1 Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
Commentary
Vs. 1-2 1 Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
Since the Corinthians were giving the false apostles an audience, the Apostle Paul now requests their patience with him, as he is jealous for them (and not because of what he can get from them, as is the nature of the false apostles) but rather Paul's jealousy for them was born out of his Godly concern for them all. Therefore Paul wants them all to bear with him as he will exemplify some "folly", that is since the Corinthians were receiving the false apostles according to their boasting of their qualifications according to the flesh, Paul will also boast of some of his own qualifications according to the flesh (now this Paul will do in versus 5-6, 16-31). But first he wants to expose the false apostles for what they are, and from whom they have come. And so Paul's later "boasting" in this chapter will only be done to show the Corinthians that whatever the false apostles commended themselves in, he himself also had, or by the good hand of the Lord upon him had done, endured, or excelled them all in the same (vs. 22-33).
Vs. 3 "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."
If the Apostle Paul was going to engage in a little folly through self commendation to show the Corinthians the folly of judging anyone who seeks to be approved according to the flesh, he was only going to do so after warning them (and us all) about the dangers of the false gospel that the false apostles were seeking to sow amongst the Corinthians. For just as the serpent (i.e. the devil) deceived Eve by his craftiness, that is his craftily using logic and reason to make her disobey the Lord's expressed will for them, so the Apostle Paul wanted them to see that the same tactics were now being used on them by his own to try to lead them away from the simplicity that is in Christ.
Vs. 4 "For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!"
Right away then the Apostle Paul wants the Corinthians, and us all, to beware of those who preach either another Jesus, or another bring a different spirit, or teach a different gospel. The first then is those who preach another Jesus. For the Name Jesus Christ only has God's saving grace, everlasting life, and Holy Spirit regeneration and life transforming power when it is applied to the Right Person of Jesus Christ who is the Lord of the Holy Scripture. For the Lord Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, (of all that is God, and of all that has come from God to redeem humanity), and thus anyone who comes after Him, claiming to be from God, is not come from God (John 3:35-36, 5:22-23, 14:6, 17:2; Acts 4:12, 17:31; Rev. 1:8) but of devil, or of themselves (Matt 24:11-13; 23-27; ; 2 Thess. 2:9-12; 2 Peter 2:1 etc.).
Thus the Mormons Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible. Just as the Jehovah Witnesses God is not the God of the Bible. For though they have taken Jesus Christ's Name from the Holy Scripture, they like all other cults, (who came before them, or will come after them) only distort the Nature of God's Person (whether this is the Father, the Son, or the Spirit), and or the distort the Gospel, and thus the means to salvation, and thus our eternal reconciliation with God. And so the Jesus that they preach is not the Jesus of the Bible, because they have not only distorted the Person of God the Father, but they have added to His Finial Revelation given through His only Son the Lord Jesus Christ, which Christ Himself has given as the finial Revelation of God for us all. Indeed the Mormons even without their distorting the Nature of God's Person, and seeking to add to His Word through with their own, have like all other false religions in this world, only made either ones own works, or righteousness, essential to ones salvation. And so they not only teach another Jesus, but also an entirely different Gospel! For Satan has down through the centuries denied, distorted, and even tried to alter Biblical truths through his own, by not only denying the Lord Jesus Christ as the Alpha and Omega, (and thus the Lord Jesus Christ's exlcusive Position as the One through whom God has created all things, will Judge all things, and has redeemed and will redeem all who believe in Him), in an effort to keep people from a true knowledge of God which is exclusively found In the Lord Jesus Christ of the Scripture. And so if anyone comes to you preaching another Jesus, either adding to His Gospel, or taking anything away from it, or from His Person (either His Perfect Divinity or Jesus Christ's Full and Sinless Humanity), and what He alone has done in fulfilling all that is required by God for each and every persons salvation and eternal redemption when they repent and believe in Him (see Col 1:19-20; 2:8-10; Hebrews 10:14 etc.), then utterly and completely reject them and what they say. For altering the the Lord's Person, Nature, or Position with God, and or adding too, or detracting from what Jesus Christ the Lord alone has done in fulfilling all that is required by God the Father for each and every persons salvation is preaching another Jesus. Therefore put out all such people who do so. For it is incumbent upon us all who know and believe the truth to contend earnestly for the faith, and not give such people an audience, or any place to propagate their lies amongst us. For the Christian faith has been delivered once and for all, to us all, who believe (Jude 4).
