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2 Corinthians Chapter Twelve

 
Chapter Twelve General Review
 
OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS CHAPTER
 
1) To understand why the Lord allowed Paul to suffer so much 
 persecution
 
2) To see why Paul took pleasure in his infirmities suffered for 
 Christ's sake
 
SUMMARY
 
We find Paul compelled to continue his "foolish boasting". Coming to
the issue of visions and revelations of the Lord, he describes "a man
in Christ" (most commentators believe Paul has reference to himself) 
who fourteen years before had been caught up into Paradise and heard 
inexpressible words unlawful to utter. Paul would boast of "such a
one", but in direct reference to himself he would only boast in his 
"infirmities", lest people think too highly of him (1-6).
 
Lest he be exalted above measure because of the abundance of
revelations he had received, a "thorn in the flesh" (also described as
a "messenger of Satan") was given to buffet him (that is, to keep him
humble). When he asked the Lord on three separate occasions to remove
it, the Lord's reply was that His grace was sufficient and His strength
was made complete in times of weakness. This prompted Paul to take 
pleasure in his "infirmities" endured for Christ's sake (which I 
believe to have been the "thorn in the flesh"). For when he was weak,
the power of Christ in him made him strong (7-10).
 
Paul's "foolish boasting" concludes with a mild rebuke for their 
compelling him to do it, for it is they who should have commended him.
Indeed, while with them he demonstrated the "signs of an apostle" 
(signs, wonders, mighty deeds) that clearly showed he was not in anyway
behind "the most eminent apostles". The only charge that could be 
brought against him? He had not accepted support from them like he had
from other churches (11-13).
 
The remaining part of this chapter is filled with an expression of love
and concern for them. He explains again why he will not accept support
from them: like parents for their children, Paul will gladly spend and
be spent for their souls. Neither he nor those he sent to them had
taken advantage of them in any way, and have sought to do all things
for their edification (14-19). Finally, he expresses his fear that
when he comes the conditions will not be what he and they wish. He is
fearful that there will be all sorts of strife, and that many of those 
who have sinned will not have repented (20-21).
 
OUTLINE
 
I. PAUL'S "FOOLISH BOASTING" CONTINUES (1-13)
 
 A. THE VISION OF PARADISE (1-6)
 1. Though such boasting is not profitable, Paul finds it 
 necessary to discuss visions and revelations of the Lord (1)
 2. He writes of one (possibly himself) who:
 a. Was caught up to the third heaven, that is, Paradise (2-4a)
 b. Heard inexpressible words, unlawful for a man to utter (4b)
 3. Of such a one Paul would boast, but not of himself, except in
 his infirmities (5)
 4. His concern is that people might think too highly of him (6)
 
 B. THE THORN IN THE FLESH (7-10)
 1. That he not be exalted above measure by the abundance of his
 revelations, he was given a thorn in the flesh (7)
 a. Called a messenger of Satan
 b. Designed to buffet him
 2. He pleaded with the Lord that this "thorn" might depart from
 him (8-9a)
 a. He did so three times (8)
 b. The Lord's reply (9a)
 1) "My grace is sufficient for you"
 2) "My strength is made perfect in weakness"
 3. This led Paul to boast in his infirmities, for in his weakness
 the power of Christ has opportunity to make him strong (9b-10)
 
 C. THE SIGNS OF AN APOSTLE (11-13)
 1. He was compelled to engage in foolish boasting by those who
 ought to have commended him (11a)
 a. For in nothing was he behind "the most eminent apostles"
 (11b)
 b. For among them he accomplished the signs of an apostle:
 signs, wonders, and mighty deeds (12)
 2. His only mistake? He had not been a financial burden to them!
 (13)
 
II. PAUL'S LOVE AND CONCERN (14-21)
 
 A. HIS LOVE FOR THEM (14-19)
 1. Ready to come for the third time, he will not be burdensome to
 them (14-16)
 a. He does not seek what is theirs, but them (14a)
 b. Like parents providing for their children, he will gladly
 spend and be spent for their souls (14b-15a)
 c. Even though it seems to jeopardize their love for him (15b)
 2. Some have taken this to be craftiness and guile on his part
 (16-19a)
 a. But he asks them whether he has taken advantage of them by
 any of those he had sent to them (17-18)
 b. He needs no excuse, for he does all things for their 
 edification (19)
 
