Page 395 - Demo

 CORINTHIANS -
10The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.e
11* You are being enriched in every way for all generosity, which through us produces thanksgiving to God, 12for the administration of this public service is not only supplying the needs of the holy ones but is also over owing in many acts of thanksgiving to God. 13Through the evidence of this service, you are glorifying God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your contribution to them and to all others,f 14while in prayer on your behalf they long for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!g
Iv. PAUl’S DEfENSE Of HIS MINISTRY*
Accusation of Weakness.
10* 1Now I myself, Paul, urge you through the gentleness and clemency of Christ,* I who am humble when face to face with you, but brave toward you when absent, 2* a I beg you that, when present, I may not have to be brave with that con dence with which I intend to act boldly against some who consider us as acting according to the esh. 3For, although we are in the esh, we do not battle according to the esh,* 4for the weapons of our battle are not of esh but are enormously powerful, capable of destroying fortresses. We destroy argumentsb 5and every pretension raising itself against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ, 6and we are ready to punish every disobedience, once your
obedience is complete.c
Some scholars speculate that Chapter 9 was once a separate letter, because it repeats many of the ideas in Chapter 8.
9:7
To be meaningful, giving must be voluntary. Our giving should not be enforced upon us, a mere duty or burden, because “God loves a cheerful giver”! If we are to re ect God’s generosity to us, our own giving must be plentiful and joyful.
* [9:11–15] Paul’s vision broadens to take in all the interested parties in one dynamic picture. His language becomes liturgically colored and conveys a sense of fullness. With a nal play on the words charis and eucharistia (see note on 2 Cor 8:1), he describes a circle that closes on itself: the movement of grace over owing from God to them and handed on from them through Paul to others is completed by the prayer of praise and thanksgiving raised on their behalf to God.
* [10:1–13:10] These nal chapters have their own unity of structure and theme and could well have formed the body of a separate letter. They constitute an apologia on Paul’s part, i.e., a legal defense of his behavior and his ministry; the writing is emotionally charged and highly rhetorical. In the central section (2 Cor 11:16–12:10), the apologia takes the form of a boast. This section is prepared for by a prologue (2 Cor 11:1–15) and followed by an epilogue (2 Cor 12:11–18), which are similar in content and structure. These sections, in turn, are framed by an introduction (2 Cor 10:1–18) and a conclusion (2 Cor 12:19– 13:10), both of which assert Paul’s apostolic authority and con dence and de ne the purpose of the letter. The structure that results from this disposition of the material is chiastic, i.e., the rst element corresponds to the last, the second to the second last, etc., following the pattern a b c b a .
* [10:1–18] Paul asserts his apostolic authority and expresses the con dence this generates in him. He writes in response to certain opinions that have arisen in the community and certain charges raised against him and in preparation for a forthcoming visit in which he intends to set things in order. This section gives us an initial glimpse of the situation in
CHAPTER 9
e. [9:10] Is 55:10.
f. [9:13] 8:4; Rom 15:31.
g. [9:15] Rom 5:15–16.
Corinth that Paul must address; much of its thematic material
will be taken up again in the nale (2 Cor 12:19–13:10).
* [10:1–2] A strong opening plunges us straight into the con ict. Contrasts dominate here: presence versus absence, gentleness-clemency-humility versus boldness-con dence- bravery. Through the gentleness and clemency of Christ: the gure of the gentle Christ, presented in a signi cant position before any speci cs of the situation are suggested, forms a striking contrast to the picture of the bold and militant Paul (2 Cor 10:2–6); this tension is nally resolved in 2 Cor 13:3– 4. Absent. . .present: this same contrast, with a restatement of the purpose of the letter, recurs in 2 Cor 13:10, which forms an
inclusion with 2 Cor 10:1–2.
* [10:2b–4a] Flesh: the Greek word sarx can express both the
physical life of the body without any pejorative overtones (as in “we are in the esh,” 3) and our natural life insofar as it is marked by limitation and weakness (as in the other expressions) in contrast to the higher life and power conferred by the Spirit; cf. note on 1 Cor 3:1. The wordplay is intended to express the paradoxical situation of a life already taken over by the Spirit but not yet seen as such except by faith. Lack of empirical evidence of the Spirit permits misunderstanding and misjudgment, but Paul resolutely denies that his behavior and e ectiveness are as limited as some suppose.
* [10:3b–6] Paul is involved in combat. The strong military language and imagery are both an assertion of his con dence in the divine power at his disposal and a declaration of war against those who underestimate his resources. The threat is echoed in 2 Cor 13:2–3.
CHAPTER 10
a. [10:2] 13:2, 10; 1 Cor 4:21.
b. [10:4] 6:7; 13:2–3; 1 Cor 1:25; Eph 6:10–14.
c. [10:6] 2:9.
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