God's Measuring Tape: The Folly of Comparison Text: 2 Corinthians 10:12-18
Introduction: The Madhouse of Self-Reference
We live in an age that is drowning in comparison. It is the native air of our digital world. Every day, men and women scroll through an endless feed of curated perfection, measuring their own lives, their own families, their own accomplishments against the highlight reels of others. This breeds a toxic culture of envy, insecurity, and boasting. It is a madhouse where everyone is trying to build a pedestal for themselves by tearing down the platforms of others, or by frantically trying to assemble a platform that looks just like their neighbor's.
But this is not a new problem. The technology may be new, but the heart condition is as old as the fall. The Corinthian church was infected with this very disease. Certain "super-apostles" had arrived, flashy men with impressive resumes and eloquent speech, and they were busy commending themselves. They were masters of self-promotion. And in doing so, they were implicitly, and sometimes explicitly, belittling the apostle Paul. They were comparing their ministry to his, and encouraging the Corinthians to do the same. They were creating a spiritual marketplace where apostles were brands, and the people were consumers shopping for the most impressive option.
Paul's response in this passage is a devastating critique of this entire mindset. He refuses to play their game. He will not enter the arena of self-comparison because he knows the judges are blind and the measuring tape is made of smoke. He shows us that the Christian life, and particularly Christian ministry, is not a competition. It is a calling. It is not about measuring ourselves against others, but about being faithful within the measure God has assigned to us. To compare ourselves with ourselves is, as Paul says, to be "without understanding." It is to be insane. It is to lock yourself in a hall of mirrors and believe you are seeing the world.
In these verses, Paul lays out the fundamental difference between a man-centered ministry and a God-centered one. One is built on comparison and self-commendation, the other on a divine commission and God's commendation. One seeks the approval of men, the other the approval of the Lord. And in doing so, he gives us the tools to diagnose this sickness in our own hearts and in our own churches.
The Text
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. 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. 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), 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. But HE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD. For it is not the one who commends himself that is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
(2 Corinthians 10:12-18 LSB)
The Folly of the Inward Gaze (v. 12)
Paul begins by exposing the sheer stupidity of the comparison game.
"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." (2 Corinthians 10:12)
Paul says he doesn't "dare" to play this game. This is sanctified sarcasm. It's not that he's afraid he would lose; it's that the game itself is beneath a servant of Christ. It's like a master chef refusing to "dare" to enter a mud pie eating contest. The whole enterprise is corrupt from the foundation up. These false apostles were their own standard. They would get in a little huddle, commend one another, and then declare themselves the winners. It is a closed system of self-congratulation.
Their methodology is twofold: "they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves." This is the essence of pride. It refuses to look up to God's standard and instead looks around at other men. The result is a completely distorted view of reality. If you are the smartest person in a room of fools, you might think you are a genius. If you are the fastest runner in a group of men with broken legs, you might think you are an Olympian. But you are only measuring by a broken ruler.
Paul's verdict is blunt: they are "without understanding." The Greek word is stronger, suggesting they are unintelligent, even senseless. This is not just a moral failure; it is an intellectual one. To make yourself the ultimate standard of measurement is the definition of insanity. It is to be like a man who builds his own yardstick, declares it to be 36 inches long, and then proceeds to measure the universe with it, all the while ignorant of the fact that his yardstick is actually only 12 inches long. All his conclusions will be nonsense. This is the state of every man who rejects God's authority. He becomes his own god, his own standard, and his life becomes an exercise in profound foolishness.
The God-Given Measure (v. 13-16)
In contrast to the self-referential folly of the false apostles, Paul grounds his ministry in a sphere of authority assigned to him by God.
"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." (2 Corinthians 10:13)
Paul is willing to boast, but only within certain boundaries. And who sets the boundaries? Not Paul, not other men, but God. The word for "measure" or "area of influence" is the Greek word kanon, from which we get our word "canon." It refers to a measuring rod, a standard, a defined territory. God had given Paul a specific field of labor. His mission was to the Gentiles, and that mission had brought him all the way to Corinth. He wasn't a freelancer making up his own job description; he was an ambassador with a divine commission and a designated jurisdiction.
