The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

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The apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians: “But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, which you had not received, or a different gospel, which you had not accepted, you put up with it splendidly” (2 Cor. 11:3-4, emphasis added).

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul depicted Christ as the last Adam and second man in order to show how Jesus’ death and resurrection reversed the effects of the Fall and secured a glorious future for us (1  Cor. 15:45-49). Borrowing from that analogy in his second letter, Paul now likens the church to a second Eve. As Adam and Eve became one flesh (Gen. 2:24), Christ and the church are joined in a covenant relationship. 

The image of salvation as betrothal between Christ and his followers is consistent with first-century Jewish marriage customs involving two separate ceremonies: the betrothal,  and the nuptial ceremony that consummates the marriage. Usually, a year separates the two events, yet the betrothed young woman legally is regarded as the man’s wife and obligates herself to remain a virgin. The contract is binding; only death or a formal bill of divorce may end it. If the betrothed woman cheats on her husband, she is considered an adulteress. She may be banished under Roman rule or stoned under Old Testament law (Deut. 22:23-27). 

Since Paul spent considerable time planting the church in Corinth, he feels a personal responsibility, as spiritual father, to ensure the church’s faithfulness to the Lord. But in his absence, Corinthian believers have welcomed seducers into the church – self-proclaimed “super apostles” who teach “another Jesus,” “a different spirit,” and “a different gospel” (2 Cor. 11:4-5). 

Paul worries that the church at Corinth – Christ’s betrothed bride – is falling prey to Satan’s deception in the same way Eve allowed the serpent to seduce her. Some segments of Jewish tradition hold that Satan, masquerading as a good angel, sexually seduced Eve. But Paul has spiritual debauchery in mind, and the text of Genesis 3 in no way suggests a sexual encounter between the serpent and Eve. 

Rather, as the serpent enticed Eve to disobey God, the “super apostles” at Corinth beguile Christ’s followers to embrace counterfeit doctrines. As David Garland notes, “Paul sounds the alarm that the same tempter who flattered and deceived Eve has ensnared them. Satan always lies coiled, ready to strike at the first sign of weakness and to exchange sugarcoated lies for the unvarnished truth.”

It’s worth noting another similarity between Eve and the church at Corinth. The Lord does not exonerate Eve because she fell into seduction; neither will he pardon the Corinthians. The reason is straightforward: Both Eve and the church invite deception with eyes wide open. Eve is deceived “by exciting the unholy feelings in her heart.” The Corinthians show a strong leaning toward willful error, believing themselves to be kings who already reign (1 Cor. 4:8). Such arrogance makes them easy marks for the master of deception.

Paul writes that the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning. The Greek word rendered “deceived” is exapatao and means “to seduce wholly.” It is stronger than mere temptation, for it results in both a victor and a victim. Eve does not struggle to a standoff; she succumbs. Satan emerges victorious and then vanishes from the scene. The serpent employs cunning to triumph over Eve. The Greek word here is panourgia. It means “craftiness,” “a specious or false wisdom,” “trickiness or sophistry.” In other words, Satan offers honey-laced poison to Eve, and she swallows it whole.

Thus, Eve’s story serves as a backdrop for the danger the Corinthians face – a danger of wanton deception. Like Eve, the Corinthians welcome their tempters and listen to their seductive arguments. And like Eve, the Corinthians have opened their minds to the crafty manipulator behind the “super apostles.” 

In fact, Paul states his concern that their minds, like Eve’s, may be seduced from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. Satan works on our thoughts to dislodge us from a firm spiritual footing. He raises doubts, entices us with what-if questions, whispers half-truths into our cupped ears, stuns us with pain and sorrow, and slowly dulls our consciences so that resistance is futile and sin becomes inevitable. 

The word Paul uses for “minds” here is noemata and means “mental perceptions,” “thoughts and purposes.” That’s why Paul urges us to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). The serpent’s seductive power over Eve is his persuasive words. The cunning of the “super apostles” is their attractive but counterfeit gospel and their charismatic charm. As Paul Barnett writes, “A sincere devotion to Christ is possible only where the true and authentic gospel of Christ is taught and heard.”

Next: A master of disguise (2 Cor. 11:13-15)