Is 2 Corinthians 11 Paul's own feelings or Holy Spirit inspired?
Second Corinthians chapter 11 is Holy Spirit inspired, not merely the apostle Paul expressing his own feelings of his own volition. The passage is included for a purpose: to show what Paul endured to get the gospel to the Gentile world, and it carries divine inspiration rather than personal opinion.
Les explains that as you read these things in 2 Corinthians 11, they are inspired by the Holy Spirit. So this isn't Paul just simply expressing his own feelings of his own volition; this is Holy Spirit inspired, and it's here for a purpose. That purpose is to show what the man went through for the sole purpose of getting the gospel out to the Gentile world. He was getting no compensation and wasn't gaining any material wealth whatsoever. If he had wealth as a Jew and as a Pharisee, he evidently just left it all behind. Les thinks at one time Saul of Tarsus was a wealthy religious Jew, but he chucked it all for the sake of being the apostle of the Gentile. Then in chapter 11, Paul lists his credentials, saying, 'Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? Now he says, I speak as a fool.'
More Questions
What hardships did Paul experience according to 2 Corinthians 11?
Paul personally endured times of nakedness, cold, heat with no relief, and thirst in his apostolic labors.