Commentary - 2 Corinthians 11:7-11

Bird's-eye view

In this section of 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul continues his difficult but necessary defense of his apostolic ministry against the slanderous attacks of the "super-apostles" who had infiltrated the Corinthian church. The central issue here is money, but the stakes are much higher than mere finances; they concern the very nature of the gospel and the character of a true minister of Christ. Paul employs a sharp, ironic rhetoric to expose the twisted values of his opponents and to recall the Corinthians to their senses. His refusal to take payment from them, a decision he made out of love to present the gospel without charge, was being used by his enemies as "proof" that he was not a genuine apostle. Paul turns this accusation on its head, demonstrating that his financial independence from them was not a sign of weakness or lack of affection, but rather a strategic humbling of himself for their spiritual exaltation and a powerful demonstration of his fatherly love. He contrasts his own self-sacrificial ministry with the self-serving, financially motivated ministry of the false apostles.

This passage is a master class in spiritual warfare, where Paul wields his own sacrifices as a weapon of truth. He is boasting, but it is a peculiar kind of boasting, a boasting in his weaknesses and in his unwavering commitment to a free gospel. He is not just defending his personal reputation; he is defending the integrity of the gospel itself from those who would turn it into a commodity. The entire argument is saturated with a righteous passion, culminating in an appeal to God as the witness of his genuine love for this troubled but beloved church.

Outline

Context In 2 Corinthians

Second Corinthians is arguably Paul's most personal and passionate letter. It is written in the context of a strained relationship between the apostle and the church he founded. After his first letter, a group of opponents, whom Paul sarcastically calls "super-apostles" (2 Cor 11:5), arrived in Corinth. These men were polished speakers, boasted of their Jewish heritage and spiritual credentials, and, crucially, charged for their services, presenting themselves as sophisticated and worthy of honoraria. They systematically undermined Paul's authority, attacking his character, his speaking ability, and his apostolic legitimacy. A central line of attack was Paul's refusal to accept financial support from the Corinthians. They twisted this into evidence that he either didn't love them enough to receive from them or that he secretly knew he wasn't a "real" apostle and therefore had no right to payment. Chapters 10-13 are often called Paul's "fool's boast," where he reluctantly adopts the boasting rhetoric of his opponents to dismantle their claims and vindicate his own ministry, not for his own sake, but for the sake of the gospel and the health of the Corinthian church.

Key Issues

The Economics of a Free Gospel

We live in a world where everything has a price tag, and the church is not immune to this way of thinking. We instinctively believe that you get what you pay for. If something is free, it's probably worthless. The super-apostles in Corinth were banking on this worldly logic. They were expensive, and therefore they must be valuable. Paul, by contrast, offered the priceless gospel for free, and so they concluded that he must be worthless. This is the logic of the flesh, the wisdom of the world that is foolishness to God.

Paul's policy in Corinth was a deliberate, strategic, and theological statement. He knew he had the "right" to be supported by the gospel (1 Cor 9:3-14). He was not against ministers being paid; in fact, he received support from other churches to make his ministry to the Corinthians possible. But in the specific context of Corinth, a wealthy, proud, and status-conscious city, he waived this right. He did it to "put no obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ" (1 Cor 9:12). He wanted to strip away any possible accusation that he was in it for the money. He was modeling a different kind of economy, the economy of grace, where the greatest treasures are given, not sold. By refusing their money, he was not insulting them; he was protecting them from the predatory gospel-peddlers and demonstrating a love that could not be purchased.

Verse by Verse Commentary

7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I proclaimed the gospel of God to you without charge?

Paul begins with a question dripping with holy sarcasm. He takes the accusation of his enemies and frames it in the most absurd way possible. "Was it a sin?" he asks. A sin to do what? To humble himself. And what was the result of this "sinful" humility? That the Corinthians might be exalted. This is the very pattern of the gospel itself. Christ humbled Himself, even to death on a cross, so that we might be exalted to the right hand of the Father. Paul is saying that his ministry pattern was a living embodiment of the message he preached. He lowered himself, working with his own hands and refusing pay, so that they might be lifted up into the riches of Christ. The charge against him was that his free preaching was somehow a crime. Paul shows that if it was a crime, it was the crime of grace, the beautiful offense of the gospel.

