Page 396 - Demo

10:10 Paul anticipates a complaint of the Corinthians: that he is more forceful in his letters than in person. He counters this by saying that his goal is not to impress them with eloquence, but to show forth the presence of Christ through his deeds.
CHAPTER 10
d. [10:7] 1 Cor 1:12.
e. [10:8] 13:10.
f. [10:10] 1 Cor 2:3.
g. [10:11] 13:1–2.
h. [10:12] 3:1–2; 4:2; 5:12; 6:4; 10:18; 12:11.
i. [10:16] Rom 15:20–21.
j. [10:17] Jer 9:22–23; 1 Cor 1:31.
k. [10:18] 13:3–9.
CHAPTER 11
a. [11:1] 11:21; 12:11.
 CORINTHIANS -
7d Look at what confronts you. Whoever is con dent of belonging to Christ should consider that as he belongs to Christ, so do we.* 8e And even if I should boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I shall not be put to shame. 9* May I not seem as one frightening you through letters. 10For someone will say, “His letters are severe and forceful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.”f 11Such a person must understand that what we are in word through letters when absent, that we also are in action when present.g
12* Not that we dare to class or compare ourselves with some of those who recommend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.h 13But we will not boast beyond measure but will keep to the limits* God has apportioned us, namely, to reach even to you. 14For we are not overreaching ourselves, as though we did not reach you; we indeed rst came to you with the gospel of Christ. 15We are not boasting beyond measure, in other people’s labors; yet our hope is that, as your faith increases, our in uence among you may be greatly enlarged, within our proper limits, 16so that we may preach the gospel even beyond you, not boasting of work already done in another’s sphere.i 17j “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.”* 18For it is not the one who recommends himself who is approved,* but the one whom the Lord recommends.k
Preaching Without Charge.*
111If only you would put up with a little foolishness from me!*
a 2*
Please put up with me. For I am jealous of you with the
jealousy of God, since I betrothed you to one husband to present
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* [10:7–8] Belonging to Christ. . .so do we: these phrases already announce the pattern of Paul’s boast in 2 Cor 11:21b– 29, especially 2 Cor 11:22–23. For building you up and not for tearing you down: Paul draws on the language by which Jeremiah described the purpose of the prophetic power the Lord gave to him (Jer 1:9–10; 12:16–17; 24:6). Though Paul’s power may have destructive e ects on others (2 Cor 10:2–6), its intended e ect on the community is entirely constructive (cf. 2 Cor 13:10). I shall not be put to shame: his assertions will not be refuted; they will be revealed as true at the judgment.
* [10:9–10] Paul cites the complaints of some who nd him lacking in personal forcefulness and holds out the threat of a personal parousia (both “return” and “presence”) that will be forceful, indeed will be a demonstration of Christ’s own power (cf. 2 Cor 13:2–4).
* [10:12–18] Paul now quali es his claim to boldness, indicating its limits. He distinguishes his own behavior from that of others, revealing those “others” as they appear to him: as self-recommending, immoderately boastful, encroaching on territory not assigned to them, and claiming credit not due to them.
* [10:13] Will keep to the limits: the notion of proper limits is expressed here by two terms with overlapping meanings, metron and kanōn, which are played o against several expressions denoting overreaching or expansion beyond a legitimate sphere.
* [10:17] Boast in the Lord: there is a legitimate boasting, in contrast to the immoderate boasting to which 2 Cor 10:13, 15 allude. God’s work through Paul in the community is the object of his boast (2 Cor 10:13–16; 2 Cor 1:12–14) and
constitutes his recommendation (2 Cor 3:1–3). Cf. notes on
2 Cor 1:12–14 and 1 Cor 1:29–31.
* [10:18] Approved: to be approved is to come successfully
through the process of testing for authenticity (cf. 2 Cor 13:3– 7 and the note on 2 Cor 8:2). Whom the Lord recommends: self-commendation is a premature and unwarranted anticipation of the nal judgment, which the Lord alone will pass (cf. 1 Cor 4:3–5). Paul alludes to this judgment throughout 2 Cor 10–13, frequently in nal or transitional positions; cf. 2 Cor 11:15; 12:19a; 13:3–7.
* [11:1–15] Although these verses continue to reveal information about Paul’s opponents and the di erences he perceives between them and himself, 2 Cor 11:1 signals a turn in Paul’s thought. This section constitutes a prologue to the boasting that he will undertake in 2 Cor 11:16–12:10, and it bears remarkable similarities to the section that follows the central boast, 2 Cor 12:11–18.
* [11:1] Put up with a little foolishness from me: this verse indicates more clearly than the general statement of intent in 2 Cor 10:13 the nature of the project Paul is about to undertake. He alludes ironically to the Corinthians’ toleration for others. Foolishness: Paul quali es his project as folly from beginning to end; see note on 2 Cor 11:16–12:10.
* [11:2] Paul gives us a sudden glimpse of the theological values that are at stake. The jealousy of God: the perspective is that of the covenant, described in imagery of love and marriage, as in the prophets; cf. 1 Cor 10:22. I betrothed you: Paul, like a father (cf. 2 Cor 12:14), betroths the community to Christ as his bride (cf. Eph 5:21–33) and will present her to him at his second coming. Cf. Mt 25:1–13 and the nuptial imagery in Rev 21.