Opening Salvo
October 1, 2011 5:30 AM -0500
Manuscript
Outline
Notes
Bibliography
The spiritual war rages, but the primary battlefield is not a particular nation or city. Discover where Satan aims to attack first and most often.
Thesis: Spiritual warfare is primarily a battle for the hearts and minds and must be fought in an appropriate manner, with appropriate weapons.
Objective: Call believers to recognize that we can’t fight the spiritual war just any old way - much less as the enemy fights - because it is primarily a war for the mind and heart of people.
Objective: Call believers to recognize that we can’t fight the spiritual war just any old way - much less as the enemy fights - because it is primarily a war for the mind and heart of people.
- This is NOT conventional warfare (3-4).
- We live in the body (“For though we live in the body” (3); Spiritual warfare does have a flesh-and-blood - and brick-and-mortar - component. It affects people and things in very real ways (e.g., physical health, mental health, finances, etc.). And it is EXTREMELY tempting to lash out in very real ways as we combat it.).
- The battle is asymmetrical (“we do not wage war in an unspiritual way” (3); Our enemy will not fight fair. He will throw everything he has against us with no consideration for collateral damage (e.g., people, places, things). We don’t fight that way.).
- Our weapons are not worldly (“the weapons of our warfare are not worldly” (4); We don’t fight with sticks, stones, swords, guns, or bombs. Often, we don’t even fight with words. We don’t use the same methods or hardware that Satan does, but our weapons are powerful nonetheless: according to Eph 6, the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, which is Scripture. Shield of faith: shield was primarily defensive, but had a number of offensive functions. Remember, faith is a life-driving belief. It is our belief in Jesus applied to our lives, and that shield has precedence over the sword. Sword: Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.”).
- The primary battlefield is the mind (5).
- It’s a battle of ideas (“We demolish arguments” (4); The primary battleground of spiritual warfare is in the mind, where people embrace all sorts of ideas - arguments - which excuse them from serving God.).
- It’s a battle of pride (“We demolish... every high-minded thing” (5); The primary battleground of spiritual warfare is in the heart, where people promote themselves and their stuff - high-minded things - to more important than serving God.).
- It’s a battle of thought (“taking every thought captive to obey Christ” (5); The primary battleground of spiritual warfare is one of thoughts. Strong’s defines these as “perception, i.e. purpose, intellect, disposition.” Satan’s opening salvo was on this front in Genesis 3:1: “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” And his second salvo was, too, in Genesis 3:4: “No! You will not die.” It is imperative that we meet such attacks before they have a chance to land. And it is essential that we recognize that the people already captive to the enemy are simply captive to such things. Our job, then, is not to blast the person, but to wrestle the thoughts which assail us and hold them until they are subjected to Jesus.).
Ryrie
Reflecting God
ESV Study Bible
HCSB Study Bible
Other
- (1) “In spite of Paul’s general satisfaction with the Corinthian church, there were still some there who challenged his apostolic authority and followed certain leaders Paul calls ‘false apostles’ (11:13). These leaders were apparently Jewish Christians (11:22) who claimed higher authority than Paul’s (10:7) and who lorded over the church (11:20).”
- (3) “in the flesh” = “in the human body (with its limitations).”
- (3) “after the flesh” = “after the impulses of the sinful nature.”
- (4-6) “In contrast to those of the false teachers, Paul used spiritual weapons in combating their arguments and pretentiousness.”
- (5) “imaginations = reasoning”
- (6) “revenge all disobedience” is probably better rendered “punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete.”
Reflecting God
- (1) “From the mild tone of the first nine chapters of Paul’s letter, it appears that the majority of the Corinthian believers had been won over to Paul, after having been alienated by his Corinthian opponents. In this final section, however, Paul deals firmly with the slanders that have been spread against him in Corinth by the remaining opposition. Those who wish to discredit him have been saying that he is bold at a distance, threatening to take severe disciplinary action, especially in his letters (cf, e.g., his warning that, if necessary, he will come with a whip in 1 Co 4:18-21). But they say that he will not dare to be anything but weak and indecisive if he is present with them in person - in short, that he does not have the apostolic authority he claims to have. Paul is ready to prove otherwise, should the occasion demand, when he comes to Corinth for the third time. His appeal to the meekness and gentleness of Christ is an indication of his own affectionate desire to show these same qualities when present with them. In any case, though weak in himself, Paul is strong in the Lord - as this whole letter explains - and those who are rebellious can expect to feel the force of his divinely given authority.”
