Wednesday | 17 June 2026
When the Jews in the city of Corinth, who had initially been persuaded, opposed Paul and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, ‘Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’ Act 18:6. They were righteous until they heard, and then rejected, the word of present truth preached to them by Paul. On account of their rejection of the word of present truth, Paul was progressively cleansed of the requirement to give priority to the Jews in relation to the proclamation of the gospel. This priority had been established by Jesus Himself, who said, ‘You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’ Act 1:8.
Earlier, at Antioch in Pisidia, Paul had also acknowledged this shift in priority. Specifically, he said to the Jews, ‘It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us: “I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth”.’ Act 13:46‑47.
Having been set as a light to the Gentiles, Paul was established as a messenger who belonged to a presbytery in the right hand of Christ. That is, through Paul’s ministry, a fiery word of present truth was proceeding from the right hand of Christ to the Jews first, and then to the Gentiles. Rom 1:16. Deu 33:2. Although Paul’s hearers were righteous before the fiery word of present truth had been proclaimed to them, they then judged themselves unworthy of everlasting life through their rejection of this message.
Further Study:
Acts 13
References:
Act 18:6
But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, ‘Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’
Act 1:8
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Act 13:46-47
Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, ‘It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us: “I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.” ’
Rom 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Deu 33:2
And he said, ‘The LORD came from Sinai, and dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints; from His right hand came a fiery law for them.’