Lessons #609 and 610
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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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Final exhortation – Submission and Recognition (1 Cor 16:15-18)
15 You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you, brothers, 16 to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it. 17 I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. 18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.
The message of the section that we have been considering is that You should submit and appreciate all those who work hard in your local church to make it possible for you to be provided with the environment for spiritual growth. This message is based on the second element of the final exhortation of Apostle Paul to the Corinthians and so to the universal church of Christ that we said is concerned with the concepts of submission and recognition or appreciation. Our last study focused on the first concept of the second element of Apostle Paul’s final exhortation to the Corinthians that involves submission to the spiritual leadership of their local church in the instruction of I urge you, brothers, to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it. This instruction, as we stated, concerns authority in the local church. We ended by stating that we need to briefly explore the concept of authority as it relates to the spiritual leadership of a local church. It is with this that we begin our study this morning.
Let me begin by stating what is meant by authority. The Dictionary of Bible Themes defines authority as “The God-given freedom of action expressed in rightful power to control the actions of others.” So, when we speak of authority of spiritual leaders of a local church, we are concerned with their freedom to control the actions of other believers by expounding to them God’s word. Thus, submitting to the authority of spiritual leaders implies obeying their instructions derived from the Scripture. A spiritual thermometer that is useful in measuring the spiritual condition of a given congregation is the relationship between members and their spiritual leadership, particularly with respect to their pastors. A congregation where there is continuous challenging of the authority of the spiritual leadership is by no means spiritually healthy while that where the members submit to the authority of its spiritual leadership is one that is spiritually healthy in that it functions in accordance with God’s word.
It is important that both the spiritual leadership of a congregation and the believers in any local church recognize that the supreme authority over the church of Christ is Christ Himself. He is described as the “head of the church,” as we read, for example, in Ephesians 5:23:
For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
The supreme authority of Jesus Christ over the church is implied in what He asserted when He commissioned His disciples and so the church to preach the gospel message to all nations as stated in Matthew 28:18–19:
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Because all authority has been given to the head of the church, He has delegated His authority to those that should lead the church as implied in the great commission given to the church. This truth is further implied in what Apostle Paul said about the elders of the church in Ephesus being overseers of believers, appointed by the Holy Spirit as Luke recorded for us in Acts 20:28:
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
We are certain that those addressed by the apostle in this passage were the elders, the spiritual leaders of the church in Ephesus, because they were the ones the apostle summoned to come to him so he would address them as we read in Acts 20:17–18:
17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia.
Understanding that spiritual leaders have authority from the Lord of the church, puts some responsibilities on both the spiritual leaders and the believers they lead. Let me begin with the burden placed on those with spiritual authority over believers.
Spiritual leaders should understand that their authority is not the same as secular authority. This is made clear by the Lord of the church in what He said to the disciples who were arguing about who among them was the greatest as we read in Luke 22:25–26:
25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.
The point of the Lord Jesus is that the Gentile kings exercise control over their subjects in such a way that they lord their authority over them. They are authoritarians or they exercise overbearing authority over their subjects. Spiritual leaders should not function in such a manner. There is no doubt that spiritual leaders are never expected to be authoritarian as these unbelieving kings, for the Holy Spirit through Apostle Peter instructs spiritual leaders of various congregations, described as elders, to avoid that kind of exercise of authority, as implied in 1 Peter 5:3:
not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
You see, the purpose of spiritual authority is to build up believers spiritually as we may gather from what Apostle Paul communicated to the Corinthians as recorded in 2 Corinthians 13:10:
This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.
Spiritual leaders do well when they understand that their authority over the congregation is aimed at their spiritual growth. Another fact about spiritual authority is that it is one that is mostly demonstrated by example. It is for this reason that the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy of how to ensure that his authority was not slighted by any member of the congregation he was over through his exemplary life as we read in 1 Timothy 4:12:
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
It is difficult, although not impossible, for a congregation not to recognize the authority of spiritual leaders who lead by example. Therefore, it is important that a spiritual leader recognizes this reality. It is for this reason that the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul continued to instruct Timothy about being careful regarding his life 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.
