A Wicked Masquerade

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2 Corinthians 11:13-15

A Wicked Masquerade

Such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.  It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.  Their end will be what their actions deserve.

She would not take “No!” for an answer.  “You can’t fool me,” she insisted.  You are Richard Dreyfus.”  At last I surrendered to her insistence and autographed her church bulletin.  With a dramatic flourish, I signed the proffered bulletin, “Richard Dreyfus,” asking only that she keep my identity quiet.

The woman had first accosted me as I sat quietly, waiting for the morning service of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas to begin.  She had been seated behind me about four rows and had at last gathered sufficient courage to walk forward and ask for my autograph.  Close Encounters of the Third Kind was then playing at movie theatres across the nation and with the beard which I have worn for many years I apparently resembled the actor who played the lead in that movie.  In any case, she drew the association in her mind and would not be dissuaded.

I am not Richard Dreyfus, and though I have been accused of being the actor on more than one occasion, I am simply a preacher of the Gospel.  My autograph has scant value, either on a cheque or as a collector’s item.  I do hope that woman doesn’t try to sell the autograph to some unsuspecting soul.  I have often wondered if she has preserved it in some safety deposit box or whether it is displayed somewhere in her home where she gives the account of how she met the actor in a worship service in Dallas, Texas.  I guess it was my one moment of fame.

It is easy to make mistakes in identifying people.  Usually our mistakes don’t make much of an impact.  Perhaps some have been sent to prison in cases of mistaken identity, but this is the exception instead of the rule.  Otherwise, these instances would not be news.  However, mistaken identity can lead to disaster in the spiritual realm.  Paul warned the church at Corinth that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.  Therefore, it should not be a surprise that his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.  As a servant of the True and Living God I am compelled to warn you that such deceitful workers yet infest the churches of our Lord and infect the work of God.

In the text chosen for our message this evening is a brief snippet of information which should be thought provoking.  Paul was confronting the wicked influence of the false apostles.  They had presented themselves as super-apostles, but in fact, they were pseudo-apostles.  Paul’s motive for confronting their influence is laid out in the early verses of this chapter.  He was concerned that the attraction of a little bit of evil would prove sufficiently powerful to seduce the people from the freedom they enjoyed in and devotion they had to Christ (see verses 3 and 4).

Though I might address the issue of succumbing to evil, especially as temptation erodes our defences, I am compelled by this particular text to treat the issue of religious leaders.  Paul was dealing with individuals presenting themselves as apostles.  Perhaps there are individuals presenting themselves as apostles in this day of whom we need to be wary, but I am more concerned about those individuals who present themselves as ministers of Christ—pastors and preachers—who are in fact ministers of evil.

An Evil Masquerade — Evil fascinates us.  Even the most godly among us are fascinated by evil.  Were this not so, movies and television shows about crime would not rate an audience.  Were we not fascinated by evil we would not be drawn to horror movies or shows which attempt to frighten us with the prospect of death.  Evil fascinates us, and I regret to say that evil also entertains us.

How shall we define evil?  Superficially, it seems easy to identify what is evil.  Evil is anything which is wicked or which is opposed to righteousness.  However, in providing this definition we raise some disturbing issues for us as Christians.  If evil is that which is wicked or opposed to that which is righteous, then we will find it necessary to define righteousness.  Of course, righteousness is that which reflects the will of God or that which pleases God.  Righteousness is that which is right, and the standard for “rightness” is Christ Jesus the Lord.  That which honours God is good.  That which corresponds to the will of Christ is righteous.  That which is godly is good and righteous.

The problem comes when we attempt to explain the parameters of righteousness.  Patriotism is good—isn’t it?  The answer is yes; patriotism is good except when our love of our nation leads us to exalt that above our love for God.  When patriotism leads us to hate others—even though those others are enemies—then we would be compelled to question how good such patriotism really is.

Tolerance of divergent views is good—isn’t it?  Again, the answer to the question is that tolerance of divergent views can be good, unless such tolerance blinds us to the wickedness of ungodly views.  We are conscience bound to defend the right of others to worship or not to worship according to the dictates of their hearts.  However, we must not confuse the clamour to recognise those same views as equally valid to the will of God as expressed through His Word.  Sodomites are still an abomination to God, though we must not attack them for their views.  Muslims are under sentence of eternal condemnation, though we would not compel them to surrender the freedom found within our nation.

You see, patriotism and tolerance can be good and righteous.  However, elevated to a position in which they either vie with or excel the revealed mind of God, both patriotism and tolerance become evil.  Similarly, much of what is good in life can become evil if we fail to keep our priorities straight.  An old saying in the American South stated that “good is enemy of the best.”  In other words, when I make what is good the best, of necessity I must supplant what is actually best.

