I do not seek what is yours, but you...All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and all for your upbuilding, beloved. - 2 Cor 12:14, 19
You have to read the preceding chapters to appreciate these verses. We are to seek to win people, not arguments. Sometimes this will mean covering an offense (1 Peter 4:8). Other times it will mean wielding the scalpel (2 Corinthians 10-12). But in both instances winning people is the goal. Many heated debates are ended with one side winning the argument, but both parties being lost. That is a tragedy.
