Opposition

Introduction

Sometimes as Christians it is easy to feel threatened by other Christians who appear more important, or more knowledgeable, or even who appear to have a more successful area of ministry than we do. Perhaps we are threatened because the other Christian is able to quote Bible verses left, right and centre. Or perhaps it is because people keep telling you about how great that other person is – a great evangelist in their workplace, a fabulous Pathfinder leader, or the best person to have at home group. When we feel threatened as Christians we can start doubting the strength of our relationship to God. It can make us feel timid rather than bold.

The apostle Paul not only had to put up with such negative comparisons being made between himself and other Christian leaders, but he often had to correct and rebuke those other Christian leaders for teaching falsely and opposing the true gospel. He could easily have felt insecure and intimidated. Instead he found his security and identity in being a Christian chosen by God the Father and appointed to a task by Jesus Christ. And that is what we read about in the section of 2 Corinthians that we are looking at this morning.

I would like us therefore for a few minutes to work our way through this passage so that we understand what is going on, and then I want us to think for a bit about how it applies to us today. Two questions then: What is being said in this passage? How does that apply to us today? 2 Corinthians 10:7-18. Please have your Bibles open.


1) WHAT IS BEING SAID IN THIS PASSAGE?

If someone in your house is talking on the phone and you overhear the conversation, it is often quite difficult to work out what is being talked about. Of course there are clues and words and phrases that give the topic away. But as you listen in, you are having to guess how the person on the other end of the phone is responding – what the person on the other end is saying.

Well it is a bit like that when it comes to reading 2 Corinthians. We are hearing one side of the conversation – namely Paul talking to the Corinthians. But we do not have the Corinthians response – there is no letter from them, there is no record of what they were doing or thinking. Yet we can make some educated guesses. From what Paul writes we get a reasonably good idea of what the problem is. We can fill in the blanks and build up a picture of how the Corinthians were behaving.

It appears that there is a tension between the Corinthians and Paul; over the characteristics of true apostleship and about the nature of true Christian ministry. It seems in addition that there are Jewish Christian itinerant preachers who have come to Corinth (in Paul’s absence) and are now teaching a false gospel that is contrary to what Paul had taught the Corinthians. In chapters 10 to 13 Paul issues a vigorous attack on his opponents, these itinerant teachers, and he calls on the Corinthians to come to their senses and return to the true gospel.

Paul writes verse 7: “You are looking only on the surface of things.” That is a sharp rebuke. He is telling the Corinthians that they are looking at things from a human perspective. They don’t have an accurate picture of how things are. It is as if these Corinthian Christians have been deceived by the advertising, the smart image, the fancy gadgets, “the hype” that has characterised the ministry of Paul’s opponents – these itinerant preachers.

Paul continues, take a look with me at what he says, verse 7:

“If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as he”

Paul as an apostle chosen by God is not inferior in any way to these visiting teachers. He knows that as a Christian he belongs to Christ. No one can dispute his relationship to God. He is secure because Jesus owns him. He belongs to Christ.

When I walk down Northumberland Street I sometimes see a security guard climbing out of an armoured vehicle and walking into the bank with a case padlocked to his wrist. There is no way the case is going to be abandoned – it is firmly attached. The guard is not going to leave the box behind.

Paul is saying that Christians are attached – they are secure in Christ. Christ Jesus will not abandon those who trust in him. The Christian belongs to Jesus and does not need to feel threatened by circumstances or even by other believers who look impressive. Their identity, security, and their worth come from belonging to Christ.

But Paul, more than not feeling threatened in the face of opposition, is actually secure enough in his faith and in the role to which Christ has appointed him, that he is able to speak with confidence and authority. Some of the Corinthians, it seems, have been despising Paul, but Paul speaks boldly to them. Take a look at verse 8. Paul writes:

“For even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it”

Paul has been speaking to them in an authoritative manner – but he is not going to apologise for doing so. Paul knows that his authority is from God. As a leader of the church he has been appointed by God, and provided he uses his authority to build up the Corinthians in their faith, he is not ashamed of the fact that he sometimes has to treat them harshly. He is prepared to be strong and direct with them, to challenge wayward behaviour, to confront false teaching, because he knows that it is for their ultimate good.

Paul explains in verse 9, that he is not setting out to frighten them with his letters. He is not trying to scare them just because it makes him feel good. He is not on an ego trip. He is not power hungry. Rather he is acting under God’s authority to ensure that these Corinthians are protected from going astray.

From what Paul writes it seems that some people had been saying that Paul was inconsistent – a bit hypocritical. Look with me at verse 10:

For some say, ‘His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing’

There are some people among the Corinthians who are accusing Paul of being two faced.

