2Cor 11:4 | TNotes | STEP | 11:4 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 ), and Paul’s own sufferings were a mark of true apostleship (12:1-12 ). The nature of this difference is the heart of Paul’s defense of his apostleship in chs 10

c12:1-12►

d10–13►

‏ 2 Corinthians 11:4

11:4 ^a 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 ^b), and Paul’s own sufferings were a mark of true apostleship (12:1-12 ^c). The nature of this difference is the heart of Paul’s defense of his apostleship in chs 10–13 ^d.