Second Corinthians Chapter 11/Commentary

Second Corinthians Chapter 11

Outline: I.

Godly jealousy for the Corinthian's purity: 11:1-4

II.

His love demonstrated towards them: 11:5-12

III.

The true nature of his opponents: 11:13-15

IV.

They have forced him to defend himself: 11:16-21

V.

His apostolic credentials: 11:22-33

“Paul is very conscious that it is no business of an apostle, or indeed of any Christian, to praise himself. Such self-commendation is only justified, in the present instance, because his affection for his converts is so great, that he will go to almost any length to prevent them from becoming the dupes of unscrupulous men, and to keep them loyal to Christ. In this case, at any rate, self-praise is not in the least prompted by vanity and conceit� (Tasker p. 144). “All through this section Paul has to adopt methods which are completely distasteful to him. He has to stress his own authority, he has to present his own credentials. But Paul knew that it was not really his dignity and honor that were at stake, but the dignity and the honor of Jesus 1

Christ” (Barclay p. 274).

“Having stated the principle that it is not self-commendation but only the commendation of God which makes a man approved. It is not self-esteem that causes him to do so, but the menace to the Corinthian believers of those who, claiming a spurious authority and inflated with self-importance, having intruded themselves and their erroneous teachings into the sphere of his apostolic jurisdiction. To suggest that this humblest of God's servants was moved by injured pride to write as he now does is to show a complete misconception of the situation.

It is concern, loving anxious concern, for the spiritual welfare of those who are his children in Christ which moves him so strongly--so much so that he is prepared to appear to indulge in what he calls "a little foolishness", by speaking about himself, in order to counteract the impact of the intruders who in their foolishness have been extolling themselves” (Hughes p. 372).

2 Corinthians 11:1 “Would that ye could bear with me in a little foolishness: but indeed ye do bear with me” “Bear with me in a little foolishness”: “I wish you could put up with a little of my foolishness--please try!” (Phi) “What makes Paul feel that he is acting the role of a fool is the fact that he boasts about his own person. This is what he dislikes. But the Corinthians themselves crowd him into assuming so unpleasant a role. Paul's whole motive and aim are not self-aggrandizement but complete frustration of the attempts of the false apostles who have already done much to hurt the Corinthians” (Lenski p. 1232). Some of the Corinthians had listened to the false claims of Paul's opponents and had been swayed by such claims, so the Corinthians have forced Paul's hand. Every word of what Paul says about himself, his qualifications and credentials can be verified. “But indeed ye do bear with me”: Credit were credit is due. “Indeed you are bearing with me” (NASV).

2 Corinthians 11:2 “For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I espoused you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ” “For”: The reason he is willing to match his credentials, with those of the false teachers. “Before proceeding with the foolishness which he desires to inflict upon them Paul tells what prompts his peculiar wish. It is his grave concern for the Corinthians. Back of the proposed foolishness lies the deepest seriousness. Paul 2

reveals his motive and his aim at once and thus excludes all wrong ideas about ‘a little something of foolishness’. When the purpose is so serious, any folly or foolishness which serves that purpose will certainly not be frivolous” (Lenski pp.

1234-1235). “I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy”: “He is not fearing, however, for his own reputation or personal prestige. It is the work which God had done in the Corinthians that is in danger of being destroyed. His aim has been to secure for Christ a church absolutely loyal to Him” (Erdman p. 111). “Godly jealousy”: “Those souls are jealous which burn ardently for those they love, and jealousy can in no other way be begotten than out of a vehement affection. But, again, Paul's jealousy over the Corinthians is not a merely human jealousy of selfish possessiveness. His jealousy is directed outwards and as it were protectively over the Corinthians as its object, and being one with that jealousy which God has for those who are His, it is centered in God and the honor of His supreme Name” (Hughes p. 373). “For I espoused you to one husband”: “Because I betrothed you to one only husband” (Con). “The bride did not betroth herself. Her parents, her father, or whoever was the head of the house did that. Paul acts this part” (Lenski p. 1236). “One husband”: “This ‘one’ is emphatic and significant. The idea is: To be faithful to this one as husband, to have not even a thought of another” (Lenski p.

1237). When we became Christians, we pledged exclusive loyalty to Jesus Christ.

“By adding the word one Paul stresses the truth that, just as the marriage relationship is exclusive, so believers in Christ owe an exclusive loyalty to Him” (Hughes p. 374). The true church recognizes Christ as the undisputed Head (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:24).

“That I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ”: This is the reason behind Paul's jealousy for them. The false teachers they had embraced were robbing them of their spiritual purity. “It is his responsibility to guarantee the chastity of the bride, and he will do all that he can to keep the Corinthian church pure and chaste” (Barclay p. 275). See Ephesians 5:25-27. In the Old Testament the nation of Israel was often spoken of as being married to God (Isaiah 54:5; 62:5; Jeremiah 3:14; Ezekiel 16:8; Hosea 2:19), with unfaithfulness to the Lord was denounced as spiritual adultery (Judges 2:17; 8:27; Jeremiah 3:1; Ezekiel 6:9). The same is true in the New Testament (James 4:4). This simply offers one more proof that the church constitutes the people of God or the Israel of God during the New Covenant (Galatians 6:16; 3:26-29; Romans 2:29).

