Paul is saying that he is the same person whether present or absent. He refers here to the meekness and gentleness of Christ because he does not want to appear to be harsher in person than in a letter. At the same time, he warns them that he can be severe with them if he has to be and that if they do not put things right in his absence, they may get an unpleasant surprise when he comes.

Here Paul is speaking ironically, using the words of his critics to good effect.

Some Jewish believers were ordering Gentile converts to follow the law of Moses. They condemned Paul, calling him base and stupid, and claiming that although he kept the law in secret himself, he was prepared to dispense the Gentiles from it publicly, because he thought they were too ignorant to be able to keep it. Paul refutes this charge by reminding the Corinthians of the miracles which he had done among them and of the gifts which they had received because of him.

Paul is referring here to those who did not accept that his teaching was spiritual.

Having completed his discourse on almsgiving, Paul now turns to less pleasant matters, concluding his epistle with denunciations of the false apostles. He offers explanations of himself and his ministry. Indeed, it would not be wrong to say that the whole epistle is an apology for Paul, because he makes so much mention of the grace and patience given to him.

This means that although we are living in the body we act in a spiritual way. Anyone who does what is pleasing to God is acting spiritually.

Although we are surrounded by the world, we do not give in to it.

All worldly things are corrupt, but Paul is strong because he is fighting with uncorrupted weapons.

By worldly weapons he means wealth, glory, power, loquaciousness, cleverness, half-truths, flatteries, hypocrisies and so on. The apostle does not use such weapons but only those which are spiritual.

By worldly weapons Paul means the law of Moses.

Here, also, one who examines each word minutely can gain a very accurate knowledge of the meaning of the Holy Scripture, so that there is no excuse for any of us being led astray into the snare of sin by an erroneous belief that some sins are punished while others may be committed with impunity. For, what says the apostle?—destroying counsels and every height that exalts itself against the knowledge of God; so that every sin, because it is an expression of contempt for the divine law, is called a height that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

Paul takes an intellect captive when he conquers it just as it is contradicting him by its reasonings, and he leads it, humbled and tame, to the Christian faith.

The arguments referred to here are those of Greek philosophy, of which they were so proud. The word captive sounds bad, because it might be thought to suppress freedom, but here Paul gives it its own special meaning. It might also indicate something which has been so violently overpowered that it will never rise again. This is the sense in which Paul uses it here. Moreover, the captivity in question is one of obedience to Christ, which means the passage from slavery to liberty, from death to life and from destruction to salvation.

A very wicked convention, however, leads us astray, and a perverted human tradition is the source of great evil for us; I mean that tradition according to which some sins are denounced and others are viewed indifferently. Crimes like homicide and adultery are the object of a violent but feigned indignation, while others, such as anger or reviling or drunkenness or avarice, are not considered deserving of even a simple rebuke. . . . And certainly, where every height that exalts itself against the knowledge of God is brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ and every disobedience receives just punishment, there nothing is left undestroyed.

Paul avenges disobedience when he condemns it through obedience, destroying it at the same time as he leads those who resist to the faith, in order that unbelief may be condemned by those who used to defend it.

Paul says that he will punish those who deserve it in due course, but first he wants to make sure that the Corinthians have been properly counseled. He sees that his people are mixed up with strangers. He wants them to withdraw from them first, before admonishing the latter. This is yet another sign of his great pastoral skill.

Paul explains why he is being patient. He wants to try to persuade as many as possible to amend their ways. He will punish only those who continue to resist his exhortations.

Paul is criticizing those who in the inflated pride of their own presumption have a lower opinion of him than he deserved and who imagined that they had no need of his teaching.

No one is more foolish than the person who thinks that he alone belongs to Christ.

Paul criticizes not only the deceivers but the deceived as well, for they are also accountable for their actions. Furthermore, he rebukes each one in the way which is most appropriate to their case. Those who imagine they belong to Christ must consider who Paul belongs to. If the answer is also Christ, then they must listen to what he has to say to them.

