in the verb. Anyhow, the word “want” is translated from a Greek verb (thelō) that may mean “to wish to have, desire, want,” that is, to have a desire for something as Apostle Paul used it to describe what he wanted Roman believers to do about being wise regarding what is good, as stated in Romans 16:19:
Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
The word may mean to have something in mind for oneself and so means “to purpose, will, wish, decide.” It is with the meaning “to decide” that the word is used in the NIV to describe Jesus’ decision to travel to Galilee from the regions of Bethany in John 1:43:
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
It is with the meaning “to wish” that Apostle Paul used it in his question to the Galatians of desiring to be enslaved back to what they had been freed from in Galatians 4:9:
But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
The word may mean “to choose” as Apostle Paul used it to describe those God has chosen to reveal Christ as we read in Colossians 1:27:
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
The word may mean to take pleasure in something in view of its being desirable and so means “to enjoy, like, take pleasure in something” as Apostle Paul used it to describe false individuals in Colossae that took pleasure in false humility and in the worship of angels in Colossians 2:18:
Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.
The word may mean “to have an opinion,” “to think something to be so,” that is, “to maintain” something that is contrary to the true state of affairs as it is used to describe false teachers whose opinion is described in 2 Peter 3:5:
But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
The clause they deliberately forget is literally in maintaining this it escapes them. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:7, the Greek word means “to desire” or “to want strongly.”
The thing the apostle does not want strongly to happen is given in the verbal phrase of 1 Corinthians 16:7 to see you now and make only a passing visit. A literal translation reads to see you now in passing. The verbal phrase to see is more than perceiving someone with the eyes. This is because the word “see” is translated from a Greek word (horaō) that may mean “to perceive” mentally or spiritually as the word is used to describe what Apostle Peter became aware about Simon the Sorcerer, as stated in Acts 8:23:
For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.
Peter did not just mean to see an object with the eyes. No! He meant he perceived the spiritual state of Simon as being filled with bitterness at the success of Philip’s preaching and the ability of the apostles to confer the Spirit. The word may mean “to see” in the sense of perceiving with the eyes as it is used to describe those who saw the Lord Jesus after His resurrection as Apostle Paul stated in Acts 13:31:
and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.
The word may mean “to see” in the sense of “to meet” as it is used to described what Paul and Silas did after they were released from the prison in Philippi in that they met and encouraged believers as reported in Acts 16:40:
After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left.
The sentence they met with the brothers is literally having seen the brethren. Considering that Paul and Silas encouraged the believers in Philippi, the word “saw” has the sense of “met with.” The Greek word may mean “to see” in the sense of “to visit” as that is the sense the word is used to describe Apostle Paul’s plan to travel to Rome as stated in Acts 19:21:
After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.”
The sentence I must visit Rome also is more literally it is necessary for me to see Rome also. Paul does not mean that he wants to see Rome as someone would see an object; instead, he meant he wanted to visit Rome. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:7, the word is used with the meaning of “to see” in the sense of “to visit,” that is, “to go to see for a visit.” Thus, to see you now may be translated to visit you now.
The visit the apostle had in mind is not to be very brief and so he qualified this visit in the verbal phrase of 1 Corinthians 16:7 now and make only a passing visit or literally now in passing. The word “now” is translated from a Greek word (arti) that concerns immediate moment. The Greek word may mean “just now” to refer to an immediate past. The word may mean “now.” In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:7, it means “now” in the sense of “immediately” or “soon,” so that the apostle meant he was not about to come to the Corinthians any time soon. That aside, the literal translation now in passing indicates the apostle was concerned with the manner of the visit because of the word in is translated from a Greek preposition (en) that has several meanings but, in our passage, it is used as a marker of manner of an action or event so that the translation “in” is proper. The preposition is used in connection with the phrase passing visit of the NIV or passing in the literal translation. The word “passing” is translated from a Greek word (parodos) that appears in the Septuagint with the meaning “traveler, passer-by” as the word is used in the parable Prophet Nathan used to convey to David of his sins of adultery and murder as described in 2 Samuel 12:4:
“Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”
The word appears only once in the Greek NT in the passage we are studying with the meaning “passage”, that is, the act of moving to a point of reference and continuing on one’s journey to the next place, but with possibility of a stopover. Hence, the apostle did not want his visit to Corinth at the time he wrote to be so brief that it could be seen as a stopover because he was going to attend to urgent matters, say, in Macedonia.
