2 Corinthians 10:1-18 Lesson 352

2 Corinthians 10:1-18
Lesson 352

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Is Paul a true apostle?
The weapons of God (10:3-7).

Beginning with this lesson and running through verse 13:14 (lesson 357), the
third and final theme of 2 Corinthians; Paul defends his ministry against challengers.

Paul.

By Belgian artist Joseph Barthelemy Vieillevoye (1788-1855).

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The Second Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Corinthians

The King James Bible

2 Corinthians 10:1-18
Paul uses God's weapons

1 Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

2 But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

7 Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? if any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.

8 For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:

9 That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters.

10 For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.

11 Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present.

12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

13 But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

14 For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ:

15 Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,

16 To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand.

17 But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

18 For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

Margin notes:

"I Paul myself beseech you." (10:1) - "I, Paul, beg you."

"Base among you, but being absent am bold toward you." (10:1) - Means "meek when with you, but stern when away from you." Paul's opponents accused him of being easy on the church when visiting but strident when writing from a distance.

"Think of us as if we walked according to the flesh." (10:2) - Paul's critics also accused him of being worldly. They questioned his validity, intentions, honesty, and methods.

"Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh." (10:3) - "Although we are people, we do not fight (for God) with human weapons." To learn more about God's weapons, see "Today's Question" below.

"The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." (10:4) - "The weapons we use are not of this world but come from God and can pull down Satan's stronghold."

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God." (10:5) - "Breaking down false arguments and every proud/arrogant thing that keeps people from knowing God."

"Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (10:5) - "Discipline your thoughts and renew your mind to obey Christ."

"Revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (10:6) - "Punish disobedience, after you have learned to obey."

"Do ye look on things after the outward appearance?" (10:7) - "Do you judge (preachers) based on their outward appearance?" Rather than depending on the word of God, Paul's opponents used their charisma, showmanship, and lofty speeches to persuade others. Don't be impressed with this type of preacher; see John 7:24 and 1 Corinthians 2:1-5.

"Even so are we Christ's." (10:7) - "We belong to Christ." We belong to Jesus, and Jesus belongs to God (1 Corinthians 3:23).

"Our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction." (10:8) - "The Lord has given us the authority to strengthen you, not to harm you."

"I should not be ashamed." (10:8) - Paul is not ashamed of his God-given authority to teach.

"I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters." (10:9) - Paul's critics accused him of frightening people with his letters.

"Say they...his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." (10:10) - "They say...his (Paul's) physical appearance is unimpressive and his speeches common." According to his critics, Paul was sickly (Galatians 4:13) and not a striking, charismatic figure or public speaker. "In reply to the charge that he was weak, he (Paul) tells them, that, at least, he founded his own churches, and did not go around troubling churches founded by others, as they were doing." ("Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan' page 605)

"Such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present." (10:11) - "The way I am in my letters, is the way I'll be when we are together."

"We dare not ...compare ourselves with some that commend themselves." (10:12) - "We dare not... compare ourselves with those who think they're important."

"We will not boast of things without our measure." (10:13) - "We will not boast or take credit for things that others have done (10:15).

"We are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ." (10:14) - "We came as far as Corinth to bring you the good news of Jesus Christ."

"Not boasting of things without our measure." (10:15) - "We are not taking credit for things (preaching) others did."

"According to our rule." (10:15) - "In accordance with out limits."

"To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you." (10:16) - "To preach the Gospel in areas beyond Corinth."

"Not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand." (10:16) - "Not to take credit for another man's work."

"But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." (10:17) - "But those who brag, should brag about the Lord."   This is a paraphrase from Jeremiah 9:24.

"For not he that commendeth himself is approved." (10:18) - Bragging about yourself doesn't impress people as much as when someone else praises you (Proverbs 27:2).

New Living Translation

2 Corinthians 10:1-18
Paul Defends His Authority

1 Now I, Paul, appeal to you with the gentleness and kindness of Christ-though I realize you think I am timid in person and bold only when I write from far away.

2 Well, I am begging you now so that when I come I won't have to be bold with those who think we act from human motives.

3 We are human, but we don't wage war as humans do.

4 We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.

5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

6 And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient.

7 Look at the obvious facts. Those who say they belong to Christ must recognize that we belong to Christ as much as they do.

8 I may seem to be boasting too much about the authority given to us by the Lord. But our authority builds you up; it doesn't tear you down. So I will not be ashamed of using my authority.

9 I'm not trying to frighten you by my letters.

10 For some say, "Paul's letters are demanding and forceful, but in person he is weak, and his speeches are worthless!"

11 Those people should realize that our actions when we arrive in person will be as forceful as what we say in our letters from far away.

12 Oh, don't worry; we wouldn't dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!

13 We will not boast about things done outside our area of authority. We will boast only about what has happened within the boundaries of the work God has given us, which includes our working with you.

14 We are not reaching beyond these boundaries when we claim authority over you, as if we had never visited you. For we were the first to travel all the way to Corinth with the Good News of Christ.

15 Nor do we boast and claim credit for the work someone else has done. Instead, we hope that your faith will grow so that the boundaries of our work among you will be extended.

16 Then we will be able to go and preach the Good News in other places far beyond you, where no one else is working. Then there will be no question of our boasting about work done in someone else's territory.

17 As the Scriptures say, "If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord."

18 When people commend themselves, it doesn't count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. What are God's weapons? (10:4-7)

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Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. God's spiritual weapons are truth, faith, hope, love, prayer, His word, and the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:11-18). These weapons knock down the walls Satan erected in people's lives (10:4), destroy arguments against God, and overcome the obstacles that keep people from finding salvation (10:5). God's weapons capture lost souls and teach them about Christ (10:5). While Paul used the weapons of God, his opponents twisted the word of God to suit their own needs (2 Corinthians 2:17).




Application thought for the day:

How can you apply the "meekness and gentleness of Christ" in your relationships?
Are you using God's weapons to spread the Gospel?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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