2 Corinthians 10:1-2 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!— 2 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.
Chapter 10 marks a shift in the letter. Some interpreters see this seam as evidence of another letter inserted into this one. That is a possible theory but is not necessarily the only way to view the change. Another theory is that Paul was interrupted and picked up the writing process at another point with a new topics. Other letters indicate places where there are significant breaks in topic or a shift in the flow of thought. It is also possible that Paul is now emphasizing a new point and wants to make it very clear. It more or less exhausted the idea of the Jerusalem offering and now has another big concern. This concern actually returns to topics that have been mentioned several times in the letter, in particular, his relationship with the Corinthians, their criticism of his ministry, and outside influencers who are escalating the problem.
Paul begins here with emphasis in three ways: he uses the personal pronoun “I” (not needed in the Greek because it is part of the verb), the emphatic pronoun “myself,” and then his name. The verb “entreat,” “exhort,” “encourage” has a sense of urgency to it. It is then ironic that with this strong opening, Paul turns to the subject of the meekness and gentleness of Christ. Paul could come with very strong words but he starts off by appealing to the example of Christ. “Meekness” has many nuances to it, including “the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance, gentleness, humility, courtesy, considerateness, meekness” (BDAG 2000, 861). Christ is the perfect human example of this. We can experience this through the work of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:23). “Gentleness” refers to “the quality of making allowances despite facts that might suggest reason for a different reaction, clemency, gentleness, graciousness, courtesy, indulgence, tolerance” (BDAG 2000, 371). This word shows Paul’s politeness in how he will attempt to come across to the Corinthians in this part of the letter.
The last part of v. 1 is also ironic. Paul comes across as a humble or lowly servant when he is with the Corinthians but his letters are bold and full of confidence. It is impossible to know what lies behind this statement. Many people feel more at liberty to use strong words in writing than when they are in person. It does not seem Paul is showing his personal weakness here but is building on an assumption the Corinthians have about him. His personal approach may be intentional and not accidental (just his personality). He approaches situations different than the world (vv. 3-4). He internally follows the example of Christ. So Paul will attempt to address the situation of false teachers in Corinth balancing the urgency of the situation with a humble demeanor.
Verse 2 is a form of warning for how Paul may come to Corinth and deal with the issue of this chapter. He would rather show his typical gentleness, but this situation may call for courage with confidence. The confidence comes from knowing he is right about the situation because he has the backing of the true gospel. His position is the correct one. The boldness is the personal quality required to deal with this situation. There is no basis for accusing Paul and his companions of “walking according to the flesh.” They are Spirit-filled, evidenced by their meekness, humility, and gentleness. Their teaching is orthodox. Their approach is Christ-like. There is no evidence of self-centered fleshly living. Paul is offering right here at the start an opportunity for the Corinthians to acknowledge and realize he is right and has the right motives. This is a strong rhetorical ploy to deal with the issue of false teachers.
The way many people of the world deal with issues is to come across strong and loud. With this approach, the more forceful a person is, the more true that person’s ideas must be. Kingdom life is different. There are times we must be strong and courageous in dealing with a situation, but we do this with the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit in the character of Jesus Christ. Our motives must be pure. Any selfishness or self-preservation for personal gain must be rejected. There are many ramifications for these ideas, from the family situation to the work setting.
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