Authority is a word that can conjure up all kinds of thoughts in our minds. For some it may be what they want while for some it’s something from which they want to walk away. For some of us it brings up painful pictures of those who did not exercise authority over us well but abuse it, while for others it brings to mind thoughts of rest as those over you led you well. And all of us would no doubt admit that authority can be a difficult thing, whether you are thinking of being under it or wielding it. With all that, then, authority is often something about which we avoid talking to others. If we have authority over another we would rather not be forced to point it out, and if we are under the authority we would hope not to drive those over us to use their authority in painful ways. All in all, the reality of authority can at times make some relationships awkward.

That is somewhat our setting for the text today. As we’ve been reminded week after week through this series, Paul is forced in 2 Corinthians to defend himself as some “false apostles” have come into Corinth and challenged his apostleship in an attempt to lead the Corinthian church away from Paul and his teachings. Therefore, up to this point, Paul has addressed and explained some things in which he has been attacked. He has explained how God uses suffering, what’s motivated him to change his travel plans, and how he goes about proclaiming the gospel.

Then, we saw last week that he turned for a second to address another need for the Corinthians, namely, completing the collection so that they could provide relief for the church in Jerusalem. So, one might think that Paul is finished defending himself and pointing out the false thinking and wrong actions of those who have attacked him, but such thinking proves itself absolutely wrong when we turn to chapter 10. For in this chapter Paul no longer simply defends himself and his actions (though he does that). Rather, he uses this chapter to turn on the offensive a bit, showing the Corinthians how the actions of these “false apostles” are godless acts.

Whether he’s defending or attacking however we need to realize that there are two common threads that run through all of what he’s saying. The first (and main one) is that he’s laboring in all of this for the Corinthians’ good. Remember, Paul is not simply defending himself out of pride, but he understands that if he and his message are rejected then the Corinthians’ hope of salvation is gone, for Paul’s message is nothing less than the gospel of Jesus Christ. The other thing that runs through all of Paul’s points in the text is that they all relate to the issue of his authority. Again, his authority has been attacked, and so Paul is now setting the record straight. He is explaining aspects of his authority so that the Corinthian church might better understand it. In these verses Paul actually unfolds to them in what manner he exercises his authority, for what purpose his uses his authority, and why such authority does not leave him or anyone else a ground for boasting.

Therefore, this morning I want us first to see what Paul wanted the Corinthians to see, namely, these aspects of his authority. However, I do not believe that Paul wrote this to the Corinthians simply so that they might say, “Oh, now we know something about Paul that they didn’t know before.” Rather, I think that Paul wanted this to lead to their repentance and he wanted them, I believe, to understand how authority should work in their own lives and their own setting. Therefore, the other thing I want us to see this morning, after having walked through the issues about which Paul writes in this text, is how we should live and adjust our lives in light of what Paul writes in this text. Thus, we first turn to see in what manner Paul uses his apostolic authority.

Paul shows that he exercises his authority in gentleness and meekness, guided by the values of Christ, and fighting opposition to God with spiritual weapons (1-6)

One of the attacks the false apostles had brought against Paul was that he was a timid person. Now, they admitted that his letters could be quite fiery and appear quite bold, but when he was with them he showed his true character, namely, weakness and cowardice and fearfulness. Therefore, they challenged his authority.

So Paul opens this chapter with a note of irony. He writes, “I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh” (1-2).

Paul wants them to understand a couple of things by writing this. First, he wants them to have a correct understanding of his actions. When he had come to them in gentleness and they had taken it for timidity, weakness, and cowardice, Paul wants them to understand that it was not weakness, but it was meekness. That is, he was willing and able to display boldness and throw around his power if necessary, but he had chosen to bridle it before them. He was acting in gentleness and meekness by a deliberate decision to do so, not because his fear gripped him. Second, he wanted them to understand that he chose to act that way because it reflects the approach of Jesus Christ. Thus, he begins with the fact that he entreats them by the meekness and gentleness of Christ.

