Chapter Twelve: Three to Get Ready! (2 Corinthians 12:11–13:14)
Your Giving Will Meet Needs ()
Paul introduced a new word for the offering: service. It means “priestly service,” so once again, Paul lifted the offering to the highest level possible. He saw this collection as a “spiritual sacrifice” presented to God, the way a priest presents a costly sacrifice on the altar.
Christians no longer bring animals as sacrifices to God, because the work of Christ on the cross has ended the levitical system (). But the material gifts we bring to the Lord become “spiritual sacrifices,” if they are given in the name of Jesus (; ; ).
But the emphasis in is on the fact that their offering would meet the needs of poor saints in Judea. “For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God” (). The Gentile believers could have given a number of excuses for not giving. “It’s not our fault that they had a famine and are poor!” might have been one of them. Or, “The churches closer to Judea ought to give them help.” Or, “We believe in giving, but we think we should first take care of our own.”
When a Christian starts to think of excuses for not giving, he automatically moves out of the sphere of grace giving. Grace never looks for a reason; it only looks for an opportunity. If there is a need to be met, the grace-controlled Christian will do what he can to meet it.
“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (). Paul admonished the wealthy Christians “that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate [share]” (). Most of us would not consider ourselves “wealthy,” but the rest of the world does.
However, we are not the ones who get the glory; it is the Lord who is glorified (). Many people will give thanksgiving to God because of our sharing in the meeting of their needs. We may not hear that thanksgiving on earth today, but we will hear it in heaven when the church is gathered together.
It might be profitable here to notice Paul’s use of the concept of abundance as he wrote this letter. He opened the letter with abundant suffering that was matched by abundant comfort (). He also mentioned abundant grace () and abundant joy and liberality (). Because of God’s abundant grace, we can abound always in every good work (). The apostle saw the Christian life as one of abundance, for Jesus Christ can make us adequate for every situation.
Our giving ought to provide for necessities, not subsidize luxuries. There are needs to be met and our limited resources must not be squandered. It is true that the need itself is not the only reason for giving, for there are always more needs than any one Christian or church can meet; but the need is important. Some needs are greater than others, and some needs are more strategic than others. We need accurate information as well as spiritual illumination as we seek to meet the many needs that are pressing on us today.
Your Giving Will Glorify God ()
“Let your light so shine before men,” said our Lord, “that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (). This is one of the beauties of church giving: no individual gets the glory that belongs only to God.
For what would the grateful Jewish believers give thanks? Of course, they would praise God for the generosity of the Gentile churches in meeting their physical and material needs. But they would also praise God for the spiritual submission of the Gentiles, their obedience to the Spirit of God who gave them the desire to give. They would say, “Those Gentiles not only preach the Gospel, but they also practice it!”
The little phrase and unto all men at the end of this verse () is significant. The Jewish believers would give thanks that others were also being assisted by the Gentile churches. Each little congregation that received aid would be thankful for that aid and for the aid being given to others. Instead of saying, “Why didn’t we get more?” they would be praising God that others in need were also being helped. That is the way grace giving works.
It might be good for our churches to take inventory to see if anybody is giving thanks to God for our obedience and generosity. No amount of evangelistic zeal or worship activity can compensate for lost opportunities in serving others and meeting their practical needs. It is not a matter of choosing one and ignoring the other. There must be a balance of sharing the Gospel and meeting practical needs, if our light is to shine brightly and steadily. It has well been said that it is difficult to preach the Gospel to a hungry man (see ).
I recall reading about a wealthy Christian who daily, at family devotions, prayed for the needs of the missionaries that his church supported. One morning, after he had concluded family prayers, his little boy said, “Dad, if I had your checkbook, I could answer your prayers!” A discerning lad, indeed!
Your Giving Will Unite God’s People ()
This, of course, was one of the major purposes that Paul had on his heart when he challenged the Gentile churches to assist the Jewish believers. The extreme legalists in the church had accused Paul of being anti-Jewish and even anti-Law. The Gentile churches were removed from the “mother church” in Jerusalem both by distance and culture. Paul wanted to prevent a division in the church, and the “relief offering” was a part of that prevention program.
In what ways would this offering bind the Jewish and Gentile congregations more closely? For one thing, the offering was an expression of love. The Gentiles were not obligated to share (though Paul did see the offering as the payment of a “spiritual debt,” ), but they did so because of the grace of God. The Jews, in turn, would feel themselves bound to their Gentile brothers and sisters.
Another spiritual bond would be prayer. “And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you” (, NIV). Were the Gentile churches “buying” the prayer support of the Jewish churches? Not in the least! Paul envisioned a spontaneous expression of love, praise, and prayer as he shared the offering in Judea.
I have had the experience of visiting several mission fields and hearing believers there say, “We are praying for you.” I recall chatting with a fine Christian from eastern Europe, who said, “We are praying for you in the United States, because in some ways, you have a more difficult time being spiritual Christians than we do.” When I asked him to explain, he smiled and said, “You have relatively easy lives, and comfort is an enemy of the spiritual life. In eastern Europe, we know who our enemies are, and we know who our friends are. Where you live, it is easy to be fooled. Yes, we are praying for you!”
Both the Jewish and the Gentile churches would be drawn closer to Jesus Christ. “Thanks [grace] be unto God for His unspeakable [indescribable] gift” (). In Jesus Christ, all human distinctions are erased, and we no longer see each other as Jews or Gentiles, rich or poor, givers or recipients. “For ye are all one in Christ Jesus” ().
It is sad when our giving becomes a substitute for our living. A church officer once complained to me, “I’ll give any amount of money you want for missions. Just don’t make me listen to a missionary speak!” When a Christian practices grace giving, his money is not a substitute for either his concern or his service. He first gives himself to the Lord () and then he gives what he has. His gift is a symbol, as it were, of the surrender of his heart. You cannot separate the gift and the giver when your giving is motivated by God’s grace.
I suggest you read 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 again, and that you note the emphasis on the grace of God. If our churches and other ministries would get back to grace giving, there would be fewer high-pressure offering appeals, fewer gimmicks to raise funds, and fewer complaints from the people of God. Instead, there would be plenty of money available for the ministries that truly magnify the grace of God. And I think that the unsaved people in the world would sit up and take notice!
You and I are saved because God believed in grace giving.
How much do we believe in grace giving?
2 Corinthians 10
Whenever I receive a critical letter from a reader or a radio listener, I usually set it aside in a special file until I feel I am really ready to answer it. On a few occasions, I have replied to letters too quickly, and I have regretted it. By waiting, I give myself time to think and pray, to “read between the lines,” and to prepare a reply that would do the most good and the least damage.
The Spirit led Paul to use a wise approach as he wrote to the Corinthians. He was writing to a divided church (), a church that was resisting his authority, and a church that was being seduced by false teachers. So, first he explained his ministry so that they would no longer doubt his sincerity. He then encouraged them to share in the offering, for he knew that this challenge would help them grow in their spiritual lives. Grace giving and grace living go together.
Now, in the last section of the letter, Paul challenged the rebels in the church—including the false teachers—and enforced his apostolic ministry. As you read 2 Corinthians 10–13, you will find Paul referring directly to his accusers (, ; , , for example) and answering their false charges. He does not hide the fact that the Judaizers in the church are ministers of Satan who want to destroy the work of God ().
Paul used one word twenty times in 2 Corinthians 10–13, the word translated boast or glory. When you first read these chapters, you get the impression that Paul was bragging about himself; but such was not the case. Paul “gloried in Jesus Christ” and not in himself or his achievements (; ; ). He boasted to others about the Corinthians, but it seemed that his boasting might be in vain (, ; ).
Keep in mind that Paul was not defending himself personally; he was defending his ministry and his apostolic authority. He was not involved in a “personality contest” with other ministers. His enemies did not hesitate to accuse him falsely, nor did they hesitate to promote themselves (). It was the worldly attitude of the Corinthians that forced Paul to defend himself by reminding them of his life and ministry. Paul never hesitated to talk about Jesus Christ, but he did refuse to talk about himself, unless there was good reason to do so.
