Second Letter to the Corinthians -- Chapter 11
Having emphatically urged the Corinthians to take him seriously Paul continues on to express the concern that drives his passionate appeals. “I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that” (2 Corinthians 11:1). Paul warns the Corinthians that in order to hammer home his point about the validity of his ministry he is in the next few sections going to defend it by using the same foolish methods of the false teachers who oppose him. In fact Paul even admits that his defense of his ministry up to this point has already been a little foolish and worldly, since in reality he should not even need to defend his ministry to them. But in order to bear with the doubts of the Corinthians Paul is willing to act a little foolish; if thru his foolishness the Cross of Christ can shine thru to the Corinthians then it is well worth it.
But first, before he gets there, Paul explains his position and the dangerous false prophets of Satan that concern him so much: “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2-3). Paul tells them that he is very “jealous” for them with a godly jealousy. In fact, the Greek for “jealous” lends itself to an English translation of “to desire earnestly and zealously.” This means that Paul is very concerned for their wellbeing out of a true heart of love, he earnestly desires for them to remain steadfast till the end. It is this heart of love that wishes to present them to Christ as a church which clings to the truth and Gospel of His salvation for them. Paul’s “jealousy” stems from the fact that he sees the Corinthians being led astray by another suitor, by the ways of the Serpent himself. He is not selfishly jealous, but he is jealous on behalf of God who dearly wants them to remain in the truth of Christ. Though Eve was in perfect harmony with God in the Garden of Eden and was His chosen and elect child, she was still led astray by the cunning of Satan. Therefore Paul is concerned that even though the Corinthians received the Gospel he brought to them with open arms that they are still susceptible to the lure of Satan. “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough” (2 Corinthians 11:4). Paul’s concern isn’t because he is “paranoid” or unreasonable, but his concern is very real because it is rooted in the fact that the Corinthians have in the past put up with false Gospels and false Christ’s. The world of Christendom these days (and in fact it has always been this way) is full of sinners who tolerate the compromise of the one Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Men willingly listen to false prophets who speculate and have wild conjectures about what they think Jesus Christ was like or what He desired instead of sticking to the historic Jesus as the Scriptures present Him. These lies are not the Holy Spirit’s work thru the Gospel but they are the work of powerful false spirits that attempt to imitate the One Spirit thru distorted and warped pseudo-gospels. As Christians we are called to have a very high tolerance for sinners, welcoming and loving them with everything we have, but on the other hand we must have a zero-tolerance for false spirits, teachers, and gospels that shroud and veil the real Jesus Christ. “But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those ‘super-apostles.’ I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way” (2 Corinthians 11:5-6). Even though Paul did not have the skill of rhetoric and oratory like the so-called “super-apostles” and false teachers, he knows that he is not inferior to them. Why? Because the bravado of the presentation and the eloquence of the words is not what matters, what matters is the knowledge of God’s Word and truth in Jesus Christ; and this knowledge is what Paul has been specifically given thru the grace of Jesus Christ. Paul knows very well that ten thousand eloquent human words are not worth even a single word of God’s truth. He urges us to ignore the lure of human eloquence in order that we might remain focused on the true knowledge of Christ.
Continuing on Paul asks the Corinthians if he was wrong by coming to them in the humility that he did: “Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge?” (2 Corinthians 11:7). Was it somehow a sin for Paul to preach to them free of charge and shrouded in the humility of his weakness? It seems that somehow the church at Corinth holds it against Paul that he is not eloquent and arrogant, charging a great fee for his services. The Corinthians have been blinded by the outward appearance of things, wrongfully thinking that if Paul’s message was so special it would demand a great price. “I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so” (2 Corinthians 11:8-9). Paul on the other hand tells the Corinthians that he went to great lengths to present the Gospel to them free of charge. Why? So that the Corinthians would see that Paul wasn’t speaking and preaching to make money (like the false prophets), but that he spoke and preached because he had been given the very message of God’s Word and truth in Jesus Christ. His words in his first letter to the Corinthians are very telling: “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). Paul realized his weaknesses as a public orator and he therefore wanted the Corinthians to see past his human shell of weakness to the Gospel message that he proclaimed; the message of truth that was far different from the human messages of the false apostles. Even despite the flack he had taken for his humility Paul reaffirms his devotion to preaching the Gospel free of charge: “As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about” (2 Corinthians 11:10-12). Paul will continue is his ways of preaching the Gospel free of charge for the sake of Jesus Christ and the Corinthians. He does this so that the false teachers who are pulling men away from the Cross will be undermined and shown for what they are: charlatans. By refusing to take a penny from them, Paul wishes to show that his true motivations lie in nothing worldly, but only in the commission he had been given to proclaim the truth to all men.
