Today's passage: 2 Corinthians 11:1-15
Helpful thoughts:
- Paul continues to defend his ministry and apostleship. There were some in the Corinthian church who questioned him. The “foolishness” of the defense is that Paul didn't have to defend himself. God had worked through him. Christ is our Lord and Savior. The Spirit had been working. Some in the church needed to get their eyes off of the servants and on the savior.
- With the foolishness of the evaluation of men going on, Paul uses some satire in his writing (e.g. “Super-Apostles”).
- In Jewish culture, it was the father's responsibility to present his daughter at her wedding celebration as a pure virgin. Paul was being a father-figure to the church and fighting for her purity.
- The way some in the church valued the messengers over the message left them susceptible to false teaching.
Questions to consider:
- Does this passage seem unusual to you? Why might that be? What is Paul doing at this point in the letter? What tone is he taking?
- How does making an idol of a preacher/teacher/writer leave us susceptible to false teaching? How are we to righty discern if someone's teaching is good?
- To whom have we been betrothed? Who is the church's groom in waiting? How can this illustration help shape our view of separation from the world and devotion to Christ?