>> Jen: Hello and good morning, faithful listeners. Welcome to the Bible Explained podcast. And hi, my name is Jen. I am the host of this podcast. And I am so excited that you're here to share a delicious cup of coffee with me as we discuss 2 Corinthians 11, 1:15. I was able to open my windows again today. It's a little bit rainy today, but not rainy enough that if I open my windows, all the rain will,
like, come into the house, just kind of like drizzle. So, yeah, the windows are open right now and it is a beautiful day once again. And I hope it's a beautiful day for all of you guys as well. And so tell me what the weather is like, where you live, and tell me how you found the podcast. And, uh, just introduce yourself. I love hearing from all of you guys. You can find
my email listed in the description of this episode. And if you don't want to introduce yourselves and you have a prayer request, then send me a prayer request instead, and I will write you down in my little prayer journal and pray for you for the week. With all that, let's go ahead and read 2 Corinthians 11, 1:15 today, and I will be reading out of the web as per usual. So let's give reverence to God's word this morning.
I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you do bear with me, for I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy, for I promised you in marriage to one husband that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the
simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we didn't preach, or if you receive a different spirit which you didn't receive, or a different good news which you didn't accept, you put up with that well enough. For I reckon that I am not at all behind the very best apostles. But though I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not unskilled in knowledge. No, in every way we have been revealed to you
in all things. Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted because I preached to you God's good news free of charge. I robbed other assemblies, taking wages from them that I might serve you when I was present with you and was in need. I wasn't a, uh, burden on anyone, for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my need in Everything. I kept myself from being burdensome to you. And I will continue to do so,
as the truth of Christ is in me. No one will stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Why? Because I don't love you? God knows. But what I do that I will continue to do, that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity that in which they boast they may be recognized just like us. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers masquerading as Christ's apostles. And no wonder, for even
satan masquerades as an angel of light. It is no great thing, therefore, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. This is one of the chapters where I think people might get a wrong opinion about Paul and what he's doing in this chapter. In fact, I've actually heard people say that reading through the New Testament and Paul's letters, they think of Paul as a very
arrogant person. And because of chapters like this one, when you're reading it, you kind of think, oh, wow, you know, Paul is really bragging about how good of an apostle he is and how he never took anything from the Corinthians and how he is like a father to them. He brags all the time. And honestly, Paul knew that he was going to get that kind of treatment, which is why he starts chapter 11 by saying, I hope you will put up with a little bit more of my
foolishness. Which is interesting because if you go back to the previous chapter, 2 Corinthians 10, that, uh, we just talked about on Tuesday, you'll remember that Paul talked a lot about people who boast about themselves and how silly that kind of thing is, how they're comparing themselves to other people. But in the eyes of God, everybody is the same. So self praise is basically worthless. But then in 2 Corinthians 11, Paul goes on to kind of brag about himself, or so that's what it
seems. So what gives? Is Paul contradicting himself just one short chapter later? Well, no, which is why he premises 2 Corinthians 11 with this First, I know you guys are going to think of me as foolish, and I hope you will put up with a little bit more of my foolishness. Meaning Paul realizes that his situation with the Corinthians is kind of dire. They don't have a lot of
respect for him. But the Corinthians do have a lot of respect for other teachers and preachers that come in and Other people who tout their godliness or their goodness or their wisdom. The Corinthians have a lot of respect for those people, but very little respect for Paul
himself. So Paul says, I'm going to be foolish for a minute and I am going to brag about myself a little bit so that I can gain your guys attention back because you have so little respect for me, but you have respect for all of these other people. So I am going to be foolish for a little bit and I hope you put up with a little bit of my foolishness. And so he goes on to almost defend himself and his apostleship. Verse two. For I, um, am jealous over you with a godly
jealousy. For I promised you in marriage to one husband that I might present you a pure virgin to Christ. This is not the first time we see Paul consider himself a father of the Corinthians. In fact, I believe he actually called himself their father in 1 Corinthians. And here he's kind of painting this picture that he is the father of the bride and he wants to present the Corinthian church as a pure bride to Christ. So he's walking this bride
down the aisle. And so Paul almost considers himself a father who has a godly jealousy over the Corinthian church. He doesn't want the Corinthians to fall astray and start listening to all of these other false preachers who are teaching them something different. Verse 3. But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. Paul actually calls the Gospel
message simple. He says the gospel message is simplicity. And sometimes people are looking for something so much more than just simplicity. In fact, what did we talk about yesterday over on the Old Testament side of stuff, we talked about Naaman the leper. He went to Elisha to try to get healed from his leprosy. And Elisha wouldn't even come out to see Naaman. Instead, Elisha sent a messenger to Naaman and told Naaman, go wash in the Jordan seven times and you will be healed from your
leprosy. And Naaman rode away in his chariot, absolutely furious. He was so angry. And he said to his servants, he's like, I'm not listening to this guy. Because Elisha himself should have come out. He should have waved his hands all over the place and he should have called out to Yahweh and healed me that way. And his servants are like, well, Naaman, you know, if Elisha would have came outside and told you to do this really grandiose task in order to have your leprosy healed, you