In any case, the apostle provided a reason or justification for him not wanting to visit the Corinthians first in his travel plans under consideration. We know he provided a reason for the strong desire of not wanting to visit the Corinthians first because the apostle used the same Greek conjunction (gar) we mentioned at the beginning of verse 7 to begin that last clause of the verse although the translators of the NIV did not translate it. The English versions that translated it did so with such words as “for” as in the NASB or “since” in the NET or “but” in the revised edition of the NAB. This notwithstanding, the apostle used it to provide further justification for not wanting a hurried visit to Corinth that will be implied in the expression passing visit of the NIV.
The reason the apostle does not want to simply stopover in Corinth, probably on his way to Macedonia, is his desire to spend some time with the Corinthians as he intended to instruct them further and help them in their spiritual life in view of the many problems they were having as implied in his statement And when I come I will give further directions in 1 Corinthians 11:34. It is this justification that is given in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 16:7 I hope to spend some time with you.
The word “hope” is translated from a Greek word (elpizō) that has two general meanings. The word may mean “to look forward to something, with implication of confidence about something coming to pass” so means “to hope, hope for” as it is used to describe the widow who looks forward to God’s assistance as she prays to Him as we read in 1 Timothy 5:5:
The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.
The other meaning of the word is “to look forward to something, in view of the measures one takes to ensure fulfillment” hence means “to expect” as it is used by Apostle Paul to commend the action of the Macedonian churches regarding the contributions of the Gentile churches for assisting believers in Judea as we read in 2 Corinthians 8:5:
And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:7, the word means “to hope” in the sense of “to expect and wish for something.”
The action the apostle expects and wishes to take place is given in the verbal phrase of 1 Corinthians 16:7 to spend some time with you. The word “spend” is translated from a Greek word (epimenō) that may mean “to stay,” that is, to remain at or in the same place for a period of time as Apostle Paul used it to describe the time he spent in Jerusalem with Apostle Peter after his conversion as he narrated in Galatians 1:18:
Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days.
The word may mean “to continue in an activity” described with various words. For example, it is used in the sense of “to persist” to describe that God will graft Israel back if they do not continue in unbelief as we read in Romans 11:23:
And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
The word may mean “to persevere” as Apostle Paul used it to encourage Timothy and so all pastors to stay the course in teaching doctrine and living out what they teach as stated in 1 Timothy 4:16:
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:7, the word means “to remain” or “to stay put” in a certain place. So, the apostle’s reason for the itinerary he had for his travels that takes him first to Macedonia and then to Corinth is that he wanted to stay with them for at least the time defined by him in terms of spending the winter with them.
We had previously indicated that the apostle was aware that his travel plan is subject to the Lord’s approval. We discussed previously this awareness of the apostle without so much any reference to the passage we are considering. Nonetheless, the apostle gave the basis of our assertion about him being aware that his travel plan is subject to the Lord’s approval. It is this that he gave in the last conditional clause of 1 Corinthians 16:7 if the Lord permits.