Now a different Gospel may not always be a clear distortion of the Gospel, as is the case with the Mormons, but more than likely it will deny that salvation is by God's grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone (Eph. 2:8-9). And thus it will try to combine ones own righteousness or good works with what Christ has already done to bring about our eternal salvation. For such is human pride that people always want to put their own works or righteousness before God's. And so we have the Book of Romans and Galatians to correct and refute all such notions (consider Rom 3:19-28; 4:4-5; 10:3-4; 11:5-6; Gal 2:16, 19-21, 3:1-25; 4:21-31; 5:1, 4-5 etc.). Finally there is the danger of receiving another spirit that is not the Holy Spirit, which is now propagated by the modern day false apostles and prophets whose gospel "preaching" is rooted in their false prophesying and coaching people in how to "speak in tongues"; not Biblical Spirit tongues which no one can be coached in doing, or is to be coached to do; but tongues speaking that comes out of their own lying mouths in trying to look spiritual and make others look or feel the same. And so it is through these individuals that the devil propagates unclean spirits into peoples lives by their practicing and prophesying the same. For neither their tongues speaking, or their prophecies are not from God, because they exalt their tongues speaking above every other Spiritual gift as the "be all" of Christian faith and life. And yet none of their tongues speaking and prophecies turn people from their sins and transgressions, and thus from the power of Satan to God. Instead Satan''s power is manifest through them! And will be manifest even more through them in the last days when Satan will show all kinds of lying signs and wonders through them (Matt 24:24; 2 Thess. 2:9-11). Therefore people need to be aware of them, because "experience" without Spiritual discernment only leads to deception and bondage. Again they are not concerned with either our salvation, or our sanctification, and thus they do not encourage and strengthen people in the truth, to believe and obey the same. Instead their ministering their gospel is only to go around and lay their hands on people to fill them with demon spirits, for they have not come from God, and thus people have these non-Biblical fall-down experiences, (which they call being "slain in the spirit", which is not the Holy Spirit but another spirit) and so they manifest all kinds of bizarre and unsound behavior, none of which is of the Holy Spirit, but of another spirit, because the fruits of the Holy Spirit is not seen in any of their spiritual outworkings. And so people need to be aware of them, because they do not preach the Gospel of Christ that brings the Holy Spirit by faith (Gal 3:2-3), and thus His regeneration and transformation of our persons and lives, and His filling us and empowering us with the fruits of the Holy Spirit when we believe. Therefore by their false prophesying and practicing lies, they refuse to know the Lord in grace and truth (consider Jeremiah 9:6; 23:9-40; Matt 7:15-20; John 1:16-17; Col 2:8-10; 2 Peter 2; 1 John 4:1-3; Jude; Revelation 22:15 etc.).
The simplicity of Christ then, believing in Him and trusting Him alone, and what He has done for us all is paramount to keeping them and their evil ways at bay. For we who believe do not need to have any of their "spiritual experiences" to have salvation from God, or to be complete as Christians. All any of us need to do is keep our complete faith and trust in what the Lord Jesus Christ alone has done for us all. And then in accord with His Word and His Holy Spirit let His Person and life (that is the defining qualities of His Person and Life by His Holy Spirit) be manifest through us all. For the faith given by God through His Son is complete and finial. Nothing can be added to it, or taken from it. Thus the simplicity of Christ, trusting Him alone, and what He has done for us all, is paramount for us all.
Thus the Mormons Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible. Just as the Jehovah Witnesses God is not the God of the Bible. For though they have taken Jesus Christ's Name from the Holy Scripture, they like all other cults, (who came before them, or will come after them) only distort the Nature of God's Person (whether this is the Father, the Son, or the Spirit), and or the distort the Gospel, and thus the means to salvation, and thus our eternal reconciliation with God. And so the Jesus that they preach is not the Jesus of the Bible, because they have not only distorted the Person of God the Father, but they have added to His Finial Revelation given through His only Son the Lord Jesus Christ, which Christ Himself has given as the finial Revelation of God for us all. Indeed the Mormons even without their distorting the Nature of God's Person, and seeking to add to His Word through with their own, have like all other false religions in this world, only made either ones own works, or righteousness, essential to ones salvation. And so they not only teach another Jesus, but also an entirely different Gospel! For Satan has down through the centuries denied, distorted, and even tried to alter Biblical truths through his own, by not only denying the Lord Jesus Christ as the Alpha and Omega, (and thus the Lord Jesus Christ's exlcusive Position as the One through whom God has created all things, will Judge all things, and has redeemed and will redeem all who believe in Him), in an effort to keep people from a true knowledge of God which is exclusively found In the Lord Jesus Christ of the Scripture. And so if anyone comes to you preaching another Jesus, either adding to His Gospel, or taking anything away from it, or from His Person (either His Perfect Divinity or Jesus Christ's Full and Sinless Humanity), and what He alone has done in fulfilling all that is required by God for each and every persons salvation and eternal redemption when they repent and believe in Him (see Col 1:19-20; 2:8-10; Hebrews 10:14 etc.), then utterly and completely reject them and what they say. For altering the the Lord's Person, Nature, or Position with God, and or adding too, or detracting from what Jesus Christ the Lord alone has done in fulfilling all that is required by God the Father for each and every persons salvation is preaching another Jesus. Therefore put out all such people who do so. For it is incumbent upon us all who know and believe the truth to contend earnestly for the faith, and not give such people an audience, or any place to propagate their lies amongst us. For the Christian faith has been delivered once and for all, to us all, who believe (Jude 4).