Anyway, it is important that spiritual leaders recognize the nature and limitations of their authority over believers they shepherd. This brings me to the responsibility of believers regarding their spiritual leaders.
The primary responsibility of believers regarding spiritual authority is to obey such authority. Apostle Paul had conveyed this in the passage of our study, specifically 1 Corinthians 16:16. He was not the only one through whom the Holy Spirit conveyed this responsibility. The Holy Spirit communicated the same thing through the human author of Hebrews as stated in Hebrews 13:17:
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Some of the problems of believers today, especially in the west, is in part due to the fact that they do not want to obey or submit to the authority of their spiritual leaders. This is evident in the fact that some do not take quite seriously what their pastors teach them. They are selective in their acceptance of truth. In other words, if a pastor teaches what appeals to them, they accept it but if he teaches what they do not like then they ignore him. To benefit from spiritual leadership, requires that believers submit to the authority of their pastors who teach them God’s word. There is more to the instruction given here in Hebrews 13:17 but I will not get into that at this time. However, if you want the details, I suggest you go to the website of Berean Bible Church at Bay Springs and listen to lessons 273 and 274 of the Hebrews study. Before we end our consideration of the submission to authority of spiritual leaders required of believers, let me remind you that spiritual authority in the local church is not extended to women as per the statement of 1 Timothy 2:12:
I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.
I am amazed as to how some commentators discount this verse and so act that it does not matter or that it is not the word of God. Consequently, they proceed to defy it, some based on purported archaeological findings of the third and fourth centuries that they claim show that women were in leadership role in the church. Those who appeal to this kind of evidence imply that archaeological data have the same authority as the Scripture, never mind that third and fourth centuries were also times when the church started to lose it spiritual power partly because tradition was placed on equal footing with the Scripture. To defy this passage is to defy God and not understand the reason behind the command. The reason for a woman not to have authority over a man in spiritual setting is that that violates the order of God in creation as that is the basic reason the apostle provided for the instruction we cited as stated in 1 Timothy 2:13–14:
For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.
Anyway, the first concept of the second element of Apostle Paul’s final exhortation to the Corinthians in this first epistle, and so to the universal church, involves submission to the spiritual leadership of their local church. This brings us to the second.
The second concept of the second element of Apostle Paul’s final exhortation to the Corinthians in this first epistle involves recognition or appreciation of spiritual leaders. But before the apostle got to this, like in the first concept, he provided information he deemed necessary to understand the command he gave. The first information concerned his state of delight due to the visit of three individuals he named in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 16:17 I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived. The translators of the NIV and nearly all our modern English versions did not translate a Greek particle (de) that appears in the Greek that is routinely translated “but” to reflect a contrast between clauses but when a simple connective is desired, without contrast being clearly implied, it may be translated “and,” and in certain occurrences the particle may be left untranslated as is the case with nearly all of our English versions in our verse, as we have stated. That notwithstanding, the particle is used to link what follows beginning in verse 17 to what was given in verses 15 and 16 and so may be translated “and” or “now” as reflected in the LEB.
The apostle having indicated that he was linking what he was about to communicate to what he had already communicated in verses 15 and 16, stated what was true of him in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 16:17 I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived. Literally, the Greek reads And I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus. The literal translation and many of our English versions used the present tense I am glad to express the apostle’s state while the NIV and a handful of our English versions used the past tense I was glad. The difference in the English translations is a matter of interpretation. The Greek used a present tense but a present tense in the Greek could be interpreted in different ways in the English. There are at least two possible interpretations of the Greek present tense in our verse. It could be interpreted to mean that the apostle intended to tell the Corinthians of something that happened to him but was still continuing. This is difficult to translate into the English and so it may be translated with a perfect tense or a present tense in English. This may have been the interpretation adopted by those who translated the Greek as I am glad. Another interpretation of what the apostle meant is that he was being dramatic in the sense that he wanted the Corinthians to share in his experience so that he wrote as if they were present with him witnessing what happened to him. This interpretation may be the one adopted by those who translated what the apostle wrote as I was glad. While either interpretation is possible, it is probably the case that the apostle intended to convey that what happened to him continued to be the case when he was writing the epistle to the Corinthians and will continue to be true of him when they read it. Thus, the apostle wrote to convey to the Corinthians his excitement or pleasurable experience.
