Just Enough Grace

Why Paul spoke up. In Corinth, some proud teachers bragged about themselves and said Paul was not a real apostle. Paul did not like bragging, but he wrote, “I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord” (12:1). A revelation is something God shows a person. A man in Christ. “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago… was caught up to the third heaven” (12:2). Paul was talking about himself (12:7), but he said it in a humble way. Body or not? Paul did not know if he was taken up in his body or out of it. He said, “God knows” (12:2). Paul did not pretend to know more than he did. The third heaven. People in Paul's day spoke of the sky, then the stars, and then the place where God is. The third heaven is God's home. Paradise. Paul also called it “Paradise” (12:4). On the cross, Jesus promised a thief who trusted Him that he would be with Him in Paradise that very day (Luke 23:43). Too wonderful to tell. He “heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter” (12:4). Inexpressible means too wonderful for words. God did not let him tell them. Why tell it now? Paul wrote about it fourteen years after it happened, and only because others were bragging. He did not use it to make people think he was special. What we learn. Heaven is real, and it is wonderful. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). Heaven is wonderful most of all because Jesus is there.

Why Paul spoke up (12:1). False teachers in Corinth bragged about their speaking, their background and their spiritual experiences, and they looked down on Paul. Paul says boasting is “not profitable,” yet he answers them on their own ground: “visions and revelations of the Lord.” “A man in Christ” (12:2). Paul speaks of himself as if he were someone else. Verse 7 shows the revelations were his own. He will not make himself the hero; the only thing he says about the man is that he is “in Christ.” The third heaven. Jews of Paul's day spoke of the sky where birds fly, the higher heavens of sun and stars, and above them the dwelling of God. Paul was taken into God's presence. Elsewhere he says that to be “absent from the body” is “to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Harpazo (say: har-PAD-zoh). “Caught up” translates harpazo, a word that means snatched away by a strong hand. Paul uses the same word in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 for believers caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Paradise (12:4). The word first meant a walled garden. Jesus used it on the cross (Luke 23:43), and Revelation 2:7 promises “the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” What was lost in Eden is opened again in Christ. Fourteen years later (12:2). Paul wrote about it fourteen years after it happened, and only because others were bragging. He heard “inexpressible words” he was not permitted to repeat, and he did not use the experience to win followers. For us. Our faith rests on Jesus and His Word, not on dramatic experiences. Heaven is real, and believers will be with the Lord, but for now “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Paul wrote about a man who belonged to Christ. God took that man up to heaven. Later Paul showed that the man was really himself. He talked about it as if it were someone else. Paul did not want to look important. Paul wrote about it fourteen years after it happened. He wrote only because others were bragging. Paul called this place the third heaven and paradise. It is the place where God is. Heaven is real, and it is wonderful. Paul heard words too wonderful to tell. Jesus said He is getting a place ready for us there. Everyone who trusts Jesus will be with Him forever.

God took Paul up to heaven. Heaven is real, and Jesus is there. Paul did not brag about it. Paul loved Jesus most of all.

Two kinds of bragging. “Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities” (12:5). Infirmities means weaknesses. Why talk about weakness? Paul's weaknesses showed that his strength came from God. When a weak person does something great, everyone knows God did it. Not a fool. “For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth” (12:6). Paul could have told true stories that made him look amazing. Holding back. “But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me” (12:6). Refrain means hold back. Paul wanted people to judge him by his life, not by a secret experience. Pride is dangerous. “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Haughty means stuck-up. Like Jesus. Jesus “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). Paul followed the way of his Lord. What we learn. “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). You do not need to look strong for God to love you. Be honest about what you cannot do, and give God the credit for what He does.

The rivals. Paul's opponents in Corinth sold themselves with polished speech, letters of recommendation and spiritual experiences. Paul answers that “in nothing was I behind the most eminent apostles, though I am nothing” (12:11). Two persons (12:5). Paul separates “such a one” who was caught up from “myself,” who boasts only “in my infirmities.” He refuses to let the vision become his claim to fame. True, yet held back (12:6). Paul's boasting would not be foolish, because it would be true. Still he holds back, “lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me.” A servant of Christ should be measured by what others can see and hear: a faithful life and true teaching. Humble yourselves. Peter writes, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). Paul leaves the lifting up to God. Grace runs downhill. James 4:6 says God “gives more grace,” and then explains, “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Like water, grace flows to the low places. Pride is not only unattractive; it sets us against God. The way of the cross. The Corinthians admired status and power. Paul's boasting in weakness follows Jesus, who “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death” (Philippians 2:8). Application. School and social media both reward looking impressive. Paul shows a better way: be honest about your weaknesses, refuse to inflate yourself, and let your life point to Christ.

Some teachers in Corinth bragged about how great they were. Paul did not want to be like them. He said he would not brag about himself. He would only talk about the ways he was weak. That sounds strange, doesn’t it? Most people hide the things they cannot do. But Paul wanted people to see God, not Paul. Paul always told the truth about himself. He did not want anyone to think too highly of him. When we are honest about being weak, God gets the praise. Pride pushes God out. We can thank God for His help instead of bragging.

