The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  9:15 Paul summarized his discourse by comparing the believer’s act of giving with what God did in giving Jesus Christ (cf. Rom. 8:32), “His indescribable gift.” God buried His Son and reaped a vast harvest of those who put their faith in the resurrected Christ (cf. John 12:24). That makes it possible for believers to joyfully, sacrificially, and abundantly sow and reap. As they give in this manner, they show forth Christ’s likeness (cf. John 12:25, 26; Eph. 5:1, 2).

  2 Corinthians 10

  10:1—13:14 The abrupt change in tone from chaps. 1–9 has prompted various explanations of the relationship between chaps. 10–13 and 1–9. Some argue that chaps. 10–13 were originally part of the “severe letter” (2:4), and hence belong chronologically before chaps. 1–9. Chapters 10–13 cannot, however, have been written before chaps. 1–9, since they refer to Titus’ visit as a past event (12:18; cf. 8:6). Further, the offender whose defiance of Paul prompted the “severe letter”(2:5–8) is nowhere mentioned in chaps. 10–13. Others agree that chaps. 10–13 belong after chaps. 1–9, but believe they form a separate letter. They assume that Paul, after sending chaps. 1–9 to the Corinthians, received reports of new trouble at Corinth and wrote chaps. 10–13 in response. A variation of this view is that Paul paused in his writing of 2 Corinthians after chaps. 1–9, then heard bad news from Corinth before he resumed writing chaps. 10–13. This view preserves the unity of 2 Corinthians; however Paul does not mention anywhere in chaps. 10–13 that he received any fresh news from Corinth. The best interpretation views 2 Corinthians as a unified letter, with chaps. 1–9 addressed to the repentant majority (cf. 2:6) and chaps. 10–13 to the minority still influenced by the false teachers. The support for this view is that: 1) there is no historical evidence (from Gr. manuscripts, the writings of the church Fathers, or early translations) that chaps. 10–13 ever circulated as a separate letter; all Gr. manuscripts have them following chaps. 1–9; 2) the differences in tone between chaps. 10–13 and 1–9 have been exaggerated (cf. 11:11; 12:14 with 6:11; 7:2); and 3) chaps. 10–13 form the logical conclusion to chaps. 1–9, as Paul prepared the Corinthians for his promised visit (1:15, 16; 2:1–3).

  10:1 meekness. The humble and gentle attitude that expresses itself in patient endurance of unfair treatment. A meek person is not bitter or angry, and he does not seek revenge when wronged. See note on Matt. 5:5. gentleness. This is similar in meaning to meekness. When applied to someone in a position of authority it refers to leniency. Gentle people refuse to retaliate, even when it is in their power to do so (Phil. 4:5). lowly…bold toward you. Paul sarcastically repeated another feature of the Corinthians’ accusation against him; sadly, they had mistaken his gentleness and meekness toward them for weakness. Further, they accused him of cowardice, of being bold only when writing to them from a safe distance (cf. v. 10).

  10:2 Paul was quite capable of bold, fearless confrontation (cf. Gal. 2:11). But seeking to spare the Corinthians (cf. 1:23), the apostle begged the rebellious minority not to force him to display his boldness by confronting them—something he would do, he warned, if necessary.

  10:3 walk in the flesh. Paul’s opponents at Corinth had wrongly accused him of walking in the flesh in a moral sense (cf. Rom. 8:4). Playing off that, Paul affirmed that he did walk in the flesh in a physical sense; though possessing the power and authority of an apostle of Jesus Christ, he was a real human being (cf. 4:7, 16; 5:1). war according to the flesh. Although a man, Paul did not fight the spiritual battle for men’s souls using human ingenuity, worldly wisdom, or clever methodologies (cf. 1 Cor. 1:17–25; 2:1–4). Such impotent weapons are powerless to free souls from the forces of darkness and bring them to maturity in Christ. They cannot successfully oppose satanic assaults on the gospel, such as those made by the false apostles at Corinth.

  10:4 our warfare. The motif of the Christian life as warfare is a common one in the NT (cf. 6:7; Eph. 6:10–18; 1 Tim. 1:18; 2 Tim. 2:3, 4; 4:7). carnal. Human. See note on v. 3. strongholds. The metaphor would have been readily understandable to the Corinthians since Corinth, like most ancient cities, had a fortress (on top of a hill S of the city) in which its residents could take refuge. The formidable spiritual strongholds manned by the forces of hell can be demolished only by spiritual weapons wielded by godly believers—singularly the “sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:17), since only the truth of God’s Word can defeat satanic falsehoods. This is the true spiritual warfare. Believers are not instructed in the NT to assault demons or Satan (see note on Jude 9), but to assault error with the truth. That is our battle (cf. John 17:17; Heb. 4:12).

