The WIntroduction: Paul’s apostleship under attackeapons of Our Warfare

Robert F. Wall

In the closing chapters of 2 Corinthians Paul writes with humility in response to those at Corinth who were seeking to undermine his apostolic authority among the believers there. They did so by misrepresenting Paul’s motives in not receiving their material support while with them and not returning to Corinth. Their insinuation was that if he was an apostle at all he was a comparatively insignificant one and certainly inferior to them! In reality they were emissaries of Satan, ‘false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ’ as Paul goes on to describe them (11:13). They were Jews who had entered into the work after Paul’s departure to Ephesus and taught that Christians are under the law and have to keep it[1] (Acts 18:18–19; 2 Cor. 11:21–22; 2 Cor. 3).

These men had no real love for the saints. They wanted to make material gain of them (7:2; 12:17–18). In imposing themselves on the Corinthians to that end, it seems they even went so far as to use physical violence: ‘For ye bear fools readily, being wise. For ye bear if any one bring you into bondage, if any one devour you, if any one get your money, if any one exalt himself, if any one beat you on the face’ (11:19–20). This last statement seems to go beyond ‘a hard look’ or stare.

Paul meets and defeats these attacks for the sake of the truth, the believers at Corinth and believers everywhere else from that day to this. Of the 21 New Testament epistles, 14 were written by him (if Hebrews is included). He presents ‘the man Christ Jesus’ in glory and unfolds the truth of the assembly in a fulness that others do not, showing its heavenly calling, character and end. He alone speaks of it as the spiritual body of Christ on earth, of the Lord’s supper as the expression of its unity, and of the resurrection, change and rapture of the saints at the Lord’s coming for His own. If this denial of Paul’s apostleship had been allowed to stand the loss would be immeasurable. In these last days it is vital that we too defend his apostleship, firstly by rightly valuing his writings and secondly by being subject to his teaching. What God has given by His servant Paul is ‘made known to all nations for the obedience of faith’ (Rom. 1:5; 16:26).

The spirit in which Paul met the attack

The gracious spirit in which Paul defended his apostleship is remarkable. Though he was the great apostle of the Gentiles he did not speak down to the Corinthians and was careful not to put himself between them and God (2 Cor. 1:24). It was vital that faith was in exercise, that the Lord Jesus was before them and that their consciences were reached in the presence of God. Accordingly, he beseeches or entreats them by ‘the meekness and gentleness of the Christ’ (2 Cor. 10:1). The word translated ‘entreat’ means literally ‘to call to one’s side’ with a view to producing a particular effect. Paul wanted to recover them to Christian principles and the rejection of what is fleshly. It may seem surprising that he should begin with entreaty by the meekness and gentleness of the Christ but this really went to the heart of the matter and shows at the outset one of the many great differences between Paul and his detractors.

Matthew 12 shows us Christ in conflict with the Pharisees. They sought to use His healing on the sabbath day against Him but their reasoning was shown by the Lord to be deeply flawed. Instead of acknowledging this, ‘the Pharisees, having gone out, took counsel against him, how they might destroy him’ (v. 14). In contrast to their behaviour the Holy Spirit then quotes Isaiah 42:1–4 in connection with the Lord Jesus: ‘Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul has found its delight. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall shew forth judgment to the nations. He shall not strive or cry out, nor shall any one hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, until he bring forth judgment unto victory; and on his name shall the nations hope.’

What was the character of this person, this perfect servant? He was meek and gentle. He would receive everything from God or not receive it at all (see John 6:15). He did not force Himself upon the people, and did not ‘strive or cry out’, nor cause anyone to ‘hear his voice in the streets’. He was not self-assertive but waited on His God. His service was perfect but He was rejected. Even this He received from His Father: ‘At that time, Jesus answering said, I praise thee, Father, Lord of the heaven and of the earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to babes. Yea, Father, for thus has it been well-pleasing in thy sight’ (Matt. 11:25–26). This was true meekness.

He was gentle too, and gracious in all His dealings with His own: ‘a bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench’. These words probably have the believing Jewish remnant primarily in view. Though a bruised (cracked or half-broken) reed, the Lord will not suffer them to be broken completely by the pressure of the circumstances through which they will pass. Neither will He allow their faith, however feeble, to be extinguished, but will sustain it. The statement can also be applied more generally since there is always that tender consideration of the state of each one in whom God is working. The Lord’s ministry to each addresses our need accordingly.

It was after this perfect pattern that Paul served the Lord. Like Him he engaged in this necessary spiritual conflict so that His people might by grace enter into the blessing of God and not be defrauded of it by vain imposters.

