II Corinthians 11:16 I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.
17 That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.
18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.
19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.
20 For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.
21 I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.
The apostle Paul was a wise man because he had repented toward God and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ to save him. He received eternal life and the indwelling Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation.
He learned the truth regarding Jesus Christ and he was directed by God to give much instruction on life as a true child of God. He gave important instructions on how a true local church runs.
The Corinthian saints were weak in the faith. They did not know whether to accept what Paul said or not. As mentioned, Paul was not a publicity seeker. He was a true servant of God and he desired to help others to know the same blessings God had for him.
He was directed here to get involved in a little folly. He would boast of who he was. As I have mentioned before, if a man has to get up and try to prove who he is before he can preach the Word, there is something wrong. If he is a man of God, his preaching will either prove that or it will discredit him.
However, in order to get the attention of the saints in Corinth, God directed Paul to get involved in a little self-gratification.
As you read his letters, you find this chapter an anomaly. It is not the norm for the apostle Paul nor for any godly minister.
In verse 17 he stated that what he was about to say did not come from direct teaching of the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ was and is the eternal Son of God. He did not need to remind the people of His credentials. He went about His work and proved He was the eternal Son of God. The many that rejected Him did so because they refused to accept the facts.
Paul was directed by God to write the words we are studying here. What he is saying is that he did not learn this by direct observation of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was going to act foolishly by boasting of his record.
In verse 18 he acknowledged that many people want to glory in the flesh. They want to be recognized for what they believe to be their accomplishments. In verse 19 he acknowledged that they suffer fools gladly. Sounds like most professing Christians today. They would rather listen to a story teller and a deceiver, than the truth. Paul was led to mock the Corinthians. They thought they were wise, but they were actually the fools.
In verse 20 he pointed out that they accepted people who would bring them into bondage. Bondage is to accept works as a possible means of salvation. Those who believe in works salvation, do not have confidence in their works. They are never sure if they have done enough. In the end, they submit to the idea that God’s grace will carry them through. They have a false idea of grace, and assume God’s grace overlooks sin, even though Jesus Christ suffered and died and shed His blood to make it possible for a person to be purged of the old sin nature and to be able to live a victorious life in Christ. As we have mentioned many times, no true saint can claim they never sin. However, the desire of a true saint is to be free from sin and the guilt that it brings.
Paul pointed out that the Corinthians accepted if a man would devour them. That devouring would be in the spiritual sense. They also accepted a man who would boast of his supposed greatness. They would even go so far as to allow a man to smite them on the face. They were really shallow in their thinking and in their discernment. Paul was not praising them at all. He was exposing their carnality.
In verse 21 Paul stated that the carnality of the Corinthians was a reproach to him. They assumed that he and his companions were weak. They had not come in like bulldozers. They had come in with the Word of God. They had rebuked and exposed the error. They had shown the way to fix things properly. They had not used physical force, but rather used the power of God’s Word as the vessel to speak to the people.
Paul went further to state that he could be just as bold as any other person who claimed to be bold.
Proverbs 9:7 He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.
Paul was directed by God to go against the wisdom of God to show the Corinthians just how foolish they were. What God was leading Paul to do was normally counterproductive. God was still being wise here. He knows how to expose the foolishness of those who doubt Him. He makes them look foolish in order to humble them and get them to turn back to Him. Lost people seldom get the hint. They just dig in deeper. They refuse the truth even when it is staring them in the face.
Again Paul reminded them that he was speaking foolishly. God was using Paul’s words here as a slap in the face to the saints in Corinth. They needed to snap out of their spiritual lethargy and they needed to get going in their Christian lives.
A Christian can get into a slump. However, he cannot remain there. He must snap out of it and grow in the Lord. God may use a fellow Christian to wake up the carnal saint.
Pastor Bartel