False Apostles and Deceitful Workers - Study 5/17/12
False Apostles and Deceitful Workers
May 9, 2012 was a sad day for the Church of Jesus Christ in America. President Obama misused the word of God to further his political ambition. The President in reaching his “evolved” decision to endorse gay marriage said, "We are both practicing Christians, and obviously this position may be considered to put us at odds with the views of others. But, you know, when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it's also the Golden Rule," he said. "Treat others the way you would want to be treated." Mr. President, I respectfully disagree with you as you already predicted. This is a different gospel. Jesus Christ died for our sins. One of those sins is homosexuality as the bible unequivocally declares it an abomination against God (Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9).
We use the “Golden Rule” to live out our faith and not to justify sin in our lives. We must love and respect all people. Everyone’s conduct is judged by God in accordance to His Word and not based on our opinions. I would like someone to let me know that I am sinning against God and help me find hope in believing in the finished work of Christ for my salvation by grace. In like manner, the Golden Rule motivates me to tell the adulterer, the liar, the homosexual and etc about repentance and forgiveness of sin in Christ. We must not however continue to sin that God’s grace may abound. Apostle Paul says, God forbid.
We have reached a point in America when biblical illiteracy is at its highest. As a result those who call themselves believers in Christ now believe just about anything regardless of what the Bible says. Paul told the Corinthians, 4 “You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed” (2 Corinthians 11:4). What are we to do with false “brethren” and false teachings? How do we recognize false teachers and teachings?
Apostle Paul continues his offensive war against false apostles in this chapter 11 and tells the Corinthians, “You think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools! 20 You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face. 21 I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too “weak” to do that!”. We can see the intent of the false teachers and interpreters of Scripture. They manipulate the scriptures for personal gain. Paul reluctantly compares the lies of the false apostles to his own life.
2 Corinthians 11: 13-33
13 These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.
16 Again I say, don’t think that I am a fool to talk like this. But even if you do, listen to me, as you would to a foolish person, while I also boast a little. 17 Such boasting is not from the Lord, but I am acting like a fool. 18 And since others boast about their human achievements, I will, too. 19 After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools! 20 You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face. 21 I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too “weak” to do that!
But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned.
Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.[c] 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.
28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?
30 If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am. 31 God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I am not lying. 32 When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch me. 33 I had to be lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall to escape from him.
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. Boasting about human achievement is foolish. But to make his point, Paul goes along to answer a fool for the sake of saving the Corinthians from the “false apostles”. Why is it foolish not to boast? “But let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:24). Paul knows very well that his accomplishments are all from God. The false apostles will always present how smart and intelligent they are.
2. Paul recognizes his weakness but not so the false apostles. To Paul, weakness means that God is at work. “If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am”. This is highlighted in the things he went through. For the false apostles, suffering for Christ is not in the picture. Life has to be smooth without any hitches.
3. Look at Paul’s sufferings. Imprisonment time and time again. He was whipped. Faced death many times. Five times he got 39 lashes. 3 times beaten with rods, he was stoned, suffered shipwrecks, many dangers, hungry and thirsty, not enough clothes. Do you and I have complaints? Let’s take hope from Paul’s sufferings which he endured because he knew that Christ suffered much more for him. Most of us are nowhere close to Paul’s sufferings for Christ. Often we are suffering for our own mistakes. Let it be suffering for Christ. Paul was not a lazy Christian. “Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder” vs.23
4. See the characteristics of false apostles and deceitful workers. “You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face” vs.17. It is all for what they can get from people. Do these sound familiar? Yes, look around today. These are the prosperity preachers and etc. The funny thing is that people tolerate it because they are saying what people want to hear. Let’s not tolerate deception of any sort. Enslavement comes from any thing that makes us feel we are self sufficient and good in ourselves and thus have little or no need for Christ’s perfection through his death on the Cross. This is the gospel of good works it is not a good news.
The ease and tolerance of false teachings is worrisome these days. We should be concerned enough to watch what we are receiving in the form teachings and practices. Let no one deceive us from the simplicity of the gospel of Christ and take advantage of our ignorance of the scriptures.
We have a new orange juice on sale. The advertisement is wonderful. “It is pure orange juice made from fresh oranges and not from concentrates. It is all natural. It is great for breakfast and for at any other time. By the way, there is nothing to worry about; the orange juice has a little bit of cyanide in it. Remember it has great taste and it is good for you, your friends and family”. How many of us will drank this orange juice? Unfortunately many in the Church are drinking this orange juice of falsehood.
