Thomas Aquinas Commentary 2 Corinthians 10:1-6

"Now I Paul myself entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I who in your presence am lowly among you, but being absent am of good courage toward you: yea, I beseech you, that I may not when present show courage with the confidence wherewith I count to be bold against some, who count of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds), casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full." — 2 Corinthians 10:1-6 (ASV)

After dealing with the good ministers of Christ and the faith, the Apostle now addresses false ministers and false apostles. First, he confronts them; secondly, he confronts those who, being deceived by them, have followed them (in chapter 13). In regard to the false ministers, he does two things. First, he gives a reason, excusing himself from the task imposed on him; secondly, he gives evidence for the fact (verse 7). Concerning the first point, he does two things. First, he refuses to be put to the test; secondly, he excuses himself with a reason (verse 2b). And concerning this first point, he does three things. First, he entreats them; secondly, he brings up what is imposed on them by the false apostles (verse 1b); thirdly, he refuses the test (verse 2).

He says, therefore: I, Paul, myself, who am urging you and others to give alms—I myself, I say, entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. Regarding the meekness of Christ, Matthew 11:29 says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Regarding His modesty, Wisdom 11:21 says, “For it is always in your power to show great strength, and who can withstand the might of your arm?” For modesty consists in nothing less than observing the proper measure in one’s actions. Paul makes special mention of Christ’s meekness and modesty because the false apostles and the Corinthians accused him of acting humbly when he was among them, but writing very harshly when he was absent. Therefore, he mentioned these two qualities of Christ to show that he, the Apostle, also possesses and observes them, following Christ’s example.

Hence, Paul introduces the vice they attributed to him, explaining that “I, Paul, myself” means he is truly humble, because the name Paul means “humble” or “quiet,” as in 1 Corinthians 15:9: “For I am the least of the apostles.” Therefore, “I myself” means “truly Paul,” as in Psalm 102:27: “But you are the same.” This is in contrast to false humility, as noted in Sirach 19:23: “There is one that humbles himself wickedly, and his interior is full of deceit.” He also alludes to the source of their behavior in James 3:16: “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”

He continues to state their accusation: “I, I say, who when face to face with you am humble among you—that is, outwardly, as you say—acting humbly while I am present with you; but when I am away, when there is no fear of being injured by any of you, am bold toward you.” In other words, he acts boldly by writing harsh letters to them, for as Proverbs 28:1 says, “But the righteous are bold as a lion.”

Then, when he says, I beg of you, he is refusing to be put to the test. The Corinthians believed that the Apostle acted humbly among them out of fear. He is essentially saying, “You believe this, and you would like to see if I would act as boldly in person as I do in my absence, if it were necessary. But I beg you not to force this.”

And so he pleads that he may not have to be bold when he is present—that is, when he is among them—with the same confidence he is prepared to use against certain uncorrected persons. This is the confidence with which they accuse him of acting boldly when he rebukes and corrects them through his letters. As Job 39:20 says, “He exults in his strength.”

Paul then excuses himself with a reason, addressing those “who suspect us of acting in worldly fashion.” It is as if he is saying: “Although I am not willing to justify myself with a test for your sake, there is nevertheless a reason at hand to justify me.” In this regard, he does three things. First, he gives the reason why they make this charge against him; secondly, he refutes that reason (verse 3); thirdly, he supports his refutation with another reason (verse 4).

The reason this charge is made against him—that he is humble when present but harsh and severe when absent—is that they believe the Apostle acts in a worldly manner, that is, that he walks according to the flesh. Since a person’s work is governed by its goal, and the end should be the governing principle, it follows that everyone directs their work toward their intended end. Therefore, those who set their ultimate goal on carnal goods are said to walk according to the flesh. And because these goods can be taken away from them, people who are attached to carnal things often behave gently and humbly toward others. Because the Corinthians believed that the Apostle walked according to the flesh, they supposed this was the reason he behaved humbly among them.

But this reasoning is invalid, so Paul refutes it, saying, “For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war” [according to the flesh]. It is as if to say: We cannot deny that we are in the flesh, for as he says in Romans 8:12, “So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.” But the claim that we are ruled by the flesh—by placing our ultimate goal or intention in carnal goods—is false. We are not carrying on a worldly war, meaning we do not regulate our life, which is “a warfare” (Job 7:1), according to the flesh.

He proves that he is not carrying on a worldly war by pointing to his weapons, saying, “for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly” [carnal]. A fighter has weapons suitable for his type of warfare. It is plain that the weapons of those who fight according to the flesh are riches, pleasures, and worldly and temporal honors and power. But since our weapons are not of this sort—for “the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but have divine power” [are mighty to God], that is, from God and for the honor of God—it follows that we do not wage war according to the flesh.

Secondly, when he says that these weapons “have divine power to destroy strongholds,” he indicates the power of this spiritual armor, which is evident from its threefold effect.

The first effect is that rebellious people are put to shame by these weapons. In this regard, he says they serve “to destroy strongholds.” This means the power of God is fully capable of destroying the rebellious, as stated in Titus 1:9: “That he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it.” It is also like the charge in Jeremiah 1:10: “See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

People fortify themselves against God in two ways. Some use astute plans, like tyrants who plot with evil designs to destroy the things of God so they may exercise their tyranny. Against these, Paul says, “we destroy arguments” [counsels], as Job 5:13 says, “He takes the wise in their own craftiness.” Others fortify themselves through the pride or depth of their own talent. Against these, Paul says he destroys “every proud obstacle” [height] that is raised against the knowledge of God. This refers to pride, as in Romans 12:16, “Do not be haughty,” or to intellectual depth used by lawyers and philosophers, as in Romans 8:39, “Neither height nor depth,” and Isaiah 5:21, “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes.” These proud obstacles oppose the faith, which is the knowledge of God, by attacking things revealed about God, such as the virgin birth and His other marvels. This is contrary to what is promised in Isaiah 11:9, “For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord,” and is like the false wisdom mentioned in Revelation 2:24, “Who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan.” Therefore, as Romans 11:20 says, “So do not become proud, but stand in awe.”

The second effect is the conversion of unbelievers to the faith. Regarding this, he says the weapons serve to “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” This happens when a person submits all they know to the service of Christ and the faith, as described in Psalm 149:8: “To bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron.” It is also like the instruction in Sirach 6:25: “Put your feet into her fetters, and your neck into her chains”—that is, into the teaching of the faith.

The third effect is the correction of sinners. Regarding this, he says they are “being ready to punish every disobedience,” meaning they have the readiness and authority to punish all disobedience, as Psalm 149:6 says, “And two-edged swords in their hands.” This punishment will occur “when your obedience is complete,” that is, when the believers themselves are perfectly obedient. For if they are willing to obey, there will be a clear basis for punishing the disobedience of others. Alternatively, the phrase means that they will punish disobedience once the believers’ own former disobedience has been fully corrected and their obedience is complete, for contraries are cured by contraries.