27 Christian Loyalty
(2 Corinthians 11:1–6)
I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me. For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For 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. For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles. But 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. (11:1–6)
Perhaps the most repugnant word in any language is its word for traitor. There are few people more despicable than those who betray their family, their friends, their cause, or their nation. In fact, the names of such infamous traitors as Benedict Arnold, Vidkun Quisling (who collaborated with the Germans occupying Norway during World War 2) and the ultimate betrayer, Judas Iscariot, have become synonymous with the term “traitor.” In contrast, among the most treasured words in any language are loyalty and its synonyms—faithfulness, allegiance, fidelity, and devotion.
The Bible emphasizes the importance of loyalty. “Many a man proclaims his own loyalty,” Solomon wrote, “but who can find a trustworthy man?” (Prov. 20:6). Not all those who proclaim loyalty demonstrate it, but the one “who pursues righteousness and loyalty finds life, righteousness and honor” (Prov. 21:21). Those in authority, Solomon added, must also display loyalty: “Loyalty and truth preserve the king, and he upholds his throne by righteousness” (Prov. 20:28).
But of far greater significance than loyalty to any human person or cause is loyalty to God, which may be defined as loving Him with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength (Deut. 6:5; Mark 12:30). Such loyalty does not come cheaply or easily. In Matthew 10:34–38 Jesus described the price allegiance to Him might exact:
Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Loyalty to Jesus can be a sword that severs family ties or even costs people their lives—a truth attested to by the countless thousands of martyrs who preferred death to disloyalty.
Scripture repeatedly emphasizes the importance of loyalty to God. David exhorted Solomon to “serve [God] with a loyal heart and with a willing mind” (1 Chron. 28:9 NKJV) and prayed, “Give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes” (1 Chron. 29:19 NKJV). At the dedication of the temple Solomon exhorted Israel, “Let your heart therefore be loyal to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day” (1 Kings 8:61 NKJV). It was said of some Old Testament kings, such as Hezekiah (Isa. 38:3) and Asa (1 Kings 15:14), that their hearts were “loyal” (NKJV), or “wholly devoted” (NASB) to the Lord. Others, such as Abijam (1 Kings 15:1–3) and Amaziah (2 Chron. 25:1–2), were not loyal to Him. Tragically, in later life Solomon himself became disloyal to God: “For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David” (1 Kings 11:4 NKJV). His tragic defection shows that despite the best intentions, loyalty can be lost.
Sadly, following the example of her unfaithful rulers, Israel failed to remain loyal to the Lord. “What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah?” God lamented through the prophet Hosea, “For your loyalty is like a morning cloud and like the dew which goes away early” (Hos. 6:4). Calling Israel back to their allegiance to Him, God declared, “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hos. 6:6).
Like Israel, the church has often proven unfaithful to the Lord. Paul confronted Peter’s disloyalty (Gal. 2:11–13), and rebuked the Galatians for their betrayal of the gospel of grace (Gal. 3:3). Peter and Jude warned of deceptive false teachers, who would lead many astray from the truth (2 Peter 2:1–3, 10–22; Jude 4–16). James warned those who are not completely loyal to God not to expect anything from Him (James 1:5–8). And five of the seven churches to whom John addressed Revelation (Rev. 2–3) were disloyal to the Lord Jesus Christ.
None of the New Testament writers were more concerned about loyalty than Paul, and nowhere was he more concerned about disloyalty than at Corinth. Deceived by the seductive lies of some self-appointed demonic false apostles, many of the Corinthians had openly rebelled against Paul. The apostle had dealt with that mutiny in a sternly worded letter (2 Cor. 2:1–4). As a result, most of the Corinthians had repented and reaffirmed their loyalty to him (7:6–11). Paul knew, however, that the rebellion had not been completely put down but merely driven underground. Therefore, he addressed the repentant majority in the Corinthian assembly in chapters 1–9, urging their continued loyalty to him. Then in chapters 10–13 he dealt firmly and directly with the false apostles and their unrepentant followers, defending himself against their vicious attacks on his character and ministry.
Paul found defending himself distasteful, and he abhorred self-commendation (2 Cor. 10:12, 13, 17, 18; cf. Prov. 27:2). Yet he could not permit the false teachers to destroy his reputation and undermine his teaching. They had exalted and promoted themselves (2 Cor. 10:12), and the Corinthians were impressed. If Paul did not defend himself, they would be cut off from him as the source of the divine truth and at the mercy of the false teachers. His defense was not for his sake but for theirs, as he explained in 12:19: “All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and all for your upbuilding, beloved.” So as distasteful as it was to him, Paul had to defend his integrity—not for pride, self-exaltation, or his ego, but because the gospel was at stake.
