Paul's confronting of sin in Corinthian believers provides a model on how to address sin issues in other people's lives. Paul effectively balanced a warlike posture with Christlike humility, and his godly concern for carnal believers required that he "speak the truth in love." (Eph. 4:15) What unfolds in 2 Cor. 10 is the predictable deflections of carnal Corinthians who wanted to ignore Paul's rebuke. Carnal believers insisted that Paul was carnal himself, that he "walk according to the flesh." (v. 2) They used ad hominem arguments, noting his lack of charisma. (v. 10) And lastly some Corinthians rejected his rebuke by comparing themselves with other carnal believers. (v. 12) Paul doesn't take the bait and sidesteps the foolish deflections of carnal believers. The episode challenges all believers to anticipate resistance when confronting carnality and not chase after deflections that are skillful attempts to protect sin. Instead we're called to militantly conduct spiritual warfare, taking our own thoughts captive first, and then, in full humble submission to God, lovingly confront unrepentant sin in others, ignoring their predictable deflections.
B-12 to Pull Down Strongholds
This episode principally deals with motivation behind spiritual warfare, taking thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. Many of us know cerebrally what thoughts are unhealthy, but we lack the desire to aggressively take thoughts captive. Philippians 2:1-3 contains the blueprint for overcoming our fleshly lethargic response to spiritual imperatives. Before laying on the challenging, almost nonsensical command (according to the flesh) of doing nothing from selfishness or empty conceit (v.3), Paul urges his recipients to consider encouragement in Christ, consolation of love and the fellowship of the Spirit. These gifts are essentially tantamount to the undergirding power of God that would motivate a believer to be Christ-like, doing nothing from selfishness or empty conceit. Paul will then motivate by pointing to Christ's self-emptying as an example. The goal of spiritual warfare is to replace ungodly thoughts with spiritual thoughts, and the driver behind this exchange is divine power, which we access when we abide in Christ. The above 3 bi-products of the Spirit are part of the divine arsenal, which is "divinely powerful for the pulling down of strongholds." (2 Cor 10:4) Believers are consequently urged to access divine power by abiding in Christ, thus motivating them to aggressively take thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.
- 1
- 2