Michael's Abbey Bible Study - 2 Corinthians Chapter 10

While this entire letter is about issues in the Corinthian church, chapters 10-13 concern Paul's apostolic authority more than the previous chapters. There is an unimportant assertion by a small minority of scholars that these last chapters were a separate letter to the Corinthians and the two were attached together editorially at later date. However, this is only based on the change of focus and not on any historical or manuscript evidence. In other words, it is pure supposition. Even if this is true it does not change the meaning or impact of the letter. Regardless, textual analysis shows portions of chapters 1-9 stop short of fully completing their arguments regarding apostolic authority and even more on the issues of the church, anticipating that this would be fully covered later in this letter.

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! Up to this point Paul has written from the perspective of his team which included Timothy as his brother in Christ, co-worker in Christ, and scribe. And there were others included in Paul's team. Now, with the beginning of this chapter Paul shifts to the position of his office of Apostle.
One of the criticisms of Paul was he was not assertive and bold like Apollos and others when he spoke. Paul's opening reminds them that Christ was meek and gentle. (While Christ was also bold and confrontational both in word and physically does not alter the fact that He was meek and gentle as well. The two are not mutually exclusive outside of shallow and one-dimensional people.)
Another was that his writing style didn't match his speaking style, leading to a claim of being two-faced. However, this is confusing style and substance. In substance the message was consistent. It may be that Paul felt that metaphorically grabbing people by the shirt and shaking the crazy out of them was better accepted in writing than in person.
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. The urging in verse 1 is from a position of authority. With the word "ask" Paul shifts to a lesser tone of a coworker.
What he is asking is that they get their house in order so that he doesn't need to be authoritative when he visits. In particular, he does not want to have to be a disciplinary agent against those who accuse Paul of walking in the flesh, that is in sin. The implication in the Greek is that they "imagine" he is walking in the flesh. He wants the Corinthian church to exercise church discipline and clean up their own house themselves. While Paul is willing to assume the Christ-like disciplinary role he would prefer to come in the Christ-like gentle role winning people over with reasoning and teaching.
Unfortunately, in my own experience with more churches than I can count, church discipline is far worse than the worst period of the Corinthian church. (See the notes on verse 6.)
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, Paul argues that while it is fact that he is human and walks this earth as a human, he does not walk conforming to this world. By implication, those who oppose him walk in this world and are conformed to it as evidenced by their actions.
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. Paul does not fight for God with worldly weapons like those who operate in the flesh with the tools of man, such as the dynamic speaking of a cult of personality or by telling people what they want to hear for accumulating personal power. He fights with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 4:2 but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
The proof is the results. The greatest fortress for pagan beliefs in the world at the time was Corinth, and Paul teaching the gospel pulled down the walls of that fortress.
Proverbs 21:22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty And brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
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, Paul is clear that what is being destroyed is the thoughts and reasoning of man that is contrary to the gospel and scripture. It is not all knowledge of man, or Paul would be a total hypocrite. He was always teaching from his knowledge of the gospel and scripture. And he sometimes offered his own speculations, although he was clear to differentiate his thoughts as such.
Two groups distort this verse asserting that it is against all knowledge and speculation to support their own anti-biblical doctrines. Authoritarian churches misuse this verse to support that people must get instruction from church leaders who falsely claim apostolic authority. And hyper-Charismatics misuse it to support that people must rely on direct instruction by the Holy Spirit for everything. These two groups frequently are present in the same church, and even in the same "pastor". However, both of these false views are contradicted by the many scriptures that instruct us to seek wisdom. If one is to submit to another in everything like a lemming, then there is no need for wisdom.
Finally, Paul brings up taking every thought as a prisoner of war. The prisoners are the thoughts that are the enemy to obedience to Christ. The point is that idle speculations that run contrary to scripture and the gospel are not to be let loose in our minds. Sin begins as a thought as in Jesus told us in Matthew 5:27-30. In like manner, blasphemy and apostasy begin as idle speculation that lead us to question God. (Usually by poking at things we don't or can't understand.) However, this is not a cultish "don't even think about things that contradict us" approach. Cults like the Mother of God cult and Jehovahs Witnesses give strict instructions not to look up things about themselves on the Internet to prevent their followers from discovering the truth about their cult's lies. On the contrary, we are to be prepared to give answers to such things which is impossible if we are prohibited from even thinking about them.
