2 Corinthians 11:21b-29 says...
Today's verses are 2 Corinthians 11:21b-29, which read,
v.21b - But in whatever respect anyone else is bold--I speak in foolishness--I am just as bold myself.
Paul is about to give the most comprehensive list of his sufferings for Christ and the gospel. If the false teachers are boasting to gain credibility before the Corinthians then Paul is going to boast but in a very different way. This boasting is foolishness to Paul because it is nothing compared to what our Lord went through and who our Lord is.
v.22 - Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendents of Abraham? So am I.
Paul starts with apples to apples statements. His genealogy and the genealogy of the false teachers are the same.
v.23 - Are they servants of Christ?--I speak as if insane--I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.
The false teachers are saying that they are servants of Christ and Paul's response would be "so am I, but more." He doesn't want to share this but does for the sake of the Corinthians to see the difference between himself and his companions and the false teachers. Paul has traveled more miles, been put in prison, beaten, and sometimes beaten to the point of death. He has went from apples to apples to apples to oranges in describing what he has endured for being a servant of Christ that the false teachers have not.
v.24-27 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers of rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own countrymen, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
What a list. None of the false teachers would have been able to say this. They were more concerned about being put on a pedestal while Paul is risking his life for Christ's sake. When I read the list, all I can see is that Paul kept going and for what? Whatever he kept going for must have been greater than what he was enduring. It is great to read of Paul's life through the Scriptures and read of the accounts that mirror this list. This exhaustive list shows that Paul endured a tremendous amount for the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ and maybe the miracle is that he was still there and alive to write about it to the Corinthians. He hadn't died yet even though there were plenty of incidents in which he could have.
v.28, 29 - Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?
What kept Paul going was his love for his God and his love for others, the two greatest commandments given by Scripture and reinforced by Jesus. All the pain of the physical hardships were nothing compared to the pain of the churches being led astray by false teachers that resulted in sin. We will go through a tremendous amount of pain for those we love and Paul is showing that he loves them to endure that so they can experience the grace of God through the cross of Christ.
If Paul didn't believe what he believed about Jesus Christ, he would not have went through all of that. His internal love for Christ and others was greater than any physical external hardship. What was inside drove the outside to push on.
How are you feeling right now about your efforts in reaching out with the gospel of Jesus Christ? We stop short so many times when we feel a little discomfort of opposition. We back away instead of pushing forward in the biblical way of thinking of them and not ourselves. "Go the extra mile" is a phrase that has been transformed to be a selfish statement. Who are you going the extra mile for? Is it for you and your advancement or is it truly for God and others? Are you willing to endure physical discomfort and pain so that they may know of the love of God? This is a servant of Christ because that is what Christ did for us all the way to the cross and the grave.
"Lord, I am ashamed at the many times that I have went for my comfort instead of the pressing on with Your love. All the extra miles have been for my benefit and not Yours. I ask for You to increase my love for You and others so that physical hardships for the sake of You are nothing compared to others hearing and believing in You. May I go the extra mile today for someone other than myself. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.21b - But in whatever respect anyone else is bold--I speak in foolishness--I am just as bold myself.
Paul is about to give the most comprehensive list of his sufferings for Christ and the gospel. If the false teachers are boasting to gain credibility before the Corinthians then Paul is going to boast but in a very different way. This boasting is foolishness to Paul because it is nothing compared to what our Lord went through and who our Lord is.
v.22 - Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendents of Abraham? So am I.
Paul starts with apples to apples statements. His genealogy and the genealogy of the false teachers are the same.
v.23 - Are they servants of Christ?--I speak as if insane--I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.
The false teachers are saying that they are servants of Christ and Paul's response would be "so am I, but more." He doesn't want to share this but does for the sake of the Corinthians to see the difference between himself and his companions and the false teachers. Paul has traveled more miles, been put in prison, beaten, and sometimes beaten to the point of death. He has went from apples to apples to apples to oranges in describing what he has endured for being a servant of Christ that the false teachers have not.
v.24-27 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers of rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own countrymen, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
What a list. None of the false teachers would have been able to say this. They were more concerned about being put on a pedestal while Paul is risking his life for Christ's sake. When I read the list, all I can see is that Paul kept going and for what? Whatever he kept going for must have been greater than what he was enduring. It is great to read of Paul's life through the Scriptures and read of the accounts that mirror this list. This exhaustive list shows that Paul endured a tremendous amount for the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ and maybe the miracle is that he was still there and alive to write about it to the Corinthians. He hadn't died yet even though there were plenty of incidents in which he could have.
v.28, 29 - Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?
What kept Paul going was his love for his God and his love for others, the two greatest commandments given by Scripture and reinforced by Jesus. All the pain of the physical hardships were nothing compared to the pain of the churches being led astray by false teachers that resulted in sin. We will go through a tremendous amount of pain for those we love and Paul is showing that he loves them to endure that so they can experience the grace of God through the cross of Christ.
If Paul didn't believe what he believed about Jesus Christ, he would not have went through all of that. His internal love for Christ and others was greater than any physical external hardship. What was inside drove the outside to push on.
How are you feeling right now about your efforts in reaching out with the gospel of Jesus Christ? We stop short so many times when we feel a little discomfort of opposition. We back away instead of pushing forward in the biblical way of thinking of them and not ourselves. "Go the extra mile" is a phrase that has been transformed to be a selfish statement. Who are you going the extra mile for? Is it for you and your advancement or is it truly for God and others? Are you willing to endure physical discomfort and pain so that they may know of the love of God? This is a servant of Christ because that is what Christ did for us all the way to the cross and the grave.
"Lord, I am ashamed at the many times that I have went for my comfort instead of the pressing on with Your love. All the extra miles have been for my benefit and not Yours. I ask for You to increase my love for You and others so that physical hardships for the sake of You are nothing compared to others hearing and believing in You. May I go the extra mile today for someone other than myself. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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