Against Falsehood

STUDY: #955- CHURCH IN THE HOUSES FROM: OCTOBER 31, 2017

TOPIC: “Against Falsehood” 2 Corinthians 11:1-7 When falsehood appeared in the city of Corinth, Paul’s authority was defied. The apostle began to face the murmuring, complaining and scorn of those he had won for the Lord Jesus Christ. But in defending himself, Paul did not seek his honor, nor fight to defend his dignity (a quality that defines a person). He fought by caring for the Lord Jesus Christ’s dignity and honor. All of those who fight to keep the Lord’s honor and dignity know that they face many days of war against those who do not want to obey the true gospel. These verses show how Paul had to use methods that he himself did not approve of. (2 Corinthians 11:1 “I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness! Do bear with me!”) He had to speak about himself and his hard work for the Lord. Paul was very independent. Whenever he was working somewhere for the Lord he always tried to be on his own. He didn’t depend on anybody. Whether a person can accept help from someone when he or she is preaching the truth, is debatable. When you work for the Lord, you cannot be bound to anyone. There is no way you can commit to anyone and at the same time say what you have to say in the name of the Lord. If you’re committed to someone, you will not have the freedom that the Lord’s work demands. Everyone will justify or defend their own cause. Those who work for the Lord have to live in purity, conservatively, with the full capacity of knowing what this entails. Everyone will defend their own cause, even if faced with the biggest risk of their lives. The apostle had to emphasize his own authority because of those who were trying to seduce the church of Corinth with falsehood. 2 Corinthians 11:2 “For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.” It was Jewish custom for Israel to be known as the Lord’s wife. (Isaiah 54:5 “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called…”) Paul didn’t want to talk so much about himself. But many fake people were rising up for a single reason: as Paul was lifting the church, the devil was destroying it. Someone once said, “I never remembered my dignity until others forgot it.” But again, Paul did not fight for his dignity, nor his personal honor. Paul fought for Jesus Christ. The apostle had to guarantee the bride’s chastity (…to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.”). Paul had this in mind because it was his duty. At the wedding between Jesus Christ and the church of Corinth, Paul will be the groom’s friend. It is his responsibility to guarantee the bride’s chastity. He would do anything to keep the church of Corinth “pure and dignified,” to become the wife of Jesus Christ! People arrived at Corinth preaching their own version of the gospel, and insisted their version was superior to Paul’s. (2 Corinthians 11:4 “For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough…”) They didn’t want to hear from Paul! They were hallucinating, crazy, and out of their minds. They thought that those who arrived were super heroes! Paul spoke about the contrast between those false apostles, and himself. (2 Corinthians 11:5-6 “Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.”) Paul was not a professional speaker. He spoke like any ordinary citizen. Paul said that those false and arrogant apostles might be better

orators than he because they were professional, and he was just an amateur. The fact was that even though Paul didn’t know the techniques of oratory, and the others did, he knew what he was talking about. The others didn’t! Paul’s enemy, who hurt him so, may have known all the secrets of oratory, but Paul spoke from his own experience because he personally knew the true Jesus Christ. Paul fought vehemently against what was false because he had met the true Christ. What about you? Amen.