Evil does not always consist of gross wickedness as we count wickedness.  It is evil to murder an individual, lying in wait for them in order to spill their blood.  However, we know from the words of the Master that it is equally evil to hate someone, harbouring malice in one’s heart [cf. Matthew 5:21, 22].  Similarly, we who name the Name of Christ are convinced that it is evil to commit adultery; we are to be faithful to that one we marry and faithful to Christ.  We struggle, however, with the realisation that the lingering, longing look is equally sinful [cf. Matthew 5:27, 28].

Perhaps we can handle the frank confrontation that these words of Jesus demand, but what we must realise is that evil is not always so clear cut.  We cannot help but notice a beautiful person, but our appreciation of beauty can become a means to justify our own adulterous heart.  As the fallen creatures we are, we cannot help but be angry on occasion.  There is a point where anger consumes, however, and where we begin to enjoy the prospect of murdering another.  There is a point when goodness crosses over to evil, and we are each vulnerable if we do not guard our heart.

If that which is evil were not presented in attractive packages, we would not be tempted.  Just so, those who preach wickedness are ministers of evil, but the evil contained within the message they bring or which is communicated by reason of their lives is not necessarily apparent.  In fact, appearances can be deceptive.

Not everything is as it appears.  Three times in our text, the Apostle makes this point as he uses the concept of masquerading or transforming [metaschmativzw].  False apostles masquerade as apostles of Christ.  Satan masquerades as an angel of light.  Satan’s servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.

Workers [ejrgavtai] may be a term referring to missionaries.  That would seem to be a natural conclusion drawn from a variety of verses.  Jesus, referring to missionaries, said the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few [Matthew 9:37; Luke 10:2].  Likewise, in a more general sense, the Master is recorded as saying the worker deserves his wages [Luke 10:7].  The Apostle later cited this same Scripture arguing for congregational support of pastors [see 1 Timothy 5:18].  Once again, we witness Paul use this same term in reference to Christian workers.  In his last missive Paul says, do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth [2 Timothy 2:15].  Workers seems certainly to speak of ministers in the general sense, and in the context of our text it would seem to point to missionaries.

What I find fascinating is that these men whom Paul was confronting through his letter were not accused of presenting an evil message!  He does indeed call them deceitful workmen, perhaps referring to the fact that they were missionaries.  They do not, however, appear to be unbelievers who maliciously plot to infiltrate the church as undercover agents.[1]  These are professing Christians whom he roundly accuses of doing the Devil’s work.  Underscore in your minds what I just said.  Paul does not question their message—they may in fact  have been presenting a sound gospel message.  He does not challenge their profession—they may indeed have been Christians.  At the very least, they professed Christ and the Apostle did not openly doubt their profession.  Neither does the Apostle condemn their theology.  Rather, he focuses on their demeanour!

These super-apostles posed as participants in the same ministry which the Apostle presented to the Corinthians.  The apostolic ministry was earlier declared to be a ministry of righteousness [2 Corinthians 3:9, Christian Standard Bible].  The super-apostles would appear to be preaching a message which was virtually identical, if not actually identical.  Nevertheless, they were frauds!  Though the Apostle does not pinpoint the particular aspects making their theology errant, he does note their boasting.  It is the demeanour and behaviour of these super-apostles which betrays them.  Seize this truth, write it in your Bible: ministers of righteousness are those who live righteously, not those who purport to be righteous or to preach a righteous message.[2]

Ministers of righteousness remove the veil of hard-heartedness and by the Spirit of God lead His people to be transformed into the image of Christ [2 Corinthians 3:12-17].  They renounce shameful things and deceitful practices [2 Corinthians 4:2].  They also repudiate all boasting and boast only in the Lord.  Proud men, boastful men, demonstrate by their pride that they do not have the Spirit of God.

The super-apostles were not simply rivals of Paul.  Since they are servants of Satan, they are rivals of God.  To follow such men is to risk damnation!  Though such language seems harsh, Paul judges the situation to be perilous, calling for sharp warnings to jar the Corinthians awake.  God will judge according to our works [2 Corinthians 5:10], not according to appearances which are capable of fooling even the saints.  When God puts His refining fire to the work of these super-apostles, it will be destroyed in a puff of smoke [cf. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15].

