2 Cor 11: Studies

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part, verse-by-verse approach, to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 2 Cor 11:1-4

1 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the snake’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

A. Find Out:    

1. What did Paul hope they will do? v.1
2. What did he feel for them? v.2a
3. What did he want to do? v.2b
4. Yet what did he fear about them? v.3
5. What 3 things did he fear could happen? v.4 

B. Think:

1. How would you describe how Paul wanted to present the Corinthian church to Christ?
2. Yet how would you summarise his fear?

C. Comment:

     Paul explains now why he has been taking so long to commend himself. In one sense he’s not at all happy with having to go on about himself but he feels this “foolishness” is necessary to get them to really listen to him.

     He is jealous for these Christians he has helped bring into the world. He has wanted to give them to Christ pure and spotless, without any doubts or confusions, a church that is just wholehearted for God. Yet he has a fear that they are a vulnerable people who are susceptible to taking on board things that are not true, so they become Christians who are tainted with untruths. This will happen if they allow Satan to deceive them in the same way he deceived Eve. Paul fears that if someone comes and preaches something about Jesus that is not the truth, they will receive it, if someone comes with a wrong spirit, they will receive them, if someone comes with a distorted Gospel, they will receive it. This is why Paul has spent so much time on his own credentials. He wants them to be sure to listen to him.     One of Satan’s main tactics is to deceive us and get us to believe a lie, to get us to believe what is not true. Jesus deals only in truth, Satan in lies. Be aware, be alert. 

D. Application:

1. Are we alert to Satan’s tactic of deception? Be alert!
2. Do we listen when Satan tells us lies… “You aren’t worthy, you aren’t loved, Jesus doesn’t accept you”? Resist his lies!

Passage: 2 Cor 11:5-9

5 I do not think I am in the least inferior to those ‘super-apostles’. 6 I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. 7 Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.

A. Find Out:

1. What did Paul think about himself? v.5
2. What wasn’t he, what had he, and what had he done? v.6
3. What had he done to himself? v.7a
4. In order to do what, and how? v.7b
5. Where had his support come from? v.8
6. What had that enabled him to do? v.9

B. Think:

1. What had Paul brought to the Corinthians?
2. How had he NOT been a burden to them?
3. How had he achieved that?

C. Comment:

     Paul continues “apologetically” to clear his name from any slurs that may have even brought against him, in order that there be nothing that would hinder them receiving his message.

     First of all, he compares himself with other apostles. In 1 Cor 1:12- he had written about the divisions and wrong loyalties that prevailed among the church in Corinth. He obviously has this in mind here. Don’t put me down, he says, I’m not a trained speaker but I certainly brought you the full knowledge of the Gospel. Indeed, was it wrong of me, when I came to you, to demean myself and make no claims on you when I came and preached the Gospel? My support came from other churches so that I could live among you without making any claim on you – although (implied) it would have been right to have done so. Remember, I wasn’t a burden to you.

     In speaking like this Paul reminds us that it is very easy for us to take on a wrong perspective about people. Paul had come to them humbly and without any pretense of being a great man, without claiming any rights of support. The result was that they did not esteem him. Their worldly viewpoint only esteemed “the great and the glorious”. May we not be the same.

D. Application:

1. Don’t esteem people because they “look good”.
2. Don’t esteem people because they have wealth!

Passage: 2 Cor 11:10-15

10 As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

A. Find Out:

1. What does he say they won’t stop? v.10
2. Why isn’t it? v.11
3. Why is he going to keep on doing it? v.12
4. Who is he speaking against? v.13
5. How does Satan often come? v.14
6. How do his servant come and what will be their end? v.15

B. Think:

1. Who is Paul now clearly speaking out against?
2. Who does he see behind this?
3. So what is his remedy?

C. Comment:

     In verse 3 Paul has already expressed his fear that the church there would be deceived. In verse 5 he had hinted about other “super-ministries”. Now he speaks strongly and openly about those others who have come in the guise of apostles but are in reality deceivers. He is in no doubt about this! These men are wrong! Paul sees these men as servants of Satan, and sometimes Satan comes in disguise, making himself look good in his attempts to deceive. If lies are Satan’s first weapon, his aim is deception, to get people to believe part truths or outright lies. He doesn’t do this brazenly but subtly. These men who had come had appeared good, deceptively good, but they came with something less than the Gospel (v.4).

     Now we begin to see more clearly why Paul has been going to such lengths to validate his own ministry. He does it in this passage. Nobody is going to stop this boasting of his, because he speaks the truth. Was he speaking because he didn’t love them? No, exactly the opposite was true. That’s why he was not going to keep quiet, because he loved these people so much, and he wasn’t going to just stand by and watch them be led away from the truth by purveyors of half-truths or lies. No, he will keep on speaking! He will not be put off!

D. Application:

1. Satan seeks to get us to believe lies. He speaks into our mind.
2. He also does it through people. We are to resist and hold the truth.

Passage: 2 Cor 11:16-21

16 I repeat: let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. 17 In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. 18 Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. 19 You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! 20 In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. 21 To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!

