Wielding God’s Word and Living It’s Truth

Part 1 - The Power of God’s Word

            Before writing the letter we refer to as 2 Corinthians, Paul wrote a severe and harsh letter intended to deal with bad attitudes and sin within the congregation.  Titus delivered the letter and returned to Paul a few months later.  Titus reported to Paul that the church received the letter and felt great sorrow that led them to repent.  They took disciplinary action against an individual who was the primary troublemaker and longed for Paul to be restored to them as a brother and a leader.

            The first 7 chapters of 2 Corinthians are concerned with Paul explaining his actions and rejoicing that the Corinthian church has repented and returned to God.  They were once again focused on being obedient to God’s Word.

            Chapter’s 8 and 9 address a project the Corinthian church started a year earlier, the offering for the poor in the church at Jerusalem.  Paul encourages the congregation to finish the work and have their offering ready when he arrives.  He tells them that Titus and some other brothers have arrived early to encourage and support the church in this effort.

For our passage today, we will be looking at 2 Corinthians 10:1-11.  Let’s start by reading together verses 1 thru 6:

1 Now I Paul myself appeal to you by the humility and gentleness of Christ, I who when face to face with you am humble but when absent am bold toward you, 2 I beg that when I am present I need not be bold toward you with the confidence that I expect to show to those who consider us as behaving according to fleshly motives.  3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh [wordly principles].  4 For the weapons of our warfare are not merely human but are powerful through God for the destruction of fortresses.  We are tearing down arguments 5 and all arrogance raised up against the knowledge of God, and taking captive every thought to the obedience of Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is completed.

Paul returns to the matter of defending himself before the congregation.  He starts with a gentle appeal.  Instead of speaking harshly or boldly as he did in previous letters, he makes a humble appeal in the name of Jesus.  Matthew 11:28–30 may have been on Paul’s mind:

28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger”

1 Now I Paul myself appeal to you by the humility and gentleness of Christ, I who when face to face with you am humble but when absent am bold toward you, 2 I beg that when I am present I need not be bold toward you with the confidence that I expect to show to those who consider us as behaving according to fleshly motives.

Some at the church were saying that Paul was all talk and no action.  He’s tough when away, but timid when present.  But with humility, Paul asks them to reconsider their attitudes.  Yes, he is bold when writing to them, but meek and humble when present with them.  He spent two years in Corinth.  Afterward he made another visit that was painful and humiliating for both he and them.  But he was always humble and loving.  He put them first, himself last.

So, verse 2 is a warning, Paul begs them to turn away from the worldliness that has invaded the church.  When he arrives, he hopes to be gentle and humble, not bold and forceful.  It is up to the Corinthians.  Those who continue in sin are going to be confronted.  Paul wants the congregation to identify those who themselves live according to the flesh (with worldly values).  He wants the church to turn away from these types of people who claim to be followers of Christ but promote themselves and create discord within the body.    Whoever does separate himself from these folks is going to be in for a big surprise.  They will find out this time that Paul’s bold speech when away will be backed up with bold action this time when he arrives..

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh [wordly principles].  4 For the weapons of our warfare are not merely human but are powerful through God for the destruction of fortresses.  We are tearing down arguments 5 and all arrogance raised up against the knowledge of God, and taking captive every thought to the obedience of Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is completed.  

 Yes, Paul is human (he walks in the flesh) and he is subject to the ups and downs of life.  But the authority he has as an Apostle of Christ is far greater than human, fleshly power would indicate.  The language of verse 3 is the language of war and conflict.  Paul jumps right in and speaks of his weapons for waging war.  He recognizes that a war is being fought for the heart and soul of those in Corinth.  The ministry and witness of the church is at stake

What are the weapons of war available to a child of God? They are not merely human (they do not use worldly methods to influence and affect people).  No, our weapons are divinely powerful, or powerful through God.  They destroy fortresses.

