A True Apostle

v.11 Once again Paul recognizes the foolishness of commending himself. It seems that he feels a little guilty for talking so much about himself. The Corinthians had compelled him to speak. Their unwillingness to openly reject the false teachers obligated Paul to stand up to the lies of the false teachers.

Paul should have been commended by the Corinthians rather than having to commend himself. “Commend” means “to show approval of.” The Corinthians should have stood up against the false teachers and showed their approval of Paul. Their refusal to do so forced Paul to defend himself.

The false apostles declared themselves to be the most

eminent of the apostles. In so doing, they were elevating

themselves above Paul. Paul did not hesitate to say that he was

in no way inferior to these false apostles. At the same time Paul

was sure to remind them that he was nothing. His humility was

obvious (1 Cor. 3:5-7).

v.12 The term “apostle” means “one sent forth”. When we

speak of the apostles we speak of a very specific group of

people. The apostles were the original twelve (Luke 6:13),

Matthias (Acts 1:26), and Paul (1 Cor. 9:1).

The Bible sets forth specific guidelines when it comes to

determining if a person is a genuine apostle of the Lord Jesus.

First, the person must have been chosen and appointed by God (Luke 6:13). Matthias was chosen sovereignly by the Lord through the casting of lots (Acts 1:24-26). Paul was chosen personally by the Lord Jesus on the Damascus Road (Acts 26:16).

Secondly, the apostles had to be eyewitnesses of the Lord Jesus (Acts 1:21-26). Paul was an eyewitness of Jesus as well (1 Cor. 9:1, 15:8).

Thirdly, the apostle received the gospel directly from Christ rather than from others. The original twelve walked with Jesus for three years. He gave them the gospel and commissioned them to take it to others. Paul received the gospel directly from Christ as well (Galatians 1:11-12).

The twelve apostles along with Paul, are a unique group in church history. While there are others who are called apostles (Acts 14;14), we should make a distinction between them and the twelve with Paul. The original apostles laid the foundation of the teaching of the church (Ephesians 2:20). Christ also promised that they would have a unique role in the millennial kingdom (Matthew 19:27-28). The New Jerusalem will also recognize the unique role of the apostles (Revelation 21:14).

Paul reminded the Corinthians that the signs of an apostle were performed among them. The signs of an apostle continued to be performed among the Corinthians. Paul describes the signs of an apostle as signs, wonders and mighty works. We should not distinguish these as three different types of miracles. They simply describe three different aspects of miracles.

They are signs in that they authenticate the message of the one preaching.

They are wonders in that they strike a sense of awe in the hearts of the onlookers.

They are mighty deeds in that they display the power of God. We are not certain exactly what miracles Paul performed at Corinth, however God did perform miracles through him.

The Corinthians had no reason to doubt that Paul was an apostle. He met the requirements, and the signs of an apostle followed him.

v.13 Paul wants the Corinthians to know that he loves them and does not consider them inferior to the other churches. This was probably an allegation of the false teachers. They desperately wanted the church to turn on Paul. Paul says the only way that he treated them differently was that he refused to allow them to pay him. Paul asks for the Corinthians forgiveness in this matter. Of course, Paul is being sarcastic. It was not wrong for Paul to serve the Corinthians without pay (see 11:9-11).

v.14 Paul had already visited Corinth two times. Both times he refused pay. His third visit would be no different. Paul did not want their money. He wanted them. Paul was not motivated by a desire for money. His desire was that the Corinthians give their lives to Jesus and grow in the grace of God.

Paul uses an analogy of parents and children because he considered the Corinthians his spiritual children. Parents provide for their children, not children for their parents. Therefore, Paul would give sacrificially to make sure his “children” had all they needed to live for Christ. For Paul it was a labor of love.

v.15 Paul would serve the Corinthians gladly. He would be spent for them. Paul would give what he had as well as himself for the Corinthians. Amazingly, the more Paul loved the Corinthians it seemed the less they loved him. This is often the case in ministry. Paul would not give up. The Corinthians had a special place in his heart.

v.16 Paul was not moved by the way he was treated in the Corinthian church. He would still not be a burden to them. He would gladly serve them without pay even though they often did not show appreciation for his service.

In the second part of this verse Paul uses sarcasm again. In essence he says, “I’m such a crafty fellow that I deceived you, didn’t I?” That was the charge of the false teachers. They probably told the Corinthians that he was buttering them up for something. Paul’s actions were anything but self serving.

v.17-18 Paul asks if he benefited personally from any of the messengers he sent unto the Corinthians. Neither Titus nor the other messengers of the church benefited from the Corinthians gift. It would be very unlikely that all these men of God would be in a conspiracy together to take financial advantage of the Corinthians (8:16-24). Paul insisted that he and the others walked in the same steps and in the same spirit. In other words, they were all men of integrity.

v.19 Paul recognized that he had a spiritual responsibility before God for the Corinthians. It was that reality that compelled him to be so diligent in his dealing with the Corinthians. His actions were to edify the church because that was his responsibility before God. Paul took this very seriously (5:10-11).

Thoughts To Consider

1. Churches should stand up for the truth regardless of the consequences.

2. Be very careful of those who call themselves apostles.

3. Men of God must be motivated by a love for God and people not money and fame.

4. True men of God want to see believers grow in grace.

5. False teachers usually constantly condemn others.