What a greeting! God’s unmerited favour continues to manifest its presence in your life. It is through God’s grace that the Apostle Paul is sent to Corinth and counselled to stay on by our Lord Jesus. Not pleasant for the mission team to contend with the enemies of the faith. They are placed in harm’s way. Physical dangers of imprisonment, caning and even stoning.

The church of God at Corinth is blessed with the preaching of the gospel by the Apostle Paul. It was the will of God that he was sent to preach the gospel in Corinth. God caused souls to be saved. Their lives made holy. Jesus stilled the heart of the Apostle Paul to tarry in the city to confirm the faith of the new converts. He stayed for a year and a half. The systematic teaching of God’s Word sanctifies the hearts of the hearers to conform to the image of Christ. What a blessing to see the believers’ growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul has Timothy to assist him in the work of the gospel. Timotheus or Timothy was first mentioned in Acts 16:1 during the 2nd Missionary journey, one with a good testimony among the brethren.

Acts 16:1-4 Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: 2 Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek. 4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.

The Apostle Paul urges the believers in Rome to be mindful of false teachers that will with their “smooth” talk and flattery deceive the unguarded and inexperienced ones. These false teachers serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own selfish interest. The term “their own belly”, Barnes observed, “Their own lusts; their own private interests; they do this to obtain support. The authors of parties and divisions, in church and state, have this usually in view.”

The peace and harmony of the church are disrupted by such who “crept in unawares” (Jude 3) into the congregation of God’s people. There the beloved Apostle’s counsel is that they are to “mark them” these. The word means “to spy out, look towards an object, to contemplate, give attention to”. God’s people are to be on the look out for such trouble-makers that can destabilise the faith of God’s people.