2 Corinthians 10:7-11
Summary for 2Cor 10:7-11: 10:7-11 a The rival teachers were evidently claiming to be Christ’s representatives in some superior way that excluded Paul because of his weakness. Here he defines having true authority as distinct from being a domineering authoritarian. His authority was to build up God’s people, not to demolish them (see 13:10 b), yet he intended to deal firmly with these rivals when he came to Corinth (see 13:1 c).10:10 d Paul’s letters are sometimes difficult and demanding, as other Christians also found (cp. 2 Pet 3:16 e).
• in person he is weak: Paul had no domineering presence, bulldozing people into submission (cp. 2 Cor 1:24 f; 1 Cor 2:1-5 g). The earliest descriptions of Paul’s personal appearance (Acts of Paul and Thecla, around AD 200) depict him as “a man of small height, almost bald, with crooked legs, but with a good body and eyebrows meeting. His nose was hooked, full of grace, for sometimes he appeared like a man and sometimes had the face of an angel.”
• his speeches are worthless: Unlike Apollos (Acts 18:24 h), Paul was not an eloquent preacher or captivating orator when he came to Corinth (2 Cor 11:6 i; 1 Cor 2:3-4 j). His message, however, was charged with a power no human rhetoric could command, as it was given in the Holy Spirit.
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