The apostle’s excitement is given in the sentence I was glad. The word “glad” is translated from a Greek word (chairō) that may mean “to rejoice, be glad,” that is, “to be in a state of happiness and well-being.” It may refer to the opposite of weeping or mourning as it is used in Romans 12:15:
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
The word means “to be glad” as Apostle Paul used it to describe his confidence regarding the Corinthians as we read in 2 Corinthians 7:16:
I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.
The word may mean “to delight” as Apostle Paul used it to express his state because of the experience of Titus when he was with the Corinthians as stated in 2 Corinthians 7:13:
By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.
The word may be used for a formalized greeting, wishing one well. Thus, the word may mean “to hail” as it is used in the greetings of the soldiers who mocked Jesus before His crucifixion as recorded in Mark 15:18:
And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!”
In the same usage, the word may mean “to welcome” as in giving full acceptance to those who promote false teaching as we read in 2 John 10–11:
10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. 11 Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.
The word may mean “to gloat” as it is used to describe the response of people in the future regarding the death of the two witnesses that God will send on earth to preach His word as we read in Revelation 11:10:
The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
In 1 Corinthians 16:17, the word means “to rejoice,” that is, “to feel happiness or joy.” Thus, Apostle Paul was overjoyed or excited that he had to communicate his excitement to the Corinthians.
The joy or excitement of the apostle concerns the visit of three male believers that came to see him as in the clause in the NIV of 1 Corinthians 16:17 when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived. A literal translation is at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus. This is because the word “when” of the NIV is translated from a Greek preposition (epi) with several meanings. It is true that it can mean “when” but it also may mean “at.” The meaning “when” used by the translators of the NIV is probably because of the word arrived they used that implies a verb. However, the Greek used a noun (parousia) that may mean “presence” as Apostle Paul used it in his instruction to the Philippians concerning working out their salvation as stated in Philippians 2:12:
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling…
By the way, when the apostle says for you to work out your salvation, he was not advocating salvation by works. Instead, he is saying that the believer must work out his deliverance from sin in his daily life and everything that will hamper him from enjoying fully his salvation in this life. This aside, our Greek word may mean “coming” that, according to the standard Greek English lexicon (BDAG), is used technically in two ways. It is used as a sacred expression for the coming of a hidden divinity, who makes his presence felt by a revelation of his power, or whose presence is celebrated in the cult. Another usage is as the official term for a visit of a person of high rank, especially of kings and emperors visiting a province. The meaning “coming” is often used for the second coming of Christ to judge the world at the end of this age as stated in 1 Thessalonians 4:15:
According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
The meaning “coming” is also used for the Antichrist in 2 Thessalonians 2:9:
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders…
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:17, the word is used with the sense of “arrival,” that is, the act of arriving at a certain place. Based on this meaning, it is probably the case that the apostle used the Greek preposition we mentioned previously in the sense of “at the time of” so that the excitement of the apostle occurred at the time of the arrival of the three men mentioned.
The first mentioned individual is Stephanas that we have already considered that was the first convert to the Christian faith in Corinth. The second person is Fortunatus whose name from the Latin means “blessed” or “fortunate.” He is mentioned only here in the NT epistles. We do not know if he is the same person described in the Apostolic Fathers as a delegate of the church of Rome to Corinth mentioned in 1 Clement 65:1:
Now send ye back speedily unto us our messengers Claudius Ephebus and Valerius Bito, together with Fortunatus also, in peace and with joy, to the end that they may the more quickly report the peace and concord which is prayed for and earnestly desired by us, that we also may the more speedily rejoice over your good order.
The third man mentioned is Achaicus. His name means “one who is from Achaia,” suggesting he was a slave or former slave from Achaia since slaves were often named after the province from which they came. Of course, we have no other information about him other than his being mentioned in this passage of 1 Corinthians 16:17. There are those who speculate that Fortunatus and Achaicus were members of the household of Stephanas that were freed men from slavery. This is unlikely since the Corinthians would not have chosen members of the same household to send as delegates to the apostle while he was in Ephesus. It is most likely that the two men were in leadership roles in the church in Corinth that warrants their being sent to the apostle with Stephanas.
