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SEPTEMBER 18
2 Corinthians 10:1–18 but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down arguments and every high thing
Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you
10 by the meekness and gentleness of that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,
Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, bringing every thought into captivity to the obe-
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but being absent am bold toward you. But I beg dience of Christ, and being ready to punish all
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you that when I am present I may not be bold disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
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with that confidence by which I intend to be bold Do you look at things according to the out-
against some, who think of us as if we walked ward appearance? If anyone is convinced in
according to the flesh. For though we walk in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again con-
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the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. sider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s,
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For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal
4 even so we are Christ’s. For even if I should
boast somewhat more about our authority,
which the Lord gave us for edification and not
for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed—
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9 lest I seem to terrify you by letters. “For his
10:4 our warfare. The motif of the Christian letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful,
life as warfare is a common one in the New but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech
Testament (6:7;Eph.6:10–18;1 Tim.1:18;2 Tim. contemptible.” Let such a person consider
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2:3,4; 4:7). carnal. Human. strongholds. The
metaphor would have been readily under- this, that what we are in word by letters when
standable to the Corinthians since Corinth, we are absent, such we will also be in deed
like most ancient cities,had a fortress in which when we are present.
its residents could take refuge.The formidable 12 For we dare not class ourselves or com-
spiritual strongholds manned by the forces of pare ourselves with those who commend
hell can be demolished only by spiritual themselves. But they, measuring themselves
weapons wielded by godly believers—singu- by themselves, and comparing themselves
larly the “sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:17), since among themselves, are not wise. We, however,
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only the truth of God’s Word can defeat satan- will not boast beyond measure, but within the
ic falsehoods.This is the true spiritual warfare. limits of the sphere which God appointed us—
Believers are not instructed in the New a sphere which especially includes you. For
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Testament to assault demons or Satan, but to we are not overextending ourselves (as
assault error with the truth. That is our battle
(John 17:17; Heb. 4:12). though our authority did not extend to you),
for it was to you that we came with the gospel
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of Christ; not boasting of things beyond mea-
10:5 arguments. Thoughts, ideas, specula-
tions, reasonings, philosophies, and false reli- sure, that is, in other men’s labors, but having
gions are the ideological forts in which men hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall
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barricade themselves against God and the be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, to
gospel (1 Cor. 3:20). every thought into cap- preach the gospel in the regions beyond you,
tivity. Emphasizes the total destruction of the and not to boast in another man’s sphere of
fortresses of human and satanic wisdom and accomplishment.
the rescuing of those inside from the damning 17 But “he who glories, let him glory in the
lies that had enslaved them. LORD.” For not he who commends himself is
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approved, but whom the Lord commends.
DAY 18:Why does the tone of 2 Corinthians change so abruptly between 9:15 and 10:1?
Even a casual reader usually notices the abrupt change in tone that occurs between the ninth
and tenth chapters.This apparent difference has prompted various explanations of the relationship
between chapters 1–9 and 10–13.
Some argue that chapters 10–13 were originally part of the “severe letter” (2:4), and hence
belong chronologically before chapters 1–9. Chapters 10–13 cannot, however, have been written
before chapters 1–9, since they refer to Titus’s visit as a past event (12:18; 8:6). Further, the offender
whose defiance of Paul prompted the “severe letter”(2:5–8) is nowhere mentioned in chapters 10–13.
Others agree that chapters 10–13 belong after chapters 1–9, but believe they form a separate
letter.They assume that Paul,after sending chapters 1–9 to the Corinthians,received reports of new
trouble at Corinth and wrote chapters 10–13 in response.A variation of this view is that Paul paused
in his writing of 2 Corinthians after chapters 1–9, then heard bad news from Corinth before he
resumed writing chapters 10–13.This view preserves the unity of 2 Corinthians;however,Paul does
not mention anywhere in chapters 10–13 that he received any fresh news from Corinth.
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