Having warned the Corinthians in no uncertain terms of his pending visit and sure intention to discipline the opposing faction of the church, Paul concludes his letter with one last appeal to their remaining opportunity for self-correction. His letter had been a final and definitive statement on the basic and fundamental differences between his gospel and the one being peddled by his opponents. Nothing now remained except their personal decision to act on what they had been given. In 2 Corinthians 13:5-14 he lays before them that opportunity and responsibility in a message entitled “Taking Stock of Where We Stand”. In an age characterized by pervasive casualness and indifference, it is a clear-eyed call to understanding and renewing our faith in the gospel of Christ

The humility, patience, longsuffering, and gentleness Paul had demonstrated toward his opponents at Corinth had been taken by many of them as an indication of weakness and cowardice.  Paul had been explicit about his intention to eventually return and, if need be, personally confront them.  But their assumption had been that it was all mere bluster and in fact would probably never happen.  In 2 Corinthians 12:20–13:4, he serves notice on his plans to make good on that intention, in a message entitled, “Daring to Discipline”.  It is a rare but valuable glimpse into this important responsibility, which is one of the authenticating marks of what constitutes the true church.

Having laid bare some of the most personal and private experiences of his life, Paul had left nothing on the table in his effort to turn the Corinthians from the error of their ways. All that remained was his actual visit to them. As he nears the end of his letter, he turns his attention to the prospect of that difficult encounter. In 2 Corinthians 12:11-19 he begins with a spirited defense of both his foolish boasting as well as his continued unwillingness to accept their financial support, in a message entitled, “In Selfless Defense”. It is a telling reminder that spiritual responsiveness is not necessarily the result of spiritual opportunity.

Glimpses into the life of Paul are few and far between. Auto-biography was neither his mission nor his calling. He wrote, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). And what he wrote he lived. References to himself were brief and sparing, and only for the purpose of communicating truth that redounded to the good of his hearers. There is not a single gratuitous reference to himself in any of his many letters. Given that, 2 Corinthians 11:22-33 comes as quite a surprise. In a pointed use of irony, by way of personal biography, Paul takes a poke at his opponents in a message entitled, “A Little Boasting About a Lot of Suffering”. A timely message to a church enamored with all the trappings of success.

You might think that laying bare the hard truth about his opponents as being nothing less than false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ, would have been more than enough to get the attention and concern of the Corinthian believers. But Paul knew better. He knew that the power, subtlety and attractiveness of their message, wrapped effectively as it was in Christian dress, wouldn’t be easily recognized, let alone eagerly rejected. And so he resorted to the skilled and pointed use of irony, in a passage that will come to be known through the Christian ages as his “Fool’s Speech”. He introduces that speech in verses 11:16-21, in a message entitled, “Playing the Fool for No Foolish Reason”. It is a revealing look at the times in which we live and the difficult challenge we face in speaking to those times.

For the better part of the first eleven chapters of this letter, Paul’s opponents have remained largely nameless, with only occasional allusions to their practices and characteristics, as in those who peddle the word of God for profit, those needing letters of recommendation to you or from you, those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart, and those who commend themselves. But having clearly identified the serious spiritual dangers of their work in 11:1-4, Paul, at last, exposes them for exactly who and what they were, in a message entitled, “Pulling Back the Curtain on Pseudo Ministry”. 2 Corinthians 11:5-15 is a cogent reminder of the important need and responsibility for spiritual discernment and watchcare, for our own sakes as well as the sake of others.

We return this morning to our study of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians.  The deep spiritual concern that undergirds the whole of the letter comes to an impassioned climax in chapters 11-13.  In 2 Cor. 11:1-4, Paul lays bare the heart of the matter, revealing the significant spiritual implications and consequences of their embrace of the opposing leadership’s ministry at Corinth, in a message entitled, “Losing Our Virtue”.  As we’ll see, an especially timely and needed word in our COVID-19 world.

 Many of the Corinthian believers had been quite taken with a high-powered group of church leaders, whose impressive abilities and relevant approach to ministry seemed to completely outshine both the message and manner of the Apostle Paul.  What probably seemed to them as nothing more than a needed change of leadership and updated direction for the church, in fact, revealed a glaring ignorance of the true nature and substance of Christian ministry.  In 2 Corinthians 10:12-18, Paul lays bare a crucial and fundamental difference that clearly distinguished himself from his opponents.  “The Measure of a Ministry” is a vital reminder of the single most important characteristic of the Lord’s work.

True spiritual leadership is never heavy-handed or domineering. God’s Shepherds never lord it over those entrusted to their care (1 Peter 5:3), rather they serve humbly, selflessly and by loving example. But that doesn’t mean that such leadership is meek and mild, especially in the face of error or falsehood. In 2 Corinthians 10:1-11, Paul serves notice on the opposing leadership by assuring them that he is fully prepared, if necessary, to act boldly toward them in the full authority the Lord had given him. What exactly was that authority? How was it to be exercised? And for what purpose? And how specifically does it apply to us today? The opening verses of the concluding section of the letter provide a rare but important introduction to “The Nature and Purpose of Spiritual Authority”.