Finally, when Paul did boast, he limited himself to the ministry God had given him (), and then he emphasized his sufferings, not his successes. When this letter was read in the Corinthian assembly, it must have brought shame to the hearts of those who had criticized Paul—and it must have made the Judaizers look foolish.
Paul’s first step in enforcing his ministry was to correct the misunderstandings that existed in the minds of the people with reference to his work. They did not understand three important areas of ministry.
How to Wage Spiritual Warfare ()
The accusation (vv. ). This is not difficult to find. The rebels in the church (led by the Judaizers) said that Paul was very courageous when he wrote letters from a distance, but very timid and even weak when he was present with the Corinthians (see also ). The Judaizers, of course, were consistently overbearing in their attitudes—and the people loved them (). Paul’s “inconsistent” manner of life paralleled his “yes and no” approach to making promises ().
When Paul founded the church at Corinth, his purpose was to exalt Christ and not himself (). Christians usually grow the way they are born. If they are born in an atmosphere of dictatorial leadership, they grow up depending on man’s wisdom and strength. If they are born in an atmosphere of humility and love, they learn to depend on the Lord. Paul wanted his converts to trust the Lord, and not the servant; so he deliberately “played down” his own authority and ability.
How ignorant the Corinthians were, even after all that Paul had taught them. They failed to realize that true spiritual power is in “meekness and gentleness” (), not in “throwing weight around.” Paul’s very attitude in these opening verses disarmed his opponents. (In fact, his use of his own name is significant; for Paul means “little.”) If Paul was a weakling, then so was Jesus Christ; for Jesus exhibited meekness and gentleness (). However, our Lord could also be stern and even angry when the occasion demanded it (see ; ; ; ). Paul was warning them in a loving way, “Please don’t force me to come and show how bold I can be!”
The answer (vv. ). This reveals what spiritual warfare is all about. Because the Corinthians (led by the false teachers) judged Paul’s ministry by the outward appearance, they completely missed the power that was there. They were evaluating things “according to the flesh” () and not according to the Spirit. The Judaizers, like some “great religious personalities” today, impressed the people with their overpowering abilities, their oratorical powers, and their “commendations” from church leaders.
Paul took a different approach; for, though he was as human as anyone else, he did not depend on the human but on the divine, the spiritual weapons provided by the Lord. His warfare was not according to the flesh, because he was not fighting against flesh and blood (see ). You cannot fight spiritual battles with carnal weapons.
The word warfare in means “campaign.” Paul was not simply fighting a little skirmish in Corinth; the attack of the enemy there was part of a large satanic campaign. The powers of hell are still trying to destroy the work of God (), and it is important that we not yield any ground to the enemy, not even one church!
There are walls of resistance in the minds of people, and these walls (like the walls of Jericho) must be pulled down. What are these “mental walls”? Reasonings that are opposed to the truth of God’s Word. Pride of intelligence that exalts itself. Paul was not attacking intelligence, but intellectualism, the high-minded attitude that makes people think they know more than they really do (). Paul had faced this “wisdom of men” when he founded the church (), and it had surfaced again with the coming of the Judaizers.
Paul’s attitude of humility was actually one of his strongest weapons, for pride plays right into the hands of Satan. The meek Son of God had far more power than Pilate (see ), and He proved it. Paul used spiritual weapons to tear down the opposition—prayer, the Word of God, love, the power of the Spirit at work in his life. He did not depend on personality, human abilities, or even the authority he had as an apostle. However, he was ready to punish the offenders, if necessary, once the congregation had submitted to the Lord.
Many believers today do not realize that the church is involved in warfare, and those who do understand the seriousness of the Christian battle do not always know how to fight the battle. They try to use human methods to defeat demonic forces, and these methods are doomed to fail. When Joshua and his army marched around Jericho for a week, the spectators thought they were mad. When the Jews trusted God and obeyed orders, they brought down the high walls and conquered the enemy ().
When I was pastoring in Chicago, I met weekly with three pastor friends, and together we united in “warfare praying.” We claimed God’s promise to cast down the wrong thinking that was keeping people from surrendering to God; and God did great things in the lives of many people for whom we interceded. Once the walls in the mind have been torn down, the door to the heart can be opened.
How to Use Spiritual Authority ()
One of the most difficult lessons Christ’s disciples had to learn was that, in the kingdom of God, position and power were no evidence of authority. Jesus warned His followers not to pattern their leadership after that of the Gentiles who loved to “lord it over” others and to act important (see ). The example we must follow is that of Jesus Christ who came as a servant and ministered to others. Paul followed that example.
But the Corinthians were not spiritually minded enough to discern what Paul was doing. They contrasted his meekness with the “personality power” of the Judaizers, and they concluded that Paul had no authority at all. To be sure, he wrote powerful letters; but his physical appearance was weak, and his speech “unimpressive.” They were judging by the outward appearance and were not exercising spiritual discernment.
Some friends and I once listened to a man preach whose entire sermon was made up of impressive “big words,” an occasional quotation from the Bible (usually taken out of context), and many references to world events and “the signs of the times.” As we left the meeting, one of my friends said, “ describes that performance perfectly: ‘The Lord was not in the wind.’ ” Yet people around us were saying that it was “the most wonderful sermon” they had ever heard. I seriously doubt that ten minutes later, they were able to recall one concrete thing that the preacher had said.
Paul did not deny that he had authority, but he did refuse to exercise that authority in an unspiritual manner. The purpose for his authority was to build them up, not tear them down; and it requires much more skill to build than to destroy. Furthermore, it takes love to build up (); and the Corinthians interpreted Paul’s love and meekness as a sign of weakness.
The difference between Paul and the Judaizers was this: Paul used his authority to build up the church, while the Judaizers used the church to build up their authority.
In my many years of pastoral and itinerant ministry, I have never ceased to be amazed at how some local churches treat their pastors. If a man shows love and true humility, they resist his leadership and break his heart. The next pastor will be a “dictator” who “runs the church”—and he gets just what he wants. And the people love him and brag about him! Our Lord was treated the same way, so perhaps we should not be surprised.
The opponents in the church were accusing Paul of not being a true apostle; for, if he were a true apostle, he would show it by using his authority. On the other hand, if Paul had “thrown his weight around,” they would have found fault with that. No matter what course Paul took, they were bound to condemn him. This is what always happens when church members are not spiritually minded, but evaluate ministry from a worldly viewpoint.
But their accusation backfired. If Paul was not an apostle, then he was a counterfeit and not even a believer. But if that were true, then the church at Corinth was not a true church. Paul had already made it clear that nobody could separate his ministry and his personal life (). If he were a deceiver, then the Corinthians were the deceived!
Paul also pointed out that there was no contradiction between his preaching and his writing. He was bold in his letters because that was what was needed at the time. How much more would he have enjoyed being able to write with gentleness. But it would not have achieved the desired purpose. And, even when he wrote “weighty and powerful” letters, he wrote from a heart of love. “You had better prepare for my next visit,” he was saying, “because if it is necessary, I will show you how powerful I can be.”
How a Christian uses authority is an evidence of his spiritual maturity and character. An immature person swells as he uses his authority, but a mature person grows in the use of authority, and others grow with him. The wise pastor, like the wise parent, knows when to wait in loving patience and when to act with determined power. It takes more power to wait than to strike. A mature person does not use authority to demand respect, but to command respect. Mature leaders suffer while they wait to act, while immature leaders act impetuously and make others suffer.
The false teachers depended on “letters of recommendation” for their authority, but Paul had a divine commission from heaven. The life that he lived and the work that he did were “credentials” enough, for it was evident that the hand of God was on his life. Paul could dare to write, “From henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” ().
When my wife and I have ministered in England, we have always tried to arrange our schedule so that we might visit in London. We especially enjoy shopping in Selfridge’s and Harrod’s, London’s two leading department stores. H. Gordon Selfridge, who built the great store that bears his name, always claimed that he was a success because he was a leader and not a “boss.” The leader says, “Let’s go!” while the boss says, “Go!” The boss knows how it is done, but the leader shows how it is done. The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm based on respect and goodwill. The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown, while the true leader fixes the breakdown. The boss keeps saying, “I” while the leader says, “We.” Mr. Selfridge’s philosophy of management would certainly agree with the Apostle Paul’s philosophy of leadership.