Beginning in chapter 11, Paul confronted the false apostles. Reluctantly, he compared himself to them so the Corinthians could distinguish a true messenger of God from false ones. As he began to confront the false apostles, Paul revealed that his motive for doing so was to call the Corinthians back to loyalty. He began by expressing his wish that they would bear with him in his defense of himself, which the apostle referred to as a little foolishness. He was about to answer fools as their folly deserved (Prov. 26:5). In reality, he would have preferred not to write this section, but the Corinthians’ folly left him no choice. The apostle softened his blow by acknowledging that they were indeed … bearing with him, an affirmation of their positive response to his prior correction of them (2 Cor. 2:1–4; 7:6–11; 1 Corinthians). Paul asked for the same favorable response as he defended himself against the false teachers’ attacks and the Corinthians’ own foolish disloyalty.
In verses 2 through 6, Paul issued a four-count indictment of the Corinthians’ disloyalty, each one introduced by the Greek conjunction gar (“for”). Paul expressed his concern about their disloyalty to God, Christ, the gospel, and the truth.
DISLOYALTY TO GOD
For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; (11:2a)
The thought of the Corinthians’ being seduced into error by the false apostles was heartbreaking to Paul. Thus, what may have seemed to the Corinthians to be boasting on his part was actually extreme concern, prompted by godly jealousy (literally, “the jealousy of God”). Paul’s jealousy on God’s behalf manifested itself in righteous indignation at the possibility of the Corinthians’ defection.
God’s jealousy for His holy name and for His people is a major Old Testament theme. In Exodus 20:5 God said, “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” Exodus 34:14 reveals that one of God’s names is “Jealous.” Deuteronomy 4:24 describes the Lord as “a consuming fire, a jealous God” (cf. Deut. 5:9; 6:15; Josh. 24:19; Nah. 1:2), while Deuteronomy 32:16 and 21 reveal that His holy jealousy is provoked when His people worship idols (cf. Ps. 78:58; 1 Cor. 10:22). In Ezekiel 39:25 God declares, “I shall be jealous for My holy name.”
Like David, who wrote in Psalm 69:9, “Zeal for [God’s] house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach [Him] have fallen on me” (cf. John 2:17), Paul felt pain when God was dishonored. That pain produced a “daily pressure on [him] of concern for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:28), particularly for those believers who were weak and led into sin (11:29). He was especially concerned that the Corinthians offer God the loyal, loving obedience in which He rejoices and of which He is worthy (cf. Deut. 6:5; 10:12; 11:1, 13, 22; 19:9; 30:16; Josh. 22:5; 23:11; Ps. 31:23; Matt. 22:37).
DISLOYALTY TO CHRIST
for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. (11:2b–3)
Paul expressed his concern over the Corinthians’ disloyalty to Christ by using the analogy of betrothal and marriage. As is the case today, the main elements of a Jewish wedding were the betrothal (engagement) and the actual ceremony. The betrothal period usually lasted about a year (though sometimes couples were betrothed as young children). The betrothed couple, though not allowed to consummate the union physically, was legally regarded as husband and wife; the betrothal could be broken only by death or divorce, and unfaithfulness during that time was considered adultery (cf. Matt. 1:18–19). The betrothal period culminated in the ceremony, marking the completion of the covenant.
During the betrothal period, it was the father’s responsibility to ensure that his daughter remained faithful to her pledged husband. He would then present her to him at the wedding ceremony as a pure virgin.
When Paul preached the gospel to them, he betrothed the Corinthians to one husband. At salvation, they pledged their loyalty to Christ, and Paul wanted to make sure they remained faithful. As their spiritual father (1 Cor. 4:15), Paul was determined to present them as a pure virgin to Christ. Having been engaged to Him at salvation, the Corinthians (like all church-age believers) will be presented to Christ at the Rapture (cf. John 14:1–3) and have their marriage supper during the millennial kingdom (Rev. 19:7–9). Paul’s overriding concern was that the church remain pure for her Bridegroom (cf. Eph. 5:25–27).
The phrase I am afraid expresses the heart of Paul’s concern, both in this passage and in the entire epistle. His defense of his integrity and his ministry, his appeals for the Corinthians’ loyalty, and his confrontation of the false teachers all were motivated by fear. The apostle’s concern was justified, because the Corinthians had demonstrated an alarming susceptibility to being seduced, welcoming those who preached another Jesus and a different gospel (2 Cor. 11:4).