8 I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to minister to you.

Here the irony intensifies. The word for "robbed" is strong; it means to plunder or despoil. Of course, Paul did not actually hold up the Philippian church at swordpoint. He is using hyperbole to make a sharp point. While he refused to take a dime from the wealthy Corinthians, he was willing to be supported by other, likely poorer, churches (like the Philippians, see Phil 4:15-16). He calls this support "wages" for his work of ministering to the Corinthians. The logic is devastating. He is framing his relationship with the Macedonians in the crass commercial terms that the Corinthians and the false apostles seemed to understand. He is saying, "You want to talk about money? Fine. To provide you with a free gospel, I had to go on the payroll of other churches. I took their money to serve you. How does that make you feel?" It should have made them feel ashamed. Their pride was being serviced by the sacrificial giving of others.

9 And when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brothers came from Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept and will keep myself from being a burden to you.

Paul now gets specific. He reminds them that there was a time when he was with them and was in genuine need. He was not independently wealthy. But even in his poverty, he refused to be a "burden" to them. The Greek word for burden can mean to grow numb or sluggish, with the idea of dead weight. Paul was not dead weight. He refused to sponge off them. Instead, his need was met by a delivery from outside, from the Macedonian brothers. This accomplished two things. It proved his resolve in this matter, and it was another quiet rebuke to the Corinthians. When their apostle was in need, right there in their midst, it was another church that stepped up to meet that need. And Paul declares his firm intention to continue this policy: "I kept and will keep myself from being a burden." This was not a temporary whim; it was a fixed principle of his ministry among them.

10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia.

This is a solemn oath. Paul invokes the very truth of Christ that dwells in him as the guarantee of his statement. What is his "boast"? It is precisely this: that he preaches the gospel free of charge. In the world of the super-apostles, the boast was in how much you could command in speaking fees. Paul's boast was the polar opposite. And he declares that this boast will not be "stopped" or "silenced" anywhere in Achaia, the Roman province where Corinth was located. He is throwing down the gauntlet. He will not be intimidated into changing his policy. He will continue to glory in the fact that he offers a free salvation, unlike his opponents who were clearly peddling the word of God for profit (2 Cor 2:17).

11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

Paul anticipates the final, painful accusation, the one that his enemies were likely whispering in the ears of the Corinthians: "He won't take your money because he doesn't really love you. He's keeping you at a distance." This is the most hurtful charge, and Paul meets it head-on. He asks the rhetorical question and then answers it with the strongest possible appeal. He does not appeal to his own feelings or to their perception. He appeals to the omniscient one: God knows. God knows the true motivation of his heart. His refusal of their funds was not a mark of his lack of love, but rather the most profound proof of it. It was a father's love, willing to be misunderstood and slandered in order to protect his children from spiritual predators and to present them with the unencumbered gift of God's grace.

Application

This passage forces us to examine our own assumptions about ministry, money, and value. The spirit of the super-apostles is alive and well today. It is the spirit that measures a ministry's success by the size of its budget, the slickness of its presentation, and the celebrity status of its leaders. It is the spirit that subtly communicates that the gospel is a product to be marketed and sold to consumers.

Paul's example calls us back to a radically different standard. First, it reminds ministers that while the laborer is worthy of his wages, the gospel must never be held hostage to those wages. The driving motive must always be love for God's people and the exaltation of Christ, not financial gain. A minister must be willing, if the situation requires it, to humble himself and waive his rights in order to advance the gospel without hindrance.

Second, it challenges churches to think rightly about supporting ministry. The Corinthians were wealthy but stingy, and their pride was wounded when Paul wouldn't take their money. Other churches, like the Macedonians, were poor but sacrificially generous. We are called to be like the Macedonians, joyfully and generously supporting the work of the gospel, not so we can "own" the minister, but so that the gospel can go forth freely to others. Giving should be an expression of our partnership in the gospel, not a transaction to purchase religious services.

Finally, this passage reminds every believer that the gospel we have received is utterly free. It cost us nothing. But it was not cheap. It was purchased at the infinite cost of Christ's own self-humbling. He who was rich, for our sakes became poor. Our response, therefore, should be one of overwhelming gratitude that leads to a life of open-handed generosity, not just with our money, but with our whole selves, for the glory of the one who gave Himself for us.