As he continues Paul elaborates on these false teachers and prophets: “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:13). What is Paul’s message and word to us here? Men who bring doctrine contrary to God’s plain Word are not true teachers of Christ no matter how elaborate their charade. They can look the part, talk the part, and even act the part, but if they do not have the truth they are nothing but empty imposters. Jesus Christ spoke very plainly about this, beginning by debunking those who talk up their allegiance to Him: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Just because men come in the name of Jesus Christ and use all the fancy lingo of Christianity does not mean they are followers of Christ that will enter the kingdom of heaven. Christ tells us on the other hand that it is only the ones who do the will of the Father in heaven. So does this mean that if men come to us full of “good works” and “successful ministries” that they are Christ’s disciples? “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’” (Matthew 7:22). But what does Christ tell these men who did elaborate “works” in His name? “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:23). All the good works and successful ministries in the world are not enough to make a man a true follower of Christ. The words may be perfect and the act may be perfect, but Christ will tell these imposters and evildoers to get away from Him. All that matters is that Christ knew us. But how does Christ know us? He knows us thru the grace of His Cross, by means of His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. It is in the truth of God’s grace in Jesus Christ crucified that we come to be known by Christ; it is the work of the Holy Spirit thru the Word of Christ. Paul goes on to tell us that it should not be surprising to us that these false teachers will very much look, sound, and act the part of what we think a “Christian” should be: “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). By comparing these men to Satan himself, Paul adequately hammers home his point. Satan does not prance around in a red devil outfit holding signs that say, “Look at me, I’m evil!” He is in reality a sneaky deceiver who attempts to look and act the part of an angel of light; he attempts to look like our human conceived idea and notion of good. That is the true danger and evil of Satan; he is not blatant but subtle. The devil truly is in the details; it is in the details of our doctrine and in the details of God’s Word that Satan slides in and deceives men, dragging them to eternal damnation. Paul wants the Corinthians (and ourselves!) to see this ever-important fact. We must always be on guard for the deception of Satan that will silently come along to devour us in the details we think don’t really matter. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). What better way for Satan to enter our lives than thru the “details” of our doctrine that he has somehow convinced us “aren’t that important”? Since Satan comes in this way, his servants also come in this way. In fact one of the most dangerous aspects of the servants of Satan is the fact that so many of them have no idea they actually serve him. They themselves have had the wool pulled over their eyes so that they think they truly are serving God, while in reality they are tearing the truth of God’s Word apart at every turn, serving the destructive and deceiving ways of Satan himself, all under the name of Jesus Christ. Let us pray that thru God’s Word we are empowered to remain steadfast in the truth and doctrine of the Scriptures, shunning and rejecting any compromise to the Scriptural testimony of Jesus Christ crucified for our forgiveness. “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:7-8).
Having thoroughly warned the Corinthians about the false apostles that oppose the true Jesus Christ Paul continues on to defend his ministry once again. “I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then receive me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast” (2 Corinthians 11:16-18). Paul does not want the Corinthians to think he is a fool, but if they do in fact take him for a fool (by using worldly wisdom as the judge) then they should attempt holding up his “resume” against those of the false apostles. Since false apostles think their boasting amounts to a validation of their ministry, Paul will himself boast of his own “credentials” in order to show the true foolishness of these deceptive charlatans and their empty bragging. “You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face. To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!” (2 Corinthians 11:19-21). The Corinthians have willingly put up with and accepted men who were fools, who took advantage of them thru their facades of “strength.” Their lack of resistance to these men has caused all sorts of false teachings to infiltrate their ranks. Paul himself even admits that he was too weak to take advantage of the Corinthians (he didn’t have the worldly “strength” that so often led them off course) and for their sakes he will show them their foolishness by imitating those false apostles who keep leading them astray.
