11:13 false apostles. True apostles had been chosen directly as such by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, had performed true miracles (II Corinthians 12:12), and had seen personally the resurrected Christ (see on I Corinthians 9:1). There were at that time (and often since that time) men who falsely claimed to be apostles, and some of these had come to Corinth, trying to turn these recent converts of the Apostle Paul against him. It is important to remember that the apostolic era ended with the death of John, the last of the real apostles of Christ. Since that time, any man who has claimed to be an apostle, in some line of supposed “apostolic succession” has been a false apostle, and those who have followed him have been led astray. The Lord Jesus warned against “false Christs, and false prophets” (Matthew 24:24), and here Paul warns against “false apostles”; Peter later warned against “false teachers” (II Peter 2:1). The test is always that of complete fidelity to Scripture and only Scripture as determinative for Christian faith and practice. Note also Isaiah 8:20; II Timothy 3:15-17; and II Peter 3:3,15-18.