In Search Of Truth, 2 Corinthians 11:1-6

Paul asks the Corinthians to bear with his foolishness
because it was considered foolish to boast about yourself, which Paul was having
to do to some degree in order to defend his reputation and contrast himself
with the false teachers influencing the church in Corinth. (v.1)

 

God is sometimes said to be “jealous” in the Bible and Paul
says that he is sharing in that jealousy. But isn’t jealousy wrong? What makes
God’s jealousy right and how is it right for Paul and Christians everywhere to
share in that jealousy?

 

The Hebrew word used to describe God’s jealousy is “Qana”.
It can mean either jealousy in the common sense, or “zeal” to advance God’s
cause over that of any rivals. For God to be “Qana” means that he is zealous
for the fulfillment of his purpose in us and all of creation. And since his
plan is of the greatest possible benefit for everyone, we should be thankful
that God is “Qana” and we should aim to be “Qana” right along with him!

 

Unfortunately, Paul recognized the tendency for the
Corinthians to absorb the broken philosophies of their surrounding culture. He
expressed concern that they would be unfaithful to God, using the metaphor of a
virgin bride who might potentially be unfaithful before her wedding day. (v.2)

 

His concern was that their minds might be led astray by
deception, causing their devotion to Christ to fail as well. (v.3) Paul
compares this potential deception to Eve and the serpent. Eve was deceived
because she followed her desires (Gen. 3:6) instead of holding on to
established truth. When we are presented with philosophical or religious ideas
that are appealing in some way, it’s vital that we compare them to what God has
said through the Bible before we accept them as truth.

 

Many of these broken philosophies can even come in a form
that looks like Christianity or that is based on Christianity. But Paul warns
the Corinthians (and us) not to be accommodating toward alternate versions of
Jesus or what his life and sacrifice were about. (v.4)

 

Paul considers knowledge to be more important than charisma.
He admits that he is not a trained speaker, but he has demonstrated a
tremendous amount of knowledge and because of this does not view himself as
inferior to those false teachers in Corinth who thought of themselves as
“extra-special” apostles. (v.5-6)

 

Next Week- Money and Ministry

 

Coffee House Question- When might emotions be a good part of
the Christian life? When might they be harmful to the Christian life?