2 Corinthians 12 - Introduction

Out of his jealousy over the Corinthians, who seemed to make more account of the false apostles than of him, the Apostle entereth into a forced commendation of himself, of his equality with the chief Apostles, of his preaching the Gospel to them freely, and without putting them to any charge: shewing that he was not inferior to those deceitful workers in any legal prerogative; and in the service of Christ, and in all kinds of sufferings for his ministry, far superior.

Anno Domini 58.

FROM the things written in this chapter, it appears that although the false teacher, on all occasions, took care to sound his own praise, he had represented St. Paul as guilty of folly in praising, or rather justifying himself; pretending that he had nothing to boast of. The Apostle, therefore, began with ironically requesting the Corinthians to bear with a little of his foolishness in praising himself, 2 Corinthians 11:1.—and for so doing he gave them this reason: he suspected that the affections of many of them were estranged from him, through the calumnies of his enemies. Such an estrangement he could not bear. Having by faithand holiness betrothed them to Christ he was anxious to present them to him at the judgment, as a chaste virgin to her future husband, 2 Corinthians 11:2.—This he should not be able to do, if, believing the calumnies of his enemies, they no longer considered him as an Apostle. Also he was afraid, that as the serpent deceived Eve, so the false teacher, deceiving them, might corrupt them from the simplicity of the Gospel, 2 Corinthians 11:3.—But their attachment to that teacher, he told them, was unreasonable, as he did not pretend to preach another Jesus; neither had they received from him a different spirit, nor a different gospel, 2 Corinthians 11:4.

Having made this apology for what he was going to say in his own praise, he affirmed that he was in nothing inferior to the greatest Apostles, 2 Corinthians 11:5.—For although his enemies objected to him that he was unlearned in speech, he was not unlearned in the knowledge properto a minister of the Gospel; but in the whole of his preaching and behaviour at Corinth had shewn himself an able and faithful Apostle of Christ, ver.

6.—His enemies, indeed, upbraided him with not having supported the dignity of the apostolical character, as he ought to have done, by demanding maintenance from his disciples in Corinth. But he told them, he had committed no offence in that respect, when he humbled himself to work for his own support among them; since he did it, that they might be exalted, by having the Gospel preached to them, with the greater success, as a free gift, 2 Corinthians 11:7.—He took wages from other churches, the church at Philippi especially; but it was to do the Corinthians a service, by preaching the Gospel to them free of expence, 2 Corinthians 11:8.—For, on a particular occasion, when he was so much employed at Corinth, that he had not time to work for hisown maintenance, the Philippians fully supplied what he wanted; so that he had kept himself, and would keep himself, from being burdensome to them, 2 Corinthians 11:9.—solemnly protesting, that no man should deprive him of that ground of boasting, in the regions of Achaia, 2 Corinthians 11:10.—This resolution he had formed, not from want of love to the Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 11:11.—but that he might cut off all opportunity from the false teacher and others, who desired an occasion to speak evil of him, as one who preached the Gospel for gain; also, that the false teacher, who in public pretended to imitate him in taking nothing for his preaching, (though in private he received gifts from individuals,) might be obliged to lay aside his hypocrisy, and after the Apostle's example take nothing in private from any one, 2 Corinthians 11:12.—There was a peculiar propriety in the Apostle's taking nothing from his disciples in Corinth, on account of his preaching; because, being an opulent city, it might have been said, that his motive for preaching so long there, was to enrich himself. This indeed was the view of the false teacher, who, by receiving gifts in private, shewed himself to be a deceitful workman, although he assumed the appearance of a true Apostle, by pretending to preach without taking any reward from the Corinthians. But his assuming that appearance, was not to be wondered at, seeing that Satan himself, on some occasions, put on the appearance of an angel of light, 2 Corinthians 11:13.

The Apostlehaving such good reasons for commending or rather vindicating himself, he desired the faction a second time not to think him a fool for speaking in his own praise; or at least, as a fool to bear with him, that like the false teacher he might boast a little, 2 Corinthians 11:16.—For, said he ironically, to be sure that which I am going to speak, in this confident boasting concerning myself, I speak not according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, 2 Corinthians 11:17.—In his former letter, the Apostle had used this expression, ch. 2 Corinthians 7:12 to the rest, I speak, not the Lord. This the false, teacher, misinterpreting, had maliciously turned into ridicule, by telling the Corinthians, that the praises which Paul bestowed on himself, were, he supposed, of the number of the things which the Lord did not speak. This sarcasm the Apostle repeated in an ironical manner, to insinuate to the Corinthians, that the things which he spake in vindication of himself as an Apostle, he spake by the commandment of Christ. Then added, seeing many, who are no Apostles, praise themselves for their supposed qualities, I, who am a real Apostle of Christ, will likewise praise myself for the good qualities which the grace of God has bestowed upon me, 2 Corinthians 11:18.—especially as the false teacher and his followers, being such wise men, gladly bear with fools, that they may have the pleasure of laughing at them, 2 Corinthians 11:19.—Now, said he, ye are of such a bearing disposition, that if one enslave you, if one eat you up, if one take your goods, if one raiseth himself against you in wrath, if one even beat you on the face, ye bear it, 2 Corinthians 11:20.—This, it seems, was the insolent manner, in which the false teacher treated his adherents at Corinth, who bare it all with great patience. In his account, therefore, of the bearing disposition of the faction, the Apostle gave the sincere part of the church an ironical picture veryhighly drawn, of the wisdom of their wise brethren, in bearing. Farther, he told them, that he was obliged to speak in his own praise, because he had been represented as a weak ill-qualified teacher. But he affirmed, that on whatever account any one among them was bold in his own praise, he also had just reason to be bold on the same account, 2 Corinthians 11:21.—Are these boasters Hebrews? so Amos 1. Are they, &c. 2 Corinthians 11:22.—Is the false teacher a minister of Christ? (I speak as a fool,) I am more so than he—and in proof of what I say, I appeal to my labours and sufferings for the Gospel. Here the Apostle enumerates the labours and sufferings which he had endured while executing his office: from which it appears, that no man ever did or suffered as much, in pursuing grandeur or fame, as he did in preaching Christ, 2 Corinthians 11:23. And with respect to the weakness or cowardice with which he was reproached, he told them, that since he was obliged to boast, he would boast even of his weakness, in flying from danger on a particular occasion; namely, when the Jews laid wait for him in Damascus. Because his escaping from that danger, was an illustrious example of the care, which both God and man took of him as a faithful minister of Christ.