2 Corinthians 10

10 ¹ Now I myself, Paul, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ — I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when away. ² I beg you that when I am with you, I won't need to be bold — with the confidence I plan to show against those who think we live by human standards. ³ For though we live in the body, we do not wage war by human standards. ⁴ The weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but are powerful through our Father for tearing down strongholds. ⁵ We tear down arguments and every proud thing raised up against the knowledge of our Father, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ. ⁶ And we are ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

⁷ You are looking at things by outward appearance. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, let him consider this again: just as he belongs to Christ, so also do we. ⁸ For even if I boast a little too much about our authority — which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down — I will not be put to shame. ⁹ I do not want to seem as though I am trying to frighten you with my letters. ¹⁰ For they say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but he is weak in person, and his speaking amounts to nothing." ¹¹ Let such a person understand: what we say in our letters when we are away, we will also do when we are with you.

¹² We would not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. But measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves with themselves, they show no understanding. ¹³ We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but only within the measure of the sphere our Father assigned to us — a measure that reaches even as far as you. ¹⁴ We are not overreaching, as though we had not come to you, for we were the first to reach as far as you with the gospel of Christ. ¹⁵ We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others, but our hope is that as your faith grows, our sphere among you will be greatly enlarged, ¹⁶ so that we may preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, without boasting in work already done in someone else's territory. ¹⁷ But "let the one who boasts, boast in our Father." ^a a v17 Paul is quoting the prophet Jeremiah, where the One to boast in is the covenant God who calls himself Father — so true boasting rests not in ourselves but in him. ¹⁸ For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom our Father commends.