I’ve shared before that my grandfather served in World War II and as a result, I’ve always been drawn to stories and movies and books about WWII. My grandpa died while I was in college and one of my biggest regrets is that I never got to hear very many firsthand accounts of the war. In fact, like many soldiers from The Greatest Generation, he didn’t share very much with ANYONE about his experiences.
I’m probably not the only one in the room this morning that’s enamored with the military history of WWII. One of the reasons that the interest in WWII is high is because there is still a remnant of the population that was alive during that period, not to mention the profound impact that this war had on world history. But it’s also a popular genre of history because it produced some notable historical characters. And one of the most prominent is certainly Sir Winston Leonard Spenser Churchill.
Churchill and the Allied Forces were going up against a very evil-minded group called the Axis Powers, and he had to make decisions based not only on highly classified intel, but also based on his own intuition. Looking backwards, Churchill led boldly and decisively, but at the time, his decisions were highly controversial meaning he had to navigate an incredible amount of criticism from many of his own countrymen.
And let me just say this, when you are leading on any level you will be criticized. It doesn’t matter if you are leading your family, a company, a Bible study, or even a Girl Scout troop, your leadership will most likely be criticized. Someone wise once said, “If you want everyone to like you, go sell ice cream!” And I love what Churchill once said about leadership and the criticism he received. “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something sometime in your life.”
And if you’re a follower of Jesus, then what should mark your life is a willingness to lovingly, but firmly, stand on Biblical convictions. But be warned – criticism will always find you. And because, over time, this has always proven to be true, then we need wisdom in how to respond in a way that glorifies God. Turn in your Bibles with me to 2 Corinthians 10 where today we are going to learn how to glorify God in the face of criticism. As you are turning there, I want you read to you one commentator’s thoughts regarding the importance of chapter 10:
"It could be argued, and is quite possible, that chapter 10 is the high point of the book and the main thing Paul seeks to say to the Corinthians in this letter. [Perhaps the whole point of his letter is this]: Spiritual power flows through surprising channels. Paul will speak in this chapter of tremendous spiritual strength using military imagery, and yet he goes on to acknowledge how outwardly unimpressive and even ridiculous he is made out to be by his opposers. But both are generally true in the kingdom of God. God’s divine strength interlocks with human weakness."
In other words, not only is learning how to deal with criticism in a Christ-honoring way a really practical skill, this chapter is significant in the entire study of 2 Corinthians. So let’s start out this morning by looking at the first 6 verses together as we make our way through this passage.
2 Corinthians 10:1-6
I, Paul, myself entreat 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!— 2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
Let me remind you of what’s been going on in the background of Paul’s letter. He had some fierce opponents to his ministry. He was being opposed by a group known as the Super Apostles, who were actually false teachers. The reason they were called Super Apostles is because even though their teaching was false, they were outwardly impressive. They had swag! And Paul was just the opposite. Theologians have found some historical descriptions about Paul that are dated back to the second century in a historical account called The Acts of Paul: “A man of middling size, and his hair was scanty, and his legs were a little crooked, and his knees were far apart; he had large eyes, and his eyebrows met, and his nose was somewhat long.” Here’s a paraphrase: A bald-headed, bowlegged short guy with a huge nose, and a unibrow that looked like a dead caterpillar on his forehead.
Now, we can’t say for certain that this is an accurate description of Paul because it was recorded about a 100 years after he died. But what we DO know is that it does not contradict the way Paul’s critics described him in verse 10 of this chapter. Take a listen to this flattery, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.” When Paul’s friends were trying to set him up on a blind date they would tell people, “Yeah, but he has a great personality.” But what a great reality check to drive home the truth that in our human inadequacies, God’s strength is unleashed. And understanding this reality sets us on the path of being free from a pattern of responding sinfully when criticism comes our way.
Two ways to glorify God in dealing with criticism…
1. TRAIN FOR IT ON THE FRONT END – vs. 1-2
Here’s what I have observed in my own life. The time to come up with a game plan on how I am going to deal with criticism in a way that glorifies God is NOT to wait until the moment it happens. And here’s why: I am a sinner with a heart that’s naturally bent toward pride. And in the moment, my immediate urge is NOT to respond in a way that honor’s Christ – it’s to win, and to discredit them, and to make them regret that they opened their mouths. Am I not right? …ESPECIALLY if there’s a small kernel of truth to their criticism.
Here are two facts that we have to acknowledge if we’re to gain victory in this area of our life: 1) I have a fallen nature; 2) I have very little control over the criticism that I will endure in life. The question is not IF you will be criticized. The question is BY WHOM and FOR WHAT. And because this is true, every single day we should be seeking to be conformed to the image of Christ…SO THAT we can respond in a way that glorifies God.
