Lesson 21 – 2 Corinthians Chapter 11:1-11
Here in Colorado, most people know to stay far away from a momma bear and her cubs. We also have heard the story of a mother lifting a car to save her children.
In chapter 11, we will see Paul fill the role of a father. In our Christian experience, we might have lots of instructors, teachers, and pastors, but not that many fathers. Paul will step up as the Corinthians’ “spiritual father,” caring for the family God has entrusted to him.
2 Cor. 11:1:
“Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly… and indeed you do bear with me.”
We can take verse 1 two ways; that Paul would subject himself to “folly” because he loved them and they needed it, or he was about to answer the Corinthians as fools, because the way in which they were acting was foolish.
Proverbs 26:5:
“Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.”
By Paul saying, and indeed you do bear with me, shows that they did have the wisdom to listen to his corrections in the past. This part of the verse kind of softens what Paul said.
2 Cor. 11:2:
‘For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
I remember jealousy rearing its ugly head in grammar school. It’s striking how early this emotion shows up in our lives. Kids don’t have the vocabulary for it yet, but jealousy is already there, raw and unfiltered. In grammar school it often pops up around friendships, seeking attention from teachers, who gets picked first, and who has the “cool” thing that everyone suddenly wants. It can feel huge to you at that age because you don’t have the tools to understand what’s happening inside you.
Godly jealousy… (zay’-los) it literally means “the jealousy of God.” It can be described as excitement of mind, fervor of spirit or passion of spirit. It’s definitely a strong emotion within us.
Godly jealousy is a very “different creature” from the messy insecure jealousy we experience as kids (or adults). What we see here is it refers to a protective, covenant‑based devotion, and not envy or insecurity.
Exo. 20:5a:
“You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.”
When the Bible calls God “jealous,” it’s not talking about petty envy. It’s more like the protective love of someone who cares deeply about you.
Our relationship with Him is meant to be close and life‑giving, so anything that pulls us away actually hurts us. His “jealousy” is really His way of saying, “I don’t want to lose you to things that will break you.”
Paul’s godly jealousy came from seeing how the false teachers were manipulating the minds of the Corinthians, and distorting the genuine teaching they once embraced, so he declares that he is jealous.
Psalm 69:9:
“Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.”
Zeal and jealousy are closely related because, at their core, both words describe intense, protective passion, just aimed in slightly different directions.
- Zeal is passionate devotion for something.
- Jealousy is passionate protection of something.
Paul’s heart ached whenever God was dishonored, and that pain became a daily weight of concern for every church, especially for the believers who were fragile and being drawn into sin.
Is it good for us to exercise godly jealousy?
Christian believers who take Paul’s example seriously are invited into a very specific type of posture: to have a love for God so deep, that any kind of dishonor for Him grieves them. Then, to have a love for people so real that their struggles become a genuine burden on their own hearts.
For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ…
(NLT) “I promised you as a pure bride to one husband… Christ.”
In Paul’s day, a father carried the responsibility of guiding his daughter toward marriage with her purity intact. If she entered that union without it, the weight of shame would fall on him.
Knowing the culture Paul was speaking to really helps us feel the weight of his metaphors, and be able to see the protective heart behind what he’s saying.
Paul carried a deep personal longing for the Corinthians to remain spiritually pure. It genuinely hurt him to think of them being drawn away by anyone who tried to complicate or distort the simple truth of the gospel.
His heart was invested in their faith, and he felt it deeply when anything threatened to pull them off course… no wonder Paul was jealous.
Warren Wiersbe: “True love is never envious, but it has a right to be jealous over those who are loved. A husband is jealous over his wife and rightly resents and resists any rivalry that threatens their love for each other. A true patriot has every right to be jealous over his freedom and will fight to protect it. Likewise, a father or mother is jealous over his or her children and seeks to protect them from anything that will harm them.”
Do you have a godly jealousy for someone?
2 Cor. 11:3:
“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
But I fear, or “I am afraid,” again, this shows Paul’s heart, it’s here and throughout his letter.
Lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness…
Do you believe in Adam and Eve? The Bible proclaims it… and I believe it.
This isn’t the first time Paul has mentioned Adam and Eve.
1 Tim. 2:13-14:
“For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”
It wasn’t Eve’s intention to disobey God, but she fell into transgression.
Isn’t that us too? We can start the day praying and soaking in God’s Word, then later some random thought sneaks in, and before we even realize it, we’ve slipped into sin.
Thank God for His grace and mercy!
We can see what happened in Gen 3:1-4:
Gen. 3:1-4 (NLT):
“The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?’ ‘Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,’ the woman replied. ‘It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’ ‘You won’t die!’ the serpent replied to the woman.’”
