2 Corinthians 10:15-16 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, 16 so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence.
Paul repeats the same phrase from v. 13 again in v. 15 with slightly different grammar but moves from boasting about what he and his colleagues have been doing to what others have been doing. Paul can only look at what God has done through him and not others. The others will be accountable for their labor just as Paul will be accountable for his mission. He expresses his deep hope in v. 15b, that the faith of the Corinthians will increase. That should be the goal of all spiritual leaders. We want to see those we influence grow closer to God. Whatever activities we do, they need to lead to this outcome.
Paul believes that as the Corinthians grow in their faith, his influence will grow among them. How? He answers that in v. 16. Their church will be a launching point for more ministry beyond Corinth. He is in essence inviting them to become partners with him in the work of reaching new people. This is a partnership. Paul is placing responsibility and opportunity before them. He evidently sees this church as part of his influence and not part of others’ work. Others have co-opted his influence, which he perceives as not a good thing. The primary reason for this is that the others are steering this church in the wrong direction. Verse 16 may hint at part of the problem with the opponents: they are boasting in the work that Paul did. They are stealing the influence that should belong to Paul.
In this paragraph, it may appear that Paul is boasting, but he is rather being subtle in his rhetoric. He is creating a degree of shame upon the Corinthians for following a distorted path. He wants them to recognize the dangerous path they are following. This chapter prepares for the even stronger rhetoric in ch. 11 where he lays out the issues even more clearly. This is not a normal, everyday type of situation. He probably did not have this approach in trivial kinds of matters. The issues were big and had to do with orthodoxy. We find in Paul’s letters that when the truth of the gospel is threatened, he takes the situation very seriously and uses strong language to correct the situation. There may be times in our ministries or families when this type of situation is called for. Jesus showed this type of response when he chased the money changers out the temple or criticized the Jewish leaders.
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