I want you to realise that the Apostle here warns you against those who present a ministry of condemnation [cf. 2 Corinthians 3:9] among the saints of God.  They appear as ministers of righteousness, but they are servants of Satan.  Tragically, every church seems to eventually attract such individuals in greater or lesser measure.  The mark of a living church is that such individuals are unmasked and exposed by the preaching of the Word and the watchful eyes of the people of God.

We have been seeking deacons who are willing to serve the people of God.  There is no question but that as a congregation we now understand that deacons have no power or authority—they are servants of the church.  There will be no Deacons’ Board invested with power to hire or fire, or with power to expel from or to include within the congregation.  That is the purview of elders, and the pastor will shortly initiate the search for those men whom God has raised up as elders for us.  In similar fashion, elders must learn that they are ministers of righteousness—servants of Christ and of His church.  The elders will demonstrate the validity of their calling through service to the people of God.

The elder will be required to take care of God’s church [1 Timothy 3:5] and he will be entrusted with God’s work [Titus 1:7].  Consequently, those appointed to eldership must be men who hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, for they will be responsible to encourage others by sound doctrine and they will be responsible to refute those opposed to the same [Titus 1:9].  This requires that the elders must be sufficiently grounded in the Word of God to be willing to stand against all evil without yielding to their own baser instincts.  They must be sufficiently mature to avoid conceit, thus falling under the same judgement as the devil [1 Timothy 3:6].  This last issue brings us back to the matter at hand, which is the inclination to pride, or the susceptibility to flattery.

Those who serve within the church for what they can get (instead of serving for what they can give) are a danger to the health of the congregation and are rivals of God!  Such individuals must be exposed so that all will see and avoid their destruction.  Several such individuals stand out in my memories of conflict among the churches of this fair province.  I recall one man telling me that he was the chairman of the church.  Therefore what he wanted was going to happen and what he opposed would never happen.  Should there be any surprise that the congregation which he deluded bumbled from one crisis to another never accomplishing anything of lasting merit for the cause of Christ to this day.

Another individual told me that it was his money which kept the church afloat.  Therefore, he informed me that if I wanted a paycheque I would defer to him and give him his due.  According to his own word, I gave him his due.  I quoted Scripture to him.  To hell with your money!  And you along with it [Acts 8:20].[3]  Such a man can do great harm to the cause of Christ and stifle the work of God for decades to come.

I recall a young man who was an example of the believers.  He had a servant’s heart and he was eager to grow in the Faith.  He completed studies at the University of British Columbia and enrolled in Dallas Theological Seminary.  He asked that I mentor him during his ministerial practicum, but the young theologue that worked with me that summer was not the same sweet servant of God I had known in the previous year.

Later, I served in a church in which he had elevated himself to the position of a power broker.  He had considerable wealth, and his wealth influenced the church to an astonishing extent.  That young man told me that he did not wish to serve on any board; he only wished to make things happen by pulling strings behind the scene.  When the church refused to correct the problem, instead stating openly that they wished to continue in that same vein, I had no choice but to remove myself from their service.

None of those men I mentioned (and any of a number of women I could have mentioned) openly promoted a particularly wicked theology.  In fact, they each insisted that I preach sound theology, though they resented its somewhat pointed references to their practise on occasion.  They listened, but they seemed incapable of grasping the essence of the Word.  None of them were openly wicked.  They were not thieves, nor adulterers, nor murderers.  Each of them were, however, exceptionally proud and they each enjoyed the deference they received and the power they exercised over the people of God.  The churches of which they were members were each presented with the need to either recognise the evil in their midst or suffer the consequences.

An Evil Motive — The greatest weapon the devil has in his arsenal to test us is praise and flattery.  Whenever a man begins to listen to the adulation of those surrounding him, he is in danger of destroying both himself and the work of God.  Whenever the minister of righteousness begins to think highly of himself and his labour, he is but a step from becoming a minister of Satan.  Whenever a good man begins to enjoy adulation or deference or praise instead of seeking to submit to the welfare of the souls of the saints, that individual is in danger of becoming a servant of Satan.  Therein lies the dark danger.

Long years ago, Cyprian of Carthage wrote these words in defence of the Faith.  He invented heresies and schisms to undermine faith, pervert truth and break unity.  Unable to keep us in the dark ways of former error, he draws us into a new maze of deceit.  He snatches men away from the church itself and, just when they think they have drawn near to the light and escaped the night of the world, he plunges them unawares into a new darkness.  Though they do not stand by the gospel and discipline and law of Christ, they call themselves Christians.  Though they are walking in darkness, they think they are in the light, through the deceitful flattery of the adversary who, as the apostle said, transforms himself into an angel of light and adorns his ministers as ministers of righteousness.  They call night day, death salvation, despair hope, perfidy faith, antichrist Christ, cunningly to frustrate truth by their lying show of truth.  That is what happens, my brothers, when we do not return to the fount of truth, when we are not looking to the head and keep the doctrine taught from heaven.[4]

Whenever I preach as I have just now, there seems to be some dear soul who will seek to admonish me by saying, Judge not, lest ye be judged.  That is a fair enough statement.  We should not be judgmental.  We should not be critical with a view to injuring another.  We must, however, be willing to judge fruit, to be discerning.