A. Find Out:

1.  What isn’t Paul but how may they perceive him? v.16
2. How is he speaking? v.17
3. Why is he doing this? v.18
4. What does he say they do and why? v.19
5. In fact who have they put up with? v.20
6. Why hadn’t Paul done that? v.21 

B. Think:

1. How is Paul “putting on an act”?
2. How does he rebuke them in these verses?
3. What do you think is his aim?

C. Comment:

     Having gone down the path of extolling himself and his own ministry for the sake of getting the Corinthians to listen to his warning, it’s now as if he says to himself, “Oh well! In for a penny, in for a pound! I might as well go the whole way.”

    He starts out, don’t be misled, don’t take me for a fool, I’m not! But anyway, I’ll come to you like a fool with his boasting, because you obviously accept those who boast about themselves and push themselves forward; that’s obvious by the way you have received these false apostles (implied – see v.13). I mean, he continues, let’s face it, you’ve received people who bring you down into slavery again (by preaching law or no law at all), who have abused you and pushed themselves on you, you’ve done all this, so you should happily receive a “fool” like me! Yes, we weren’t like that, we were too “weak”, so we didn’t abuse you like that. But if you’re happy to receive those who boast, then I’ll boast, and perhaps, somehow, you might take note of me and what I’m saying and come to your senses (implied).     In all of this, it is as if Paul is really desperate for these Christians in Corinth , who have been getting led astray. He’s almost willing to go to any lengths to get them to listen to him. 

D. Application:

1. Are we willing to appear fools for the sake of others?
2. Do we get so moved by our love and concern for others?

Passage: 2 Cor 11:21-26

Whatever anyone else dares to boast about – I am speaking as a fool – I also dare to boast about. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.

A. Find Out:

1. What, again, does Paul say he will do? v.21
2. What can he say about his background? v.22
3. What can he say about his ministry? v.23a
4. What things happened to him? v.23b-25
5. What dangers has he faced? v.26

B. Think:

1. How does Paul first say he is equal to these other men?
2. How can he say he has gone beyond them?
3. What, remember, is his purpose in saying all this?

C. Comment:

     All right, says Paul, I’ll go down this crazy path, I’ll join in this comparing game, I’ll join in the boasting, if that will help you listen to me (implied all the way along). Are these men you’ve been following and listening to Jews? Well so am I! Are they part of the nation of Israel, part of Abraham’s family? Well so am I! We’ve all got the same pedigree. Are they servants of Christ? Well so am I! Now I’ll tell you something (real desperation growing here), listen to me! I dare to brag that whatever they’ve done, I’ve done more!

     Listen! I’ve worked harder, I’ve been in prison more than they have, I’ve taken more severe beatings than they have and have faced death more times. Look, I’m not joking! Five times I’ve been beaten to within an inch of my life, three times beaten with rod, once I was even stoned and on top of all that three times I’ve been shipwrecked. If that isn’t facing death, I don’t know what is!

     In this incredible desperate outpouring Paul reveals to us the real hardships he had been through for the sake of the Gospel. On this virtually unique occasion, we see behind the veil of Paul’s life, a life that must shame us in our comfort in these modern times. The Gospel was everything to Paul and he had been to death and back numerous times for his Lord. What a challenge!

D. Application:

1. God’s grace had been there for Paul in all those circumstances.
2. God’s grace is there for us today, whatever comes.

Passage: 2 Cor 11:27-33

27 I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised for ever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. 33 But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.

A. Find Out:

1. What further had Paul experienced? v.27
2. What additional daily burden did he carry? v.28
3. How did he empathize with others? v.29
4. In what ways would he boast? v.30
5. How had he been pursued in Damascus ? v.32
6. How had he escaped? v.33 

B. Think:

1. What weaknesses in his body did Paul speak about?
2. What weaknesses in his mind did he refer to?
3. What further trials in experience did he share?

C. Comment:

     In these final few verses of this chapter, we have a sample of the types of burdens or pressures on Paul’s life as he carried out his ministry.

     First there were the physical afflictions. Because of the nature of his ministry, it meant that he had irregular hours and often did not get the normal hours of sleep the rest of us might expect. Because of the travelling and uncertainty of his ministry, he often went without food or drink. The nature of it all also meant that he often was without adequate clothing and suffered cold.

     Then there were the emotional burdens of his love for the people in the churches – and there were many churches! He felt for them, he empathised with them when they suffered or did wrong. The real pastor never escapes this burden.    

Finally, there were the circumstances of opposition where the enemy raised up others against him, which naturally would stir up fear. He refers specifically to the occasion in Acts 9:19-25 where it seems that the enemy stirred up the authorities together with the opposing Jews to try and arrest him, right at the beginning of his ministry. All these sorts of things were commonplace to Paul in his ministry, these were the marks of a true apostle of that day. 

D. Application:

1. Sharing the Gospel creates opposition. It is to be expected.
2. That opposition means hardship, physical and emotional.