February 23, 2022 – Wednesday
2 Corinthians 11:14-15 NIV
13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
Comment.
Who are those Paul called such people? From the beginning of the chapter, they are people teaching a different Jesus and a different gospel than that Paul. And Paul feared they would or could lead the Corinthians astray from their sincere and pure devotion to Christ (v3). There were individuals who presented themselves as super-apostles, apparently with some form of gifted speech as Paul notes he is untrained as a speaker (v6). And Paul charged them nothing for his teaching on Jesus and the gospel, implying the so-called super-apostles did charge for their teachings. Why did Paul do this and continue to do so? Out of his love for them (v11). Thus Paul chooses to (v12) keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about.
Then we come to our verses for the day where Paul does not hold back even a little bit as he writes, For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. They are fakes and we have plenty of them around even today. We can spy them out the same way Paul did as well. Are they teaching Jesus as our Lord and Savior, as the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins, rose on the third day (defeating death) and ascending to heaven later? If they are not then they are again false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
Paul followed his comment on such people with And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. Satan cannot become an angel of light, he can only pose as an angel of light in order to deceive. Satan must hate to do so as he has dominion over darkness and he is not an angel of light. Thus, it should be no revelation, his servants, the ministers of evil, can disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness. Or as Paul writes in verse 15, It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. I hope you got that, Paul is calling teachers of a false gospel, any false gospel, servants of Satan. That in an incredible condemnation, so he ends with Their end will be what their actions deserve.
We can avoid being deceived by Satan or his servants by using the Bible as our guide. We need no other, but this then also requires we gain a certain familiarity with it, with God’s Word. In doing so we gain wisdom and discernment when it comes to false teachers among us.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Always prepare me so that I would not ever be deceived by a a false angel of light nor a false teacher on Jesus and the Salvation He offers to everyone. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek