Grace That Meets Us in Our Weakness

Paul continues the kind of boasting he knows is not helpful. He describes a man in Christ who was taken into the third heaven fourteen years earlier. The passage makes clear that Paul is speaking about himself, but he keeps some distance from the experience rather than using it to look important. He also calls this place paradise, pointing to the heavenly presence of God. Paul does not know whether he was there bodily or apart from his body. God knows, and Paul leaves it there. What he heard was not his to repeat. I notice how little Paul tries to explain beyond what he knows. He could speak truthfully about this great experience, but he wants people to judge him by what they see and hear in his life. A striking spiritual experience is not a substitute for a faithful life.

Alongside this great experience, Paul carries a painful burden that he calls a thorn in the flesh. He describes it as a messenger of Satan, yet says it keeps him from becoming proud. The text never tells us exactly what the thorn was. We should not claim certainty where Paul gives none. Three times he asks the Lord to take it away. Instead of removing it, the Lord assures Paul that his grace is enough and that divine power reaches its full effect in weakness. Grace here is not only forgiveness; it is Christ's steady help. Paul does not begin to enjoy pain for its own sake. He learns that weakness does not shut him out from Christ's power. I want us to see both truths: Paul was free to ask for relief, and Christ remained faithful when the burden stayed.

Paul feels that the Corinthians have pushed him into defending himself. They should have spoken up for him, since they had seen his work among them. He says he is not beneath the so-called super-apostles, even though he knows he has no greatness of his own to claim. The signs of a true apostle, a messenger sent by Christ, had appeared among them through patient endurance, signs, wonders, and mighty works. Notice that patience stands beside the striking miracles. His long, faithful service mattered too. The Corinthians had received the same care as other churches. The only difference was that Paul had not made them support him financially. His request for forgiveness over this is sharp irony, not an admission of wrongdoing. Their complaint had turned his generous choice into a reason to doubt him.

Paul is ready to come to Corinth for a third time. He does not want their possessions; he wants them. He compares his care to that of parents who save for their children rather than expecting their children to provide for them. His point is about his role in their spiritual lives, not a rule against supporting those who teach. Paul is willing to spend what he has and give himself for their good, even if greater love brings him less love in return. He then answers the charge that his refusal of payment was a trick hiding some other way to take their money. Had any of his helpers cheated them? Had Titus or the brother sent with him done so? No. Their conduct matched Paul's. Real love does not use warm words to cover selfish gain.

Paul does not want the Corinthians to think his only aim is winning their approval. He speaks before God as someone who belongs to Christ. Everything he has said is meant to build them up. Still, he fears what he may find when he arrives: fighting, jealousy, anger, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, pride, and disorder. He also fears that some who practiced sexual sin have not repented, meaning they have not turned away from it. Paul expects to grieve over them, not enjoy proving them wrong. He even sees the coming visit as something that may humble him before God. This is the heart beneath his strong words. God's love does not treat harmful behavior as harmless. Spiritual growth includes receiving correction, turning from sin, and learning to live at peace with one another.