2 Corinthians 10:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The apostle used it in this latter sense. When he says, "I robbed other churches" (2 Cor 11:8), he does not mean that he took secretly. He means that he openly took, that he took everything.

So also here he says, "we take captive," because the struggle is not equal, but very easy. He did not say, "we overthrow one or two things," but "every high thing."

Likewise, he did not only say, "we conquer and prevail," but "we take captive." Earlier, he did not say, "we bring engines against strongholds," but, "we destroy strongholds."

This is because we have a great abundance of weapons. We fight not with words against words, but with deeds against words. We fight not with fleshly wisdom, but with the spirit of meekness and power.

"Therefore, what need have I," he continues, "to exalt myself, to boast in words, and to threaten in letters?" For they slandered him, saying, "His letters are severe and strong." "Our power does not consist in this at all."

Since in the expression, "we take every thought captive into the obedience of Christ," the word "take captive" is harsh, he at once explains the metaphor by saying, "into the obedience of Christ."

This means from slavery to freedom, from death to life, from perdition to salvation. "We came," he says, "not only to cast down opponents, but to bring them to the truth."

Then, since the word captivity is harsh, he says, "into the obedience of Christ." That is, we bring them into servitude to Christ, which is more precious than every freedom. We subject them to Christ, from perdition to salvation, from death to life.

Remember those who burned their books of magic in Ephesus, and you will understand how Paul took captive.

"And we take every thought captive into the obedience of Christ." Therefore this most evil habit has deceived us. Therefore this perverse human tradition is the cause of great evils for us.

It turns away from some sins and indifferently permits others. Against some, such as murder, adultery, and the like, it pretends to be greatly indignant.

Others, such as anger, slander, drunkenness, covetousness, and the like, it does not consider worthy even of simple reproof.

But where every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God is cast down, every thought is taken captive into obedience to Christ. Every disobedience is punished equally, and nothing is left uncleansed.

Likewise the apostle says: "I desire that men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands" (1 Tim 2:8). The general commandment corresponding to this is: "Enter into your chamber and pray to your Father who is in secret" (Mt 6:6).

Again: "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess 5:17). One who has entered his chamber and prays without ceasing has fully included in this the prayer offered in every place.

It is also said: "Do not fornicate, do not commit adultery, do not kill," and the like. The general commandment corresponding to this is: "Casting down reasonings and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God" (2 Cor 10:5).

One who casts down reasonings has set a barrier against all the vices mentioned above. Therefore those who love God and firmly believe compel themselves toward the general commandments, without neglecting the particular ones that occur by circumstance.

Calling it sound, solid, righteous, and great, he uses it to remove obedience to Christ.

As an example of the flattery and craft by which the devil draws the human will to cast off the good yoke of Christ, Saint Macarius the Great gives the following noetic warfare.

"Someone, quarreling with his brother, is troubled within himself and thinks: Shall I say this or that to him? No, I will not say it. He insults me so. Shall I speak against him?

"Better to be silent. True, we have the commandments of God, but one must also preserve one's honor. Thus it is difficult to deny oneself completely."

Therefore the Apostle commands decisive and complete self-denial. He commands us to put on the whole armor of God, not to gird ourselves with one weapon only.

Fasting alone is insufficient. Prayer alone is insufficient. Almsgiving alone is insufficient. Chastity alone is insufficient. The whole armor of God is all the commandments of the Gospel.

He who tramples one of them has trampled the whole assembly of them, the whole law. He who tramples one of them "shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven" (Mt 5:19), and will be sent into fiery Gehenna.

"I directed myself toward all Thy commandments; every way of unrighteousness I hated" (Ps 119:128). "Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Eph 6:13).

Only the one who has taken up all "the weapons of God" can "withstand in the evil day." Only the one who fulfills all the commandments without exception can stand against the enemy.

The "evil day" is the hour of fierce diabolical temptation and assault. Courageous warriors of Christ undergo it during their earthly pilgrimage, and through it the victors pass from eternal death to the resurrection of the soul.

For other Christians, the "evil day" is the day of the soul's separation from the body, the day of passage through the aerial toll-houses.

The saints of God clothed themselves in the whole armor of God. The rule of their life was the Gospel. Their word, the word of mouth, mind, and heart, was "the word of God" (Eph 6:17), the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

With this spiritual sword they struck and crushed the revolving fiery weapon of the enemy. The words uttered by the devil and the fantasies depicted by him could not penetrate the soul, but were reflected from it in vain.

In the strictest watchfulness and sobriety, the servants of God attended to the mind and heart. Illumined by divine grace, from afar they already sensed noetic thieves and murderers approaching them.

In their attentive vigilance, as in a mirror, they saw the dark faces of the noetic Ethiopians. Having rejected communion with them here, they deprived them of every right over themselves.

After death, they passed unhindered by the aerial powers, whom they had trampled down in good time.

