2 Corinthians 10:12-18

Butler's Commentary

SECTION 3

Sane (2 Corinthians 10:12-18)

12Not that we venture to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another, and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

13 But we will not boast beyond limit, but will keep to the limits God has apportioned us, to reach even to you. 14For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you; we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. 15We do not boast beyond limit, in other men's labors; but our hope is that as your faith increases, our field among you may be greatly enlarged, 16so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's field. 17Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord. 18For it is not the man who commends himself that is accepted, but the man whom the Lord commends.

2 Corinthians 10:12 In Standards: A minister's methods must be sane and sensible. They must conform to divine standards. Of course, the world's standard of what is sane and sensible is usually quite different from what the word of God categorizes as sane. In 2 Corinthians 10:12 Paul definitely says that human beings comparing themselves by other human beings in order to boast about themselves are without understanding.

Paul would not dare (Gr. ou polmomen, be so bold) to class (Gr. engkrinai) or compare (Gr. sungkrinai, judge-with) himself with some of the ones who played the game of self-comparing. In order to commend (Gr. sunistanonton, stand oneself with another to get favorable attention) themselves, some of the Corinthians had been practicing the art of human comparison. It is sometimes called competition.

Competition, or comparing oneself with others, is a very subtle, but damning, method some preachers use in their ministry. It is really a dodge or, in modern vernacular, a cop-out. It is a well-used practice of many Christians in order to justify their past sins or their anticipated ones. It goes, Well, I-'m not like so-and-so, who.. Christians (including preachers) are to compare themselves with Christ.
Evidently there were people in Corinth comparing themselves with one another and measuring (Gr. metrountes, metric, meter, etc.) themselves with one another in order to commend themselves. There is a difference between using other human beings for comparison to commend oneself and using them to illustrate proper behavior.

When people play the game of measuring oneself by others they always select others who are, in their estimation, less than themselves. That makes the measurer come out ahead. The devil seduces preachers through the temptation to compete and be more successful than their peers. There is no status in the kingdom of God for any human being except servant! Why, then, should Christians compete? Christian measurements for faithful service are not one another, but Christ Jesus. Since none of us ever measure up to that standard, we must trust in grace. Every servant of God is approved by God because of Christ's grace.

Surely, we are to examine ourselves and test ourselves (1 Corinthians 11:28; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 6:4), but always by the divine standard. Human comparisons have no place as methods of ministry! Churches must not get in the game of competitiveness. In too many people's minds the calling of a preacher or elder or teacher to serve the congregation is done by comparing people with people, instead of the Biblical standard. Jesus never rated people by comparing them to other people. The parable of the Pharisee and the publican is Christ's piercing denunciation of this game (Luke 18:9-16).

Those who measure themselves with themselves are without understanding. The Greek words are ou suniasin, might be translated in modern vernacular, do not have their act together. Such people are playing a fool's game and are only fooling themselves. This game never fools God, and seldom fools other people! It is insanity!

2 Corinthians 10:13-18 In Scope: Some in Corinth were either measuring themselves by themselves to commend themselves, or were accusing Paul of doing so. Someone there was accusing Paul of bragging about exercising authority over a territory where he had done nothing, and should be doing nothing! They were boastfully declaring themselves as the only leaders or apostles (2 Corinthians 11:12-15) with rightful authority in the Corinthian church. They were contending that Paul had no right to meddle in the affairs of the Corinthian church.

Paul contends he has every right to exhort and instruct the Corinthians because he was the first to come to them with the Gospel (Acts 18:1 ff). Paul will not brag or boast or meddle in territories where the Lord has not assigned (limited Gr. kanon, canon, rule, standard, limits) him. God had ordered Paul to the territory of Corinth to evangelize (for a year and six months, initially, Acts 18:9-11). Where were all these pseudo apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13) when Corinth was being evangelized? Where were they when all the persecution was being handed out (Acts 18:1-17)? Where were they when Paul and his coworkers were supporting themselves, taking no support from the Corinthians, in order to establish the church there?

The trouble-maker in Corinth was bragging about all he had done for the church at Corinth, when all along its beginning and present stature in Christ (which still left much to be desired) was due to Paul's ministrations (in person, through co-workers, and through letters). This was Paul's rightful territory. He was ministering where God had assigned him. They were Paul's spiritual field. One commentator has suggested that the word overextending (Gr. huperekteinomen, overstretch ourselves) is a figure of speech from the Isthmian Games for which Corinth was famed throughout the Roman world. In these contests, as in modern track events, runners were required to keep to the lane which had been marked off for them (see 2 Timothy 2:5). Paul's lane (or limit) had been Corinth (and the Gentiles beyond) assigned to him by God. His opponents were running in his lane and disobeying the rules set forth by God.

Had these pseudo-apostles (probably Judaizers) been building up the congregation in Corinth in faith and love in Jesus, Paul would not have written these boasts-' about his own work there. But they were not. They were tearing down. They were leading people astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3-4). God is the one who sets the limits (Gr. kanon, rules). Those who minister according to God's limits are those who really care for the Church and her members. Those who stay within the lane God has marked off and do not stretch themselves into other lanes are those who will endure hardship and sacrifice themselves for what is right! Others are only pretenders, pseudo ministers.