Paul’s apostolic authority and power were from God

The false apostles noted that while Paul was bold in his letters he was ‘mean’ or unimpressive in personal presence (v. 1) and argued that ‘his speech [was] naught’ (2 Cor. 10:10). It was true that Paul was a plain speaker who avoided the ‘excellency of word, or wisdom’ so highly valued in the Greek and Roman world (1 Cor. 2:1; 2 Cor. 1:12). He did not use ‘great highflown words of vanity’ but words ‘taught by the Spirit, communicating spiritual things by spiritual means’ (2 Pet. 2:18; 1 Cor. 2:13). And if for the blessing of others he was ‘a simple person in speech’ he was not so ‘in knowledge, but in everything making the truth manifest in all things to you’ (2 Cor. 11:6).

Twice in these later chapters Paul reminds them that in nothing was he ‘behind those who are in surpassing degree apostles’ (11:5; 12:11). He besought that when he did come to Corinth he might not have to be bold towards them in that confidence that would be daring towards those who thought Paul and his companions were ‘walking according to flesh’ (10:2). This was sadly true of the Corinthians: ‘for ye are yet carnal. For whereas there are among you emulation and strife, are ye not carnal, and walk according to man?’ (1 Cor. 3:3). It was true too of those who were attacking Paul: ‘For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves; but these, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are not intelligent’ (2 Cor. 10:12). However, it was not true of Paul and those with him. Though walking in flesh (as being in the body, but not at all as giving place to fallen human nature), Paul and his companions did not war ‘according to flesh’ (v. 3).

The weapons of our warfare

The arms of Paul’s warfare were ‘not fleshly, but powerful according to God to the overthrow of strongholds’ (v. 4). Because the Corinthians were fleshly, it is not surprising that they used fleshly means in conflict, though it is not what they had seen in Paul when he was with them. Those who afterwards got in among them and were denigrating Paul were the chief culprits. Their example was being followed and not Paul’s. He makes clear that there were only two possible outcomes from this state of things: either the carnal mindset that was such a stronghold of the enemy would be overthrown, leading to repentance and obedience, or, when Paul went back to Corinth, every disobedience would be avenged (vs. 5–6).

The flesh will always lift itself up against the knowledge of God. There may be ‘reasonings’ but these are merely the activity of the mind outside the presence of God where alone the truth is known. Such reasonings and the mindset from which they proceed are to be completely cast down. This can be accomplished only by arms that are not fleshly but powerful according to God. Needless to say, the weapons of Paul’s warfare are ours too. The Word of God and prayer are examples of such weapons (see Eph. 6:17–18).

Paul did not want to return to Corinth with a rod but ‘in love, and in a spirit of meekness’ (1 Cor. 4:21). It was his desire that having been delivered from their fleshly mindset every thought might now be led into captivity to the obedience of Christ. They had this faculty — ‘we have the mind of Christ’ (1 Cor. 2:16) — and their inner spiritual life and thinking was to reflect it. What grace this is!

By contrast, the consequence for those who had undermined the apostle and set themselves up as apostles was a solemn one, given the seriousness of their conduct: ‘having in readiness to avenge all disobedience when your obedience shall have been fulfilled’ (v. 6). ‘Avenge’ is not a word that Paul used frequently in his epistles. The underlying Greek word emphasises the just nature of the vengeance. Elsewhere we are exhorted not to avenge ourselves ‘but give place to wrath; for it is written, Vengeance belongs to me, I will recompense, saith the Lord’ (Rom. 12:19). What Paul is writing about here was action that proceeded from God even though Paul would be the instrument of it. This would not take place until the obedience of the Corinthians had been fulfilled. He was confident that their repentance and recovery would be fully brought about, leaving perhaps only his detractors to have to face what Paul threatened. They would find then that as Paul was in his letters when absent such he would be in deed when with them.

The service committed to Paul

The service that God had committed to Paul was measured by God (2 Cor. 10:13) and capable of being fulfilled by him. Near the end of his life he exhorted Timothy to ‘fill up the full measure of thy ministry’ (2 Tim. 4:5), and we can be sure this was something that Paul himself had done. He goes on to write there: ‘I have combated the good combat’ (v. 7).[2] The verses here in 2 Corinthians 10 (and elsewhere) show the divine principles that always governed him in conflict, with the consequence that his assessment about it in 2 Timothy was of course true.

In these last days, as the general state of the Christian testimony becomes increasingly ‘Corinthian’, how important it is that we heed the teaching of the two epistles written to the believers there, remembering the words of the apostle in 2 Corinthians 11:2: ‘For I am jealous as to you with a jealousy which is of God; for I have espoused you unto one man, to present you a chaste virgin to Christ.’

[1] The similarity between the language in 2 Corinthians 11:3–4 and what Paul writes in Galatians 1:6–9 is striking.

[2] Paul was not boasting ‘out of measure in other people’s labours’ (2 Cor. 10:15), which is exactly what those who were attacking him were doing.

From: Truth and Testimony, 2023