SSL 13 - 2 Cor. 12:7-10; 13:1-8
Prayers & Announcements: We start a new quarter next week. Handout Overview of 1 John.
Last Week: In 2 Cor. 9:1-15, in the context of the Corinthian Church's promised offering to the Jerusalem Christians, we heard Paul talk on the issue of giving. Here are five important principles for giving on faith: 1. Certainly, we should be good stewards of the financial resources God provides, but there are times when we should act on faith and stretch ourselves. When Paul said that a person "who sows bountifully will reap bountifully" (v. 6), it means if we're generous in our giving, we can expect God to reward us with generous blessings-in some form-for our obedience. 2. We experience good feelings-true joy-when we give on faith. It's easy to be a cheerful giver because that's the kind of giving that comes from the heart. 3. When we are blessed-materially and spiritually-God expects us to be conduits of His blessings rather than containers of them. When Paul tells us that God will provide "an abundance for every good deed," he's reminding us that God blesses us so we will be equipped to be a blessing to others. 4. Giving on faith to others in need is also a gift of thanksgiving to God Himself. When we stretch ourselves to give in faith to others in need, we accomplish two things at once: (1) we help those who need our financial assistance and (2) we make a simultaneous gift of thanksgiving to God. 4. No matter how much we give to others, we can never repay God for His "indescribable" gift to us. While giving on faith can provide live-saving benefits to people in need, God's indescribable gift to us is something far greater: He showed us His "indescribable" love by sending his only Son to die on a cross to save us from the bondage of sin and offer us eternal life in heaven with Him, a gift of immeasurable value.
This Week: We move to 2 Cor. 12:7-10; 13:2-8, our final lesson in this quarter. We will hear Paul talk about the "thorn in his flesh" (v. 7b), and how God (and why) used this weakness as a platform for perfecting and demonstrating the power of Jesus Christ. At this point, Paul was planning to make a third visit to Corinth, which did in fact take place in the fall of 56 A.D. So, in Chapter 13, we will learn of his final warnings to the church pending his arrival.
Read 2 Cor. 12:7-10 - A Thorn in the Flesh - But Pleasure in Weakness
7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me-to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so 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.
v. 7a: "Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself" - Since Paul's opponents in Corinth had falsely claimed to have received their teaching directly from God, Paul could easily have been tempted to boastful pride (hey, I met Christ in person-top that!) by reason of his personal encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus road, but as we'll see, God actively intervened in Paul's life in some way to restrain that temptation.
v. 7b: "there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me-to keep me from exalting myself!" - The Greek skolops for "thorn," describes a sharp object, something that would cause severe pain. Because the nature of Paul's thorn isn't revealed in the text, it's been a topic of considerable speculation over the ages. Whatever it was, it removed any inclination Paul may have had to be boastful; it effectively distracted his attention from the exalted revelation he had seen and caused him to focus on his human frailty. The phrase, "a messenger of Satan to torment me," reminds us of Job 2:6, where God, as a test of faith. gave Satan permission to afflict Job but not take his life. Some afflictions are like that-given by God to keep our pride in check or test our faith.
v. 8: "Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me" - Parakaleo, the Greek word for "implore," also means to beg or beseech. The fact that Paul prayed this three times reveals that he was desperate for God to give him some relief from his misery, whatever it was.
v. 9: "And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."' - This is surely one of the much-loved verses in the NT. Though in quotation marks, there's no reference to it in the OT, meaning it signifies words spoken to Paul by the risen Christ. This wasn't the answer Paul had prayed for, but there are two ways of relieving a burden: (1) by removing it or (2) by strengthening the person to bear the load. Thus, instead of removing the thorn, God, through His grace, strengthened Paul with it, so that God could display His strength through Paul's apparent weakness. But to do this, Paul had to believe that God's grace is sufficient. In our American culture, this is an obstacle: we elevate the "self-made man" with the idea that we should rely completely on ourselves. Truth: We can't receive God's strength until we know our own weakness.
v.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" - Paul did in fact experience every single one of the hardships he catalogs. Acts 12-28 tells his story in detail. But he has accepted and borne them, knowing that they serve an eternal purpose. So why is he "content" to endure them?: "for Christ's sake." By the statement, "when I am weak, then I am strong," Paul is saying that God didn't allow this thorn in the flesh to punish him, or simply to keep him weak; God allowed it to show divine strength in Paul. If we study Paul's life and ministry, we would be forced to recognize that he was an amazingly strong man, do you agree? Yet, he was only strong because he knew his weaknesses and looked outside of himself for the strength of God's grace.
