It was not to exalt self, but to magnify the grace of God, that Paul thus presented to those who were denying his apostleship, proof that he was “not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.” Those who sought to belittle his calling and his work were fighting against Christ, whose grace and power were manifested through Paul. Hence the apostle felt that he was forced, by the opposition of his enemies, and even by the course of his brethren, to take a decided stand to maintain his position and authority.{LP 194.1}

Det var ikke for at rose sig selv, men for at herliggøre Guds nåde, at Paulus således overfor dem, der fornægtede hans stilling som apostel, fremkom med beviser for, at han "ikke stod tilbage i noget for de umådelig store apostle." 2Kor. 11,5. De, som søgte at forringe hans udvælgelse og hans gerning, kæmpede mod Kristus selv, hvis nåde og kraft åbenbaredes gennem Paulus. Ved sine fjenders modstand blev apostlen tvunget til at indtage en fast holdning for at opretholde sin stilling og myndighed.