2 Corinthians (Written)

Sunday, 8 November 2015

…and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. 2 Corinthians 10:6

Paul finishes this thought with the continued use of a military metaphor. When an enemy is subdued and the military has gained control over their foe, there are inevitably rebels who still want to continue the fight by attacking the conquerors. They may sneak in and kill one at a time, or they may disrupt supply lines, or even attack directly against the headquarters of the victor.

Though there is little chance of success, they remain disobedient to the terms of surrender in hopes of reigniting the battle and somehow overcoming those who vanquished them. This is the case in the world today. Satan has been vanquished, and yet he continues to send his minions out in hopes of somehow thwarting Christ’s victory.

This spiritual warfare is what Paul is referring to and there is a time when the obedience of the saints is fulfilled and the church age will come to a close. At that point, all disobedience will be punished. Those who have attempted to overthrow the victory of Christ will themselves be overthrown. This is what is coming in the book of Revelation and just prior to His return to dwell among His people during the millennium.

Life application: Though the victory is already accomplished in Christ, there are those who harass and attack His people. This will continue, but all such harassment will end in futility, and all of it will be punished at the right time. Until then, we should pray for those who are our enemies and do our best to witness to them of the truth of Jesus Christ.

Lord God, the victory is found in Jesus. The battle is won and the time is coming when He will reign among His people. But until then, there are still those rebellious toward the Victor and toward those who are victorious in Him. We have a spiritual battle to wage against them until You call us home. Help us to be sound witnesses to the faith, and help us to have the right attitude to bring many out of their rebellion and into the gracious hand of our Victor. Be exalted through our warfare for those who so desperately need You. Amen.

Saturday, 7 November 2015

…casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:5

Scholars assign the “casting down arguments” to the “we” of verse 3 and not the “weapons” of verse 4. This is based on the agreement of the participle between the two thoughts. In other words, “…we war casting down arguments.” One use of our spiritual warfare is that we are to have enough knowledge of the source of our faith to challenge those who reason against it.

There are many who deny the Christian faith entirely, there are those who defend their own misguided religions, and there are heretics within the faith – all of these are opponents who need to be challenged. Their arguments need to be cast down and crushed by the superior knowledge and revelation which comes from the Christian faith.

Likewise, we are to cast down “every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” Charles Ellicott notes that, “The noun probably belongs, like ‘stronghold,’ to the language of military writers, and indicates one of the rock fortresses … which were so conspicuous in all ancient systems of defence.”

The opponents of Christianity set themselves up as if in a mountain fortress that cannot be reached by their enemies. They shoot their weapons, intending to destroy the argument of Christianity, but we have the true “knowledge of God” on our side and therefore our attacks can and will prevail when they are properly engaged in the battle. The enemy feels exalted, but by standing on the truth of God, his arguments will be cast down. The sentiment is found in Job –

“They are exalted for a little while,
Then they are gone.
They are brought low;
They are taken out of the way like all others;
They dry out like the heads of grain.” Job 24:24

Finally, the waging of our warfare is essential for “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” Paul continues with military terms. After pulling down the strongholds and storming the high things which attempt to exalt themselves, captives are taken. Jesus referred to exactly this when He presented Himself in the synagogue in Nazareth –

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18, 19

However, the intent is not the literal, physical destruction of the enemy, but to bring them into a new stronghold, one which is “to the obedience of Christ.” If their arguments fail, it means that they were ineffective. Anyone who would cling onto an ineffective argument (and there are many) are perverse and will face God without Christ. But for those who are captured by obedience to Christ, they will face God in a completely different way. They will be free from the destruction that the enemies of Christ will face.

Life application: There is only one proper way of waging the war which Paul writes of. It is to know Jesus Christ and to be able to defend our faith in Him. And the only way to do that is to read, study, and comprehend the truths which are found in the Bible. When we do this, we will be fully prepared to engage in the battle with those who oppose His message.

Heavenly Father, if the message of Jesus Christ is true, then it is a rational, defendable faith. It is a message which is capable of pulling down the strongholds which resist it, storming any high and lofty message which stands against it, and bringing any unreasonable teachings against it into captivity to the truth. And the only way we can accomplish this is through knowing Your word. Help us, O Lord, to pursue it and to know it so that we can then defend it. Let us not waste our days in futile pursuit. The souls of men are at stake. Help us to remember this and to be ready for the battle. Amen.

Friday, 6 November 2015

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
2 Corinthians 10:4

The words of this verse show us that along with our war noted in the previous verse which is “not in the flesh,” the weapons that we use are not material (or carnal) weapons. Rather they are spiritual. They are described by Paul in several places of the New Testament such as –

“But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.” 1 Thessalonians 5:8

An even fuller description is found in Ephesians 6:11-16. In these verses, he uses real, tangible things and equates them to spiritual concepts. It is with these spiritual things that we do indeed battle against the forces of evil. Starting in this verse, and for the next couple of verses, he will explain how these weapons are focused, beginning with, “for pulling down strongholds.”

