Bird's-eye view
In this crucial passage, the apostle Paul addresses the fundamental error of his opponents in Corinth. Their entire ministry, their sense of self-worth, and their evaluation of others were based on a corrupt, internal, and subjective standard. They were the kind of men who would bring a yardstick to a mirror. Paul, by contrast, operates according to an external, objective, God-given standard. He is not interested in the closed-loop system of self-commendation that his rivals thrive in. Instead, he speaks of a "measure" or "rule" (kanon in the Greek) that God has assigned to him. This rule defines the sphere of his labor and the basis of his authority. The passage climaxes by drawing the ultimate line of distinction: the fool boasts in himself, but the wise man boasts in the Lord. True approval and validation for ministry come not from self-promotion or from the applause of men, but from the commendation of the Lord Himself.
This is a master class in the nature of true spiritual authority. It is not self-generated. It is not a matter of charisma or slick presentation. It is a delegated authority, received from God, and exercised within the boundaries that God Himself has established. Paul is not an ecclesiastical freelancer making it up as he goes; he is an apostle with a commission, a sphere, and a standard that comes from outside of himself. The false apostles were playing an intramural game with their own rules, while Paul was playing on God's field, with God's rules, for God's glory.
Outline
- 1. The Folly of the Subjective Standard (2 Cor 10:12-18)
- a. The Absurdity of Self-Measurement (2 Cor 10:12)
- b. The Objective Standard of God's Measure (2 Cor 10:13-14)
- c. The Hope of Expansion within God's Rule (2 Cor 10:15-16)
- d. The Only Legitimate Boast (2 Cor 10:17)
- e. The Only Commendation That Matters (2 Cor 10:18)
Context In 2 Corinthians
This section is part of the final major division of 2 Corinthians (chapters 10-13), where Paul vigorously defends his apostolic authority against the slander of the "super-apostles" who had infiltrated the Corinthian church. After chapters of explaining the nature of his ministry through weakness and suffering (chapters 1-7) and addressing the collection for the saints in Jerusalem (chapters 8-9), Paul now turns to confront his adversaries directly. The tone shifts dramatically. He employs sharp irony and a "fool's boast" (in chapter 11) to dismantle the claims of these arrogant intruders. The verses here in chapter 10 set the stage for that confrontation by establishing the foundational difference between his ministry and theirs. The issue is one of standards. Who gets to define what a successful ministry looks like? Who is the judge? Paul's answer is that God, and God alone, sets the terms, defines the territory, and gives the final approval.
Key Issues
- Subjectivism vs. Objectivity in Ministry
- The Nature of Apostolic Authority
- The Meaning of God's "Measure" or "Rule" (Kanon)
- Legitimate vs. Illegitimate Boasting
- The Source of True Commendation
The Yardstick in the Mirror
The central problem with the false apostles in Corinth was that their entire enterprise was incestuous. Their standards for ministry were generated by the group, affirmed by the group, and praised by the group. It was a closed system, a spiritual echo chamber. When they wanted to know how they were doing, they looked at one another. This is what Paul calls measuring themselves by themselves. It is like trying to determine your height by using your own hand as the unit of measurement. The result is meaningless, but it can feel very affirming if everyone in your circle agrees to do it the same way.
Christian ministry, and indeed the entire Christian life, must be governed by an external, objective standard. That standard is the Word of God. Our authority is not inherent; it is derived. Our mission is not self-determined; it is assigned. Our commendation is not from our peers; it is from our Master. Paul is not just correcting a minor error in the Corinthian church; he is attacking the very root of all man-made religion, which is the arrogant refusal to submit to a standard outside of ourselves. The false apostles were building their own little kingdom with their own little rules. Paul was an ambassador of the great King, operating under His authority and within the jurisdiction He had assigned.
Verse by Verse Commentary
12 For we do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves, but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.
Paul begins with a sharp, ironical disclaimer. He says he wouldn't "dare" to join the club of the self-promoters. The language here is biting. These men are constantly classifying and comparing, jockeying for position, creating their own spiritual pecking order. And how do they do it? By "measuring themselves by themselves." They are their own standard. The man on the left is the yardstick for the man on the right, who is the yardstick for the man in the middle. It is a circular, self-referential, and ultimately idiotic game. Paul's conclusion is blunt: they are "without understanding." The Greek word is ou suniousin, meaning they are not intelligent; they lack basic sense. It is not just a spiritual failure; it is a failure of logic. To have no external standard is to have no standard at all.
