2 Corinthians - Beware

Paul looked upon himself as a spiritual father who had a special concern for the church at Corinth. Now this image is carried into 2 Corinthians 11, where he talks about his jealousy, his godly jealousy over the church. "Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me."

Paul uses the word folly or foolish or foolishness several times in this passage because the Corinthian church had forced him to take this approach. Paul would rather have dealt with them as mature people, but they were not mature; they were babes. And so he has to deal with them, as it were, foolishly. They had acted foolishly, and now he has to deal with them in the same way.

For "I am jealous over you," 2 Corinthians 11:2 says, "with godly jealousy." Not envy—now envy is sinful, but jealousy is right. A husband is jealous over his wife and children. And Paul, as a pastor, had a godly jealousy over this church. "For I have espoused you," engaged you, "to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."

The picture here is of a father protecting his daughter until the day of marriage. That's a beautiful picture. And so the Lord Jesus Christ is the bridegroom, the local church is the bride, and the pastor, the spiritual leaders in the church, are compared to spiritual fathers whose responsibility it is to protect and to care for this bride.

In what ways does a spiritual leader show his love for the church? Well, in 2 Corinthians 11:1-15, Paul gives us three ways by which the spiritual leader shows his love for the church. First, he points the church to Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:1-2 that we just read. He said, "I want to remind you that you are one day going to be married. Now, today you are engaged to the Lord Jesus. Be faithful to Him."

All around you there are those who want to seduce you. All around you are false teachers. In fact, some false teachers had gotten into the church at Corinth, hadn't they? And so the Apostle Paul reminded them that they were engaged to the Lord Jesus, one day they were going to marry the Lord Jesus, and one day they would share His home and His glory.

Now, he says, live as those who are going to a wedding. The next time you're tempted to sin, the next time the devil gives you some allurement, just remember you're going to a wedding. Keep yourself as a chaste, pure bride.

This is why Paul talked about separation in 2 Corinthians 6:13-18. "Come out and be separate," says the Lord. When a girl is engaged to a fellow and she loves him, she keeps herself pure. She keeps herself faithful. She doesn't want to lose that first love.

When the spiritual leader loves the church, he points the church to Christ and says, "I want you to love Him and look forward to the wedding." John meant this in 1 John 2 when he said, "Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself."

But there's a second way that the spiritual leader shows his love for the church, not only by pointing the church to Christ and reminding the church of their love, but by protecting the church from danger. 2 Corinthians 11:3-6. "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty," his craftiness, "so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." The devil is out to seduce the church.

He's talking here about Genesis 3, where Satan came to Eve, and first he questioned God's word: "Yea, hath God said?" And then he denied God's word: "Ye shall not surely die." And then he substituted his own lie: "God knows the day that you eat thereof, you shall be as God." And of course, Eve fell for this because her mind was beguiled.

Now Satan is out to attack your church. In 2 Corinthians 11:4, Paul says, "For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." These false teachers had come proclaiming a different Jesus from the one that Paul preached.

Paul preached that Jesus delivered us from the law—the bondage, the curse of the law is no longer upon us. But they said, "No, you've got to go back and get under the law." A different spirit. The spirit that we have, the Holy Spirit, is the Spirit of adoption. We have not received a spirit of bondage again to fear. Under law, we've received a spirit of adoption.

And a different gospel. There's only one gospel. Paul makes this clear in Galatians 1, doesn't he? In fact, he boldly says, "If anybody comes and preaches any other gospel than the one I preached to you, let him be accursed." That's strong language.

The word "simplicity" in 2 Corinthians 11:3 means singleness of devotion. You cannot love two different kinds of Jesus. You cannot follow two different kinds of Spirit. You cannot believe two different kinds of gospel. It's one or the other. You cannot serve two masters. And Jesus Christ deserves our single-hearted devotion.

And then over in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, he picks up this theme of the danger that there is to the church. 2 Corinthians 11:13: "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ." Pretenders, masqueraders—in fact, that word means masquerading. "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." Satan doesn't come with a long, pointed, red tail and a pitchfork the way he is pictured in cartoons.

Oh no, he comes as a religious leader. He comes with self-righteousness. He comes with lies that are beguiling. He comes masquerading. "Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers"—would you believe that? The devil has ministers—"also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."

The spiritual leader shows his love for the church by pointing the church to Christ and saying, "Love Him, look for Him." He shows his love for the church by protecting the church from danger. He warns you against false teachers and false gospels and a false spirit and a false Jesus that they preach. Now there's a third way that the spiritual leader as a father shows his love for the church. 2 Corinthians 11:7-12. He sacrificially provides for the church.

