2 Corinthians 11

2 Corinthians 11:1-4

In this chapter the apostles apologeth for his going about to commend himself, and giveeth the reason for what he did, ver. 1—4. Afterwards he mentioned, in his own necessary vindication, his equality with the other apostles, and with the false apostles in this particular, of preaching the gospel to the Corinthians freely without longer, ver. 5—15. Then he made another preface to what he was about further to say in his own justification, ver. 16—21. And afterwards giveeth a large amount of his qualifications, labours, and fastestings, in which he exceeded the false apostles, ver. 22, to the end.

1. WOULD to God you could bear with me a little in my folly; and indeed bear with me. 2. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chafte virgin to Christ. 3. But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his futility, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus whom we have not preached, or

if ye receive another Spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

The apostles begins,

1. With an apology for what he was about to say. Would to God you could bear with me a little in my folly, and indeed bear with me, compelled reluctantly to speak in my own commendation;

2. He gives the reasons for what he was about to say. It was,

(1.) Out of jealousy for them. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chafte virgin to Christ, true to your solemn engagements, and faithful in all your conduct to this heavenly bridegroom of souls. But I fear, knowing the views of the false teachers, for by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his futility, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ; perverted from the principles, or seduced from the practice of the gospel.

(2.) Out of justice to himself. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another Spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him: but since there is but one Jesus, one Spirit, one gospel, it was throught to be suspected, that the person who pretended to preach another Jesus, boasted of a better Spirit, and a more excellent gospel than that by which they had at first been converted to the faith, was a deceiver, and, instead of being connived at or caressed, should be rejected with abhorrence.

5. For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. 6. But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been thoroughly made manifest among you in all things. 7. Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that you might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? 8. I robbed other churches, taking wages of them to do you service. 9. And when I was present with you and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. 10. As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. 11. Wherefore I became 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.

2 Corinthians 11:5-15

Constrained by the infirmities which had been cast out against him, the blessed Paul,

1. Aserts his equality with the very chief of the apostles. Though rude in speech, my false simple, my education may so graceful as some others, yet my knowledge of the gospel-myths is inferior to none. But we have been thoroughly made manifest among you in all things; your confidences have been witness to the efficacy of our preaching; and our conversation among you, as you know, hath been most unblissable.

2. He asserts his disinterested conduct, and vindicates himself from the cavils of his adversaries, who fuggish, as though he acted below the apostolic character, in not receiving his maintenance from the church at Corinth. Have I committed an offence in abasing myself, to work for my subsistence, that you might be exalted to the participation of the gospel privileges, because I preached the gospel to you freely, that no prejudices might obstruct your receiving our word, which such disinterested zeal could not but recommend? I robbed other churches, taking wages of them to do you service; nor really plundering them, but living upon their voluntary contributions, when the Corinthians, so much richer, should have rather afforded him a maintenance. However, he neither had been, nor would be, a burden to them; his former wants the Macedonians supplied, and he was firmly resolved, that none in all Achaia, in any future time, should have reason to reproach him on this behalf, or stop his glorying of having preached to them the gospel freely.

Wherefore do I this? out of pride or disgust, as the false teachers would infirmate, and because I love you not? No; God knoweth these were not any motives. But I have not will then act, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion, and would be ready to catch at any handle to fierce you, if I received any

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