Introductory remarks:
In Corinth there was a faction of the church that opposed Paul and rejected his apostleship. In the next three chapters Paul defends himself before these that oppose him. "Paul asks the Corinthians to allow him to be as gentle as Christ when he visits them. He cautions them not to judge by fleshly things like outward appearances but remember that he is of Christ. Though he was given great authority and could back up what he wrote with actions when he visited, he did not want to be compared with those that praise themselves. Paul does the work God gave him, which included his preaching to them, and hoped that as their faith grew they would esteem him more and help him spread the Gospel farther. Those that were praising themselves didn't have God's approval" (A Survey of 2 Corinthians - By Brenda). This chapter may be outlined as follows: Paul defends his ministry vv. 1-18.
Paul Defends His Ministry
Verse 1, "Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you."
LGT "Now I Paul myself exhort you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who as to appearance [am] humble among you, but absent am bold towards you:"
Now I Paul myself: "This emphatic stress on his own person is the fit introduction to the portion of the epistle which, beyond any other part of his writings, is to lay open his individual life and character" (Stanley). Paul now through chapter thirteen defends himself before the stubborn part of the church who don't recognize him as a true apostle. Exhort you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ: Paul says that he wishes to imitate Christ in this matter of defense, and that he prefers not to get upset and angry with this stubborn faction. Who as to appearance am humble among you: this is probably the way the objectors saw Paul when he visited them, that is, his outward appearance. But absent am bold towards you: Paul was quite stern in his first epistle, so they were saying, that in his letters he is very bold, but when present, very lowly.
Verse 2, "But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh."
LGT "But I beseech that being present I should not be bold with the confidence with which I reckon to be daring towards some who reckon of us as walking according to [the] flesh."
But I beseech you: better, 'I beg you.' That being present: when I come to you. I should not be bold with the confidence: that I may not show a dictatorial attitude. With which I reckon to be daring towards some: that I may show the meekness and gentleness of Christ. Who reckon of us as walking according to the flesh: this refers to the attitude of those who charged Paul with not being an inspired apostle, but that he walked according to the flesh seeking his own advantage.
Verse 3. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh."
LGT "For walking in flesh, not according to flesh do we war."
Paul says that even though they are in the flesh, it is not in the flesh that he fights, but in a complete reliance on the Holy Spirit, for it is a spiritual warfare that he is in. Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, and against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
Verses 4, 5, "(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
LGT "For the arms of our warfare [are] not fleshly, but powerful through God to [the] overthrow holds; overthrowing reasonings, and every high thing lifting itself up against the knowledge of God, and leading captive every thought into the obedience of the Christ."
For the arms of our warfare: the armor Paul uses is the Word of God, and he fully expects to be victorious. Are not fleshly: these arms are spiritual and not carnal. The objectors in the church were accusing Paul of using magic and craft. But powerful through God: it is God who actually does the fighting; Paul is just His instrument, giving out the gospel of grace. To overthrow holds: In the use of the word holds, "there may lie a reminiscence of the rock forts on the coast of Paul's native Cilicia, which were pulled down by the Romans in their attacks on the Cilician pirates. Pompey inflicted a crushing defeat upon their navy off the rocky strong hold of Coracesium on the confines of Cilicia and Pisidia" (Vincent). Overthrowing reasonings: the vain imagining of the objectors, that is, the senseless logic of those who opposed Paul's apostleship. And every high thing: the haughty spirit of unbelief. Lifting itself up against the knowledge of God: Paul is armed with the Word of God, which gives him the grace logic to challenge every skeptic in his or her attempt to refute God's Word. And leading captive: taking the enemy prisoner by making them submit to the Word of God; you know that only God's word is able to disarm the enemy, and that is why Paul does not challenge the unbeliever with his own knowledge, but with the knowledge provided him by God. Every thought into the obedience of the Christ: "The sense is, that it was the aim and purpose of Paul to accomplish this, and that it would certainly be done. The strongholds of philosophy, heathenism, and sin should be demolished, and all the opinions, plans, and purposes of the world should become subject to the all-conquering Redeemer" (Barnes).
Verse 6, "And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled."
LGT "And having in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience may have been fulfilled."
And having in readiness to avenge all disobedience: Paul says that he stands ready to execute any discipline his apostolic office allows, to those who contend that he is unable to do anything to them, because he is only bold in his epistles. When your obedience may have been fulfilled: after those who have surrendered to the truth of the gospel, they will have fulfilled the gospel of grace through submission; all others will suffer loss.
