2 Corinthians 10:7-11

Butler's Commentary

SECTION 2

Sanctioned (2 Corinthians 10:7-11)

7 Look at what is before your eyes. If any one is confident that he is Christ'S, let him remind himself that as he is Christ'S, so are we. 8For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I shall not be put to shame. 9I would not seem to be frightening you with letters. 10For they say, His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account. Let such people understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present.

2 Corinthians 10:7-9 Viewed: Paul warned (2 Corinthians 10:6) that he was ready to punish (Gr. ekdikesai, vindicate, or bring to justice) every disobedience of those at Corinth who refused to complete obedience like the majority of the church was doing. There was a minority (perhaps only one) not repenting with the rest of the church. This minority was ridiculing Paul's reputation as a preacher of the gospel, and especially as an apostle. They were saying he was a great pretender. Paul writes, Look at what is before your eyes. The Greek Verb, blepete, can be either present active indicative, or present active imperative. It if is imperative, it would be translated, Look (a command) at what is before your eyes. If it is indicative, it would be, You are looking at things as they are outwardly (on the face of things). We think the context indicates the imperative translation. It might be paraphrased, Look at things which stare you in the face!

Paul then begins to cite visible credentials for his prior ministry among the Corinthians, which they had seen and might continue to see if they would compare his credentials with the slanderous insinuations of the one stirring up the church against him. First, he reminds the Corinthians that if the troublemaker among them has persuaded himself he has authority because he in some special way belongs to Christ, so does Paul! And Paul had proved it to the Corinthian church. And his detractor should remind himself (Gr. logizestho, reckon, reason, think through) of the facts of Paul's special relationship to Christ. Paul is not referring here to the ordinary manifestations of being in Christhe refers to a relationship involving authority to give apostolic direction to the church. What Paul's opponent was persuading himself (Gr. pepoithen heauto, perfect tense verb) about his own authority from Christ, Paul really was authorized to do, and had done before the very eyes of the Corinthians (see 2 Corinthians 12:12). And it was not only miraculous evidence Paul gave of his apostleship, he also wielded the weapons of Christian warfare with special Christ-like effectiveness overthrowing the fortresses and strongholds of Greek philosophy as well as Judaizing legalism. Had his slanderer done that? No! He was tearing down the church!

And that is Paul's second vindication of his ministerial methodology. He says, The Lord gave us our authority for building you up and not for tearing you down. So if I should appear to be boasting too much about it, I have done nothing for which I should be ashamed as if I were a pretentious bully seeking only to scare people.

Certainly, Paul had spoken authoritatively (and sternly) in his letters to the Corinthians. Evidently he had not felt it necessary to speak with such direct authority when he had been among them in person. But the authority (Gr. exousias) he had expressed in his letters was geared toward the spiritual maturation of the Christians. He exercised his apostolic office and issued commands to direct their lives into paths of righteousness. He waged a warfare with authoritative words of truth in order to overthrow all obstacles to their knowing God. It was not his intention to merely frighten (Gr. ekphobein, lit. fear-away, terrify). There was no threat to his own self-esteem if they did not obey him. He was warning themand doing so authoritatively!

Preaching the fear of God and the fear of eternal damnation is a scripturally sanctioned method! There is a difference between frightening people and warning people. Some people need to learn that distinction. The difference is in the motive, or in the end sought. Preachers who frighten people as a method to obtain decisions for the sake of building their own ego or glorifying themselves should repent. But warning people about hell by the authority of the Scriptures for the glory of God and the salvation of their souls is a method used in every book of the Bible, by every man of God, as well as the Lord Jesus Christ.

