As we saw in the previous Note, the “strongholds,” the “high things,” Paul speaks of in these verses are any of the things that occupy our mind, so that they turn us away from Christ Himself. (See “Strongholds, Thoughts, & Intents” • 2.) In this regard it almost doesn’t matter whether they are good or bad things in themselves, or true of false teachings; so long as Satan can use them to turn us away from Christ, they must be torn down.

In this portion of 2 Corinthians, of course, Paul is dealing with the stronghold the Judiazers were promoting, namely, the teaching that the believers had to keep the Jewish law in order to follow Christ. However, to help us better understand what our own strongholds may be today, we can give some other examples.

One such “stronghold” among so many dear, Bible-believing Christians of our time is “King James Onlyism,” or “KJVO,” as it is sometimes called, the false teaching that the KJV is the only legitimate translation of the Bible in English. (I recently read a very good book about this by James White, The King James Only Controversy. To be clear, I don’t have a high regard for the modern versions myself; that is why I have published The Standard Version of the New Testament. But still, I surely don’t feel the KJV is the only legitimate version of the Bible.)

But suppose, for a moment, that the KJVO teaching was true; even so, if we make that teaching our focus, rather than Christ Himself, then it would still be the kind of “stronghold” spoken of here by Paul. In that case we would be followers of the King James Version Only teaching, rather than followers of Christ.

Another example would be the teaching of believers’ baptism by immersion. I certainly agree that this is the Biblical view of baptism; but if it becomes my focus, so that everywhere I go I have to see if the believers have been baptized the right way, and all I can talk about is how we should follow this teaching, then it has become a “stronghold” within me that must be pulled down. That does not mean I need to abandon the teaching itself—it is, after all, the Biblical view of baptism—but rather, that it must no longer be my focus. Otherwise, I am a follower of believers’ baptism, rather than a follower of Christ.

Or, we may have been truly helped by a certain Bible teacher. In my own case, as I have said many times, I was greatly helped by Witness Lee, the co-w0rker of Watchman Nee. I will be eternally grateful to the Lord for the help I received through Brother Lee and his ministry, and so grateful to our brother himself for how he poured himself out on behalf of the saints. But even so, I have to be careful that I don’t make him my focus; otherwise, even one who has helped me so much can, through my misguided appreciation of him, be used by the enemy to turn me away from Christ.

Again, these are just some examples; sadly, so many others could be given! But in brief, anything we “know,” so to speak, as our focus, apart from Christ, is a stronghold that will keep us from the genuine knowledge of Christ Himself, and so it must be torn town for us to follow Christ as we should.

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—  31 January 2026 —