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Paul’s Vision and His Thorn February 20, 2012

Posted by flashbuzzer in Books, Christianity.
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Here are my thoughts on 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.

Summary: Paul begins by stating that boasting is not profitable; thus, he will discuss the visions – and their meaning – that Christ has given to him. Fourteen years ago, he – as a Christian – was taken to the highest heaven; it is unclear whether his body joined his soul on that occasion, though. At that time he heard and saw things that he could not tell others. He can boast about that event, as it shows God’s unmerited favor to him; yet he will only boast about himself to show his weakness. If he were to boast about himself, he would be speaking the truth; yet he does not persist in boasting, as he wants others to judge him based on his actions and words. To keep him from acting and thinking improperly based on the divine communications that he has received, God allowed Satan to afflict his body. Paul earnestly petitioned Christ to remove this pain from him; yet He constantly reminds him that His love is enough for him, as His strength is made more conspicuous by his weakness. Thus, he will boast about his weaknesses, as they reveal Christ’s glory in him. Paul concludes by reiterating that he delights in his weaknesses, as they show Christ’s power in him; his weakness allows God to show His strength.

Thoughts: In verses 8 and 9, we see that God reminded Paul of His ability to show His power through his weakness. Hodge offers an interesting take on this:

In this passage we see clearly the apostle’s religious life and the most convincing proof that he lived in communion with Christ as God. He looked to him as his supreme, omnipresent, all-sufficient Lord for deliverance from the thorn in his flesh, from the torments of the messenger of Satan, under which he had suffered so grievously. He prayed to God. He received from him the answer to his prayer…To Paul it was sufficient. It gave him perfect peace.

On one hand, we see Paul’s humanity in the fact that he pleaded with God on three occasions to have this bodily affliction removed from him. In general, we readily shun pain. On the other hand, pain, in Paul’s case, was the occasion of God showing His power; now not only did Paul accept this reality, he boasted about it. This is an aspect of my spiritual life where I genuinely need God’s grace; I must admit that I still grudgingly accept my weaknesses – as opposed to rejoicing over them.

Paul Boasts About His Sufferings February 16, 2012

Posted by flashbuzzer in Books, Christianity.
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Here are my thoughts on 2 Corinthians 11:16-33.

Summary: Paul begins by telling the Corinthians that they should not regard him as a boaster; they should bear with him, though, as he speaks – to a limited extent – of his actions and sufferings. By boasting confidently he is not performing an inherently Christian action, as boasting is foolish. Yet the false teachers boast from unworthy motives, so he will boast from good motives. He ironically notes that the Corinthians – in their wisdom – bear with the false teachers. Indeed, they bear with those who:

  • act like tyrants
  • greedily consume their possessions
  • ensnare them
  • insolently lift themselves up against them
  • slap their faces.

His opponents regard him as being weak.

Now whatever Paul’s opponents want to claim, he will also claim. They boast of belonging to God’s chosen people – yet Paul can make the same claim. Also, they boast of being servants of Christ; Paul knows that he is unworthy to boast of his position in this regard, yet he knows that he is more devoted than they are as a servant of Christ – as seen by his:

  • abundant labors
  • frequent and severe floggings
  • many deaths.

In particular, he was beaten five times by the Jews, where each beating consisted of thirty-nine lashes, and on three occasions the Romans beat him with rods; he was also stoned, shipwrecked three times, and had to spend a 24-hour period on a turbulent open sea. He has been exposed to danger from:

  • swift rivers
  • bandits
  • angry Jews
  • angry Gentiles
  • being in cities
  • being in deserts and mountains
  • being at sea
  • those who falsely claimed to be his brothers in Christ yet wanted to betray him.

He has also:

  • toiled and suffered
  • gone without sleep
  • been forced to go without food
  • been cold and naked.

In addition, he is anxious for the churches that he founded. When their weak faith causes them to act scrupulously, he pities them; when they depart from the truth of the Gospel, he is indignant with those who cause them to fall.

Indeed, Paul only boasts of those things that highlight his weakness. He appeals to the God of the New Testament covenant to confirm the truth of the entire preceding account. He also notes that when he was in Damascus, the ethnarch under King Aretas set a guard at the city gates to arrest him if he tried to leave. Paul concludes by noting that he escaped from Damascus by being lowered in a basket from a window of a house on the city walls.

Thoughts: This is one of those passages in Scripture that simply leave the reader speechless. After reading it I figured that the story of Paul’s life should be the basis of an epic film. Now it turns out that his life story has been told in several movies. Yet I could see Paul’s life playing out on screen in a performance like that of Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur and Kirk Douglas in Spartacus. One can imagine the sufferings that Paul endured filling out a four-hour film as his character interacts with a relatively large cast, including Elymas, Alexander the metalworker and Sosthenes. Now it’s not clear to me as to which classic actor would play Paul in such a film; suggestions are welcome.

In verse 20, we see that the false teachers severely mistreated the Corinthians. Hodge offers some insightful thoughts on this point:

They were lords over God’s heritage (1 Peter 5:3), not only as they tried to reduce the Christians to the bondage of the law, as appears from the letter to the Galatians, but as they exercised a tyrannical authority over the people…These men were tyrants, and therefore they exploited, insulted, and mistreated the people.

This caused me to wonder why the Corinthians would put up with the false teachers if they were acting like tyrants towards them. Moreover, the Corinthians were even treating them like genuine apostles by paying them; recall that they preached for monetary gain. My thought is that since each false teacher – unlike Paul – spoke Greek as a native speaker and was a skilled rhetorician, the Corinthians were sufficiently impressed; thus, they tolerated their imperfections. The Corinthians must have placed an excessive value on verbal fluency and rhetorical skill, as “money talks.”

In verse 26, we see that Paul was in danger from those who falsely claimed to be believers. Hodge offers a thought on this point:

This probably refers to the treachery of those who falsely claimed to be his brothers in Christ and yet tried to deliver him into the power of his enemies.

Given all of the other difficulties – as listed in this passage – that Paul endured, he probably desired genuine Christian fellowship. Most likely he wanted brothers and sisters who could pray with him and encourage him in his ministry. Now some believers fell into this category; for example, perusing Romans 16:1-27 shows that Paul was not entirely alone in his Christian walk. Yet the fact that some “believers” were ready to betray him must have broken his heart. Such experiences probably reminded him that his ultimate hope lay in God alone.