Paul did not brag about himself. He told the truth about being weak. God is the great One.

A hidden danger. Great blessings can make a person proud. Paul says the thorn came “lest I be exalted above measure” (12:7). Exalted above measure means thinking far too highly of yourself. Something that stayed. “A thorn in the flesh was given to me” (12:7). We do not know exactly what it was. We know it hurt, and it stayed. A messenger of Satan. Paul called it “a messenger of Satan to buffet me” (12:7). Buffet means to hit again and again. Satan meant it for harm. God was in charge. Satan could only go as far as God allowed, as we see in the story of Job (Job 1:12). God used the thorn to keep Paul humble and close to Him. “All things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28). Three prayers. “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me” (12:8). Pleaded means begged. Honest prayer. Paul did not pretend he was fine. He asked again and again. “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart” (Psalm 34:18). What we learn. You can tell God exactly how you feel, and you can keep asking. Peter says to keep “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Skolops (say: SKOH-lops) (12:7). The word can mean a thorn or a sharp stake. Paul chose a picture of something small, sharp and always there. We do not know what it was. Whatever your own thorn is, Paul's prayer and God's answer speak to you. A real danger. The thorn came “lest I be exalted above measure.” Paul saw pride as a greater danger to his soul than pain was to his body. Satan meant it; God used it. Satan sent the messenger to “buffet,” to strike with the fist. Yet the thorn “was given” to Paul for a good purpose. Joseph said the same of his brothers: “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). God sets the limits. In Job 1 and 2, Satan could touch Job only as far as God permitted (Job 1:12; 2:6). Satan is real, but he is not equal to God. He works on a leash. Pleaded three times (12:8). Paul prayed earnestly and specifically. Asking God to remove pain is not a lack of faith. It is faith, because it brings the pain to the only One who can help. Keep praying. Paul later wrote, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Supplication means a humble, heartfelt request. Application. Bring every hurt to God, and keep bringing it. He may answer differently than you expect, but He never ignores His children.

God had shown Paul many amazing things. Paul could have become proud. So Paul got a painful problem. The Bible calls it a thorn in the flesh. A thorn is small, but it hurts a lot! We do not know what Paul’s thorn was. We know it hurt, and it would not go away. Paul said it was a messenger from Satan. But God was still in charge. God used it to keep Paul from pride. Paul begged the Lord three times to take it away. It is good to tell God when something hurts. God always listens.

Paul had a problem that hurt. He asked God three times to take it away. God heard every prayer Paul prayed.

God's answer. The Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (12:9). Sufficient means enough. A better answer. God did not ignore Paul. He did not take the thorn away, but He gave Paul something better: His own grace and power. What grace is. Grace is God's love and help that we do not deserve. God's grace saved Paul, and God's grace kept Paul going every day. Power in weakness. When a weak person trusts God, God's strength shows most clearly. Then God gets the praise, not the person. Resting on Paul. “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (12:9). Christ's power covered Paul like a tent. Strong when weak. “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (12:10). Paul was glad even about insults, needs and hard times, because Christ was with him in them. Like Jesus. Jesus looked weakest on the cross, but that is where God's power saved us. Then Jesus rose again by the power of God (2 Corinthians 13:4). What we learn. God may not take away every hard thing, but His grace will always be enough. Lean on Jesus. He said, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Arkei (say: ar-KAY) (12:9). “Sufficient” translates arkei: it is enough, it meets the need. The verb is in the present tense. God's grace keeps on being enough, day after day. Made perfect. The word means brought to its full goal. God's power does its fullest work through people who know they are weak and lean on Him. Episkenoo (say: eh-pee-skay-NOH-oh) (12:9). “May rest upon me” translates episkenoo, to pitch a tent over. It recalls God's glory living in the tabernacle, and John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Christ's power settles over a weak believer like God's presence over His tent. A list of hard things (12:10). Infirmities (weaknesses), reproaches (insults), needs, persecutions and distresses, all “for Christ’s sake.” Paul is not glad about pain itself. He is glad for what Christ does in him through it. Weak, then strong. “For when I am weak, then I am strong” is the confession of someone who leans on Christ. Paul says the same in Galatians 2:20: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” The pattern of the cross. Jesus was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God (2 Corinthians 13:4). Paul's life follows the same pattern: weakness first, then God's power. No promise of removal. God does not promise to take away every hard thing in this life. He promises Himself, and His grace is enough for whatever He allows. Application. Name your weakness honestly before God. Then ask Him for grace for today.

God answered Paul’s prayer, but not the way Paul asked. God did not take the thorn away. Instead, God gave Paul His grace. Grace is God’s kindness and help that we do not earn. God said His grace was enough for Paul. Enough means Paul had all he needed. God’s power showed best when Paul was weak. So Paul stopped wishing he looked strong. He was glad for Christ’s power to rest on him. God does not always take hard things away. But He always gives us what we need. When we are weak, Jesus is strong for us.

God gave Paul grace. Grace is God’s kind love and help. When we are weak, God makes us strong.