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A Closer Look At 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
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Feb 20, 2025
Many believers, I included have quoted several verses from 2 Corinthians 10, especially this portion of verse 5, “...and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”. I used this verse as a command as if I had to take every polluted thought of mine captive to obey Christ. I don’t know how some of you have personally applied this verse to your life but it’s imperative that we really capture Paul’s message as he was writing this letter to the Corinthian church under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit. I'll invite you to watch the video above in its entirety. Scripture References: 2 cor 10:3-5 2 cor 10:1-2 2 cor 10:10 Acts 17:16-32
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hello good morning this is taiva at
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highest.com
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and today we're going to take a look at
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uh second corinthians 10
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verse 3 to 5. and i'm going to give you
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a quick introduction
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and then we are going to look at the
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passage itself okay
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so i'm sure a lot of you guys have
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uh quoted several verses from second
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corinthians
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especially verse five and i've quoted it
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and
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and it reads like this and take every
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thought
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captive to obey christ so i use this
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verse
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as a command as if i had to take my
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polluted thought
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captive to obey christ and i don't know
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how some of you guys have used
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uh this version and personally applied
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it to your life
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but it is imperative that we truly
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understand what paul
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was communicating to the corinthian
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church under the holy spirit on tutelage
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when he was writing this letter
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so this is what we're going to be
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looking at today so
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uh the first thing we're going to do
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we're going to read the passage
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understand the background
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and then get into all the the good stuff
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so let's do that
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now first let's uh read verse
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three to five okay scripture says in
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second corinthians tense verse three to
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five
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for though we walk in the flesh we are
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not waging war
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according to the flesh for the weapons
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of our warfare
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are not of the flesh but they have
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divine power
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to destroy strongholds we destroy
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arguments and every lofty opinion
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raised against the knowledge of god and
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take
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every thought captive to obey christ
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now first we need to understand why paul
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wrote those uh verse those those two
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like those words up there
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so we're gonna look at verse one and two
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of second corinthians
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10 okay so i'm gonna exit this and we're
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gonna go to second corinthians 10
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verse one to two now he says here
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i call myself and treat you
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by the meekness and gentleness of christ
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i
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am humbled when face to face with you
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but bold
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towards you when i'm away i beg of you
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that when i'm present
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i may not have to show boldness with
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such confidence as i count on showing
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against some
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who suspect us of walking according to
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the flesh
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so you kind of have an idea what's going
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on here
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right there were basically people that
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were questioning
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paul's authority like they they kind of
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felt like they could talk about him in
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such a
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light manner almost disrespectful
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okay they were questioning his ministry
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and they were questioning what kind of
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authority that paul had
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and and you all know every letter of
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paul most of his letters when he started
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the letters he he he starts with this
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this appellation he goes
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paul an apostle of christ jesus by the
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will of god
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okay most of paul's letters started that
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way
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that's for a reason because he wanted to
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establish who he was
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he wasn't just self-made he didn't make
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himself an apostle he didn't just
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decide to be an apostle but he
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specifically said
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paul an apostle of christ jesus
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by the will of god so god appointed paul
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to be an apostle so paul didn't just
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make himself an apostle or a teacher
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so he was actually backed up by god
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himself
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that's what he was he wanted his
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audience to understand that's the first
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thing
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so even though paul said these things
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there were troublemakers
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in the corinthian church that went as
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far as saying that paul's letters were
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like they used this word like in first
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and second corinthians 10 10
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his letters are worthy and strong but
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his bodily presence
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is weak and his speech is of no account
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this is the kind of disrespectful things
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they said about paul
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so they wanted to discredit paul and
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consequently take
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his letters and exhortations lightly and
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that could lead to a serious problem
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like in the whole congregation like
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when you allow stuff like this to happen
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it can it can become like cancerous like
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all it does is one or two people to
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spread this kind of
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bad ideas and thoughts and next thing
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you know
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everybody begins to think like like like
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this and then
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what happens is the entire church
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becomes polluted
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so and and notice how these guys
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attacked his manliness with the sole
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intention of questioning
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and discrediting his authority that's
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what they wanted to do