Paul begins his imitation of the boasting false teachers: “What anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about” (2 Corinthians 11:21). Basically Paul is saying, “If you want to compare me to those false teachers by worldly standards, then fine, do it. You will find that I stack up with them and am even greater than they if we use the foolish worldly standards. You will see that these worldly credentials amount to nothing and prove them to be nothing but empty boasters.” “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I” (2 Corinthians 11:22). Paul begins his “resume” with the boast that was most common at that time, the boast that the “best Christians” were those who were originally a Jew. Paul reaffirms that first off he is a Hebrew who has retained the Jewish language and culture, secondly that he is an Israelite and member of the chosen people of God, and lastly that he is a descendant of the Messianic promises of his forefather Abraham. Therefore Paul wants the Corinthians to see that if culture and bloodlines are what matter to them then he matches up against anyone. He is by blood a descendant of the Jewish and Hebrew line of Abraham, his blood and culture is as “good” and “pure” as any boasting false apostle.
Next Paul moves on to the more important point: “Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more” (2 Corinthians 11:23). Paul concedes in his humility that it is madness and an outrage for him to talk and boast as he is, but for the sake of opening the eyes of the Corinthians he continues. Paul proclaims that he is more of a servant of Christ than any of the other men who have come boasting to the Corinthians. “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again” (2 Corinthians 11:23). It is important to notice that Paul doesn’t appeal to popularity or large number of followers and converts as validation of his ministry but instead he appeals to his sufferings, trials, labors, and self-denials. The appeal to the worldly “success” of a ministry is the boast of the false apostles, whereas the true followers of Christ know that the ministry and labors itself are the true measure. Am I proclaiming God’s Word? Am I diligently laboring for the souls of those in my care? Am I willing to forsake the pleasures and luxuries of this life in order to make known God’s truth? Am I willing to face suffering and even death itself for the sake of the true Scriptural doctrine of Jesus Christ? Therefore Paul actually appeals to his lack of worldly “success” as a validation of his ministry. The mark of a minister’s faithfulness is his denial of himself for the sake of Christ and his willingness to take upon himself the shame, disgrace, trials, and tribulations that accompany God’s true Word amidst the world. Therefore instead of pointing to how well the world has received him, Paul points to how much the world has hated him as substantiation of his service for Christ. Is this absurd of him? Absolutely not, the Words of Christ tell us this very truth: “Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man” (Luke 6:22). In addition Christ even goes on to state that the false prophets are those who are well received: “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets” (Matthew 6:26). True teachers of the Gospel will be hated by the world while false teachers will be accepted and spoken of well by the world. In fact the hatred of the world toward the true disciples of Christ is not just a “possibility” but is something that must happen to all true followers of Christ; we are called to share in the sufferings of Christ, feeling the hatred of men against us because of His name and truth: “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). “You will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people” (Matthew 24:9-11). “You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me” (Luke 21:16-17). “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:19). Consequently Paul’s appeal to his lack of worldly “success” is in perfect agreement with Christ’s own groundbreaking words. Paul is a true servant and even a “greater” servant of Christ because of the shear persecution that he has undergone for the pure Gospel. Paul elaborates on these persecutions and sufferings: “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked” (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). For the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Paul had seen it all and had endured it all thru the grace and mercy of God. This is not just a “string of bad luck” but is in fact the whole world resisting the hard truth that Paul was proclaiming so fiercely. To illustrate the depth of these sufferings for the Gospel it is important to look at the first one Paul mentions: the forty lashes minus one. This is the punishment spoken of in Jewish law, “If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall make him lie down and have him flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime deserves, but he must not give him more than forty lashes” (Deuteronomy 25:2-3). This very punishment was written about by the historian Josephus who said that because of its utter severity it often resulted in the death of the one beaten. Paul underwent this beating not once, twice, or even three times, but five separate times. And on top of this Paul received three beatings with rods and was even stoned once (which so often brought death), not to mention the fact that he floated alone on the open sea after a shipwreck for a night and day! Clearly God alone was responsible for preserving Paul’s life amidst these physical trials that are far greater than any of us can imagine. However these physical sufferings are not even the culmination for Paul, he additionally endured the emotional and spiritual sufferings of his fellow believers: “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” (2 Corinthians 11:28-29). On top of all the physical hardships Paul underwent he also bore the burdens of the churches and believers to whom he brought Gospel. Worry and anxiety gripped him constantly as he helped carry the weaknesses and sins of those to whom he was trying to save by the Gospel message. What happened to them, happened to him; when they hurt, he hurt, when they struggled, he struggled. Paul truly empathized with all those to whom he was giving his entire life and efforts.
