2 Corinthians 10:1

2 Corinthians 10:1 says, Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:  Paul was now speaking only for himself and not for those with him.  We may identify with a particular congregation, but ultimately, we can only speak for ourselves in matters of faith.  Matthew Henry points out that Paul likely met more opposition at Corinth than he did anywhere else.  Since he was being attacked personally about his faith, Paul wanted to speak personally about his relationship to Christ.  He did not do so with boasting, but with meekness.  We don't need to brag about our faith, but we need to meekly live it for others to see.  Verse two adds, But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.  Paul said that even though he was meek in speaking about himself, that he hoped he could be bold in proclaiming the gospel when he was with them.  He particularly wanted to be bold in defending himself against those who accused him of preaching the gospel for his own benefit.  There were those who claimed that Paul really just walked according to the flesh, or the desires of the world.  There are those today who make the same claim about all preachers or even Christians, but we should live our lives so that we can boldly deny this claim.  Verse three continues, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:  Paul said that there was no way in this world to not walk in the flesh.  When we become followers of Christ, we still have the same human body as before, but our spirit has been changed.  We now live for Christ and the Holy Spirit lives in us.  Paul said that they did not war after the flesh.  The war that Paul was fighting was spiritual.  Verse four declares, (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)  Paul said that his weapons were not carnal, or man-made things of the flesh, but were spirit powered through his faith in and obedience to God.  We might live totally at ease in the world today, but if we are not living for the glory of God, we are failing as His followers.  Verse five adds, Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;  Paul tells us that we are not to live by the things that we might imagine are true, nor by those things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God.  There are many people today who exalt certain theories, such as the Big Bang theory, more than the creation of the world by God.  Paul warned early in the life of the church to not allow any belief to come between God and us.  Paul said that we are to bring every thought into obedience to Christ.  This implies a deliberate action.  We are not to just let our thoughts occasionally drift to Christ, but we are to keep Him foremost in our thoughts.  Verse six continues, And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.  I don't believe that Paul was telling us that we are to be out to punish those who are disobedient, but that we must correct them if they are not presenting the gospel accurately.  We cannot allow anyone to pervert the gospel, especially those who call themselves followers of Christ.