Perfect in Weakness – 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

In an excellent article on The Anguish and Agonies of Charles Spurgeon in Christian History, a chronicle of Spurgeon’s musings on suffering against the backdrop of his extreme sufferings is made. He began one sermon with these words: “I may be called to stand where the thunderclouds brew, where the lightnings play, and tempestuous winds are howling on the mountain top. Well, then, I am born to prove the power and majesty of our God; amidst dangers he will inspire me with courage; amidst toils he will make me strong.”

Paul has also experienced tremendous suffering in his service to Christ but chronicles one situation where God would not relieve his suffering but used it to “prove the power and majesty” of His character in Paul’s life.

I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses—though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:1-10 ESV)

In boasting about himself so the Corinthians will see the falsehood of the super-apostles, Paul moves now to visions and revelations he has received.  But speaking of himself in the third person (“I know a man”) he describes only one vision or perhaps an in-person revelation of heaven he received where he saw and heard things it was not permitted for him to reveal.  But the temptation to conceitedness was so great God permitted Satan to give Paul some physical malady.

Paul asked, in faith we must be sure, for God to remove the malady, but instead God told Paul that His grace in Paul’s life was all Paul needed, not healing, and that God was using Paul’s weakness to display God’s strength through Paul.  Paul learned in this to treasure his weaknesses rather than, like the super-apostles, to try to compensate by boasting of self-accomplishments, because in his weakness God’s strength shined through him.

Do we want people to think we are strong and to be won to our side by that?  Are we insistent that the weaknesses in our lives must be healed or we can’t function?  Or are we content to have God’s strength in us get all the credit?

Discussion Questions for Small Groups

1. What were you afraid of as a child growing up?
2. How much does fear of suffering play a role in your life today?
3. If you were the Corinthians reading this letter from Paul, what would you think about his experience of “hearing things that cannot be told”?
4. How does Paul turn this “boast” into a confession?
5. What things in your life that you could boast about could also be turned into a confession?
6. How could God best show in your life that He is the strength of your life?