[1] In 2 Corinthians 11:4, Paul is writing
to Christians and warning them not to receive a different spirit from the Holy
Spirit. How can we tell the difference? We renew our minds daily by the washing
of the water of The Word. We read our Bibles. We compare everything to
The Word of God, and if it doesn’t line up, we reject it. The Holy Spirit will
not teach anything that is contrary to the scriptures.
[2] There are always
those who want to rule over and make merchandise of the sheep, and there are
always sheep who love to have it so (2 Corinthians 11:4, Jeremiah 5:31, 2 Peter
2:3). How to protect ourselves? Cultivate a love of The Word, and become doers
of The Word and not hearers only.
[3] The early church did not believe or
teach that God only called the twelve as apostles. Indeed, the apostle Paul
himself was not one of the twelve (original or otherwise). It was Matthias who
took Judas’ place and was ordained as an apostle by the original eleven [who
were inspired by prophecy to choose him]. Matthias did not lose his place as an
apostle when Paul was born again and accepted that calling. At the very least,
Paul would have been the 13th apostle [14th counting
Judas]. The ministry gift of apostle is still active in the Church today, just
as much as prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. The warning in this
passage, is not against the ministry gift of apostle itself, but rather against
false apostles.
[4] 2 Corinthians 11:17: Paul never claimed
that every word he wrote was Holy Writ. In fact, he often stated that it was
not. When we read the apostle Paul’s writings, we must discern between what he
claims is, “Thus saith the LORD,” and his commentary on what has already been
written (the scriptures -Isaiah 8:20).
Paul even warned of counterfeit letters being distributed
among believers as from him. Do we really believe that counterfeiters would not
also take Paul’s legitimate letters and change them, interpolating their own
skewed views? Some scholars believe there are instances of this in our Bibles
today. Paul addressed the issue of the forgeries in his letter to Thessalonica.
“Now we beseech you brethren by the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him That you be not soon shaken
in mind or be troubled neither by spirit, nor by word nor by letter as
from us forgeries with interpolations as that the day of
Christ is at hand Let no one deceive you by any means…” –2 Thessalonians 2:1-3
That is why Christians should read the Old Testament and
gain a comprehensive knowledge of what it says and does not say. Because those
are the scriptures referred to in the New Testament. The early Ekklesia
compared everything the apostles taught with what had already been
written (as commanded in Isaiah 8:20). And we must do the same.
[5] Paul seemingly died when he was stoned Acts
14:19-20 (at least everyone thought he was dead), and then, to everyone’s
amazement, after he was lying on the ground dead, stood up (apparently
completely healed of the injuries inflicted by the stones) and walked into the
city. According to his own testimony, he died more than once, likely a result
of the stoning and at least a few of the five scourging’s he received. It could
have been during one of these times that he was caught up to Paradise (located
outside our kosmos, in the third heaven) occurred, where he saw things he was
not permitted to tell. Paul never claimed to have an out of body experience,
and it is possible that he died, went to Paradise, and rose from the dead 2
Corinthians 12:1-5.
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