  10:5 arguments. Thoughts, ideas, speculations, reasonings, philosophies, and false religions are the ideological forts in which men barricade themselves against God and the gospel (cf. 1 Cor. 3:20). every thought into captivity. Emphasizes the total destruction of the fortresses of human and satanic wisdom and the rescuing of those inside from the damning lies that had enslaved them.

  10:6 Paul would not stand idly by while enemies of the faith assaulted a church under his care. He was ready to purge them out (as he did at Ephesus; 1 Tim. 1:19, 20) as soon as the Corinthian church was complete in its obedience. When that happened, the lines would be clearly drawn between the repentant, obedient majority and the recalcitrant, disobedient minority.

  10:7 look…outward appearance. The Gr. verb “look” is better translated as an imperative, or command: “Look at what is obvious, face the facts, consider the evidence.” In light of what they knew about him (cf. 1 Cor. 9:1, 2), how could some of the Corinthians possibly believe that Paul was a false apostle and the false teachers were true apostles? Unlike Paul, the false apostles had founded no churches, and had suffered no persecution for the cause of Christ. Paul could call on his companions and even Ananias as witnesses to the reality of his Damascus Road experience; there were no witnesses to verify the false apostles’ alleged encounters with the risen, glorified Christ. If anyone is convinced…that he is Christ’s. The false apostles’ claim to belong to Christ can be understood in 4 ways: 1) that they were Christians; 2) that they had known Jesus during His earthly life; 3) that they had an apostolic commission from Him; or 4) that they had an elevated, secret knowledge of Him. Their claim that some or all of those things were true about themselves implies that they denied all of them to be true of Paul. we are Christ’s. For the sake of argument, Paul did not at this point deny the false apostles’ claims (as he did later in 11:13–15). He merely pointed out that he, too, can and does claim to belong to Christ. To decide between the conflicting personal claims, the Corinthians needed only to consider the objective evidence, as he commanded them to do earlier in this verse.

  10:8 The debate with the false apostles had forced Paul to emphasize his authority more than he cared to; Paul’s claims for his authority normally were restrained by his humility. But no matter how much he said about his authority, Paul would never be ashamed. Since he had the authority of which he spoke, he would never be proved guilty of making an empty boast. The Lord gave Paul his authority to edify and strengthen the church; that he had done so at Corinth proves the genuineness of his claim to apostolic calling. Far from edifying the Corinthian church, the false apostles had brought confusion, divisiveness, and turmoil to it. That showed that their authority did not come from the Lord, who seeks only to build His church (cf. Matt. 16:18), not tear it down.

  10:9 terrify you by letters. The false apostles had accused Paul of being an abusive leader, of trying to intimidate the Corinthians in his letters (such as the “severe letter,” see Introduction: Background and Setting). Paul’s goal, however, was not to terrify the Corinthians, but to bring them to repentance (cf. 7:9, 10), because he loved them (cf. 7:2, 3; 11:11; 12:15).

  10:10 In their continuing attempt to discredit Paul, the false apostles claimed that in contrast to his bold, forceful letters, in person he lacked the presence, charisma, and personality of a truly great leader. They no doubt supported their point by portraying Paul’s departure after his “painful” visit (2:1
; cf. Introduction: Background and Setting) as a retreat of abject failure. And in a culture that highly valued skillful rhetoric and eloquent oration, Paul’s “contemptible” speech was also taken as evidence that he was a weak, ineffective person.

  10:11 Paul denied the false charges against him and affirmed his integrity. What he was in his letters he was to be when present with them.

  10:12 class ourselves or compare ourselves. It is a mark of Paul’s humility that he refused to compare himself with others, or engage in self-promotion. His only personal concern was what the Lord thought of him (cf. 1 Cor. 4:4), though he needed to defend his apostleship so the Corinthians would not, in turning from him, turn from the truth to lies. comparing themselves among themselves. Paul pointed out the folly of the false apostles’ boasting. They invented false standards that they could meet, then proclaimed themselves superior for meeting them.

  10:13 not boast beyond measure. In contrast to the proud, arrogant, boastful false apostles, Paul refused to say anything about himself or his ministry that was not true and God-given. the limits of the sphere which God appointed us. Paul was content to stay within the bounds of the ministry God had given him—that of being the apostle to the Gentiles (Rom. 1:5; 11:13; 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11). Thus, contrary to the claims of the false apostles, Paul’s sphere of ministry included Corinth. The apostle again demonstrated his humility by refusing to boast of his own accomplishments, preferring to speak only of what Christ had done through him (Rom. 15:18; Col. 1:29).

