March 04, 2008 2 Corinthians 11:12

03/04/2008

2 Corinthians 11:12 - 15 (HCSB)

¹²But I will continue to do what I am doing, in order to cut off the opportunity of those who want an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in what they are boasting about. ¹³For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no wonder! For Satan himself is disguised as an angel of light. ¹⁵So it is no great thing if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their destiny will be according to their works.

In the original Greek, the word in verse 14 which is translated “angel” is “aggelos” (pronounced ANG-e-loss) and literally means messenger. I find it interesting that Paul would use this particular word when describing false prophets that would appear. For even in the first century after the death and resurrection of Christ, there were those who were preying on the new church for their own fame and financial gain.

Nonetheless, Paul describes Satan as “disguising himself as an angel of light.” How many stories have you heard of angels lately? If you look at the tabloids at your supermarket checkout stand, you can’t help but see at least one story about angels. What role do angels play? Interestingly, so far as humans are concerned, they are messengers from God, so the Greek word is fitting.

I have often heard people say that some deceased relative has become their guardian angel. But I think this shows a lack of understanding of the nature of humans and angels. For more on this, see my editorial http://www.cleffpublishing.com/articles/jj122802.htm .

Back to the verse above: what Paul is trying to tell the church at Corinth is that those who want to exploit the Gospel, or even those who intend to corrupt it, will disguise themselves so well that it will be difficult to tell them apart from genuine messengers, preachers, or prophets. They will come speaking what sounds like the truth, and indeed, their message may contain elements of truth, but then their true motives will surface leading some astray.

For this reason, we must have some standard--some benchmark by which we measure the words of any messenger. That standard has to be the Bible. The Bible is composed of two basic parts. The Old Testament is the scriptures meticulously preserved by the Jews, and the New Testament which consists of either 1) authentic eye-witness accounts of Jesus’ ministry, or 2) verifiable writings of one of the apostles.

We should ensure that every message we hear is consistent with the truth contained in the Bible. If it is not, then we should question the authority and motive of the messenger.

And finally, the only way we can know if a message is consistent with the Bible, is to spend time in the Bible. We have the wonderful gift of God’s word in a form readily available and we also have the ability to read and understand. It would be a waste to fail to use these abilities to know God more closely.

As you spend more time in the Bible, you will gain the ability to know a true messenger of God from one merely masquerading as one.

Terms of Usage: This devotional may be copied or forwarded for personal use without permission, but must include the author, publisher, web link, and copyright notice. Use in another published work must obtain permission first.

[ Previous ] [ Up ] [ Next ]