· Scripture describes the human heart without God as a fortress, a false fortress.     Proverbs 18:11 – “A rich man’s wealth is his strong city and like a high wall in his own imagination.” People often think their resources or intellect (wealth) protect them, but this is a house built upon the sand and exists as a fortress only in their imagination. Obadiah 1:3 – “The arrogance of your heart has deceived you…”

· The false fortresses of the human heart are revealed in intellectual arguments, reasoning, or pride that resists God.

The weapons of our warfare are divinely powerful to bring down these fortresses.  What are the weapons of our warfare?  They are “The Word of God” and the message of the gospel.  As Paul said in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

· The Word of God and the Gospel challenge and confront worldly values and beliefs.  God’s Word contradicts and goes against the value system of this world – the value system that says we evolved from apes and the universe came into existence by chance alone along with the myth that says science supports this false belief.  Worldly values include the new narcissism that says you can be whatever you want to be and the rest of us have to acknowledge and support your identify of self, even when your behavior violates the known will of God betraying sound reason and common sense.  The Word of God pulls down lofty arrogant intellectual arguments, and the pride that supports them.  Speaking the truth to people, telling them about God’s love, about sin and righteousness and judgement, this is the war we are to be engaged with in the world.

· The weapons of our warfare are powered by the Holy Spirit who is able to take the thoughts of lost people captive to the obedience of Christ.  In other words, the gospel changes people.  It is powerful and leads them to salvation.

Example of Lofty arguments raised against God – the Big Bang theory.

· The discoveries of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), such as the identification of unexpectedly massive and mature galaxies forming as early as 500 to 800 million years after the supposed Big Bang, challenge the standard cosmological model that would have us believe in a universe evolving purely by chance through naturalistic processes without divine intervention. In the context of 2 Corinthians 10:4,5, these findings highlight how the "evolutionary viewpoint"—which attributes cosmic origins to random physical laws and billions of years of unguided development—serves as a stronghold, or fortified argument, raised against the knowledge of God by insisting on a universe without intelligent design or creator, despite evidence suggesting otherwise. Those who support this worldly viewpoint, when confronted with the JWST data showing galaxies too bright and well-formed to fit traditional timelines, often resort to ad hoc adjustments like proposing unknown forces, faster early expansion, revised galaxy formation models, or my favorite – proof that their must be multi-verses, many universes, and the Webb telescope is seeing into them.  The Big Bang Theory has gone through at least seven major revisions over the last 100 years in an attempt to hold on to this false idea.  Godless scientists try to do all they can to preserve their paradigm of naturalistic evolution, thereby erecting intellectual barriers that dismiss intelligent design or creation as unscientific. From a biblical perspective, such strongholds represent human pretensions that elevate chance over God's sovereign will and power to create, But the universe reflects purposeful order rather than accidental chaos. JWST's revelations have become an invitation to reconsider the universe as divinely orchestrated by an intelligent being.  Pointing these things out to those who are lost is an example of taking fighting a battle who’s objective is to take every thought captive to Christ.

· Example of a modern-day warrior who spoke the truth of God’s Word against evil - Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk was assassinated on this last Wednesday.  He exemplifies the type of warfare Paul articulates in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.  Charlie was very gifted in wielding divinely powerful weapons, not according to the flesh but weapons of God capable of demolishing the strongholds within human hears.  He spoke Biblical truth with sound reasoning that destroy arguments and pretensions raised against the knowledge of God.  Charlies goal was to take every thought captive to obey Christ. As the founder of Turning Point USA, Kirk engaged in cultural and political battles on college campuses and beyond, confronting ideologies like Marxism, wokeness, and secular humanism not merely with rhetorical force, but through a framework rooted in biblical truth and prayerful dependence on God. His "Prove Me Wrong" debates and events, such as the American Comeback Tour, served as arenas to dismantle false narratives—such as those undermining faith, family, and freedom.  He presented scriptural reasoning and invited challengers to test his convictions. Even in his final moments before his tragic assassination, Kirk reaffirmed his faith in Jesus.  His character and manner of life demonstrate that his influence was based on the divine power of God, not on the power of the flesh (human efforts and wisdom).  His impact will outlast the physical threats that took him down.  He has left behind an inspiring legacy and example to follow for the war we against ideological darkness.

