Now I myself, Paul, entreat you by the meekness and clemency of Christ (I who am supposedly “timid” when face to face with you but “bold” toward you when absent).
Yes, I implore you that when I am present with you I will not have to be bold toward you with the confidence with which I intend to take a daring stand against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh,
(for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but powerful through God for tearing down strongholds).
We are destroying arguments and every high-minded thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to make it obedient to Christ,
and we are ready to bring to justice any disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete.
Look at what is right before your face! If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him remind himself of this, that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we.
For even if I boast somewhat excessively about our authority that the Lord gave for building you up, and not for tearing you down, I will not be ashamed.
I do not want to seem to be frightening you by my letters.
For they are saying, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is unimpressive, and his speech is of no account.”
Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, we will also be in our action when present.
For we would not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding.
But we will not boast beyond our measure, but according to the measure of the sphere that God apportioned to us as a measure, one that reaches even as far as you.
For we are not going too far in our boasting, as we would be if we had not reached as far as to you, for we were the first to reach as far as you with the good news of Christ.
We are not boasting about things beyond our measure, that is, in the labor of others, but our hope is that as your trust increases, our sphere of influence among you will be greatly enlarged,
so that we can proclaim the good news in the regions beyond you, and not have to boast in another person’s territory about things that have already been accomplished.
But whoever boasts, let him boast in the Lord.
For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.