How to Measure Spiritual Ministry ()
I suppose more problems have been caused by people “measuring the ministry” than by any other activity in the church. If the work of the church is the work of God, and if the work of God is a miracle, how do we go about measuring a miracle? In His personal examination of the seven churches named in Revelation 2–3, the Lord Jesus measured them far differently than they measured themselves. The church that thought it was poor, He considered to be rich; and the church that boasted of its wealth, He declared to be poor (; ).
Some people measure ministry only by statistics. While it is true that the early church did take note of numbers (; ), it is also true that uniting with the church at that time was a much more difficult (and dangerous) thing (see ). Some years ago, one of America’s large denominations had as its theme, “A Million More in ’64, and Every One a Tither!” I heard one of their leading preachers comment, “If we get a million more like the last million, God help us!” Quantity is no guarantee of quality.
False measurement (v. ). The Judaizers were great on measuring their ministry, because a religion of external activities is much easier to measure than one of internal transformation. The legalist can measure what he does and what he does not do, but the Lord is the only One who can see spiritual growth in a believer’s heart. Sometimes those who are growing the most feel like they are less than the least.
In a sense, the Judaizers belonged to a “mutual admiration society” that set up its own standards and measured everybody by them. Of course, those inside the group were successful; those outside were failures. Paul was one of the outsiders, so he was considered a failure. Unfortunately, they did not measure themselves by Jesus Christ (see ). If they had, it would have made a difference.
True measurement (vv. ). Paul suggests three questions we may ask ourselves as we seek to measure our ministries by the will of God.
Am I where God wants me to be? (vv. ) God “assigned a field” in which Paul was to work: he was the apostle to the Gentiles (; ; Eph. 3). He was also to go where no other apostle had ministered; he was to be a “pioneer preacher” to the Gentiles.
Paul used a bit of sanctified sarcasm in his defense. “The area God assigned to me included even you Corinthians!” (see ) It was not the Judaizers who had come to Corinth with the Gospel. They, like the cultists today, arrived on the scene only after the church had already been established (see ).
Churches and ministers are not competing with each other; they are competing with themselves. God is not going to measure us on the basis of the gifts and opportunities that He gave to Charles Spurgeon or Billy Sunday. He will measure my work by what He assigned to me. God requires faithfulness above everything else ().
There is something intimidating about attending a pastors’ conference or a denominational convention, because the people on the program are usually the “front-runners” with the best records. Young pastors and older men in narrow places often go home carrying feelings of guilt because their faithful work does not seem to produce as much fruit. Some of these discouraged men then try all kinds of programs and promotions, only to have more disappointment; and then they contemplate leaving the ministry. If only they would realize that God measures their ministries on the basis of where He has put them, and not on the basis of what is going on in some other city, it would encourage them to stay on the job and keep being faithful.
Is God glorified by my ministry? (vv. ) This is another jibe at the Judaizers who stole other men’s converts and claimed them as their own. Paul would not boast about another man’s work, nor would he invade another man’s territory. Whatever work he did, God did through him, and God alone should receive the glory.
I once listened to a man give a lecture on how to build a large Sunday School. Everything in the lecture was correct and certainly had worked in some of the large ministries in the United States. The only problem was, the man had never built a large Sunday School himself! He had visited many of the large ministries, interviewed the pastors and staff members, and developed his lecture. After he finished his lecture, people flocked to his side to ask questions and get autographs. I happened to be standing next to a pastor who had built one of the finest churches—and one of the largest—in America.
“Those people ought to be talking to you,” I said to him. “You’ve done it and you know more about Sunday School work than he does!”
“Let him enjoy himself,” said my friend with a kind smile. “We’re all doing the same work, and all that counts is that God is glorified.”
Paul added another bit of “holy irony” when he told the Corinthians that the only thing that had kept him from going to “the regions beyond” them was their own lack of faith. Had they been submissive to his leadership and obedient to the Word, he could have reached other lost souls; but they created so many problems for him, that he had to take time from missionary evangelism to solve the problems in the church. “I would have better statistics to report,” he was saying, “but you hindered me.”
Paul quoted in , a statement he had also quoted in . The Corinthians were prone to glory in men, especially now that the Judaizers had taken over in the church. When the Corinthians heard the “reports” of what these teachers had done, and when they saw the “letters of recommendation” that they carried, the church was quite carried away with them. As a result, Paul and his ministry looked small and unsuccessful.
But the final test is not when the reports are published for the annual meeting. The final test comes at the Judgment Seat of Christ, “and then shall every man have praise of God” (). If men get the glory, then God cannot be glorified. “I am the Lord: that is My name: and My glory will I not give to another” ().
This is not to suggest that well-known ministers with flourishing works are robbing God of glory. As we grow and bear “much fruit,” we bring glory to the Father (). But we must be careful that it is “fruit” that comes from spiritual life and not “results” that appear when we manipulate people and manufacture statistics.
Can the Lord commend my work? (v. ) We may commend ourselves or be commended by others, and still not deserve the commendation of God. How does God approve our work? By testing it. The word approved in means “to approve by testing.” There is a future testing at the Judgment Seat of Christ (), but there is also a present testing of the work that we do. God permits difficulties to come to local churches in order that the work might be tested and approved.
Over the years, I have seen ministries tested by financial losses, the invasion of false doctrine, the emergence of proud leaders who want to “run the church,” and the challenge of change. Some of the churches have fallen apart and almost died, because the work was not spiritual. Other ministries have grown because of the trials and have become purer and stronger; and, through it all, God was glorified.
Certainly our ministries must keep records and issue reports, but we must not fall into the “snare of statistics” and think that numbers are the only measurement of ministry. Each situation is unique, and no ministry can honestly be evaluated on the basis of some other ministry. The important thing is that we are where God wants us to be, doing what He wants us to do so that He might be glorified. Motive is as much a part of God’s measurement of our work as is growth. If we are seeking to glorify and please God alone, and if we are not afraid of His evaluation of our hearts and lives, then we need not fear the estimates of men or their criticisms.
“But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” ().
2 Corinthians 11
If you were a Christian minister, how would you go about convincing the people in your congregation that you really loved them?
This was the problem Paul faced as he wrote this epistle. If he reminded the people of the work he did among them, they would only reply, “Paul is bragging!” If he said nothing about his ministry at Corinth, the Judaizers would say, “See, we told you Paul didn’t accomplish anything!”
So what did Paul do? He was led by the Spirit of God to use a beautiful image—a comparison—that was certain to reach the hearts of the believers at Corinth. He compared himself to a “spiritual father” caring for his family. He had used this image before to remind the Corinthians that, as a “father” he had begotten them through the Gospel, and that he could discipline them if he felt it was necessary (). They were his beloved spiritual children, and he wanted the very best for them.
Paul gave them three evidences of his fatherly love for them.
His Jealousy over the Church (, )
True love is never envious, but it has a right to be jealous over those who are loved. A husband is jealous over his wife and rightfully resents and resists any rivalry that threatens their love for each other. A true patriot has every right to be jealous over his freedom and will fight to protect it. Likewise, a father (or a mother) is jealous over his or her children and seeks to protect them from anything that will harm them.
The picture here is that of a loving father who has a daughter engaged to be married. He feels it is his privilege and duty to keep her pure, so that he can present her to her husband with joy and not with sorrow. Paul saw the local church as a bride, engaged to be married to Jesus Christ (see and ). That marriage will not take place until Jesus Christ has come for His bride (). Meanwhile, the church—and this means individual Christians—must keep herself pure as she prepares to meet her Beloved.
The peril, then, is that of unfaithfulness to her fiancé. The engaged woman owes her love and allegiance to but one—her betrothed. If she shares herself with any other man, she is guilty of unfaithfulness. The word translated “simplicity” in means “sincerity, singleness of devotion.” A divided heart leads to a defiled life and a destroyed relationship.
