Paul’s letters to the Corinthians are full of courageous encouragement, wonderful descriptions of faith, and serious warnings against entertaining false teachers and false doctrines.
The Corinthian Christians belonged to Christ. In 2 Corinthians 11:2, Paul wrote, “…for I betrothed you to one husband so that to Christ I might present you…” Paul uses an analogy of 1st-century marriage customs to describe how all faithful Christians belong to Christ (1 Cor. 3:23), and are to be as connected to Him as a wife is to a husband.
The Corinthian Christians were devoted to Christ. Paul explained that he was afraid that their minds would be “led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (11:3). Like all faithful Christians, they are sincerely devoted to Christ and to the message they had both heard and received from Paul.
The Corinthian Christians were still in danger of being deceived and led away from Christ. Like Eve was deceived by the serpent in the garden, Paul fears that the Corinthians might be deceived and might fall away from the purity of the gospel (2 Cor. 11:2-3).
We belong to Christ, we need to be devoted to Christ, but we must also recognize that we are in danger of being deceived and drawn away from Christ.
Matt Langfield