Paul wrote 2 Cor to answer critics in the church. One commentator wrote…[i]
No church has ever been exempt from the Enemy’s attack on the truth, & the assembly at Corinth certainly was no exception. Satan’s emissaries, claiming to be apostles of Christ, had arrived in Corinth, seeking to lead the church “astray from the simplicity & purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Cor 11:3). They knew that to do that they had to destroy Paul’s credibility in the eyes of the Corinthians. Therefore, he wrote this epistle to defend himself against their attacks.
Satan tries to disrupt every church, ministry, & Christian (YOU!). For Satan to hinder/stop God in Corinth, he had to destroy Paul’s credibility. Like he used Peter to get at Jesus…
(Mt 16:21-23) Jesus told the Apostles he would go to Jerusalem, die, & rise 3 days later. Peter took Jesus aside to forbid it. Christ recognized Satan was using Peter… & is why Jesus said TO SATAN, “Get thee behind me SATAN…”
Peter wasn’t demon possessed nor evil in what he said. Peter loved Jesus & was trying to protect Him. Peter didn’t want Him to suffer OR die. Peter had good intentions! They just weren’t God’s will.
BEWARE! When you proclaim truth… honor Jesus… & glorify God… Satan will come after you. He’ll use friends, family, anyone to try and hinder or stop you! And that doesn’t necessarily make THEM evil or demonic! If Satan will use Peter to get at Jesus, he’ll use anyone to get at you.
If you think, that’s chilling! We can have good intentions & be out of God’s will! Peter thought he was helping Jesus, protecting Him, doing what was right. But he was out of God’s will & DIDN’T KNOW IT! If I didn’t know God was in control, that’d bother me (Eph 1:11-B).
10:7-12. When people disagree, they tend to paint the others as evil, question their morals, ethics, & integrity. We demonize others to justify treating them harshly (Happened to Paul in Corinth). He answers this in 10:7 by reminding the Corinthians he is just as saved by Christ as they are.
Paul’s purpose was to build up the church. In the midst of being misunderstood, Paul’s goal was still to help them mature in Christ. Though his enemies portrayed themselves as super-spiritual & Paul as an immature liar (2 Cor 1:17), he stayed true to his call to build the church.
When YOU serve Christ for the Kingdom, stay on point. Do not get distracted. Carry out God’s call. I have seen many answer God’s call… then when they catch heat they check out. Some come back to faithful ministry… most don’t.
10:13, “Area of influence God has assigned.” Paul didn’t do everything nor was he called to. He wasn’t a jack of all trades to handle every situation in every church. Paul was called by God to plant churches, train leaders, in multiple places. So he stayed in the area God assigned to him.
YOU are gifted & called by God to build up the body of Christ. We’re all to serve one another SO THAT we mature in the faith. Everyone’s call isn’t the same, but everyone has A call that leads to ONE GOAL. If you can get there quickly, turn to Eph 4:11…
He (God) gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors & teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain… the unity of the faith & of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the… fullness of Christ, 15 Speaking the truth in love, WE are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined & held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow SO THAT it builds itself up in love.
That is church! The staff’s responsibility & call is to YOU! The body of Christ. To disciple & help YOU become more like Jesus… so YOU can “do the work of the ministry” (Evangelize, missions, teach, etc). If/when we do OUR job to equip, THEN you are able to do yours… and God is glorified!
We help YOU grow SO we ALL help each other grow & build one another up… becoming like Jesus in LOVE! THAT is what Satan wants to prevent & why he worked so hard to invalidate Paul in the Corinthian’s mind. It IS a spiritual war we fight…
10:13-16. Paul exposes a huge problem in Corinth. One we ALL battle… P-R-I-D-E. He mentioned “boasting” 5 times in 5 verses. 4 negative, 1 positive.
The “Super Apostles” that opposed Paul were full of pride & false humility (10:12). Like the Pharisees, they craved compliments. They liked reverence & admiration of others. They sought attention… posturing to be recognized & getting credit for everything they could.
Paul refused to boast or receive empty praise. The only thing Paul affirmed was God’s call to “Preach the Gospel” (10:16). He wasn’t concerned with what others thought (Gal 1:10)…
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Be careful about pleasing man, wanting praise, or getting credit! If you seek those, by definition you will not be serving Christ! That was happening in Corinth. They boasted, praised & received each other’s praise foolishly! Consider 1 Cor 4:7…
What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
(10:17)…. The positive. In Ps 20:7 David wrote, “Some boast in chariots & some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God,” in Ps 34:2 he added, “My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear it & rejoice.” Then Jeremiah declared (Jer 9:23-24)…
Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, & let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands & knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises loving-kindness, justice & righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.
Everything we have, we’ve received. Boasting & taking credit for things isn’t proper.
When it comes to HBC, to GOD alone is the credit… glory… & honor! If you’re blessed by a something I say, thank God. HE did it. If you’re encouraged, thank God. James 1:16-17…
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift & every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
10:18. The only thing that matters is God’s evaluation on Judgment Day. Christians aren’t judged in relation to salvation… but rewards (1 Cor 3:12-15). We live for God’s praise! 1 Cor 4:5…
Do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness & will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
Nothing compares to hearing Jesus say, “Well done!” We live to hear that in eternity… because our rewards aren’t thru piling up! That begins by trusting Christ for salvation. THEN it is lived out every day of your life. How? 1 Cor 10:31…
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
[i] MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Copyright Moody Press and John MacArthur, Jr., 1983-2007.