2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his 3

craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ” “But I fear’: “But I am afraid' (NASV). “Paul has cause for this parental jealousy regarding the Corinthians: the Corinthians themselves have made him uneasy” (Lenski p. 1238). “The apostle's jealousy for the Corinthians is the product of a wellgrounded fear” (Tasker p. 146). “As the serpent beguiled Eve”: Paul believed that Genesis 3 was historical fact, and it was not a myth or some religious allegory (1 Timothy 2:13-14). “Beguiled”: To seduce and deceive completely. “Craftiness’: “Cunning” (RSV). “The weapon of all false teachers is subtilty (not open or direct; crafty; sly, working insidiously). And the sphere in which this weapon does its deadly work is the human imagination. From Eve onwards, the human heart has been prone to be deceived by those who, appearing to have wisdom, insinuate by plausible suggestions and arguments the most destructive of all lies that men and women are not under an imperative duty to recognize and obey their sovereign Creator, but that they have it in their power to break their restrictive fetters, and give free expression to their instincts unbound by any revealed moral law. So the serpent suggested to Eve that by disobeying the divine command she might become "as God (see Genesis 3:1-6). The explanation of the permanent predicament in which man finds himself, always resenting his position as a creature” (Tasker pp.

146-147). “Your minds should be corrupted”: “Your thoughts will be led astray” (Gspd). Eve was not the last person deceived, and the Corinthian Church was finding itself in the same position that Eve found herself I, that is listening to error rather than truth. All apostasy and unfaithfulness begins when a seed of error is sown in the mind, and the mind allows it to grow (Romans 1:21-22). One cannot remain faithful to God, while at the same time allowing one’s mind to retain false concepts about oneself, others and God. The false concepts that especially appeal to mankind are those concepts that appeal to man's pride and arrogance (1 John 2:16).

“Simplicity”: “Single-hearted loyalty” (Vincent p. 346). “The mind and all its thoughts are set solely upon Him in love, loyalty, devotion, and there is no duplicity which secretly turns to another” (Lenski p. 1240). “Wholeheartedness, singleness of devotion, freedom from duplicity” (Hughes p. 376). Paul expected wholehearted obedience to Christ from his converts, and so did Jesus (Matthew 22:37; 10:37).

“And the purity that is toward Christ”: “From a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (RSV).

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2 Corinthians 11:4 “For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with him” “He that cometh”: “For if one comes” (NASV). That is, referring to the false teachers that had invaded Corinth. “Preacheth’: Error is never content to remain silent, which means that we must continually preach against those doctrines that are false.

“Another Jesus, whom we did not preach”: The false teachers were offering a different picture or view of Jesus. Now Paul does not take the time to specify the difference between this “other Jesus” and the one Paul preached. Other views of Jesus are being preached in the religious world. That He was a good man, but not God. That He was a religious teacher or prophet, but not God. That He was an angel, but not God, or that He was confused as to His actual identity.

“Receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive”: “Those who proclaimed the ‘other Jesus’ might claim to be spiritual men, but it was not by the Spirit of God that they were energized” (F.F. Bruce p. 236). “Of a spirit different from that which they had received through Paul's ministry--a spirit, perhaps, of the world, that is of human wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:12), or a spirit of bondage (Romans 8:15; Galatians 2:4; Colossians 2:20ff)” (Hughes p. 378). “Or a different gospel, which ye did not accept”: See Galatians 1:6-9.

“Ye do well to bear with him”: “Then you are marvelously tolerant!” (TCNT). “In verse 1 the Apostle has requested the Corinthians to bear with him and now the ironical note struck there is intensified as he reminds them that they bear well enough with someone who comes to them with a message the content of which is subversive” (Hughes p. 377). “The expression is ironical. You gladly endure these false teachers, why do you not endure me?” (Vincent p. 346).

2 Corinthians 11:5 “For I reckon that I am not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles” “For I reckon”: “Do you not think that you might show a little toleration to one like me, who has proved to you that he is a true apostle of Christ? He adds, ‘For I reckon’” (Erdman p. 112). “I am not a whit behind”: “I am not in the least inferior” (TCNT). “Not a single bit inferior” (Wms). “Very chiefest apostles’: Paul had nothing against the other apostles (Galatians 2:9), and neither did the other apostles have 5

anything against Paul (2 Peter 3:15). “Paul is giving another reason why the Corinthians should bear with him. He is, he asserts, entitled to the respect to which the leading apostles are entitled” (Tasker p. 149). Paul had been divinely sent, commissioned and inspired just as much as any other apostle. His word packed just as much inspiration and authority (Matthew 18:18; 1 Corinthians 14:37; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). There is no support for the Roman Catholic doctrine of the supremacy of Peter in these verses. See also 1 Peter 5:1.

It appears that Paul is responding to three accusations against him, that the false teachers had harped on to the Corinthians: (1) That Paul was not really an apostle, not one of the original 12, merely a “Johnny come lately”. (2) He had none of the arts of the trained professional speaker (11:6). (3) He refused payment for his services, which inferred that his message wasn’t worth anything (11:7-12). They may have also insinuated, that his refusal to accept payment, was evidence of a guilty conscience, that Paul himself felt that his preaching was not worth supporting.