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and paul wasn't going to have that
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saying we're going to see how
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paul came back what kind of wisdom he
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used and we are going to look at that
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so and this is paul's response he says
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for though we walk in the flesh we are
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not
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waging war according to the flesh for
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the weapons of our warfare are not of
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the flesh but have divine
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power to destroy strongholds we destroy
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arguments and every lofty opinion
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raised against the knowledge of god and
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we take
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every thought captive to obey christ
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so paul when he initially wrote this
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letter and he wrote those
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uh three to five those verses in second
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corinthians 10s
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he was actually given an answer to those
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people that were questioning
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his authority as an apostle okay he goes
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for though we walk in the flesh
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we are not waging war according to the
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flesh paul is basically saying that even
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though he and his companions are humans
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they do not use human means arguments or
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opinions
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to engage in any battle that come their
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way
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in this case it was the attack on the
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authority of power
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so he gives the reasons for his
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statement in verse 3
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by following it with verse 4. he gives
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the means of his uh battle like
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how does he fight what kind of weapons
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he use and that's what he talks about in
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verse four
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he goes for the weapons of our warfare
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are not of the flesh
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but they have divine power to destroy
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strongholds
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he describes the origin and power of the
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means that he and his companions in the
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faith
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use to engage in battle the means are of
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god
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that's the that's the uh the they are
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rich
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they're the means the weapons they are
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of god they come from god
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and then because they come from god they
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have divine
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power and the divine power of god to
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destroy
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and bring to nothing strongholds these
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weapons
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and means do not find their roots in
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humans cleverness
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philosophies and ideologies they are
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rooted in god's character
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and have god's power attached to them
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that's what paul is saying
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and he goes on to describe what the
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strongholds and the strongholds are in
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verse five so first thing he wants to
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say listen we don't fight like every
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other human being
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we don't use human means we don't use
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humans argument
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we don't use human philosophies we don't
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use cleverness we don't use
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that kind of stuff to engage in battle
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because
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even though we are we humans we do not
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fight like other people do
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we don't use those arguments we're not
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trying to get clever because the weapons
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that we use
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and the means that we use have divine
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power
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because they come from god they are
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god's
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thoughts god's argument and they have
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god's
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power attached to them so that's what
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paul is saying
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and the the power of god can destroy
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strongholds
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and then he goes on to describe what the
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strongholds are so we're going to look
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at the strongholds in the next
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um slide what are the strongholds and
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let's look at verse 5.
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so these are the strong votes with
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destroy arguments
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and every lofty opinion raised
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against the knowledge of god and we take
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every thought
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captive to obey christ so
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what are the strongholds the strongholds
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are arguments and
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arrogant opinions that cloud people's
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understanding
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or knowledge of god they find their
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roots in
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human reasoning and stand high and lofty
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like a fortress
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opposing any entry that might lead to
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the knowledge of god
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they can't be destroyed by mere like
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human reasoning but only by the power of
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god
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through god's own reasoning once those
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arguments are
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described in the form of a fortress are
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destroyed
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the thoughts behind them like the
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prisoners are exposed
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and then those thoughts are taken
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captive to obey god
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basically what this is saying is this
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when the argument of the opponent of god
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is destroyed
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he or she has no other alternative but
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to submit himself or herself to the
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truth
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found in jesus so paul was basically
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saying to the people
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listen you are not fighting against me
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you are fighting against god himself i'm
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just a messenger
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but what you don't understand is the
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power behind me
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is not me but the power behind me is god
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himself
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so and this is the power behind paul's
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weapons
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and we're going to see paul in action in
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athens
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to fully understand this passage okay so
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we're going to look at what paul did
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when he went to athens in the aria
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progress
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so i'm going to actually play this and
