2 Corinthians 10:1-5
The Weapon of Humility

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 I am away!--I ask that when I am present I need not show boldness by daring to oppose those who think we are acting according to human standards. Indeed, we live as human beings, but we do not wage war according to human standards; for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.

New Revised Standard Version

There is no truer statement in the Bible than what Paul wrote in the middle of this passage: we do not wage war according to human standards. For starters, our battle is not to defeat others and subject them to our will, but to encourage them to freely offer themselves to God. The fight is not about what laws and rules are best, but how Grace can overcome the damage caused when people sin. Even though Paul wrote that he had to be bold at times when opposing wrong thinking in the church in Corinth, he knew he could not win others' hearts by boldness, but only by humility.

Paul encouraged Christians to see that Jesus, the Son of God, is our example in how to live in humility. One way Jesus practiced meekness was by associating with the least important people in his society. More than anything else, He needed to demonstrate that God's love reached every person, no matter who they were. One way Jesus practiced gentleness was in how He responded to sinners. When the religious leaders demanded the punishment called out in the books of the Law, Jesus was eager to forgive and to accept a sinner who wanted to change. The Gospel stories consistently portray Jesus as one whose life directed others to God, who never considered anyone as less than worthy, and who was quick to love.

Sometimes we slide into thinking that Jesus opposed the Pharisees, but this not correct! The Pharisees certainly opposed Jesus and tried their best to thwart His popularity and condemn His teachings, but Jesus always sought their redemption, too. In Matthew 23, Jesus cried over Jerusalem, the seat of Jewish religious authority, because he longed to gather each person in that city to Him as a hen gathers her brood under her wings. In Luke 23, while Jesus hung on the cross, he prayed for forgiveness to those who were executing him. One well-meaning teacher once taught me that Jesus was referring to the Roman soldiers, who knew very little about Jesus. Since the Greek text records no limits of who Jesus meant, I am certain that Jesus was also referring to the Pharisees that even pledged their full allegiance to Caesar in order to have Him killed, because these very leaders would have certainly been standing at the base of the cross to see this Man they hated die.

In practical terms, we know that we cannot win a debate by yelling more loudly than our opposer. Instead, we realize that stronger emotions encourage greater obstinacy as debate deteriorates into quarrel. As he wrote this passage Paul knew that destroying arguments and remolding mental patterns could not be done without humility. If we are talking with a person who rejects or opposes our beliefs, this person must be shown that our love for them is stronger than our objections to their opinions, no matter how opposite their beliefs are from our own, because the essence of our belief is Love. Only with humility can we show that Grace has overcome the Law. Only with humility do our beliefs rise above well-meaning moral philosophy.

Even in Ephesians 6, as Paul described the Christian equivalent to the armor worn by the Roman guards in prison, he was consistent in his plea for meekness, gentleness, and humility, even as he called for perseverance and boldness. We have no righteousness, but God gives us righteousness for a breastplate. Our shoes are the Good News of peace. Our shield is our faith, for we know that we cannot quench the flaming arrows of the evil one, but God will. The only offensive weapon Paul described, our sword, isn't ours at all, but is the Spirit, carrying God's words to the hearts of those we meet. In a human sense, we are not called to rely on our knowledge, our persuasive personalities, our determination, or our wit. Paul instead wrote that all we need is provided by God--and our part is to be humble enough to allow God use us according to God's desire.