Watch Out For Counterfeits!
WATCH OUT FOR COUNTERFEITS!
2 CORINTHIANS 11:12-15
We must test the claims that people make to see if they ring true.
Reverting to the dispute which had produced this explanation of his attitude to financial support, Paul hits out at the false teachers who were troublemakers at Corinth. If they simply attacked him and sought to discredit his work, that would have been one thing; far more serious was their advocacy of a false gospel, by which they placed themselves under the judgment of Galatians 1:6-9.
They professed to be able to draw upon apostolic authority for their credentials. Paul warmly retorts: “These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ” (11:13, NLT). In so doing they are imitating their leader, Satan, who himself masquerades as a messenger of God.
The lesson is clear: appearances are deceptive, and we should not be too readily impressed by the superficial attractiveness of teachers who claim to be heaven-sent messengers. The test is more rigorous and vital: what do they teach, and does their character conform to the message they bring—and are both doctrine and way of life consistent with God’s revelation? Do you recall Jesus’ teaching here (Matthew 7:15-23)? And the apostle’s no less stringent criteria (2 Timothy 3:14-17)? And the serious warnings of John (1 John 4:1-5; 2 John 7-11)?
11:14 raises an interesting point. Genesis 3 tells of the devil’s use of the serpent who in turn enticed Eve by a specious promise and a piece of trickery (1 Timothy 2:14), but no mention is made of the devil’s transformation into an angel of light. Paul here is evidently drawing upon a Jewish tradition which related how Satan once took the form of “an angel” and joined the other angels in praising God.
Paul again does not mince his words about those who practice a deceit which Satan has inspired. They are his agents at Corinth, and will share his fate (11:15; see Matthew 25:41,46).