would have done it. But going and washing in the Jordan river seven times is super easy. It's, like, simple. So maybe you should just go do it. Who knows? Your leprosy might actually be healed if you just listen to what this prophet told you to do. And sure enough, Naaman goes and washes himself seven times in the Jordan River. And it says that his skin was like the skin of a little child. So everything was healed. Every abnormality he had on his skin
was completely healed. And the reason I bring that story up is because what Naaman was supposed to do in order to be healed was extremely simple. Anybody, any single person, could go into the Jordan river and wash his or herself seven times. That is the simplest task you could pretty much ever do. But because it was so simple, Naaman didn't want to do it. He wanted and expected something great and grandiose. He didn't realize that accepting healing from
Christ was so simple. And he almost didn't accept that healing because he was expecting something grander than what he got. And thankfully, he had wise advice that, uh, he listened to from his servants. But that's kind of what Paul is talking about right here. He's like, you know, you Corinthians, it's almost like you are being held back by how simplistic the gospel message is, how simplistic it is to believe in Jesus, how simplistic it is to be healed
from your sins. You're looking for something so much more grandiose. And these people, these false preachers are coming and giving these grandiose stories to you that you're falling astray and not listening to the simplicity of the gospel message, because you expect the gospel message to be different than when what it actually is. And that's what Paul means here when he says that he's scared the Corinthians minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
For he who comes and preaches another Jesus whom we didn't preach, or if you received a different spirit, which you didn't receive, or a different good news which you didn't accept, you put up with that well enough. So there you go. That's what the Corinthians problems were. They were accepting these preachers in who were bragging about themselves and bragging about their knowledge and wisdom and accomplishments and all of these cool things that they were able to do, but they were preaching a
different gospel message. They were preaching a different Savior. And the Corinthians are opening up their arms to these false preachers. And Paul's like, you accept them, but you won't accept the simplicity that is the gospel message. And this is why Paul is going to be a little bit foolish and brag about himself now, because apparently that is what the Corinthians need in order to accept the gospel message.
So Paul's like, all right, I'm going to brag about some of my accomplishments now, since that apparently is the only way to get through to you guys. Verse 5. For I reckon that I am not at all behind the very best apostles. I am myself an apostle. But though I am unskilled in speech, I am not unskilled in knowledge. No, in every way. I have
been revealed to you in these things. So Paul's like, okay, you guys think I'm not a good public speaker, and maybe I'm not, but I have a lot of knowledge in the Scriptures, and that is one of my accomplishments. I'm an apostle. I'm in the top one percentile of apostles. And though I'm not a great public speaker, according to you guys, I have a lot of knowledge in the scriptures. So
that's how Paul brags about himself. He says, did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted because I preached to you God's good news free of charge? He says, I robbed other assemblies, taking wages from them that I might serve you. So the third way he brags is he says, I've never asked for a single thing from you guys. I have never once expected you to pay me. I have never taken a payment from any of you guys.
I have worked to support myself or other churches, have funded my missionary trip to, uh, preach to you guys. So I've never taken anything from any of you. And quite honestly, this might have been a little bit of a sore spot with Paul, because in First Corinthians, Paul actually did an entire chapter on how the Corinthians did not pay him a single red cent the entire year and a half he was with them starting that church. The Corinthians never cut him a paycheck, not once.
And back in First Corinthians, he told them, he's like, how come you cut checks for all these other preachers that come into town, but you won't do it for me? And honestly, like, reading through 1st and 2nd Corinthians a little bit more, you can kind of see how badly the Corinthian church treated Paul. They were supposedly on the same side, yet the Corinthians were always saying something negative or
nasty about Paul. They were making fun of his looks, making fun of the way he spoke, spreading rumors that he was only preaching for his own gain so he could, you know, get stuff, just doing and saying all sorts of nasty things to and about Paul and then also rejecting him when he actually came to Corinth to visit
them. It's quite sad looking at the way the Corinthian church treated Paul, and yet he constantly came back to them, was constantly praying for them and bragging about them to other church denominations across Greece. So Paul had a lot of love for the Corinthians, but I think he felt truly sad that the Corinthians just kept stabbing him in the
back over and over and over again. I think Paul, if anybody understood the betrayal Jesus felt, Paul might have been up there with the best of them when it comes to people betraying him. Not just the Corinthian church, but actually several people betrayed him, um, multiple times. In fact. Paul says that when he stood before Caesar the first time, not a single person came to his
aid. And the Caesar at the time of Paul was the notorious Nero, who hated, absolutely hated Christians and, uh, did his best to destroy them. So Paul was certainly neglected and betrayed multiple times in his life. So he understood that. But anyway, moving forward here, he mentions, you know, you Corinthians say that I'm a worldly man that just preaches for my own gain, but
my actions say otherwise. Because when I was with you the whole time, you didn't pay me once, and I stayed with you when I was present with you and was in need. I wasn't a burden on anyone, for the brothers from Macedonia supplied my need. Oof. That's embarrassing. That should be embarrassing for the Corinthian church because the Macedonians were, um, historically very poor, and yet they supplied Paul's needs.
