Despite Paul’s dislike for human comparisons, he continues what he calls a foolish comparison to show that, even with the false teachers’ self-proclaimed qualifications, he remained more qualified than them. He admits that his speaking here is not following the example of Christ’s humility. But he is not sinning, instead, he can be considered to be answering a fool according to his folly (Prov 26:5). The false teachers had been boasting in the flesh and foolishly the Corinthians had allowed them in. They gladly put up with fools and their resulting mistreatment. By tolerating the false teachers they were made slaves perhaps financially but spiritually through the legalism they taught. Figuratively they were struck on the face as they were humiliated by these false teachers. The false apostles had accused Paul of being weak in person. If the way they acted was the requirement of being an apostle, then Paul was too weak for that.

Paul then presented a long list of his heritage and sufferings. The false apostles probably boasted in their heritage and Paul shows that he even surpasses some of those. Paul then boasts in his ministry. He didn’t focus on the triumphs of his ministry but the difficulties. He endured many afflictions as he served to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. What he lists here exceeds what we see in the book of Acts reminding us that Acts is only a partial biography of his missionary work. Not only did he suffer at the hands of others but he refused payment and support for his work on most occasions, chose to work hard night and day, and found himself lacking food, clothing, and adequate shelter. Ultimately Paul was driven by a deep concern for others. He lived what he taught, “If one member suffers, all suffer together…” (1 Cor 12:26). Even though Paul chose to boast, he could only boast in his weaknesses—because that is where he saw the power of God manifest most clearly (2 Cor 12:9)

Paul concluded this section with a mention of his escape through a window via a basket in Damascus. This event was symbolic of his conversion. He went to Damascus with boldness and left in humility and weakness. The false teachers were still like the unconverted Saul.

What are your Christian credentials? If someone asks you for your testimony, what is it you highlight? What are the things in your life that point to Christ?

Paul was about to delve into what he considered to be a foolish comparison. He wasn’t interested in comparing himself to others, but he felt that he needed to stoop to the level of the false teachers in order to show that he had more credibility and authority than them. He asks them to bear with him as he descended into this foolishness. Why do this, because he had godly jealousy for them. As their spiritual father (1 Cor 4:15) he betrothed them to one husband and wanted to present them as a pure virgin when they came to Christ. He compared the false teachers to the serpent who deceived Eve through cunning. In the same way, they were in danger of being led astray from their pure devotion to Christ. In the marriage metaphor, the church is betrothed to Christ and the marriage is only consummated at His second coming. Until that time, if they left themselves open to another gospel, a different Jesus, or a different spirit, then they were in danger of compromising themselves and their spiritual growth and would find themselves unapproved for a reward at the judgment seat of Christ. A different gospel would be anything that distorts the gospel and claims that faith alone in Christ alone is not sufficient. Paul doesn’t explain how the gospel was being distorted but it is usually done by adding works and self-effort to faith in order to be acceptable to God.

Paul didn’t consider himself at all inferior to these super-apostles (They may have claimed this title or Paul may be using it ironically of their claimed status). Paul was a lay speaker rather than a professional orator but what he may have lacked in flair he made up with knowledge and that had been amply demonstrated to them. The typical method missionaries used to support themselves at the time was from the people to whom they were ministering (Luke 9:3-4). But Paul had not taken any financial assistance from the Corinthians. Instead, Paul chose to support himself through tent-making (Acts 18:3). Paul sometimes even received support from other churches while ministering to the Corinthians. He described it as “robbing” them because they were poor though he hadn’t asked for it. This was Paul’s choice, and most likely the choice of the church at Philippi (Phil 4:10-18). It was not an accusation against the Corinthians. It wasn’t for lack of love that Paul didn’t accept support from the Corinthians, in fact, it was just the opposite and God was his witness.

Paul was determined to continue ministering the way he had so that the false apostles would have no claim that they worked on the same basis. These false apostles were deceitful workers who disguised themselves as apostles of Christ. There were wolves in sheep’s clothing, Satan’s servants disguised as servants of righteousness simply following his lead as he masquerades as an angel of light. These apostles were simply following their master as they spread lies under the pretense of being apostles (John 8:44). They were certain to face judgment and receive just deserts for their deeds.