The word “Lord” is translated from a Greek word (kyrios) that may mean “owner” as it is used to describe the owners of the colt that Jesus requested to be brought to Him for His entrance into Jerusalem, as recorded in Luke 19:33:
As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
The word may mean “lord, master” as a person in a position of authority. It is in this sense that the word is used to describe Abraham in relationship to his wife, Sarah, as one with authority hence Sarah described Abraham as her master meaning that he has authority over her, in 1 Peter 3:6:
like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
The word may be used to describe God in a general sense without distinction to the person of the Godhead in view as in Matthew 4:7:
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
The phrase Lord your God implies that “Lord” refers to God without distinction of the persons of the Godhead. It is in the sense of God the Father that the word is used Lord Jesus’ praise of God the Father as recorded in in Matthew 11:25:
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
The word “Lord” may refer to the Jesus Christ. This may be the case in some quotations from the OT Scripture. Take for example, in Jesus’ quotation from Psalms in the question He posed to the Pharisees as reported in Matthew 22:43–45:
43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, 44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ 45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”
The Lord Jesus quoted from Psalm 110:1 where we have the sentence The Lord said to my Lord. In this psalm “Lord” refers to God in a general sense of the supreme creator whereas the phrase my Lord refers to the promised Messiah who is, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, the second “Lord” refers to Jesus Christ. The word “Lord” is applied to Jesus even when there is no quotation from the OT. Thus, the word was applied to Him when He had ordered His disciples to get Him the colt, He would ride into Jerusalem in Luke 19:31:
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
The word is applied more often to the Lord Jesus Christ in the epistles of Apostle Paul, as for example, in Ephesians 3:11:
according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The apostle’s use of the word to refer to Jesus Christ implies that he recognized Him as God as, for example, in Romans 12:11:
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
As we have indicated, the apostle uses the word “Lord” to refer to Jesus Christ, so, if he encouraged serving the Lord, he must mean serving and worshipping the Lord. The apostle would not have in any form advocated for worship of any being other than God so even in this passage in Romans 12, he implied that Jesus Christ is God. As we have stated, Apostle Paul, when he is not quoting from the OT uses the word “Lord” often to describe Jesus although in some passages it is difficult to be certain whether he means Jesus Christ or God in a general sense, as in 1 Thessalonians 4:6:
and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you.
This notwithstanding, the point is that Apostle Paul used the Greek word translated “Lord” to describe Jesus Christ as the One that would approve of his travel plans.
Jesus Christ’s approval of the apostle’s travel plan is conveyed in the clause of 1 Corinthians 16:7 if the Lord permits. The word “permits” is translated from a Greek word (epitrepō) that means “to allow someone to do something,” hence means “to allow, to permit.” It is in the sense of “to permit” that the word is used in the prohibition of women teaching men in a church setting as Apostle Paul used it in 1 Timothy 2:12:
I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.
It is with the meaning “to allow” that the word is used to describe the kindness of the Roman centurion, Julius, showed Apostle Paul in allowing him to visit his friends while the ship taking him to Rome to stand trial docked at Sidon as we read in Acts 27:3:
The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians16:7, it is used with the sense of “to permit,” that is, to allow someone to do something.
Apostle Paul knew by experience that the Lord could alter his travel plan in accordance with His own plan. During the apostle’s second missionary journey, the Holy Spirit would not permit Him to preach in certain regions as stated in Acts 16:6–7:
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
The apostle was kept from preaching the word in the province of Asia. Literally, the Greek reads in Asia. The literal phrase refers to the Roman province of Asia (modern Asia Minor). The UBS handbook on Acts suggests that a narrow sense “Asia” could be used of the coastal region of the province along the Aegean Sea where the seven cities referred to in Revelation 2–3 were located. In addition, the Holy Spirit described as the Spirit of Jesus would not allow the apostle and his team to go to Bithynia. The point is that the apostle knew by experience that the Lord could change his planned route of travel.
The apostle’s declaration in the clause of 1 Corinthians 16:7 if the Lord permits should remind us, as we have previously stated, that there is nothing wrong with making plans but only that we should understand that it is God’s plan that will ultimately materialize as stated in Proverbs 19:21:
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
The words “plans” and “purpose” in this passage are equivalent. You see, the word “plans” is translated from a Hebrew word (mǎḥǎšāḇāh) that is translated “purpose” as it relates to God’s plan against Babylon as stated in Jeremiah 51:29:
The land trembles and writhes, for the LORD’s purposes against Babylon stand— to lay waste the land of Babylon so that no one will live there.