2 Corinthians 11:6 “But though I be rude in speech, yet am I not in knowledge; nay, in every way have we made this manifest unto you in all things” “Rude in speech”: “Unskilled in speech” (NASV). “I am no trained orator” (TCNT). “If I lack skill in rhetoric” (Ber). “Perhaps I am not a polished speaker” (Phi). ”Rude”: The Greeks used the word for those who lacked technical or professional training, and who tended to dabble in a subject or an occupation in a rather amateurish manner. Eloquence is not demanded to preach the gospel, for the power is in the content of the message and not in the mere presentation. “He may be less eloquent than they; he may be untrained in oratory; he may not have their tricks of beguiling and falsifying speech” (Erdman p. 112).

Yet this does not mean that Paul was a terrible speaker: “It would however, be a mistake to conclude from this that he was necessarily a poor or clumsy speaker. While the Athenian philosophers called him a ‘babbler’, yet they took him to the Areopagus to hear more of what he had to say (Acts 17:16ff).

The contrast in its essence is between rhetoric and preaching. The former is superficial, artificial, formal, ephemeral, attractive to the ears, but unrelated to the depth of human need; the later is direct, serious, earnest, directed to heart and mind and will, related to eternal issues, concerned with the message rather than with the method of its utterance. The former is applauded, for it conduces to 6

human adulation; the latter is unapplauded, for it brings men face to face with God” (Hughes pp. 381-382).

“Yet am I not in knowledge”: That is, in the knowledge of divine things. He knew that he had been entrusted with God's revelation to mankind (1 Corinthians 2:9-13; Ephesians 3:3-5; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). “Nay, in every way have we made this manifest unto you in all things”: “Indeed we made this perfectly clear to you in every way” (TCNT). He had spent 18 months with them, engaged opponents in debate (Acts 18:4), defended the gospel and attacked the false religions systems of the Greeks. In addition, he had written a letter to them, in which he specifically responded to a number of their questions (1 Corinthians 7:1). “Manifest”: This verse leads me to conclude that people who say they do not see the "wisdom" in the Bible, are people who refuse to see the wisdom.

The Support Issue Again: 11:7-12 In the First Corinthian letter Paul spent one whole chapter dealing with this issue (1 Corinthians Chapter 9). Obviously, accusations against him based on his refusal to accept financial support from them were still alive in Corinth. This should tell preachers, that just because they preached against some error once, does not mean that their responsibility has been fully met. It's not enough to merely wound error or give it a black eye. No mercy is to be shown to the speculations of human pride (2 Corinthians 10:5).

2 Corinthians 11:7 “Or did I commit a sin in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I preached to you the gospel of God for nought?”

“Or did I commit a sin in abasing myself”: “In humbling myself” (NASV). “Or was this my offence, that I made no charge for preaching the gospel of God, lowering myself to help in raising you” (NEB). “Abasing myself”: That is, by making tents for a living while preaching (Acts 18:3). “Ye might be exalted”: “Is it a sin to put you first?” “To place your best spiritual interest ahead of my financial prosperity?”

Through his preaching (and working at the same time) the Corinthians had been raised out of sin and exalted with Christ (Ephesians 2:5-6).

“Was it wrong for him to stoop to manual labor in earning bread when he did so to raise his converts from the degradation of idolatry?” (Erdman p. 114). “For nought”: 7

“A sin to give you God's gift for nothing?” (Lenski p. 1250).

2 Corinthians 11:8 “I robbed other churches, taking wages of them that I might minister unto you” “I robbed other churches”: “He allowed other churches to do more than their fair share” (Robertson p. 258). “Robbed”: “It is a bold military metaphor which Paul employs here. The salary or ration-money which was his due as an apostle he had obtained by pillaging or despoiling other places which, in the course of his missionary campaign he had already conquered for the gospel” (Hughes p. 385).

“Paul causes this truth to smart. The Corinthians deserved this mortification in order to drive out their mean ingratitude. For what is meaner than to slander a benefactor for bestowing his benefaction gratis?” (Lenski p. 1250).

This points out that the claims of the false teachers were false: “Among the Greeks the accredited rhetorician or philosopher was a ‘professional’ man who charged for his services. For a speaker to refuse remuneration, or not to demand it, would at once cause his listeners, such was the sophistication of their outlook, to suspect him of being spurious and his teaching worthless. It is Paul, they were whispering, who is not genuine; his teaching is so worthless that he does not dare to accept payment for it; a man who has so little confidence in his proclamation” (Hughes p. 383). Their willingness to listen to slander and accusations, their fickleness and being so easily swayed by impostors, had forced Paul to refuse support from them, lest the Corinthians believed that he preached from unworthy motives (11:12). Their fickleness meant that other congregations were doing more than their fair share, therefore the inescapable conclusion is that the Corinthians were indebted to the churches that had supported Paul, even though Paul was not preaching for them (Philippians 4:14-18). Other congregations were paying for the unfaithfulness of the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 11:9 “and when I was present with you and was in want, I was not a burden on any man; for the brethren, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my want; and in everything I kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself” “When I was present with you”: See Acts 18. Often people need to be reminded about the "reality" of what the past was like. “And was in want”: “My resources 8

failed” (Wey). “If I ran short” (NEB). Indicating that Paul could not make a living at tent-making. This occupation did not pay all his bills. He had actually been "in want" in Corinth. Had the Corinthians known about this? Had they even taken the time to see if Paul was doing alright?

