Lesson 20 – 2 Corinthians Chapter 10:8-18

We started chapter 10 last week, and we will see throughout the remaining chapters that Paul will be defending the faith. What I mean by that is, Paul is waring against the factions within the Corinthian church, as well as the wolves who had pounced on the believers there.

In verse 4 we found an interesting word, and it’s the word “strongholds.” On the surface we might conclude the meaning to be things like a castle, or fortress, and that would be accurate; but in this context, it points to the intellectual meaning; the arguments and reasonings an arguer uses to strengthen their position and defend it against any opponent, and in this case, the opponent is Paul.

Paul is confronting embedded mindsets… “strongholds” …that arose because false teachers and so‑called apostles had been shaping the Corinthians through persistent misinformation. It’s a classic example of how repeated lies can eventually sound like truth to those who hear them long enough.

We know Paul’s history, and how he had to contend with so many physical battles, but this battle is not only intellectual, it is also spiritual.

In life, we have to deal with an avalanche of problems at times, and Paul is no different from us. So, let’s move on in our chapter to learn more.

In verse 7, the false teachers were claiming they were followers of Christ, and we saw that Paul could make the very same claim… he is a follower of Christ!

2 Cor. 10:8:

“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.”

How should Paul proceed? He simply moves forward by telling the truth. The truth is straightforward… it’s lies that get tangled and impossible to keep straight.

I don’t think the false teachers really knew who they were dealing with; this is Paul the apostle, he’s a ”rock star” in the Christian church. Personally, he’s my “rock star.”

He says, if I should boast… which means he’s just going to speak what’s obviously true because he’s been pushed into this position. He’s acting this way because the circumstances forced his hand. Paul’s life and his apostolic credentials were beyond criticism.

By Paul leaning into his authority as an apostle, things will inevitably take place, such as edification, strengthening, and the maturing of those around him. It had to be life changing to sit at the feet of Paul.

You probably already know this, but it bears repeating… edification is about guiding another person toward greater Christian maturity, faithfulness, happiness, and holiness. This is something we all need from time to time.

This edification was what God had planned for the Corinthians, that’s why He sent Paul. Paul says, and not for your destruction…

Jerimiah 29:11 (NLT):

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Many years ago, this Scripture literally saved my life, and God used it to pull me into a deep relationship with Himself. Paul has been pulling the Corinthians in, by giving them God’s Word.

2 Tim. 3:16 (NASB):

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;”

As a faithful apostle and pastor, Paul has indeed been teaching, rebuking, correcting, and diligently training the Corinthians in righteousness.

Also, he is not ashamed… in his boasting. Paul wasn’t going to brag or make empty claims like the false apostles were doing. His authority came from the Lord, and his humility kept his words and actions in check.

2 Cor. 10:9:

“Lest I seem to terrify you by letters.”

This is probably a reference to the severe letter Paul sent, and the false teachers were perhaps using this letter by taking it out of context.

A Bible commentary writes; “False teachers are typically self‑focused, manipulative, and abusive. They value people only as tools to advance their own agendas. Their behavior is often domineering, self‑absorbed, and indifferent to the needs or well‑being of others.”

If I didn’t know better, I’d swear this was a definition of politicians. 😊

Again, these false teachers were accusing Paul of things they were most likely guilty of. It was easy for them to use the severe letter and weaponize it against Paul when the real goal of the severe letter was to bring the Corinthians to repentance so they would be able to experience just what it means to be saved by God’s grace.

Hebrews 12:5-11 (NLT):

“And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child. As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening… it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”

Has God ever taken you to the “woodshed?” If He has, that’s proof-positive that you belong to Him, and He loves you. Paul was a firm father to the Corinthians for their own good and growth.

If you read between the lines, you can see Paul’s heart. He truly loves them, and the severe letter was written with their best interest in mind from start to finish.

2 Cor. 1:23-24, 2:1-4 (NLT):

“Now I call upon God as my witness that I am telling the truth. The reason I didn’t return to Corinth was to spare you from a severe rebuke. But that does not mean we want to dominate you by telling you how to put your faith into practice. We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm.

So I decided that I would not bring you grief with another painful visit. For if I cause you grief, who will make me glad? Certainly not someone I have grieved. That is why I wrote to you as I did, so that when I do come, I won’t be grieved by the very ones who ought to give me the greatest joy. Surely you all know that my joy comes from your being joyful. I wrote that letter in great anguish, with a troubled heart and many tears. I didn’t want to grieve you, but I wanted to let you know how much love I have for you.”

2 Cor. 10:10:

“For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.”

