Paul’s Defense of His Ministry
1By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! 2I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
7You are judging by appearances.10:7 Or Look at the obvious facts If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. 8So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it. 9I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. 10For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” 11Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.
12We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. 13We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you. 14We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. 15Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, 16so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory. 17But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”10:17 Jer. 9:24 18For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
保羅論自己的職分
1你們以為我在你們中間的時候很溫和，不在你們中間的時候卻很嚴厲。如今，我保羅以基督的謙卑和溫柔親自勸你們： 2我去的時候，請不要逼我這樣嚴厲地對待你們，我的嚴厲是用來對付那些說我憑血氣行事的人。 3因為我雖然活在血肉之軀裡，但在屬靈的爭戰上，卻不是憑血氣之勇。 4我們爭戰的兵器不是屬血氣的，乃是從上帝而來的能力，可以摧毀堅固的營壘， 5擊破一切的謬論和阻礙人們認識上帝的驕傲言論，奪回被擄去的心思意念，使其順服基督。 6等你們完全順服主後，我們就要懲罰那些叛逆的人。
7你們只會看事情的表面。如果有人相信自己屬於基督，他就應該再想一想，我們跟他一樣也是屬於基督的。 8因為主賜給我們權柄是為了造就你們，不是為了毀壞你們，就算我為這權柄稍微誇口，也不會感到羞愧。 9我不想你們認為我寫信是要威嚇你們。 10因為有人說：「他信中的話有分量，很嚴厲，他本人卻軟弱無能，言語粗俗。」 11說這話的人要留心：我們不在你們那裡的時候，在信上怎麼說，與你們見面時也會怎麼做。
12我們不敢和那些自我推薦的人相提並論！他們以自己的尺度衡量自己，自我比較，實在不明智！ 13但我們並非漫無邊際地誇口，而是在上帝為我們定下的範圍之內誇口，你們也包括在這範圍之內。 14其實把你們包括在我們誇口的範圍之內一點都不過分，因為我們曾把基督的福音傳到你們那裡。 15我們沒有超出範圍拿別人辛勞的成果誇口，只盼望隨著你們信心的增長，我們的範圍也得到極大的擴展， 16使我們可以把福音傳到你們以外的地方，而不是在別人的工作範圍內拿別人的成就誇口。 17「要誇耀，就當誇耀主的作為。」 18因為，蒙悅納的是主所稱許的人，而不是自我稱許的人。