Totally off the subject, but after God renews the earth and the curse is lifted, do you think we’ll be able to talk to animals? 😊
We see that there is deception in satan’s lie, and Eve was deceived and didn’t even know what dying was at the time.
Jesus said, be careful that you are not deceived!
Luke 21:8:
“And He said: ‘Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them.’”
Matthew 24:4:
“And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘See to it that no one misleads you.’”
Are we now living in the age of deception? I think we are. We’re drowning in information, but not all of it is true. Social media spreads half‑truths faster than facts. Everyone has a platform, but not everyone has wisdom. People are more driven by emotion than discernment. Moral lines are blurred more than ever. Good is called evil, and evil good. This all creates a perfect environment for confusion.
So your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ…
And there we have it… the false teachers were misleading the Corinthians, and to be a little more specific, they were injecting Jewish laws and regulations as being part of the gospel.
Paul knew that once the gospel was mixed with anything else, it stopped being the gospel at all. His deepest desire was to keep the Corinthians anchored in the pure, freeing truth of Christ alone.
Corrupted from the simplicity… (hap-lot’-ace) and in relation to this text, it’s not self-seeking, it’s having an openness of heart manifesting itself by generosity.
Matthew 11:29:
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
I believe this incapsulates the simplicity of the gospel. When Jesus says you will find rest for your souls, I don’t know about you, but whenever I read this, I get an overwhelming sense of calm about me.
In the deepest, most biblical sense, the gospel is simple in nature; but simple doesn’t mean shallow, it means pure, uncluttered, and centered on one truth. The gospel is simple because it’s centered on the Person Jesus Christ, not a system.
At its core, the gospel is… Christ died for our sins, Christ was buried, Christ rose again, and salvation is found in Him alone.
Paul calls this “of first importance”
1 Corinthians 15:3–4:
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,”
That’s the simplicity Paul fought to protect… the false teachers wanted to corrupt the victory of Christ.
False teachers pose a real threat because they shift the focus off Christ and onto outward rituals consisting of religious performances, and emotional experiences. All of these can easily distract people from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus. What was Paul’s attitude in this?
Phil. 1:21:
“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
There’s no denying that Paul has very strong feelings as the apostle/pastor he was; at the end of First Corinthians he says;
1 Cor. 16:22:
“If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!”
Is our heart in our faith? Do we want God’s will over our own? Can we say with Paul, come Lord Jesus, come?
2 Cor. 11:4:
“For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted… you may well put up with it!”
Honestly, you could say that throughout history, and even today, there are belief systems that end up presenting a very different version of Jesus than the one we see in Scripture.
There are religions that don’t accept Jesus as fully God. Instead, they teach that He was created at some point in time, which means they see Him as less than eternal and not equal with the Father. That’s a very different understanding from the simple gospel of Jesus.
Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus is not God, but the archangel Michael.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints (Mormonism) teaches that Jesus is a created being, the spirit‑brother of Lucifer, and one of many “gods.”
These teachings differ from the biblical Jesus, who is eternal, uncreated, and fully God (John 1:1, Col. 1:16–17).
Then there are groups that reduce Jesus to only a prophet or moral teacher. These groups affirm Jesus in some way, but deny His deity, His atoning death, or His resurrection.
Islam honors Jesus as a prophet, but denies His crucifixion, resurrection, and deity.
Unitarian Universalism sees Jesus as a moral teacher, but denies His divinity. This is “another Jesus,” because Scripture presents Him as Savior, Lord, and God in the flesh.
Throughout history and even today, various groups, some religious, some spiritual, some even using Christian language, present a Jesus who is not the Jesus of Scripture.
Whenever Jesus is redefined, reduced, or reshaped to fit human ideas, we end up with “another Jesus,” not the One who saves us.
Paul didn’t spell out every detail of this false gospel, but it clearly denied salvation by grace through faith alone, thus adding human effort to the equation.
What’s heartbreaking is instead of rejecting such a destructive message, the Corinthians tolerated it without resistance… Paul says, you may well put up with it! … you bear this beautifully… or …you put up with it easily enough. Perhaps you can hear the disappointment in Paul’s tone.
2 Cor. 11:5:
“For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles.”
(KJV) “For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.”
The false teachers boasted of being “super‑apostles.” Even though Paul saw himself as the least of the apostles and the chief of sinners, he never suggested he was inferior to these so‑called spiritual leaders.
In my opinion, when Paul says eminent apostles, this title is dripping with sarcasm, and not referring to the Twelve Apostles.
2 Cor. 11:6:
“Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.”