That which chiefly characterized the approach of our Lord was gentleness and meekness. Yes, he was bold and confrontational when necessary, telling the Pharisees that when they made a convert they would turn him into twice the sons of hell that they were. However, he only approached in that way when necessary. For his actions, the rule was to approach others and live in gentleness and meekness. Though his ministry resulted in many being condemned around him because they rejected him and his message, John makes clear that he did not come to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved. He was meek and gentle.

So Paul wants the Corinthians to see that he acts as he does because he wants to reflect the nature of Christ, who was meek and gentle. In fact, even here, instead of coming and charging them to do something – which he had the right to do – he entreats them with gentleness and meekness to realize the false teachings of these “false apostles” and to remove themselves from them. For Paul knows that if they do not, all there will witness his boldness as he comes to them in harsh judgment and removes the “false apostles” himself. So, we see he labors in meekness and gentleness even as Christ.

Also, however, as we have mentioned, Paul also shows that he is guided by the values of Christ, fighting opposition to God with spiritual weapons.

Paul’s opponents were coming against Paul and puffing themselves up because they valued rhetorical flare, their charismatic personalities, their openness to declare their strengths, and their human abilities, all of which Paul lacked or chose not to display. Paul shows the Corinthians, though, in verses 3-6 that even if he had such weapons at his disposal or defense, he would not use them because he values that which Christ values and battles with weapons of the Spirit. Paul writes in 3-6, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

Paul shows that though he lives in this world in a physical body like everyone else, he does not value the things the world values and will not defend himself on those grounds. One of the greatest temptations we will face throughout life is valuing the things the world tells us are important and make us important and then pursuing those things and defending our importance because of the presence of those things in our lives. Paul says he has rejected the values of this world altogether and chosen to hold up those things that are not according to this world but Christ.

Why, though? Why does Paul find it so easy not to pursue those things when they are what the world praises? It is because he knows they are powerless to do what is necessary in this world and for those around him. Paul understands that the basic problem with mankind is that they have rejected their Creator who has made himself known in the created order and have chosen to worship the creation itself. Therefore, God has turned them over to their evil desires so that they suppress any knowledge of him and rebel against him. Thus, all around us we find men who do not value knowledge of God. In fact, their entire being fights against knowing him. And we use every defense possible to fight against that knowledge, claiming intellectual doubt, arguing with a skeptical mind, and looking down on those who embrace such things without even realizing that all these are a façade and the outworking of a rebellious heart against their creator.

And Paul knows that no amount of rhetorical skill can fight against that defense. Indeed, he pictures such defense as a stronghold in battle, a tower into which people might run when the walls of the city come down which might seem unbreakable. And Paul writes, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (4-5).

Paul pictures not only a power able to break through and tear down every argument and lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God but a power able to take people’s entire thought processes and transform them to be guided by Christ. That is the power he needs, and that is why he does not care about rhetorical skills, but has determined to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ and display the life and death of Christ in his own suffering and comfort before men. Those are his weapons because that is what he is fighting against. And that is why he ends this first section calling for the Corinthians to obey and then exercise discipline, for the gospel is at stake.

So, Paul first shows them that he exercises his authority in gentleness and meekness, guided by the values of Christ, and battling with spiritual weapons. Then, in our second section (7-11) we see the purpose for which Paul uses the authority given to him by Christ.

Paul uses his apostolic authority for the purpose of building up the church (7-11)

Even as Paul has already separated himself from the “false apostles” by showing the difference in their actions, values, and weapons, he now shows a further difference between them, namely, how they use their authority. They were coming in claiming authority and using it to come against Christ and tear down his church.

Therefore, Paul begins verse 7 calling the Corinthians to open their eyes and look at the obvious realities that are before them, to look at what these false apostles are doing, what they are about. He writes, “Look at what is before your eyes” (7). Then he points out that they are in no special group, for Paul knows the Lord, writing, “If anyone is confident that he is Christ’s, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ, so also are we” (7).

Then, he gets to the heart of it all, though. He wants them to know that in all he does, whether it’s defending his authority, being gentle in their presence, or writing bold letters he is consistent for he is always guided by what is best for building up the church, not necessarily what might make the world think more of him. He writes in 8-11, “For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. For they say, \"His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.\" Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present.”