The point is that we are to keep such thoughts captive, that is to always hold the gospel and scripture as authoritative and not let speculations that contradict those to gain a foothold in us. In other words, never forget for an instant that these thoughts are the enemy and we are only thinking about them to find the counter-argument. If we aren't doing that or are unable, we should just let them go.
6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. The verb tense means we stand ready, as in vigilant and ready to act. The act called for is to punish all disobedience to Christ. Specifically, this is those teaching against the gospel of Jesus Christ, who Paul will call out as being of satanic origin in chapter 11.
The rest of the verse is awkward in English. The disobedience to be punished refers to the bad actors, and the obedience being complete refers to the people of the church who have been led astray but are able to be returned to the true gospel. Essentially, Paul is distinguishing between the bad actors who are leading the church astray and those who are honestly seeking Christ despite being led astray.
What we should take away from this is that we are supposed to discipline disobedience to Christ, that is those who try to mislead people and contradict scripture. But churches today in America utterly fail to do this, with only a couple of exceptions. (And those exceptions do not include my church, or any church I've ever been a part of. And it is almost sure your church isn't an exception either. You have a statistically greater chance of winning the lottery than your church being one that does this right.) Failure to do this has severe consequences. People turn away from God to a false Gospel. Worse, many turn away from God entirely when they see the hypocrisy between what is taught in the church and what is in scripture. Church leaders get influenced and warped by repeated exposure to these falsehoods. Of course, that is assuming those leaders aren't the source themselves which is most often the case. Most churches won't even remove blatantly and horrifically sinful behaving people from being employees of the church. This is wrong on every level. We ought to do better than the pagans on this, when the evidence is we are worse at it.
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. This is a very rare case where the Greek is not clear. This could be an indicative tense, which is how the NASB translates it, meaning this is what you are doing. In that case Paul is being ironic. It could also be the imperative tense, which makes it a command to look at what is in front of you. It could also be a question, as in do you see what is in front of you?
It is probably best understood as a warning, as in look out for yourself/others falling for surface appearances in others and themselves. In other words, don't be fooled by outward appearances. (This is supported by what follows in the verse.)
Next is a clear warning that if someone thinks they belong to Christ they ought to thoughtfully consider if that is true. If he is really of Christ, then he cannot be opposed to Paul and his team as they are of Christ. In other words, those who say Paul is walking in the flesh are identifying themselves as not being of Christ. True followers of Christ are allies, not opponents.
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, Paul's apostolic authority comes from God, not himself or Jerusalem. When he was first in Jerusalem, the leaders there confirmed Paul taught the same true gospel, with their only recommendation being not to forget the poor. As Paul was of Christ, he was already of that mind.
The purpose of the apostolic office was to build up the churches, not to destroy them. Thus they shouldn't believe the fear mongers.
The ending of the verse does not refer to personal shame. It refers to Paul's fear that the mission to Corinth might have been in vain. Paul is saying he is confident that his faith in them will be the reality in the end.
9 for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters. Here I diverge from the NASB translation. The Greek doxo can mean "seem", but it is more likely to mean "to think" especially in this context. Thus it can be translated as "Do not think I am trying to terrify you with my letters." But the meaning being conveyed is essentially the same. Paul's written work was eloquent and his in-person speaking was not. Although he taught the same gospel and theology in person and in writing, he would speak in simpler language in person which takes much longer to relay the same information.
Paul's third letter to the Corinthians was a very strong smack down. And all of Paul's letters, both those inspired by the Holy Spirit and those that were from only from him were all full of deep theological meaning and practical instruction for Christian living. Even Peter wrote that Paul's letters were scriptural, but are sometimes hard to understand.
10 For they say, "His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible." Here Paul is directly taking on his critics using their own argument against them. In contrasting the difference between his writing and speaking they thought this was a condemnation of Paul they were defeating him. However, as Paul points out, in their own condemnation they admit that Paul has the reputation of being the theological and gospel heavyweight champion writer. His letters were copied and shared among all the churches, not just the churches they were addressed to and not just to churches in the same region. In their condemnation they affirm his credentials, even if it is a backhanded compliment.