 B. HIS CONCERN FOR THEM (20-21)
 1. His fear is that when he comes, they will not find one another
 the way they wish (20a)
 2. His fear is that there will all sorts of strife (20b)
 3. His fear is that he will find many of them unrepentant of 
 their sins (21)
 
REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAPTER
 
1) What are the main points of this chapter?
 - Paul's "foolish boasting" continues (1-13)
 - Paul's love and concern (14-21)
 
2) As Paul continues his "foolish boasting", what does he now come to?
 (1)
 - Visions and revelations of the Lord
 
3) Where was the "man in Christ" taken? What did he hear? (2-4)
 - To the third heaven (Paradise); inexpressible words, unlawful for
 a man to utter
 
4) Of himself, in what would Paul boast? About what was he concerned?
 (5-6)
 - In his infirmities; lest anyone think of him too highly
 
5) Why was Paul given "a thorn in the flesh"? (7)
 - Lest he be exalted above measure by the abundance of revelations
 he received
 
6) How many times did Paul plead with the Lord to remove the "thorn"?
 What did the Lord respond? (8-9)
 - Three times
 - "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect 
 in weakness."
 
7) In what, then, did Paul choose to boast? Why? (9-10)
 - His infirmities for Christ's sake
 - That Christ's power might rest upon him and make him strong
 
8) What were the "signs of an apostle" that Paul had done among the
 Corinthians? (12)
 - Signs, wonders, and mighty deeds
 
9) What had Paul done that some charged made the Corinthians inferior
 to other churches? (13)
 - He had not been a burden to them (i.e., had not accept monetary
 support)
 
10) Why would Paul continue not to be a burden to them? (15)
 - He would very glad spend and be spent for their souls, like a 
 parent does for a child
 
11) What was the motive behind all that Paul did for the Corinthians?
 (19)
 - Their edification
 
12) What was Paul afraid might occur when he got to Corinth? (20)
 - Contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions,
 backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults
 
13) What was Paul afraid of finding when he got to Corinth? (21)
 - That some of them had not repented of their uncleanness,
 fornication, and licentiousness

Paul's Thorn In The Flesh (12:7-10)
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. In 2 Co 12:7-10, Paul tells of "a thorn in the flesh" which greatly
 bothered him...
 a. It was something for which he prayed the Lord to remove from him
 b. The Lord did not do so, but gave Paul an answer that greatly
 encouraged him
 
2. We might not be able to know exactly what the "thorn" was, but there
 are some valuable lessons to be gleaned as we consider...
 a. Why this "thorn" was given to Paul
 b. Paul's initial reaction to the "thorn"
 c. His reaction to the answer given him by the Lord
 
[In this study we shall consider each of these things, starting with 
the question...]
 
I. WHAT WAS PAUL'S "THORN IN THE FLESH"?
 
 A. SEVERAL POSSIBILITIES HAVE BEEN PROPOSED...
 1. A pain in the ear or head (Tertullian)
 2. Unruly fleshly lusts (medieval commentators)
 3. Stammering speech (MacKnight)
 4. Malarial fever (Ramsay)
 5. Acute eye problems (Farrar and others)
 a. Such as a severe form of ophthalmia (inflammation of the
 eyeball)
 b. Based upon comments in Ga 4:13-15; 6:11
 c. Possibly brought on initially by the blinding vision on the
 Damascus road
 
 B. I BELIEVE IT WAS THE "INFIRMITIES" PAUL SUFFERED...
 1. I.e., the persecutions he suffered as an apostle of Christ
 2. This was the view proposed by Chrysostom: "And so by the 
 "messenger of Satan," he means...those who contended with and
 fought against him, those that cast him into a prison, those
 that beat him, that led him away to death); for they did 
 Satan's business." (Homilies 26)
 3. Peter H. David, in Hard Sayings Of The Bible, offers several
 reasons for this view:
 a. In the OT adversaries are sometimes referred to as "thorns
 in your sides" (Num 33:55; Judg 2:3); there is no 
 metaphorical use of "thorn" for illness or temptation
 b. The term "messenger" in Paul's writings always refer to a
 person
 c. The basic topic of 2 Co 10-13 is Paul's opponents, those
  who were troubling the Corinthians and Paul himself
 d. Paul parallels the "thorn" with a "weakness" (or infirmity)
 in which he will glory; in the context of 2 Co 10-13 he 
 connects his infirmities or weakness with persecution - 
 2 Co 11:30-33; 12:10; 13:3-4
 4. With Peter David I conclude that the "thorn" was "the 
 opponents who dogged Paul's tracks throughout his mission, 
 confusing churches every time he left one church to plant 
 another." (Hard Sayings Of The Bible)
 
[Whatever the "thorn", it was "a messenger of Satan". That is, it was
something from Satan with evil intent. Yet it is evident that God 
allowed it to remain! This leads us to ask...]
 
