2 Corinthians ~ Part 14

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As I emphasized in my previous posts, we are delving into the profound significance of Sha’ul’s Letters to the Corinthians, a crucial cornerstone of our faith. This significance is not to be taken lightly but to be deeply understood and appreciated, invoking a sense of the weight of this text’s importance in our faith. We must grasp the depth of its meaning and its impact on our spiritual journey.

We continue to examine the topic of Defense of Sha’ul’s Apostleship, which covers 2 Corinthians 8:1 to 9:15.

Sha’ul’s Response to the Charge ~ Part 2

³ For although we do live in the world, we do not wage war in a worldly way; ⁴ because the weapons we use to wage war are not worldly. On the contrary, they have God’s power for demolishing strongholds.

Sha’ul often used the language of battle and struggle (1 Corinthians 14:8; 1 Timothy 1:18; 4:7), but there is a right way and a wrong way to fight. Besides our military and law enforcement personnel, Believers should resort neither to the literal weapons of warfare nor to the rhetorical weapons of sophisticated philosophical reasoning to advance the Gospel. Divine, supernatural power is required to defeat HaSatan’s strongholds. Believers experience this power by putting on the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18).

 

 

We demolish arguments ⁵ and every arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey the Messiah. ⁶ And when you have become completely obedient, then we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience.

Every arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God refers to arguments made by false teachers. These would not be defeated by sophisticated reasoning but by the foolishness of the message preached (1 Corinthians 1:22). The phrase you have become completely obedient means the commitment of the Corinthians to Sha’ul’s cause in opposing the false apostles. On his intention to deal severely with the troublemakers, see note at 13:2.

Appearances and Letters

⁷ You are looking at the surface of things. If anyone is convinced that he belongs to the Messiah, he should remind himself that we belong to the Messiah as much as he does.

One clique in the Corinthian Kehilah—and perhaps the false teachers—arrogantly claimed, “I’m with Messiah” (1 Corinthians 1:12) to the exclusion of others. Sha’ul condemned this divisiveness (1 Corinthians 1:10–17) because there is no inner circle in the community made up of an especially enlightened group.

⁸ For even if I boast a little too much about the authority the Lord has given us—authority to build you up, not tear you down—I am not ashamed.

Within the Kehilah (made up of spiritual equals), Yeshua has given certain individuals authority and leadership responsibility to build you up, not tear you down.

⁹ My object is not to seem as if I were trying to frighten you with these letters. ¹⁰ Someone says, “His letters are weighty and powerful, but when he appears in person, he is weak, and as a speaker, he is nothing.” 

Sha’ul’s earlier correspondence caused the Corinthians to be “grieved” (2 Corinthians 7:8), but it was for their own good and not done just to frighten them. The false apostles contrasted the powerful impact of his letters with the weak impact of his presence and his lack of oratorical skill as a speaker (2 Corinthians 11:6; 1 Corinthians 2:1–4), supposing this was proof of a major defect in the emissary.

¹¹ Such a person should realize that what we say in our letters when absent, we will do when present. ^[1]

If the situation required, Sha’ul would not hesitate to exercise his God-given authority (2 Corinthians 13:2).

In our next post, we will continue to examine Sha’ul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. Stay tuned for more insights and revelations.

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[1] 2 Corinthians 3-11.