II Corinthians 11:10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia.
11 Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.
12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
How important it is to be a child of God. The apostle Paul was directed here to remind true saints that they belong to God. The state does not own true saints. Carnal Christians do not own true saints. Even true saints do not own true saints.
Paul stated that the truth of Christ was in him.
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Paul was not the only one who had Christ in him. Every true child of God has Christ living in him. The problem is that many are like Peter at Jesus’ trial. Peter denied Jesus three times. We must remember that was prior to the giving of the gift of the Holy Spirit. After Acts 2 Peter was a different man. Yes, sadly Paul had to rebuke him publicly in Galatians 2 for his double standard. However, Peter did not remain in that compromised place. He learned. He repented and he did right.
In our text, Paul stated that no man shall stop him from boasting about what God was doing in Achaia. That is the key. Paul was not boasting of what he had done. He was boasting of what God was doing.
There are preachers who get behind the pulpit and they spend too much time boasting of their successes prior to getting into preaching. Many listeners are impressed by that empty boasting. People can’t get their eyes off the man. Yet it is God Who works in the heart and it is God Who changes the heart, and it is God Who saves the lost sinner.
In verse 11 Paul helped the saints to understand true love. True love does not pamper sin. It does not condone sin. It exposes sin and shows the way out of that trap. True love shows what true faith looks like.
In verse 12 the apostle Paul stated that he was going to be bold to cut off occasion from those who desire glory for themselves. A self-promoter will ultimately corrupt the truth. That is how a man can get others to slobber over his supposed accomplishments.
In verse 13 Paul makes it clear that those who want to try to rob God of the glory are false apostles, deceitful workers. They are transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. They do a poor job of it. It is not hard to see they are false teachers, at least not for true saints. There are thousands of people who are gullible and they support the false teachers.
Paul was not playing games with the Corinthians. He loved them too much to entertain them with lies. He would expose the liars because he wanted the saints to grow.
In verse 14 we see that true saints should not be surprised at the existence of the false teachers. Even Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. How could that possibly be? Obviously Satan does not appear with horns, and blood dripping off him. He is subtle. He pretends to be very concerned about the people. He knows how to use just the right tone of voice to make it seem as though he cares. He will even pull verses out of context and sound very convincing.
Those who are like Eve will succumb to those lies. They don’t know the Scriptures, and thus he can come along and misquote and pull things out of context and it sounds so good to the flesh.
In verse 15 we need to be reminded that since Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light, it is no big thing for his ministers to also be transformed into ministers of righteousness. However, their end is according to their works. Not a good scene.
In Matthew 7 Jesus warned of the many false professors who claim to be working in Jesus’ name. Jesus’ warning is that He will respond that He never knew them. He will tell them to depart from Him because they are workers of iniquity.
The wise person does not rely on his own smarts to justify himself. The wise person submits to God’s Word and allows God to justify him. Just because the United church or the Anglican church says something is true does not make it true. Just because the Mennonite church or the Community church says something is true, does not make it true.
The Truth is already established. The apostle Paul was one of the last men God would use to complete the Scriptures. After the apostle John wrote Revelation 22:21, the Scriptures were complete. Nothing more would be added to them.
The Apocrypha is heresy. The perversions, which add and subtract and change God’s Word, are heresy. We need to remember:
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
Every “Word of God” is pure. Not the words that people twist and manipulate for their own benefit. Do not be deceived by smooth talkers. Remember, Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Humble yourself and submit to the Truth. You will be glad you did.
Pastor Bartel