Watchman: Daily Devotional,Paul Has Been Defending Himself Against the False Teachers, Whom He Mockingly Refers to as “Super-Apostles.” He Does Not Specify What They Taught in This Letter, but in the Preceding Verses, Paul States That They Were Teaching a Different Jesus, a Different Spirit, and a Different Gospel, Most of Today’s Pastor/ Soft Christian’s

When a clever, fallen person sees a humble group of people, he or she sees dollar signs. Even today, some Christian leaders whose names we admire are or were paid salaries that would make them blush if they were asked about them in public. Ministers are worthy of double honor, according to Paul (1 Timothy 5:174), implying that they are well supported, but this is quite different from the outrageous salaries that make some ministers multi-millionaires.

Our passage today begins with Paul telling them that he is not inferior to them in any way. They had demeaned him in front of the congregation, and some members of the congregation had fallen for their deception. It appears that the fallen nature readily accepts criticism. But the standards they declared to be important were all worldly, even antithetical to the fruit of the Spirit in some cases. We must keep in mind that the early church did not have access to the Bible as we do today. It was still in the works. They only had one gospel and the first letter from Paul, but they did have a year and a half of Paul's teaching. However, the false teachers' cultural influence drew them back into their old worldly mindset. As a result, Paul tells them that their claim that he is inferior is false.

Even if I am inept at speaking, I am not inept at knowledge; indeed, we have made this clear to you in every way. 11:6 2 Corinthians Paul's ability to speak was one of their targets. Paul spent his youth studying under Gamaliel, one of the most prominent rabbis of the time. He had grown up in Tarsus, a college town. He was able to quote Greek philosophers.

He knew more about the Old Testament than most people. He taught the church of Corinth for a year and a half from Old Testament texts, demonstrating that Jesus is the Messiah and that He has come to redeem them from their sins. If the false teachers thought they were better at speaking, Paul tells them knowledge is more important, and this is where he easily defeats them.

Paul refused to use manipulative rhetoric for fear of draining the cross's power. He understood that the power lay in a clear presentation of the truth of what Jesus did for us (1 Corinthians 1:175).

This is something we must keep in mind. Some people have a lot of charisma. They have a wonderful personality and appear to be your best friend. They appear to be sincere.

But what exactly are they teaching? Is the Holy Spirit's power present? Are people drawn to Jesus or to the individual? Knowledge of the holy comes not only from studying the Word, but also from walking with the Lord. James refers to it as wisdom from on high (James 3:176). The Corinthians had witnessed Paul and his team's knowledge and wisdom. Their approach was markedly different from that of the imposters.