Likewise, the word “purpose” in Proverbs 19:21 is translated from a Hebrew word (ʿēṣāh) that has the meaning “plan” in describing what God intended to do to Judah and Jerusalem as recorded in Jeremiah 19:7:
“‘In this place I will ruin the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, at the hands of those who seek their lives, and I will give their carcasses as food to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
Thus, there should be no doubt that “plan” and “purpose” in Proverb 19:21 are interchangeable. This being the case, it is proper to state we should make plans but be assured that only what is God’s plan will come to fruition. Another thing the clause of 1 Corinthians 16:7 if the Lord permits should remind us is that we are not the architect of our destiny despite what some say that they took their destiny in their hands and made something out of their lives. Such a notion is invalidated by the assertion in Jeremiah 10:23:
I know, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.
Still another thing the clause of 1 Corinthians 16:7 if the Lord permits should remind us is to prefix our plans and promises with this clause as the Holy Spirit instructed in James 4:13–15:
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
In any case, Apostle Paul contrasts his future travel plans with his immediate plan based on what God had revealed to him. The idea of contrast is introduced with the conjunction but that begins verse 8 of 1 Corinthians 16. The word “but” is translated from a Greek particle (de) that may be used to connect one clause to another, either to express contrast or simple continuation but in certain occurrences the marker may be left untranslated. In 1 Corinthians 16:8, it is used as a marker of contrast between future travel plans of the apostle and his current state of affairs regarding his travels in relation to the ministry.
The apostle’s immediate plan is to continue to stay in Ephesus for a defined period of time subject to the Lord’s approval. It is this immediate plan that is given in 1 Corinthians 16:8 I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost.
The word “Pentecost” is translated from a Greek word (pentēkostē) that means “Pentecost,” a feast conducted at the end of a period of time of seven weeks past the Passover, more precisely on the fiftieth day after the Passover Feast. Although the word Pentecost is not used in the OT Scripture, the idea is in the OT Scripture in terms of one of the three major agricultural festivals in Israel. It was also known as Feast of Weeks as in Deuteronomy 16:9–10:
9 Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. 10 Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the LORD your God has given you.
Its other name is the Feast of Harvest according to Exodus 23:16:
“Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. “Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.
Anyway, the Greek name for the feast that occurred at the end of a period time of seven weeks past the Passover is Pentecost. It was on it that there was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to the church as recorded in Acts 2:1–4:
1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Although there are Christians who now celebrate Pentecost, there is no evidence in the Scripture that the early Christians celebrated it as part of Christian celebration. Anyhow, Apostle Paul’s immediate plan was to remain at Ephesus until Pentecost.
Apostle Paul’s reason for planning to remain in Ephesus was because the Lord by His action had in a sense revealed to him that he needed to be there since He opened an opportunity for preaching the word in his current location. It is this primary reason that is given in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 16:9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me. We are sure that this clause is concerned with reason for the immediate plan of the apostle since he used the same Greek conjunction (gar) that appeared twice in verse 8 that has several usages but in our present clause it is used to provide reason for the immediate plan of the apostle and so may be translated “for” or “because.”
Again, the primary reason the apostle was to remain in Ephesus is that the Lord had provided him new preaching opportunities as in the clause of 1 Corinthians 16:9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me. A literal translation is For (a) great and effective door has opened to me. The word “door” is translated from a Greek word (thyra) that literally may mean “a door” as it is used to described what opened when earthquake occurred while Apostle Paul and Silas were detained in a jail in Philippi as narrated in Acts 16:27:
The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.
The word may mean “gate” as a passage for entering a structure as used in the entrance to a sheep pen in John 10:1:
“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
Figuratively, the word is used in the sense of something made feasible or possible as Apostle Paul used it to describe the opportunity the Lord provided him to preach the gospel in Troas according to 2 Corinthians 2:12:
Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me,
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:9, the word is used in a figurative sense of “an opportunity.”
The opportunity granted the apostle is described in the NIV of 1 Corinthians 16:9 a great door for effective work has opened to me. Indeed, the opportunity provided the apostle is described with two adjectives. The first is the word “great” that is translated from a Greek adjective(megas) that has the basic meaning of “great” but with different nuances. The word may mean “great” in the sense of pertaining to exceeding a standard involving related objects and so may mean “large” as Apostle Paul used it to describe a house with different kinds of articles as he makes the point that some individuals serve good purposes while others do not as we read 2 Timothy 2:20:
In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.
