SATAN AS AN ANGEL OF LIGHT

II Cor. 11:14-15 ... [Since] "even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light ... it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds."

      We read in Acts 18 that Paul brought the gospel to Corinth, a very heathen city with an especially debased culture devoted to idolatry. Against great obstacles, which induced within him "fear and much trembling" (I Cor. 2:3), he was nevertheless able to plant a church there and begin to build it up. For the next year and a half, an unusual stay for Paul in one place, he labored to strengthen the new Christians and enable them to continue faithful service to the Lord when he had to leave.  Once he had moved on to other fields of work, there came to Corinth men who preached "another Jesus," were motivated by a "different spirit," and proclaimed a "different gospel" (v.4). They belittled Paul's claim to apostleship (v.5), cast contempt upon his speaking ability (v.6), and suggested he preached for wages he received (vs. 8-9). In this epistle Paul refuted all these charges, urged the brethren to hold to the view of Jesus he had shown them, let themselves be led by the same Spirit who directed him, and remain faithful to the gospel he had taught them.

    Then Paul turned upon these adversaries and declared them to be "false apostles" and "deceitful workers," but most of all ministers of Satan who "disguise themselves as "apostles of Christ" (v.13) and "servants of righeousness" (v.15).  These men had come to the church in Corinth presenting themselves as authentic apostles, teachers of the real gospel, and inspired by the true Spirit. They were probably more capable in oratory than Paul and possessed the type of personality and physical appearance that appealed to people.  It often seems that people are more attracted to and captivated by a speaker who is handsome, physically energetic, and projects his personality with a magnetic force that draws people to him, and who is able to fulfil the desire of an audience "to have their ears tickled," (II Tim.4:3) and to dazzle their minds with dynamic speaking.  The truth of a message and the power of God that truth delivers are usurped by the speaker's appearance, personality and aggressive method of presentation.  Paul was willing to concede that his physical appearance was not appealing and that his speaking ability was not impressive (10:10), but he insisted that his knowledge of truth was superior (v.6), that his motives were directed by God's will (vs. 7-8), and that his labors were entirely sacrificial (vs. 23-33). Others might attract crowds and generate enthusiasm by their superficial methods, but he with knowledge, humility, and self-sacrifice would build souls for eternity.

      The basic issue involved in the text is that evil can counterfeit goodness.  Satan transforms himself into an "angel of light" in order to hide his true appearance and deceive the innocent, even as he first "deceived Eve" (v.3). No one knows if Paul is speaking metaphorically or rather in fact about some actual event, for Scripture does not explicitly reveal it. We do recall of "a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord (Yahweh), and Satan also came among them" (Job 2:1).  The phrase "sons of God' in the New Testament refers to Christians.  And today we can believe that Satan's ministers indeed come into the midst of the "sons of God" and, teaching a gospel perverted by human opinion and worldly philosophy, present a distorted image of Christ. They disguise themselves as "ministers of righteousness" by their personal charisma, zeal, appearance of piety, and use of Biblical terminology and images. We must take notice, however, that their "end will be according to their deeds" (v.15) and not let ourselves be swept away by their flair and dynamic enthusiam. We must always look beyond the external appearance for the truth and attribute results to God's power. We must not permit ourselves to be deceived by the outward peformance of what is really theatrics, the pleasing facade that conceals the presence and power of Satan.

      

WHOM THE LORD COMMENDS

II Cor. 10:18 ... "It is not the man who commends himself that is accepted, but the man whom the Lord commends."

      It is natural and common for a person, after he has accomplished something, to seek approval for it. Parents know how early this human trait begins, for their children constantly call their attention to the little things they make or do in their play. Teachers know how important it is to approve whenever possible the small achievements of their students, because these successes are necessary increments in the education process. To approve them encourages the student to further and greater efforts. In every area of adult life we look for approval for the things we do, and we glory when it is given in the form of compliments, awards, trophies, ceremonies, or public notices. All of this is well and good, for Rom. 13:7 teaches us to give "honor to whom honor is due." In the Bible we often read where recognition is given to those who had earned it.

      Sometimes, however, we make the mistake of judging our own accomplishments and pronouncing them good, or even superior. Our mistake is the choice of using a faulty standard of measure. When it comes to assessing the merit of human endeavor, there are three standards available for use.  One is the standard of human opinion, one is the standard of Divine revelation, and one is the standard of self-evaluation. The poorest and most inaccurate of these is the instrument of self-evaluation. In I Cor. 4:3-4 Paul stated, "I do not ... judge myself. I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted." Few of us are able to see our faults in their reality. Most of them we tend to overlook. Even when we do detect them, we choose to minimize their extent and seriousness. In v.12 preceding the initial text, Paul wrote, "Not that we venture to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another, and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding." If one does not yield the evaluation of his efforts to an authority beyond himself, he will proceed with the delusion that all is great and wonderful when, in reality, his life may be flawed and bound for disaster.