Paul wasn’t trying to intimidate the church with his letters, though he knew the false teachers would twist his words and mock him for being all bark and no bite. He didn’t pretend to be impressive in person, and he wasn’t trained or polished as a speaker… he simply wasn’t built for showmanship.

We remember how Moses didn’t want to be God’s spokesperson because he had a speech impediment; I guess Paul wasn’t much different. Unlike Moses, Paul sucked it up and spoke to the masses. He trusted God to carry him through.

His speech contemptible…

If those false teachers thought they could size up Paul’s God‑given authority based on how smooth his speaking was, they were only fooling themselves.

Paul’s letters could be… weighty and powerful

Sure, his letters included some heavy commands, like turning someone over to satan for the destruction of the flesh, but Paul backed up his words with action, he did exactly what he said he would do.

You might be wondering, when did Paul ever turn someone over to satan…

1 Tim. 1:19-20 (NLT):

“Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God.”

A long time ago I tried to envision what Paul might have looked like, and I came up with a cross between Danny DeVeto and the Tasmanian Devil with bad eyesight… wrapped in grace and love. I know, that’s quite a picture. Paul was a powerhouse, because he fully submitted to God.

2 Cor. 10:11:

“Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present.”

It’s pretty obvious that Paul was nothing like the false apostles. He didn’t put on a show or pretend to be something he wasn’t. With Paul, what you saw was exactly who he was because his integrity and character were rock solid.

Whether up close and personal, or just writing letters, you got Paul, the genuine article… full of the Holy Spirit.

1 Thess. 2:4:

“But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.”

In contrast to Paul, the false teaches were very different behind closed doors, much like the corrupt politicians of today… when they speak in public, it’s behind masks of lies. Paul was the same person in private as he was whenever he stood up to speak in public.

2 Cor. 10:12:

“For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”

(NLT) “Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!”

There were some, who by comparing themselves with one another, placed themselves at the top and pushed Paul to the bottom. Paul, led by the Holy Spirit, reminds us that this kind of comparison is unwise.

When we measure ourselves against others, it either fills us with pride or leaves us discouraged. Neither outcome helps us grow in Christ.

It’s never hard to find someone who seems a little less spiritual than you, and when you do, pride can quietly slip in. You can just as easily find someone who appears more spiritual than you, but trying to keep up with them can leave your heart discouraged.

Paul knew that when it comes to being examined, it should only come from God.

1 Cor. 4:3 (NLT):

“As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.”

When it comes down to it, humble people are keenly aware of how far short they fall of the perfect standard… the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Cor. 10:13:

“We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us – a sphere which especially includes you.”

To paraphrase; We’re not going to brag about anything beyond what God’s actually given us to do. We’re staying in the lane He assigned to us… and you’re right in the middle of that calling.

For you “Trekkies” out there, Paul was to boldly go where no one has gone before… preaching God’s truth to the Gentiles. Paul was to be a “pioneer preacher” if you will.

A sphere which especially includes you. And Paul even injects a little sarcasm, “…a sphere that, lucky you, just happens to include you front and center.”

2 Cor. 10:14:

“For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ;”

(NLT) “We are not reaching beyond these boundaries when we claim authority over you, as if we had never visited you. For we were the first to travel all the way to Corinth with the Good News of Christ.”

I’m not sure if this would qualify as a “turf war” between Paul and the false teaches, because Paul wasn’t overextending himself by claiming his sphere of ministry reaching Corinth.

The NASB says; “for we were the first to come even as far as you in the gospel of Christ.”

Paul was the first one to come to them with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul seeded the ground, he watered it, and from that seed came a great harvest. Now the false teachers with their lies and deceptions are trying to steal what God had ordained.

True to form, the false teachers were the ones trying to take over what Paul had put in place way before them. Paul didn’t intrude on their territory, it was the other way around; they were the trespassers, not Paul.

2 Cor. 10:15:

“Nor do we boast and claim credit for the work someone else has done. Instead, we hope that your faith will grow so that the boundaries of our work among you will be extended.”

People who claim the credit for work they didn’t do, are generally driven by self‑serving motives, insecurities, or are driven with a desire for status… and their behavior tends to damage trust and morale to those around them. You can see how this would have a negative effect on the less mature believers.

What causes people to act this way?

It could be that they have a self‑serving bias about themselves. They attribute successes to themselves and deflect failures that get in the way. By doing this, they bend the truth to feel better about themselves. Being on the job with people like this can make for a tough working environment.

Instead, we hope that your faith will grow so that the boundaries of our work among you will be extended…

When Paul says, we hope that your faith will grow, this is a normal expectation on his part. When a person hears the gospel and reacts to it by making Jesus Lord of their life, a brand-new change comes about… that is if the conversion is for real.

