December 10 Click on verses for Full Scripture

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Today's Pathway: II Corinthians 11:1-4 Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

In the next couple chapters Paul gives a defense of his apostolic ministry. This may seem strange, since he ended chapter 10 by stating that it was not wise to compare yourself with others. However, Paul also wrote that any glorying or "boasting" that he had was ultimately to bring glory to God. And, in II Corinthians 12:19 he writes,

"Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you?... but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying."

"If Paul did not defend himself, the Corinthians would be cut off from him and be at the mercy of the false teachers. His defense was not for his sake but for theirs. So, as distasteful as it was to him, Paul had to defend his integrity—not for pride, but because the gospel was at stake. Reluctantly, he compared himself to the false apostles so the Corinthians could distinguish a true messenger of God from false ones."

Paul opens by asking the church members to be willing to put up with his folly for a little bit. He is not saying this because his testimony is foolish, but because he is reluctant to defend himself. But, in order to edify the Corinthians in the future, this is necessary. In addition, he probably knows that those who oppose him in the church will see his words as being foolish. He then tells them that he is jealous over them, but he points out that his "jealousy" is not based upon his personal desire to be better treated or respected by them, but rather by his yearning that they would be as committed to the Lord as they should be. He uses marriage to illustrate his point. When a woman was espoused to her future husband, it was expected that she would keep herself pure for him. Paul is taking on the role of the "father of the bride" here. In I Corinthians 4:14 he referred to the Corinthians as his "sons", because he had led them to Christ. Now he sees them as daughters whom he has betrothed to God. It was part of the father’s responsibility at his daughter’s betrothal to commit to the groom that he would present his daughter as a pure virgin at her wedding. Paul's desire was to be able to present his "daughter" as chaste and pure to the heavenly Bridegroom when He comes to claim her and take her to His Father's house (John 14:1-3).

Paul feared that the false teachers were turning the believers away from the simplicity that is found in Christ. "Simplicity" is defined as "singleness, uprightness; to being motivated by singleness of purpose so as to be open and aboveboard, without guile, and without a hidden agenda." This is what true Christianity is all about. However, notice the harsh language that Paul uses against the charlatans. He compares them to Satan beguiling Eve. False teachers are not simply misguided. They are in rebellion against the Word of God, just as Satan questioned and then contradicted God's Words in Genesis 3:1-4 ("hath God said...ye shall not surely die"). He does this through deception. Christians today need to be aware of this as well. Lack of discernment is a major problem for believers and churches. Far too many Christians do not have a thorough knowledge of the Bible and Its teachings, and many modern churches seem willing to tolerate errors in both doctrine and practice in the name of numerical growth and unity. Thus, they become easy prey for the "wolves in sheep's clothing" who care only about their own prosperity and not one bit about the individual's relationship with God. The end result, according to verse 4, is that they will ultimately become tolerant of false teaching even in the most fundamental and foundational areas of doctrine, such as the Person of Christ and the Gospel.

Don't be deceived. Make sure that everything you believe and practice is based on the Scriptures, and not simply on the flowery words of men.