Chapter
Verse

Acts 18:5

ESV When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.
NIV When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.
NASB But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.
CSB When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself to preaching the word and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.
NLT And after Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching the word. He testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.
KJV And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.

What does Acts 18:5 mean?

Paul has been in Corinth without his team for a while, but he hasn't been alone. He left Timothy and Silas in Berea while he fled from angry Jewish Thessalonians to Athens (Acts 17:13–14). At first, he wanted his two partners to follow, but later changed his mind (Acts 17:15; 1 Thessalonians 3:6). After Athens, he went west to Corinth and met Priscilla and Aquila, two fellow tentmakers, and joined their business (Acts 18:1–3).

Each Sabbath, Paul has gone to the synagogue, "reasoning" with the Jews and Gentle God-fearers that Jesus is the Messiah promised in the Hebrew Scriptures (Acts 18:4). Luke recorded one representative version of Paul's preaching (Acts 13:16–41) which is very close to the witness Stephen gave before his murder (Acts 7:1–53). Even though Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13), he always starts with the Jews: God's chosen people through whom the Savior of the world came (Romans 1:16). Some, like the leader of the synagogue, believe (Acts 18:8). Many others don't, and Paul leaves the synagogue, moving next door to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile God-fearer who finds salvation in Jesus (Acts 18:6–7).

Paul and his team had been run out of both Thessalonica and Berea by Jews in Thessalonica, but Paul cared about the fledgling church and sent Timothy back (Acts 17:1–14; 1 Thessalonians 3:6). Timothy brings good news. Despite the fact the unbelieving Jews had dragged some of the Jesus-followers to the city authorities (Acts 17:6–9), and continued to persecute them after Paul left, they stand strong in the faith (1 Thessalonians 3:7–10). Paul will find the churches in Thessalonica and Corinth very different. The Thessalonians' strong faith and spiritual maturity will lead to questions about Christ's return (1 Thessalonians 4:13—5:11). The incredibly immoral sexual culture of Corinth will lead Paul to remind them of seemingly obvious boundaries: such as not sleeping with their stepmothers (1 Corinthians 5).
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