All the same, Apostle Paul’s excitement over the coming of these three men is first because of the effect their visit had on him as he stated in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 16:17 because they have supplied what was lacking from you. A literal translation from the Greek is because they made up for your lack.
The clause of 1 Corinthians 16:17 because they have supplied what was lacking from you may create the impression the apostle was concerned with financial aid but the context and the words the apostle used suggest he was concerned primarily with being in company of Corinthians. This we asserted because the word “supplied” is translated from a Greek word (anaplēroō) that may mean “to carry out an agreement or obligation” and so may mean “to fulfill” as Apostle Paul used it to indicate that when believers carry each other’s burden they fulfill the law of Christ as we read in Galatians 6:2:
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
The word may mean “to supply what is lacking” hence may mean “to make up” as Apostle Paul used it in his description of Epaphroditus as one who supplied what the Philippians were lacking that is expected of them as it pertains to him as we read in Philippians 2:30:
because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:17, the word has the sense of “to supply what is lacking” hence means “to fill up” or “fill a gap.” The thing that is lacking is not financial because if the apostle was more concerned with meeting financial needs, he would probably have used one of the two Greek words he used to convey meeting of financial needs. There is a Greek verb (prosanaplēroō) that the apostle used twice to describe meeting of financial needs. He used this Greek verb to convey to the Corinthians that their contribution of funds for the project to help believers in Jerusalem will meet the physical needs of the believers in Judea as stated in 2 Corinthians 9:12:
This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
The apostle used the same Greek verb to convey to the Corinthians that what he needed materially to carry out his ministry while with them was supplied by the Macedonians as he penned down to them in 2 Corinthians 11:9:
And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.
The apostle used a Greek noun (chreia) to communicate the concept of financial aid he received from the Philippians as we read in Philippians 4:16:
for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need.
However, the apostle did not use either the Greek verb or noun that we have cited in our passage of study, that is, 1 Corinthians 16:17. This is probably because he wanted us to understand that his primary concern in this verse was not financial but keeping company with the Corinthians. This point is further supported in the expression of 1 Corinthians 16:17 what was lacking from you.
The word “lacking” is translated from a Greek word (hysterēma) that may mean “need, deficiency,” that is, “the lack of what is needed or desirable, frequently in contrast to abundance” as it is used by Apostle Paul to describe what the gifts of the Corinthians to the church in Jerusalem would mean as stated in the passage we cited previously, that is, 2 Corinthians 9:12:
This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
Apostle Paul used our word to describe that the Macedonians met his financial needs while he was preaching in Corinth in the passage we cited previously, that is, 2 Corinthians 11:9:
And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.
The clause when I was with you and needed something is literally when I was present with you and was in need. The word may mean “shortcoming” or “something lacking” as Apostle Paul used it to describe what he hoped to do when he saw the Thessalonians again which is to teach them more doctrine as stated in 1 Thessalonians 3:10:
Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:17, the word has the sense of “absence,” that is, “lack of a person’s presence.” Hence, when the apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 16:17 because they have supplied what was lacking from you, he meant that the three men that came to him made up for the absence of the Corinthians with him or that they represent the Corinthians before him as he would certainly prefer their company as those he led to Christ.
The apostle did not leave the Corinthians or us wondering what he meant by supplying what was lacking. No, he explained what he meant in the second reason he gave for his excitement over the visit of the three men the apostle had mentioned. We say this because of the word For used to begin 1 Corinthians 16:18. The word “for” is translated from a Greek conjunction (gar) that 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.” It can be used as a marker of clarification or explanation so that it may be translated “for” or “you see.” In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:17, it performs double duty. It is used to provide a second reason for the excitement of the apostle with the visit of the three men he mentioned but that is not all, it explains what he meant in the first reason he supplied for his excitement. In effect, the sentence of 1 Corinthians 16:18 they refreshed my spirit and yours also not only provides a second reason but an explanation of what the apostle meant that the three men supplied what was lacking from the Corinthians.