- (4) “Paul is prepared for warfare; his weapons, however, are not the weapons prized by this fallen world and fashioned by human pride and arrogance.”
- (4) The strongholds are “Of ‘arguments’ and ‘every pretension’ defiantly raised ‘against the knowledge of God,’ among which are the faulty reasonings by which the false apostles have been trying to shake the faith of the Christians in Corinth.”
- (5) “every thought... obedient to Christ” “The center of man’s being thus becomes fully subject to the lordship of Christ.”
ESV Study Bible
- (10:1-13:10) “In the third major section of his letter, Paul directly appeals to those who are still rejecting his gospel and apostolic authority. For in his third visit, Paul will be forced to judge those who have not repented (10:6; 12:20–21; 13:1–10).”
- (10:1-11) “Paul directly responds to those who are criticizing his humble appearance in Corinth (vv. 1–6) and his refusal to employ the professional rhetoric of his day in order to impress others (vv. 7–11; see 1 Cor. 2:1–5).”
- (10:1) “the meekness and gentleness of Christ” is “a reference to Christ’s slowness to anger and patience in order to allow time for repentance before he returns to judge (see 2 Pet. 3:8–10), which Paul imitates in his dealings with the Corinthians (1 Cor. 5:1–5; 2 Cor. 1:23–2:4; 7:5–16).”
- (10:1) “Paul is probably quoting some accusations made by his opponents (see 10:10). Paul is trying to avoid the kind of “consistency” his opponents call for, since it would mean judgment for the Corinthians (see vv. 6, 11).”
- (10:3-4) “Paul is not waging a fleshly battle but a spiritual one. The weapons of his warfare are not physical but spiritual, such as prayer, the Word of God, faith, and the power of the Holy Spirit. By the Spirit Paul tears down the strongholds of wrong thinking and behavior that are reflected in the lives of those who resist his authority.”
HCSB Study Bible
- (1) “These words (Now I, Paul) mark the most important transition in the epistle. The only other place he used his own name was in the salutation. The first nine chapters of 2 Corinthians have been warm and encouraging. Here the language dramatically changes to a harsh, threatening tone, because Paul was on the defensive against charges made by the false apostles (11:13).”
- (2) “Paul planned to challenge certain people who had accused him of behaving in an unspiritual way—that is, according to human standards.”
- (4) “Paul often used the language of battle and struggle (1Co 14:8; 1Tim 1:18; 4:7), but there is a right way and a wrong way to fight. Christians should resort neither to the literal weapons of warfare nor to the rhetorical weapons of sophisticated philosophical reasoning to advance the gospel. Divine, supernatural power is required to defeat Satan's strongholds. Believers experience this power by putting on the armor of God (Eph 6:10-18).”
- (5) “The high-minded thing refers to arguments made by false teachers. These would not be defeated by sophisticated reasoning but by the foolishness of the message preached (1Co 1:22). See 1 Cor 1:18-30 for Paul's earlier guidance to the Corinthians on this topic.”
- (6) “The phrase your obedience means the commitment of the Corinthians to Paul's cause in opposing the false apostles. On his intention to deal severely with the troublemakers, see note at 13:2.”
Other
- Strong’s: “high-minded thing” = “an elevated place or thing, i.e. (abstractly) altitude, or (by implication) a barrier (figuratively): - height, high thing.”
- Strong’s: “punish” = “to vindicate, retaliate, punish: a revenge”
- Ryrie, Charles C. Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994.
- Barker, Kenneth, ed. Reflecting God Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000.
- The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008.
- The HCSB Study Bible. http://www.mystudybible.com