14 “I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.”
Verses 14 and 15 challenge those who split into the Paul faction in the Corinthian church. He singled out the group that split into following him as a carnal example.
1:14
I thank God that I baptized none of you
Paul recognized God’s providence in permitting him to baptize only a few. There was no calculation on his part. He did not go to Corinth to get people to follow him by baptizing them. God’s sovereign act kept Paul from baptizing more than he did. He was grateful that more did not follow him personally.
except Crispus and Gaius
When Paul first came to Corinth, Crispus was the ruler of the synagogue (Acts 18:8). Paul led him to Christ and baptized him.
Gaius was a Roman settler and a Gentile convert who hosted Paul during his second visit to Corinth. When Christians could no longer worship in the synagogue, the church met in his house next door to the synagogue (Ac 18:7; Ro 16:23).
1:15
lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.
Paul was apprehensive that someone might assign a party-making motive to him. He would brook no pretext for schism. The word “in” means into, implying allegiance. Paul did not serve the Corinthians for his own advancement or glory.
PRINCIPLE:
A temptation in ministry is to draw ultimate loyalty to a human leader.
APPLICATION:
A great temptation in leadership is to draw attention to oneself. We rationalize this self-centeredness by claiming that the better people know us, the more success we will have. There is a further temptation to assemble a cult following around ourselves.
