Read 2 Corinthians 10
Paul’s Defense of His Ministry
1 By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
7 You are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. 8 So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it. 9 I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. 10 For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” 11 Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.
12 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you.14 We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ.15 Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, 16 so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory. 17 But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
Go Deeper
Paul addresses the believers in Corinth and challenges them to step away from living in sync with worldly standards, where decisions were based upon appearances. He uses military terms to describe the gravity of what is at stake in the battle against sin and Satan. War, weapons, and demolish are strong words that reveal this is a real battle believers face when swimming upstream, going against the ruler of this world and fleshly desires. Paul showcases how we are able to win this battle, “the weapons we fight with have divine power to abolish strongholds, arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God” (v. 3-5). We are not left defenseless but have divine power. The battle begins in our thoughts and will be won or lost in our minds by whether we will be disciplined to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (v. 5). Our thoughts must be submitted to the authority of God and his word.
It is imperative that we invest in knowing the word of God, making it a spiritual discipline that equips us to overcome the enemy. We must have knowledge of God’s nature, character and ways in order to detect the lies bombarding us. In the words of Christ, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). We must be as unrelenting as the enemy of our souls in putting on the full armor of God as daily we step into warfare.
In his book 9 Common Lies Christians Believe and Why God’s Truth is Infinitely Better, Shane Pruitt exposes worldly cliches believers often buy into that enslave and hinder both our spiritual growth and our witness for Christ. Two of the most common ones are: Follow your heart and believe in yourself. These would fall under pretensions Paul addresses and must be denied to follow Christ. They are faulty words and standards the world pushes to deceive us. The anecdote to both of these is to follow and believe in Jesus, not your own heart and self. Paul admonishes us against falling into a worldly trap of classifying, comparing and commending ourselves, but instead through humility let Christ commend and approve us. Just as Christ exposed and separated himself from social norms, so must we, so nothing hinders the gospel, the good news of Christ.
Questions
- Do you realize as a believer you have access to divine power to fight sin? How have you experienced this?
- What daily rhythms have you established to grow in knowledge of God’s word? Do you seek accountability with other believers so you don’t fall prey to Satan’s lies?
- What worldly cliche or claim have you bought into that robs you of spiritual growth? Where is the enemy gaining ground in your life? Repent and confess it to a trusted friend.
Watch This
Paul purposefully connected military terms with the spiritual battle believers face. Watch this video from GotQuestions.org to see an explanation of the armor of God.
4 thoughts on “2 Corinthians 10”
Paul’s opening words give us a glimpse of his heart and passion for the Corinthian believers. While delivering a tough message, he pleads with “the humility and gentleness of Christ.” Some in Corinth challenged his authority and slandered him, sowing disunity and discord in the church. Paul exposes human methods vs. God’s methods in the battles we face. Nothing can stand against God’s word and authority. Satan divides and separates, God gave his Son to destroy barriers—the ground is level at the foot of the cross. All are invited to believe and receive the gift of God’s great grace that covers the payment for our sin. We are now equipped with divine weapons that break down every human argument, as we continue to carry the gospel wherever we go. We become the fragrance of Christ!
We are fighting a spiritual battle everyday, all day. God has given us the weapons and tools to fight with but we have to learn what they are and how to use them. Eph 6 has the armor listed for us. Here in Corinthians Paul tells us there will be times of war vs 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
But first I feel we must be confident in the realization of the atonement of our sins through the Cross. ” Our repentance is merely the result of our personal realization of the atonement by the Cross of Christ, which He has provided for us. “…Christ Jesus…became for us wisdom from God— and righteousness and sanctification and redemption…” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Once we realize that Christ has become all this for us, the limitless joy of God begins in us. And wherever the joy of God is not present, the death sentence is still in effect.” ( this is from My Utmost for His Highest ) We have to know that we know that Jesus died for us. Then we repent of what wrong doing or sin that is happening minutely so that we can have our relationship with Him. As we learn more, grow more, search more, Paul teaches us in this instruction book we have, to do God’s will and be about the Father’s business of the gospel.
God thank You for wisdom in how to search, learn, seek, understand and LOVE You more daily. Thank You Loving me back. God help me with the weapons You have given me to fight this spiritual warfare. Thank You for joy of You exuding from me all day today in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!
When we choose God’s methods, prayer, faith, hope, love, His Word and the Holy Spirit, we are equipping ourselves to fight against sin and Satan. Father, I pray that I am giving all my thoughts and actions over to you that I may stand firm in Your truths and not be deceived by the enemy. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
v 4 “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
My two takeaways: 1) my life is in the midst of an ongoing “battle” and 2) I need to use better “weapons”.