What is the meaning of Acts 18:15? But since it is a dispute about words and names and your own law Gallio immediately recognizes that the accusation against Paul is not about civil crime but about internal Jewish theology. • Acts 18:12-14 shows the Jews charging Paul with persuading people “to worship God in ways contrary to the law,” yet Gallio hears no violation of Roman statute. • Similar Roman reluctance appears in Acts 23:29, where Lysias reports that Paul’s case concerns “questions about their law,” not offenses deserving prison or death. • Pilate likewise sensed a purely religious controversy in John 18:31. Gallio lumps the issue under “words and names”—debates over whether Jesus is the Messiah, how the Law relates to the gospel, and what titles rightly belong to Christ. To a Roman official, these are mere semantics; to believers, they are eternal truths (cf. 1 Timothy 1:4). God uses even Gallio’s indifference to safeguard Paul and keep the mission moving. settle it yourselves Gallio pushes responsibility back onto the synagogue leaders. • In John 18:31 he echoes Pilate’s directive: “Take Him yourselves and judge Him by your own law.” • By telling them to handle the matter internally, Gallio unintentionally protects the church’s freedom to preach (Acts 18:10). • The statement underscores the biblical principle that civil authorities should not police doctrinal disputes; such matters belong within the household of faith (1 Corinthians 6:1-5 for internal judgment among believers). This moment models how God can use secular powers—even indifferent ones—to preserve His people’s liberty to proclaim the gospel. I refuse to be a judge of such things Gallio draws a firm line: Roman courts address crimes, not creeds. • Later, Festus echoes the same stance when Jewish leaders press charges against Paul: the dispute is “about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive” (Acts 25:18-19). • Such refusals fulfill Jesus’ promise of protection for His witnesses (Matthew 10:18-20). Rome’s neutrality here gives Paul an 18-month window in Corinth to teach boldly (Acts 18:11). • The decision also establishes legal precedent: Christianity, still viewed as a branch of Judaism, remains a permitted religion under Roman law at this stage (Acts 19:37). Gallio unknowingly advances God’s sovereign plan, proving that “the king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He directs it wherever He will” (Proverbs 21:1). summary Acts 18:15 records a pagan governor brushing off a theological quarrel—but behind his dismissal, God is at work. Gallio’s verdict keeps the gospel free from legal suppression, affirms the proper boundary between state and church, and highlights how even secular authorities can serve God’s redemptive purposes. Paul stays in Corinth, the church grows, and the message of Christ advances—all because one magistrate refused “to be a judge of such things.” |
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