l, 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!—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” (2 Corinthians 10:1-2 ESV).
The business, political, and athletic worlds tend to be populated by competitive leaders who seek to defeat their opponents. However, Paul the Apostle did not embrace that leadership style, even when he was forced to address those who accused him of questionable motives. Despite the forceful language Paul used in dealing with a group of obstinate and self-willed “apostles” within the Corinthian church, he chose to preface his remarks with an appeal to “…the meekness and gentleness of Christ.”
While meekness is sometimes equated with weakness, it is more accurately defined as “power under control.” Jesus serves as the personification of that definition for He, “…being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-9 NIV).
So a person who exhibits meekness is someone who is marked by the positive qualities of graciousness, courtesy, and humility rather than the negative qualities of egotism, arrogance, and/or self-centeredness. Unfortunately, it appears that Paul’s critics within the Corinthian church mistook his meek demeanor as a sign of timidity and a reluctance to address their inappropriate behaviors in person.
This was more than just an insult. It meant that Paul was acting in weakness and cowardice as he represented Christ in his face to face interaction with the members of the Corinthian church. It also meant that he was guilty of hypocrisy since he was alleged to be one way in his correspondence but something quite different in person.
Not surprisingly, Paul corrected that misunderstanding with a dose of reality: he had not disciplined those individuals because he was afraid to do so but because he hoped they would not force him to do so. Those who wished to avoid such discipline could simply apply Paul’s counsel from his earlier letter to the church at Corinth: “If we would examine ourselves, we would not come under judgment” (1 Corinthians 11:31 CJB).