Paul and the False Apostles (Part 1)

Introduction:

In this passage, Paul continues to defend his position as the spiritual authority in the Corinthian church.

Generally speaking, it’s wrong to boast.

There is a Time for Boasting, if it is Done Correctly.

Paul continues to boast (in the Lord) in this passage.

In order to compare his own ministry with that of the false apostles who have invaded the Corinthian church, Paul has to speak about himself, which inevitably seems like foolish boasting.

2 Corinthians 11:1-6 NLT
Paul and the False Apostles (Part 1)
¹ I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me. ² For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. ³ But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. ⁴ You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.
⁵ But I don’t consider myself inferior in any way to these “super apostles” who teach such things. ⁶ I may be unskilled as a speaker, but I’m not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every possible way.

Examine the scriptures:

2 Corinthians 11:1-6 NLT
Paul and the False Apostles (Part 1)
¹ I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me. 

Generally speaking, it’s wrong to boast.

However, if necessary, Paul will boast about his ministry (Paul’s boasting was in the Lord.)  to keep the Corinthian church from becoming corrupted. (“Put up with my foolishness.”) There is a Time for Boasting, if it is Done Correctly.

In order to compare his own ministry with that of the false apostles who have invaded the Corinthian church, Paul has to speak about himself, which inevitably seems like foolish boasting.

• If necessary, Paul will boast about his ministry to keep the Corinthian church from becoming corrupted.

² For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself.

One definition of jealous.

Fiercely protective or vigilant of one’s rights or possessions.

• Paul could not bear the thought that there might be any rival to Christ and his gospel.

I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. 

I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ.

In Jewish culture, when a daughter was betrothed, her father would guarantee that he would present her as a pure virgin at her wedding.

• The Church is called to be a pure bride to one husband – Christ.

A pure bride exhibits exclusive devotion to Christ.

Ephesians 5:23-27 NLT
²³ For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. ²⁴ As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
²⁵ For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her ²⁶ to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. ²⁷ He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.

• Paul viewed himself as the spiritual father of the Corinthian church.

1 Corinthians 4:15 NLT
¹⁵ For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you.

• As the spiritual father of the Corinthian church, Paul wanted to present the Corinthian believers to Christ as pure virgins, undefiled by the doctrines of false teachers.

³ But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. 

The false teachers were pulling the Corinthian believers away from pure and undivided devotion to Christ.  In this, they were doing the work of Satan, just as the serpent did in Eden.

• The false teachers were doing the work of Satan by corrupting the Corinthian church. (Keeping her from being a pure bride.)

⁴ You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.

Paul uses repetition, so it should be o.k. for me to use repetition.

• • Don’t be fooled by false teachers.

Colossians 2:8 NLT
⁸ Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 

• • False teachers are good at what they do.

Romans 16:17-18 NLT
¹⁷ And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. ¹⁸ Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.

• • Stay away from false teachers.

2 John 10-11 NLT
¹⁰ If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. ¹¹ Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.

• • People look for teachers who tell them what they want to hear.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 NLT
³ For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will reject the truth and chase after myths.

• • It is possible to identify false teachers.

Matthew 7:15-17 NLT
¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. ¹⁶ You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.

• • Don’t take false teaching lightly.

Galatians 1:7-8 NLT
⁷ (false teaching) is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.
⁸ Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.

• • Study the scriptures daily.

Acts 17:11 NLT
¹¹ And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.

⁵ But I don’t consider myself inferior in any way to these “super apostles” who teach such things. ⁶ I may be unskilled as a speaker, but I’m not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every possible way. 

2 Corinthians 10:10 NLT
¹⁰ For some say, “Paul’s letters are demanding and forceful, but in person he is weak, and his speeches are worthless!”

I may be unskilled as a speaker, but I’m not lacking in knowledge. 

• What we say is more important than how we say it. 

Ephesians 4:14-15 NLT
¹⁴ … we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. ¹⁵ Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, …