The word may mean “great” in the sense of pertaining to being above standard in intensity so that when used with sound or one’s voice the word means “loud” as when the Lord Jesus uttered the words by which He raised Lazarus from the dead as recorded in John 11:43:
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
The word may mean “great” in the sense of pertaining to being relatively superior in importance hence it may mean “more prominent or outstanding” because of certain advantages. It is in this sense that the word is used by the Samaritan woman to compare the Lord Jesus to Jacob as we read in John 4:12:
Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”
It is true that the Greek word is translated “greater” here by most of our English versions, but it has the sense of “importance” thus the GW translated the question of the NIV Are you greater than our father Jacob as You’re not more important than our ancestor Jacob, are you? The word may mean “surprising” as Apostle Paul used it in describing satanic agents in 2 Corinthians 11:15:
It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
The phrase not surprising is literally no great thing. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:9, the Greek word means “great” in the sense of “remarkable or out of the ordinary in degree, magnitude, or effect.” So, the opportunity the apostle described is remarkable. The second description of the opportunity is given in the phrase “effective work” of the NIV that is translated from a Greek adjective (energēs) that may mean “active” or “powerful.” In our verse it has the sense of “effective,” that is, “producing or capable of producing an intended result.”
Again, the opportunity provided the apostle for ministry of the word is conveyed with the word “opened” that is translated from a Greek word (anoigō) that may mean “to open” in the sense of moving something from a shut or closed position as what an angel did before he freed the apostles in jail as stated in Acts 5:19:
But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.
The word may mean “to open” in the sense of to render something readily accessible so that what was inside is made accessible as the tombs of the believers that were opened when Jesus Christ died on the cross as we read in Matthew 27:52:
The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.
The word may mean “to open” in the sense of “to be candid” as was the attitude of Apostle Paul to the Corinthians as stated in 2 Corinthians 6:11:
We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:9, the word means “to open” in the sense of granting something which in our context is opportunity. It is true the apostle stated that the door opened for ministry, he did not mean that the opportunity presented itself. He meant the Lord Jesus provided him that opportunity as that would be in keeping with what he stated in a passage we cited previously, that is, 2 Corinthians 2:12:
Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me.
Furthermore, it is because the apostle was aware that God is the One responsible for providing opportunity for preaching of His word that was behind his prayer request to the Colossians as recorded in Colossians 4:3:
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
The fact remains that only God opens up opportunity for the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ in a given location or territory.
Be that as it may, after stating his primary reason for his immediate plan of staying in Ephesus until the Pentecost, the apostle provided another information to the Corinthians about the opposition he encountered in Ephesus as in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 16:9 and there are many who oppose me. The word “and” is translated from a Greek particle (kai) that has several usages but here it is used either to provide additional reason for the apostle’s stay in Ephesus or to supply an additional information the Corinthians should have regarding the apostle’s stay in Ephesus. It is probably the case that the apostle provided additional information the Corinthians should know about the apostle’s stay in Ephesus. The word “oppose” is translated from a Greek word (antikeimai) that means “to be opposed to someone” or “to be in opposition “ so that the word is given the meaning “to be in conflict” in the struggle between the Holy Spirit and sinful nature in the struggle for the control of the believer’s soul as stated in Galatians 5:17:
For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:9, the word has the sense of “an adversary” because we have a Greek participle so that the word serves as an adjective instead of as a verb. One would wonder why the apostle needed to provide this information to the Corinthians. The apostle did not specify but it is probably that he wanted the Corinthians to recognize that opposition would not keep him from preaching or teaching God’s word since he is confident that the Lord would continue to sustain him as implied in his declaration in 2 Corinthians 1:8–9:
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
In any event, as we end this section of 1 Corinthians 16:5-9, let me remind you of the main message we stated is that You should make your plans subject to the Lord’s approval while effectively carrying out His plan that you already know. You know it is God’s plan for you to witness for Christ then do that. You know it is God’s plan for you to devote yourself to the study of His word and its application, then do that.
02/02/24