Verse 7, "Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's."
LGT "Do you look at things according to appearance? If anyone is persuaded in himself to be of Christ, this again let him reason of himself, that just as he is of Christ, so also [are] we."
Do you look at things according to appearance: Paul addresses the church about the way they viewed the false teachers who came in and were very eloquent, just as the Greek philosophers, but that it was no evidence that they were sent by God. If anyone is persuaded in himself to be of Christ: these false teachers lay claim to be sent by Christ, and that they possessed some special talent that made them believable to those who simply looked at the outward appearance. This again let him reason of himself: what has this man taught you that would make you believe that he is sent by Christ. That just as he is of Christ: if they are of Christ, they should not be teaching anything other than grace. So also are we: Paul states the fact that no one could produce more proof than he could that they are sent by Christ.
Verse 8, "For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed."
LGT "For if even I should boast somewhat more abundantly concerning our authority, which the Lord gave to us for building up and not for overthrowing you. I shall not be ashamed."
For if even I should boast somewhat more abundantly concerning our authority: if I should make my claim to apostleship even greater than I have done in the past, it was never for my own glory that I boasted, but the glory of the Lord. Which the Lord gave us for the building up and not overthrowing you: here Paul gives them the motive of his boasting about his apostleship; it was always for their edification, certainly not as the false teachers who sought their own selfish gain. I shall not be ashamed: as those imposters eventually will be, when the truth is known. The only way Paul could be shamed is if he really was not an apostle empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Verse 9, "That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters."
LGT "In order that I may not seem as if frightening you by means of epistles."
Everything I have written is inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that I shall never be ashamed, for I did not threaten you without just cause, and as an apostle of the Lord, I am able to bring every thing to light, which I have written; I did not write in order to frighten you, but that you might see the light of grace and repent of any wrong.
Verse 10, "For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible."
LGT "Because the epistles, says he, [are] weighty and strong, but the presence of the body weak, and the speech of no account."
Because the epistle, says he: this refers to an opponent of Paul. Are weighty and strong: this could be positive, but in the context it is mean spirited and divisive. But the presence of the body weak: this by no means is complimentary; Paul did not have a strong physical appearance, and he had a thorn in the flesh, which may have been his disease of the eyes.
Vincent has this note on Paul's appearance:
"All the traditions as to Paul's personal appearance are late. A bronze medal discovered in the cemetery of St. Domitilla at Rome, and ascribed to the first or second century, represent the apostle with a bald, round, well developed head; rather long, curling beard; high forehead; prominent nose; and open, staring eye. The intellectual character of the face is emphasized by the contrast with the portrait of Peter, which faces Paul's. Peter's forehead is flat, the head not so finely developed, the face commonplace, the cheek-bones high, the eye small, and the hair and beard short, thick, and curling. An ivory diptych [a picture or series of pictures (as an altar piece) painted or carved on two hinged tablets] of the fourth century, reproduced in Mr. Lewin's 'Life of Paul,' contains two portraits. In the one he is sitting in an official chair, with uplifted hand and two fingers raised, apparently in the act of ordination. The face is oval, the beard long and pointed, the moustache full, the forehead high, the head bald, and the eye small and weak. The other portrait represents him in the act of throwing off the viper. A forgery of the fourth century, under the name of Lucian, alludes to him as 'the bald-headed, hook-nosed Galilean.' In the 'Apocryphal Acts of the Apostle' mention is made of one Dioscorus, the bald shipmaster, who followed Paul to Rome, and was mistaken for him and beheaded in his stead. In the 'Acts of Paul and Thekla,' a third century romance, he is described as 'short, bald, bowlegged, with meeting eyebrows, hook-nosed, full of grace.' John of Antioch, in the sixth century, says that he was round shouldered, with aquiline [hook-beaked resembling an eagle] nose, grayish eyes, meeting eyebrows, and ample beard."
And the speech of no account: Paul was not eloquent, but we must keep in mind these are the criticisms of his detractors; though he may not have been a great orator as that of the Greek philosophers, what he said struck cords that brought about all this calumny. The Word of God is what his detractors are so upset with, and Paul is their object of ridicule.
Verse 11, "Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present."
LGT "Let such a one reckon this, that such as we are in word by epistles being absent, such [we are] being present in deed."
