Paul was caught in a dilemma. If he talked about himself
they would say he was bragging and if he stayed silent they would say that he
had accomplished nothing in the ministry. Either way they would have something
to say about him. So he might as well indulge in talking a little about himself.
He did it not to promote himself but for the good of the ministry. So in verse
1, he began by acknowledging that boasting is foolish and called on the Corinthians
to bear with him a little.
He began by boasting about his jealousy for them in verse 2.
Unlike the selfish kind of jealousy, his was the right kind, the godly kind. He
didn’t do it to gratify himself but to safeguard the Corinthians. He was
concerned not for his own prestige but the progress of the Corinthians, whom he
had brought to the Lord. Using a metaphor of an engaged couple, he told them
that he was instrumental in having them engaged to Christ. So he would guard
over them zealously to ensure that he could present them to Christ as His pure
virgin, in the consummation of the marriage when He returns.
Paul was concerned that the church could be beguiled by
Satan just as Eve was deceived by the serpent through his craftiness. He was
concerned that they might give their simple and pure devotion, meant for Christ,
to the false teachers who led their minds astray through their false teachings.
The apostle was very aware of what’s happening in the church in Corinth. And
his fear for the Corinthians was caused by the false teachers who were dumping
garbage upon them by preaching about a Jesus whom he himself did not preach.
These false teachers were also dumping on them a different spirit and a
different gospel. Paul’s concern was that they would put up with the false
teachings and give in to them.
Paul was aware that believers could be taken in by skillful,
eloquent and persuasive speakers and not the real quality and calling of the
person. So he put himself up among the other prominent apostles and said that
he didn’t think he was any lesser than anyone of them. In verse 6, he openly acknowledged
his oratorical weakness. And he asserted that though he might not be as skilful
as those false teachers, but he was not inferior to them in spiritual knowledge,
as he had so clearly demonstrated to them already.
Do not be taken in by oratory cleverness. There are people
who could present falsehood really well. But the subtle danger is when one listens
to a person who can present falsehood very well and be taken in. The church
today is caught in this situation through the proliferation of all kinds of erroneous
teaching through the social media and preachers with oratory skills. Our best
bet is still to return to the good old fashion Inductive Bible Study where we
deeply interact with the truth of God and derive applicable principles to live
for God’s greater glory. Let’s discover the Word of God for ourselves! Let’s not
allow nonsense to be regurgitated on us!
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