2 Corinthians 11:12-13 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.
The competitiveness and protectiveness of Paul appears in v. 12. These verses seem strange coming from an apostle, a leader in the early church. We would expect more meekness and humility, especially based on other things Paul wrote in his letters. However, considering the urgency and seriousness of the situation, his strong statements here may be necessary to get the Corinthians moving in the right direction. The problem are those who want to be equal with Paul in claims of apostolic authority. What Paul boasts about is the spiritual growth of the Corinthians. He boasts in what God is doing in their lives through the Holy Spirit. Their faith in Christ is growing. Paul started all this by planting the seeds. Others came along, like Apollos, and watered these seeds (1 Corinthians 3:6). These false apostles, however, are claiming that the Corinthians’ growth was all their doing. They evidently boast in their speaking abilities. They sound polished and pleasing to the ear, but their message is not correct. Paul claims they are not real apostles. They may come with some level of recommendation, but it is not genuine. The proof is in what they preach. They are deceiving in what they do and say. Their motives are not right either if they are being deceitful. Paul makes this all sound intentional on the part of these false apostles. This is not a matter of ignorance of the truth but a bending of the truth for selfish reasons.
These type of people are dangerous even today. This can be difficult to see sometimes in our contemporary time where anything goes. Relativism has infiltrated the church. Just about any doctrine can be taught and people will listen. They are more interested in the music program or what is offered for the kids than deep gospel preaching. There are too many shallow Christians whose commitment is low and whose understanding is limited. Paul called the Corinthians babies in 1 Corinthians 3:1-2. Sadly, there are a lot of babies today. They just don’t seem to grow up. To grow up will take effort. It means leaving the comforts of childhood and entering the challenges of adulthood where it can be difficult to make decisions. Those who are weak in their understanding can be too easily swayed by false teachings and be deceived by selfish motives. They may even succumb to these issues in their own lives, become weak in their faith and drift away. Paul saw the danger ahead for the Corinthians. We would be wise to heed what he says in this letter lest we find ourselves in the same situation.
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