Get ready for a gear change. Up until now Paul has been laying the foundations. Throughout II Cor.1-9, he has been reminding the Corinthians of the view of (healthy) Church life. He has been gently shepherding through the last steps of the journey he began in I Corinthians. Their eyes are back on Jesus, and the Spirit is again doing the deep work of transforming them into the image of the God they are worshipping. This has constructive elements, where Christlikeness is being built into their character and behaviour; and destructive elements, where through the pain of repentance non-Christlikeness is being broken down.
Their repentance is public as they take their place again in the ministry and mission of the ‘one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church’. The specific form that has taken is in relation to the collection of the Church throughout Judea. Having inspired the Macedonians, they now work with Titus to ensure that the gift they promised before their ‘detour’ is delivered against. Fewer things testify to the authenticity of the Spirit’s work than changed decisions about what we do with our money.
But now Paul turns his attention to the ‘super-apostles’ (11:5) who have been the cause of so much trouble. They have much to answer for, and once Paul knows that the Corinthians themselves are securely reconciled to Christ, he begins to tackle the root cause for the breakdown in relationship in the first place. The change in the atmosphere is so stark that many scholars have wondered whether Ch.10-13 is actually from a completely separate letter. There is no need for such groundless speculation. The atmosphere is changing because the focus of Paul’s writing is changing. He is addressing himself very directly to exposing the current incumbents as the charlatans they are.
But before he unloads both barrels Paul is explaining the rules of engagement, and his strategy for that engagement. He doesn’t want the Corinthians to miss what he’s about to do. By the time he’s finished he intends to have stripped the ‘super-apostles’ of all credibility. He is going to make sure they can never do to another Church what they’ve done at Corinth.
Unfortunately, throughout the history of the Church, there are many congregations who have wanted what they have to offer. Ignoring this Second Letter of Paul to Corinth, they have chosen to repeat the mistakes of history, and have suffered for it.
Questions:
Do you think Christian leaders should be at ‘war’ with each other in this way? Doesn’t it simply add to the hurt and confusion when Christian leaders can’t get along?
What would the ‘weapons of the world’ be (v.4)? How does the way Christians ‘fight’ differ from the way non-Christians ‘fight’?
How well equipped are you to ‘demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God’ (v.5)? In our own experience, what do those arguments and pretensions look like? How can we ‘fight’ them?
What does Paul mean when he talks about ‘taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ’?
How does this sort of militant spirituality fit into Paul’s vision for Church leadership? Why is he exploring this in Second Corinthians? How does it fit into the overall argument and context of the letter?
What does Paul mean in v.6? Does it even make sense? Is this just a clever way of avoiding confrontation when he does eventually visit Corinth?
In v.8 (and again in 13:10), Paul is modelling himself and his ministry on Jeremiah (24:6; 42:10 etc.). What is the similarity between these two immense spiritual leaders? What is the point of Paul’s echoing Jeremiah’s (or the Lord through Jeremiah) language and imagery the way he does?
Why do you think there is such a disparity between Paul’s ‘persona’ in his letters and in person (vv.1-2 & 10-11)? Is Paul being duplicitous? ...or cowardly? ...or is something more godly going on?
How does ‘the world’ judge success? What does the world boast in? Where do you see the Church making the same mistake as the Corinthians in judging / boasting in the way the world does? Where do we find it tempting to do the same?
How should what we boast in, and the way we boast, be recognisably different from the world?
In v.15, Paul expresses his hope that the Corinthian’s ‘faith will continue to grow’. What does that mean in terms of their experience as Christians and as a Church? Why does Paul connect it with evangelism (vv.15-16)? Can you be a Christian whose faith is growing if you aren’t involved in evangelism?
