Paul's Apostolic Authority

1Now I, Paul, myself exhort you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I who indeed as to appearance am humble among you, but being absent am bold toward you. 2Now I implore you that being present, I need not to be bold with the confidence with which I reckon to be daring toward some reckoning us as walking according to flesh.

3For walking in flesh, we do not wage war according to flesh. 4For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but divinely powerful toward the demolition of strongholds, 5overthrowing arguments, and every high thing lifting itself up against the knowledge of God, and taking captive every thought into the obedience of Christ, 6and having readiness within to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience may have been fulfilled.

7You are looking at things according to appearance. If anyone is persuaded in himself to be of Christ, let him reckon this within himself again, that as he is of Christ, so also are we. 8For even if I should boast somewhat more abundantly concerning our authority, which the Lord has given us for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be ashamed, 9so that I might not seem as if to frighten you by means of the letters. 10For they say, “The letters indeed are weighty and strong, but the presence of the body is weak, and the speech having been ignored.” 11Let such a one reckon this, that such as we are in word by letters being absent, also such we are in action being present.

12For we dare not to classify or to compare ourselves with some commending themselves. But these, measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves with themselves, do not understand. 13But we will not boast into the things beyond measure, but according to the measure of the area that God has assigned to us, a measure to reach also as far as you. 14For we are not overextending ourselves, as not reaching to you. For we came also as far as you in the gospel of Christ, 15not boasting to the things beyond measure in others’ labors, but having hope of your faith increasing, to be enlarged to abundance among you according to our area, 16so as to preach the gospel beyond you, not to boast in things already in another’s area.

17But, “The one boasting, let him boast in the Lord.”a 18For the one commending himself, this one is not approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.