2 Corinthians 11:19; Ye Suffer Fools Gladly

2 Corinthians 11:19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.

The Corinthian church welcomed anyone, especially those who were willing to preach and teach the people. The expression gladly is a true description of the warm welcome newcomers received in the Corinthian congregation. The members of the church were willing to overlook the character flaws, abusive behaviour, and devious doctrine of the false apostles. They voluntarily travelled the second mile to accommodate them… The term fools does not allude to Paul (v17) but to the intruders.

They are the ones who by their words and actions demonstrate their separation from the source and knowledge, Jesus Christ. (Col. 2:3)… Paul has a subtle play on words in the Greek text that cannot be matched in English. He calls fools aphronoi and the wise phronimoi, with these words identifies the two groups of people: the false teachers and the Corinthians respectively. His choice of words is deliberate, for he wants to show a closer relationship between the two. Relying on their own wisdom, the people in Corinth have made fools of themselves.” [Hendriksen]

It was a hard message to a people whom the Apostle Paul loved dearly. His prayer was that this warning will awaken them to their spiritual danger and take steps to expel these individuals from further impacting the spiritual well-being of the church.

Thy Kingdom Come, O God

Thy Kingdom come, O God;

Thy rule, O Christ, begin;

Break with Thine iron rod,

The tyrannies of sin.

Amen.