      The standard of human opinion is much better than the introspective personal measure, for we find it far easier to detect the errors in others than those within ourselves. Scotland's great poet Robert Burns referred to this when he wrote (phrased in present English):

      "O would some power the Giver give us, to see ourselves as others see us!

        It would from many a wonder free us, and foolish notion."

      But even this standard is often faulty, because as a  people of the land we often have our cultural prejudices and common sins to which we are together blind. For example, a visitor to the United States from a radically different culture can see our characteristic faults clearly, whereas we cannot. We are so involved in them we do not recognize them. Similarly, in Mat. 23:24 Jesus said to the Pharisees, "You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!" Here was a great community of people who did not recognize their blindness because of their long adjustment to it. As they picked out the minor faults in others, they could not see the massive, glaring faults in themselves.

      The only accurate instrument for measuring human endeavor is God's revelation to us, contained in the Bible. It fairly concedes our successes and signals our errors. The successes it praises to encourage their progress. The errors it condemns and counsels us to forsake them with all speed. In Jas. 1:25, as "the perfect law of liberty," it is symbolized as a mirror that shows us exactly as we are. Only when the Lord confers His approval on a person's life through this perfect standard is that person approved.

PRINCIPLES OF CHRISTIAN GIVING

II Cor. 9:7 ... "Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

      Christian service, like any other service, incurs expenses which must be paid. As Jesus went about His ministry of preaching, teaching and healing, He had to eat, occasionally obtain clothing to wear, and find lodging when the weather was wet or cold. He did not engage in any business which paid monetary wages, and only once did He perform a miracle to meet His expenses, (Mat. 7:27). Rather, He allowed His disciples to support Him in His work by sharing their resources to pay His expenses. Thus Lazarus and his two sisters in Bethany often opened their house to Jesus and served Him meals along with His twelve apostles, (Jno. 12:1-6). Also, in Luk. 8:2-3 there is a report that Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, Susanna and many others "provided for them out of their means." The generosity of these various people, which was based in their faith in Jesus' ministry, freed our Lord from having to take up His valuable time in working to support Himself or having to perform miracles to provide for His needs.

      The principle of God's people donating from their resources to pay the worldly expenses incurred in Christian service is taught both in the model of Jesus' ministry, in the many examples of the church under apostolic direction, and in explicit commands. Of the later, we first take special notice of Jesus' order in Mt. 10:8, which is given in a context of teaching evangelism, "You received without paying, give without pay." God has given salvation to us without cost, along with the resulting privileges of sonship to Him as Father and citizenship in His eternal kingdom. Out of deep appreciation we should feel great motivation to give freely unto the work of His service. Another direct command is I Cor. 16:2, "On the first day of every week, each one of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper." Our giving is here required to be on a schedule, every Sunday, and gauged to the extent that God has prospered us. If we believe in the importance and necessity of God's church and its function, we should accept without difficulty the charge laid upon us as Christians to contribute to its expenses.

      In the lead text above, we are taught about the attitude which God expects us to maintain toward this aspect of our response to Him. First, it must be our settled purpose to contribute. When one is converted to Christ, he should fix it in his mind that thenceforth, so long as he obtains any income, a portion of it will be turned over to the Lord for His service. A Christian remains in spiritual infancy when he continually has to be urged to remember the Lord as he uses the wealth the Lord blesses him to receive. Second, our giving must be ungrudging. We should not resent every dollar we turn over to the Lord and every hour we spend in His service. No one enjoys a gift when he perceives the giver has reluctantly given it, and neither does the Lord. Most of us would much rather a person keep his gift than put it into our hands with a heavy, unwilling heart. Third, our giving must not be of necessity. What does God think of the person whose attitude is, "Oh no! Here it is Sunday again, and I have to put some of Friday's paycheck in the contribution basket"? Does He feel something like we do at Christmas or a birthday when we get the distinct feeling that the gifts we are receiving are perfunctory rather than sincere expressions of love and appreciation? And fourth, our giving must be cheerful. When this writer gives something to someone he loves, it produces a great deal of joy in his heart to be able to do it. In fact, as he grows older he has discovered that he derives far more joy in giving than in receiving. If we love God who created us, Christ who saves us, and the Spirit who comforts us, we will find it indeed a cheerful experience each Lord's Day to make our contribution to the Lord's service with a degree of liberality that gradually increases.