2 Corinthians 12
As we are nearing the end of this letter to the Corinthians we see another golden principle of the Christian faith. Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient.” And, “My power is made perfect in weakness.”
Paul was granted something rare. He saw and heard heavenly, inexpressible words and was given surpassingly great revelations from God. Along with these came the responsibility to remain humble. So, to help him out, Paul was given a thorn in the flesh to keep him from exalting himself.
Gallons of ink have been spilled through the years guessing and arguing about what this thorn might be. We know that it is a messenger of Satan. We know that it is unpleasant and buffets Paul. And we know that he prayed three times to have it taken away, but the Lord refused. We don’t know what Paul’s thorn was and may never know. The thorn isn’t the point. God’s grace and power through weakness is what is important and this is what Paul picks up on. This is where the Lord’s grace and power are seen best. Weaknesses!
Instead of turning this into a sticky issue, what we need to do is discover God’s grace and power when we are dealing with our weaknesses.
What does he mean by weaknesses? First, these are not spiritual weaknesses! He’s not saying that he’s got spiritual weakness to sin in some area, and this is a good thing. No, this is not a spiritual weakness, this is a physical weakness or even an abuse in which the grace and power of God has the opportunity to do its best work. Look at verses 9-10 with me.
9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
What he means by weaknesses here are insults, distresses, persecutions, difficulties for Christ’s sake. In other words, when the going gets really tough as he serves Jesus, he sees that as a time of weakness, but not of defeat or a place of discouragement, because Jesus works best where we struggle to serve him. Again, this is not about being tempted to sin, but about struggling to serve Christ in difficult circumstances. Difficulty was something the Corinthian church was constantly placing on Paul!
Where is it the hardest in your life for you to stand up for Jesus? Where do you face the most difficulty simply because you are a follower of Jesus Christ? It is here that you face what Paul is describing as a weakness. And it is here that you need the most grace and power from God to accomplish the mission of Christ.
Think about this with me... the temptation of weakness is to give up. If we are relying on our own strength and recognize that we are too weak to handle the challenge, we are tempted to quit. But, if by faith, we are looking to God for strength beyond ourselves, well... move over! That is when God shows his power. It seems that God tends to put us in places where we need to be to make us do this very thing.
Talk about the need for grace and power… what about the first apostles when Jesus commissioned them and left them. Here they were, a bunch of Galilean unschooled ordinary men. What was their assignment? These guys were the epitome of weakness! How were they supposed to go into all the world and win disciples for Jesus? It is clear that without an abundance of grace and power from heaven, they didn’t have a prayer. But what does such a challenge do for God’s people? It can do the same thing for us as it did for them. Weaknesses can make us rely more on God than on ourselves! When we realize our limited strength we are wise if we cry out to the unlimited God.
Is this not true throughout the Bible? This is God’s favorite song. Think of how many times God took the lowly and despised things and worked his wonders. In fact, when we look back, it almost seems a requirement of God that his chosen instruments of grace struggled with weakness.
Noah was a lone ranger in a fallen world. Abraham, the father of many nations was childless for most of his life. Moses went up against Pharaoh with a rod and a message. “The Lord says, ‘Let my people go!’” Gideon was given only 300 men to rescue Israel from the thousands of Midianite enemies. David was a youth with a sling and 5 rocks when he faced the armored giant, Goliath. On and on the Bible describes how God’s grace is sufficient and his power is made perfect in weakness.
Not weak faith, but weak flesh. Of course the greatest expression of human weakness and God’s grace and power in all the Bible is seen in Jesus on the cross. The world was won by the weakness of one who went the way of the cross.
Why is it that we still tend to despise weakness and find ourselves attracted to self-reliant strength? Self-reliance is the very opposite of what Jesus gives us. Grace, by definition, implies that we need something we can not accomplish. God’s power in me implies that I can’t do it myself.
When Paul boasts about himself he doesn’t brag about surpassingly great revelations, he even veils who he is there. When he boasts to prove his genuineness he lists dangers and trials that appear as weaknesses. He barely tells us about his experience in Paradise and when he does he calls it foolishness. Foolish boasting! The Corinthians were impressed by the boasting of false apostles who had come in among them and gained influence among some.
Look at verses 11-13:
11 I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, for in no respect was I inferior to the super-apostles, even though I am a nobody.
12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.
13 For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not become a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!
The false teachers are insinuating that they are superior to Paul and that Paul even treats them as if they are inferior to other churches that he ministers to. Paul flatly denies both charges. Notice that the signs of an apostle are miracles. He had done miracles among them diligently. The only thing he didn’t do, which the false teachers are doing, was take their money! And he says in the next few verses he has not intention of taking any when he comes. In fact, even the people he sends to them do not take their money in pay.
He says, I’m like a parent to you. I’ll spend myself for you. (By the way, this is something the false teachers would not do). Here Paul is cutting his enemies down to size and revealing who cares for the Corinthians and who just wants them for gain. At this point he believes he has their attention. The rest of the letter is all about his coming and discipline for the disobedient.
Here we see weakness of another sort. This weakness is moral failure and sinful practice. God’s grace and power are clearly not seen in these weaknesses. Notice the list of behaviors Paul says he is afraid he will have to confront when he comes. Obviously, the false teachers have not helped them to live in a higher standard morally or ethically. The Corinthians’ spiritual weakness is ruining them. Here comes the weak apostle to work through the grace of God and the power of Christ to restore and reclaim as many as will hear and heed the instruction of the Lord. Working through weakness but mighty through grace, Paul comes to humbly mourn and confront disobedience with God’s powerful weapon of the gospel of God’s grace.
