Geoff Hohneck
Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians
The Believer's Love & Allegiance
2 Corinthians 11:1 - 6
02 October 2016
Paul loved the church in Corinth. But after much work, there remained a minor faction who were determined to prevent his ministry of the gospel. Having nothing valid to criticise, they resort to mocking his oratory skill. As a last resort to see these people return to the faith, Paul confronts them with the authenticity of his ministry. We can learn from how Paul responds, and remember how we ought to serve.
As Christians, we should be loyal to God because we belong to Him (v. 2). God is righteously jealous for our loyalty, and He deserves it, because He owns and loves us. But the faction was determined to disregard God's good will, and instead follow after human teachings. Let us never do anything to provoke God's right jealousy for us.
As Christians, we should be loyal to Christ because of who we are to Him (v. 2 - 3b). Paul uses the imagery of a Jewish ceremony where he says that he "betrothed [the Corinthians] to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin." Loving the church as a father, Paul desired their purity in faith and conduct.
As Christians, we should be loyal to the gospel because it bought our salvation (v. 4). Paul remarks that the Corinthian church received blatant lieseasily enough; so why not the truth that would set them free? False teachers preach another Jesus. Their Jesus produces "a different spirit," because the gospel they preach is one of works. A salvation with works always produces fear, because that salvation relies on man's ability.
As Christians, we should be loyal to divine truth because it has been given to us (v. 5 - 6). Paul sarcastically remarks that he is not at all inferior to the 'super-apostles' just because he lacked oratory skill. He may have lacked skill, but he knew God, which they could not boast about.
Paul summarises the believer's love and allegiance well in his letter to Timothy: "guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called "knowledge" (1 Tim 6:20).