Angelic Conflict part 226: Human history (the Church) – 2Co 11:1-15; 2:10-17; 4:3-4; 12:7; 10:10; 3:5-6; Phi 2:21; 2Pe 2:3.Title: Angelic Conflict part 226: Human history (the Church) – 2Co 11:1-15; 2:10-17; 4:3-4; 12:7; 10:10; 3:5-6; Phi 2:21; 2Pe 2:3.
In the Church age, satan has presented, through false ministers, a false Christ, a false gospel, and a false communion table in order to convince the believer that he is not as powerful as he is.
2Co 11:1 I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me.
2Co 11:2For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.
The picture that Paul is using is of a loving father whose daughter is engaged to be married as the Church is to Christ. If the daughter defiles herself with another man before the wedding supper then it is a dishonor to her and her father. As Paul continues this other man becomes apparent. It is satan the deceiver who is ever attempting to turn us away from our single minded devotion to our true husband, Christ.
2Co 11:3But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
This is where we lost everything that was good. But Christ brought the kingdom of heaven to earth and crushed the head of the serpent and took back what we had lost and then on top of that, He gave us more.
Isa 53:12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.
Paul had a great deal to say about our adversary, the devil, when he wrote this letter to the Corinthians. He warned that Satan had several devices for attacking believers.
Satan can burden the consciences of believers who have sinned, 2Co 2:10-11.
2Co 2:10 But whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ,
2Co 2:11 in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
Satan can blind the minds of unbelievers 2Co 4:4.
Guilt, self-condemnation, a poor conscience is an advantage for satan.
2Co 4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
2Co 4:4in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Satan can deceive the minds of believers 2Co 11:3.
2Co 11:3 But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
Satan can buffet the bodies of God's ministers 2Co 12:7.
2Co 12:7 And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me — to keep me from exalting myself!
The focus here is on the mind, for Satan is a liar and tries to get us to listen to his lies, ponder them, and then believe them. This is what he did with Eve. First, he questioned God's word ("Indeed, has God said?"), then he denied God's word ("You surely shall not die!"), and then he substituted his own lie ("Your eyes will be opened and you will be like God") (Gen 3:1,4-5).
Satan, of course, is crafty. He knows that believers will not immediately accept a lie, so the enemy has to "bait the hook" and make it easy for us to accept what he has to offer. Basically, Satan is an imitator. He copies what God does and then tries to convince us that his offer is better than God's. How does he do this? By using counterfeit ministers who pretend to serve God, but who are really the servants of Satan.
2Co 11:3But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
The word simplicity does not imply simple in reference to childishness or without having many dimensions or complexities.
“simplicity” – a`plo,thj[haplotes] = the quality of sincerity as an expression of singleness of purpose or motivation.
Purity refers to being pure from defilement or not contaminated. This means to be separated from the lies of satan and the cosmos.
Picture yourself [and this is real and not fantasy] engaged to Christ and awaiting His return upon which the marriage ceremony and supper will commence. Seeing myself in this light I am less motivated to defile myself as his bride with His enemy [guilt, condemnation, lust, sin, selfishness, worldly goals, etc]. This has nothing to do with sinlessness and everything to do with an attitude of producing fruit and glorifying Him and sanctifying myself, by means of doctrine, away from the lies of satan and his demons and the cosmic system that they rule.
Rev 19:7 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."
2Co 11:4For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully [sarcasm].
Failing to stand up to the falsehood of people is not love but a selfish desire to have a false peace or acceptance. Love does not compromise with lies.
The false gospel, an unbiblical mix of law and grace was always on the heels of Paul’s ministry:
Gal 1:6-7 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another;
Faith plus circumcision has become faith plus water baptism, plus works, plus vows, plus ritual, plus legalism.
2Co 11:5For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles.
2Co 11:6But even if I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in knowledge; in fact, in every way we have made this evident to you in all things.
2Co 11:7Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge?
Ignorant people think that things given freely have no value and that only costly things have value.
2Co 11:8I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to serve you;
2Co 11:9and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia, they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so.
2Co 11:10As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia [Greece].
His boast is that he teaches without charge and that there are gracious people who support him because of their love for the truth.
2Co 11:11Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
His boasting is a source of conviction for the Corinthians who benefited greatly from Paul's teaching but refused to support him.
Teaching the truth dogmatically is going to step on the toes of some who hold onto falsehood. It shows a lack of love to be a people pleaser.
2Co 11:12But what I am doing, I will continue to do, that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting.
The truth from doctrine is the only light that exposes falsehood as well as the true motives of the false and deceitful workers.
Paul’s dogmatic stance on the gospel is protecting them. Paul is fighting for them at great cost to himself. This reveals his agape love for them, and after they have insulted him, rejected him, judged him, gossiped about him, and accepted and even paid false workers.
2Co 11:13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
2Co 11:15Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds.
“disguising / disguises / disguise” – metaschmati,zw[metaschematizo] = to change in appearance, to transform, or to alter oneself outwardly.
This shows us that you cannot tell who they are by their outward appearance but only by the content of their message.
This is hypocrisy and is in contrast to the true inward transformation of the believer into a brand new humanity at salvation followed by the inner transformation of soul, heart, and mind through doctrine after salvation.
Tit 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
Rom 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
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