Read 2 Cor. 13:1-4 - Examine Yourselves
1 This is the third time I am coming to you. EVERY FACT IS TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES. 2 I have previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again I will not spare anyone, 3 since you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. 4 For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.
v .1: "This is the third time I am coming to you. EVERY FACT IS TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES" - On his first visit to Corinth, Paul founded the church; he made a second, unhappy visit there between the writing of 1 and 2 Corinthians. Now he is preparing to come a third time. His quote from Deut. 19:15 serves to warn them that this time, he's coming as a judge.
v. 2: "I have previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again I will not spare anyone" - These are strong words, but the situation among the Corinthian Christians called for strong leadership. While a Christian pastor should never use his authority to oppress his congregation, he has the right and the duty to treat threats to Biblical moral standards or correct doctrinal beliefs as a rebellion against the authority of God.
vv. 3-4: "since you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. 4 For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you." - Paul's opponents in Corinth, these false apostles, said they wanted to see more "power" from Paul (2 Cor. 11:5; 12:11), because to them, he seemed too weak, too meek. So Paul says, okay, fine; when I come this time, you will see the "power of God" in my rebuke as I clean house. So, I'm warning you now to get it cleaned up before I arrive.
Read 2 Cor. 13:5-8 - Have You Examined Yourself Lately?
5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-unless indeed you fail the test? 6 But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. 7 Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth.
v. 5: "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-unless indeed you fail the test?" - Paul confronts them with the most fundamental of questions: Am I really a Christian? Specifically, have I repented of my sin and unconditionally accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior? Paul knew there were some Corinthians who would fail the test. Paul isn't trying the weed them out or turn them away from the church; he simply wanted them to be sure of their salvation before it's too late.
vv. 6-7: "But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. 7 Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved. " - Paul anticipates the counter-question: Are you saved, Paul? He responds by declaring that his position "in faith" should speak for itself. In v. 7, Paul is saying this is about you, the Corinthian church, not me. He's telling them that, in any case, if they will simply "do what is right," then there will be no need for him to defend his apostolic authority or take disciplinary action in the church.
v. 8: "For we can do nothing against the truth, but onlyfor the truth" - By this, Paul means he can only assert his apostolic authority in a manner that supports the truth. God's word defines truth, and no one in the church-pastors, church leaders, teachers, or anyone else-is above the truth. In the context of this statement, Paul implies that if truth is recognized by the Corinthians by the time he arrives, disciplinary action will be unnecessary.
APPLICATION:
1. Like Paul, God will sometimes allow some type of hardship to afflict us, a "thorn in our flesh," which is intended to keep our pride in check or as a test of faith. Any of us can be tempted by the sin of pride (I'm a better Christian than so and so) or maybe God wants us to demonstrate a test of faith that shows Him working through to demonstrate His power to people who are watching us.
2. When we are facing some type of hardship life, in order for God's Grace to be "sufficient," we must truly believe that His grace is sufficient. God might respond to our pleas for help in two ways: (1) He might "fix" the problem by removing the hardship or, for His divine purposes, as He did with Paul 2) He might strengthen us the person to bear the hardship. By doing this, God can display His strength through us. In our American culture, this is often an obstacle: we elevate the "self-made man" with the idea that we should rely completely on ourselves. Truth: We can't receive God's strength until we know our own weakness.
3. Like Paul, when God allows us to suffer hardships, He doesn't do to punish us (unless, of course, it's the consequence of our own sin) but to demonstrate His power out of our weakness. Again, Paul sets a good example. When study his life and ministry, we cannot help but recognize that he was an amazingly strong man, do you agree? Yet, he was only strong because he knew his weaknesses and looked outside of himself for the strength of God's grace.
4. When Paul says "test yourselves to see if you are in the faith" (v. 13:5) it's a principle that we should apply in our church on an ongoing basis. Why? You might be 100% sure you're save, but what if others in our church body aren't? I'm talking about people who come to church, sing the hymns, and might even be serving in some capacity. If they haven't repented and completely accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they're going to hell! That should bother all of us. We discussed this very issue last January when we studied Paul's response to the 12 disciples at Ephesus in Acts 19:1-7. The point of that lesson was that we may very possibly have people in the church who are still on the fringe-have not fully repented and accepted Christ-who need to be evangelized. As Paul advises us, we need to ask them (in a kind and loving way) to "examine themselves."
