2 Corinthians 11:5-15 Not Angels of Light
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: May 13, 2020 2 Corinthians 11:5-15
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things. Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge? I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
(Understanding the Text) Now, Paul shows why he has been focused on the word “boasting” because he is competing with some men who have come in declaring themselves to be apostles but contradicting Paul’s teaching. Evidently, these men were smooth talkers in some way. I’m wondering if they used Greek philosophical rhetoric that the Corinthians were familiar with. Paul had decided that after Athens, he wouldn’t go that route anymore. He had decided to speak only of Jesus without resorting to philosophers. This seems to be a worse situation than the original factionalism of 1 Corinthians where the different Christian groups were arguing about who was better: Paul, Apollos, or Peter. In his response to that situation, Paul showed that he respected Apollos and that they were giving the same message. The men that Paul is speaking of here is 2 Corinthians are giving a different message. They are claiming superiority to Paul. Here, Paul has to defend himself to show that these men and their new, improved message are imposters. He would never do that for Apollos and Peter.
The first comparison is that Paul is not as good at speaking as the “super apostles”. Paul acknowledges that they may be smoother speakers or more able to use rhetoric. However, Paul defends himself that his knowledge of Jesus and the scriptures and life itself is greater than these men. Next, Paul addresses the claim that these men were working in the same way he was. The false apostles must have been extorting money from the Corinthians because Paul points out that he never had and never would ask the Corinthians to support him with money. Yes, he was collecting money for the Palestinian Jews but even in that, he was not in charge of the money. He left that to others to manage. Thus, none of the Corinthians’ money went to Paul, unlike these men who claimed that they were operating the same as Paul. This is not to say that Paul did not accept money from churches to support him as he spread the gospel. The Macedonian churches had given Paul money. The point was that Paul would not accept the Corinthians’ money. I think that the Macedonians sent money because of the sincerity of their hearts and had no strings attached. They would not judge Paul for accepting their money. On the other hand, the Corinthians probably felt that their money bought them privileges. For the Corinthians, money was power and when they contributed money to something, they had control of whatever their money went into. Paul is saying here that the Corinthians did not buy him. He came to them to give them a free gift. That gift could not be obtained with money.
Paul says that these men are not just misguided children of God. Instead, he claims that they are serving Satan himself. They claimed to be servants of Jesus, but they were not. Paul explains that the devil can appear as an angel of light, so of course, his servants can appear as good people. In the end, however, their actions will show who they serve. In the end, God will judge them as servants of evil rather than good. This is a warning to the Corinthians that in following these men, they are turning away from Jesus to the devil. They are not simply being misled. They are choosing to follow the enemy of their Lord.
(Understanding the Text / Revelation of God) “As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do.” Here is the heart of Paul. He loves the Corinthians. He refuses to give up on them. He will keep on poking them and prodding them until they understand their danger. He does what he does because he loves them. Does Paul protest his love to the other churches the way that he does to the Corinthians? I counted, and in 1 & 2 Corinthians Paul directly proclaims his love for them 6 times. He only does this 3 more times in all of his other letters-one time each in three different letters. To the Corinthians, Paul dramatically declares his love for them again and again. Why? What’s the dynamic here? The SDA commentary suggests that this particular protestation is because the Corinthians were jealous, thinking that Paul loved the Philippians (Macedonians) more than them because he accepted money from them but not from the Corinthians. This does not explain the other protestations, but I do think there must have been jealousy or insecurity there which may have manifested itself in other ways. Pleasure seekers like the Corinthians would have become broken in their ability to trust in true love. They wanted it and craved it, but they did not know how to give or receive it. This must speak to their special kind of brokenness. The other churches knew how to give and receive love, so Paul did not have to keep reassuring them. Also, they may have gone directly to Jesus for love bypassing the need for an intermediary like Paul to give them security. On the other hand, the Corinthians had abused love so much that they did not know how to give and receive it in a healthy way. Thus, Paul had to keep giving them reassurance about it and guiding them into what it really meant to love so that they could learn to love Jesus with pure hearts.
Okay, I think I’m on the right track. In 1 Corinthians, Paul describes the old ways of the Corinthians: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Basically, the Corinthians sinned with money and sex. They had abused their minds and relationships with others. Now Paul’s defense deals with money and love. He shows them that he never cheated on them in either money or love. He is showing them what true unbroken relationships are composed of.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that I need to love You and know that You love me personally. Please, help me to have faith in Your love and care for me. I need You.