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“Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat” (Acts 18:17).
“Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother” (1 Corinthians 1:1).
When Paul preached in Corinth, the Jews tried to get him into trouble with the Roman authorities, but the judge (Gallio) would not listen to them, because their complaint had to do with Jewish law, and not Roman rule. Then the Greeks, who did not like the Jews anyway, beat Sosthenes, who was probably the leader in the complaint against Paul.
However, that is not the end of the story. Evidently Sosthenes got saved later on, and Paul referred to him when he wrote the first epistle to the Corinthians some time later. This is a good thing for us to remember. Sometimes those who oppose the gospel the most get saved later on, and then the Lord uses them in blessing to others. You will remember that the Apostle Paul, who before was Saul of Tarsus, was also a bitter enemy of the gospel, but after he was saved, he was a bright testimony for the Lord. Let us never give up on someone who seems to be against the gospel; the Lord may be working with them.
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