The word “refreshed” is translated from a Greek word (anapauō) that may mean “to cause someone to gain relief from toil” so it may mean “to give rest” as that which the Lord Jesus promised to give to those who are troubled by the commands that teachers of the law had placed on them that come to him as recorded in Matthew 11:28:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
The word may mean “to refresh” as the word is used by Apostle Paul to request Philemon to cheer up his heart according to Philemon 20:
I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.
The word may be used figuratively in the sense of “rest upon” someone as Apostle Peter used it in reference to the “continuing and constant presence of the Holy Spirit in and among the believers” in 1 Peter 4:14:
If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:18, the word means “to cause to rest,” that is, “to cause someone to take a break from their activities in order to be refreshed.”
The “rest” in view is concerned with the apostle and the Corinthians as in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 16:17 they refreshed my spirit and yours.
The word “spirit” is translated from a Greek word (pneuma) with several meanings, but we consider a few of these at this point. The word may mean “wind”, as in the description by our Lord of one that is born again in John 3:8:
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
The word may mean “breath” as Apostle Paul used it to describe the manner of the destruction of the future lawless one by the Lord Jesus in 2 Thessalonians 2:8:
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
The word may mean “spirit” as that which animates or gives life to the body, as the word is used to indicate that without it the body is lifeless in James 2:26:
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
It may mean “spirit” as part of human personality with various nuances. For example, it may refer to a person’s “very self” or “ego” as it is used by Apostle Paul in describing the assurance of the Holy Spirit to a believer regarding salvation in Romans 8:16:
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
According to the standard Greek English lexicon of BDAG, the sentence The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit is better translated the Spirit (of God) bears witness to our very self. The word may refer to the immaterial part of a person in contrast to the material body, as Apostle Paul used it in his appeal to the Corinthians for holy living in 2 Corinthians 7:1:
Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Under this meaning of the immaterial part of a person, it could refer to the source and seat of insight, feeling, and will, generally as the representative part of human inner life so that it may mean “mind.” It is this meaning that is meant in the resolve of Apostle Paul to go to Jerusalem while he was still in Ephesus as we read 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 Paul decided is more literally Paul resolved in the Spirit but this according to the standard Greek English lexicon may be translated Paul made up his mind. The meaning “mind” is used to describe the state of the apostle when he did not see Titus as stated in 2 Corinthians 2:13:
I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia.
Still in this meaning, it could refer to “spiritual state, state of mind, disposition”, as it is used to describe the disposition that a believing wife should have to be considered beautiful in 1 Peter 3:4:
Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
As suggested in the standard Greek English lexicon of BDAG, the phrase quiet spirit may be translated quiet disposition. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:18, the word has the sense of “a person’s very self or ego” and so it may be translated “me,” as suggested in the standard Greek English lexicon (BDAG). Hence the sentence of 1 Corinthians 16:18 they refreshed my spirit and yours may be translated they refreshed me and you.
What did the apostle mean in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 16:18 they refreshed my spirit and yours? The apostle did not elaborate what he meant about being refreshed. Because we have indicated that the Greek word translated “refreshed” means “to cause to rest” and because of what the apostle wrote elsewhere in his epistles we can interpret what he meant. He meant that the three men had given him rest in that they eased his concern about the Corinthians and theirs about him. In other words, these three men by their action encouraged both the apostle and the Corinthians. The apostle had great concern for welfare of the churches he founded as we may gather, for example, from 2 Corinthians 11:28:
Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
He was certainly concerned about the Corinthians as we may learn from what he said about Titus’ concern for the Corinthians as stated in 2 Corinthians 8:16:
I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you.
So, the apostle was concerned about the Corinthians, but his concern was eased by a report he received from the three men that visited him. The Corinthians themselves were also concerned about the apostle as conveyed in what the apostle wrote in 2 Corinthians 7:7:
and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.
Of course, someone may be concerned about how the three men would have eased the concern of the Corinthians as they did that of the apostle because of the word refreshed in 1 Corinthians 16:18. The apostle used an aorist tense in the Greek to describe what was true of him at the time of his writing of the epistle but would be viewed as being a past action when the Corinthians read the epistle. In fact, the three men would have eased the concern of the Corinthians when they got back and announced to them that the apostle was doing well. This would occur before the letter was read to the church.