When the church of Corinth, where Corinth was a very wealthy and industrious and indulgent city, they refused to supply Paul's needs in everything. I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and I will continue to do so as the truth of Christ is in me. No one will stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Why? Because I don't love you? God knows. And this means that Paul was not going to stop boasting over the fact that he did not accept a paycheck from
the people of Corinth. He says this is the one thing I will boast in that I preach to you guys free of charge. And to me, it makes sense that this is the one thing that Paul will boast about, because there were so many preachers in Paul's day and in all of history and today as well, so many preachers who go around, uh, preaching for their own wealth and their own gain. I mean, just look at televangelists and the majority of YouTube prophets that are on YouTube right now. They are
doing it for their own gain. So Paul says, in order to make sure I differentiate myself from those other people, to show my sincerity for the gospel message, I, uh, will boast that I never took a paycheck from any of the Corinthians, that when I was in need, I either worked myself as a tent maker, which is what he did.
If you read through the book of Acts, it mentions that when he got to Corinth, he worked with Priscilla and Aquila, who were tent makers in the city, and Paul worked side by side with them, producing tents. So Paul had his own source of income and his own job when he was in Corinth. But then when things got really bad or Paul needed something specific or something along those lines that he didn't have the money for, the church of Macedonia would
supply some of Paul's needs. So Paul says, I will brag that I never took a paycheck from the Corinthians to differentiate myself from the charlatans that do what I do. I will continue to do that. I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity that in which they boast they may be recognized just like us.
So I kind of already explained this verse. There are people out there that go around boasting about themselves and boasting about how much wisdom or knowledge that they have so that they can gain a lot of attention and preach their version of the gospel and gain wealth and adoration from that. I am doing this. I am boasting in this way so that you all can distinguish me as different from those types of people. And also I want to cut off any opportunity from those who desire an opportunity.
These false preachers that come in, desiring this opportunity for fame and wealth, Paul says he hopes to actually cut them off at the feet. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers masquerading as Christ's apostles. And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light. It is no great thing, therefore, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness whose end will be
according to their works. In other words, these false apostles, these false preachers that come in preaching something different to the Corinthians just to gain wealth for themselves, they are pretending to be Christians. They are pretending to be Christ's apostles. They might even call themselves Christians. But they are truly servants of satan rather than servants of Christ. Which is why it's very important for you to not trust anything you
hear until you back it up with Scripture. Which is why I always tell you guys to grab your version of Scripture that you prefer and read along with me. I will always say that because I am human and I make mistakes. And unfortunately, there are people out there who are claiming to preach from the Bible, but are preaching something completely different that isn't backed up in Scripture. And it's really important for you to understand the Bible well enough so that you can differentiate
between truth and lies. Just because somebody claims to be a Christian does not mean that they are. Just because somebody claims to be a Christian does not mean they are even following what's in the Bible. I was at an antique shop with my husband last week actually, uh, for my birthday, and we were going through, and I found an old copy of the New World Translation, which happens to be
the Jehovah's Witness Bible. And so I looked through it, and, uh, the one verse that I know is different in the New World translation as compared to the versions that you and I have, like the ESV or the NLT or the web is John 1:1, which says, in our version, in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. But in the New World translation, they totally changed that verse
from the canon of Scripture. And the New World translation says, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a, uh, god with a little G. And that entire verbiage of that verse completely changes the nature of who Jesus is. Instead of Jesus being God Himself, Jesus is now a little G God
according to the Jehovah Witnesses. Because of that little verse and because of what they changed, which is why it is so, so important for you to do your own research, to study Scriptures, and to not trust anything you hear until you back it up with Scripture. Which is why Paul says here, in verse 4 out of the NLT version, you happily put up
with whatever anyone tells you. Even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, similar to the Jehovah's Witnesses, or a different kind of spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of Gospel. Than the one you believed. And that is why Paul is boasting about his ministry, so that the Corinthians can finally understand that they need to stop listening to whatever anybody comes and tries to preach to them. Just because it sounds
fancy. They need to turn from that and actually start listening to the truth of the Scriptures. Well, faithful listeners, if you find value in the content that P40 Ministries produces, then please check out the links listed in the description of this episode and especially go over to my website because I did a lot of work on it this, uh, this year so far. And not to brag about myself, but my husband says it's the best website he's ever seen, so I hope you guys enjoy it as well.
Anyway, faithful listeners, if you would like to gain access to the Friday Podcast because I do a separate podcast on Fridays, I encourage you to go to Ko Fi and sign up for the Coffee Tier so that you can gain access and go through the Psalms with me over on the Bible Explained on Fridays. Anyway, faithful listeners, have a fantastic and wonderful rest of your weekend. I will see you all on Monday, bright and early, 6am or whenever you choose to wake up. Happy listening and God bless.