Autobiography commentary bible

Read the Passage: 2 Corinthians 11

Listen to the Redeemed Mind Podcast: 2 Corinthians 11

Jealousy and Defense (11:1–15)

Paul had just taught that boasting about oneself is foolish (cf.

2 Cor. 10:17–18), yet given the false teachers’ attack on his ministry, Paul felt compelled to defend himself. This is why Paul begins this passage by asking the church to “bear with me in a little folly” (2 Cor. 11:1).

Autobiography commentary bible study

Observe that Paul later writes, “I have become a fool in boasting, [but] you have compelled me” (2 Cor. 12:11). In 2 Cor. 11:2 Paul begins his defense by reminding the church that he had betrothed them to Christ; yet, in light of their dalliance with the false teachers, Paul declares, “I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Cor.

11:3). Paul’s lament here is helpful, as it is a reminder that the gospel message is simple, where