2 Cor. 5:17:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

With this newness, begins the sanctification process… this is where a follower of Christ starts growing…

Zechariah 13:9:

“I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; and each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”

Paul’s hope was that the Corinthians were for real, and that he could rely on them to start planting seeds like he did. When we put in the effort to plant, God’s kingdom grows. That growth doesn’t stop with one person, it spreads outward like ripples, touching more lives, and those people go on to share the good news as well. This is why the church of Jesus has continually grown throughout the centuries to where we are today.

Here’s a question for you. Are you helping spread the good news? Yes, Scripture is very clear that God chose humanity to carry His message, and He invites ordinary people to participate in His redemptive plan.

Mark 16:15-16:

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.’”

We have the command from Jesus and the reason why we should do it. Jesus wasn’t just speaking to His disciples as some like to think, He is speaking to His flock… that includes us.

Romans 10:14-15:

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’”

We’ve spent a lot of time looking at these Corinthians, and honestly, it’s not hard to see bits of ourselves in them. As we’ve been cheering them on to actually follow through and obey Christ, are we going to follow their lead and start planting seeds too?

2 Cor. 10:16:

“To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment.

Paul was always ready to preach the gospel on “new” ground.

Romans 15:20:

“And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation,”

Preach the gospel in the regions beyond you…

There’s an interesting way to look at this, it was Paul’s goal to go beyond Corinth… but for us, what does this look like?

Regions beyond you… we can take this to mean anywhere outside of you. We shouldn’t keep the salvation we received from Jesus all to ourselves. Tell your family members who are not born-again, and tell your friends who don’t know Jesus yet. Then, if the Holy Spirit tells you to speak to a perfect stranger… don’t think about it, just do it, share the gospel.

And not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment…

Wherever Paul went, he stuck to the ministry God gave him. He didn’t try to step into someone else’s territory or take credit for work another believer had already done. He just stayed faithful to the path the Holy Spirit led him on.

2 Cor. 10:17:

“But he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

There’s a bit of rebuke and a little irony in this statement as well… and it’s pointed at the false teachers. They were all about the glory, but it was to glorify in themselves.

King David had his priorities right;

Psalm 20:7 (NASB):

“Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.”

Psalm 34:2:

“My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad.”

In verse 17, Paul was gently correcting the false teachers who were obsessed with promoting themselves. They wanted the spotlight, but they wanted it for their own glory.

It’s extremely foolish to steal God’s glory!

Jer 9:23:

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.”

When people try to take credit for God’s glory, they’re basically saying, “Look what I did,” instead of, “Look what God did through me.” That’s the core issue… both the problem itself and the heart behind it.

When Martin Luther died, his friends found a little scrap of paper crumbled up in his pocket that said, ‘We are all beggars.’ That’s the kind of humility real servants of God carry, and that was Paul’s heart.

They know there’s nothing in themselves to brag about. When they preach the gospel, it’s not because they’re trying to make a name for themselves, it’s because God’s Word burns inside of them. They can’t help it, they speak because God lit the fire in them, and not because they earned any kind of spotlight.

2 Cor. 10:18:

“For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.”

When I read this first part, he who commends himself, I couldn’t help but envision some arrogant person standing tall and patting themselves on the back. People who commend themselves usually reveal more about their character than they realize. Self‑praise often comes from an insecurity or a desire to be seen. Instead of letting God or others affirm them, they try to supply their own applause.

These misguided false teachers were caught up in the moment, chasing after fame, attention, status, wealth, and power, but the person who truly wants to live for the One who called them, keeps their eyes on Jesus. They trust Him for their reward, knowing the real treasure is the one that He gives, not anything this world can offer.

Col. 3:23-24:

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”

But whom the Lord commends…

When we were children, before the time when we thought we were smarter than our parents, all we wanted to hear from our parents was, “Wow, you did that perfect,” or “I am so proud of you!” For every believer, the time is coming when we will stand before Jesus, and there will an entire review of everything we did once we gave our life to Him. I don’t know about you, but I’m longing to hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

A quote from Warren Weirsbe:

“If we are seeking to glorify and please God alone, and if we are not afraid of His evaluation of our hearts and lives, then we need not fear the estimates of men or their criticisms.”

As we close chapter 10 tonight, let’s remember the battle that’s front and center… it’s Paul Vs. the false teachers.

With Paul, he’s a man Jesus chose for Himself, an instrument and bond servant who would go unafraid into the wilderness to spread the Good News to the Gentiles.

The false teachers were satan’s minions, bent on destroying what Paul had accomplished for the Lord.

Paul may have a real opponent for sure… but the One who lives in us is far greater than the one who’s in the world.