You see, Paul had paid his own bills when he was in Corinth. He wouldn't accept any money from the Corinthian church. Can you imagine graduating from grade school and your father hands you a bill and says, "This is what it cost you for me to raise you so far"? And then you graduate from high school and he hands you a bill and says, "You owe me this much money for bringing you this far"? The father pays the bills, not the children. Now there comes a point in life when the children begin to help their father; that's a different story.

2 Corinthians 11:7: "Have I committed an offense in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?" Now these Judaizing teachers didn't preach the gospel freely. Oh no, they were out getting as much as they could get. I've noticed that these people who lead false cults are always interested in what they can get, not what they can give.

"I robbed other churches," Paul speaking sarcastically, of course. "I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service." The church at Philippi sent him money, and other churches sent him money. And Paul himself worked because he was a tentmaker, you'll recall. And he went to work to pay his own bills.

Now why did he do it? 2 Corinthians 11:11 tells us. "Because I love you not? God knoweth. But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion." He's saying, "I will not take any money because all they'll do is criticize me." And they criticized Paul for not taking money!

You know, some people you just can't please at all. When Paul went to Corinth, he paid his own bills, he sacrificed, he worked hard—it was difficult. And this false crowd came in and said, "Well, he can't be a real apostle or he'd accept money from you. The apostles all have the privilege of accepting support, and he didn't, therefore he can't be a real apostle." Now, if Paul had accepted support, they would have said what? You know what they would have said. "Oh yeah, this is Paul, sure, he's just out to get money."

It's like Jesus said about Himself and John the Baptist. John came with a message of judgment, and you wouldn't listen to him. I've come with a message of grace; you won't listen to Me. You're like children. One crowd wants to play funeral, one crowd wants to play wedding. Whether it's sad or glad, we can't please you. You know, when folks are out to accuse you, they'll always find something to accuse.

Now what I'm saying is this: appreciate your spiritual leaders. Appreciate those who are true to the Word of God because they are protecting the local church the way a father protects his daughter who's getting ready for the wedding. The leaders must point us to Jesus Christ.

If your pastor warns you about false religions and about dangerous trends, you thank God for it. He is protecting you for the wedding. And the true teacher of God, the spiritual leader shows his love by providing sacrificially for the church.

Now it's perfectly right to pay your pastor a salary; that's perfectly right. But he'll sacrifice to serve you, and you thank God that he does sacrifice to serve you. You and I are on our way to a wedding. What a wonderful day it's going to be when we see the Lord Jesus. May we see Him pure and holy.

When you get to 2 Corinthians 11:16, the scene changes and Paul does not compare himself to a father; he compares himself to a fool. Can you imagine the great Apostle Paul acting like a fool? 2 Corinthians 11:16: "I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little."

In 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, we have two surprises. Surprise number one: that Paul boasted like a fool. Surprise number two: that when he boasted, he boasted about his weaknesses, not his strengths. This surprises us, doesn't it?

Paul boasted. Now, that's a surprising thing. He says, "I say again." This refers back to 2 Corinthians 11:1: "Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly." Why was Paul finding it necessary to boast? Proverbs 26:4-5 may give us the answer. "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit."

Now, it looks as though Proverbs 26:4 contradicts Proverbs 26:5, but it doesn't. What the inspired writer is saying is this: you have to have discernment to know how to answer people. There are times when people are acting foolishly and you have to answer them according to their folly. There are other times when they're acting foolishly and you'd better not act according to their folly.

Now the Corinthians were acting like fools. They were following these false teachers. They were caught up with these "super-apostles." They were wrapped up in the teachings and the glory of the whole thing. And Paul had tried to deal with them in a mature way.

He had sent them a very severe letter. He had made a visit to them, and they had given him trouble. Now he says, "Alright, I can't deal with you as mature people. I can't answer you in the way you can accept it. I'm going to have to start treating you the way you're treating me." So actually, Paul is using a psychological approach here, isn't he?

In fact, he says in 2 Corinthians 11:17, "That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord." In other words, he's not denying inspiration. He's saying, "This is not what the Lord ever did." Our Lord Jesus never answered people according to their folly because He had much greater power than did the Apostle Paul. He said, "As it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting."