This is to be read as a censorious remark, for the people were not judging the truth from works but from superficial appearances only.

Paul ascribes his gift to God and points out that it was given for the common good. His work of answering arguments, detecting what is unsound and laying the proper foundation is all intended for the upbuilding of the community. But if anybody is hostile and wants to do battle with him, he also has the power to answer arguments and will use it as and when it is appropriate to do so.

This is what Paul’s enemies were saying he was trying to do.

Paul is saying all this precisely in order to avoid charges of this kind.

Someone to whom power has not been given is capable of being bold when absent but when present he is put to shame. The apostle will not be put to shame when issuing his rebuke. He is doing this in bold reliance on his spiritual power.

People who commend themselves are those who wish to dominate, claiming authority for their own name. A person who is sent on a mission lays claim to power, not on his own behalf but on behalf of the one who sent him. Here Paul is saying that he has been chosen as a steward of the Lord. By not presuming to anything beyond what has been granted to him, he is not associating himself with those who preach without a commission.

The fundamental fallacy of these men, who prefer to walk in roundabout error than keep to the straight path of truth, is that they have nothing but their own tiny, changing, human minds to measure the divine mind, infinitely capacious and utterly immutable, a mind that can count uncountable things without passing from one to the next. Such men, to use the words of the apostle, comparing themselves with themselves, end by understanding nothing. Of course, every time such philosophers decide to do something, they have to form a new mental resolution because their minds are mutable, and they imagine it is the same with God. Without having a notion of God, they mistake themselves for him, and instead of measuring God by God, they compare themselves to themselves.

As often as you think of the perfection of the virtues, do not consider what others have less than you have but what you have less than you ought to have. You should not think that you are perfect in virtue if you see other women given over to sins; nor consequently should you credit yourself with any greater speed if you see some women either backsliding or walking feebly. Nor, therefore, must one with watery eyes be proclaimed to have healthy eyes because a blind man seems thoroughly closed off from the light, nor must someone be declared healthy who lies half-dead with a serious wound, if another is found dead because of a more serious wound. Nor must anyone lay claim to glory as a victor who, although not killed by the enemy, still is being held captive by the enemy. Therefore, do not compare yourself to others but to yourself. Hear the apostle doing this and salutarily warning us to do the same. For, writing to the Corinthians, he says, Not that we dare to class or compare ourselves with some of those who recommend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

Paul takes advantage of his authority only to the extent that he glories in the progress of believers, so that his power may be conducive to salvation and not self-aggrandizement. He did not boast beyond the power that was given to him, nor did he claim any authority in places where his preaching had not been heard.

Excessive boasting was evidently a characteristic of the false apostles.

Paul did not go too far in what he was doing but stayed within the limits set for his task by God. He makes this explicit here so that the Corinthians will know that God has sent him to them and so they ought to obey his warnings. Otherwise they might appear to be resisting God, by whom Paul was sent.

Someone who takes pride in his own work is not being excessively proud of himself. A prudent man does not rely on the labors of others. This is why Paul does not claim any credit for those who have come to faith by the preaching of other evangelists.

Paul accuses the false apostles not merely of boasting too much but also of claiming the credit for other people’s labors.

What Paul wants is to preach the gospel to those to whom the message has not yet been given, so that God will be glorified by his labor.

By saying this Paul intimates that even his assurance and pride are to be given to the Lord, because it is by his favor that he has them. Someone who has confidence in the power of the gospel has confidence in the God who enables it. Thus God is glorified by all godly work. A person who has not received power from God cannot glory in the Lord, because he is seeking his own glory.

God does not commend someone whom he does not send.

Paul did not claim this for himself but left it to the Lord. Paul is modest, but not to the point where he neglects to tell the truth about himself. It is possible to do harm by ill-timed modesty or to do good by saying something admirable of oneself at the right time. There was a real danger that the disciples might be persuaded to have a low opinion of Paul, precisely because of his modesty. Paul did not seek human praise, but when he was accused of being a braggart he defended himself.