1 Corinthians 16:1–24
16 Now concerning1 the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.
5 I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.
12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will2 to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.
13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.
15 Now I urge you, brothers3—you know that the household4 of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— 16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.
19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. 20 All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!5 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
1 The expression Now concerning introduces a reply to a question in the Corinthians’ letter; see 7:1; also verse 12 2 Or God’s will for him 3 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 20 4 Greek house 5 Greek Maranatha (a transliteration of Aramaic)
Section Overview
Paul concludes his lengthy letter with housekeeping issues. His conclusion has four parts.
Section Outline
III. Conclusion (16:1–24)
A. Instructions about collecting money for believers in Jerusalem (16:1–4)
B. Travel plans for Paul, Timothy, and Apollos (16:5–12)
C. Final exhortations (16:13–18)
D. Final greetings (16:19–24)
Response
Everything is to be “done in love” (16:14). This is how to respond not only to chapter 16 but to the entire letter (cf. comment on 16:13–14). Specifically, love your spiritual family. This is what ties this housekeeping section together. How should brothers and sisters in Jesus the Messiah love their spiritual family?
- By giving money generously to those with physical needs (vv. 1–4).
- By showing hospitality to those passing through (vv. 5–12).
- By maturing in purity and unity, that is, by maturing in love (vv. 13–14).
- By submitting to church leaders (vv. 15–18).
- By feeling affection for brothers and sisters in other places when they greet them and thus remind them that they care (vv. 19–21).
- By greeting each other affectionately (v. 20b).
- By loving the Lord, awaiting his return eagerly, maturing by means of his grace, and warmly receiving love from spiritual shepherds (vv. 22–24).
The expression Now concerning introduces a reply to a question in the Corinthians’ letter; see 7:1; also verse 12
Or God’s will for him
Or brothers and sisters; also verse 20
Greek house
Greek Maranatha (a transliteration of Aramaic)
16:1 Although “now concerning” introduces three of the ten main issues in Paul’s letter (7:1; 8:1; 12:1), here and in 16:12 it does not introduce issues parallel in magnitude (e.g., Paul is not correcting them for impurity or disunity). Paul is merely responding to their letter once again.
16:2 Paul instructs the church to set aside money, and he qualifies this command in four ways:
(1) When? Each Sunday—presumably when the church gathers each week to worship (cf. Acts 20:7) on the day Jesus rose from the dead.
(2) With what result? So that they will save up money.
(3) How much? “As he may prosper” qualifies the amount a believer should give (cf. 2 Cor. 8:3, 11), in accordance with his own income.
(4) For what purpose? So that Paul will not need to collect money for the Jerusalem church when he arrives in Corinth (cf. 2 Cor. 9:4–5).
16:3–4 The Corinthian church should select people to deliver their gift to the church in Jerusalem, and Paul plans to write introductory letters for their use after they arrive in Jerusalem (cf. 2 Cor. 3:1; 8:19). Or Paul might go along himself (which he eventually does; cf. Acts 24:17; Rom. 15:25–29).
There are at least three advantages for the Corinthian church (and possibly other churches) to send a group to transport a large number of coins to Jerusalem: (1) It is a precaution against thieves. (2) It provides accountability that the Jerusalem church is receiving the entire gift (cf. 2 Cor. 8:20–21). (3) Most importantly, it enables face-to-face fellowship between multiple churches, fostering a unity and connectedness transcending locations and cultures, especially cultures predominantly Gentile or Jewish (cf. Rom. 15:27).
16:5–6 Paul intends to travel through Macedonia (i.e., northern Greece), and then he might stay with the Corinthians so that they can help support his next journey (cf. Rom. 15:24). Unlike before, he is now giving them an opportunity to support him financially (cf. 1 Cor. 9:3–18; comment on 9:12).
16:7 Paul does not want to rush his visit with the Corinthians. He wants to spend more time with them because he loves them (cf. v. 24; 2 Cor. 1:16). He qualifies that his plans depend on what the Lord permits (cf. 1 Cor. 4:19; Acts 18:21; James 4:15).
16:8–9 Meanwhile, Paul plans to remain in Ephesus because God is giving him opportunities to serve effectively (Acts 19:10). A more form-based translation of 1 Corinthians 16:9a might be, “For a door to me has opened, great and effective.” This open door is effective in that it “promises a rich field of labor” (cf. Acts 14:27; Col. 4:3). Paul qualifies, however, that many oppose him (cf. 1 Cor. 15:32; Acts 19:9, 21–41).
16:10 Paul has already written, “I urge you, then, be imitators of me. That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ” (4:16–17). But if some Corinthians will not respect Paul, how much more might they cause trouble for Paul’s youthful representative? So here Paul exhorts the Corinthians to be hospitable to Timothy because he is doing the same pastoral work that Paul does. He writes “put him at ease” perhaps because Timothy is prone to fear (cf. 2 Tim. 1:7).
