Alex Kremer - 03-26-2023 // The Barrier of Religion; Acts 18:1-17

As we pick up again in our study of Acts, we find Paul, in the midst of his second missionary journey arriving in Corinth, having left Athens.  Like Athens, Corinth is a major city within the Roman empire.  It is a center for commerce and trade, resulting in great wealth, along with a multicultural flavor due to people arriving from all over the empire.  Only Athens, Alexandria and Rome were larger than Corinth in the Roman Empire.  By all accounts, it was a very modern city for its time, and would likely fit in well in our modern world; think of a city like Chicago.  But while Athens was considered a hub for intellectualism, Corinth was a hub for hedonism.  To be called a "Corinthian" was to be associated with low moral character.

With such widespread immorality, it would be expected that the Gospel would experience enormous obstacles from a pluralistic society.  And while this is true, the first hurdle Paul came up against was the religious elite; from his own Jewish countrymen, who counted on their own works-based righteousness to earn favor with God.

Join us as we consider how Paul responded to the obstacle of religion and how this applies to our own treatment of the Gospel.

Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  We pray you will be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.