Spiritual Warfare - Detecting the Deceiver

This blog is about the first chapter of the Bible study book, Spiritual Warfare, by Jack Kuhatschek.

2 Corinthians 11:1-15

1. "In this passage how does Paul compare himself to and contrast himself with the 'false apostles' in Corinth (vv. 1-15)?" He says that he is not in the least inferior to those "super-apostles" and that though he is not a trained speaker, he does have knowledge. He says that they are deceitful (he is not), and that he loves them (they do not).

2. "How are the dangers the Corinthians faced similar to those Eve faced when she first met the serpent (vv. 1-3)?" They are being deceived by someone pretending to be offering something that God is not, or something that would not be sinful. The serpent offered Eve the fruit, which was pleasing to the eye. The Corinthians were being offered new ideas that seemed like they were good, but they were being led astray and away from God and His will.

3. "Why is it more effective for deceivers to distort the gospel than to deny it altogether, or to preach a different Jesus rather than no Jesus at all (v. 4)?" The best lies are based on truth. I've heard that phrase so many times, and it's true. We are on the lookout for things that are outright lies so we can shoot them down. So if someone preaches no Jesus, we know outright that what they say is a lie, and we do not listen to them. But when someone preaches a different Jesus, or distorts the truth, we see the truth in what they say, and begin to believe that the rest is true as well. These half-truths are the most dangerous, because we can't say outright that it is all a lie.

4. "Evidently, false apostles had infiltrated the Corinthian church. In what ways did these 'super-apostles' seem far superior to Paul (vv. 5-12; see also 10:1, 10)?" They were better speakers than he was. He was timid, and not a trained speaker. These 'super-apostles' were trained speakers and bold in person.

5. "How does biblical knowledge (v. 6) protect you from eloquent speakers who are trying to deceive you?" If you know God's Word and the ideas in it, it will be easier to see the parts of the distorted truths that are not true, so you will see that these "truths" are in fact lies. By studying the Bible and praying, we learn what God's will is in our lives, so when we hear things from eloquent speakers that mean to deceive (and even those that are just mislead), we will know what the truth is. I forget where it is in the Bible, but somewhere it says that the people would go home and study the Word to see that what they were taught was true. I believe that we should do this, even with our pastors that we trust not to deceive us--they are human, and may not know that what they are saying is mislead.

6. "In contrast to the false apostles, Paul didn't charge people for his ministry (vv. 7-12). Why do you think the Corinthians viewed this practice as a weakness rather than a strength?" They could have viewed his not charging them as him not being good enough to charge them for his ministry. They could view it as a "you get what you pay for" type of thing. "How does Paul defend himself in this matter?" He tells them that he received the resources he needed from the other churches, and when he needed something he was not a burden to anyone, and the brothers who came from Macedonia came and supplied what he needed.

7. "How can we discern the difference between those who preach merely for money and prestige and those who have godly motives?" I believe it is something that would take time to figure out. We can't just look at someone and say "this is their motive" and act accordingly. It's something that would take a lot of watching and prayer. If the person begins teaching things that are not supported by God's Word, then we know they have other motives. Those who are from God will not care as much about the money or prestige as they will care for those that belong to God. Honestly, this is a tough question for me. It would be something that I would need a lot of help from God (and the trusted friends He gave me) to figure out.

8. "Why do you think Satan masquerades as an angel of light rather than appearing as a demon of darkness (v. 14)?" We are all looking for demons to stop. When we see something dark and evil, we know it is dark and evil, and don't listen to it. But if something that comes along and looks good, we are more likely to stop and listen. Satan uses this. In our eagerness to please God, we may fall into a trap or be mislead by someone else we choose to listen to. That's why we need to make sure that all ideas we hear from our pastors, leaders, books, and friends are supported by the Bible.

9. "Why might Satan's servants also find it effective to masquerade as 'ministers of righteousness' (v. 15)?" It is for the same reason that Satan finds it effective. People are more likely to stop and listen if what they are listening to sounds good. They won't stop and listen if something seems obviously evil.

10. "What are some of the pious disguises that Satan's servants use to deceive people today?" They use half-true religions to lead people away enough that they are no longer in God's will. There are many religions that preach that Jesus was the Savior, Son of God, but also preach many things that are not from God. They have their other books, their other prophets, and teach things that even oppose parts of God's Word. Yet people still follow these religions and believe that God is still in it. It breaks my heart to know that some of my friends are under these belief systems.

11. "Throughout history the Christian 'army' has been notorious for shooting its own soldiers. As we seek to unmask deceivers in our midst, how can we keep from falsely accusing true servants of righteousness?" We need to see a clear sign that what they are doing opposes what God teaches us in the Bible. We also need to pray about what we see. We can't accuse someone of trying to deceive just because we don't like what they teach. We need to dig into God's Word and find evidence there that what is being taught is not right. We shouldn't jump the gun when accusing someone of trying to deceive, especially if that person comes from our own church.

12. "Paul concludes this passage by saying, 'Their end will be what their actions deserve.' What types of actions might reveal that a 'minister of righteousness' is really working for the enemy?" If we are asked to do something that we know from the Bible God does not agree to, we know that the person is not from God. If they permit something that the Lord detests, we know they are trying to deceive us or lead us astray. Churches that are tolerant may seem like they are great for converting people, but in the end, who are they really hurting? They are saying it is alright to do these sinful things, but that is not what God says is okay. I'm not saying I don't believe in looking past peoples' faults and finding forgiveness, but tolerating repeated sin and even saying that it is okay is one of the ways a lot of Christians deceive themselves and each other.