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SEPTEMBER 19
22 For so you will heap coals of fire on his
head,
And the LORD will reward you.
11:7 free of charge. Greek culture measured
2 Corinthians 11:1–15
the importance of a teacher by the fee he
Oh, that you would bear with me in a little could command. The false apostles therefore
11 folly—and indeed you do bear with me. accused Paul of being a counterfeit, since he
2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. refused to charge for his services (1 Cor.
For I have betrothed you to one husband, that 9:1–15).They convinced the Corinthians to be
I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. offended by Paul’s refusal to accept support
3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent from them, offering that as evidence that he
deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds did not love them (v. 11). Paul’s resort to man-
may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in ual labor to support himself (Acts 18:1–3) also
embarrassed the Corinthians, who felt such
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Christ. For if he who comes preaches another work to be beneath the dignity of an apostle.
Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you With biting irony Paul asked his accusers how
receive a different spirit which you have not foregoing his right to support could possibly
received, or a different gospel which you have be a sin. In fact, by refusing support he had
not accepted—you may well put up with it! humbled himself so they could be exalted,i.e.,
5 For I consider that I am not at all inferior to lifted out of their sin and idolatry.
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the most eminent apostles. Even though I am
untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowl-
edge. But we have been thoroughly manifest- wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself
ed among you in all things. into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great
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7 Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you thing if his ministers also transform themselves
might be exalted, because I preached the into ministers of righteousness, whose end will
gospel of God to you free of charge? I robbed be according to their works.
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other churches, taking wages from them to
minister to you. And when I was present with
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you, and in need, I was a burden to no one, for
what I lacked the brethren who came from
Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept 11:13–15 No longer speaking with veiled
irony or defending himself, Paul bluntly and
myself from being burdensome to you, and so directly exposed the false apostles for what
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I will keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in they were—emissaries of Satan. Not only was
me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in their claim to apostleship false,so also was their
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the regions of Achaia. Why? Because I do not doctrine. As satanic purveyors of false teach-
love you? God knows! ing, they were under the curse of Galatians
12 But what I do, I will also continue to do, that 1:8,9. Paul’s forceful language may seem
I may cut off the opportunity from those who harsh, but it expressed the godly jealousy he
desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we felt for the Corinthians. Paul was unwilling to
are in the things of which they boast. For such sacrifice truth for the sake of unity.
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are false apostles, deceitful workers, transform-
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ing themselves into apostles of Christ. And no
DAY 19:Why was Paul so emotional about the Corinthians’ spiritual welfare?
In 2 Corinthians 11:2, Paul said,“I am jealous for you with godly jealousy.”Paul was concerned
to the point of jealousy, a zeal for their spiritual purity. Jealousy inspired by zeal for God’s causes,
and thus similar to God’s own jealousy for His holy name and His people’s loyalty (Ex. 20:5; 34:14;
Deut.4:24;5:9;6:15;32:16,21;Josh.24:19;Ps.78:58;Ezek.39:25;Nah.1:2).“I have betrothed you to one
husband.” As their spiritual father (12:14; 1 Cor. 4:15; 9:1,2), Paul portrayed the Corinthians like a
daughter,whom he betrothed to Jesus Christ (at their conversion).“A chaste virgin to Christ.”Having
betrothed or pledged the Corinthians to Christ,Paul wanted them to be pure until the marriage day
finally arrived (Rev. 19:7).
Paul compared the danger facing the Corinthian church to Eve’s deception by Satan (v. 3). He
feared the Corinthians, like Eve, would fall prey to satanic lies and have their minds corrupted.The
tragic result would be the abandonment of their simple devotion to Christ in favor of the sophisti-
cated error of the false apostles. Paul’s allusion to Genesis 3 implies that the false apostles were
Satan’s emissaries—a truth that he later made explicit (vv. 13–15).

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