It is every pastor’s fear that some of his sheep might go astray. As noted above, it was Paul’s zeal for their purity that caused the “daily pressure on [him] of concern for all the churches” (11:28). A heartbreaking theme throughout history is the disloyalty of many who claimed to be followers of Jesus Christ. Countless churches that name the name of Christ have been seduced by “deceitful spirits” teaching “doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1) and become disloyal to Him.
Satan’s deception of God’s people began in the Garden of Eden when the serpent (Satan; Rev. 12:9; 20:2) deceived Eve. She did not intend to rebel against God, but as Paul wrote to Timothy, “the woman being deceived, fell into transgression” (1 Tim. 2:13). Eve thought that the information she received from Satan was correct and acted on it. In Genesis 3:1 Satan began by asking her, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” God had, as Satan knew, clearly said just that. His question was intended to cast doubt on God’s command. Having planted the seed of doubt in Eve’s mind, Satan then proceeded to openly deny the truth of God’s word, brazenly declaring to her, “You surely shall not die!” (3:4). Finally, he offered a lie in its place: “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (3:5). Eve wanted God’s best, so Satan’s counsel seemed perfect. After all, what could be better than being like God? Having thus been thoroughly deceived, Eve ate the forbidden fruit, as did Adam—even though he was not deceived (1 Tim. 2:14). The catastrophic result was that the human race was plunged into sin (Rom. 5:12–19; 1 Cor. 15:21–22). Ever since Satan deceived Eve, false teachers, following his pattern, have portrayed the truth as error and then offered error as the truth.
Paul feared that Satan’s emissaries, using the same craftiness (cf. 2 Cor. 11:13–15) by which their evil master deceived Eve, would lead the Corinthians’ minds (the Greek word could also be translated “thoughts”) astray, thus corrupting or ruining them (the Greek term also has those connotations). Lack of discernment is a major problem for the church (cf. Eph. 4:14), because the spiritual battle is an ideological one (see the discussion of 10:3–5 in chapter 25 of this volume). The church’s willingness to tolerate error in the name of unity, coupled with a lack of biblical and doctrinal knowledge, has crippled its ability to discern. As a result, it is too often easy prey for the ravenous, savage wolves of whom both Jesus and Paul warned (Matt. 7:15; Acts 20:29), who wound it and sap its power and testimony.
The essence of the Christian life is simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. To the Philippians Paul wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21; cf. Gal. 2:20; Col. 3:4). To not love Him supremely as Savior and Lord is an act of disloyalty. The danger false teachers pose is that they shift the focus off Jesus Christ and onto rituals, ceremonies, good works, miracles, emotional experiences, psychology, entertainment, political and social causes, and anything else that will distract people.
Loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ is nonnegotiable in the Christian life—so much so that Scripture declares, “If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed” (1 Cor. 16:22).
DISLOYALTY TO THE GOSPEL
For 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. (11:4)
If could be better translated “since,” because Paul was not writing about a hypothetical situation. False teachers had already come to Corinth. Though God had not sent them (cf. Jer. 23:21), the Corinthians had welcomed them and given them a platform from which to proclaim their false gospel. As noted in chapter 26 of this volume, Paul did not dignify the false teachers’ heresy by giving a detailed explication of it. But here he summarized it under three general headings.
First, the false apostles preached another Jesus, not the true Lord Jesus Christ whom Paul preached. An aberrant Christology has always been a hallmark of false religions and cults. Instead of viewing Him as the eternal second person of the Trinity, who became a man and died as an atoning sacrifice for sin, they see Him as a prophet, guru, avatar, social or political revolutionary, Michael the archangel, a spirit child of God, an emanation from God—anything but the true God in flesh. Although the false apostles outwardly identified with Jesus, the Jesus they preached was not the Jesus of Scripture.
Second, the false apostles came in the power of a different spirit, a demonic spirit, not the Holy Spirit whom the Corinthians had received at salvation. All false teaching ultimately derives from Satan and his demon hosts, whom Paul described as “deceitful spirits” (1 Tim. 4:1), and John called “the spirit of error” (1 John 4:6; cf. 4:1).