Authority is an indispensable method of preaching and teaching. The authority is never that of the preacher, but is always the Scriptures. The apostle Paul clearly disclaims any personal authority as he says, ... our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up.. All authority belongs to Christ (Matthew 28:18; Matthew 11:27; Ephesians 1:20-22; Philippians 2:9-11). Christ delegated some of his authority to the apostles (Matthew 16:19-20; Matthew 18:18; Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:44-53; John 20:22-23; Acts 1:8; Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1; Galatians 1:11-12; Galatians 1:15-17). The apostles exhorted evangelists and teachers of the churches to preach authoritatively from the Scriptures (1 Timothy 4:11; 1 Timothy 5:20; 1 Timothy 6:2 b; 2 Corinthians 6:17; 2 Timothy 2:14-15; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Timothy 4:2-5; Titus 2:1; Titus 2:15; Titus 3:8, etc.). The use of authority from the Scriptures as a method of ministry is to be tempered with kindness, purity of life, forbearance, gentleness, and patience, but the authoritativeness of the Scriptures must never be undervalued or underemphasized.

It hardly needs to be mentioned that the goal for ministry is edification or building up, or growth (Ephesians 4:11-16; Colossians 1:24-29). While Paul's opposition in Corinth was methodically tearing down the church, Paul was trying to build it up. The problem stemmed from the spiritual immaturity of the Christians who could not comprehend that Paul's severe words and insistence on repentance were methods of building. Those among them who gloried in the flesh, Judaizers and others, were trying to seduce the congregation to rebel against Paul's severity. So, Paul cited the divine sanction for his methods as a method itself.

Churches today must recognize that authoritative preaching and teaching by preachers, elders and teachers is an imperative method for the building up (spiritual maturing) of the individual and the corporate body unto the fulness of the stature of Christ (see Ephesians 4:11-16). It is sanctioned by the Lord. It must be made operative in the church.

2 Corinthians 10:10-11 Vowed: Paul not only reminded them that he had expressed the word of God with authority to them earlier (in his letters) but he vowed he would do so again, if necessary, when face to face with them. His promise confirms the importance of authority as a method of edification. All teaching which seeks to instruct, to communicate, to educate, to produce growth, must exercise some form of authoritativeness. Authority, in teaching, is inescapable! Discipline is an imperative of learning. And discipline is possible only from a basis of some kind of authority. The uninstructed minds of children seek authority in the home. They want to learn. If authority is not there, they will seek it elsewhere. The same is true of the family of God. Even those who decry authority, do so with authority!

Some Greek manuscripts (Vaticanus, some Latin mss. and some Syriac mss.) have the pural verb phasin (they) in 2 Corinthians 10:10, while the best and oldest manuscripts have the singular verb phesin (he). The fact that Paul uses the singular pronoun toioutos (such a one) in 2 Corinthians 10:11 should confirm the propriety of the singular verb in 2 Corinthians 10:10. In other words, Paul seems to be focusing his warning toward a single opponent at Corinth rather than a group. The RSV translates, For they say. but it should be translated, For he says -His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.-' The Greek word exouthenemenous is a present participle, a combination of ex and outhen, literally, being from nothing. It is often translated, despicable, contemptible, worthless. The RSV translates it of no account which does not seem to be strong enough to express what Paul's opponents were saying of his speech (Gr. ho logos, his word). It was probably not the delivery but the power and authority of Paul's word they were disparaging. His method of communication was plain, straightforward, and economicalhe did not waste words or beat around the bush. His letters are not saturated with sophisticated philosophical ramblings. He is not pendantic or verbose. He does not write like a rabbi or a pedagogue. He would probably be snubbed in erudite theological circles today! So the trouble-maker at Corinth dismissed his word as contemptible.

Just what Paul's bodily weakness was we are not told anywhere. He refers to his thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7 ff). Some think it was impaired eyesight (see Galatians 6:11) from the fact that he had to write with large letters. Some think he may have been crippled by some of the beatings he had already suffered. Others speculate that he was small and frail in body or that he had an incurable disease. Whatever caused his opponent to say he was physically weak, it did not deter Paul from promising that what he said by letter when absent, he would do when present! His weakness would not keep him from exercising his God-given authority upon his arrival at Corinth should it be necessary to do so. Paul writes, Let such a one reckon (Gr. logizestho, reason it out) that what we are in word (Gr. to logo) through epistles (Gr. epistolon) being absent, such also we are in our work (Gr. to ergo) being present. This was no idle threat. It was a warning. They must have this warning if they are to be built up in the Lord. Warnings are methods of ministry!