Having settled the issue whether he is in his rightful lane or not as he writes corrective admonitions to the Corinthians, Paul expresses his hope that his edifying of them will increase their faith and thus enlarge his field among them. Actually, the RSV has not translated 2 Corinthians 10:15 b well. The Greek phrase is,. elpida de echontes auxanomenes tes pisteos humon en humin megalunthenai kata ton kanona hemon eis perisseian, literally translated, ... but hope we are having, while growing the faith of you is, in you we will be magnified, according to the sphere (limits) of us, in abundance.. In other words, Paul was hoping that as his ministry to them increased their faith, his esteem (magnification) would be enlarged in their hearts. Thus the problems in Corinth would be put to rest and he would be freed to preach the gospel in lands beyond them, and not have to spend his energies boasting of work he would have to do in Corinth. Paul's opportunity to preach in lands beyond hinged upon whether the Corinthians repented and restored him to the right honor and obedience he should have in their hearts. The disruption, divisiveness, and disobedience in the congregation at Corinth, caused by the trouble-maker(s), was hindering world evangelism.

Paul knew that the method of a true servant of Christ and edifier of the church would necessitate healing and restorative work upon an ailing body of Christians before he could go on to enlarge the body world-wide. He was not the kind of evangelist or missionary whose methodology was limited only to enlarging while disregarding the healing and edifying; and he was an apostle with an undeniable mandate for urgency in world-wide evangelism! Paul's modus operandi covered every aspect of the ministry (exhorting, edifying, evangelizing, instructing; polemics, apologetics, hermeneutics; administrative, pastoral, practical). He was, at the same time, doing cross-cultural missionary work, ministerial training work, and Christian writing and publishing work. He did it all! Can you imagine what Paul could do for the Lord in today's global society through jet air travel, video and audio techniques, printing presses, computers, political freedoms and economic affluence of the U.S.???

The former Jewish rabbi (Paul) had a magnificent obsession to preach the gospel in lands beyond (see Acts 19:21; Romans 15:18-29). In a world of 4.5 billion people there are 1653 Christian Church missionaries; 972 of those are on the North American continent. That means there are 681 Christian Church missionaries trying to preach the New Testament message to almost four billion people. And of the 972 in North America, 829 are missionaries in the U.S.A.! There is one soldier for every eighty-three persons in the world; one doctor for every 1080 persons in the world; one evangelical missionary for every 90,000 persons in the world; one Christian Church missionary for every 2,722,324 persons in the world! The Christian Churches had 200 fewer missionaries in 1985 than they had in 1977! Did you know that 96% of Christian finances are spent in the USA which comprises only 5% of the earth's population? Did you know the average American misplaces more money each year than the per-member contributions to a majority of U.S. church denominations? According to the IRS, Americans who itemize their deductions give less than 3 % of their adjusted gross incomes to church and charity? It costs $256,000 per year to train a West Point cadet. It cost approximately $3500 per year to train a missionary at our loyal Bible colleges! About one out of every one thousand Christian Church members is a missionary, Five hundred church members each giving $20 more per week to missions would make available $520,000 more per year for missions. If a husband-wife missionary team received $15,000 per year for missions, that would be about 70 more missionaries supported right now. If one thousand church members increased their missions giving by $20 per week more to missions, that would double newly supported missionaries to 140 per thousand church members! One million membership of the Christian Church, giving $20 per week more to missions, could support a staggering number of 140,000 missionaries right now! Christians in the USA spend $20 per week on junk food that is not needed and probably harmful. There are 5103 languages in the world3418 of these have no portion of the Bible in their language. Can you imagine living and dying without ever having had the opportunity to read God's word in your own language? God help us to go with the gospel or send it to the lands beyond!

The first three Chapter s of I Corinthians are the best commentary on 2 Corinthians 10:17-18! The words of 1 Corinthians 1:31 are exactly those of 2 Corinthians 10:17 (and both paraphrase Jeremiah 9:24). The Lord is the source of all that any man, believer or unbeliever, is, has, accomplishes, or retains eternally. Man has no right to boast in himself or any other human being.

In 2 Corinthians 10:18 a basic principle of the Christian life is asserted by the apostle as a summation of his defense for his methods of ministering to the Corinthians. It is not the one who brags about his own accomplishments and virtues to gain some advantage over others who is accepted (Gr. dokimos, approved, sanctioned, sustained, certified). The true servant of the Lord has his ministry and its methods approved (vindicated) by the Lord'S word. The genuine servant of the Lord is willing to have his ministerial methodology examined and certified by the divine standardthe Bible. Paul's ministry to the Corinthians was clearly proved to be commended by the Lord. The church itself, the converted people, was his letter of commendation (2 Corinthians 3:1 ff). Thus the Corinthian church should look at what was before its eyes (2 Corinthians 10:7)they would not be seduced by pseudo leaders.

The solution for problems with twentieth-century methods of ministry is the same as it was in the first centurylet them be examined and certified only by the divine standard!