Chapter 3
CHAPTER X. But as for me, Paul, I entreat you by the gentleness and self-forgetfulness of Christ, I who when among you have not an imposing personal presence, but when absent, am fearlessly outspoken in dealing with you. I beseech you not to compel me when present to make a bold display of the confidence with
which I reckon I shall show my courage against some who reckon that we are guided by worldly principles. For, though we are still living in the world, it is no worldly warfare that we are waging. The weapons with which we fight are not human weapons, but are mighty for God in overthrowing strong fortresses.
For we overthrow arrogant reckonings, and every stronghold that towers high in defiance of the knowledge of God, and we carry off every thought as if into slavery, into subjection to Christ, while we hold ourselves in readiness to punish every act of disobedience as soon as ever you as a church have fully shown your obedience. Is it outward appearances you look to?
If any man is confident as regards himself that he specially belongs to Christ, let him consider again, and reflect that just as he belongs to Christ, so also do we. If however I were to boast more loudly of our apostolic authority, which the Lord has given us that we may build you up, not pull you down, I should have no reason to feel ashamed.
Let it not seem as if I wanted to frighten you by my letters. For they say, His letters are authoritative and forcible, but His personal presence is unimpressive, and as for eloquence, He has none. Let such people take this into their reckoning, that whatever we are in word by our letters when absent, the same are we also in act when present.
For we have not the courage to rank ourselves among or compare ourselves with certain persons distinguished by their self-commandation, yet they are not wise measuring themselves as they do by one another and comparing themselves with one another. We however will not exceed due limits in our boasting, but will keep within the limits of the sphere which God has assigned to us as a limit which reaches even to you, for
there is no undue stretch of authority on our part as though it did not extend to you. We pressed on even to Corinth, and were the first to proclaim to you the Good News of the Christ. We do not exceed our due limits and take credit for other men's labors, but we entertain the hope that, as your faith grows, we shall gain promotion among you, still keeping within
our own sphere, promotion to a larger field of labour, and shall tell the Good News in the districts beyond you, not boasting in another man's sphere about work already done by him. But whoever boasts, let his boast be in the Lord, for it is not the man that commends himself who is really approved, but he whom the Lord commends.
CHAPTER XI I wish you could have borne with a little foolish boasting on my part. Nay, do bear with me. I am jealous over you with God's own jealousy, for I have betrothed you to Christ to present you to him like a faithful bride to her one husband.
But I am afraid that, as the serpent in his craftiness deceived Eve, so your minds may be led astray from their single-heartedness and their fidelity to Christ. If indeed some visitor is proclaiming among you another Jesus whom we did not proclaim, or if you are receiving a spirit different from the one you have already received, or a Good News different from that which you have already welcomed, your toleration is
admirable. Why, I reckon myself in no respect inferior to those superlatively great apostles. And if in the matter of speech I am no orator, yet in knowledge I am not deficient, nay, we have in every way made that fully evident to you. Is it a sin that I abased myself in order for you to be exalted, in that I proclaimed
God's Good News to you without fee or reward? Other churches I robbed, receiving pay from them in order to do you service. And when I was with you and my resources failed, there was no one to whom I became a burden. For the brethren, when they came from Macedonia, fully supplied my wants, and I kept myself from being in the least a burden to you, and will do so still.
Christ knows that it is true when I say that I will not be stopped from boasting of this anywhere in Greece. And why? Because I do not love you. God knows that I do.
But I will persist in the same line of conduct in order to cut the ground from under the feet of those who desire an opportunity of getting themselves recognized as being on a level with us in the matters about which they boast. For men of this stamp are sham apostles, dishonest workmen, assuming the garb of apostles of Christ.
And no wonder! Satan their master can disguise himself as an angel of light. It is therefore no great thing for his servants also to disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will be in accordance with their actions.
To return to what I was saying, let no one suppose that I am foolish. Or if you must, at any rate, make allowance for me as being foolish, in order that I, as well as they, may boast a little. What I am now saying I do not say by the Lord's command, but as a fool in his folly might, in this reckless boasting.
Since many boast for merely human reasons, I too will boast. Wise as you yourselves are, you find pleasure in tolerating fools. For you tolerate it if anyone enslaves you, lives at your expense, makes off with your property, gives himself heirs, or strikes you on the face. I use the language of self-disparagement as though I were admitting our own feebleness.
Yet for whatever reason, anyone is courageous. I speak in mere folly. I also am courageous. Are they Hebrews? So am I.
Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ?
I speak as if I were out of my mind. Much more am I his servant, serving him more thoroughly than they by my labors, and more thoroughly also by my imprisonments, by excessively cruel floggings, and with risk of life many a time. From the Jews, I five times have received forty lashes, all but one.