Now a different Gospel may not always be a clear distortion of the Gospel, as is the case with the Mormons, but more than likely it will deny that salvation is by God's grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone (Eph. 2:8-9). And thus it will try to combine ones own righteousness or good works with what Christ has already done to bring about our eternal salvation. For such is human pride that people always want to put their own works or righteousness before God's. And so we have the Book of Romans and Galatians to correct and refute all such notions (consider Rom 3:19-28; 4:4-5; 10:3-4; 11:5-6; Gal 2:16, 19-21, 3:1-25; 4:21-31; 5:1, 4-5 etc.). Finally there is the danger of receiving another spirit that is not the Holy Spirit, which is now propagated by the modern day false apostles and prophets whose gospel "preaching" is rooted in their false prophesying and coaching people in how to "speak in tongues"; not Biblical Spirit tongues which no one can be coached in doing, or is to be coached to do; but tongues speaking that comes out of their own lying mouths in trying to look spiritual and make others look or feel the same. And so it is through these individuals that the devil propagates unclean spirits into peoples lives by their practicing and prophesying the same. For neither their tongues speaking, or their prophecies are not from God, because they exalt their tongues speaking above every other Spiritual gift as the "be all" of Christian faith and life. And yet none of their tongues speaking and prophecies turn people from their sins and transgressions, and thus from the power of Satan to God. Instead Satan''s power is manifest through them! And will be manifest even more through them in the last days when Satan will show all kinds of lying signs and wonders through them (Matt 24:24; 2 Thess. 2:9-11). Therefore people need to be aware of them, because "experience" without Spiritual discernment only leads to deception and bondage. Again they are not concerned with either our salvation, or our sanctification, and thus they do not encourage and strengthen people in the truth, to believe and obey the same. Instead their ministering their gospel is only to go around and lay their hands on people to fill them with demon spirits, for they have not come from God, and thus people have these non-Biblical fall-down experiences, (which they call being "slain in the spirit", which is not the Holy Spirit but another spirit) and so they manifest all kinds of bizarre and unsound behavior, none of which is of the Holy Spirit, but of another spirit, because the fruits of the Holy Spirit is not seen in any of their spiritual outworkings. And so people need to be aware of them, because they do not preach the Gospel of Christ that brings the Holy Spirit by faith (Gal 3:2-3), and thus His regeneration and transformation of our persons and lives, and His filling us and empowering us with the fruits of the Holy Spirit when we believe. Therefore by their false prophesying and practicing lies, they refuse to know the Lord in grace and truth (consider Jeremiah 9:6; 23:9-40; Matt 7:15-20; John 1:16-17; Col 2:8-10; 2 Peter 2; 1 John 4:1-3; Jude; Revelation 22:15 etc.).
The simplicity of Christ then, believing in Him and trusting Him alone, and what He has done for us all is paramount to keeping them and their evil ways at bay. For we who believe do not need to have any of their "spiritual experiences" to have salvation from God, or to be complete as Christians. All any of us need to do is keep our complete faith and trust in what the Lord Jesus Christ alone has done for us all. And then in accord with His Word and His Holy Spirit let His Person and life (that is the defining qualities of His Person and Life by His Holy Spirit) be manifest through us all. For the faith given by God through His Son is complete and finial. Nothing can be added to it, or taken from it. Thus the simplicity of Christ, trusting Him alone, and what He has done for us all, is paramount for us all.
Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.
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