"Only the man who has truly renounced the world," says Saint Macarius, "who struggles, has cast off the earthly burden, freed himself, and sincerely withdrawn from vain desires, fleshly passions, authority, and human honors,

"who has secretly received help from the Lord in the hidden struggle, abides firmly in service to Him, and has finally surrendered his whole soul and body to the Lord,

"only such a man, I say, finds opposition, hidden passions, invisible snares, secret war, and inward battle.

"Standing in the midst of this warfare and praying unceasingly to God, he receives from heaven the spiritual weapons described by the blessed Apostle: the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, and the spiritual sword.

"Girded with these, he can withstand the hidden hostile devices directed against him.

"Having acquired these weapons through prayer, patience, supplication, fasting, and faith, he can wage war courageously against principalities, powers, and world-rulers.

"By conquering the opposing powers through the help of the Spirit and through his own virtues, he becomes worthy of eternal life."

When the devil sees someone unwilling to sin, he is not so senseless as to propose obvious evil to him. He does not say, "Go, commit fornication," or, "Go, steal."

He knows that we do not want this, and he does not labor to tell us what we do not want. Instead he tries to find in us some desire or some justification, and by these he harms us.

Therefore Scripture says: "The evil one does evil when he joins himself to the righteous" (Prov 11:15). The evil one is the devil. He does evil when he joins his righteousness to our righteousness.

Then he is strengthened, then he harms more, then he acts. When we are led by our own desires and follow our own righteousness, then, as though doing good, we lay snares for ourselves.

We do not even notice how we are perishing. This is from the instruction of Abba Dorotheus on not composing one's own understanding.

This is according to Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria's interpretation. It is also clear from the lives of Saint Anthony the Great, Saint John the Much-Suffering of the Caves, and others.

He also teaches that "whoever is confident in himself that he is Christ's can judge by himself that Paul also is Christ's." Apostolic authority was given to him not for disorder, but for edification.

"And let anyone who doubts our power and authority know," the Apostle adds, "that as we are in word by letters when absent, so we are also in deed when present."

"Enveloped in such reasonings, they are confident that they sit firmly and are secure not only from destruction, but even from attack.

"But then the Apostle comes with a grace-filled word. Unbelief with impiety flees before the face of the fear of God. Sin with egotism and passions flees before the face of conscience.

"The spirit that had been in captivity, made alive by the grace of God, rises to freedom and joyfully gives itself over into the captivity of obedience to Christ.

"This is the captivity of the mind in obedience to Christ. The mind gives itself in obedience to Christ, in the confidence that by this alone true life and true freedom are preserved.

"This obedience embraces the whole moral and religious order of the Church. Whoever acts against it in anything is a transgressor and draws righteous vengeance upon himself.

"This is precisely what the Apostle now says: that with us authority and power are always ready to avenge every disobedience. I will use it among you as soon as the obedience of the obedient is fulfilled, and the disobedient distinguish themselves of their own accord" (Bishop Theophan).

The knowledge of God is the truth of God, preached by the Apostles, concerning salvation in the Lord Jesus by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Against this, from the beginning, the enemy of truth placed many objections in the minds of unbelievers and in the hearts of those who love sin. To some these objections seemed insoluble. These were, and still are, high things against the knowledge of God.

"We cast them down," says the Apostle, "by the weapons given to us." How? By the confirmation of the word through the signs that followed (Mk 16:20).

The grace-filled action of the Gospel is enough for those in whom the elements of natural spiritual life have not been completely stifled. Yet even they could be led astray by unbelievers guided only by low-moving rational inferences.

To help the former and to strike down the latter, the Lord was pleased to introduce signs into the work of preaching. Before them all objections fell away of themselves.

Those who believed were finally confirmed by them in the faith. Those who did not believe were struck, and some of them also believed. Others, remaining in stubborn unbelief, fell silent.

Thus every high thing against the knowledge of God was cast down then and is cast down to this day.

"And taking every thought captive into the obedience of Christ." The stronghold of unbelief and impiety, of sin and the passions, has been destroyed by the casting down of reasonings and every high thing against the knowledge of God.

What follows? The spirit that had been captive there, made alive by the grace of God, rises and goes forth to freedom as the new hidden man of the heart.

It goes forth only through a willing and joyful surrender of itself into the captivity of obedience to Christ. Consciousness and freedom bind themselves to the commandments of Christ the Savior and surrender themselves to Him as servants.

They do this with readiness to sacrifice everything for Him, even life itself. This is the captivity of the mind into obedience to Christ.

The mind, νοημα, is self-active consciousness. It gives itself in obedience to Christ, confident that only by this are true life and true freedom preserved.

Thus destruction takes place within, but for the sake of edification. There is captivity, but for the sake of freedom.

This captivity is a passage "from slavery to freedom, from death to life, from perdition to salvation. For we came, he says, not only to cast down opponents, but to bring them to the truth" (St. Chrysostom).

"Taking them from the field of battle like captives, we present them to the King of all, and bring them to follow His laws willingly" (Theodoret).