1 Corinthians 16 explained: Practical Plans and Final Greetings

Gift for Jerusalem (vv. 1-4)

Believers in Jerusalem were very poor, so Paul asked each person in several churches to set aside what they could afford every Sunday, the day Christians met to remember Jesus rising. The Corinthians would choose their own trusted people to carry the money, which guarded against any suspicion of misuse.

Paul's travel plans (vv. 5-9)

Paul is writing from Ephesus, in what is now western Turkey, and hopes to reach Corinth after passing through northern Greece, perhaps staying the winter. He will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost, a Jewish harvest festival in early summer, because he sees a real opening there despite strong opposition.

Timothy and Apollos (vv. 10-12)

Paul asks the church not to intimidate or look down on Timothy, his younger coworker, if he arrives. Some in Corinth admired the teacher Apollos, and Paul makes clear he urged him to come but Apollos chose to wait.

Stand firm, act in love (vv. 13-18)

Paul sums up with short calls to stay alert, stay steady, and do everything in love. Stephanas's household were the first believers in southern Greece, and he and two others visited Paul, likely bringing the church's letter, so Paul asks the church to respect people who serve like them.

Greetings and goodbye (vv. 19-24)

Aquila and Priscilla, a couple who had worked with Paul in Corinth, now host a church in their home, and the kiss was a family greeting showing they belonged to each other. Paul had dictated the letter but signs it himself, adding a blunt curse on anyone who does not love the Lord and an Aramaic phrase, Maranatha, usually understood as a prayer for the Lord to come, though it can also be read as saying he has come.

Key verse: 1 Corinthians 16:14

Something to think about

When someone has been openly critical of you, what would it take for you to believe they still cared about you?