Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. (II Corinthians 10:1)
As we've studied previously, Paul desired to return to Corinth after his first letter; But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me? (II Corinthians 2:1-2) Obviously the tone of Paul's letter to the church in Corinth came across more harshly than how he came across in person. Isn't that true for most of us? It seems easier to say what we really want to say when we can write it than when we speak in person.
But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. (II Corinthians 10:2-6)
Paul was saying that not only being absent am I bold toward you, but he was hoping that if he should return to them, I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some. As we've studied previously, there were still some that doubted if Paul was truly an apostle. Paul made it clear that he wasn't bold just because he was saying whatever he wanted to say, as if we walked according to the flesh. And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (II Corinthians 3:5-6)
Because of the Spirit of God in him, and in all of us who are saved through faith in Christ Jesus, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God. We must never lose sight that we are always in a spiritual battle. First, we have to deal with the war between our flesh and soul, after we accept salvation and the Holy Spirit is in us. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:22-25) Through the Holy Spirit, we are able to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
Then we have to deal with the war between us who are trying to live godly and holy lives in this world, while trying not to be of this world; for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles [the world, non-believers], that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. (I Peter 2:11-12) Because of the Holy Spirit in us, we will be able, by our conduct, to pull down strongholds, cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s. For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification and not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed— lest I seem to terrify you by letters. “For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.” Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present. (II Corinthians 10:7-11)
This is so powerful and convicting! Oftentimes we base how we feel about a person by how they appear and speak. Obviously some at the church in Corinth justified questioning Paul's authority as an apostle because his bodily presence was weak, and his speech contemptible. Paul first says that those with authority in the church, the leaders and pastors and teachers aren't put into those positions by men, but the authority is that which the Lord gave them. And secondly, this authority is given for the purpose of edification and not for your destruction. Edification is the instruction of improvement of a person spiritually, morally or intellectually. We have to make sure we are filled with the Holy Spirit of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. Then, we have to help lead others to Christ, through edification.
But we have to perform our ministry the way God leads us, and not worry about how we look to others, or how we look compared to others, nor worry about comparing our God given ministry to someone else's God given ministry. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. ( I Corinthians 12:4-6) For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you. (II Corinthians 10:12-13)
For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ; not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment. (II Corinthians 10:14-16) Basically Paul is saying that God has given each of us a work to do, and we can't boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment, or try to take credit for what someone else has done, or compare what we've done with what someone else has done.
Paul previously used the example of his ministry and Apollos ministry to explain this; Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. (I Corinthians 3:5-7) But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” [Jeremiah 9:24] For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends. (II Corinthians 10:17-18) AMEN!
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