What does 1 Corinthians 16:18 mean?
Coming to the end of his letter, Paul has been praising Stephanas and his household to the rest of the Christians in Corinth. Stephanas and two other men, perhaps servants from his household, came to visit Paul in Ephesus. Most likely, these men brought the letter Paul has been responding to in this epistle (1 Corinthians 7:1). He may have sent what we now know as 1 Corinthians back with these three men.In the previous verse, Paul wrote that their arrival has made up for the absence of the Corinthians. By this, he seems to have meant that he has been missing his friends in Corinth and these men helped him feel better about that. Now he adds that they refreshed his spirit. They have truly been encouraging to him.
Paul has urged the Corinthians in verse 16 to put themselves under the authority of servant-leaders such as Stephanas and now he commands them to give recognition to such people. Clearly, Paul cared deeply for Stephanas. It's also possible that Stephanas represented those among the Corinthians on the correct right side of the doctrines Paul had written about in this letter. If so, Paul may be telling the others to side with Stephanas on those issues.
First Corinthians 16:12–18 contains some of Paul's last-minute instructions to the Corinthians at the close of his letter. He tells them Apollos will not be coming to visit them right away. He urges them to be on guard and stand firm in the faith, likely against false teachers. They must be strong but also do everything in love. Finally, Paul tells them to submit and give recognition to people like those of Stephanas's household. These devoted servant-leaders were the first Christians in Corinth and have greatly encouraged him by coming to see him in Ephesus.
Having finished the main teaching parts of his letter, Paul wraps up with some matters of business. He tells the Corinthians how to gather funds for a special contribution. He describes his travel plans, including his plan to arrive there before winter. He warns them to treat Timothy well and commends a delegation from Corinth that have come to see him. He concludes with greetings from other believers, along with a curse and a blessing. He curses those who do not love the Lord—here apparently meaning false teachers—and prays the grace of the Lord on everyone else.