They are saying that in his letters he is weighty and forceful – he writes well! He speaks in his letters with authority. He sounds like some who should be listened to. But when he turns up in person he is “unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing”. When you see him face to face he is weak and insignificant. He doesn’t match up to the image he portrays in his letters. Therefore he can be dismissed as insignificant.

A while ago I tried to switch my home electricity and gas supplier. I didn’t find it a straight forward operation. It was a very long and drawn out process and it took about six months for the various companies to finally get the readings and bills sorted out. While I was waiting I of course received several red bills and warning letters telling me that I was about to be taken to court for not paying a bill that I knew was incorrect. They were weighty and forceful letters. But they were completely insubstantial. It turned out that they were automatically generated by a computer that couldn’t be turned off. There was no forceful person at all behind the letters – just a computer.

Paul’s opponents are saying that Paul and his teaching can be ignored because in person he is insignificant. He might write forcefully. He might sounds like an angry monster. But in person he is more like Scooby-Doo – a cartoon character, ridiculous.

Throughout both letters to the Corinthians Paul has frequently acknowledged his weakness. He has never claimed to be a great preacher. He is not on the top ten list of great speakers to invite to the next Christian conference. His books haven’t been voted the most enjoyable Christian read this century. And it seems in contrast that Paul’s opponents are popular – they fit the mould of great itinerant preachers – great orators.

Paul acknowledges that he is not like that. Ironically he even boasts in his own weakness. He knows that the power of the gospel lies not in him but rather in God. The gospel message appears foolishness. His servants appear weak and insignificant from a human perspective. But behind all that lies the authority of God. It is God’s gospel that Paul is preaching. It is God’s authority in which he preaches, writes letters, and in which he will confront the foolish Corinthians.

His preference is to deal with them in a gentle, father like way. But he is equally willing to be firm and authoritative – just like a good father sometimes has to be. He writes verse 11:

Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

Paul is prepared to speak and act with authority among them when he next visits. His authority is from God and as a leader of God’s church he is willing to speak strongly when necessary.

Paul’s opponents are actually the ‘foolish’ ones. They are really only commending themselves. They are comparing themselves against other Christian leaders. He writes verse 12 (take a look):

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.

If you happen to be a short person, and you want to appear tall, all you have to do is find someone shorter than you are. Alternatively, if you are particularly desperate, you could try cutting off a bit from the legs of all the furniture in your house! It would make you look taller, but doing so would of course be ridiculous. The reality would not change that God has made you a short person. To measure height accurately you have to compare yourself against a tape measure not against a smaller person.

Similarly Paul is saying that his opponents are not wise to compare themselves against other people. The only true standard for successfully Christian living is God’s standard. Only God can evaluate how well his servants have done. There is no point comparing oneself against another Christian. And there is no point either boasting about something that someone else has done. Or trying to ‘muscle in’ on someone else’s ministry.

But it sounds as if Paul’s opponents have been trying to do just that – they have been trying to ‘muscle in’. They have turned up in Corinth, on Paul’s patch and have started disrupting Paul’s ministry. They have seen a growing church and have decided to jump on the band wagon. They want some of the credit. They want to do the job ‘properly’ – to make up for some of Paul’s deficiencies, to teach their own particular brand of Christianity.

Paul by contrast says, verse 13, that:

We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you.

Paul is going to concentrate on working in the field God has given to him. He is going to take his direction and evaluation from God.

And Paul explains that the reason he is particularly concerned for the Corinthians is because the field God has assigned him extends even to them. The Corinthians are rightly under Paul’s authority. God has placed the Corinthian church under his care. Look at the end of verse 14. Paul says that he “did get as far as [them] with the gospel of Christ” (2 Co 10:14, NIV). Paul brought the gospel to this group of Christians (Acts 18).

You may have heard the saying that ‘the grass always looks greener on the other side’. The itinerant preachers seem to have arrived in Corinth because it looked green and ripe for the picking. They abandoned one field for another. Paul could have done the same. He could have looked around and found a nicer field to work in. But instead he stuck with the Corinthians. He didn’t go somewhere else and start “boasting of work done by others” (2 Co 10:15, NIV).

And yet he wasn’t content with what he had accomplished. It wasn’t that Paul did not want the gospel to spread further. It was just that he didn’t want to abandon the Corinthian church. He wasn’t going to move on and leave them. Instead he wanted to build them up and then involve them in the missionary work that he was going to do elsewhere. That is what he writes verses 15 and 16:

15 Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, 16 so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man’s territory.

