6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
6 and being ready to punish all disobedience
“Disobedience” here is among those who opposed Paul’s apostolic authority, especially as a writer of God’s Word via the Holy Spirit. Paul was ready to confront their disobedience to Christ. The enemies of Christ must suffer the consequences of holding to viewpoints that are not biblical. The apostle intended to forthrightly deal with the intruders by confronting them with the Word.
when your obedience is fulfilled.
When the Corinthian church would submit itself to the authority of the apostle, it would be obedience to God. The church was to act corporately in obedient faith so that Paul’s apostolic sanctions would not have to apply to them.
PRINCIPLE:
Spiritual war must be fought with spiritual weapons.
APPLICATION:
The church today is involved in spiritual warfare. Either it is placid in war, going through the formal motions of church, or, on the other extreme, it expresses itself in triumphalism. Both are wrong. True spiritual warfare does not fit into the category of either group.
The greatest spiritual weapon at our command is the Word of God. The Christian makes his judgments from the Bible. Truth and error always lie in tension. There is no question that the Christian is in a spiritual war. His weapons are spiritual (Eph 6:12). These weapons will produce eternal results. Arrogant arguments gain popularity among culture, but they can win no eternal battle. No autonomous reason of man can defeat the sovereign Lord.
God’s purpose is that the local church makes an expedition into enemy territory with the Bible as its weapon. God’s truth can defeat the schemes of men. We can take human philosophies captive by God’s power.