Now why does he do it? "Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also." These false teachers were always glorying in something, boasting in something—boasting in their authority, boasting in their converts, boasting in this and boasting in that, when really they had nothing to brag about. All they did was walk in and steal converts from other people. And Paul said, "Alright, if they want to boast and glory, I'll do the same thing."

2 Corinthians 11:19: "For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise." Some more sarcasm, isn't that? He said these fellows have come in, these super-apostles have come in, and you're putting up with them. Well, then you can put up with me. "Ye suffer," you tolerate it, "if a man bring you into bondage"—that's legalism—"if a man devour you"—taking your money—"if a man take of you," or take you in—that's false doctrine—"if a man exalt himself"—exploiting the church—"if a man smite you on the face"—arrogance.

You see, Paul wouldn't do these things. Paul when he came to Corinth wept over the people and he loved the people and he ministered to the people. And then this other crowd came in and put them into bondage and took their money and taught them false doctrine, exploited them, even slapped them in the face. Paul said, "Well, you'll put up with that." Paul says, "Alright, you want to brag? You want people to come and glory? I'll do it. But I'm acting like a fool; you're forcing me to it."

"I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also. Are they Hebrews?" They were bragging about their ancestry. "So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more."

Now let's see what Paul boasted about. Paul boasted about his weakness. Notice this. First, he tells us how he suffered for the Lord Jesus. "In labours more abundant." These men hadn't labored; they just went out and stole other people's labors. "In stripes above measure." He's talking about being whipped. "In prisons more frequent, in deaths oft."

Now he gets specific. "Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one." They used to beat with thirty-nine stripes. Five times the Jews whipped Paul. Now these Judaizers had never gone through that. "Thrice was I beaten with rods." The Gentiles, the Romans, would beat a prisoner with rods. "Once was I stoned."

Then the hardships he went through in his ministry. "Thrice I suffered shipwreck." Shipwreck, three times. "A night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often." Constantly on the move. These Judaizers moved into Corinth and just sat down, got comfortable. Paul said, "I'm always on the move; there's always a job to do."

"In perils of waters." Seven times now he's going to use the word perils, dangers. "In perils of waters, in perils of robbers." The roads were not very safe those days. "In perils by mine own countrymen." The Jews hated Paul. They thought he was a rebel, a traitor, when in reality he was not. "In perils by the heathen, in perils in the city"—that's not hard to understand—"in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren." Back in 2 Corinthians 11:13: "false apostles, Satan transforming himself into an angel of light."

So we have Paul's suffering for Christ and Paul's hardships in the ministry, and then Paul's concern and burden for the churches. "In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness." Here's a man who sacrificed for these people, and they didn't even appreciate it. "Beside those things that are without," the outside circumstances, "that which cometh upon me daily."

You see, it was only occasional that he had journeyings that were perilous. Only occasionally was he in the deep. Only occasionally was he beaten. But every day what did he have? "That which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches."

That word care means the pressure, the burden. "Who is weak, and I am not weak?" He identified with those who had their burdens. "Who is offended, and I burn not?" He was angry when others were caused to sin. This had happened in Corinth. "If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities," my weaknesses.

Here's an amazing thing. If you ask the Apostle Paul to brag about the Lord Jesus, he could do it. He had no problem at all boasting about the Lord Jesus. But you ask him to boast about himself, he can't do it. He said, "I'll boast about those things that show my weakness."

What he's saying is, you know, if I were really a super-apostle, if I had the kind of spirituality that these men have that you're worshiping, I would never have been in these problems. I would never have been in prison or beaten or in shipwreck or peril. But I went through them, so it must mean I'm a pretty weak fellow. And after all, they had said—the Corinthian church had said—that the Apostle Paul was rather contemptible, his bodily presence was weak. He said, "Alright, I'll accept that."

And you'd think that the climax of all of this would be some great event. But look at the climax. "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. In Damascus"—he goes back many years now—"the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me."

When Paul was in Damascus, they were going to arrest him. Now how did he escape? "And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands." What humiliation. Here is the great Apostle Paul in a basket, at night, being let down over a wall through a window. Well, there's not much to brag about, is there? Or is there?

You see, as you read all of this recitation of what Paul had gone through, you're saying, "You know, he's glorifying God." He's saying Jesus Christ is worth suffering for.

Paul is saying to you and to me, if you're going to boast, boast of your weaknesses, boast of how the Lord has brought you through in the way you've suffered for Him. And beware, beware of those who would rob you who have no scars to show how much they love the Lord.