Chapter 10
| 2 Corinthians: Chapters -1- -2- -3- -4- -5- -6- -7- -8- -9- -10- -11- -12- -13- |
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| 10:1 Now I, Paul, encourage you through the sweet gentleness and kindness of Christ, who is indeed humble inside of you as to appearance, such that, even though I am absent, I am always confidently cheerful regarding you. 2 I request of you now, even though I am not with you, to be cheerfully courageous regarding your confident trust, which some who walk according to the flesh consider to be overly daring. • 3 For even though we do walk inside of the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. • 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but are God-enabled towards the tearing down of fortresses, 5 overthrowing arguments, and every high thing or barrier lifting itself up against the knowledge of God, taking captive every thought into the submission of Christ, 6 along with your readiness to dispense justice to all who hear amiss, even when your own submission inside of Christ has been made full. 7 You have been looking at things according to appearance. If anyone is persuaded in himself to be of Christ, let him reckon this again within himself, that as he is of Christ, so also are we. 8 For even if I should boast somewhat more abundantly concerning our authority, which the Lord has given to us into building you up [as God’s house] [j] and not for tearing you down, I will not be ashamed. 9 I do not want to seem as if to frighten you through these letters. 10 Some even say that my letters are weighty and strong, but my presence in body is weak, and my speech is reduced to nothing. 11 Let such a one reckon this, that such as we are in word by letters when absent, so we are also in action when present. 12 For we dare not count ourselves among or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. For those who measure themselves in themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, do not understand or perceive. 13 We, however, will not boast of things beyond measure, but according to the measure of the arena of labor which God has distributed to us, a measure that reaches also as far as you. 14 For it is not that we are overextending ourselves in reaching into you, for we came as far as you also, inside of the gospel of Christ. 15 We do not boast beyond measure in other’s toils, but we have hope in the increase of your faith as it is being enlarged into overflowing abundance inside of you, who are inside of our arena. 16 We hope also to preach the gospel beyond you, of which we are ready to boast, yet not in another’s arena. 17 Whoever boasts, then, let him boast inside of the Lord. 18 For the one who commends himself is not proven, but only the one whom the Lord commends. |
| Gospel Word | Notes |
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| • Ruling Verse 4: From 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 on, Paul’s concern is “God through us into our world.” “God through us” includes the word of reconciliation towards others and the flow of abundance inside the Church, but it also includes the weapons of our warfare by which we protect all the Church of Christ. We cast down all that opposes the knowledge of God entering into the knowledge of all. | j. This Greek word is typically translated “edification.” It means the literal construction of a house, and thus I always reference it to the construction, the building up of God’s dwelling place, which we are personally, and together as the Church. |