This is a military concept where someone who is in a defensive position has their fortress pulled down from around them so that they can be easily attacked and overcome. A beautiful example of this concept is found in 2 Samuel 17 –

“Therefore I advise that all Israel be fully gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, like the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. ¹² So we will come upon him in some place where he may be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground. And of him and all the men who are with him there shall not be left so much as one. ¹³ Moreover, if he has withdrawn into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city; and we will pull it into the river, until there is not one small stone found there.” 2 Samuel 17:11-13

It should be noted now that just because Paul is speaking of a spiritual battle which uses spiritual implements to obtain its purposes, this does not exclude Christians from entering true battles with real weapons. This type of sleight of hand use of a verse to mean something not intended is common and it is inappropriate. Just because Christians are in a spiritual war does not mean that they are limited only to spiritual battle.

Life application: There is a spiritual battle which rages around us. It is as real as any other type of warfare, but it involves matters of the highest importance. We must be ready at all times with the weapons of our battle and employ them in faith against the unseen enemies that come against us. Take time to read Ephesians 6:11-16 and think on Paul’s use of terminology concerning our spiritual warfare.

Lord God, Your word says that we are in a spiritual battle and that we need to have the right implements of war in order to properly wage war, and to counter attacks which come against us from the enemy around us. Give us the wisdom to pull down his strongholds so that we can enter into his defensive line and attack him where he is weak. Allow us the honor of giving the devil more than just a black eye as we fight against his wiles. Thank You for being with us in this Lord! Amen.

Thursday, 5 November 2015

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 2 Corinthians 10:3

It is of note that Paul says, “For though we walk in the flesh…” Walking in the flesh is a term used several times to indicate living in a worldly way. For examples, see 2 Corinthians 1:17, Romans 8:12-13, 1 Corinthians 1:26. And yet, the same term is also used to show that we are simply temporal beings with limited human capabilities and with all of the associated frailties. A few such verses are Galatians 2:20, Philippians 1:22-24, and even 1Timothy 3:16 which is speaking of Christ.

Therefore, unlike the previous verse, here he is not equating a “walk in the flesh” with sin and worldliness, but with the frailties we possess which can lead to sin and worldliness. In this body of infirmity, “though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.”

The Greek word from which the idea of waging war comes from speaks of a soldier executing his duties in battle. This is a common theme that Paul uses in his writings. He will continue with this line of thought and explain it in the verses ahead. There is a real battle going on, and it is a battle in which we are engaged. However, it is not a battle that is waged on a worldly, fleshly level. Rather it is one that is waged in the Spirit.

This battle is spoken of by Paul in Romans 8 –

“So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. ¹⁰ And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Romans 8:8-10

Life application: We cannot deny that we are in fallen bodies and those bodies have frustrating limitations, some of which cause us to stumble. But God gives us more grace. We have been saved by the blood of Christ and are already seated with Him in the heavenly places. When we stumble, let us get up, brush ourselves off, and get back into the battle. We are in a war until we are called home. Therefore, as soldiers under authority, we need to conduct ourselves according to the word of our Leader.

Heavenly Father, we can’t deny that we’re in weak and frail bodies that easily stumble in times of temptation, stress, or distress. But we also know that You give more grace. Help us to not get stuck on the ground, but to re-gather our strength and reengage the battle set before us. Thank You for having already forgiven us for the times we have or will fall. Thank You for the immeasurable love You have shown us in the giving of Jesus to reconcile us to You. Help us in this daily battle to wage the good war until the day You call us home. Amen.

Wednesday, 4 November 2015

But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. 2 Corinthians 10:2

Paul just noted that his attitude and demeanor is considered “lowly” when he is present, but “bold” when he is not. In this, the assumption was made that when he came again, he wouldn’t be bold when it was necessary. Now, to correct that deficient assumption, he shows that he can be bold when necessary. The implication is that he has restrained from being so in the past, but the future may be different. This is evidenced by the word “but.”

Contrary to their perceptions, Paul begs for them to consider his authority and his ability to exercise that authority. He does this by saying, “…that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some.” There is an obvious tension between Paul and some in the congregation. He has restrained from calling them out, but should they continue with their negative attitude towards him, he fully intends to highlight it and bring his authority against it.

And the cause for the tension is that those he is referring to “think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.” Albert Barnes notes that –

“They suppose this; or, they accuse me of it. By the word “us” here Paul means himself, though it is possible also that he speaks in the name of his fellow apostles and laborers who were associated with him, and the objections may have referred to all who acted with him.”

Whether this is only Paul who is being accused of this, or whether it is he and his associates, some were saying that he or they “walk” according to the flesh. The word “walk” is an idiom for one’s way of life and conduct. Therefore, they are saying that Paul (and others possibly) were not walking appropriately, but were living their lives in one way while speaking and teaching in another.

Paul will show them in the coming verses that “walking in the flesh,” which we all do while living in this fallen human body, is not the same as “warring in the flesh.” There is a distinction to be made and it will correct these troublemaker’s faulted accusations against him.

Life application: Unfortunately, even the most humble elder or pastor must at times take off the gloves and speak firmly and forcefully in order to silence those who would disturb the fellowship. Paul’s example here, along with many others in Scripture, shows that when a heavier hand is necessary, it is to be brought out and used.

Lord God, help us to walk in harmony with one another to the greatest extent possible, overlooking the faults of others. But also give us the discernment, courage, and ability to see when a stronger hand of correction is needed. When such a time arises, help us to enforce Your standards rather than caving into the wiles of those who look only to divide and cause dissension. Help us Lord to be wise in this way, holding fast to the truths of Your word above all else. Amen.