The image of love and marriage, and the need for faithfulness, is often used in the Bible. The Prophet Jeremiah saw the people of Judah losing their love for God, and he warned them. “Thus saith the Lord; ‘I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals’ ” (). The nation of Judah had lost its “honeymoon love” and was guilty of worshiping idols. Jesus used the same image when He warned the church at Ephesus: “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” ().
The person behind the peril was Satan, pictured here as the serpent. The reference is to Genesis 3. It is worth noting that Paul had a great deal to say about our adversary, the devil, when he wrote this letter to the Corinthians. He warned that Satan had several devices for attacking believers. He can burden the consciences of believers who have sinned (), blind the minds of unbelievers () or beguile the minds of believers (), and even buffet the bodies of God’s ministers ().
The focus here is on the mind, for Satan is a liar and tries to get us to listen to his lies, ponder them, and then believe them. This is what he did with Eve. First, he questioned God’s word (“Yea, hath God said?”), then he denied God’s word (“Ye shall not surely die!”), and then he substituted his own lie (“Ye shall be as gods”) (see , ).
Satan, of course, is crafty. He knows that believers will not immediately accept a lie, so the enemy has to “bait the hook” and make it easy for us to accept what he has to offer. Basically, Satan is an imitator: he copies what God does and then tries to convince us that his offer is better than God’s. How does he do this? By using counterfeit ministers who pretend to serve God, but who are really the servants of Satan.
Satan has a counterfeit gospel () that involves a different savior and a different spirit. Unfortunately, the Corinthians had “welcomed” this “new gospel,” which was a mixture of Law and grace and not a true gospel at all. There is only one Gospel and, therefore, there can be only one Saviour (). When you trust the Saviour, you receive the Holy Spirit of God within, and there is only one Holy Spirit.
The preachers of this false gospel (and they are with us yet today) are described in . They claimed to have divine authority as God’s servants, but their authority was bogus. They claimed that the true servants of God were all impostors; in Paul’s day, they said this about him. They even claimed to be “super-apostles,” on a much higher level than Paul. With their clever oratory, they mesmerized the ignorant believers, while at the same time they pointed out that Paul was not a very gifted speaker (; ). How tragic it is when unstable believers are swayed by the “fair speech” of Satan’s ministers, instead of standing firm on the basic truths of the Gospel taught to them by faithful pastors and teachers.
“They are not ‘super-apostles’ at all!” warned Paul. “They are pseudo apostles—false apostles! Their motive is not to glorify God, but to get personal gain by capturing converts. Their methods are deceitful” (; ). The basic idea here is that of using bait to catch fish. They offer church members a Christian life that is “superior” to that described in the New Testament, a life that is an unbiblical mixture of Law and grace.
Instead of being empowered by the Spirit, these ministers are energized by Satan. Three times, Paul used the word transform in referring to their work (see ). This Greek word simply means “to disguise, to masquerade.” There is a change on the outside, but there is no change on the inside. Satan’s workers, like Satan himself, never appear in their true character; they always wear a disguise and hide behind a mask.
As I was writing this book, several of Satan’s “masquerading ministers” appeared at my front door. One of them, an attractive young lady, tried to tell me she was working for world peace; but when I confronted her, she admitted that she belonged to a cult. Two well-dressed young men introduced themselves with, “We are here representing Jesus Christ!” I quickly informed them that I knew what group they represented, and I closed the door. I did not even say, “Good-bye.” If you think I was unkind, read —and obey it.
Paul proved his love for the church by protecting it from the attacks of false teachers; and yet the members of the church “fell for” the Judaizers and let them come in. The Corinthians had “left their first love” and were no longer giving single-hearted devotion to Jesus Christ. It was not only that they had turned against Paul, but they had turned away from Christ; and that was far more serious.
His Generosity to the Church ()
A loving parent provides for the needs of the family, and Paul sacrificed that he might minister to the church at Corinth. While Paul was there, he labored with his own hands as a tentmaker () and even received gifts from other churches so that he might evangelize Corinth. In other words, it had cost the Corinthians nothing to benefit from the apostolic ministry of this great man of God.
Did the Corinthians appreciate the sacrifices that Paul made for them? No, most of them did not. In fact, the Judaizers even used Paul’s financial policy as “proof” that he was not a true apostle. After all, if he were a true apostle, he would accept financial support.
Paul had already explained his policy in a previous letter (1 Cor. 9). He had pointed out that he was a true apostle because he had seen the risen Christ and had been commissioned by Him. Paul had the right to ask for financial support, just as God’s faithful servants do today; but he had deliberately given up that right so that nobody could accuse him of using the Gospel simply as a means of making money. He gave up his “financial rights” for the Gospel’s sake and for the sake of lost sinners who might stumble over anything that gave the impression of being “religious business.”
On the other hand, it was the Judaizers who were guilty of “peddling the Gospel” for personal profit. Paul had preached the Gospel to them freely (, literally “without charge, for nothing”), but the false teachers were preaching a false gospel—and robbing the church (). Paul used a bit of irony in : “Yes, I have been a ‘robber.’ I ‘robbed’ other churches so I would not have to ‘rob’ you!” And now the Judaizers were really robbing them.
A loving father does not lay his burdens on his children. Instead, he sacrifices so that the children might have what they need. It is a difficult thing to teach children the difference between “prices” and “values.” Children seem to have no idea what it means for parents to go to work and earn the money that provides what the family needs. When one of my nephews was very young, he heard his parents discussing the purchase of some major appliance, and he could not understand why they did not just go out and buy it. “Why don’t you just write one of those pieces of paper?” he asked, pointing to his father’s checkbook. He did not understand that there has to be money in the bank to back up what you write on those “pieces of paper.”
Paul did not bring up this matter of money in order to boast about himself. Rather, he was using every means possible to silence the boasting of the Judaizers. Paul knew that not a single person could accuse him of covetousness or selfishness (see , Paul’s testimony to the Ephesian church). His hands were clean. He wanted to “cut off” any opportunity for his enemies to accuse him.
The word chargeable in is worth considering in a special way (see also ). In the Greek, it literally means “to grow numb.” The word comes from the image of the electric eel numbing its victim with its shock. A numbed part of the body would be a burden to the victim. Paul had not used any devious tricks to catch the believers by surprise, attack them, or rob them. Both in his preaching of the Gospel and his handling of finances, he was open and honest.
In my own travels, I have seen situations in local churches that have broken my heart. I have seen congregations show little or no appreciation to faithful pastors who were laboring sacrificially to see the church grow. Some of these men were underpaid and overworked, yet the churches seemed to have no love for them. However, their successors were treated like kings! Certainly at the Judgment Seat of Christ, the books will be balanced.
I once heard Dr. W.A. Criswell tell about the faithful missionary couple who returned to the United States on the same ship that brought Teddy Roosevelt home from a safari in Africa. Many reporters and photographers were on the dock, waiting to see Roosevelt and interview him and take pictures; but nobody was on hand to welcome home the veteran missionaries who had spent their lives serving Christ in Africa.
That evening, in their modest hotel room, the couple reviewed their arrival in New York City; and the husband was somewhat bitter.
“It isn’t fair,” he said to his wife. “Mr. Roosevelt comes home from a hunting trip, and the whole country is out to meet him. We get home after years of service, and nobody was there to greet us.”
But his wife had the right answer: “Honey, we aren’t home yet.”
Paul has presented two pieces of evidence to prove his love for the Corinthians: his jealousy over the church—protecting them from “spiritual unfaithfulness,” and his generosity to the church—refusing to accept support from them. He shared a third piece of evidence.
The key to this long section is , which could be paraphrased: “Yes, I have been through many trials, but the greatest trial of all, the heaviest burden of all, is my concern for the churches!” The word translated care means “pressure, stress, anxiety.” The other experiences were external (“without”) and occasional, but the burden of the churches was internal and constant.