“I was not a burden to any man”: “I was dead-weight on no one” (Wey). “I would not cripple any of you with expenses” (Knox). “If I ran short I sponged on no one” (NEB). “Burden”: “The verb meaning ‘to cause numbness by pressing heavily on someone’” (Tasker p. 151). “The Corinthians had not had to support him like some dead weight on their resources. This, we may be sure, was in strong contrast to his rivals who had subsequently arrived in Corinth, and who, because they lived as parasites demanding full maintenance and more” (Hughes p. 387). To Paul there were things more important than his own comfort and physical well-being.

“For the brethren, when they came from Macedonia”: That is, Timothy and Silas (Acts 18:5). “Supplied the measure of my want”: Bringing financial aid, especially from the congregation in Philippi (Philippians 4:15-16). “And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself”: “Paul implies that in other matters, as well as those relating to finance, he has been anxious to be under no obligation to them” (Tasker p. 152). It is essential that we understand the "motive” and “reason" why Paul refused assistance from this congregation. It was not false pride or worldly independent thinking that moves some to proudly boast, “And I did it my way”. Unfortunately false pride keeps many Christians from asking for help when they really need it. Rather, Paul refused help from Corinth (but accepted it from other congregations), because the opposition in Corinth and the fickleness of some of the Corinthians. “And so I keep myself”: Paul is not soliciting a check in mail, and he is not looking for financial support from them, rather he is wanting them to get rid of the false teachers in their midst.

2 Corinthians 11:10 “As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this glorying in the regions of Achaia” “As the truth of Christ is in me”: See Romans 9:1. “No man shall stop me of this glorying in the regions of Achaia”: “No one shall silence this boast of mine” (Knox).

That is, taking wages from other congregations so I could minister freely to you, and cut out all the ground underneath the accusations of my opponents.

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2 Corinthians 11:11 “Wherefore? Because I love you not? God knoweth” “Wherefore”: “Why?” (TCNT). “Do they wish to know his motive? Is it lack of love for the Corinthians? Does he hesitate to put himself under obligation to them as though he did no trust and respect them? God knows this is not true. He wishes to cut the ground from under the men who desire a pretext for claiming that they work under the same conditions as he” (Erdman p. 115).

2 Corinthians 11:12 “But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them that desire an occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we” “But what I do, that I will do”: He will not give up his practice of refusing support from Corinth, and the reason for the continuance of this practice is now given. “That I may cut off occasion from them”: “He wishes to cut the ground from under the men who desire a pretext for claiming that they work under the same conditions as he” (Erdman p. 115). “They may be found even as we”: “Who want an opportunity to show themselves on a level with me” (Wms). “Who would gladly boast that they are no different from myself” (Knox). “He will not give it up, for by so doing he would afford an opportunity to his enemies for claiming to be as unselfish as he. He is unwilling to give them any opening” (Erdman p. 115).

The True Nature of Paul’s Opponents: 11:13-15 2 Corinthians 11:13 “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ” “For such men”: “The moment has come for Paul to drop the veil of irony and to speak in the plainest possible terms in denunciation of these would-be ‘superapostles’” (Hughes p. 392). “False apostles”: See Revelation 2:2. Obviously, these false teachers claimed to be "sent" by Christ. “Deceitful workers”: “For however busy they may be in supposedly Christian activities, they are in fact serving not Christ but themselves, though posing as His ministers. They pretend to be enthusiasts for Christ's cause” (Tasker p. 153). “Dishonest workmen” (Wey). (Titus 1:10-11; Romans 16:17-18).

This church today is not immune from such workers: “One of the most shocking 10

examples of this devious methodology in modern times is found in the May 1993 issue of Wineskins. In an article entitled ‘Change Without Chaos’, the author states that he will ‘unabashedly push for positive changes’. He tells his readers, ‘Many churches need to change their worship style’. He further states that ‘many churches in our fellowship must change or die!’ Finally, he sets forth the strategy by which to accomplish this change. Consider the following blueprint for takeover by those who want to change the church. ‘Strategy one: Weave! Teach new ideas for a while, stretching your church out beyond comfort zones and into fresh thinking. But when you feel your church approaching the limits of tolerance, back off! Talk about familiar and safe things for a while. Then, move back out to the cutting edge again.

Weave in and out: first with new ideas, then as you actually implement new practices’”. 1 “Fashioning”: A word that specifically stresses "outward form" in contrast to true inward change. Their religion is only skin deep (2 Timothy 3:5). “Is to change the outward appearance of a thing, the thing itself in essence remaining unchanged” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 103). Such individuals will always exist (2 Peter 2:1-3). “If this was the case in the primitive New Testament Church it is no less so in our own day when we see the Church split into fragments by sectarianism and when an individual has only to make the most preposterous claims for himself in order to gain an enthusiastic and undiscerning following” (Hughes p. 393).