Are you careful about what you read, watch, and listen to, even within the Christian realm? There is a lot of material out there that promotes a different gospel, a different Jesus, and a different spirit. We are responsible for keeping a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. How are you guarding your walk with God?

Paul continues the defense of his ministry. The false teachers seem to have placed much attention on outward appearance but Paul urges them to look deeper at the way things really are. Paul’s defense suggests the false teachers saw themself as belonging to Christ in some special way. Paul affirmed his God-instated authority as an apostle, but it was given to him in order to build others up and not tear them down. He was not ashamed of his use of his authority. With regard to his letters, his intention was never to bring fear but rather to edify the church, even through correction where necessary. They may have been right in saying his public appearance was unimpressive. He wasn’t an eloquent speaker (2 Cor 11:6) but he was ready to say in person whatever he communicated in his letters. The false teachers were able to puff themselves up by comparing themselves with other men. But they failed to compare themselves to the standard of Jesus Christ, and in so doing showed themselves to be fools.

Paul didn’t boast beyond the limits of the authority God had given him, to reach them as a missionary. By implication, the false teachers were exaggerating their accomplishments. It was Paul and his team who had first reached the Corinthians with the gospel. Paul didn’t boast in the work done by others. Instead, he hoped that they would mature in the faith and then he could expand his ministry to preach the gospel further and wider to lands yet unreached. Paul concluded this section with a quote from Jeremiah 9:23-24 as a caution against our tendency to place glory on human achievement and wisdom rather than the Lord. Ultimately it doesn’t matter how you commend yourself, what matters is the commendation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you perhaps fallen into the trap of comparing yourself to others and been lulled into a feeling of self-righteousness? If you compared yourself instead to Jesus and His expectations (John 14:15) then how do you fare? Are you living for Jesus’ commendation or the commendation of others?

Paul begins to defend the charges that have been laid against him and his ministry. He appeals to them with the meekness and gentleness of Christ. When Jesus was accused of wrongs He didn’t commit, He didn’t retaliate or demand acquittal, instead, he was meek. And when Jesus confronted those who were in sin, He didn’t condemn them harshly, rather, He was gentle. Paul seems to have been accused of being bold in his letters but humble when in person. But Paul had already explained that this was intentional (2 Cor 2:1-4). Paul wrote difficult letters so that the recipients could deal with the issues that needed dealing with. Then, when Paul visited them in person, he could be gentle and loving in person. Paul was accused of having a bark that was worse than his bite but Paul pointed out that he didn’t wage war according to the flesh. The weapons of the world are things of human confidence like knowledge, eloquence, credentials, and showmanship to puff oneself up. They are also human tactics like slander and gossip used to tear others down. Paul didn’t rely on human devices to fulfill his ministry and defend himself (“walk according to the flesh”). He did admit that he was human (“walk in the flesh”) and as a result was frail and vulnerable to sickness, suffering, and mistreatment like everyone else. Instead, Paul’s weapons of warfare were spiritual with divine power to destroy strongholds. Paul’s focus was on proclaiming God’s truth through His word and prayer with the objective of breaking down the arguments and pretenses of his opponents. He focussed his godly weapons on tearing down ungodly arguments. His objective was to take every thought implanted by false reasoning and capture it to obedience to Christ. Paul wanted believers to move from disobedience brought about by listening to false teaching and move to obedience to Christ. Paul was ready to punish those who remained in disobedience but hoped he wouldn’t have to because the church as a whole would deal with the problem before he arrived.

What is your weapon of choice when facing opposition? Is it self-exaltation? Is it putting others down? Or is it using the Word of God and prayer focussed on ungodliness? Before we focus our Godly weapons on others, we would do well to take our own thoughts captive to obedience to Christ first.

Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings that are easily applied to everyday situations. Consider carefully which of the sayings you’ve read today are particularly applicable to you today and in the coming week. What do you need to change or do more of to make use of God’s wisdom in your life?

Paul reminds the Corinthians of the biblical law of sowing and reaping. This law is seen elsewhere in Scripture (see Prov 11:24-25; 19:7; Luke 6:38; Gal 6:7). The amount of harvest that is reaped is based on the amount of seed sown. This principle does not mean that money given results in money received in some heavenly equation. Our reward for material and physical generosity today will be experienced most fully in heaven (Matt 6:19-21). Another reason to give generously is because God loves a cheerful giver. Our giving should be an outpouring of our hearts, not something we feel reluctant or compelled to do. What should you do if you are not feeling joy at the prospect of giving? Ask God to change your heart. Not being cheerful in your giving is not an excuse not to give. God is the one who will supply our needs and ensure that we have enough to continue the good work into the future. There is no promise here that giving will guarantee prosperity for the giver. The promise is for sufficiency. Paul backs up this claim with a quote from Psalm 112:9. Psalm 112 describes the righteous man who fears the Lord and as a result, does good deeds. The righteous man in the psalm freely gives to the poor. Like that man, the Corinthians, and we will be eternally blessed when we help meet the needs of others. God is the One who supplies everything we have and when we use that generously in support of others, He will increase our ability to give. Generosity is not once-off. As we give, God supplies our needs and gives us enough, or perhaps more, to give generously again and again. All of this is done to the glory and thanksgiving to God, both by the giver and the recipient. When we give to those believers who cannot repay us materially we are likely to receive their prayers as they thank God for His grace through us as givers. Ultimately Paul reminds us of the incredible generosity of God who gave us Jesus Christ, the ultimate expression of God’s grace, the indescribable gift!

How does your giving reflect the blessings God has given you? Did you ever consider that your giving can be an expression of praise and thanks to God for what you have received? Do you need to change something about your habit of giving today?

In light of Paul’s encouragement to the Corinthians to give generously toward the relief of the Jerusalem church as they had previously decided to do, he now introduces the three men who will carry that gift. Titus was already known to the church and he eagerly took up the task. It is likely that Titus was the one who delivered this letter of 2 Corinthians at the same time. Along with Titus, Paul sent two unnamed men who we are unable to identify today but the second was known to the Corinthians. The first man was well known among the churches (likely in Macedonia) and had an untarnished reputation in the gospel (“his preaching of” is not in the original greek). He was chosen by the churches to be part of this delegation. It was important that the team traveling with what would be a sizable donation were men who were above reproach and who could not easily be accused of doing things for selfish gain. Paul aimed to always be honourable in God’s sight, but it was important also to be honourable before men. While Paul was driven to please God, he wanted people to understand his motivation and not be able to find fault with his actions. The second unknown member of the team was equally qualified in character and was motivated to join the mission because of Paul and Titus’s great confidence in the Corinthian believers. Paul trusted that the church would welcome and accept these men and validate his confidence in their giving. While the Corinthians expressed their eagerness to give, they had failed to follow through. Paul was sending these three men ahead to help the Corinthians follow through on their commitment and ensure they were ready with their finances in order and on time.

Even when our motivations and actions are right before God, it is wise to put in checks and balances to ensure that people have no opportunity to question what we do. Our witness is improved when nobody has an opportunity to bring an accusation against us.

Paul directs his attention to the churches in Macedonia. Because of God’s grace in their lives, they were stirred to send financial aid to the church in Jerusalem that was suffering because of famine (Acts 11:27-30). The Macedonian churches (in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea) weren’t sending aid because of their financial wealth. In fact, they lived in extreme poverty (Phil 4:10) and suffered because of their faith (Phil 1:29-30; 1 Thes 1:6). Yet they overflowed in generosity and begged for the privilege of taking part in the relief of the saints. It seems that Paul may not have even asked these churches to contribute but they got involved on their own initiative. They gave because they gave themselves first to the Lord. Because of their submission to the Lordship of Christ in their lives, they submitted themselves to God’s guidance through Paul and his coworkers. What was astounding about the giving of these impoverished believers is that they not only gave according to their means but in faith, they gave beyond their means. Why is it that the poor seem to give so freely from their lack and the wealthy are hesitant to give from their abundance?