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i'm going to
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go first let's let's go to acts
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17 and we are going to play this thing
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so i'm gonna play it
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and then so what i'm going to do now is
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i'm going to read
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these sections of acts 17 we're going to
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read from acts
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17 verse 16 to 34. i did not want to
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read this but
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i'm going to have to read it so please
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follow with me i'm going to go extremely
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slow
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and we are going to read the section so
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paul is in athens
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okay and i'm picking it up from acts
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16 out of verse 16. now
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while paul was waiting for them at
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athens
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his spirit was provoked within him as he
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saw that the city was full of idols
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so he reasoned in the synagogue with the
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jews and the devout
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persons and in the marketplace every day
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with those who happen to be there
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some of the epicurean and historic
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philosophers also conversed with him
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and some said what does this babbler
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wish to say
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others said he seems to be a preacher of
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foreign divinities
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and that's because he was preaching
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jesus and the resurrection
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and they took him and brought him to the
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areopagus saying
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may we know what this new teaching is
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that you are presenting
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for you bring some strange things to our
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ears and we wish to know
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therefore what these things mean now all
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the athenians
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and the foreigners who lived there would
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spend their time in nothing except
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telling or hearing something new
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now let's read paul's address
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so paul standing in the midst of the
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aria progress said men of athens
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are perceived that in every way you are
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very religious
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for surpass along and observed the
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object of your worship
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are found also an altar with this
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inscription to the unknown god
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while therefore you worship us unknown
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this
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i proclaim to you the god who made
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the whole world and everything in it
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being lord of heaven and earth
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does not live in temples made by men nor
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is he served by human hands as though he
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needed
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anything since he himself gives to all
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mankind
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life and breath and everything
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and he made from one man every nation of
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mankind
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to live on all the face of the earth
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having determined
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a lot of periods and the boundaries of
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their dwelling place
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that they should seek god and perhaps
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feel their way toward him
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and find him yet he is actually not far
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from each one of us
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for in him we live and move and have our
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being
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as even some of your own poets have said
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for we are indeed
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his of spring being then god's offspring
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we ought not to think that the divine
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being is like gold
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or silver or stone an image formed by
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the art and imagination of man
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the times of ignorance god overlooked
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but now he commands
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all people everywhere to repent because
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he has fixed a day
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on which he will judge the whole world
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in righteousness
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by man whom he has appointed and of this
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he has given assurance to all by raising
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him from the dead
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now when they heard of the resurrection
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of the dead some
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mocked but others said we will hear you
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again about this
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so paul went out from their midst but
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some men joined him and believed
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among whom also were initials the arepa
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guide and a woman named davories
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and others with them so now i'm gonna go
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back here
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and let's present so basically
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i basically set the stage for you
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like paul goes to athens he sees that he
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walks through the city and he sees that
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the whole place is
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is given to idolatry so his spirit is
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troubled within him
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so he goes to the areopagus and he gives
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some kind of a speech there to defend
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his case
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so among the least leading ideologies
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and philosophies there were the
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epicurean and historic philosophers and
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their lifestyles and ideologies were
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rooted in men's effort or men's ways
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they were putting a lot of emphasis on
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man's meritorious achievement that's
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basically the historic philosophers
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they were just like elevating man's
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self-achievement righteousness to the
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level of god
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and the epicurean whose lives were
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centered around pleasure
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they were eleven men's sensual needs
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again above god's laws
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and there were many other religious like
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practices represented
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there they had like some form of
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godliness but they were just
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mere like human inventions so this is
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what paul was against but as he
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mentioned in second corinthians
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10 verse 3 to 5 the means he used to
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argue his point
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were centered on god's wisdom and they
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had divine
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power to break down falsehood and sue
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the truth
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in order to take uh thoughts captives to
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obey christ
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now among the captives in the area
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because was the aryaba