13 But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the area of influence which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.
In stark contrast to their standard-less boasting, Paul introduces his own governing principle. He will not boast "beyond our measure." The word for measure, or rule, is kanon, from which we get our word "canon." It refers to a measuring rod, a fixed standard. And where does this standard come from? It is "which God apportioned to us." God is the one who assigns the territory. God draws the lines on the map. Paul's authority is not unlimited or self-proclaimed; it is a stewardship over a specific "area of influence" or sphere. And that God-given sphere, Paul points out, legitimately included Corinth. He had a right to be there, a right granted by God Himself.
14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach you, (for we were the first to come even as far as you in the gospel of Christ),
Paul defends the legitimacy of his work in Corinth. He is not a spiritual interloper. He is not "overextending" himself by addressing them. Why? Because he was the one who got there first with the gospel. He was the pioneer, the church planter. He founded their church. The false apostles were the ones who were overextending themselves, creeping into a field that God had assigned to another man. Paul's claim is based on historical, objective fact: "we were the first to come even as far as you." His authority in Corinth was not based on his feelings or his charisma, but on the fact that God had used him to bring the gospel to them in the first place.
15-16 not boasting beyond our measure in other men’s labors, but having the hope, that as your faith grows, to be enlarged even more by you within our area of influence, so as to proclaim the gospel even to the regions beyond you, and not to boast in what has been accomplished in the area of influence of another.
Here Paul makes the contrast explicit. He does not do what his rivals do, which is to boast in work done by others. They came to a church that Paul had planted through great toil and suffering, and then they tried to take credit for it. Paul's principle is the opposite. His hope is not to steal sheep from another shepherd's flock, but for the Corinthian's own faith to grow. As they mature, Paul's own ministry base among them will be strengthened, or "enlarged." This will then serve as a launching pad for him to take the gospel to the "regions beyond." His ambition is not to build his own reputation on another man's foundation, but to push the frontiers of the kingdom ever outward into unreached territory. He respects the "area of influence" God has given to others.
17 But HE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD.
Paul now brings the argument to its theological pinnacle by quoting from Jeremiah 9:23-24. This is the final, definitive rule that governs all Christian life and ministry. All human boasting is excluded. If there is to be any glorying, any boasting, it must be in the Lord. What does this mean? It means that our confidence, our identity, and our source of validation must be found entirely in who God is and what He has done in Christ. To boast in the Lord is to recognize that any success, any fruit, any strength we have is a gift from Him. It is to deflect all praise from ourselves to Him. The false apostles boasted in their eloquence, their credentials, and their manufactured results. Paul's boast was in a crucified and risen Savior, and in the grace of God that was at work through his own manifest weakness.
18 For it is not the one who commends himself that is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
This is the conclusion of the whole matter, the bottom line. Self-commendation is worthless. It is like writing your own letter of recommendation. It carries no weight with the one who matters. The only evaluation that counts is the Lord's. The word for "approved" is dokimos, which means tested and found genuine, like a precious metal that has been through the fire. Who is the truly approved servant? Not the one with the slickest resume, not the one who praises himself, but the one who receives the verdict, "Well done, good and faithful servant," from the Lord of the Church. This is the objective, final, and eternal commendation that Paul seeks, and it is the one his rivals, in their self-referential blindness, had completely forgotten.
Application
This passage is a potent antibiotic against the infections of subjectivism and the cult of personality that so often plague the modern church. We live in an age of branding, platform-building, and self-promotion, and the church has not been immune. Pastors and ministries are tempted to measure themselves by the corrupt standards of the world: numbers, budgets, social media engagement, and the praise of men.
Paul calls us back to the objective standard. Are we operating within the sphere God has given us? Are we doing the work He has called us to, or are we trying to build a name for ourselves on someone else's foundation? Is our ambition to see our own kingdom grow, or to see the gospel go to the regions beyond? And most searchingly, where is our boast? When things go well, do we take a quiet bow in our hearts, or do we glory in the Lord? When we are evaluated, are we more concerned with the opinions of our peers or with the commendation of the Lord?
The man who measures himself by himself will always be without understanding, because he has locked himself in the smallest room in the universe: his own ego. The man who allows himself to be measured by the external, unchanging Word of God, and who seeks only the approval that comes from God, is the one who is truly free. He is free from the need to perform, free from the fear of man, and free to pour himself out in faithful service, knowing that the final commendation comes not from the mirror, but from the throne.