Make no mistakes. The false apostles come in different forms and they are hard working deceivers (deceitful workers). They are ambitious and are smooth operators. Jesus has made a provision for us through the Holy Spirit. Let us cry to our Father for the constant indwelling of His Spirit to lead and guide us to truth. 13 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me” (John 16:13 and 14). Lord, grant us Your Spirit of Truth. Again, we must study the Scriptures for ourselves. We must reject, expose and rebuke the devil and his lies. Amen
May 9, 2012 was a sad day for the Church of Jesus Christ in America. President Obama misused the word of God to further his political ambition. The President in reaching his “evolved” decision to endorse gay marriage said, "We are both practicing Christians, and obviously this position may be considered to put us at odds with the views of others. But, you know, when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it's also the Golden Rule," he said. "Treat others the way you would want to be treated." Mr. President, I respectfully disagree with you as you already predicted. This is a different gospel. Jesus Christ died for our sins. One of those sins is homosexuality as the bible unequivocally declares it an abomination against God (Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9).
We use the “Golden Rule” to live out our faith and not to justify sin in our lives. We must love and respect all people. Everyone’s conduct is judged by God in accordance to His Word and not based on our opinions. I would like someone to let me know that I am sinning against God and help me find hope in believing in the finished work of Christ for my salvation by grace. In like manner, the Golden Rule motivates me to tell the adulterer, the liar, the homosexual and etc about repentance and forgiveness of sin in Christ. We must not however continue to sin that God’s grace may abound. Apostle Paul says, God forbid.
We have reached a point in America when biblical illiteracy is at its highest. As a result those who call themselves believers in Christ now believe just about anything regardless of what the Bible says. Paul told the Corinthians, 4 “You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed” (2 Corinthians 11:4). What are we to do with false “brethren” and false teachings? How do we recognize false teachers and teachings?
Apostle Paul continues his offensive war against false apostles in this chapter 11 and tells the Corinthians, “You think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools! 20 You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face. 21 I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too “weak” to do that!”. We can see the intent of the false teachers and interpreters of Scripture. They manipulate the scriptures for personal gain. Paul reluctantly compares the lies of the false apostles to his own life.
2 Corinthians 11: 13-33
13 These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.
16 Again I say, don’t think that I am a fool to talk like this. But even if you do, listen to me, as you would to a foolish person, while I also boast a little. 17 Such boasting is not from the Lord, but I am acting like a fool. 18 And since others boast about their human achievements, I will, too. 19 After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools! 20 You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face. 21 I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too “weak” to do that!
But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned.
Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.[c] 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.
28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?
30 If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am. 31 God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I am not lying. 32 When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch me. 33 I had to be lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall to escape from him.
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. Boasting about human achievement is foolish. But to make his point, Paul goes along to answer a fool for the sake of saving the Corinthians from the “false apostles”. Why is it foolish not to boast? “But let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:24). Paul knows very well that his accomplishments are all from God. The false apostles will always present how smart and intelligent they are.
2. Paul recognizes his weakness but not so the false apostles. To Paul, weakness means that God is at work. “If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am”. This is highlighted in the things he went through. For the false apostles, suffering for Christ is not in the picture. Life has to be smooth without any hitches.
3. Look at Paul’s sufferings. Imprisonment time and time again. He was whipped. Faced death many times. Five times he got 39 lashes. 3 times beaten with rods, he was stoned, suffered shipwrecks, many dangers, hungry and thirsty, not enough clothes. Do you and I have complaints? Let’s take hope from Paul’s sufferings which he endured because he knew that Christ suffered much more for him. Most of us are nowhere close to Paul’s sufferings for Christ. Often we are suffering for our own mistakes. Let it be suffering for Christ. Paul was not a lazy Christian. “Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder” vs.23
4. See the characteristics of false apostles and deceitful workers. “You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face” vs.17. It is all for what they can get from people. Do these sound familiar? Yes, look around today. These are the prosperity preachers and etc. The funny thing is that people tolerate it because they are saying what people want to hear. Let’s not tolerate deception of any sort. Enslavement comes from any thing that makes us feel we are self sufficient and good in ourselves and thus have little or no need for Christ’s perfection through his death on the Cross. This is the gospel of good works it is not a good news.
The ease and tolerance of false teachings is worrisome these days. We should be concerned enough to watch what we are receiving in the form teachings and practices. Let no one deceive us from the simplicity of the gospel of Christ and take advantage of our ignorance of the scriptures.
We have a new orange juice on sale. The advertisement is wonderful. “It is pure orange juice made from fresh oranges and not from concentrates. It is all natural. It is great for breakfast and for at any other time. By the way, there is nothing to worry about; the orange juice has a little bit of cyanide in it. Remember it has great taste and it is good for you, your friends and family”. How many of us will drank this orange juice? Unfortunately many in the Church are drinking this orange juice of falsehood.
Make no mistakes. The false apostles come in different forms and they are hard working deceivers (deceitful workers). They are ambitious and are smooth operators. Jesus has made a provision for us through the Holy Spirit. Let us cry to our Father for the constant indwelling of His Spirit to lead and guide us to truth. 13 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me” (John 16:13 and 14). Lord, grant us Your Spirit of Truth. Again, we must study the Scriptures for ourselves. We must reject, expose and rebuke the devil and his lies. Amen
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