2 Corinthians 11:14 “And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light” “And no marvel”: This should not take anyone by surprise. “In disguising themselves in this way they are imitating Satan, who consummate hypocrite that he is, poses as one of the highest the purest and most intelligent of God's creatures” (Tasker p.

153). “Into an angel of light”: See John 8:44. “He is everywhere represented as a deceiver, assuming false guises, and making false representations. And, as Hodge goes on truly to remind us, ‘Satan does not come to us as Satan’; neither does sin present itself to us as sin, but in the guise of virtue; and the teachers of error set 1 The Spiritual Sword. "Trojan Horse in the Church". Alan E. Highers p. 1, Volume 25, April 1994, No. 3. For the readers information the quote from Wineskins is from an article by Lynn Anderson, entitled "Change Without Chaos" in the May 1993 issue. (Wineskins, Vol. II, No. 1) The reader should also realize that "Wineskins" is a publication put out by liberal members of the Church of Christ.

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themselves forth as the special advocates of truth” (Tasker pp. 153). Satan often claims to be man's friend (Genesis 3:4).

2 Corinthians 11:15 “It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works” “It is no great thing therefore”: “Therefore it is not surprising” (NASV). “It is only to be expected” (Phi). “If his ministers”: God has His servants and so does Satan!

Satan has his workers too. Satan has his message as well and converts. Everyone serves someone (Romans 6:16-17). Satan also has his churches (Revelation 3:9 “synagogue of Satan”). “Ministers of righteousness”: Possibly inferring that they made up their own system of righteousness (Romans 10:3). “Whose end shall be according to their works”: “But they will get their deserts one day” (Phi). See Philippians 3:18-19; Romans 3:8; 2 Timothy 4:14. “At the moment, such men may seem to be successful; but in the end they will be shown up in their true colors” (Tasker p. 154). Hence we should never envy the wicked (Psalm 73).

“It is a mark of the shallowness of much of the religious thinking in the modern world that Menzies, writing in 1912, should feel it necessary to describe verses 1315 as ‘one of the hastiest utterances in Paul's writings’, and to add that ‘many of the best friends of the apostle do not defend his controversial style in this passage’. It is possible to value toleration so much that clear-cut distinctions between right and wrong become impossible. The New Testament writers are hampered by no such inhibitions! Jesus again and again denounced the Pharisees as ‘hypocrites’; and He told the disbelieving Jews at Jerusalem that they were ‘of their father the devil’ (John 8:44). So far then from being ‘unwilling to defend’ Paul's statements in these verses, we ought rather to learn from them to call evil by its proper name, and never to compromise with those who present it to us” (Tasker p. 155).

Forced Boasting: 11:16-21 “Paul now resumes the theme which was introduced at the beginning of this chapter” (Hughes p. 396).

2 Corinthians 11:16 “I say again, let no man think me foolish; but if ye do, yet as foolish receive me, that I also may glory a little”

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“I say again”: Resuming the thought of boasting (11:1). “Let no man think me foolish”: “Let none of you think me vain” (Knox). Paul is not ordinarily given to the folly of self-commendation. In addition Paul's presentation of his credentials arises from completely opposite motives than those of the false teachers. They boasted to gain the praise of men and assorted fringe benefits, like financial compensation.

Paul was forced to present his credentials, to boast, in order to remind the Corinthians of the vast difference between him (a true apostle) and the pretenders among them. His boasting was aimed at opening their eyes to the true nature of these false teachers. “But if ye do, yet as foolish receive me”: “Show me at least the patience you would show a fool, and let me have my little boast like the others” (Gspd). “He is not asking of them any favor which they have not already accorded to the intruding false apostles” (Hughes p. 396). “He now appeals to grant to himself the same privilege they so readily allow to others, who are only too eager to ‘talk big’’ (Tasker p. 156).

2 Corinthians 11:17 “That which I speak, I speak not after the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of glorying” “That which I speak”: That being the boasting that will follow. “I speak not after the Lord”: “Not in the spirit of the Lord” (Con). Paul does speak by inspiration (1 Corinthians 14:37), yet Paul is carefully clarifying the presentation of his credentials before he begins: (1) He completely cuts out all the ground from underneath his opponents. He will talk about external advantages (11:22) and sufferings. But before he even begins, he points out that all self-commendation is not in the spirit of Christ. (2) Paul is not doing something wrong, because: (a) He has been forced by the Corinthian fickleness to temporarily meet the false apostles on their own turf. (b) He will only boast a "little" (11:16) (c) In the end he will attribute all his success to God (12:9). “But as in foolishness”: Paul simply says that self-praise is foolish.

