Slices
Prepare
Ask the Lord to teach you his truths.
Bible passage
Paul and the false apostles
11 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 snake’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 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 Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
5 I do not think I am in the least inferior to those ‘super-apostles’. 6 I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. 7 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? 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. 9 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. 10 As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
12 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. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
Explore
Does it seem an extreme reaction of Paul’s to call the false apostles servants of Satan (v 15)? He is distressed about the danger that they pose to the church at Corinth. Are we too ready to accept false teaching as mere differences of opinion?
Paul is not defending himself because his feelings are hurt. He is afraid that the Corinthians are being led astray from the true faith. He has previously spoken of them as his children in the faith (eg 2 Corinthians 6:13); now he pictures himself presenting them in marriage as the bride of Christ (v 2; see also Ephesians 5:27). For the church to follow false teachings would make them unfaithful to the Lord. Just as Eve was deceived by the serpent, the Corinthians risk being led astray by false teaching. Notice how right thinking and devotion to Christ go together (v 3). How can we assess the truthfulness of teaching?
The false teachers were skilled in the rhetorical techniques of their age. In our media-driven age, does style sometimes triumph over substance in preaching? They also argued that Paul could not have been a good teacher because, unlike them, he did not ask for payment when he spoke (v 7). Although Paul argues elsewhere that church workers have a right to payment (1 Timothy 5:18), he had not accepted anything from the Corinthians, to avoid being a burden (v 9).
Respond
‘Lord, “Give your servant a discerning heart … to distinguish between right and wrong” (1 Kings 3:9). Amen.’
Deeper Bible study
‘He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.’1
It becomes clearer what is at stake. Paul is fighting to keep the Corinthians in the faith by rescuing them from versions of Jesus, the Spirit and the gospel that differ from those he introduced them to (vs 3,4). They are at risk of being deceived by Satan masquerading as an angel of light (vs 13–15). For Paul, no struggle could be more important.
There are more criticisms of Paul. This time the charge is ironic. Paul has been scrupulous in his financial probity to the point of refusing to accept financial help from the Corinthians. Instead, alongside working at his trade, he has relied upon the churches of Macedonia to fund his ministry in Corinth (vs 7–9). He is now being faulted for not taking money! Perhaps behind this there is some disdain for manual workers. Disdain is also evident in that he is being written off as a rhetorician (v 6). The super-apostles are classing Paul as inferior to themselves (v 5), setting him off along the ‘foolish’ path of proving the opposite (vs 1,12).
At stake is the matter of control. The super-apostles are wresting the church from Paul’s influence because they want to control it (v 20). We infer that they themselves have no hesitation in accepting financial support and argue it is a privilege for the Corinthians to support them.2 The question of control distinguishes a free Christian community from a cult. Crucially, Paul has never had ambitions to wed them to himself but only to Christ (v 2), whom to serve is perfect freedom. The Corinthians had previously made the mistake of thinking that when they were baptised by someone, they were bound to that person.3 Not so. Christ alone is Lord and he does not delegate his lordship.4
‘It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.’5
1 1 Tim 2:6, NLT 2 See also 2 Cor 2:17 3 1 Cor 1:12–17 4 1 Cor 12:3 5 Gal 5:1
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 2 Chronicles 8,9; Psalm 72
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray that the prayer spaces and lunchtime clubs run in primary schools by Local Mission Partner Beverley Schools Christian Trust will enable children to explore the truth about Jesus and discover what he might mean for them.
