I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me. For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed. [2 Corinthians 11.1-4]
The implications of what Paul wrote above are spiritually deep. While the words read easily, it is important to consider the references found therein to understand the full depth of what is said.
First, Paul mentions jealousy. He qualifies his own jealousy by comparing it to God's jealousy. If we search the Bible for God's statements about His own jealousy, we find ourselves in the Ten Commandments. Here is that 2nd Commandment with all its supporting descriptions:
“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.4-6]
Jealousy is God's response to idolatry. Idolatry is trust and devotion to anything other than God. God's jealousy is what Eve (and Adam) provoked in the Garden of Eden. Think about it: all Satan did was convince Eve to make a character judgment about God based on human reasoning fueled by human pride. Eve simply placed her "self" above God's Word. In so doing, Eve made an idol of herself. This leads into Paul's next point.
The next reference Paul makes in the conversation about jealousy is pure and undivided devotion to Christ. In this reference, Paul is making the clear inference that Jesus Christ is God, thus noting God's jealousy over a different Jesus..., a different kind of Spirit..., or a different kind of gospel.
In light of all we know about Paul's relationship with the Church at Corinth, it has been established that idolatry was prevalent and, an underlying issue. The key to this idolatry in today's subject passage is Paul's threefold reference to a different Jesus, a different Spirit, and a different gospel. And, this is where Paul's mention of Eve becomes so important to the conversation!
Satan presented Eve a different way of thinking about God other than what God said. Unwittingly, fueled by pride in "self," Eve took the bait. Once established in Eve, it was simply a "me too" situation for Adam (literally, everybody's doing it).
Why is this so very important? Because Satan is still lying to God's people today by appealing to their human reasoning fueled by human pride. When it comes to Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the gospel, people today all too quickly allow human reasoning fueled by human pride to transport them into the realm of different that Paul warned against. Instead of taking Jesus (and, therefore God) at His Word, all manner of different has entered the Church. Nowhere is this more profoundly seen than in people's loose interpretations of Jesus' strict demand:
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]
Likewise, human reasoning fueled by human pride has yielded different interpretations of the following demonstrative statements made by Jesus Himself:
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. [John 14.6]
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. [John 14.12]
You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. [John 15.16]
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [Matthew 28.18-20]
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” [Mark 16.15-18]
It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ [Luke 24.47]
Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” [John 20.21-23]
Fueled with even just a touch of human pride, any attempt to explain these passages with human reasoning effectively preaches a different Jesus..., a different Spirit..., or a different gospel. It fuels idolatry and ignites the jealousy of God. If God would not tolerate idolatry in the Old Testament covenant of the law, how much less will He tolerate it in the New Testament covenant of His Son! And, as seen in His numerous statements above, Jesus is in undeniable agreement.
Again:
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]
The thing is, we don't have to go about looking for idols under every rock. All we are tasked to do is, without human reasoning fueled by human pride, give up our own way (look for and get rid of the idols under our own rock), take up our cross, and follow Jesus. The idols will then reveal themselves when we genuinely start looking.
Father, forgive me for resorting to human reasoning which is so delicately but powerfully controlled by human pride when it comes to Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the gospel. May I relinquish my proud reasoning and replace it with humble obedience to the Cross. May I be so trusting and devoted to Jesus "as a pure bride to one husband" that I avoid provoking Your jealousy at all. May my trust and devotion to Jesus instead provoke jealousy to every modern-day idol and Satan who inspires them. So be it.
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