With this example of the Macedonians, Paul appeals to the Corinthians to complete the collection process that had begun with them (1 Cor 16:1). Paul had already commended them for excelling in other areas; faith, speech, knowledge, earnestness, and love. He now urged them to excel in this act of grace, the act of generosity, as well. Paul wasn’t issuing a command. He wanted the Corinthians to be motivated to give because of the grace of God received in their lives. The Macedonians were an example of sacrificial giving motivated by grace. Now the Corinthians had an opportunity to show the sincerity of their love. Paul then points to an even greater example than the Macedonians. Jesus gave up the riches of heaven and for our sakes became poor (Phil 2:5-11). Jesus didn’t cease to be God, but He stepped out of heaven and became man. He made Himself nothing and assumed our debt of sin and paid for it with His life so that we might receive the riches of heaven.

The Corinthians had eagerly begun to set aside funds weekly (1 Cor 16:2) but for some reason, this collection had stalled. Paul encouraged them to complete what they had started. It can be easy to get excited about a project at its inception but as time moves on our commitment wanes. Paul encouraged the Corinthians to match their readiness to start with the completion of what they had committed to. Despite the Macedonians’ exceptional giving, the Corinthians were only expected to give from what they had in order to ease those who were burdened. Paul didn’t expect them to give to the point of becoming burdened themselves. God desires us to give from what he has blessed us with. It is not about the percentage or the amount but about the attitude of a willing spirit. We give to others out of our abundance to supply their need today so that out of their abundance they might supply our needs. This could be physical needs if in the future the situation reverses, or spiritual as we are credited with the ministry that results from our support. When God supplied the Israelites with manna in the desert everyone received what they needed. Those who hoarded found that what they kept rotted (Exod 16:19-21). Instead of hoarding God’s blessings in our lives, we should be conduits to ensure that everyone’s needs are met.

Are you compelled by God’s grace to be generous? Or might you need a recalibration on your definition of wealthy? Is your giving representative of how God has given to you?

Paul returns to his account of the search for Timothy in Macedonia which he began in 2 Cor 2:12-13. He had interrupted that story with a defense of their integrity in ministry. Paul had many times when he was troubled and downcast, weary and tired. He faced struggles externally and felt fear and depression within. His time in Macedonia was like that until Timothy arrived. But Titus’s arrival brought the comfort of God. Titus passed on the comfort of the Corinthians as he recounted how they had comforted him (2 Cor 1:3-7). Paul had to write a harsh letter of correction which had hurt them, but it had hurt Paul to have to write it too. Paul was relieved because Titus brought back news that their grief had resulted in repentance. Godly grief recognises that all sin is against God (Psalm 51:4) and leads to a change of mind. The result is salvation from the deadly consequences of unrepentant sin and moves us forward in Christlikeness. Worldly grief focuses on self and leads to no change. The result is death both spiritually, because of the broken relationships with others and with our Father, and physically through the consequences of living in unrepentant sin. The Corinthians’ sorrow had produced a number of things in them to move them from wrong to right, a shift from a passive failing to do right to a readiness to see justice done. Paul’s letter had not been primarily about the offender or the one who had caused the offense. Paul’s motivation had been a concern for the whole church who had neglected to act. The Corinthians’ positive response to his letter had been a great encouragement to Paul. He had sent Titus with the difficult job of delivering a letter of correction but Titus had been overwhelmed by their affection and obedience as they received him with fear and trembling, the right attitude for correction. Because of their wonderful, godly response, Paul rejoiced and had complete confidence in them as a church.

How do you receive correction? Does it grieve you that you have been corrected and do you reach for a self-righteous defense? Or do you recognise that all sin is sin against God and are you quick to repent? (1 John 1:8-10)