If you’re listening, smack your neighbor and say WAKE UP. Here’s a phrase that I want you to embrace in your spiritual journey: We need to start TRAINING and stop TRYING. In other words, your willpower alone will not be enough when someone catches you on the wrong day. Part of a Spirit-filled life is training yourself spiritually to be prepared for people who WILL oppose you. In other words, my character has to be SO conformed to image of Christ, that Christ seeps out of me when someone bumps up against me with criticism.
Look at verses 1-2 again: “I, Paul, myself entreat 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!— 2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh.”
Paul makes it very clear that he wants to correct the criticism leveled against his ministry…he’s clearly not being a door mat. But we see in verse one that Paul is not only concerned with speaking the truth, he’s ALSO concerned with doing it in love. He isn’t just motivated by correcting these falsehoods, he wants to do it in a way that exhibits the love of Christ to the very people who are hating on him.
Look at the descriptors in verse 1: meekness, gentleness, humility. And here’s what’s fascinating…these aren’t descriptions of the CONTENT of his response, these are descriptions of his TONE. Now, if we’re honest, we are in a current cultural moment where meekness and gentleness are viewed as weaknesses, not strengths. Paul reminds them that he plans on being BOLD (in verse 2) when he confronts these false teachers. But he first makes sure they know that his tone will be gentle and meek and full of humility…just like that of Jesus Christ.
Our counselors in our Biblical counseling ministry will often recommend that people read the book Gentle and Lowly by Pastor Dane Ortlund (I highly recommend it). Let me read you an excerpt from this book:
“Paul appeals to the ‘meekness and gentleness of Christ’ in 2 Corinthians 10:1. This is a striking appeal in light of how forcefully he must deal with the beguiling tactics of opponents undermining his ministry. But in this appeal, he is drawing our minds to the very heart of Christ. The only time in all four Gospels where Jesus discusses his heart is in Matthew 11:29, where he says he is ‘gentle and lowly in heart.’ We know much about his teachings, his doctrine, his view of how he fulfilled the Old Testament, and so on. But only here does he tell us of his heart. And when he does, he identifies his heart as gentle, lowly, meek. THIS is who Christ is.”
But here’s the question for us today: Is this who WE are? Or do we foolishly proclaim, “I just say whatever I think” and falsely hold that up as boldness? But boldness isn’t the same as being brash or arrogant or speaking your mind. Boldness IS going against the grain, but it is ALWAYS centered on Christ. But when we lash out in the face of criticism and write it off as “speaking my mind” then we need to be reminded of the truth from Matthew 12:34 where Jesus says that the words of our mouth overflow out of our hearts. In other words, my words will drift towards whatever is in my sinful heart. Anyone can lash out in anger when criticized, when that’s already in their heart. Anyone can tear down someone else who they feel is tearing them down. There’s nothing BOLD about that. But only those who are actively seeking to be conformed to the image of Christ on the front end, will glorify God with their response to criticism on the back end.
I love what the late Pastor Warren Wiersbe said, “Meekness is NOT weakness; meekness is power under control, the ability to be angry at sin, yet willing to suffer abuse for the sake of Christ.” And the reason you can do this is because you are actively and intentionally practicing the ordinary spiritual disciplines which will unleash the grace needed to transform your heart to look like the heart of Jesus. And unless you are filling your heart with the fruits of the Spirit through the ordinary, everyday spiritual disciplines, you will be left to the hopeless endeavor of consistently trying to summon up enough willpower in the moment of criticism.
Haters are gonna’ hate, so let’s train for this on the front end…and secondly, let’s commit to…
2. CHOOSE THE RIGHT WEAPONS – vs. 3-6
For all you military history buffs, verses 3-6 should excite you because Paul uses military imagery to drive his point home. He is reminding us that there is always a spiritual battle taking place in our lives. There’s no question that on the INSIDE, we are waging war against our sinful heart, and on the OUTSIDE, we are waging war against the devil and his army. The question when the bullets of criticism come flying your way is this: Which weapons are you going to pick up to defend yourself? The weapons of the flesh? Or the weapons of the Spirit?
Paul’s opponents, these Super Apostles, were absolutely waging war according to the flesh. All their boasting about themselves was based on things that are impressive in a worldly sense—their outward appearance, their eloquent speech, their ability to stir people up…you get the idea, they would make perfect modern-day politicians. And can we be honest? We can get wrapped up in this as well, can’t we? We can easily become influenced by outwardly impressive people whose gifts far outpace their character. But this is not the way of Christ. Listen to Paul’s clear words in verse 3: “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.” Paul is saying: “I am not going to respond to their criticism of my lack of outward impressiveness by trying to brag about my accomplishments to make myself look more impressive. I am not going to respond to them tearing me down by trying to tear them down in return.”
Bragging about my accomplishments and tearing people down are both tactics of waging war in the flesh. When I was growing up, the weapon of choice when waging war according to the flesh was to criticize someone’s mom when they criticized you (guys my age have mom jokes for days so don’t act like you don’t know what I am talking about).
