2 Corinthians 11:1-6
Summary for 2Cor 11:1-6: 11:1-6 a Paul finds it necessary, if distasteful, to justify his actions because of the close link he claims with the church (11:2 b) and because his enemies were enticing the Corinthian believers away from Christ. 11:1 c Paul takes on an ironic tone in saying, I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. He again asks with irony, Please bear with me (or But indeed you are putting up with me, a translation that makes the irony even more pointed).11:2 d The church is called to be a pure bride to one husband—Christ. This metaphor goes back to the Old Testament, where Israel is the bride of the Lord (Isa 54:5 e; 62:5 f). Paul saw himself as the “best man” (the bridegroom’s close friend) who acted for the bridegroom (cp. John 3:29 g).
11:3 h The false teachers were pulling the Corinthian believers away from pure and undivided devotion to Christ. In this they are doing the work of Satan, just as the serpent did in Eden (11:14 i; see Gen 3:4 j, 13 k).
11:4 l The false missionaries in Corinth evidently preached a different Jesus, a different kind of Spirit, and a different kind of gospel than the one the Corinthians had believed. It is difficult to know exactly what these false teachers preached; most likely, they promoted a powerful, dominant Christ and sidelined the suffering of the cross. They probably saw themselves as equally powerful preachers, exempt from hardship and trial. Paul’s message, by contrast, centered on Christ crucified (13:4 m), and Paul’s own sufferings were a mark of true apostleship (12:1-12 n). The nature of this difference is the heart of Paul’s defense of his apostleship in chs 10–13 o.
Summary for 2Cor 11:5-6: 11:5-6 p These false teachers claimed authority as “super apostles,” and they despised Paul’s lack of sophisticated eloquence (10:10 q).
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