If Paul boasts of his authority, it is because he wants to build up the church. If he comes across timid it’s because he does not want to frighten them. If his letters are weighty it’s because he is fighting for their souls. But in all things he is guided by a desire to build up the church, not tear it down as these false apostles are doing.

It is much easier to speak ill of the church and the labors of those leading the church than it is to labor in helping build up the church, isn’t it? If you want to talk poorly about churches throughout this nation and those leading them, it is easy. And I’m not saying there are not legitimate problems. I know there are. In fact, every time I hear some pastor invite people to place their faith in Christ without having shared the gospel I point it out and grieve over it. There are problems with the church. We have recounted them ourselves as a community as we have grieved over the lack of church discipline among many other things. But if all we did was to speak of the problems of the church would make no gains. There must be people fighting and laboring to correct the church, to labor to do things biblically, to build up God’s people.

That’s what Paul was about, and I pray it’s what we are about at Cornerstone Community Church. Indeed, my hope is that as people see us that they would know that our labors are simply to labor to demonstrate what a biblical church looks like and functions. And no doubt we’ve got miles to go. That is why I celebrate when God adds people to aid us in this task and help in laboring for such a cause. And it is why I grieve each time I meet someone who excels in pointing out the errors of the church and lacks any heart to labor to see them corrected and the church built up. Paul used his authority for the building up of the church.

Finally, Paul shows that one’s authority is not ground for boasting, for the only correct boasting for a believer is to boast in the Lord (12-18)

In the midst of showing his ways right and his opponents’ wrong, Paul stops in his tracks in verse 12 to make one thing clear. It is that he is not grouping himself with those people trying to boast in themselves and trying to get one up on their neighbor. He writes, “Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding” (12). These men boasting have no objective standard. They simply look at what each values and does and thinks they’re good. They’re functioning like a poor accountability group walking in rebellion, thinking their doing fine because they’re acting just like their brothers.

So Paul wants them to see first that they have no objective standard by which they are judging themselves, and secondly that they are boasting about work that Paul has done. They are trying to labor in an area in which he has first labored to see the church build up. Thus, he writes in verses 13-16, “But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. We were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence.”

Paul wants the Corinthians to open up their eyes and think about what’s happening. What have these men done to bring transformation to their lives the way that Paul has? What have these men brought to them that exceeds what Paul has done for them? When did these men go out of their way to aid the church? And what is their ultimate hope? It is no doubt to gain personal recognition from the church in Corinth while Paul’s ultimate hope is to stabilize the church in Corinth so that he can move on and labor to see others know Christ and the church built up in other areas. Paul shows a clear difference between these “false apostles” and himself. But ultimately he shows the difference in their boasting. For while they boast in themselves, seeking the commendation of one another, Paul boasts in the Lord, seeking his commendation.

Paul writes in verses 17-18, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” Paul knows that one who truly understand that all authority and power and might come from God does not boast in himself seeking the commendation of men, but he boasts in God, seeking the commendation of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, may we like Paul never forget that any good thing in our lives is due to the grace of God so that we might boast in him alone and receive his commendation.

Thus, let us end this morning reminding ourselves of some ways we have seen already and some we may not have seen yet in applying this text to ourselves. In light of this text, let us then …

1) Fight the desire to hold up the world’s values and ways and proclaim the gospel (that message deemed foolish by the world) to meet man’s real need. We seek to tear down the strongholds of arguments and lofty opinions which exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. May we therefore value and arm ourselves with

2) Labor not to tear down others but to build up our brothers and sisters in Christ. I am not saying we should not point out error in the church and judge sin. Indeed we should. We better. But let us also be found faithful in fighting and laboring to build up the church in order that she might better reflect the glory of her Lord.

3) Be on-guard against the temptation to make a name for ourselves, but understanding that everything good comes from the Lord, let us boast in him and seek his honor and glory above all things.

And one chief way we are reminded that all glory is due him alone is by remembering that he died for us. Therefore, may we honor him as we come to the table. Amen.

APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY AND THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

Listen to Audio