2 Corinthians 10 Lesson

MEEKNESS

Meekness should never be confused with weakness.  

Nothing could be further from the truth!  

This is especially true when we are talking about meekness in the Lord.  

DEFINING MEEKNESS

Google Dictionarydefines meekness as:

• “An attitude or quality of heart whereby a person is willing to accept and submit without resistance to the will and desire of someone else.  In the case of Christians, this is God.”

BIBLE VERSES ABOUT MEEKNESS

The Bible has a lot to say about meekness.   For today’s lesson, we will highlight the following four verses:

1. “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” - Mathew 5:5,
2. “But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.” - Psalm 37:11,
3. “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any person who was on the face of the earth.” - Numbers 12:3,
4. “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.” - James 3:13.

These four scriptures use the words “gentle” and “humble.”  

Somebody who is meek acts gently and humbly.  

Somebody who is meek in the Lord is gentle, humble, and submits themselves to the will of God, as opposed to the ways of the world.

PAUL’S EXAMPLE

In 2 Corinthians 10, we see both the meekness and the strength of the Apostle Paul.  

While Paul was serving the Lord, the Corinthian people were busy disparaging him.  

They said:

• “Paul is walking according to the flesh.” – 2 Corinthians 10:2,
• “Paul’s presence is unimpressive.” – 2 Corinthians 10:10 (a),
• “Paul’s speech is contemptible.” –   2 Corinthians 10:10 (b) .

Paul could have responded in many ways to his critics, but he chose to respond with:

1. Meekness,
2. Gentleness,
3. And humility.

Instead of retaliating, Paul said:

• “We are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves.” – 2 Corinthians 10:12,
• “We will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us.” – 2 Corinthians 10:13,
• “He who boasts is to boast in the Lord. For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.” – 2 Corinthians 10:17.

Of note, Paul says that he will not compare himself to those who are boastful, and that, “He who boasts is to boast in the Lord.”  

We as Christians can learn from the example of the Apostle Paul.

When somebody is boasting of worldly things, we are not to boast ourselves, unless it is boasting in the Lord. 

As the Bible teaches, we are to remain meek, humble, and gentle.

MEEKNESS IS NOT WEAKNESS

The writings of Paul provide us with incredible examples of strength, meekness, and humility.  

Paul was meek and humble in his response to the Corinthians, but strong in his commitment to follow and serve the Lord.  

Meekness is not weakness!

Meekness is submitting to God’s will with gentleness and humility.  

When we do that, we have the power of the almighty God behind us and there is no amount of adversitythat we cannot overcome!

CONCLUSION

Like the Apostle Paul, when we interact with the world, we will at times find ourselves under attack, or going through hard times.

During these times, we are not to retaliate.  

Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans:

• “’Vengeance is Mine , I will repay,’ says the Lord .” -Romans 12:19 .

Instead of seeking vengeance, Christians are to respond with:

1. Meekness,
2. Gentleness,
3. And humility.

We will end today’s lesson with the following scripture from the Book of Psalms:

• “Yet a little while and the wicked person will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place, and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.” - Psalm 37:10-11.