Untrained or unskilled in speech… it carries a contemptuous tone, revealing that the false apostles viewed Paul as a crude, unskilled, and an unpolished speaker.
I guess that’s why I feel a kindred spirit with Paul. I have never been a smooth talker, and quite often I will stumble over words, but I think I’m where God wants me to be, so I’ll keep on “trucking.”
Some may have even called Paul an ineffective speaker, but on the contrary, he spoke with tremendous power and impact… and this came through the Holy Spirit.
Yet I am not in knowledge… this is implying that Paul was anything but lacking in knowledge!
Paul received one of the highest levels of Jewish education available. He wasn’t just casually trained, he was discipled under the best teachers in Judaism. Acts 22:3 tells us Paul was educated “at the feet of Gamaliel.”
Gamaliel was one of the most respected rabbis of the first century, a leading Pharisee, and a member of the Sanhedrin. For Paul to study under Gamaliel was like attending Harvard or Oxford for Jewish theological training.
Paul describes himself as:
- “A Pharisee, a son of Pharisees” (Acts 23:6)
- That he was “advancing in Judaism (Paul says) beyond many of my own age” (Gal. 1:14)
This means: he memorized large portions of the Hebrew Scriptures, he mastered Jewish law, tradition, and interpretation, he was trained in debate and reasoning, he was deeply immersed in the rabbinic methods.
As the old strategic saying goes, ‘Know your enemy.’ Paul understood this well. He wasn’t ignorant of satan’s schemes, nor was he naïve about the tactics of the false teachers. He knew exactly what he was dealing with. It’s easy to assume that the false teachers didn’t really know their enemy like they thought they did.
But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things…
To paraphrase, he’s saying: “We have made this clear to you in every possible way.”
For Paul, the message always mattered more than the style of his delivery, and honestly, the Corinthians knew that. The substance of what he preached, and the real life‑changing impact it produced was impossible to deny. Paul did not keep his knowledge a secret, to do so would be like burying a treasure no one could ever use.
Col. 2:2-3 (NLT):
“I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ Himself. In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
The knowledge of Christ would never be held back by Paul!
2 Cor. 11:7:
“Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?”
(NLT) “Was I wrong when I humbled myself and honored you by preaching God’s Good News to you without expecting anything in return?”
This verse really grabs me, because it flips an old saying upside down… instead of saying that “if it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t,” Paul shows us the complete opposite. Sometimes the “good news” does sound too good to be true.
Paul refused to take a single coin, while the counterfeit apostles were busy squeezing whatever they could from the crowds. Paul’s integrity was the proof that his message wasn’t a scam… it was the real thing.
The false apostles were exploiting the fact that the way in which Paul spoke to the crowds, made him no better than an amateur. The truth was, the words that Paul spoke were pure gold, because they were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
On the subject of money, Paul had every right to ask for support. Jesus said this to His disciples…
Matthew 10:9-10:
“Don’t take any money in your money belts… no gold, silver, or even copper coins. Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed.”
Everyone who labors deserves compensation.
1 Cor. 9:13-14 (NLT):
“Don’t you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings. In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it.”
Paul made it his practice not to receive support from the new churches he planted, and he had two key reasons for this. First, he wanted to separate himself from the false teachers who were in ministry for financial gain. Second, he wanted his own hard work to serve as an example to the new believers.
2 Thess. 3:8-9 (NLT):
“We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow.”
As we say in the mission field, “You have to be flexible,” and Paul was certainly that. Paul knew how to ‘read the room,’ as we would say. He recognized that if his conduct mirrored the false apostles in even the smallest way, the Corinthians might turn away from him completely.
2 Cor. 11:8:
“I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you.”
If you take this verse at face value, it sounds kind of bad doesn’t it? Robbing other churches?
Robbed… (sue-lah’ō) it’s a strong term, generally used in a military context to speak of pillaging, or of stripping a dead soldier of his armor.
In the context of this verse, Paul is obviously speaking metaphorically along with a little irony as well.
John MacArthur: “Paul didn’t actually rob or defraud any church. But the gifts he received from poor churches made them still poorer, and Paul’s humility made that seem to him as if he were plundering them.”
I think when we look back to our previous verses, the Macedonian churches will come to mind… they were poor, but they had a sacrificial heart to give.
Taking wages from them to minister to you…
There’s no denying the money Paul received from the Macedonians helped him in his ministry, and with that, Paul could carry on and minister to the Corinthians.
What gets me is this: the Macedonians barely had anything, yet they still gave generously. Meanwhile, the Corinthians, who had plenty and were totally capable of helping, were the very ones Paul never even asked for help.