He continues this thought in the following verses:
"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), not boasting beyond our measure in other men’s labors..." (2 Corinthians 10:14-15a)
Paul's claim to authority in Corinth was legitimate because they were within his God-assigned kanon. He had founded their church. He had plowed the hard, fallow ground and planted the seed of the gospel there. He wasn't "overextending" himself. The false apostles, on the other hand, were spiritual poachers. They were coming into a field someone else had plowed and trying to claim the harvest. They were boasting "in other men's labors." This is a key mark of a false teacher. They are often parasites, building their ministries on the foundations laid by others, while criticizing the very men who did the hard work.
But Paul's vision wasn't static. He hoped for expansion, but an expansion that was still governed by God's rule.
"...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." (2 Corinthians 10:15b-16)
Paul's ambition was not for personal glory, but for the gospel's advance. He saw the Corinthian church not as a monument to his success, but as a launching pad for future mission. As their faith matured, they would become a strong home base that would enable him to push the frontiers of the gospel further west. Notice the principle: healthy churches are missionary-sending churches. And notice Paul's integrity: he wanted to go to "the regions beyond," to unreached areas, not to steal sheep from another shepherd's flock. His desire was to stay within his God-given lane, even as that lane extended into new territory.
The Only Legitimate Boast (v. 17)
Having rejected the foolish boasting of his rivals and defined the legitimate boundaries of his own, Paul now boils everything down to the central, governing principle of the Christian life, quoting from Jeremiah.
"But HE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD." (2 Corinthians 10:17)
This is the great corrective to all human pride. The question is not whether we will boast. Man is a boasting creature. We will glory in something. We will find our ultimate worth and significance in something. The only question is what that something will be. The world says, "Boast in your wisdom, your strength, your riches, your accomplishments." But God, through Jeremiah and now through Paul, says that is all sinking sand. There is only one solid rock on which to stand, one legitimate object of our ultimate praise: the Lord Himself.
What does it mean to boast in the Lord? It means that every good thing we have, every success we experience, every gift we possess, is traced back to its ultimate source: the grace of God. It means recognizing that we are nothing more than conduits for His power. If Paul planted and Apollos watered, it was God who gave the growth. Therefore, God gets the glory. To boast in the Lord is to say, "I am weak, but He is strong. I am foolish, but He is wise. I am sinful, but He is my righteousness. Any good in me or through me is not from me, but from Him." It is to make much of God and little of self.
The Final Commendation (v. 18)
The passage concludes by contrasting the two audiences we can play to: ourselves and God. And only one of them gives a verdict that matters for eternity.
"For it is not the one who commends himself that is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends." (2 Corinthians 10:18)
This is the bottom line. The self-commendation of the false apostles was worthless. You can write your own letters of recommendation all day long, but they are not worth the papyrus they are written on. You can gather testimonials from your friends, build an impressive website, and have a large following, but it is all a chasing after the wind. There is only one evaluation that counts. On the last day, it will not matter what men thought of us. It will not matter what we thought of ourselves. The only thing that will matter is the Lord's verdict.
The word for "approved" is dokimos, a word used for testing metals to see if they are genuine. A life lived for self-approval is counterfeit. It will not stand the fire of God's judgment. But a life lived for God's approval, a life of faithful service within the measure He has assigned, a life that boasts only in the cross of Christ, that life is genuine. It will receive the ultimate commendation: "Well done, good and faithful servant."
Conclusion: Whose Approval Are You Seeking?
So the question this passage presses upon each of us is this: whose measuring tape are you using? Are you, like the false apostles, measuring yourself by yourself? Are you constantly looking around at others, caught in the miserable cycle of comparison, envy, and pride? Is your life a frantic performance aimed at winning the applause of men?
Or are you, like Paul, seeking to be faithful within the measure God has given you? Do you understand that your life is not a competition, but a commission? God has given each of you a kanon, a sphere of influence, a set of callings. For some, it is a home and children. For others, it is a particular trade or business. For all of us, it is a place in this church and this community. Your task is not to wish you had someone else's calling, but to be faithful in your own. It is to work with all your might for the glory of God within the boundaries He has drawn for you.
Stop comparing. It is spiritual madness. Instead, repent of your pride and your envy. Take your eyes off of other people and fix them on Christ. Find your identity not in how you stack up against your neighbor, but in your union with Him. Let all your boasting be in Him, in His cross, His grace, His power made perfect in your weakness.
For in the end, there is only one audience, one judge, one commendation that will last. And the path to hearing "well done" from Him is to stop seeking the applause of anyone else, and to live entirely for the approval of the One whom the Lord commends.