2 Corinthians 11:18 “Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also” “Many glory after the flesh”: “So many people brag of their earthly distinctions” (NEB). “In external circumstances” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 104). “It is clear from verse 22 that by glorying after the flesh is meant boasting about external advantages and privileges, such as nationality, birth, and position, which were not due to any merit whatever on the part of the persons concerned” (Tasker p. 157). “I will glory also”: In such external things In effect he is saying, “Well you have forced me to present my 13

credentials, your actions and the boasting of those you seem so eager to be impressed with, have forced me to lay down my credentials alongside of theirs, but I want everyone to know such is foolish, and it isn't something that spiritual Christ-like people enjoy doing.

2 Corinthians 11:19 “For ye bear with the foolish gladly, being wise yourselves” “Ye bear with the foolish gladly”: “You find pleasure in tolerating fools” (Wey). “You put up with fools so readily” (Mof). “Being wise”: The verse is full of irony. Certainly they can tolerate some of his "little foolish boasting" seeing that they so tolerantly bear with the foolish (that is, the false teachers among them). “If the Corinthians tolerate fools so well, Paul certainly feels encouraged: they will tolerate him and his foolish boasting, too” (Lenski pp. 1262-1263). “Since they are themselves smart, the Corinthians do not at all mind fools, they rather like to have them around. The sting in this remark is the implication that such smart people are bigger fools than the fools they indulge; and that, by getting such indulgence from people who think themselves so smart, these fools are smarter than the smart people on whom they impose” (Lenski p. 1263).

2 Corinthians 11:20 “For ye bear with a man, if he bringeth you into bondage, if he devoureth you, if he taketh you captive, if he exalteth himself, if he smiteth you on the face” “For ye bear with a man’: “You tolerate a man” (TCNT). “Oh, you're tolerant, all right!” (Phi) In this verse Paul points out how much the Corinthians (the selfproclaimed "wise people") have tolerated these false teachers. They really tolerate them, to the point of allowing such people to take full advantage of them. “If he bringeth you into bondage”: The false teachers are not merely braggarts, they are tyrants as well (2 Peter 2:19-20). “If he devoureth you”: “When he plunders you” (TCNT). “Prey upon you” (Knox). “You don't mind, do you, if a man takes away your liberty, spends your money” (Phi). “The intruding ‘super-apostles’ were living on them like parasites and growing fat at their expense (Romans 16:18; Philippians 3:19). Thus Christ denounced the scribes as men ‘who devour’ widows houses” (Luke 20:47) (Hughes p. 400). “Robs you of your substance by greedily demanding maintenance” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 104). “If he taketh you captive”: “Takes advantage of you” (NASV). “So that he has you where he wants to have you, to do with you what he pleases” (Lenski p. 1264).

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“If he exalteth himself”: “Puts on airs of superiority” (TCNT). Lords it over you (Mark 10:42ff; 1 Peter 5:3). “If he smiteth you on the face”: “This may be meant in a figurative sense of enduring gross affronts from the lips of these overbearing intruders. But it was not uncommon at that time for those who held positions of ecclesiastical authority to strike, or cause to be struck, on the mouth any whom they considered to be uttering impiety (Acts 23:2)” (Hughes p. 400).

2 Corinthians 11:21 “I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet whereinsoever any is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also” “By way of disparagement”: “To my shame” (NASV). “I am quite ashamed to say that I was not equal to that sort of thing” (Mof). “To this Paul now offers the effective rejoinder that if tyranny, greed, falsity, arrogance, and violence are the marks of true Christian oversight, then he must admit shamefacedly that as an apostle to Corinth he had indeed been a failure and a weakling” (Hughes pp. 401402). “But the worse cut of all follows in a sudden and wholly unexpected turn. The reader thinks: ‘What a disgrace for the Corinthians!’ Not Paul, not Paul by any means and now comes the sudden flash: ‘That we on your part have been weak!’ What a disgrace for me and my assistants, poor, weak fellows who could not act the abusive lords like that so that you could submit to us with this gladness of yours! The disgrace is mine” (Lenski p. 1265). “Yet whereinsoever any is bold--I am bold also”: (10:11). Now is the time to take off the gloves. (1) Paul has nothing to fear by a comparison of credentials. (2) He also can present all of this in a clear conscience.

(3) This boasting is not to build himself up, but it is for the benefit of the Corinthians. “With what contrite hearts they must have read all that he is now about to say, by way of reminder, concerning himself, realizing that, thanks to their tolerance of these impostors, it had become necessary for him, their own apostle and father in the gospel, to authenticate himself to them with such evident embarrassment!” (Hughes p. 402).

The List of Credentials: Second to None: 11:22-33 2 Corinthians 11:22 “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I” 15

This verse reveals something about these false apostles. They were of Jewish origin and took great pride in their ancestry. This is strong evidence that these impostors were Judaizing teachers, that is, those who tried to bind the Law of Moses upon Christians. If one wanted to argue about ancestry, Paul was as Jewish as they came (Philippians 3:1-6; Acts 21:39; 22:3). His pedigree was unimpeachable.

2 Corinthians 11:23 “Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I more; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths oft” “Ministers of Christ”: They also claimed to be servants of Christ. “I speak as one beside himself”: “I speak as if insane” (NASV). “I feel like a mad man to be making such comparisons” (Erdman p. 120). “I more”: Paul does not concede that these are actually ministers of Christ, but that's simply what they claimed to be. “What experience have they had of apostolic labors, imprisonments, beatings and the rest?