Let such a one reckon this: let the one who objects think on this. That such as we are in word by epistle: they think I am courageous with my words; I say that what I say in my epistle is: such we are being present in deed: I am of the same sort when with you as I am in my letters. Those who claim I am strong in my letter but weak in person have no idea what they are saying.
Verse 12, "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, are not wise."
LGT "For we dare not rank among or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves, but these themselves, themselves measuring, and comparing themselves with themselves, do not understand."
Paul is saying here that he would not dare to put himself in the same category of those false teachers who boast of their attainments with flowery speeches; the irony here is that Paul says that they judge themselves by their own standards; however, he would not dare do that, for the standard that he measures himself by is the standard of the Word of God. Paul says that he does not compare himself with these Judaizers, for he measures himself to the grace of God. There is a bit of sarcasm in his voice. We should never measure ourselves with other Christians, for God has given us this gospel of grace, and he does the measuring.
Verse 13, "But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you."
LGT "But we will not glory beyond measure, but according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure divided to us, to reach also to you."
But we will not glory beyond measure: the language is rather difficult here, but it seems as though Paul is saying that he would not glory in that which was not of God, that is, Paul would not enter into another man's ministry, and then take credit for the results, such as these Judaizers seem to have been doing in Corinth. They were taking credit for what the apostle himself had accomplished by the Holy Spirit. But according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure divided to us: Paul is saying that God had appointed Paul to the Church in Corinth, and that he would not enter any other place without God's appointment. To reach also to you: the Corinthian believers were the beneficiaries of Paul's grace ministry.
Verse 14, "For we stretch ourselves beyond measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ."
LGT "For not as not reaching to you do we overstretch ourselves, for to you also we came in the Glad Tidings of the Christ."
For not as not reaching to you do we overstretch ourselves: Paul simply says that the Corinthian church was not beyond the limit God had divided to him. Evidently they were complaining that Paul was not spending enough time with them. For to you also we came in the Glad Tidings of the Christ: Paul had established the assembly in Corinth with the Gospel of grace. In our ministry to all the other provinces we have not neglected you, but will come to you in God's timetable.
Verse 15, "Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labors; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly."
LGT "Not boasting of the things beyond measure in other's labors, but having hope, your faith increasing, among you [we shall be] enlarged according to our rule to abundance."
Not boasting of things beyond measure in other's labors: Paul has limited his glorying to the ministry set out for him by God, and he refuses to take credit for another man's work. How unlike our so-called pastors today. But having hope, your faith increasing among you we shall be enlarged: "Paul means that, as the faith of the Corinthians increases, he hopes that his apostolic efficiency will increase, so that Corinth shall become the basis of larger efforts, extending into other regions" (Vincent). According to our rule to abundance: Paul's entire ministry is guided by God's measuring line. "Paul's rule was to carry the Gospel as far as possible to the heathen world. He regarded the regions lying far beyond Corinth as coming properly within his limits; and he desired to occupy that field" (Barnes).
Verse 16, "To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand."
LGT "Even unto the parts beyond you to announce the Glad Tidings, to boast not in another's rule as to the things ready."
Even to the parts beyond you: to go with the gospel to other regions of Greece, and maybe Paul refers to Italy and Spain. To announce the Glad Tidings: taking the gospel of grace to other countries that had not heard. To boast not in another's rule as to things ready: Paul says that he would never take credit for another man's ministry, and maybe insinuates that that is exactly what the false teachers were doing; Paul did all the labor in establishing the Corinthians in the gospel of grace, and others were laying claim to his labors.
Verse 17, "But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."
LGT "But he that boasts, in [the] Lord let him boast."
Paul is loosely quoting from Jeremiah 9:23,24, "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; nut let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth." What a wonderful plan of God for us all; we should always realize that we have created nothing, and that every good thing we have comes from God; only a fool glories in his personal attainments, whether personal talents, or accumulated riches; all things are God's, and we have no power over them; however, they may have power over us.
Verse 18, "For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth."
LGT "For not the one who commends himself, is this one approved, but whom the Lord commends."
The answer to not boasting in ones own accomplishments. The Lord only accepts what He has done through a yielded Christian. "Paul thus seriously shows that we should be mainly anxious to obtain the divine favor. It should be the grand aim and purpose of our life; and we should repress all disposition for vainglory or self-confidence; all reliance on our talents, attainments, or accomplishments for salvation. OUR BOAST IS THAT WE HAVE SUCH A REDEEMER: AND IN THAT WE ALL MAY GLORY" (Barnes).
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