  10:15 enlarged…in our sphere. When the crisis in Corinth had been resolved and the Corinthians’ faith strengthened, Paul would, with their help, expand his ministry into new areas.

  10:16 regions beyond you. Areas such as Rome (Acts 19:21) and Spain (Rom. 15:24, 28).

  10:17 The thought of self-glory was repugnant to Paul; he boasted only in the Lord (cf. Jer. 9:23, 24; 1 Cor. 1:31; see note on v. 13).

  10:18 whom the Lord commends. See note on v. 12. Self-commendation is both meaningless and foolish; the only true, meaningful commendation comes from God.

  2 Corinthians 11

  11:1 a little folly. Having just pointed out the folly of self-commendation (10:18), Paul certainly did not want to engage in it. But the Corinthians’ acceptance of the false apostles’ claims forced Paul to set forth his own apostolic credentials (cf. 12:11); that was the only way he could get them to see the truth (see note on 10:7). Unlike the false apostles, however, Paul’s boasting was in the Lord (10:17) and motivated by concern for the Corinthians’ well-being under the threat of false teaching (cf. v. 2; 12:19).

  11:2 I am jealous for you. The reason for Paul’s “folly” (see note on v. 1) was his deep concern for the Corinthians—concern to the point of jealousy, not for his own reputation, but zeal for their spiritual purity (see note on v. 3). godly jealousy. Jealousy inspired by zeal for God’s causes, and thus similar to God’s own jealousy for His holy name and His people’s loyalty (cf. Ex. 20:5; 34:14; Deut. 4:24; 5:9; 6:15; 32:16, 21; Josh. 24:19; Ps. 78:58; Ezek. 39:25; Nah. 1:2). I have betrothed you to one husband. As their spiritual father (12:14; 1 Cor. 4:15; cf. 9:1, 2), Paul portrayed the Corinthians like a daughter, whom he betrothed to Jesus Christ (at their conversion). The OT pictures Israel as the wife of the Lord (cf. Is. 54:5; Jer. 3:14; Hos. 2:19, 20), while the NT pictures the church as the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:22–32; Rev. 19:7). chaste virgin. Having betrothed or pledged the Corinthians to Christ, Paul wanted them to be pure until the marriage day finally arrived (cf. Rev. 19:7). It was that passionate concern which provoked Paul’s jealousy (see note on v. 1) and prompted him to set forth his apostolic credentials.

  11:3 Paul compared the danger facing the Corinthian church to Eve’s deception by Satan. He feared the Corinthians, like Eve, would fall prey to satanic lies and have their minds corrupted. The tragic result would be the abandonment of their simple devotion to Christ in favor of the sophisticated error of the false apostles. Paul’s allusion to Gen. 3 implies that the false apostles were Satan’s emissaries—a truth that he later made explicit (vv. 13–15).

  11:4 he who comes. The false apostles came into the Corinthian church from the outside—just as Satan did into the Garden. Likely they were Palestinian Jews (cf. v. 22; Acts 6:1) who allegedly sought to bring the Corinthians under the sway of the Jerusalem church. They were in a sense Judaizers, seeking to impose Jewish customs on the Corinthians. Unlike the Judaizers who plagued the Galatian churches (cf. Gal. 5:2), however, the false apostles at Corinth apparently did not insist that the Corinthians be circumcised. Nor did they practice a rigid legalism; in fact, they apparently encouraged licentiousness (cf. 12:21). Their fascination with rhetoric and oratory (cf. 10:10) suggests they had been influenced by Greek culture and philosophy. They claimed (falsely, cf. Acts 15:24) to represent the Jerusalem church, even possessing letters of commendation (see note on 3:1). Claiming to be the most eminent of apostles (v. 5), they scorned Paul’s apostolic claims. Though their teaching may have differed from the Galatian Judaizers, it was just as deadly. another Jesus…a different spirit…a different gospel. Despite their vicious attacks on him, Paul’s quarrel with the false apostles was not personal, but doctrinal. He could tolerate those hostile to him, as long as they preached the gospel of Jesus Christ (cf. Phil. 1:15–18). Those who adulterated the true gospel, however, received Paul’s strongest condemnation (cf. Gal. 1:6–9). Though the precise details of what the false apostles taught are unknown and don’t matter, they preached “another Jesus” and “a different spirit,” which added up to “a different gospel.” you may well put up with it! Paul’s fear that the Corinthians would embrace the damning lies of the false apostles prompted his jealous concern for them (see notes on vv. 2, 3).