What is really means to be a minister of Christ is something entirely beyond the range of their awareness” (Hughes p. 405).

“In labors”: “I have had more of toil” (TCNT). “Burdensome, exhausting labors” (Lenski p. 1271). In contrast to these impostors who seem to have lived a pampered lifestyle, and what rewards did Paul receive for these labors? “In prisons”: Plural.

This section contains many details not recorded in the book of Acts. “It will be remembered that his missionary career lasted for ten or eleven years after this Epistle was written, and that therefore we cannot regard these verses as giving us a complete list of his trials” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 106). “More abundantly”: “In far more imprisonments” (NASV). Five imprisonments are recorded in the book of Acts (Acts 16:23; 22:29; 23:10; 23:35; 24:23; 26:32; Acts 28:16). “In stripes above measure”: “Beaten times without number” (NASV). Such beatings will be detailed in the next verse. “In death's oft”: “More frequently at the risk of his life” (Erdman p. 120). So frequently was Paul in danger of death, that he could say, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). He had been face to face with death shortly before the writing of this letter (2 Corinthians 1:8ff).

2 Corinthians 11:24 “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one” “Save one”: None of these Jewish beatings are mentioned in Acts. “The maximum 16

penalty that the Jewish law allowed a judge to order when a guilty man deserved to be beaten (Deuteronomy 25:1-3), in order that this precept might be punctiliously observed, it was later ordained that thirty-nine stripes only should be inflicted” (Tasker p. 161). “Stripes”: “As the lash or scourge contained three thongs, this meant that thirteen strokes were given” (Tasker p. 161). Jesus warned His disciples concerning this type of persecution (Matthew 10:17; 23:34). According to Jewish custom one third of the blows must be given in front and two thirds from behind.

The one who delivered the blows could only use one hand but must strike with all his might. The Jews also made provision for the innocence of the one doing the punishing in case the accused died, indicating that this type of beating could kill a man. Josephus agrees with the seriousness of this type of beating (Ant., iv.,8,21).

2 Corinthians 11:25 “Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep” “Beaten with rods”: Referring to a Gentile form of beating. Acts 16:22-23 records one of these beatings. Even though Paul was a Roman citizen, on three occasions the judges either lost their heads, did not permit Paul to speak or really did not care about his citizenship (Acts 22:24). “As Plummer says, ‘The fact that Paul was thrice treated in this way is evidence that being a Roman citizen was an imperfect protection when magistrates were disposed to be brutal” (Hughes p. 410). There was no limit in such beatings beatings as to number of lashes. Luke simply says concerning the beating in Philippi, “And when they had inflicted many blows upon them” (Acts 16:23). Often the beating ended when the person giving the beating became weary of inflicting the abuse. “The Romans used a rod similar in size to a present-day broom stick or hoe handle” (Acts. Reese p. 585).

“Once I was stoned”: In Lystra (Acts 14:19-20). “Thrice I suffered shipwreck”: This does not include the one mentioned in the book of Acts, for this letter was written before Paul's voyage of Rome. “A night and a day have I been in the deep”: “A night and a day have I been adrift in the open sea” (Mon). “It means on the high sea, on a raft or clinging to wreckage” (Lenski p. 1275). From Acts and the other Epistles it appears that Paul made at least 18 voyages by sea. Nine are recorded in the book of Acts. In the First Century sea travel was not the safest mode of transportation and shipwrecks were common. Many regarded sailing as taking one's life in one's hands, yet for the sake of the gospel, Paul put all fears behind him. The most important thing was getting the job done. “I was afraid” is not an excuse that God will accept 17

(Revelation 21:8; Matthew 25:25ff).

2 Corinthians 11:26 “In journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren” “In journeying often”: “On frequent journeys” (NASV). That is, travels by land which were not always safe as well. “In perils of rivers”: Such as rivers with no bridges that somehow had to be crossed. “From the sudden swelling of mountain streams or flooding of dry water-courses. The rivers of Asia-Minor are liable to violent and sudden changes, and no district in Asia Minor is more singularly characterized by its water-floods than the mountainous tract of Pisidia, where rivers burst out at the bases of huge cliffs, or dash down wildly through narrow ravines” (Vincent p. 351).

Physical obstacles did not keep Paul from spreading the gospel, and he found a way to get to the people that needed to hear the truth “Perils of robbers”: “Robbers invested the wilds despite Roman rule (Luke 10:30)” (Lenski p. 1277). “The tribes inhabiting the mountains between the table-land of Asia Minor and the coast were notorious for robbery” (Vincent p. 351). This seems to indicate that Paul might have been robbed. “Perils from my countrymen”: That is by angry Jewish mobs and conspiracies, persecutions instigated at the hands of the Jews (Acts 9:23,29; 13:50; 14:5,19; 17:5,13; 18:12). And after this letter he will suffer more (Acts 21:31; 23:12; 25:3). “Perils from the Gentiles”: See Acts 14:5; 16:20; 19:23. “Perils in the city”: Like the riot that had just taken place in Ephesus (Acts 19:23ff). “Perils in the wilderness”: ‘Due to storms in exposed places and perhaps wild beasts lurking in the vicinity, is evidence that Paul was not always able to keep to the well-frequented highways on his missions” (Tasker p. 163). “Perils among false brethren”: Like those that existed in Corinth. Paul was not naïve, and he knew that everyone who professed Christianity was not a Christian (Galatians 2:4; Philippians 3:18-19). What this verse says is that Paul was never in a completely save situation.