“We never know the love of our parents for us till we have become parents,” said Henry Ward Beecher, and he was right. When our older son was a tot, he pushed a toy into the electric socket and was “zapped” across the room. (We didn’t have the word zap in those days, but that’s still what happened.) One day recently he discovered his own little son playing with the socket, and father’s explosive response nearly frightened the child out of a year’s growth. “Now I know how you and Mom felt when I was a kid,” he told me over the phone. “Being a parent has its fears as well as its joys.”
Before listing the various kinds of trials he had experienced, Paul was careful to explain why he was “boasting” in this way. Paul never had any problem boasting about Christ and telling of His sufferings, but he was always hesitant to speak of his own painful experiences as a servant of God. Paul and John the Baptist would have agreed: “He [Christ] must increase, but I must decrease” (). “But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” ().
It was the immature and unspiritual attitude of the Corinthians that forced Paul to write about himself and “glory” (boast) in these experiences. He had begun this section () by apologizing for his boasting, and he repeated this sentiment in . In , Paul was not denying the inspiration of his words; rather, he was admitting that, by boasting, he was being very unlike the Lord (see ). However, he had to do it to prove his love for the Corinthians and protect them from those who would lead them astray.
To begin with, the false teachers were not ashamed to boast, and the Corinthians were not afraid to accept their boasting. “Since boasting is the ‘in thing’ in your fellowship,” Paul seemed to be saying, “then I will boast.” Paul may have had the principle of in mind: “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.”
Furthermore, Paul was boasting so that he might help the church, while the false teachers boasted so that they might “help themselves” to what they could get out of the church. Paul’s motive was pure; theirs was selfish. Second Corinthains lists the various ways the Judaizers had taken advantage of the church:
Bondage:
They taught a doctrine of legalism that was contrary to the Gospel of grace.
Devour:
They “ate up” all they could get in the church; they took advantage of their privilege of receiving financial support.
Take of you:
“Take you in,” fool you. The image is that of a bird caught in a snare or a fish caught on a hook. “They baited you and caught you!”
Exalt:
They exalted themselves, not the Lord Jesus Christ; they loved to be honored and treated as great leaders.
Smite you:
This probably refers to verbal attacks rather than physical violence; the Judaizers did not hesitate to “slap them in the face” and embarrass them in public
Paul ended this exposure of the unspiritual attitudes and actions of the Judaizers by bringing in some more “inspired irony”: “To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!” (, NIV) The Corinthians thought that Paul’s meekness was weakness, when it was really strength. And they thought that the Judaizers’ arrogance was power. How ignorant the saints can sometimes be.
When it came to their Jewish heritage, the false teachers were equal to Paul; but when it came to ministry for Christ, it was Paul who was the “super-apostle” and not the Judaizers. Consider what Paul endured for the cause of Christ and the care of the churches.
Sufferings for Christ (vv. ). Had Paul not been an apostle, he would not have experienced these trials. He received “stripes above measure” from both the Gentiles and from the Jews. Three times the Gentiles beat him with rods, and five times he was given thirty-nine lashes by the Jews. Only one beating is recorded in the Book of Acts (), as well as the one stoning ().
Paul knew from the outset of his ministry that he would suffer for Jesus’ sake (), and God reaffirmed this to him as his ministry continued (). He who caused others to suffer for their faith, himself had to suffer for his faith.
Natural hardships (vv. ). Almost any traveler in that day could have experienced some of these hardships; yet we cannot help but believe that they were caused by the enemy in an attempt to hinder the work of the Lord. Acts 27 records one of the three shipwrecks; we know nothing about the other two. We wonder how many of his precious personal possessions Paul lost in this way.
Because he was constantly on the move, Paul was exposed to the perils of travel. The Judaizers visited the safe places; Paul journeyed to the difficult places. But Paul was no ordinary traveler: he was a marked man. He had enemies among both the Jews and the Gentiles, and some would like to have killed him.
describes the personal consequences of all this difficult travel. In my own limited itinerant ministry, I have had the convenience of automobiles and planes, and yet I must confess that travel wears me out. How much more difficult it was for Paul! No wonder he was filled with weariness and pain. He often had to go without food, drink, and sleep; and sometimes he lacked sufficient clothing to keep himself warm.
While any other traveler could have suffered these things, Paul endured them because of his love for Christ and the church. His greatest burden was not around him, but within him: the care of all the churches. Why did he care so much? Because he identified with the believers (). Whatever happened to “his children” touched his own heart and he could not abandon them.
Paul climaxed this narration of his sufferings by telling of his humiliating experience at Damascus, when he—the great apostle—was smuggled out of the city in a basket let over the wall! () Would any of the Judaizers ever tell a story like that? Of course not! Even when Paul did narrate his sufferings, he was careful that Christ was glorified, and not Paul.
We cannot read these verses without admiring the courage and devotion of the Apostle Paul. Each trial left its mark on his life, and yet he kept moving on, serving the Lord. “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself” ().
Paul certainly proved his love for the church.
Now the church had to prove its love for Paul.
May we never take for granted the sacrifices that others have made so that we might enjoy the blessings of the Gospel today.
This section is the climax of Paul’s defense of his apostleship and his love for the believers at Corinth. He was reticent to write about these personal experiences, but there was no other way to solve the problem. In fact, to avoid exalting himself, Paul described his experience in the third person rather than the first person. He shared with his readers three experiences from God.
The Judaizers were anxious to receive honors, and they boasted about their “letters of recommendation” (). But Paul did not look for honor from men; he let God honor him, for that alone is the honor that really counts.
First, God honored Paul by giving him visions and revelations. Paul saw the glorified Christ on the very day he was converted (; ). He saw a vision of Ananias coming to minister to him (), and he also had a vision from God when he was called to minister to the Gentiles ().
During his ministry, he had visions from God to guide him and encourage him. It was by a vision that he was called to Macedonia (). When the ministry was difficult in Corinth, God encouraged Paul by a vision (). After his arrest in Jerusalem, Paul was again encouraged by a vision from God (). An angel appeared to him in the midst of the storm and assured him that he and the passengers would be saved ().
Along with these special visions that related to his call and ministry, spiritual revelations of divine truth were also communicated to Paul (see ). God gave him a profound understanding of the plan of God for this present age. Certainly Paul understood the mysteries of God.
God also honored Paul by taking him to heaven, and then sending him back to the earth again. This marvelous experience had taken place fourteen years before the writing of this letter, which would place the experience in about the year A.D. 43. This would be the period in Paul’s life between his departure for Tarsus () and his visit from Barnabas (). There is no record of the details of this event, and it is useless for us to speculate.
Jewish rabbis were accustomed to speaking about themselves in the third person, and Paul adopted that approach as he unfolded this experience to his friends (and enemies) at Corinth. So wonderful was this experience that Paul was not quite sure whether God had taken him bodily to heaven, or whether his spirit had left his body. (There is quite a contrast between being “let down” in a basket and being “caught up” to the third heaven!) Paul affirmed here the reality of heaven and the ability of God to take people there. The third heaven is the same as “paradise,” the heaven of heavens where God dwells in glory. Thanks to modern science, men today have visited the heaven of the clouds (we fly above the clouds) and the heaven of the planets (men have walked on the moon), but man cannot get to God’s heaven without God’s help.
The interesting thing is that Paul kept quiet about this experience for fourteen years! During those years, he was buffeted by his “thorn in the flesh,” and perhaps people wondered why he had such a burdensome affliction. The Judaizers may have adopted the views of Job’s comforters and said, “This affliction is a punishment from God.” (Actually, it was a gift from God.) Some of Paul’s good friends may have tried to encourage him by saying, “Cheer up, Paul. One day you’ll be in heaven!” Paul could have replied, “That’s why I have this thorn—I went to heaven!”
God honored Paul by granting him visions and revelations, and by taking him to heaven; but He honored him further by permitting him to hear “unspeakable words” while he was in heaven. He overheard the divine secrets that are shared only in heaven. These things could be spoken by God and by beings in heaven, but they could not be spoken by men.