Paul is very clear about what God has called him to do. He is not out to make himself look good, but he does want God’s church to grow. He wants more and more people to respond to Christ. And he wants the glory for that to go to God. When ministry is successful he wants the Christian “to boast in the Lord” – to boast in what God has done. That is why he concludes verse 17 and 18, (look again with me at what he says, from verse 17):

17 But, ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’ 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

As I have listened to the radio recently there have been lots of interviews with members of the English cricket team and the Lions rugby team. The team members have been asked to commend themselves and talk about how well they are going to perform. There has been after match discussion. But there has been little unbiased comment. It is all been a bit foolish really.

Paul knows that Christian ministry is successful, not when other people say it is successful, but rather when the Christian minister is commended by God. Paul is running the race to receive the reward. He is ministering for the gospel in order that he will receive the “well done” from Christ. He is only concerned for the Lord’s approval and the Lord’s commendation.


2) HOW DOES IT APPLY TO US TODAY?

So if that is what the passage says, how does it apply to us today? I have tried to build up a picture of what has been going on in Corinth. That situation existed a long time ago in a very different culture and church situation. But I think there are a number of things from this passage that could be applied to us today. Let me make a few suggestions.

One. Paul reminds us that our security as Christians is found in belonging to Jesus; not in appearing ‘successful’. In the face of opposition and negative comparison, Paul remains secure. He knows that he belongs to Jesus. That is equally true for you and me today as Christians, even if we are not the apostle Paul, we still belong to Jesus, and we find our security in that.

Perhaps you are here this morning and you are feeling a bit insecure or threatened. You have been comparing yourself against another Christian. You think your faith is not up to much. But Paul says no, you belong to Jesus.

So if you are in that situation, stop and remind yourself this morning that your worth is not tied up in what you do for God but in the fact that you belong to Jesus. The emphasis in the Christian faith is always on what Christ has done for you. You are his. You and I belong to him.

Two. Christians sometimes have to speak boldly. Admittedly we are not the apostle Paul, and we do not have apostolic authority, but we do stand on the authority of God’s word the Bible, and we go into the world to make disciples under the authority of Jesus. There will therefore be times when you and I have to speak boldly – just like Paul. And there will be times when we have to receive bold words of correction spoken to us by other Christians.

Perhaps you know a fellow Christian who is going astray but you are afraid to confront them. Maybe in the small group you have been leading, there have been some untrue views expressed, but you have been reluctant to challenge what has been said.

Paul reminds us that it is OK at times to speak boldly. His words to the Corinthians remind us that people will sometimes speak boldly to us. The way to evaluate the appropriateness of what is said is by using Paul’s criteria of it being said in order to build up the other Christian. But do get on with having that challenging conversation and be willing to listen to bold words of correction.

Three. Christians do not have to be ‘super-Christians’ to spread the good news of Jesus. That is because the strength of the gospel is in Christ, not in you or me as the messenger. Paul throughout his letters acknowledges that he is weak. He even talks of the apparent foolishness of the gospel message. Yet he sees God work mightily through him to build his church. Despite his weaknesses, and hostile opposition, he trusts in God’s power, and brings the gospel to these Corinthians.

So do not let weakness be an excuse for you. Do not think to yourself that the Christian message is ‘unbelievable’. Or that my friends will never accept this from me. Pray, trust God and his strength, and get on with spreading the gospel, despite your weakness.

Four. The success of a Christian’s life and ministry is judged not by other Christians but by God. We are to work for God’s commendation; not in order to impress other people. Paul understood that. He did not compare himself to other Christian leaders. He did not neglect the ministry area that God had given him. He continued to be positive about the Corinthian church. And he had a vision for expanding his ministry among them in a way that would bring glory to God.

Your area of ministry is not likely to be the church in Corinth! But God has given you (and me) an area in which to serve him – whether that is in your work place, or your home, or a Sunday school class, or friendship with an international student. If your ministry is going well, and you feel you have the best home group or the best run summer camp, then just be careful not to fall into the trap of pride or of commending yourself. Rather in prayer continually seek God’s evaluation of what you are doing and rely on his strength.

If on the other hand your area of service for God is hard going, you are maybe a bit discouraged at the moment, or perhaps your Christian life in general is a bit of a struggle; Paul’s example is an encouragement to ‘hang in there’. Even if there is not much success humanly speaking, only God can truly see what is going on. We do not have to impress other Christians. Only God is the true judge of success. The most important thing is that you and I work in order to bring glory to God, and ultimately in order to be commended by God.

. . . ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’ 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends” (2 Corinthians 10:17-18).