Three times I have been beaten with Roman rods. Once I have been stoned. Three times I have been shipwrecked. Once for full four and twenty hours I was floating on the open sea. I have served him by frequent traveling, amid dangers in crossing rivers, dangers from robbers,
dangers from my own countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the desert, dangers by sea, dangers from spies in our midst. With labor and toil, with many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, in frequent fastings, in cold and with insufficient clothing. And besides other things which I pass over, there is that which presses on me daily, my
anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led astray into sin, and I am not aflame with indignation? If boast I must, it shall be of things which display my weakness. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, He who was blessed throughout the ages, knows
that I am speaking the truth. In Damascus, the governor under King Eratos kept guards at the gates of the city in order to apprehend me. But through an opening in the wall I was let down in a basket, and so escaped his hands. Chapter 12
I am compelled to boast. It is not a profitable employment, but I will proceed to visions and revelations granted me by the Lord. I know a Christian man who fourteen years ago, whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows, was caught up, this man of whom I am speaking,
even to the highest heaven. And I know that this man, whether in the body or apart from the body, I do not know, God knows, was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable things which no human being is permitted to repeat. Of such a one I will boast, but of myself I will not boast except in my weaknesses.
If however I should choose to boast, I should not be a fool for so doing, for I should be speaking the truth. But I forbear lest anyone should be led to estimate me more highly than what his own eyes attest, or more highly than what he hears from my lips. And judging by the stupendous grandeur of the revelations, therefore lest I should be
over-elated, there has been sent to me, like the agony of impalement, Satan's angel dealing blow after blow lest I should be over-elated. As for this, three times have I besought the Lord to rid me of him, but his reply has been, My grace suffices for you, for power matures in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I boast of my infirmities rather than complain of them, in order that
Christ's power may overshadow me. In fact I take pleasure in infirmities, in the bearing of insults, in distress, in persecutions, in grievous difficulties, for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong. It is foolish of me to write all this, but you have compelled me to do so. Why, you ought to have been my vindicators, for in no respect have I been inferior to
these superlatively great apostles, even though in myself I am nothing. The signs that characterize the true apostle have been done among you, accompanied by unwarried fortitude and by tokens and marvels and displays of power. In what respect therefore have you been worse dealt with than other churches, except that I myself never hung as a dead weight upon you?
Forgive the injustice I thus did you. See, I am now for the third time prepared to visit you, but I will not be a dead weight to you. I desire not your money, but yourselves, for children ought not to put by for their parents, but parents for their children.
And as for me, most gladly will I spend all I have and be utterly spent for your salvation. If I love you so intensely, am I the less to be loved? Be that as it may, I was not a burden to you. But being by no means scrupulous, I entrapped you, they say. Have I gained any selfish advantage over you through any one of the messengers I have sent
to you? I begged Titus to visit you, and sent our other brother with him. Did Titus gain any selfish advantage over you? Were not he and I guided by one and the same spirit, and did not we walk in the same steps? You are imagining all this time that we are making our defense at your bar.
In reality, it is as in God's presence and in communion with Christ that we speak. But dear friends, it is all with a view to your progress in goodness. For I am afraid that perhaps when I come, I may not find you to be what I desire, and that you may find me to be what you do not desire. That perhaps there may be contention, jealousy, bitter feeling, party spirit, ill-natured
talk, backbiting, undue eulogy, unrest. And that upon revisiting you, I may be humbled by my God in your presence, and may have to mourn over many whose hearts still cling to their old sins, and who have not repented of the impurity, fornication, and gross sensuality of which they have been guilty. Chapter 13 This intended visit of mine is my third visit
to you. On the evidence of two or three witnesses, every charge shall be sustained. Those who cling to their old sins, and indeed all of you, I have forewarned and still forewarned, as I did on my second visit when present, so I do now, though absent, that when I come again I shall not spare you, since you want a practical proof of the fact that Christ
speaks by my lips, he who is not feeble towards you, but powerful among you. For though it is true that he was crucified through weakness, yet he now lives through the power of God. We also are weak, sharing his weakness, but with him we shall be full of life to deal with you through the power of God.
Test yourselves to discover whether you are true believers, put your own selves under examination. Or do you not know that Jesus Christ is within you unless you are insincere? But I trust that you will recognize that we are not insincere. And our prayer to God is that you may do nothing wrong, not in order that our sincerity
may be demonstrated, but that you may do what is right, even though our sincerity may seem to be doubtful. For we have no power against the truth, but only for the furtherance of the truth. And it is a joy to us when we are powerless, but you are strong. This we also pray for, the perfecting of your characters.
For this reason I write thus while absent, that when present I may not have to act severely in the exercise of the authority which the Lord has given me for building up, and not for pulling down. Finally brethren, be joyful, secure perfection of character, take courage, be of one mind, live in peace, and then God who gives love and peace will be with you.
Include one another with a holy kiss. All God's people here send greetings to you. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. The End of chapters 10-13
And the end of the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians, from the New Testament in Modern Speech, translated by Richard Francis Weymouth. Recording by Mark Penfold.
