September 14, 2023
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Reading along with us in 2 Corinthians? Here’s today’s reading:
2 Corinthians 11 (NIV)
Paul and the False Apostles
1 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! 2 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. 3 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.…..Continue Reading
Paul goes after false apostles so as to defend the truth of the gospel. Satan masquerades as an angel of light. How many people do we know that have been swayed away by fake righteous people that lead people into cults. With false teaching. Paul destroys these false teachers as he lists the trials he had gone through to further the truth of Jesus. Showing the believers that these false teachers would never go through any of them to defend what they believe. All the physical huge trials Paul went through and then to have to combat the attacks of all the churches he had established. Hard to fathom. One man going through this. Jesus said the greatest man to live was John the Baptist. Surprised Paul was not mentioned
Paul is concerned about the believers that their minds have been corrupted by the false teachers that came in. For these false teachers were leading the people astray by leading them away from the truth of God. These false teachers apparently were bragging about themselves and attacking what Paul said. Paul knew that he spoke the truth which is in Christ. Paul rebukes these false apostles and calls them for what they are, ministers of Satan disguised as ministers of righteousness. Then Paul shares some of his testimony and compares himself to these false apostles. He has gone through so much for the cause of Christ. So far greater than anything that they have gone through. All for Jesus the Christ. Then he gives a list of what he has gone through. This is the same Apostle that went after Christians to destroy them and then was confronted by Christ on the road to Damascus and blinded. He also was a Pharisee of Pharisees. Which meant that his learning of the scriptures was the best. But God had to humble him to get his attention and bring him to Christ. God speaking to Ananias n Acts 9 told him that Saul [ Paul] was to be a chosen vessel to tell Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel about Christ. God also spoke to Paul directly and Paul was very motivated to preach Christ. So how could these false apostles even claim to be better than Paul. Paul says that he is behaving like a fool to even brag about such things so what does this make them. For none of that matters. The only thing that matters is that Christ is preached and that Christ alone is glorified. May our Lord be glorified in our lives every day.
To hear the account of what Paul has endured is one to be humbled by! The false prophets he speaks about here are bragging and leading people astray and Paul responds with a classic “the proof is in the pudding” He had endured so much for Jesus and will not stop spreading the message of Christ no matter what they do to him. These others were not and would not endure such tortures for their message.
Paul trusted God, despite his circumstance. He was patient and endured much. always thinking of others and never stopped spreading the good news of Jesus. A great example of humility, giving God the glory in everything, good and bad!
2 Corinthians 11
2 Corinthians 11 Paul had to address the Corinthians about false teachers who were trying to lead them away from the true Christ.
Reading Chapter 11 this time, verse 24 really spoke to me. “Five time I received from the Jews the forty lashed minus one.” Paul received these lashes because he would not renounce his Jewish heritage. If he renounced his heritage, he would not have been able to preach the Gospel in their synagogues and many of those people may not have been saved. If only I had that heart. Something to work toward.
Paul takes this chapter as well to defend himself as well as warn the Corinthians against the false teachers amongst them. He has done everything for their sake even though they have seen it differently. But the bottom line is what has been taught and believed. He brought the true gospel of grace through Jesus alone and that was coupled with the ministry of the Spirt in Paul and in them. They are warned and we should be too that if we hear a different gospel (and they abound in our day) that is not about Jesus and the cross than it is false. The message is what mattered to Paul not his ability to present it. And it is almost as if they are holding against him the fact that he didn’t take their money in his ministry to them. It is amazing how something such as that which is good can be turned around by false people to make it sound bad. We need to be careful of all kinds of deception, that which comes from man as well as that which comes from the angel of light, the father of lies, the devil. And just to play the false teachers game that truly feels foolish to Paul (and imagine he hoped it would seem foolish to the Corinthians too), Pauls lays out all that he has done for the gospel and by extension for them. And boy did Paul suffer much. May we be willing to suffer as much for the gospel of Christ.
2 Corinthians 11 done
2 Corinthians 11
DAY 2
1 JOHN 3:17-18
TURNING FROM APATHY TO PASSION
It is humbling to hear what Paul endured for the gospel.
Let us not be deceived into doing things that pull us away from studying the word of God. It is so easy to skip spending time with the Lord because we have so many other things to do. It’s important to keep our priorities in order, putting our relationship with God first and foremost. We must be careful not to be misled by people who preach a false gospel – they may sound and look attractive, but they are not teaching the truth about God’s word. These people take advantage of us and lead us on the wrong path.