  11:5 the most eminent apostles. Possibly a reference to the 12 apostles, in which case Paul was asserting that, contrary to the claims of the false apostles (who said they were sent from the Jerusalem church; see note on v. 4), he was in no way inferior to the 12 (cf. 1 Cor. 15:7–9). More likely, Paul was making a sarcastic reference to the false apostles, based on their exalted view of themselves. It is unlikely that he would refer to the 12 in the context of false teaching (cf. vv. 1–4), nor does the comparison that follows seem to be between Paul and the 12 (Paul certainly would not have had to defend his speaking skills against those of the 12; cf. Acts 4:13).

  11:6 untrained in speech. Paul acknowledged his lack of training in the rhetorical skills so prized in Greek culture (see note on 10:10; cf. Acts 18:24); he was a preacher of the gospel, not a professional orator. I am not in knowledge. Whatever deficiencies Paul may have had as an orator, he had none in terms of knowledge. Paul did not refer here to his rabbinic training under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), but to his knowledge of the gospel (cf. 1 Cor. 2:6–11; Eph. 3:1–5), which he had received directly from God (Gal. 1:12).

  11:7 free of charge. Greek culture measured the importance of a teacher by the fee he could command. The false apostles therefore accused Paul of being a counterfeit, since he refused to charge for his services (cf. 1 Cor. 9:1–15). They convinced the Corinthians to be offended by Paul’s refusal to accept support from them, offering that as evidence that he did not love them (cf. v. 11). Paul’s resort to manual labor to support himself (Acts 18:1–3) also embarrassed the Corinthians, who felt such work to be beneath the dignity of an apostle. With biting irony Paul asked his accusers how foregoing his right to support could possibly be a sin. In fact, by refusing support he had humbled himself so they could be exalted; that is, lifted out of their sin and idolatry.

  11:8 I robbed other churches. “Robbed” is a very strong word, used in extrabiblical Gr. to refer to pillaging. Paul, of course, did not take money from churches without their consent; his point is that the churches who supported him while he ministered in Corinth received no direct benefit from the support they gave him. Why Paul refused to accept the support he was entitled to from the Corinthians (1 Cor. 9:15) is not clear; perhaps some of them were suspicious of his motives in pro
moting the offering for the Jerusalem church (cf. 12:16–18).

  11:9 brethren who came from Macedonia. Silas and Timothy (Acts 18:5), bringing money from Philippi (Phil. 4:15) and, possibly, Thessalonica (cf. 1 Thess. 3:6). The Macedonians’ generous financial support allowed Paul to devote himself full time to preaching the gospel.

  11:10 this boasting. About his ministering free of charge (see note on v. 7; cf. 1 Cor. 9:15, 18). the regions of Achaia. The Roman province of which Corinth was the capital and leading city (see note on 9:2). The false apostles apparently were affecting more than just the city of Corinth.

  11:12 continue to do. That Paul refused to accept financial support from the Corinthians was a source of embarrassment to the false apostles, who eagerly sought money for their services. Paul intended to keep his ministry free of charge and thereby undermine the false apostles’ claims that they operated on the same basis as he did.

  11:13–15 No longer speaking with veiled irony or defending himself, Paul bluntly and directly exposed the false apostles for what they were—emissaries of Satan. Not only was their claim to apostleship false, so also was their doctrine (see note on v. 4). As satanic purveyors of false teaching, they were under the curse of Gal. 1:8, 9. Paul’s forceful language may seem harsh, but it expressed the godly jealousy he felt for the Corinthians (see note on v. 2). Paul was unwilling to sacrifice truth for the sake of unity. Cf. 1 Tim. 4:12; 2 Pet. 2:1–17; Jude 8–13.

  11:13 false apostles. See note on v. 4.

  11:14, 15 Since the Prince of Darkness (cf. Luke 22:53; Acts 26:18; Eph. 6:12; Col. 1:13) masquerades as an angel of light—that is, deceptively, disguised as a messenger of truth—it is not surprising that his emissaries do as well. Satan deceived Eve (see notes on v. 3; Gen 3:1–7) and holds unbelievers captive (4:4; cf. Eph. 2:1–3); his emissaries were attempting to deceive and enslave the Corinthians. The terrifying “end” these self-styled “ministers of righteousness” will face is God’s judgment—the fate of all false teachers (Rom. 3:8; 1 Cor. 3:17; Phil. 3:19; 2 Thess. 2:8; 2 Pet. 2:1, 3, 17; Jude 4, 13).