Think on these questions as you dwell in 2 Corinthians 10:1-18:

1. Paul emphasizes that his authority and effectiveness do not stem from physical appearance or eloquence but from spiritual power and divine authority. How does this distinction challenge the traditional notions of leadership and persuasion, especially in today's context where appearances and charisma often hold significant sway?

2. The passage highlights the importance of Scripture and spiritual authority over worldly traits. How can modern believers navigate the balance between valuing God's Word as the ultimate authority while also respecting and learning from gifted communicators or leaders within the faith community?

3. Paul stresses the divine power of spiritual warfare, emphasizing the potency of Scripture in dismantling arguments and strongholds against God's knowledge. How can believers practically apply this idea of using Scripture to engage with and counteract opposing beliefs or ideologies in today's world without compromising their faith?

Transcript:

So, as we start here with Chapter 10, the issues at hand in Corinth, or at least the issues they have with Paul, become even more clear. They're saying, This Paul, he writes a really strong letter. But when he's around, look at the dude. He's not very imposing. He is not a good public speaker. Come on, who are you going to listen to? Paul, who writes a good letter when he's not around, or us? Well, Paul wants them to know that what they're talking about here isn't matters of the flesh. It isn't about human power. It isn't about the way in which they're able to argue using rhetorical skills of the day, their public speaking ability. He wants them to know that they are instead discussing these things in his letter, and he's writing it down because it is a spiritual matter. Notice what he says, For the weapons of our are not of the flesh. The way that Paul fights isn't through his rhetorical skill. The way that Paul fights isn't through his physical appearance being imposing upon them. No, he is writing it down. And these have divine power to destroy strongholds. And notice it says we destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

And notice the nature of where Paul is doing his work. He is not showing up, exerting his authority over them by his physical presence, but in a letter. He has written it down. It can be read time and again to be evaluated. It can be put up against other things that he's written. It can be put up against scripture because it's written down. And so Paul is very, very certain that what he is doing is from God. Notice the authority that he believes this possesses. It destroy arguments and every lofty opinion. Paul is confident in what he is doing. And so this comes down to this idea of boasting, as we see in verse 8, For even I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you. I will not be ashamed. He's not ashamed that he's writing a letter because he believes that God has given him this authority. He has this authority by the work of the Holy Spirit in him and by the fact that he is an apostle. The risen Christ has appeared to him. And so he says, I don't want to appear to be frightening you with my letters.

And this is where we see what they're talking about Paul for. His letters are weighty and strong with his bodily presence as weak and his speech of no account. Paul doesn't want to seem like he is exerting too much authority through the letters. He's just simply saying that he is speaking for God. He's not boasting about this. Notice as we come down to verse 15, We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others, but our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel of the land beyond you without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. Here we go. Let the one who boast, boast in the Lord. Paul isn't boasting that his letters have authority because he's the one that's written them. He's boasting in the authority that God has given him. Remember, he's not trying to convince anybody with his earthly presence, with his fleshly presence. He is using scripture. He is using the authority that God has given him to teach. This is an important thing for you and I to remember.

It is really easy for us to want to follow someone who has a strong physical presence. It's easy for us to want to exert our physical presence or our abilities, maybe whether they're rhetorical abilities or something else. We want people to follow us based upon those things, and we want to use those things. But where we are as Christians is we go back to the word. We go back to the word of God. Our way of operating isn't according to the flesh. Our way of operating is according to the word. That is why it's important that we continually understand more and more the authority that Scripture should have in our lives and the way that the Word is sufficient to tell us what to do. It's sufficient to tell us what to do in the church. We need to have a trust in the things that are spiritual, not in the things that are worldly. May we continually go to God's Word. May we continually trust God's Word? May we use God's Word to do what Paul talks about here? May we remember that the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but they do have divine power to destroy strongholds, to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God.

May we go back to God's Word continually. May we hold every thought captive that we might better obey our Lord, Jesus Christ.