2 Corinthians 11:14-15 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.
This is perhaps one of the strongest rebukes by Paul of anyone in his letters. What the false apostles of v. 13 are doing is equivalent to what Satan does. Satan pretends to be an angel of light but actually is the chief agent of the darkness. Satan deceives people by twisting the truth in such a way that it leads to compromise. The unsuspecting and the ignorant can be led astray. Satan can also get a foothold if reactions such as anger are not dealt with right away.
Those who preach a false or distorted gospel are actually the servants of Satan. The word for “servant” can also be translated as “minister” (diakonoi). Paul may have chosen this term to show how the false apostles can be compared to genuine ministers of the gospel. They appear to look genuine, but actually, there is something different underneath. These ministers are not simply ignorant of the truth. They are purposefully deceitful. Paul does not address how they got this way. But if they are connected to Satan, the great deceiver, it is possible that they were deceived by Satan. In way ways? Perhaps through the selfishness that Paul has described them having. Their motives were not pure, loving, and reliant upon the grace of God. They trusted in their own abilities. That is an open door to deception and temptation. They pursued righteousness but from the wrong resource. It became all about self and not grace.
This is a big challenge for anyone in leadership and responsibility to teach and preach the gospel. But this is not a “minister” only problem. It really gets to the heart of the human problem of pride. Pride is so subtle that sometimes we are not aware of it. Many temptations we face fuel our pride in one degree or another. Paul’s last statement is a strong warning to us: such pride, arrogance, and disregard for the grace of God in Christ will lead to destruction. The real danger of all of this eternal judgment. This chapter should call us back to the altar of repentance where we fall before God in confession of our pride. We can seek God’s forgiveness, cleansing, and renewal in grace. Relying on grace stands behind all that Paul is writing because he will soon turn to his suffering and weaknesses only to point to the grace of Christ in ch. 12.
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