In their criticism of his speech, the context is very similar to our own culture. People value presentation over subject matter, form over substance. A really good speaker who says nothing is lauded over one who presents good information but does without the rhetorical flourishes. A perfect example is the Presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. Nixon was getting over a flu, and that affected his appearance making him look sweaty and weak. Those that heard the debate on the radio almost universally thought Nixon had won the debate. But those that saw it on television had the exact opposite conclusion.
Paul was an academic's academic before his conversion. His knowledge of scripture, his ability to reason and argue from scripture made him a person who was highly respected by leaders and scholars before he was even of age. (He supervised, but was too young to be allowed to participate in the stoning of Stephen.) Just as today, a scholarly approach is boring to some people who prefer the flash and forceful personality approach even if it is completely empty of meaning or even full of lies.
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. Put simply, Paul is saying actions speak louder than words. And his deeds in person are the same as his writing. They are completely consistent. He taught and lived the gospel. And he spoke it as well, just not in the way his critics thought he should.
As an academic, his oral presentation was about teaching, not being a pretty but empty vessel or worse, a pretty vessel full of poison. It may be that some people really objected to what he was saying, but only dared to criticize the style. The truth hurts when one is in error.
12 For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. Now Paul turns to the foundations of his critics.
Put more clearly, "For we are not so insolent and shameless as to put ourselves in the same class or compare ourselves to those who praise themselves."
They set themselves up as the standard by which they are themselves measured. How arrogant this is. "Anything that is not me or exactly like me is error." Being their own guide, they are fully self-satisfied and self-justified. And that is the trap of arrogance. Arrogant people never ever become better people. It is impossible. They cannot even comprehend they are in need of improvement, let alone correction. Therefore they are incapable of learning. They are proud in and of their ignorance.
A Christian must be humble, understanding that we are sinful and in desperate need of God's grace. A Christian must accept that they are not perfect, but need to be conformed to Christ. This is impossible for an arrogant person. Therefore, it is impossible for them to accept Christ as their Lord. They are their own lord.
13 But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you. Paul is saying he and his team are careful not to boast beyond what God has given them. In fact, Paul boasts of his weakness and affliction that God wouldn't heal. But at the end, there is much greatness that could be boasted for, such as that they were able to even reach the Corinthians. As they were the first missionaries to Corinth, they could rightly boast of this. But Paul always gives the credit to God, putting himself as the humble servant doing his duty.
14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for we were the first to come even as far as you in the gospel of Christ; Paul gives this example of boasting beyond their measure, which is if they boasted about Corinth when they didn't even reach Corinth. But not only did they reach Corinth, they were the first to bring the gospel. Therefore they have every right to boast about Corinth.
Implied is the fact that the critics were not the first. And even more, they don't bring the gospel but a false gospel contrary to the true gospel the Corinthians were taught.
15 not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men's labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, This is a direct shot at the critics. The critics were boasting about their position with the Corinthian church, falsely claiming apostolic authority, and taking credit for Paul's work. In other words, the critics demonstrate themselves to be dishonest and outright liars.
Paul never did any of that. But his hope was that they will grow in their faith. And as they grow they will reach out to others and spread the true gospel even further. As their founder, this will increase Paul's reach further than he is capable of on his own.
16 so as to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you, and not to boast in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another. Here he spells it out. His hope is they will go beyond where Paul traveled and continue to spread the gospel. (Historically, that is exactly what happened.) But he cautions them to not be like the critics, speaking falsely and taking credit they don't deserve.
17 But he who boasts is to boast in the Lord. This is a quote from the prophet Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 9:24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the Lord.
Paul puts this as an attitude for living in Philippians:
Philippians 3:8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but shit so that I may gain Christ,*
*Philippians 3:8 is my own translation. The NASB uses the word "rubbish" for the Greek word skubala. Every other translation I've looked at uses a similar lame way of being overly polite. However, Paul was using the most rude word for human excrement he could. That's why you'll see first-year Greek students running around a seminary campus wearing T-shirts that say, "Skubala happens!"
18 For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.

In a final direct shot at the critics he had identified as those who boast and commend themselves, he contrasts them with himself who is commended by God.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation.

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