Why did Paul have to constantly defend his apostleship?
Paul had to constantly defend his apostleship because it was under constant attack, Satanic to be sure. The Corinthian church’s divisions made it worse: some followed Jesus, Peter, or Apollos, while only a few stayed with Paul, so his authority was repeatedly questioned.
Les explains that Paul’s apostleship was under constant attack, and that attack was Satanic in origin. He connects this to the Corinthian church, where divisions arose because some were following what Jesus said, what Peter said, and what Apollos said, while only a few were staying with Paul. That environment of competing loyalties created problems and forced Paul to defend his apostolic authority. Les also notes that Paul did not brag about himself; every word Paul wrote was Holy Spirit inspired for our benefit. Paul claimed only that by the grace of God, as a wise master builder, he had laid the foundation—not that he himself was the foundation.