In light of this Paul summarizes his boasting in this way: “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (2 Corinthians 11:30). If he is forced to boast Paul will boast only in the things that show his weakness and nothingness before God Almighty. Paul wants himself to decrease in order that God and His grace might increase in both his own life and the lives of those he ministers to. Paul’s hardships are not something the world would ever boast of, but Paul is willing to boast in these “failures” because thru them the grace of God is brought to light. Basically he is saying, “Look at how I have failed and suffered, and yet how God Almighty has still fulfilled His promises by carrying me thru and spreading His message by His strength alone!” “The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying” (2 Corinthians 11:31). Paul is not exaggerating or lying one bit; all these trials he has truly undergone and He credits God alone for any success that has come from them. Therefore to summarize his point he concludes by recalling a daring escape: “In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands” (2 Corinthians 11:32-33). Here by God’s grace Paul was able to escape the wrath of a king who locked down an entire city in order to get to Paul’s life. God however had different plans and allowed for Paul to escape, showing us that it is fine and upright for a Christian to flee from danger when the opportunity presents itself and a denial of the truth is not involved. Though the whole world (kings, nature itself, false prophets, etc.) was against Paul, God was on His side and was directing his life with mercy, grace, and loving care. Therefore with Paul we ask: “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?...Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Romans 8:31-33, 35). And with the psalmist and Paul we respond: “I trust in you, O Yahweh; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands” (Psalm 31:14-15). “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:8-10). “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
But first, before he gets there, Paul explains his position and the dangerous false prophets of Satan that concern him so much: “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2-3). Paul tells them that he is very “jealous” for them with a godly jealousy. In fact, the Greek for “jealous” lends itself to an English translation of “to desire earnestly and zealously.” This means that Paul is very concerned for their wellbeing out of a true heart of love, he earnestly desires for them to remain steadfast till the end. It is this heart of love that wishes to present them to Christ as a church which clings to the truth and Gospel of His salvation for them. Paul’s “jealousy” stems from the fact that he sees the Corinthians being led astray by another suitor, by the ways of the Serpent himself. He is not selfishly jealous, but he is jealous on behalf of God who dearly wants them to remain in the truth of Christ. Though Eve was in perfect harmony with God in the Garden of Eden and was His chosen and elect child, she was still led astray by the cunning of Satan. Therefore Paul is concerned that even though the Corinthians received the Gospel he brought to them with open arms that they are still susceptible to the lure of Satan. “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough” (2 Corinthians 11:4). Paul’s concern isn’t because he is “paranoid” or unreasonable, but his concern is very real because it is rooted in the fact that the Corinthians have in the past put up with false Gospels and false Christ’s. The world of Christendom these days (and in fact it has always been this way) is full of sinners who tolerate the compromise of the one Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Men willingly listen to false prophets who speculate and have wild conjectures about what they think Jesus Christ was like or what He desired instead of sticking to the historic Jesus as the Scriptures present Him. These lies are not the Holy Spirit’s work thru the Gospel but they are the work of powerful false spirits that attempt to imitate the One Spirit thru distorted and warped pseudo-gospels. As Christians we are called to have a very high tolerance for sinners, welcoming and loving them with everything we have, but on the other hand we must have a zero-tolerance for false spirits, teachers, and gospels that shroud and veil the real Jesus Christ. “But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those ‘super-apostles.’ I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way” (2 Corinthians 11:5-6). Even though Paul did not have the skill of rhetoric and oratory like the so-called “super-apostles” and false teachers, he knows that he is not inferior to them. Why? Because the bravado of the presentation and the eloquence of the words is not what matters, what matters is the knowledge of God’s Word and truth in Jesus Christ; and this knowledge is what Paul has been specifically given thru the grace of Jesus Christ. Paul knows very well that ten thousand eloquent human words are not worth even a single word of God’s truth. He urges us to ignore the lure of human eloquence in order that we might remain focused on the true knowledge of Christ.