2 Cor. 11:9:
“And when I was present with you, and in need, I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself.”
Verse 9 backs up what is said in verse 8. Other churches were supporting the Corinthian church by giving gifts to Paul, that way he could continue to minister to them. Paul was in a tough spot for a while, missing even the basics. Even then, he wouldn’t let himself become a burden to the Corinthians.
2 Cor. 11:10:
“As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Greece (Achaia).”
Metaphorically, the blood of Christ was flowing through Paul’s veins, he lived for Christ, and nothing would ever stop him from fulfilling his mission. Lack of funds, food, clothing, or any physical needs wouldn’t stifle Paul in any way. In the 20th century, the saying was “the show must go on.” For Paul it was, “the ministry must go on,” and it did, Paul never stopped… that is, until Nero had his cut head off.
2 Cor. 11:11:
“Why? Because I do not love you? God knows!”
You could put it this way: he makes his point by posing a couple of rhetorical questions, and then, true to his Jewishness, he answers them with two more questions.
Why did I not take money from you? Because I don’t love you?
The false apostles really messed with the Corinthians’ minds. They had them believing Paul wouldn’t take their money because he didn’t care about them, that he didn’t love them. They twisted it to mean that if Paul didn’t accept their support, it must be because there were ‘no strings attached.’
“Oy vey,” I’m losing faith in these Corinthians…
It’s not like Paul just recently walked into town; he has history with the Corinthians. What Paul did for the Corinthians: (bear with me, because it’s a lot)
- He founded the church in Corinth.
Paul spent 18 months there (Acts 18:11), preaching, teaching, and establishing the very community they belonged to.
- He preached the gospel to them.
He brought them the message of Christ when they had never heard it before (1 Cor. 3:6; 4:15).
- He worked with his own hands to avoid burdening them.
Paul supported himself as a tentmaker so he wouldn’t take their money (1 Cor. 9:12; 2 Cor. 11:7–9).
- He endured hardship for their sake.
He suffered hunger, danger, persecution, and sleepless nights while ministering to them (2 Cor. 6:4–10; 11:23–28).
- He wrote multiple letters to correct, guide, and encourage them.
At least three letters were written to Corinth (we have two). In these letters he addressed: divisions, immorality, false teachers, doctrinal confusion, spiritual gifts, the resurrection, generosity, and reconciliation
- He sent trusted coworkers to help them.
Paul sent Timothy (1 Cor. 4:17) and Titus (2 Cor. 7:13–15; 8:6) to strengthen and encourage the church.
- He defended them against false apostles.
Paul fought for their spiritual safety, exposing deceivers who were trying to exploit them (2 Cor. 11:12–15).
- He prayed for them continually.
He carried them in his heart and prayed for their growth, unity, and holiness (2 Cor. 13:7–9).
- He exercised patient, pastor/fatherly care to them.
Paul calls himself their spiritual father (1 Cor. 4:15) and treated them with the affection and patience of a parent.
- He planned multiple visits to help them.
He visited them once, planned another visit, and wrote letters in between to prepare them (2 Cor. 12:14; 13:1).
- He refused to give up on them… even when they hurt him.
Despite criticism, suspicion, and rejection, Paul kept loving them, teaching them, and fighting for their faith (2 Cor. 6:11–13; 7:2–3).
Does this at all sound like a person who doesn’t love the Corinthians? There’s two books in the Bible devoted to the Corinthians for “Pete’s sake.”
It’s like satan had sunk his claws deep into these so‑called apostles, because they were relentless, pouring themselves into flooding the Corinthians’ minds with lies, twisting the truth every chance they got.
God knows…
When I typed that in I just smiled… God knows!
Philip E. Hughes writes; “No man on earth had a warmer and more devoted heart than the Apostle Paul. Love was the impulse of his whole life and ministry as Christ’s Apostle. And so, he leaves this shocking and monstrous insinuation that he has no love for them to the judgment of God, who knows and will vindicate the truth. And in doing so he also leaves it to their consciences.”
God knows us completely, intimately, and perfectly… in a way no human ever could. Scripture goes out of its way to show that God’s knowledge of us is total, personal, affectionate, and it’s steeped in His love.
Psalm 139:1-4:
O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.”
The books in the entire world could not hold all the things God knows. I believe when we’re with Him in heaven and know all things, we will never know God completely… He’s too awesome!
Our takeaway here pertains to each of us individually. We live life (what a statement that is), but as we live our life, uncountable things happen to us… some good, some bad.
We will experience justice and un-justice alike, but at the end of the day, God knows! And He will right every wrong.