The logical consequence of proclaiming a different Jesus in the power of a different spirit was that the false apostles preached a different gospel. They did not preach the true gospel that the Corinthians had accepted when Paul first preached it to them. As previously noted, Paul did not define this false gospel. It undoubtedly denied that salvation is by grace through faith alone, and it added human works. Incredibly, instead of rejecting this damning heresy, the Corinthians bore it beautifully; they tolerated it, thus justifying Paul’s fear for their purity.
DISLOYALTY TO THE TRUTH
For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles. But 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. (11:5–6)
Paul’s hesitancy to boast (cf. 10:12) caused him to make the minimalistic and sarcastic claim that he was not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles (lit., the “extra-special” or “super” apostles). He was not acknowledging them as his equals, since they were false apostles (11:12–15) and he was a true one (cf. 4:7–15; 6:4–10; 11:21–33; 12:12). But for the sake of argument, he called on the Corinthians to at least grant the obvious reality that he was not in the least inferior to the “super apostles,” as they viewed themselves so superfluously.
Some commentators argue that the phrase most eminent apostles refers here and in 12:11 to the Twelve. But though it is true that Paul was fully equal to the Twelve (12:12; cf. Gal. 2:6–9), several considerations make it unlikely that he had them in mind here. First, Paul would not have referred to the Twelve with a sarcastic term like “super apostles.” Second, the false apostles clearly are in view in 11:4, since Paul would never have accused the Twelve of preaching another Jesus or a different gospel. To abruptly shift to a discussion of the Twelve in verse 5 would be confusing and make no sense. Thus the context argues that the same group is in view in verses 4 and 5. Third, Paul admits in verse 6 to being unskilled in speech compared to the self-proclaimed “super apostles.” But that would not be true if he were comparing himself to the Twelve, who were “uneducated and untrained men” (Acts 4:13). Finally, Paul would not have implied that he had spiritual knowledge that the Twelve lacked (2 Cor. 11:6).
As noted in the discussion of 10:10 in chapter 26 of this volume, the false apostles scorned Paul for being unskilled in speech. Idiōtēs (unskilled) has a contemptuous ring to it, reflecting the false apostles’ view that Paul was a crude, amateurish, unrefined speaker. The apostle acknowledged that he was not interested in the rhetorical and oratorical skills that so impressed the Greeks, because he was not concerned with technique, but with the truth. He was not interested in theatrics or in manipulating his audience. Therefore, his message was the gospel, clear and simple. Paul knew that human eloquence draws people to the preacher, not to the cross; faithful preaching, on the other hand, results not in people admiring the preacher but the Christ he proclaims. The gospel itself is “the power of God for salvation” (Rom. 1:16) and does not need any human embellishing.
In his first inspired epistle to the Corinthians, Paul revealed his philosophy of preaching:
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. … And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. (1 Cor. 1:17–25; 2:1–5)
Nonetheless, Paul was not an ineffective speaker; on the contrary, he spoke with tremendous power and impact. But he was not interested in flowery oratory or being culturally relevant. He disdained theatrics, artificiality, and clever manipulative tricks as “persuasive words of [human] wisdom.” His goal was to preach the gospel of Christ lucidly and convictingly, using all his mind and heart by the power of God, so that his hearers’ “faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”
Although his communication skills might have been deficient by the false apostles’ standards, Paul was not lacking in knowledge. The false apostles claimed to have a secret knowledge not available to the uninitiated. But Paul was a “[steward] of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1), with “insight into the mystery of Christ” (Eph. 3:4). He described that true spiritual knowledge in 1 Corinthians 2:6–16:
Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Paul preached “God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood.” It was a knowledge that “God revealed … through the Spirit … not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit.”
Paul did not keep his knowledge secret, but in every way he made it evident to the Corinthians in all things. As he had in Ephesus, Paul “did not shrink from declaring to [them] the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27). He had proclaimed to the Corinthians the “true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself” (Col. 2:2; cf. 1:27; 4:3; Eph. 3:4).
Yet despite the solid doctrinal foundation Paul had given them, the Corinthians were in grave danger of being seduced. The risk of wandering from the truth and becoming confused and disloyal is a constant threat to the church of Jesus Christ. Paul forcefully rebuked the Galatian churches, expressing his amazement that they were “so quickly deserting Him who called [them] by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel” (Gal. 1:6). Five of the seven churches John addressed Revelation to, churches founded under Paul’s influence, had defected. That tragic pattern has been repeated throughout the church’s history. Therefore, absolute loyalty to God, Jesus Christ, the gospel, and biblical truth are nonnegotiable principles for everyone who names the name of Christ.