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and dionysius a woman named davaris and
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others whose names are mentioned so
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paul's labor was not in vain
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so god specifically sent him there for
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the people he had sovereignly
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uh like chosen to save
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and sin paul was successful because he
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was the holy spirit who worked
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through paul for the conviction and
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saving of damaris
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dionysius and they are named other folks
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so this is the confidence that we have
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in god we don't win
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souls for christ on the basis of clever
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human arguments but we do so by
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submitting ourselves
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to the leadership of the holy spirit who
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does his work
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of regenerating men's hearts by exposing
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the lies they have been
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under their whole entire life so when
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paul went to
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to the areopagus his chief purpose which
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he may have not known was to save
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their nation's damaris and the other one
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whose names are mentioned so paul went
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that he did not use like human arguments
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his argument was basically based on
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god's own
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thoughts and he had god's power because
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the reason why i'm saying this is
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because
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the amnesiacs were saved damaris was
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saved
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and the other one that mentioned were
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saved god chose them
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and he sent paul there to destroy the
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strongholds and
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and and they loved the opinions that
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were raised against the knowledge of god
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so when
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dionysius heard those things when
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damaris
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heard those things when the other people
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heard paul speaking
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the strongholds came down and then their
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thoughts were exposed and now they were
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taken captive
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to obey christ so therefore they
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followed paul
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uh teachings you see what happens this
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is the process that paul is describing
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in 2nd corinthians 10 and we see him in
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action
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now let's go back to uh uh what's the
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takeaway
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now first i'll say this this verse isn't
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necessarily a command
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for us to take our own uh thoughts
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captive to obey christ
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but we must submit ourselves
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to the holy spirit scrutiny so that he
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can destroy
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the errors in our hearts heresies
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you know false ideas and anything that
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we may be thinking that it stands
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against the knowledge of god
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so we don't like do that ourselves but
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we come under the holy spirit's
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teaching through the word of god and
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god's word
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because he has power destroy the
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strongholds in our mind
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and bring those lies to the surface
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and then we see those like we are undone
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and the holy spirit renew our minds
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by doing away with the accumulated lies
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we've believed over all these years
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and once god exposed those lies we are
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undone like i said
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and that's when change happens so we
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ourself
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must take a hold of all these means of
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grace that god has provided
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okay and and we're gonna take we have to
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take a hold of
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all these are means of grace in our
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dealings with other people we don't
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win souls by arguing our way we use
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arguments that have their roots in god's
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character god's origin and god's power
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okay and we must do so by faith in the
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sense that
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we can't do it in our own strength is
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god that has to command us
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god sent paul to the aeropress and he's
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gonna send us to places where
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there are people that are here
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sovereignly chosen to save and as we go
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we bring the words of god and we bring
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god's power because god is sending us so
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therefore god get the glory and we don't
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get the glory because we are the
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messengers
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so this is the takeaway and i would
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encourage you to really
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uh go back and read these scriptures
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more because we need to understand that
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uh we're not waging war
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according to the flesh but our weapons
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have
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uh power divine power to destroy
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strongholds okay we take captive
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every falsehood and thought that's
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raised against the knowledge of god
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and we destroy them by the means of god
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himself
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so when we argue we are not arguing from
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a
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place of human reasoning but we are
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using sometimes human words
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but are disposing and dispensing uh
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spiritual truths
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that the holy spirit himself is putting
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our minds through the word of god
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and then we have god's power because god
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is the one sending us there so we are
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not going
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into this battlefield with our own
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weapons
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god himself has equipped us with his
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word with his power
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in the holy spirit and to defeat the
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enemy and to bring captives
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in order to to make them obey god and
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this is the truth that we have and this
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is the word of god
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so we must remember that we need to rely
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fully on god's means of grace
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okay i will encourage you to read that
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passage paul and
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um i'm looking forward to seeing you
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again okay have a wonderful day thank
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you