NOTES for Co2 10:1-3

Paul characterizes his relations and communication with the brothers of the Corinthian church with a paradoxical phrase. He writes: face to face with you I am timid, but from a distance I am bold. At the same time Paul mentions the meekness and gentleness of Christ, which, one may think, also condition his own meekness in communicating with the brothers. Here, of course, one could observe that when meeting a person face to face, it often happens that the words one had prepared to say to him turn out to be inappropriate or unnecessary, and then one says something quite different from what one had intended and what, from a distance, it seemed one would certainly say at the meeting.

A personal meeting always changes a person's inner, spiritual and psychological state: from a distance we are rarely able to remember a person as he is; most often we conduct an inner dialogue not with him as such, but with the image of him that has formed in our consciousness. At a meeting the image often turns out to be little like the real person, and then, if we want communion with the real person and not with the picture we have drawn, we have to replace the prepared words with others, more suitable.

When the issue is Christians and communion in Christ, in that spiritual space where He determines the quality of communion, the gap between picture and reality may turn out to be still greater. Indeed, sin in any Christian evokes only rejection and nonacceptance. The concrete person committing that sin is another matter: one can love a person even despite his sins.

In our fallen world, however, loving at a distance is very difficult, if by love we mean relations that must be maintained and not emotions experienced by a person. From a distance sins seem so great that they seem completely to obscure the sinner, so that from a distance usually nothing comes to mind except words of denunciation. Face to face is another matter: there one begins to see the real, living person whom one loves.

From a distance it seems quite simple to strike at sin together with the sinner; face to face one understands that striking indiscriminately is no good and that helping a person be freed from sin is not nearly as simple as it seemed from a distance. Then boldness and determination give way to that very meekness and even timidity of which the apostle writes: the work ahead is almost jewelry work, and it must be done together with Christ so as to help, not harm.

Speaking about his strength, Paul characterizes it not as human strength, but as God's strength, given to him for the destruction of "mental fortresses" and for resisting everything that exalts itself before God. The apostle states this while commenting on the idea about him that, judging by his words, had spread: that he is strong in letters but weak when meeting opponents face to face. Judging by the mention of "mental fortresses" and exaltation, the matter apparently concerns certain arguments and debates, perhaps public ones, that took place in the Corinthian church. And Paul's reference to exaltation in such a context was hardly accidental. One may think that the participants in these arguments and debates had already, for quite some time and by quite a distance, gone beyond the boundaries within which it was still possible to speak of the search for truth and authentic spiritual life. At the time when the apostle was writing his letter to the Corinthian Christians, their arguments and debates were probably aimed first of all at self-assertion and the defense of their own rightness, whether the issue concerned individual people or certain groups within the church.

Paul undoubtedly wanted to stop these meaningless and spiritually harmful disputes. But, of course, this was not a matter of stopping them by using power or authority: Paul did not have such power, and not everyone was ready to recognize his authority. He could act only as a Christian, by God's strength and by the breath of the Kingdom by which he lived. Very often it is precisely God's strength and the breath of the Kingdom that turn out to be the decisive argument in disputes among Christians.

If all Christians lived the full life of the Kingdom opened to them, the breath of the Kingdom would always and in every case be their only argument. But since full Christian life is not found all that often even among Christians, disputes and debates among Christians often unfold according to the laws of this world, and here the main goal becomes precisely self-assertion: if not of one's person, then of one's school, one's ideas and views, one's position.

But if those arguing are still not completely closed to the action of God's breath, then the appearance of a person living a full Christian life can change the situation, forcing them to look differently both at themselves and at their disputes. And then it may well turn out that there is nothing to argue about, because the argument was about things that are not so important from the point of view of spiritual life.

The main thing is renunciation of self-assertion, which is the spring behind many arguments and debates, including among Christians. Often it is enough to remove this spring for the disputes to grow quiet, and for the strength and energy spent on them to be directed toward spiritual life as such, toward recognizing and building relationships with God and with people. This is the kind of change in their church life that Paul would like to bring to the Corinthian Christians.

As this epistle moves into chapter 10, the Apostle’s tone changes abruptly. Perhaps he had received new information about the situation in the Corinthian community that compelled him once again to call the Corinthians to obedience.

Paul uses rather sharp expressions and takes a very firm position toward those who undermine his authority in the community and call into question his vocation as an Apostle of Christ. Notice how he uses military terminology in verses 3–6. Indeed, “his letters are weighty and strong,” and he threatens to be the same “in person” (10–11). What, then, distinguishes the Apostle Paul from the leader of some totalitarian sect? And can we use his severity to justify our own harsh words and actions directed against our brothers?

First, Paul’s weapons are “mighty through God”: he does not act on his own behalf or initiative. Can we say the same of ourselves? Second, he takes “every thought captive to obey Christ.” It is very important that Paul demands obedience not to himself but to God. How often our harshness is prompted only by personal motives! Finally, third, Paul “boasts”—that is, insists on his authority—only “according to the measure of the sphere which God appointed us, a measure that reaches even to you.” He respects the freedom of the Corinthian Christians. His goal is the free obedience to God of those whom he has “reached with the gospel of Christ.” Yet obedience to God is at the same time a condition of the Apostle’s authority in the community (6). He does not usurp power in the Corinthian church, even in Christ’s name. And if we must sometimes be firm toward our brothers or sisters, we need to learn from the Apostle Paul to combine firmness with love and respect for them.