2 Corinthians 11:17 Commentary and Bible Study

What does he mean by, ‘I speak it not after the Lord’? Does he mean that he is not under speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit of God? Some people think it means that. ‘Look here is a passage where the apostle is not inspired.’ No, he does not mean that; he is totally inspired throughout the word, but he says, ‘I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly.’ ‘The normal conduct of a Christian is never to commend himself, but over this issue,’ he says, ‘I am forced to commend myself, and I am embarrassed to have to do so. But I am forced to counter what they are saying, not just to keep the record straight for me, but for your sakes, so that you trust the ministry of apostles.’ So that is what that verse means. He is inspired, but he is not behaving according to the normal standard for Christians. In order to defend the faith, he is having to make his claim to apostleship.He speaks in a way that is quite uncharacteristic of him and more so of the Lord, yet it is under inspiration. But, as he does it, he says, ‘Don’t you do it too.’ We are warned. How much we see of this: boasting about men, about converts, about achievements. We are not to do it even if it is true. When you see people boasting, interviewed in some magazine, you don’t know they are unconverted, but you know you mustn’t listen.