Could the Judaizers relate any experiences that were like this one? Even Moses, who was intimate with God, met the Lord on the mountaintop; but Paul met the Lord in paradise. Paul had exercised great spiritual discipline during those fourteen years, for he had told this experience to no one. There is no doubt that this vision of God’s glory was one of the sustaining powers in Paul’s life and ministry. No matter where he was—in prison, in the deep, in dangerous travels—he knew that God was with him and that all was well.
You and I are not going to heaven till we die or till our Lord returns. But we have a marvelous encouragement in the fact that we are today seated with Christ in the heavenly places (). We have a position of authority and victory “far above all” (). While we have not seen God’s glory as Paul did, we do share God’s glory now () and one day we shall enter into heaven and behold the glory of Christ ().
Such an honor as this would have made most people very proud. Instead of keeping quiet for fourteen years, they would have immediately told the world and become famous. But Paul did not become proud. He simply told the truth—it was not empty boasting—and let the facts speak for themselves. His great concern was that nobody rob God of the glory and give it to Paul. He wanted others to have an honest estimate of him and his work (see ).
How could Paul have such a great experience and still remain humble? Because of the second experience that God brought to his life.
The Lord knows how to balance our lives. If we have only blessings, we may become proud; so He permits us to have burdens as well. Paul’s great experience in heaven could have ruined his ministry on earth; so God, in His goodness, permitted Satan to buffet Paul in order to keep him from becoming proud.
The mystery of human suffering will not be solved completely in this life. Sometimes we suffer simply because we are human. Our bodies change as we grow older, and we are susceptible to the normal problems of life. The same body that can bring us pleasures can also bring us pains. The same family members and friends that delight us can also break our hearts. This is a part of the “human comedy,” and the only way to escape it is to be less than human. But nobody wants to take that route.
Sometimes we suffer because we are foolish and disobedient to the Lord. Our own rebellion may afflict us, or the Lord may see fit to chasten us in His love (). King David suffered greatly because of his sin; the consequences were painful and so was the discipline of God (see ; Ps. 51). In His grace, God forgives our sins; but in His government, He must permit us to reap what we sow.
Suffering also is a tool God uses for building godly character (). Certainly Paul was a man of rich Christian character because he permitted God to mold and make him in the painful experiences of his life. When you walk along the shore of the ocean, you notice that the rocks are sharp in the quiet coves, but polished in those places where the waves beat against them. God can use the “waves and billows” of life to polish us, if we will let Him.
Paul’s thorn in the flesh was given to him to keep him from sinning. Exciting spiritual experiences—like going to heaven and back—have a way of inflating the human ego; and pride leads to a multitude of temptations to sin. Had Paul’s heart been filled with pride, those next fourteen years would have been filled with failure instead of success.
We do not know what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was. The word translated thorn means “a sharp stake used for torturing or impaling someone.” It was a physical affliction of some kind that brought pain and distress to Paul. Some Bible students think that Paul had an eye affliction (see ); but we cannot know for sure. It is a good thing that we do not know, because no matter what our sufferings may be, we are able to apply the lessons Paul learned and get encouragement.
God permitted Satan to afflict Paul, just as He permitted Satan to afflict Job (see Job 1–2). While we do not fully understand the origin of evil in this universe, or all the purposes God had in mind when He permitted evil to come, we do know that God controls evil and can use it even for His own glory. Satan cannot work against a believer without the permission of God. Everything that the enemy did to Job and Paul was permitted by the will of God.
Satan was permitted to buffet Paul. The word means “to beat, to strike with the fist.” The tense of the verb indicates that this pain was either constant or recurring. When you stop to think that Paul had letters to write, trips to take, sermons to preach, churches to visit, and dangers to face as he ministered, you can understand that this was a serious matter. No wonder he prayed three times (as his Lord had done in the Garden []) that the affliction might be removed from him ().
When God permits suffering to come to our lives, there are several ways we can deal with it. Some people become bitter and blame God for robbing them of freedom and pleasure. Others just “give up” and fail to get any blessing out of the experience because they will not put any courage into the experience. Still others grit their teeth and put on a brave front, determined to “endure to the very end.” While this is a courageous response, it usually drains them of the strength needed for daily living; and after a time, they may collapse.
Was Paul sinning when he prayed to be delivered from Satan’s buffeting? I don’t think so. It is certainly a normal thing for a Christian to ask God for deliverance from sickness and pain. God has not obligated Himself to heal every believer whenever he prays; but He has encouraged us to bring our burdens and needs to Him. Paul did not know whether this “thorn in the flesh” was a temporary testing from God, or a permanent experience he would have to learn to live with.
There are those who want us to believe that an afflicted Christian is a disgrace to God. “If you are obeying the Lord and claiming all that you have in Christ,” they say, “then you will never be sick.” I have never found that teaching in the Bible. It is true that God promised the Jews special blessing and protection under the Old Covenant () but He never promised the New Testament believers freedom from sickness or suffering. If Paul had access to “instant healing” because of his relationship to Christ, then why didn’t he make use of it for himself and for others, such as Epaphroditus? ()
What a contrast between Paul’s two experiences! Paul went from paradise to pain, from glory to suffering. He tasted the blessing of God in heaven and then felt the buffeting of Satan on earth. He went from ecstasy to agony, and yet the two experiences belong together. His one experience of glory prepared him for the constant experience of suffering, for he knew that God was able to meet his need. Paul had gone to heaven—but then he learned that heaven could come to him.
Two messages were involved in this painful experience. The thorn in the flesh was Satan’s message to Paul, but God had another message for him, a message of grace. The tense of the verb in is important: “And He [God] has once-for-all said to me.” God gave Paul a message that stayed with him. The words Paul heard while in heaven, he was not permitted to share with us; but he did share the words God gave him on earth—and what an encouragement they are.
It was a message of grace. What is grace? It is God’s provision for our every need when we need it. It has well been said that God in His grace gives us what we do not deserve, and in His mercy He does not give us what we do deserve. Someone has made an acrostic of the word grace: God’s Riches Available at Christ’s Expense. “And of His [Christ’s] fullness have all we received, and grace for grace” ().
It was a message of sufficient grace. There is never a shortage of grace. God is sufficient for our spiritual ministries () and our material needs () as well as our physical needs (). If God’s grace is sufficient to save us, surely it is sufficient to keep us and strengthen us in our times of suffering.
It was a message of strengthening grace. God permits us to become weak so that we might receive His strength. This is a continuous process: “My power is [being] made perfect in [your] weakness” (, NIV). Strength that knows itself to be strength is actually weakness, but weakness that knows itself to be weakness is actually strength.
In the Christian life, we get many of our blessings through transformation, not substitution. When Paul prayed three times for the removal of his pain, he was asking God for a substitution: “Give me health instead of sickness, deliverance instead of pain and weakness.” Sometimes God does meet the need by substitution; but other times He meets the need by transformation. He does not remove the affliction, but He gives us His grace so that the affliction works for us and not against us.
As Paul prayed about his problem, God gave him a deeper insight into what He was doing. Paul learned that his thorn in the flesh was a gift from God. What a strange gift! There was only one thing for Paul to do: accept the gift from God and allow God to accomplish His purposes. God wanted to keep Paul from being “exalted above measure,” and this was His way of accomplishing it.
When Paul accepted his affliction as the gift of God, this made it possible for God’s grace to go to work in his life. It was then that God spoke to Paul and gave him the assurance of His grace. Whenever you are going through suffering, spend extra time in the Word of God; and you can be sure God will speak to you. He always has a special message for His children when they are afflicted.
God did not give Paul any explanations; instead, He gave him a promise: “My grace is sufficient for thee.” We do not live on explanations; we live on promises. Our feelings change, but God’s promises never change. Promises generate faith, and faith strengthens hope.
Paul claimed God’s promise and drew on the grace that was offered to him; this turned seeming tragedy into triumph. God did not change the situation by removing the affliction; He changed it by adding a new ingredient: grace. Our God is “the God of all grace” (), and His throne is a “throne of grace” (). The Word of God is “the word of His grace” (), and the promise is that “He giveth more grace” (). No matter how we look at it, God is adequate for every need that we have.
