The Subtle Beguiling Serpent 2 Corinthians 11:3

Paul the apostle told the church members in Corinth, “I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”, and in chapter eleven and verse two of Second Corinthians, Paul shared his concern for the church members over the way,“the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety” where we read:

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety,

so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

The verse begins, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety,...” Paul began with the words, “but” which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be written takes precedence over what was just stated “I fear” or “Paul was put to flight and afraid”, “lest by any means” which refers to “that perhaps and at all”, “as the serpent” or “the snake who deceived Eve was regarded by the Jews as the devil” “beguiled” which means “deceived and seduced wholly” “Eve” whose name means “live” and was “the first woman in the scriptures and mother of the entire human family” “through his subtlety” or “by way of the serpent's craftiness, cunning and false wisdom”. Paul was concerned that “Satan” would “deceive” the church members.

The verse goes on to say, “... so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” Paul added the words, “so your minds” which means “that the church members' mental perceptions and thoughts” “should be corrupted” or “would be destroyed, perished and depraved” “from the simplicity” which refers to “by way of the singleness, sincerity and mental honesty” “that is in Christ” which means “within the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God”. Paul knew the church members' “thoughts” could be “perished, depraved and removed from” the “sincerity and honesty” that is within the Messiah Jesus.

When we think through these words of Paul, we see his care for the people within the Corinthian church. “Satan”, who “deceived” “Eve”, might also attempt to “deceive” them and alter their “thoughts” about the “singleness” of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Religious people were attempting to “add to” the gospel through “works” or “obligations” while the plan of salvation through Jesus Christ was and is “single and sincere”. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31) Paul told the jailer in Philippi, and those same words are just as effective and “without beguile” today.

Next time Paul tells the church members what they would do, “if he that comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then,

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.