1 Corinthians 16:15,16

“I beseech you, brethren: Ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the first-fruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints. 16. That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth.”

The most natural construction is not to make 1 Corinthians 16:16 the object of παρακαλῶ : “I exhort you to submit yourselves,” but to take this verb in the absolute sense: “I have an exhortation to address to you.” The ἵνα of 1 Corinthians 16:16 will specify the contents of this exhortation. In the interval there is indicated the motive which justifies this request: Ye know...For the ὅτι, that, comp. 1 Corinthians 1:4-5. Stephanas and his house had been, according to 1 Corinthians 1:16, baptized by Paul himself; which seems to prove that their conversion took place before the arrival of Silas and Timothy at Corinth; the fact agrees with the title “ first-fruits of Achaia,” which is given them here.

On this ground alone they are worthy of respect; but they possess another: namely, the earnestness with which they have devoted themselves to the service of the Church. There is nothing here to indicate an ecclesiastical office strictly so called. The phrase: τάσσειν ἑαυτόν, frequent in classic Greek, rather denotes a voluntary consecration. The reference doubtless is to their readiness to care for the poor and the sick and the afflicted; to charge themselves with the business of the Church, deputations, journeys, paying for them personally (ἑαυτούς, themselves), as the delegates at present with the apostle had done. Hofmann thought that the ministry of the saints here denoted the collection for the Church of Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 16:1-4); comp. Romans 15:31; 2 Corinthians 9:12. But the context does not lead to this special sense.

Vv. 16. This respectful deference ought to be extended to every one who voluntarily makes himself like those of whom Paul has just spoken; their fellow-labourer by working for the good of the Church. There is an evident correspondence between the two verbs ὑποτάσσεσθαι and ἔταξαν of 1 Corinthians 16:15. The σύν, with, in συνεργοῦντι, who acts with, cannot signify: acting with God, or with Paul, or with the Corinthians, but only: with them that are such, τοῖς τοιούτοις. The term κοπιᾶν, to labour, relates to the varied works in the kingdom of God, and contains the accessory idea of painful labour; comp. Galatians 4:11; Romans 16:6. It is plain from this exhortation that the Corinthians were naturally prone to be lacking in submission and respect to those whom their age, experience, and services naturally pointed out for the veneration of the flock. The same defect appears from the letter which Clement of Rome was called forty years later to address to this Church.