Lesson for September 13, 2023
The Book of II Corinthians
Chapter 10:1-18
Verses 1-6
“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! 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. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we aretaking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.”
Paul was accused of being bold in his speech only when he wrote to them, which he refuted. Paul could be gentle and meek and/or bold and authoritative when necessary. All of their criticism was attacks on Paul’s authority, his ministry, his person, and his message. They were claiming that Paul the preacher and Paul the writer were “two different people.”
He asked for a complete change of mental attitude on the part of his critics. He was not demanding it; he was requesting them to consider it. Paul was appealing to their grace orientation and to the doctrine which they had learned in the past. Paul preferred to come to them in a meek, grace-oriented manner and not in a reprimanding manner. Paul used a debater’s technique to defend himself against the accusation of operating under control of the sin nature. He actually used a little sarcasm to make his point. Paul said, we walk around “in the flesh,” but we are not to be controlled by the flesh (the sin nature).
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, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. Destroying speculations means tearing down a system of thinking or reasoning. The system of thinking or reasoning was the false teachings of those who had infiltrated the church in Corinth with false doctrine. This would include the Judaizers, the Greek pagans, and many others. The battle was between Human Viewpoint Thinking and Divine Viewpoint Thinking.
Human viewpoint is arrogance (lofty thing) because it says that human thinking or reasoning is greater than the thinking and reasoning of God (the knowledge of God). Every system of thought is to be captured and either accepted as divine truth (to the obedience of Christ) or rejected as satanic doctrine (ready to punish all disobedience).
Verses 7-11
“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. 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, for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters. For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.” 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.”
Our authority refers to Paul, Timothy, and Titus, all who had the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher. Paul reminded his Corinthian critics of his authority. He was not ashamed of his authority any more than he was ashamed of Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit who gave him his spiritual gift. Paul’s critics wanted him to be ashamed of his authority so that he would not use his authority against them, as he did in I Corinthians.
Paul had a purpose, just as he did when he wrote I Corinthians. The reason Paul’s critics were critical of the epistle of I Corinthians was that it was critical of them. It exposed their carnality and reversionism. When believers are critical of the Word of God and accurate teaching, it reflects their own erroneous thinking.
For I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters. This criticism was a challenge to Paul’s authority, as an apostle. When they criticized his letters, they criticized the Word of God, which the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write. Obviously, I Corinthians had a great deal of rebuke that was given under the ministry of God the Holy Spirit under the doctrine of inspiration. Warning believers is not the same as attacking them, which Paul never did.
For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible. 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. From the criticism of his teaching, they moved on to ridicule his personal appearance and public speaking ability. Paul replied and said that he was consistent in his demeanor and attitude. He was saying in effect that if he was in Corinth, he would say the same thing he said in his letters. He would be just as tough when He was with them as when he was absent, if necessary. When the situation demanded it, Paul could be tough, whether present and speaking, or absent and writing.
Verses 12-18
“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. 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. 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;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, 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. But he who boasts is to boast in the Lord. For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.”
This mutual admiration society recommended themselves to themselves by criticizing Paul, who was infinitely superior to them. By favorably comparing themselves to themselves, they showed they had no doctrinal understanding of the grace function in the life of a believer. God does the work; therefore, God receives all the glory. This was not the case for the false teachers. This attitude of glorying in one’s accomplishments by ministers and the mutual admiration society is alive and well in ministries today.
Paul was grace oriented and understood that his role as an apostle was a matter of God’s grace and not his own ability. What Paul communicated was correct, biblical, and absolute truth. Paul did not preach legalism or human viewpoint. He did not seek in any way to “water down” the grace of God.
Not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men’s labors. Paul had established the church in Corinth, not the false teachers. Yet they were attempting to take credit for “straightening out” Paul’s teaching with their false legalistic message. Beyond measure were those concepts, thoughts, and principles which did not line up with accurate Bible doctrine (like keeping the Mosaic Law). In other words, they were human viewpoint.
But with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you. Paul had confidence (hope) that as these believers consistently learned doctrine that it would result in spiritual growth and the recognition of false doctrine. In other words, Paul anticipated that the Corinthian critics would recover from their reversionism through a change of attitude toward accurate doctrine. This recovery would magnify (enlarge) Paul’s confidence in their recovery from reversionism.
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. In the local church, where doctrine is magnified, the result is the sharing of the Gospel, not only in the local area but in the regions beyond. Paul did not boast or glory in their legalism or human viewpoint, he didn’t cater to it in any way. Instead, he knew that when their reversionism was reversed by the study and application of accurate Bible doctrine, the Gospel would be spread into other areas.
But he who boasts is to boast in the Lord. For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends. This is a partial quotation from Jeremiah 9:23-24. The Jeremiah passage warns believers about reversionism.
Commends himself means to recommend yourself, which is arrogant. Under grace, no believer is to promote themselves or take credit for what God does. Therefore, since the Lord does the promoting, there is no place for human criticism or judging another believer as they did Paul. (Romans 14:4,10) Evaluating someone by human standards instead of divine standards is futile. All evaluation is in the Lord’s hands and therefore we do our job as unto the Lord and leave the evaluation to Him. Colossians 3:17, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”