1 It is I, Paul, who by the humility and kindness of Christ appeal to you, the Paul "who is timid among you and bold when far away from you!"
2 Do not force me to act boldly when I come, as I am determined and will dare to act against some people who think that I act from human motives.
3 Human is our condition but not our fight.
4 Our weapons for this fight are not human but they have divine power to destroy strongholds - those arguments
5 and haughty thoughts which oppose the knowledge of God. They disarm the conceited minds, that they obey Christ.
6 So I am prepared to punish any disobedience when you should show perfect obedience.
7 See things as they really are. If someone is convinced that he belongs to Christ, let him consider that just as he is Christ's, so am I.
8 Although I may seem too confident in the authority that the Lord gave me for building you up and not for pulling you down, I will not be put to shame for saying this.
9 Do not think that I can only frighten you with letters.
10 "His letters are severe and strong," some say, "but as he is, he has no presence and he is a poor speaker."
11 To such people I say, "Be careful: what my letters say from afar, is what I will do when I come."
12 How could I venture to equate or compare myself with some people who proclaim their own merits? Fools! They measure themselves with their own measure and compare themselves with themselves.
13 As for me, I will not boast beyond measure, for I will not go past the limits that the God of true measure has set for me: He gave the measuring stick when he made me set foot in your place.
14 It is not the same when someone goes beyond his field to where he has not been able to set foot. But I am he who first reached you with the Gospel of Christ.
15 I am not making myself important where others have worked. On the contrary, we hope that as your faith increases, so too our area of ministry among you will be enlarged without going beyond our limit.
16 So we shall bring the Gospel to places beyond yours without entering into the field of others, or boasting and making ourselves important where the work is already done.
17 Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.
18 It is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
Versículos relacionados com 2 Corinthians, 10:
Chapter 10 of Paul's second letter to the Corinthians is dedicated to defending the apostle against those who accuse him of being weak and not having authority as leader of the church. Paul begins by explaining that although he is a human leader, his authority comes from God and that he is not fighting human weapons, but with divine help. He then continues to argue that his criticism is not personal, but for the good of the Church and for the glory of God. Here are five verses related to the topics addressed in 2 Corinthians 10:
Ephesians 6:12: "For our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities and the powers, against the dominators of this dark world, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly regions." This verse emphasizes the idea that Paul's struggle is not against human beings, but against the spiritual forces of evil.
Colossians 2:10: "And you are perfect in Him, which is the head of every principality and power." This verse points out that Paul's authority comes from Jesus Christ, which is the head of all authorities.
1 Corinthians 4:3-4: "However, it is very little to me to be judged by you or by a human court, nor do I judge myself. For I feel guilty, yet I consider myself justified, but I consider myself justified , for who judges me is the Lord. " This verse shows that Paul does not care about human opinion, but on the opinion of God, which really has the authority to judge him.
2 Corinthians 13:10: "Therefore I write these things being absent, so that when present, it does not use rigor, according to the authority that the Lord has given me for edification, and not for destruction." Here Paul again emphasizes that his authority comes from God and is used to build the church.
1 Peter 5:5: "Similarly you, the youngest, thirst subject to the elders. And girds you all with humility to each other, because God resists the superb, but gives grace to the humble." This verse highlights the importance of humility regarding leadership and suggests that the kind of leadership Paul is defending is a humble leadership and subject to God.
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