What Paul is leading up to is this.  Disobedience to the Word of God in the church, is not acceptable.  Those who promote self and preach false doctrine for selfish gain need to be confronted.  Paul plans to do so when he arrives in Corinth.  What he hopes is that when he gets there, those who need to be confronted are only a small minority beause the rest of the church has abandoned, once and for all, all support for those who are false teachers and self-serving.

Part 2 – Actions Speak Louder Than Words

7 You see things according to appearances.  If anyone is confident that he himself is in Christ, he should consider again for himself, that just as he belongs to Christ, so too do we.  8 For even if I boast somewhat more about our authority which the Lord has given us for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be disgraced.

There were those in Corinth who took pride in appearances (2 Cor 5:12).  They see everything from a fleshly perspective based on appearences – how well you dress, talk, the car you drive (or in Paul’s case the chariot he owned), and how elegant you are as a speaker.  I remember a certain brother in a church who hung out with a particular leader because the leader had a nice family, and a beautiful wife.  He drove a nice car and had a nice home.  Such people in Corinth saw Paul as an illegitimate leader.  He didn’t measure up to their fleshly expectations.  Paul addresses this kind of attitude where some think themselves superior based on appearances.  Just as such a person will consider himself as belonging to Christ, Paul reminds them that he also belongs to Jesus.  This attitude was also discussed in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian Church.  God chooses the foolish, the weak, and the lowly as His servants in order to shame those who judge based on appearances (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).  And he reminded them that everyone, wise, rich, poor, or weak must stand before the judgment seat of Christ and an give account of himself – not for the things one has but for the things one has done.  Fleshly appearances should not be the scale for measuring others.

If I need to boast about myself, Paul says, he will not be disgraced.  Boasting about yourself is never a good idea.  So far Paul has only defended his actions to the Corinthians.  But in chapters 11 and 12, Paul is going to boast about his credentials as an Apostle.  But he is going to do it with irony.  Irony is making a point by doing the very thing you want to avoid.  He will show the silliness of boasting about self by boasting as he makes it clear that when compared with any of the other Apostles, his credentials and deeds, done for Christ, are without competition.  But he finds no shame in doing this because those who put stock in credentials and appearances need to be humbled in order for others to see the fallacy of their ways.

9 I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters, 10 For they say, his letters on the one hand are severe and intimidating, but when present, he is weak and his words are insignificant.  11 Let such a person consider: that what we are in word by letters when absent, we will also be in actions when present.

Lastly, consider verse 11.  It is not a person’s words that matter the most but the person’s actions.  Paul says that when he comes the next time, his actions will match the tough talk found in his letters.  We don’t know what happened in Corinth when Paul arrived.  The book of Acts seems to hint that he stayed in Greece for three months and then moved on with the journey to Jerusalem.  We don’t hear much about Corinth after these events.  I suspect that conflict like this in the church body led to a shrinking congregation and loss of influence in the community.

Two things I hope you take away from our passage today.  First, recognize the power of God that is available to us.  We are fighting a war for the hearts and minds of others.  Our weapons are the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit of God, and the message of the Gospel.  Don’t be timid in using God’s Word.  It confronts people at the core of their being by challenging their thought processes and beliefs – the false fortresses of the mind.  God’s Word calls to the heart and asks people to repent and turn to Him for salvation.

Second, remember that actions speak louder than words.  Presentation and appearance can be deceitful and lead to pride.  What you do as you walk in obedience to God’s Word speaks loudly to others.  You may be judged wrongly by those who oppose God’s Word.  But this is how battles in the war we are fighting will be won – proclaim the truth, live obediently according to the truth of God’s word.