But if mom jokes are off-limits, then what weapons should we use when faced with negative criticism? How should we respond in a godly way? Look at verses 4-5: “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
Can we zero in on that word “strongholds” for a minute in verse 4? We often think of strongholds as territorial demons that are pressing in on us from the outside. But I think it actually refers to patterns of thought on the inside, versus demons coming at us from the outside. So these “strongholds” are patterns of thought that contradict the truth of God and capture our loyalties. Yes, Satan is a deceiver that battles us in our thought life in an effort to get us to believe lies about God. But our own sinful flesh is more often the culprit when it comes to strongholds because we think we know better than God does. We think we deserve things that God says will destroy us. We are hardwired to think too highly of ourselves.
Remember this phrase we repeat often: "We do what we do, because our heart wants what it wants. And our heart wants what it wants because we believe what we believe." And the lie that we often believe is that we know better than God. That’s why Paul’s counsel in verse 5 is so vital: “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
The word for “thought” (Gk. noema) occurs six times in the New Testament. The word means something more than cognitive or merely intellectual properties; it refers to the mind’s settled loyalty. Strongholds are ideas, and arguments, and philosophies, and excuses that are antithetical to the kingdom of God. That’s what we are trying to take captive so these thoughts don’t have an opportunity to gain our loyalty.
Listen to one commentator – “The idea in capturing one’s thoughts to obey Christ is the bringing down of our natural human self-vaunting, being humbled into a desire to exalt Christ, the turning around and reconditioning of the fleshly mindset with which we are all naturally born.” Pastor Adrian Rogers said, “The reason it’s so easy to live in the flesh is because it’s what comes natural.” And do you know what comes NATURALLY when getting hit with criticism? It’s to hit back even harder, isn’t it? Do you know what is SUPERNATURAL? To respond with truth soaked in humility, gentleness, and meekness.
You see, when we choose the “weapons of the flesh,” we retaliate and try to destroy the other person? But according to verses 4 & 5, the war that we’re in is actually against our own thought life, not against the other person (or even demons). That’s why “the devil made me do it” is a poor excuse. Our sinful flesh makes us respond sinfully to criticism. But when we take our thoughts captive, and stop believing the lies that we’re telling ourselves, THEN we can respond to opposition with truth that is soaked in humility, gentleness, and meekness.
So how do we take this from concept to reality? How in the world do we live like this? If you’re listening say AMEN. Because this is going to sound incredibly cliché unless you listen closely. REHEARSE THE GOSPEL. In other words, constantly remind yourself who you are in Christ. You see, the gospel teaches me that I am approved before God, not based upon what I can accomplish, but based upon what Christ has accomplished on my behalf through HIS death, burial, and resurrection. And so I don’t have to lash out when criticized because my identity and confidence is rooted in what Christ has ALREADY done for me.
The reason that some of us are super defensive when it comes to criticism is because we don’t fully understand our new identity in Christ to the point where we can actually live out of it. You see, if you think your identity is tied to your performance (which is a lie propagated naturally in our minds and sadly reinforced in many of our homes), then you will be crushed by criticism and you will lash out. But a right understanding of the gospel, which I’m suggesting you rehearse frequently, tells me that I have not only been forgiven for my past sins, but I have been given a new identity in Christ. Chapter 5:17 says that I have NEW power and potential through Jesus. And therefore, I don’t have to respond in the flesh when criticized.
Now, here is how great this chapter is. It’s going to point to two indicators that will help us evaluate whether or not we fully understand our identity in Christ in relation to our ability to respond to criticism with gentleness, humility, and meekness. If you want to know what they are, say AMEN. Good – because I was going to tell you anyway. When you live with a settled understanding of your new identity in Christ…
• You will avoid the trap of comparison – vs. 12
“12 Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” A person who constantly compares themselves to others is looking for approval and security based on how well they stack up when comparing strengths and weaknesses. That’s what they are battling in their thought life. But a person who understands their identity in Christ, as Paul did, does not worry if they’re not impressive on the outside, because their identity and approval comes from the work of Jesus and everything that he’s is accomplishing on the inside.
• You will avoid the temptation to brag – vs. 17-18
People brag to convince others that they really do measure up…that they are worthy of others acceptance, approval, and admiration. People who understand their identity in Christ brag on Jesus, not themselves. “17 Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” In Christ, we are freed from the exhausting need to locate our security in what we bring to the table—our own accomplishments, righteousness, performance, abilities. Our confidence now lies outside of us, in Christ. The pressure is off. We are free. We are free from trying to convince other by bragging that we measure up.
Here’s how the gospel makes a difference in the battle to respond to criticism rightly. You don’t have to lash back out when someone makes you feel like you are not enough, because you are living with the settled confidence that Jesus was MORE than enough on your behalf. You can respond with gentleness, humility, and meekness because you really believe what Jesus declared to be true about you…to the point that you don’t respond poorly when people unfairly criticize you. I don’t know about you – but I think that the gospel really is good news for our past, present, and future. And it can be received today by all who will repent and believe.