16:11 This verse is an inference of verse 10: the Corinthians must respect Timothy (cf. 1 Tim. 4:12; Titus 2:15) and send him on his way “in peace” so that he will return to Paul in due course.
16:12 In the letter the Corinthians wrote Paul, they evidently requested Apollos to visit them. So Paul explains why Apollos has not done so. Paul has encouraged Apollos to visit them, which shows that, rather than competing with each other, Paul and Apollos are unified coworkers (cf. 3:5–9, 21–22). But Apollos does not want to come at this time. He will go when the time is right.
16:13–14 The apostle issues rapid-fire commands:
(1) “Be watchful” translates a word that means “to be in constant readiness, be on the alert” For what? Anything that could move a believer away from the gospel—from the gospel message itself, from what the gospel presupposes, from what the gospel implies, or from what the gospel requires (cf. Introduction: Theology of 1 Corinthians).
(2) “Stand firm in the faith” translates a phrase that means “to be firmly committed in conviction or belief.” Paul has already commended the Corinthians for standing on the gospel (15:1) and has exhorted them to persevere: “be steadfast, immovable” (15:58). Here he again exhorts them not to give up. “The faith” is the core truths Christians affirm (e.g., Jesus died for sinners and rose from the dead; God saves sinners by grace through faith; Jesus is coming again).
(3–4) “Act like men, be strong.” These two commands go together. “Act like men” translates a word that means “conduct oneself in a courageous way.” Thus, “Be courageous” (e.g., NIV). “Be strong” translates a word that means “become strong. . . . In the psychological sense of encouragement to remain firm.” The LXX pairs the same two Greek words in three passages. Each of the ten major issues Paul has addressed in 1 Corinthians stems from sinfully embracing Roman society’s worldly values. It takes courage to believe and live counterculturally.
(5) “Let all that you do be done in love.” This is another way to state the theological message of 1 Corinthians. (See final paragraph of Introduction: Theology of 1 Corinthians.) What Paul has written about spiritual gifts (cf. comments on 12:31–14:40) applies to the entire letter.
16:15–16 What Paul exhorts here illustrates the previous sentence (v. 14)—how to do everything in love. Paul is not saying that believers must “mutually submit” to all fellow believers. Paul exhorts the Corinthians to submit to church leaders such as Stephanas who devote themselves to serving the Lord (cf. 1 Thess. 5:12–13; Heb. 13:17).
16:17–18 These verses develop verses 15–16—the connection is Stephanas (v. 15). Paul honors three men from the Corinthian church for paying a refreshing visit to him. Paul says that “they have made up for your absence” because he loves the Corinthians (cf. vv. 7, 24). He encourages the Corinthians to recognize “such people” (cf. Phil. 2:29–30; 1 Thess. 5:12–13).
16:19–21 This is a fivefold greeting:
(1) The churches in the Roman province of Asia (not the continent of Asia) greet the Corinthians.
(2) Aquila and Prisca (i.e., Priscilla; cf. Acts 18:2, 18, 26; Rom. 16:3–4; 2 Tim. 4:19)—along with their church (cf. Rom. 16:5)—greet them.
(3) All the brothers greet the Corinthians. Paul probably refers to his coworkers who travel with him, such as Sosthenes (1 Cor. 1:1).
(4) The Corinthians must greet one another with a holy kiss (cf. Rom. 16:16; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:26). Peter calls this “the kiss of love” (1 Pet. 5:14). In the Greco-Roman context, family members commonly greeted one another with a kiss. When the Lord’s holy people greet each other, their greeting is holy. The universal principle is that brothers and sisters in Christ should greet one another affectionately in culturally appropriate ways (e.g., warm smile with eye contact, handshake, fist bump, hug, kiss, bow).
(5) Paul takes the writing instrument from his amanuensis and greets the Corinthians in his own handwriting (cf. Gal. 6:11; Col. 4:18; 2 Thess. 3:17; Philem. 19).
16:22–24 Paul closes with a prayer that makes four requests:
(1) May those who do not love the Lord be “accursed” (Gk. anathema; cf. 12:3; Rom. 9:3; esp. Gal. 1:8–9). This request soberly warns the Corinthians not to rebel against what Paul writes in this letter.
(2) May the Lord return (cf. 1 Cor. 15:23, 51–57; Rev. 22:20). The Greek transliterates the Aramaic words marana tha—“Lord, come!”
(3) May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with them. All thirteen of Paul’s God-breathed letters begin and end with a similar blessing, but the preposition differs at the beginning and end. This letter begins “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:3) and ends “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you” (16:23). Paul prays that grace would flow to believers while they are reading his letters and that grace would remain with them when they are not reading his letters but going their separate ways.
(4) May Paul’s love be with the Corinthians in Christ Jesus (cf. 16:7, 17).