1 Christ is gentle and free of pride. So I make my appeal to you. I, Paul, am the one you call shy when I am face to face with you. But when I am away from you, you call me bold.
2 I beg you that when I come I won't have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people. They think that I live the way the people of this world live.
3 I do live in the world. But I don't fight my battles the way the people of the world do.
4 The weapons I fight with are not the weapons the world uses. In fact, it is just the opposite. My weapons have the power of God to destroy the camps of the enemy.
5 I destroy every claim and every reason that keeps people from knowing God. I keep every thought under control in order to make it obey Christ.
6 Until you have obeyed completely, I will be ready to punish you every time you don't obey.
7 You are looking only at what appears on the surface of things. Suppose you are sure you belong to Christ. Then you should consider again that I belong to Christ just as much as you do.