2 Corinthians 11

Fearing the Corinthians are being led astray “from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” by those who preach “another Jesus,” Paul reluctantly engages in “boasting.” He notes he preached free of charge and exposes the false apostles as deceitful workers, “disguising themselves as apostles of Christ,” even as Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Then, “as a fool,” he boasts — but of his sufferings: imprisonments, countless beatings, five times the thirty-nine lashes, shipwrecks, dangers, hunger, and the daily pressure of anxiety for all the churches. “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”