2 Corinthians 11:27 “In labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness” “In labor and travail”: “In labor and hardship” (NASV). “I have known exhaustion and pain” (Phi). “In watchings often”: “Through many sleepless nights” (NASV).

Sleepless caused by bodily pain, material discomfort (Acts 16:25), concern for 18

friends and converts, standing watch for thieves, and working at night to support himself. “It is distressing to be weary in body and in mind and then not to be able to get the rest and relaxation of sleep” (Lenski p. 1279). “In hunger and thirst”: Due to lack of food. “Those exhausting journeys led through arid places; on long distances traveled food also gave out” (Lenski p. 1280). “In fastings often”: Times when Paul did not have time to eat or when he could not eat (Acts 27:33). “Often”: Do not overlook this word, this was a frequent hardship. “In cold”: At the mercy of the elements, in poor housing or no housing, sleeping outside at night or in some dreary jail. “Nakedness”: Poorly clothed.

2 Corinthians 11:28 “Besides those things that are without, there is that which presseth upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches” “Things that are without”: Besides the physical list of suffering which he has just detailed. “Presseth upon me daily”: “There is the daily pressure” (NASV). Paul did not consider the above to be the worst type of suffering which he encountered.

“Anxiety for all the churches”: “Concern for all the churches” (NASV). Concern for one congregation is enough to burden any man, but Paul was concerned about all these congregations, including Corinth which he had established. This is a personal note to the Corinthians, because they had caused him much concern (2:1-4). In addition, Paul knew that false teachers would destroy some congregations (Acts 20:29f).

2 Corinthians 11:29 “Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is caused to stumble, and I burn not?”

“Who is weak’: That is, not the spiritually weak or unfaithful, rather those who have a tender conscience (Romans 14:1; 1 Corinthians 9:22). “Caused to stumble”: “Who is caused to fall” (Con). “Whose conscience is hurt without my being fired with indignation” (Gspd). “When others thoughtlessly lead a fellow-Christian to do what his conscience condemns” (F.F. Bruce p. 244). “And I burn not?”: “While all Christians would agree that sympathy is of the essence of Christian love, it is not so generally recognized that without moral indignation that love is imperfect, see Matthew 18:6” (Tasker p. 166). True love does not seek to excuse sin, unfaithfulness or false teaching. True love burns with righteous indignation. True love speaks out and defends the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6).

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2 Corinthians 11:30 “If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weakness” “If I must needs glory”: Boasting which they have forced. “I will glory of the things that concern my weakness”: “Which display my weakness” (Wey). In all of this Paul always gives God the credit (1 Corinthians 15:10). He was not a "superman", rather he was a frail earthen vessel (2 Corinthians 4:7). In addition, the selfish man would not have boasted of the above things. These were humiliating experiences, they were sufferings and the last event in this chapter (11:32-33) is a situation in which had to leave town at night. All of the above events demonstrated how weak and powerless Paul was to direct events, take control of crowds and protect his own physical life. It had been clear in Corinth, and Paul hadn't gotten out of rough spots due to his own cleverness (Acts 18:12ff).

2 Corinthians 11:31 “The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed for evermore knoweth that I lie not” “I lie not”: “This amazing record of his afflictions as an apostle of Christ might appear to those hearing it for the first time incredulous” (Tasker p. 167).

2 Corinthians 11:32 “In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to take me” 2 Corinthians 11:33 “and through a window was I let down in a basket by the wall, and escaped his hands” “In Damascus”: See Acts 9:24. “The governor under”: Evidently the Jews in Damascus had persuaded the provincial governor under Aretas to have Paul arrested. “Aretas”: (AIR ee tus). Who ruled from 9 B.C. to 40 A.D. "Aretas" was a title for Arabian kings similar to that of Pharaoh used in Egypt. “He was father-in-law to Herod Antipas; when the latter divorced his daughter in order to marry Herodias, Aretas bided his time and, when a suitable occasion arose, invaded Peraea and inflicted a serious defeat on Herod's forces. His kingdom extended to the neighborhood of Damascus; it has even been held, because of the absence of Roman coins from its numismatic record between A.D. 34 and 62, that the city was at this time subject to him” (F.F. Bruce p. 244). “Through a window”: “In the walled cities of the Orient, houses were often built against the walls so that the windows 20

projected over them� (McGarvey p. 234). It appears to me that Paul placed this event after 11:30, because it displayed his weakness. He had to leave town at night.

Possibly some of Paul's opponents had heard of this incident and had accused Paul of being a coward. Paul does not hide anything in his past (1 Timothy 1:13-15). Paul was not a coward, but neither was it Paul's job to die for Christ as soon as possible.

Even the Lord Jesus had commanded His disciples to flee from persecution when possible. (Matthew 10:23)

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