But God does not give us His grace simply that we might “endure” our sufferings. Even unconverted people can manifest great endurance. God’s grace should enable us to rise above our circumstances and feelings and cause our afflictions to work for us in accomplishing positive good. God wants to build our character so that we are more like our Saviour. God’s grace enabled Paul not only to accept his afflictions, but to glory in them. His suffering was not a tyrant that controlled him, but a servant that worked for him.
What benefits did Paul receive because of his suffering? For one thing, he experienced the power of Christ in his life. God transformed Paul’s weakness into strength. The word translated rest means “to spread a tent over.” Paul saw his body as a frail tent (), but the glory of God had come into that tent and transformed it into a holy tabernacle.
Something else happened to Paul: he was able to glory in his infirmities. This does not mean that he preferred pain to health, but rather that he knew how to turn his infirmities into assets. What made the difference? The grace of God and the glory of God. He “took pleasure” in these trials and problems, not because he was psychologically unbalanced and enjoyed pain, but because he was suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ. He was glorifying God by the way he accepted and handled the difficult experiences of life.
“It is a greater thing to pray for pain’s conversion than its removal,” wrote P.T. Forsyth, and this is true. Paul won the victory, not by substitution, but by transformation. He discovered the sufficiency of the grace of God.
From Paul’s experience, we may learn several practical lessons.
1. The spiritual is far more important to the dedicated believer than the physical. This is not to suggest that we ignore the physical, because our bodies are the temples of the Spirit of God. But it does mean that we try not to make our bodies an end in themselves. They are God’s tools for accomplishing His work in this world. What God does in developing our Christian character is far more valuable than physical healing without character.
2. God knows how to balance burdens and blessings, suffering and glory. Life is something like a prescription: the individual ingredients might hurt us, but when properly blended, they help us.
3. Not all sickness is caused by sin. The argument of Job’s comforters was that Job had sinned, and that was why he was suffering. But their argument was wrong in Job’s case, as well as in Paul’s case. There are times when God permits Satan to afflict us so that God might accomplish a great purpose in our lives.
4. There is something worse than sickness, and that is sin; and the worst sin of all is pride. The healthy person who is rebelling against God is in worse shape than the suffering person who is submitting to God and enjoying God’s grace. It is a paradox—and an evidence of the sovereignty of God—that God used Satan, the proudest of all beings, to help keep Paul humble
5. Physical affliction need not be a barrier to effective Christian service. Today’s saints are too prone to pamper themselves and use every little ache or pain as an excuse to stay home from church or refuse to accept opportunities for service. Paul did not permit his thorn in the flesh to become a stumbling block. In fact, he let God turn that thorn into a stepping-stone.
6. We can always rest in God’s Word. He always has a message of encouragement for us in times of trial and suffering.
The great French mystic, Madame Guyon, once wrote to a suffering friend, “Ah, if you knew what power there is in an accepted sorrow!”
Paul knew about that power, because he trusted the will of God and depended on the grace of God.
That same power can be yours today.
2 Corinthians 12:11–13:14
As Paul brought his letter to a close, his great love for the Corinthians constrained him to make one last appeal. He did not want his third visit to their church to be another painful experience for them and for him. He had opened his heart to them, explained his ministry, answered their accusations, and urged them to submit to the Word of God and obey the Lord. What more could he say or do?
In this closing section of the letter, Paul used three approaches in his attempt to motivate the Corinthians toward obedience and submission.
When we were children, how many times did we hear, “Shame on you!” from a parent or a neighbor? It is a good thing when people can be ashamed of their bad actions or attitudes. It is evidence of a hard heart and a calloused conscience when a guilty person no longer feels shame. “Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush” ().
First, Paul shamed the Corinthians for their lack of commendation (). They should have been boasting about him instead of compelling him to boast. Instead, the Corinthians were boasting about the “super-apostles,” the Judaizers who had won their affection and were now running their church.
Was Paul inferior to these men? In no way! The Corinthians had seen Paul in action; in fact, they owed their very souls to him. He had done among them the miraculous signs that proved his apostleship (). He had persevered in his ministry at Corinth in spite of external persecution and internal problems. He had cost the church nothing. Paul used his subtle irony again when he wrote, “How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!” (, NIV)
One of the dangers of the Christian life is that of getting accustomed to our blessings. A godly pastor or Sunday School teacher can do so much for us that we begin to take the ministry for granted. (To be fair, I must admit that pastors are sometimes guilty of taking their church members for granted.) This attitude led Paul to shame them for their lack of appreciation ().
In spite of the difficulties involved, Paul had been faithful to visit the Corinthians; and now he was about to make his third visit (see ). Instead of being grateful, the Corinthians criticized Paul for changing his plans. Paul had taken no support from the church, but rather had given sacrificially for the church; yet they were unwilling to show their appreciation by sharing with others. It seemed that the more Paul loved them, the less they loved Paul! Why? Because they did not have a sincere love for Christ (). Paul was willing to “spend and expend” in order to help the church.
The Judaizers had used crafty methods in order to exploit the church (see ), but Paul had been open and without guile. The only “trick” Paul had played on them was his refusal to receive financial support. In this, he disarmed them so that they could never accuse him of being interested only in money. None of the associates that Paul sent to them exploited them in any way or took advantage of them.
It is a tragic thing when children do not appreciate what their parents do for them. It is also a tragedy when God’s children fail to appreciate what their “spiritual parents” do for them. What is the cause of this lack of appreciation? Paul dealt with it in the next paragraph: lack of consecration (). There were terrible sins in the church, and Paul wanted them judged and put away before he came for his visit. Otherwise, his visit would just be another painful experience.
Some of the church members were probably saying, “If Paul visits us again, he will just create more problems!” Paul made it clear that his desire was to solve problems and strengthen the church. Sins in the church must be faced honestly and dealt with courageously. To “sweep them under the rug” is to make matters worse. Sin in the church is like cancer in the human body: it must be cut out.
Consider the sins that the church was guilty of, sins that should have been confessed and put away. They were guilty of quarreling (debates) because they envied one another. They had sudden explosions of anger (wraths). They promoted carnal intrigues and plots in the church (strifes), which involved backbitings and whisperings. All of this was born out of pride and an exaggerated sense of importance (swellings) and resulted in disorder in the church (tumults) (). If you will compare this list of sins with 1 Corinthians 13, you will see that there was a lack of love in the congregation.
Along with these “sins of the spirit” (), there were also gross sins of the flesh—fornication and lasciviousness (debauchery). Paul had dealt with these sins in 1 Corinthians 5–6, but some of the offenders had persisted in their disobedience. They were permitting their old life to take over again (), instead of yielding to the new life.
Paul did not eagerly anticipate this third visit. He feared that he would not find the church as he wanted it to be, and that they would not find him as they wanted him to be. But Paul promised them that, though he would be humbled and grieved (the word means “to grieve for the dead”), he would still use his authority to straighten things out. His love for them was too great for him to ignore these problems and permit them to continue to weaken the church.
The Corinthians should have been ashamed, but they were not. To assure that he would get his message across, Paul used a second approach.
He Warned Them () There are two warnings here.
“Prepare yourselves!” (vv. ) In dealing with sin in a local church, we must have facts and not rumors. Paul quoted , and we find parallels in and , as well as . The presence of witnesses would help to guarantee the truth about a matter, especially when the church members were at such variance with one another.
Had the church members followed the instructions given by Jesus in , they would have solved most of their problems themselves. I have seen small disagreements in a church grow into large and complicated problems, only because the believers did not obey our Lord’s directions. The pastor and congregation must not get involved in a matter until the individuals involved have sincerely sought a solution.
The Judaizers in the church had accused Paul of being a weak man (see ). Their approach to ministry was heavy-handed and dictatorial, while Paul’s was gentle and humble (see ). Now Paul assured them that he would show them how strong he could be—if that is what it took to solve the problems. “I will not spare!” was his warning, and he used a word that means “to spare in battle.” In short, Paul was declaring war on anybody who opposed the authority of God’s Word.