I remind you that the same One who said, Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged [Matthew 7:1, 2], in the same sermon also commanded us to inspect the fruit of those coming to us with claims of righteousness.  Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  By their fruit you will recognise them.  Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them [Matthew 7:15-20].

Paul had already made it clear that just as the weapons of our warfare are different from those of this world, so is the realm in which we war.  His words are utterly ruthless!  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  Our divine weapons demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and … take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ [2 Corinthians 10:4, 5].

Underscore in your mind what the Apostle is arguing, then.  He is saying that some professed Christians are actually servants of Satan.  Perhaps we could be generous and say they are duped; but deceived or duplicitous, they work great harm among the people of God.  It is the duty of an elder to oppose such individuals, and in the absence of godly elders, it is the responsibility of the people of God to stand opposed to all such evil workers.  We oppose pride and self-exaltation, knowing that the most valuable endeavour is that which exalts Christ and builds the people of God.  We have yet to arrive at the place where we realise that service to God is the greatest contribution any of us shall ever make and to be a servant is the surest road to honour from the Master.

An Evil Conclusion — Their end will be what their actions deserve [2 Corinthians 11:15].  These words Paul penned are ominous, chilling in their starkness.  Because the actions of these super-apostles had injured the church, they were under a frightful sentence.  Do you believe that the church is the Bride of Christ?  If so, you will know that whoever seeks to harm the people of God is under a curse.  Listen to the Word of God. 

Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are [2 Corinthians 3:16, 17, nasb].

Each congregation is a temple of God.  God is jealous for His holy temple.  Whether you are willing or even able to see what you are as a congregation does not change the reality.  To threaten the church is to threaten Christ’s holy Temple.  To work harm in the church of the Lord Jesus is to sully His holy Bride.

Thus, the Apostle continues with this warning.  Do not deceive yourselves.  If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise.  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.  As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”  So then, no more boasting about men [2 Corinthians 3:18-21]!

The Synod of the Church of Uganda drew up the following four tests by which an individual may examine himself and test the reality of his Christianity.

(i)                 Do you know salvation through the Cross of Christ?

(ii)               Are you growing in the power of the Holy Spirit, in prayer, meditation and the knowledge of God?

(iii)             Is there a great desire to spread the Kingdom of God by example, and by preaching and teaching?

(iv)             Are you bringing others to Christ by individual searching, by visiting and by public witness?[5]

By these criteria, I wonder how we fare as Christians and as a congregation.  I am challenged as a pastor when I weigh myself against such a standard.  The standard is just and fair.  Indeed, each of us who name the Name of Christ should be able to attest to the salvation we have received through the mercies of Christ the Lord.  If we are not growing in the power of the Holy Spirit it must be because of some spiritual ailment.  We would only fail to grow if we fail to invest time in prayer and meditation and time alone with God.  Those among us who wish to be leaders through serving the people of God, let them first demonstrate their willingness to obey the Lord Christ through holding a deep desire to spread the Kingdom of God by example, by preaching and by teaching.  May it be the object of each of us to bring others to Faith.  It would be a godly goal for each of us to determine that by the Spirit of God we would bring some someone to faith even by the conclusion of this year.

If these criteria seem onerous, if we have no godly desire to extend His Kingdom or to spend time with Him or to see the lost saved, we need to examine our hearts to ensure that we are servants of righteousness instead of being servants of Satan.  May God give us discernment and stir us to the praise of His glory.  Amen.


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[1] David E. Garland, New American Commentary, Vol. 29, 2 Corinthians (Broadman & Holman, Nashville TN 1999) 484

[2] Garland, op. cit. 486

[3] Eugene H. Peterson, The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary English (NavPress, Colorado Springs CO 1993) 255

[4] Cyprian, The Unity of the Catholic Church 3, Library of Christian Classics, volume 26, cited in, Gerald Bray (ed.), Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament VII, 1-2 Corinthians (InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove IL 1999) 295

[5] William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series, The Letters to the Corinthians (revised edition), (Westminster Press, Philadelphia PA 1975) 249-50

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