Continuing on Paul asks the Corinthians if he was wrong by coming to them in the humility that he did: “Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge?” (2 Corinthians 11:7). Was it somehow a sin for Paul to preach to them free of charge and shrouded in the humility of his weakness? It seems that somehow the church at Corinth holds it against Paul that he is not eloquent and arrogant, charging a great fee for his services. The Corinthians have been blinded by the outward appearance of things, wrongfully thinking that if Paul’s message was so special it would demand a great price. “I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so” (2 Corinthians 11:8-9). Paul on the other hand tells the Corinthians that he went to great lengths to present the Gospel to them free of charge. Why? So that the Corinthians would see that Paul wasn’t speaking and preaching to make money (like the false prophets), but that he spoke and preached because he had been given the very message of God’s Word and truth in Jesus Christ. His words in his first letter to the Corinthians are very telling: “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). Paul realized his weaknesses as a public orator and he therefore wanted the Corinthians to see past his human shell of weakness to the Gospel message that he proclaimed; the message of truth that was far different from the human messages of the false apostles. Even despite the flack he had taken for his humility Paul reaffirms his devotion to preaching the Gospel free of charge: “As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about” (2 Corinthians 11:10-12). Paul will continue is his ways of preaching the Gospel free of charge for the sake of Jesus Christ and the Corinthians. He does this so that the false teachers who are pulling men away from the Cross will be undermined and shown for what they are: charlatans. By refusing to take a penny from them, Paul wishes to show that his true motivations lie in nothing worldly, but only in the commission he had been given to proclaim the truth to all men.
As he continues Paul elaborates on these false teachers and prophets: “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:13). What is Paul’s message and word to us here? Men who bring doctrine contrary to God’s plain Word are not true teachers of Christ no matter how elaborate their charade. They can look the part, talk the part, and even act the part, but if they do not have the truth they are nothing but empty imposters. Jesus Christ spoke very plainly about this, beginning by debunking those who talk up their allegiance to Him: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Just because men come in the name of Jesus Christ and use all the fancy lingo of Christianity does not mean they are followers of Christ that will enter the kingdom of heaven. Christ tells us on the other hand that it is only the ones who do the will of the Father in heaven. So does this mean that if men come to us full of “good works” and “successful ministries” that they are Christ’s disciples? “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’” (Matthew 7:22). But what does Christ tell these men who did elaborate “works” in His name? “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:23). All the good works and successful ministries in the world are not enough to make a man a true follower of Christ. The words may be perfect and the act may be perfect, but Christ will tell these imposters and evildoers to get away from Him. All that matters is that Christ knew us. But how does Christ know us? He knows us thru the grace of His Cross, by means of His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. It is in the truth of God’s grace in Jesus Christ crucified that we come to be known by Christ; it is the work of the Holy Spirit thru the Word of Christ. Paul goes on to tell us that it should not be surprising to us that these false teachers will very much look, sound, and act the part of what we think a “Christian” should be: “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). By comparing these men to Satan himself, Paul adequately hammers home his point. Satan does not prance around in a red devil outfit holding signs that say, “Look at me, I’m evil!” He is in reality a sneaky deceiver who attempts to look and act the part of an angel of light; he attempts to look like our human conceived idea and notion of good. That is the true danger and evil of Satan; he is not blatant but subtle. The devil truly is in the details; it is in the details of our doctrine and in the details of God’s Word that Satan slides in and deceives men, dragging them to eternal damnation. Paul wants the Corinthians (and ourselves!) to see this ever-important fact. We must always be on guard for the deception of Satan that will silently come along to devour us in the details we think don’t really matter. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). What better way for Satan to enter our lives than thru the “details” of our doctrine that he has somehow convinced us “aren’t that important”? Since Satan comes in this way, his servants also come in this way. In fact one of the most dangerous aspects of the servants of Satan is the fact that so many of them have no idea they actually serve him. They themselves have had the wool pulled over their eyes so that they think they truly are serving God, while in reality they are tearing the truth of God’s Word apart at every turn, serving the destructive and deceiving ways of Satan himself, all under the name of Jesus Christ. Let us pray that thru God’s Word we are empowered to remain steadfast in the truth and doctrine of the Scriptures, shunning and rejecting any compromise to the Scriptural testimony of Jesus Christ crucified for our forgiveness. “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:7-8).
