“No weapons of flesh”
Mighty through God. —2 Corinthians 10:4
Read 2 Corinthians 10:1-11
In today’s Bible passage, Paul had to defend himself against false teachers within the congregation of Corinth who accused him of being a hypocrite (v.2). Paul is teaching us that though God’s people live in this world, which he describes as walking in the flesh, we must not live after the flesh, meaning according to our sinful nature. Neither may we use fleshly weapons such as our eloquence, deceitfulness, or even violence. We so easily make up nice stories which avoid the offensive truths of God’s Word, such as Christ’s substitutionary death. Often this is done to please people. But what damage is done to the cause of God’s Kingdom by twisting and cutting up God’s Word.
But Paul received different weapons from God and in his life journey; he opposed the enemies of the Kingdom of God repeatedly. Using God’s weapons, including His Word, he cast down the strongholds of Satan. Casting down “high things” (v.5) can also refer to pride, as exemplified by the Tower of Babel. Paul used other God-given weapons in his fight for the truth, and with them he dashed sinful human reasoning to pieces and brought human, sinful thoughts into humble obedience to Christ.
What is the difference between “walking in the flesh” and “walking after the flesh”?