2 Corinthians 10:1-11
1: Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent!
2: I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh.
3: For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
4: for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
5: We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
6: and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
7: You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we.
8: For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame,
9: for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters.
10: For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.”
11: Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.
Paul began to address those among the church at Corinth who challenged his apostolic authority and criticized him, saying he would be meek with them in person, only strong and bold when absent. As if he was afraid to speak to them openly in person and his delay in coming to visit them was proof of that.
Paul urged them by the meekness and gentleness of Christ (and in doing so he was pointing out that this was the Lord’s demeanor) that they didn’t require him to be bold or courageous against those who opposed him when he would come. It appears it was not the majority who felt this way, and it makes you wonder why some of them would prefer Paul to boldly oppose them in person. It's as if they expected Paul & Co. to react in the flesh when challenged. They were picking a fight.
However, Paul said their fight was not a fleshly fight against people, and their weapons were not man-made weapons, but divine weapons, powerful weapons, which destroy the fortresses that oppose God. These fortresses are strongholds of thinking—thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. Trends of thinking which the enemy brings to try to persuade people to oppose Christ—knowingly or unknowingly. Arguments leading to false conclusions, fallacies, deception, whatever he can do to get people, even God’s people, to oppose the Lord’s thoughts and ways. This would be their fight when Paul came—a fight against these thoughts—not a fight against any particular people.
Paul said their weapons would bring down these thoughts and take them captive to the obedience of Christ. These divine weapons would expose these thoughts for what they were and bring them truthfully into submission to the Lord. After they addressed this, anyone who was still disobedient to this knowledge of Christ would be dealt with accordingly. Paul’s intent was not to ‘terrify’ or threaten them with his letters, but he would not allow them to shame him either. His authority was to build them up, not tear them down, yet he assured them that he was the same in person—carried the same authority and power—as he did in his letters. His intent was not to meet these challengers on their own terms—with a fleshly fight, but neither did he want to use the full power of God at his disposal against them. He wanted to teach them the ways of the Lord, to see them grow in Christ. His challengers really didn’t know they were fighting against God’s authority, and against God’s fatherly nurturing of them, by opposing Paul.
2: I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh.
3: For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
4: for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
5: We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
6: and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
7: You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we.
8: For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame,
9: for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters.
10: For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.”
11: Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.
***
Paul began to address those among the church at Corinth who challenged his apostolic authority and criticized him, saying he would be meek with them in person, only strong and bold when absent. As if he was afraid to speak to them openly in person and his delay in coming to visit them was proof of that.
Paul urged them by the meekness and gentleness of Christ (and in doing so he was pointing out that this was the Lord’s demeanor) that they didn’t require him to be bold or courageous against those who opposed him when he would come. It appears it was not the majority who felt this way, and it makes you wonder why some of them would prefer Paul to boldly oppose them in person. It's as if they expected Paul & Co. to react in the flesh when challenged. They were picking a fight.
However, Paul said their fight was not a fleshly fight against people, and their weapons were not man-made weapons, but divine weapons, powerful weapons, which destroy the fortresses that oppose God. These fortresses are strongholds of thinking—thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. Trends of thinking which the enemy brings to try to persuade people to oppose Christ—knowingly or unknowingly. Arguments leading to false conclusions, fallacies, deception, whatever he can do to get people, even God’s people, to oppose the Lord’s thoughts and ways. This would be their fight when Paul came—a fight against these thoughts—not a fight against any particular people.
Paul said their weapons would bring down these thoughts and take them captive to the obedience of Christ. These divine weapons would expose these thoughts for what they were and bring them truthfully into submission to the Lord. After they addressed this, anyone who was still disobedient to this knowledge of Christ would be dealt with accordingly. Paul’s intent was not to ‘terrify’ or threaten them with his letters, but he would not allow them to shame him either. His authority was to build them up, not tear them down, yet he assured them that he was the same in person—carried the same authority and power—as he did in his letters. His intent was not to meet these challengers on their own terms—with a fleshly fight, but neither did he want to use the full power of God at his disposal against them. He wanted to teach them the ways of the Lord, to see them grow in Christ. His challengers really didn’t know they were fighting against God’s authority, and against God’s fatherly nurturing of them, by opposing Paul.
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