2 Corinthians 10

1I appeal to you with the gentleness and kindness of Christ. Some say I am timid and quiet when facing you in person. They claim I act bold and brave only when writing from far away!

2I beg you that, when I come, I will not have to be bold with you. Yet I expect to be bold toward some people who think we live in a worldly way.

3For though we live in the world, we do not fight the way the world fights.

4The weapons we fight with do not come from this world. Our weapons carry God's power to smash down enemy fortresses!

5We smash down rebellious human arguments. We tear down every arrogant barrier raised against the knowledge of God. We capture every rebellious thought like a prisoner of war. We force every thought to submit and obey Christ!

6And we are ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

7You are looking at things only on the surface. If anyone is sure that they belong to Christ, they should remember that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.

8So even if I brag a little too much about the authority the Lord gave us, I will not be ashamed. The Lord gave us this authority to build you up, not to tear you down.

9I do not want to seem like I am only trying to scare you with my letters.

10Critics sneer: His written letters are heavy, powerful, and bold. But in person, he looks physically weak and speaks terribly!

11Those critics need to realize an important fact. What we say in our letters from far away, we will back up with bold action when we arrive!

12We would never dare rank ourselves with those proud self-promoters! They compare themselves only against their own foolish standards. When they do that, they show they have zero real wisdom!

13We, however, will not brag beyond proper limits, but only within the area God has given us, which reaches even to you.

14We are not going too far, as we would be if we had not reached you. In fact, we were the first to come to you with the good news of Christ.

15We do not brag beyond our limits about work others have done. Our hope is that, as your faith grows, our work among you will greatly expand,

16so that we can preach the good news in the regions beyond you. We do not want to brag about work already done in someone else's area.

17Whoever wants to boast should boast only about what the Lord has done. Self-praise means nothing!

18Only the person whom the Lord praises receives God's true approval.