Having thoroughly warned the Corinthians about the false apostles that oppose the true Jesus Christ Paul continues on to defend his ministry once again. “I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then receive me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast” (2 Corinthians 11:16-18). Paul does not want the Corinthians to think he is a fool, but if they do in fact take him for a fool (by using worldly wisdom as the judge) then they should attempt holding up his “resume” against those of the false apostles. Since false apostles think their boasting amounts to a validation of their ministry, Paul will himself boast of his own “credentials” in order to show the true foolishness of these deceptive charlatans and their empty bragging. “You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face. To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!” (2 Corinthians 11:19-21). The Corinthians have willingly put up with and accepted men who were fools, who took advantage of them thru their facades of “strength.” Their lack of resistance to these men has caused all sorts of false teachings to infiltrate their ranks. Paul himself even admits that he was too weak to take advantage of the Corinthians (he didn’t have the worldly “strength” that so often led them off course) and for their sakes he will show them their foolishness by imitating those false apostles who keep leading them astray.
Paul begins his imitation of the boasting false teachers: “What anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about” (2 Corinthians 11:21). Basically Paul is saying, “If you want to compare me to those false teachers by worldly standards, then fine, do it. You will find that I stack up with them and am even greater than they if we use the foolish worldly standards. You will see that these worldly credentials amount to nothing and prove them to be nothing but empty boasters.” “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I” (2 Corinthians 11:22). Paul begins his “resume” with the boast that was most common at that time, the boast that the “best Christians” were those who were originally a Jew. Paul reaffirms that first off he is a Hebrew who has retained the Jewish language and culture, secondly that he is an Israelite and member of the chosen people of God, and lastly that he is a descendant of the Messianic promises of his forefather Abraham. Therefore Paul wants the Corinthians to see that if culture and bloodlines are what matter to them then he matches up against anyone. He is by blood a descendant of the Jewish and Hebrew line of Abraham, his blood and culture is as “good” and “pure” as any boasting false apostle.
