1 Corinthians 16:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer.

NIV: to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it.

NASB: I urge that you also be subject to such as these and to everyone who helps in the work and labors.

CSB: also to submit to such people, and to everyone who works and labors with them.

NLT: to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion.

KJV: That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth.

NKJV: that you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and labors with us.

Paul is praising a man named Stephanas and his household. They were the first to come to faith in Christ in Corinth and the surrounding regions. Paul himself baptized them when the Corinthian church was being established (1 Corinthians 1:16). Paul mentioned in the previous verse that the people of this household had devoted themselves to serving other believers as more and more came to faith in Christ.

It is unclear if Stephanas and some in his family held formal leadership positions in the church or not. Either way, Paul still urged all the Christians in Corinth to submit to their servant leadership. More specifically, Paul tells the Corinthians to be subject to leaders such as the Stephanas household and to every fellow worker and laborer among them. Those terms, worker and laborer, refer to the ones who do the work of serving others in the church.

Throughout the New Testament, a willingness to gladly serve other believers is given as one of the central characteristics of a good leader. Jesus set the ultimate model for servant leadership, meeting the needs of those who followed Him in both His life and in His death.

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.

First Corinthians 16 concludes Paul's long letter to the church in Corinth with several business matters. He instructs them on how to prepare a special contribution for needy Christians in Jerusalem. He describes his plan to visit them in person after wrapping up his ministry in Ephesus and stopping by churches in Macedonia. He reveals that Timothy is coming to them more quickly and that Apollos is not. Finally, he commends a delegation from Corinth that has come to see him. His final words in the letter are a declaration of love for all of them.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.