“Let Paul prove he is a true apostle!” said his opponents. Paul’s reply was, “Like Jesus Christ, I am strong when it appears I am weak.” On the cross, Jesus Christ manifested weakness; but the cross is still “the power of God” (). Paul had already explained his method of spiritual warfare () and had cautioned his readers not to look on the surface of things, but to look deeper.
By the standards of the world, both Jesus and Paul were weak; but by the standards of the Lord, both were strong. It is a wise and mature worker who knows when to be “weak” and when to be “strong” as he deals with the discipline problems in the local church.
A pastor friend of mine, now in heaven, had a quiet manner of delivery in the pulpit, and a similar approach in his personal ministry. After hearing him preach, a visitor said, “I kept waiting for him to start preaching!” She was accustomed to hearing a loud preacher who generated more heat than light. But my friend built a strong church because he knew the true standards for ministry. He knew how to be “weak in Christ” and also how to be “strong.”
How do people measure the ministry today? By powerful oratory or biblical content? By Christian character or what the press releases say? Too many Christians follow the world’s standards when they evaluate ministries, and they need to pay attention to God’s standards.
“Examine yourselves!” (vv. ) This paragraph is an application of the word proof that Paul used in . “You have been examining me,” wrote Paul, “but why don’t you take time to examine yourselves?” I have noticed in my ministry that those who are quick to examine and condemn others are often guilty of worse sins themselves. In fact, one way to make yourself look better is to condemn somebody else.
To begin with, Paul told the Corinthians that they should examine their hearts to see if they were really born again and members of the family of God. Do you have the witness of the Holy Spirit in your heart? (, ) Do you love the brethren? () Do you practice righteousness? (; ) Have you overcome the world so that you are living a life of godly separation? () These are just a few of the tests we can apply to our own lives to be certain that we are the children of God.
In one of the churches I pastored, we had a teenager who was the center of every problem in the youth group. He was a gifted musician and a member of the church, but nevertheless he was a problem. One summer when he went off to our church youth camp, the youth leaders and church officers and I agreed together to pray for him daily. At one of the meetings, he got up and announced that he had been saved that week! His Christian profession up to that time had been counterfeit. He experienced a dramatic change in his life, and today he is serving the Lord faithfully.
No doubt many of the problems in the church at Corinth were caused by people who professed to be saved, but who had never repented and trusted Jesus Christ. Our churches are filled with such people today. Paul called such people reprobate, which means “counterfeit, discredited after a test.” Paul used this word again in , emphasizing the fact that it is important for a person to know for sure that he is saved and going to heaven (see ).
In , Paul made it clear that he did not want the Corinthians to fail the test just to prove that he was right. Nor did he want them to live godly lives just so he could boast about them. He did not mind being despised and criticized for their sakes, so long as they were obeying the Lord. He was not concerned about his own reputation, for the Lord knew his heart; but he was concerned about their Christian character.
The important thing is the truth of the Gospel and the Word of God (). Paul did not state here that it is impossible to attack the truth or hinder the truth, for these things were going on at that time in the Corinthian church. He was affirming that he and his associates wanted the truth to prevail, come what may, and that they were determined to further the truth, not obstruct it. In the end, God’s truth will prevail, so why try to oppose it? “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord” ().
To begin with, Paul encouraged the Corinthians by his personal prayers on their behalf (). The word translated “wish” in the King James Version carries the meaning of “pray.” Paul prayed for their perfection, which does not mean absolute sinless perfection, but “spiritual maturity.” The word is part of a word family in the Greek that means “to be fitted out, to be equipped.” As a medical term, it means “to set a broken bone, to adjust a twisted limb.” It also means “to outfit a ship for a voyage” and “to equip an army for battle.” In , it is translated “mending nets.”
One of the ministries of our risen Lord is that of perfecting His people (). He uses the Word of God () in the fellowship of the local church () to equip His people for life and service. He also uses suffering as a tool to equip us (). As Christians pray for one another () and personally assist one another (, where “restore” is this same word perfect), the exalted Lord ministers to His church and makes them fit for ministry.
Balanced Christian growth and ministry is impossible in isolation. Someone has said that you can no more raise one Christian than you can raise one bee. Christians belong to each other and need each other. A baby must grow up in a loving family if it is to be balanced and normal. The emphasis today on the “individual Christian,” as apart from his place in a local assembly, is wrong and very dangerous. We are sheep, and we must flock together. We are members of the same body, and we must minister to one another.
In , Paul gave the Corinthians a second encouragement—the Word of God. Paul wrote this letter to meet the immediate needs of a local congregation, but we today benefit from it because it is a part of the inspired Word of God. This letter carries the same authority as the presence of the apostle himself. Paul’s great desire was that the congregation’s obedience to the letter solve their problems, so that he would not have to exercise authority when he visited them.
Sometimes the minister of the Word must tear down before he can build up (see ). The farmer must pull up the weeds before he can plant the seeds and get a good crop. Paul had to tear down the wrong thinking in the minds of the Corinthians () before he could build up the truth in their hearts and minds. The negative attitude of the Corinthians made it necessary for Paul to destroy, but his great desire was to build.
In my own ministry, I have been through two building programs and two remodeling programs and, in spite of all their demands, building programs to me are much easier. It is much simpler and less expensive to build a new structure on unimproved land than to tear down walls and try to remodel an old building. Likewise, it is much easier to take a new believer and teach him the Word than it is to try to change the wrong thinking of an older saint. Wrong ideas can “hold out” against the truth for a long time, until the Spirit of God demolishes the walls in the mind.
Paul encouraged the saints to cultivate grace, love, and peace (). The word translated farewell means “grace,” a common form of greeting in that day. It can also be translated rejoice. The command be perfect relates to Paul’s prayer in and carries the idea “be mature, be restored and fitted for life.” Be of good comfort means “be encouraged.” In spite of all their sins and problems, they had every right to be encouraged.
Live in peace was a needed admonition, for there were divisions and dissensions in the church (see ). If they practiced love and sought to be of one mind, the wars would cease and they would enjoy peace in their fellowship. To be of one mind does not mean that we all agree on everything, but that we agree not to disagree over matters that are not essential.
Our God is the “God of love and peace” (). Can the outside world tell that from the way we live and the way we conduct the business of the church? “Behold how they love one another!” was what the lost world said about the early church, but it has been a long time since the church has earned that kind of commendation.
Since ancient times, the kiss has been a form of greeting and a gesture of love and fellowship. However, it was usually exchanged between members of the same sex. The early church used the kiss of peace and kiss of love as evidences of their affection and concern for one another. It was a “holy kiss,” sanctified because of their devotion to Jesus Christ. Members of the early church often kissed new believers after their baptism and thus welcomed them into the fellowship.
The everyday fellowship of God’s people is important to the church. We must greet each other in other places as well as the fellowship of the assembly, and we must show concern for each other. In giving this admonition in , Paul was certainly hitting hard at one of the most serious problems in the church: their division and lack of concern for one another.
The closing benediction in is one of the most beloved used in the church. It emphasizes the Trinity (see ) and the blessings we can receive because we belong to God. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ reminds us of His birth, when He became poor in order to make us rich (see ). The love of God takes us to Calvary where God gave His Son as the sacrifice for our sins (). The communion of the Holy Ghost reminds us of Pentecost, when the Spirit of God came and formed the church (Acts 2).
The Corinthian believers then, and all believers now, desperately needed the blessings of grace, love, and communion. The Judaizers then, and the cultists today, emphasize Law instead of grace, exclusiveness instead of love, and independence rather than communion (fellowship). The competition in the Corinthian church, resulting in divisions, would have been solved if the people had only lived by God’s grace and love.
The church is a miracle, and it can be sustained only by the miracle ministry of God. No amount of human skill, talents, or programs can make the church what it ought to be. Only God can do that. If each believer is depending on the grace of God, walking in the love of God, and participating in the fellowship of the Spirit, not walking in the flesh, then he will be a part of the answer and not a part of the problem. He will be living this benediction—and being a benediction to others!
Ask God to make you that kind of Christian.
Be encouraged—and then encourage others.