Next Paul moves on to the more important point: “Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more” (2 Corinthians 11:23). Paul concedes in his humility that it is madness and an outrage for him to talk and boast as he is, but for the sake of opening the eyes of the Corinthians he continues. Paul proclaims that he is more of a servant of Christ than any of the other men who have come boasting to the Corinthians. “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again” (2 Corinthians 11:23). It is important to notice that Paul doesn’t appeal to popularity or large number of followers and converts as validation of his ministry but instead he appeals to his sufferings, trials, labors, and self-denials. The appeal to the worldly “success” of a ministry is the boast of the false apostles, whereas the true followers of Christ know that the ministry and labors itself are the true measure. Am I proclaiming God’s Word? Am I diligently laboring for the souls of those in my care? Am I willing to forsake the pleasures and luxuries of this life in order to make known God’s truth? Am I willing to face suffering and even death itself for the sake of the true Scriptural doctrine of Jesus Christ? Therefore Paul actually appeals to his lack of worldly “success” as a validation of his ministry. The mark of a minister’s faithfulness is his denial of himself for the sake of Christ and his willingness to take upon himself the shame, disgrace, trials, and tribulations that accompany God’s true Word amidst the world. Therefore instead of pointing to how well the world has received him, Paul points to how much the world has hated him as substantiation of his service for Christ. Is this absurd of him? Absolutely not, the Words of Christ tell us this very truth: “Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man” (Luke 6:22). In addition Christ even goes on to state that the false prophets are those who are well received: “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets” (Matthew 6:26). True teachers of the Gospel will be hated by the world while false teachers will be accepted and spoken of well by the world. In fact the hatred of the world toward the true disciples of Christ is not just a “possibility” but is something that must happen to all true followers of Christ; we are called to share in the sufferings of Christ, feeling the hatred of men against us because of His name and truth: “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). “You will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people” (Matthew 24:9-11). “You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me” (Luke 21:16-17). “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:19). Consequently Paul’s appeal to his lack of worldly “success” is in perfect agreement with Christ’s own groundbreaking words. Paul is a true servant and even a “greater” servant of Christ because of the shear persecution that he has undergone for the pure Gospel. Paul elaborates on these persecutions and sufferings: “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked” (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). For the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Paul had seen it all and had endured it all thru the grace and mercy of God. This is not just a “string of bad luck” but is in fact the whole world resisting the hard truth that Paul was proclaiming so fiercely. To illustrate the depth of these sufferings for the Gospel it is important to look at the first one Paul mentions: the forty lashes minus one. This is the punishment spoken of in Jewish law, “If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall make him lie down and have him flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime deserves, but he must not give him more than forty lashes” (Deuteronomy 25:2-3). This very punishment was written about by the historian Josephus who said that because of its utter severity it often resulted in the death of the one beaten. Paul underwent this beating not once, twice, or even three times, but five separate times. And on top of this Paul received three beatings with rods and was even stoned once (which so often brought death), not to mention the fact that he floated alone on the open sea after a shipwreck for a night and day! Clearly God alone was responsible for preserving Paul’s life amidst these physical trials that are far greater than any of us can imagine. However these physical sufferings are not even the culmination for Paul, he additionally endured the emotional and spiritual sufferings of his fellow believers: “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” (2 Corinthians 11:28-29). On top of all the physical hardships Paul underwent he also bore the burdens of the churches and believers to whom he brought Gospel. Worry and anxiety gripped him constantly as he helped carry the weaknesses and sins of those to whom he was trying to save by the Gospel message. What happened to them, happened to him; when they hurt, he hurt, when they struggled, he struggled. Paul truly empathized with all those to whom he was giving his entire life and efforts.
In light of this Paul summarizes his boasting in this way: “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (2 Corinthians 11:30). If he is forced to boast Paul will boast only in the things that show his weakness and nothingness before God Almighty. Paul wants himself to decrease in order that God and His grace might increase in both his own life and the lives of those he ministers to. Paul’s hardships are not something the world would ever boast of, but Paul is willing to boast in these “failures” because thru them the grace of God is brought to light. Basically he is saying, “Look at how I have failed and suffered, and yet how God Almighty has still fulfilled His promises by carrying me thru and spreading His message by His strength alone!” “The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying” (2 Corinthians 11:31). Paul is not exaggerating or lying one bit; all these trials he has truly undergone and He credits God alone for any success that has come from them. Therefore to summarize his point he concludes by recalling a daring escape: “In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands” (2 Corinthians 11:32-33). Here by God’s grace Paul was able to escape the wrath of a king who locked down an entire city in order to get to Paul’s life. God however had different plans and allowed for Paul to escape, showing us that it is fine and upright for a Christian to flee from danger when the opportunity presents itself and a denial of the truth is not involved. Though the whole world (kings, nature itself, false prophets, etc.) was against Paul, God was on His side and was directing his life with mercy, grace, and loving care. Therefore with Paul we ask: “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?...Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Romans 8:31-33, 35). And with the psalmist and Paul we respond: “I trust in you, O Yahweh; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands” (Psalm 31:14-15). “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:8-10). “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
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