The fact that the three men eased the apostle’s concern implies that they encouraged him with their report and presence. Many of us do not recognize the importance of encouraging those who teach us the word of God because we think that they do not need encouragement. I suppose that the best encouragement that can be given to such individuals is for those they teach to grow spiritually as evident in their actions. We should also recognize that visiting such individuals may also be encouraging to them especially if they are in a state where they do not have much human interactions because they are in a strange place where not many people would be kind to them as was probably the case with the apostle. Hence, the visit of these three men was such that they did what the rest of the Corinthians should have done but were unable to do because of distance. The point is that the apostle was encouraged by the visit of these three men. Consequently, you should recognize that it is important to visit fellow believers, especially those who are alone to encourage them in their spiritual life. With this statement, we proceed to the second concept of the second element of Apostle Paul’s final exhortation to the Corinthians that involves recognition or appreciation of spiritual leaders.
In our consideration of the concept of authority of spiritual leaders, we conveyed that a way spiritual leaders will have the respect of those they lead is through their lifestyles. In other words, if their lifestyles agree with what they teach the believers they lead will respect them and so submit to their authority. This point is implied in the last instruction of Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. How is that? You may ask. It is because the apostle in the last instruction of verse 18 used a Greek particle (oun) that has several usages although not translated in the NIV and a few other English versions but translated with such words as “therefore” or “and then” or “so” in some other English versions. The Greek particle may be used as a marker of continuation of a narrative in which case it may be translated “so, now, then.” It may be used as a marker of emphasis with the meaning “certainly, to be sure.” It may be used as a marker of inference indicating that what it introduces results from or is an inference from what precedes so may be translated “therefore, then.” It is in this usage that it is used in our verse to indicate that the instruction of Apostle Paul in the last part of 1 Corinthians 16:18 stems from what he said about the three men he mentioned that were part of the spiritual leadership of the church in Corinth. It is because of their function of providing encouragement both to him and the Corinthians that the Corinthians should do what the apostle commands regarding such men.
The instruction of the apostle is that the Corinthians, and so all believers, should appreciate their spiritual leaders since that goes with submitting to their authority. It is this appreciation of spiritual leaders that is given in the last sentence of 1 Corinthians 16:18 Such men deserve recognition. The translation of the NIV does not make clear that the apostle issued a command that should be obeyed and not a declaration, but the apostle issued a command since a literal translation is Therefore give recognition to such people. The phrase Such men/people refers to spiritual leadership of a local church that the three men the apostle mentioned typify.
The command of the apostle to the Corinthians, and so to the universal church of Christ, is given in the NIV in the expression deserve recognition that is translated from a Greek word (epiginōskō) that may mean “to have knowledge about something or someone, implying a thoroughness or competence” as the kind of information believers have about the truth as it pertain to Christian doctrine as we read in 1 Timothy 4:3:
They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
The word may mean “to understand” as it is used by Apostle Paul to state to the Corinthians that his epistle to them was not subject to double meaning, what he wrote is straightforward and not complicated as we read in 2 Corinthians 1:13:
For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that,
The word may mean “to identify newly acquired information with what had been previously learned or known,” that is, “to recognize” as it is used to describe those who identified the crippled man the Lord healed through Apostle Peter as we read in Acts 3:10:
they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
The word may mean “to acknowledge” as it is used to describe the response Apostle Paul expected from some in Corinth that probably claimed to be spiritual elites regarding what he wrote them as we read in 1 Corinthians 14:37:
If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:18, it has the sense of “to recognize” or “to acknowledge,” that is, “to show approval or appreciation of.” The apostle used a present tense in the Greek to offer the command implying that believers are to recognize or appreciate their spiritual leaders repeatedly. They should in a sense form the habit of recognizing or appreciating them. This appreciation is manifested in the respect believers have for their spiritual leaders. It also manifests itself in their taking care of the needs of their spiritual leaders. Anyway, believers should recognize or appreciate their spiritual leaders in keeping with the instruction of 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13:
12 Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
So, we end by reminding you of the message of this passage that we have considered which is that You should submit to and appreciate all those who work hard in your local church to make it possible for you to be provided with the environment for spiritual growth.
03/22/24