II. WHY WAS THE "THORN" GIVEN?
 
 A. LEST PAUL BE "EXALTED ABOVE MEASURE" (2 Co 12:7)...
 1. Paul had been blessed to receive many revelations...
 a. On the road to Damascus - Ac 9:3-6
 b. In Jerusalem - cf. Ac 22:17-21
 c. At Troas - Ac 16:8-10
 d. In Corinth - Ac 18:9-11
 e. In Jerusalem again - Ac 23:11
 f. On his way to Rome - Ac 27:22-25
 g. The vision of Paradise - 2 Co 12:1-6
 2. It would have been quite easy...
 a. For Paul to be filled with pride over these revelations
 b. For the church to exalt him too highly
 
 B. TO "BUFFET" HIM (2 Co 12:7)...
 1. The word "buffet" means "to strike with the fist"; thus to 
 strive against, contend
 a. Paul "buffeted" himself to keep his body under control 
 - cf. 1 Co 9:27
 b. But this was something brought upon him by Satan
 3. This external "buffeting" was allowed to remain, to keep Paul
 humble
 
 C. THERE IS A PRACTICAL LESSON RELATED TO HUMILITY...
 1. Humility is a necessary trait for God's people - Lk 18:13-14;
 1 Pe 5:5-6
 2. Sometimes it is useful to have "outside help" to keep us 
 humble!
 
[There are other lessons to be learned, which we will see as we 
consider...]
 
III. PAUL'S REACTION TO THE "THORN"
 
 A. BEING HUMAN, HE WANTED TO GET RID OF IT! (2 Co 12:8)...
 1. He pleaded with the Lord three times to remove it
 2. Just as the Lord Himself prayed in the garden at Gethsemane 
 - Lk 22:39-43
 3. Notice the interesting similarities between Paul and the 
 Lord...
 a. Both prayed three times
 b. Both did not receive the answer for which they prayed
 c. But they both received answers that were sufficient...
  1) An angel came to minister to Christ
 2) The Lord told Paul:
 a) "My grace is sufficient for you"
 b) "My strength is made perfect in weakness"
 
 B. THIS SHOULD REMIND US OF CERTAIN PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER...
 1. We are to pray with persistence - Lk 18:1-8
 2. We are to pray in earnest - Mt 7:7
 3. We are to pray specifically (as Paul did)
 -- Yet God knows what is best for us, so the answer may not be 
 what we wish
 
[Valuable lessons, indeed; but even more lessons can be gleaned as we
consider...]
 
IV. PAUL'S REACTION TO THE LORD'S ANSWER
 
 A. TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE LORD'S ANSWER (2 Co 12:9a)...
 1. "My grace is sufficient for you"
 a. The Lord would give Paul what he "needed"
 b. But not necessarily what he "wanted"!
 2. "My strength is made perfect in weakness"
 a. I.e., it is in times of weakness and hardship that the 
 Lord's strength can be experienced most completely!
  b. For in such times we really come to depend upon the Lord,
 and not upon our own strength or wisdom!
 
 B. NOW CONSIDER PAUL'S REACTION...
 1. "I will boast in my infirmities" - 2 Co 12:9b
 a. Rather than bemoan his trying circumstances, he will glory
 in them!
 b. For it is in such infirmities that he has the opportunity
 to experience the power of Christ in his life as He helps
 him deal with them!
 2. "I take pleasure in infirmities...for Christ's sake. For when
 I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Co 12:10
 a. Infirmities can be a time for rejoicing! - cf. Ro 5:3a
 b. For that can be a time in which to experience the strength
 Christ gives, and the development of character that pleases
 Him! - cf. Ro 5:3b-5; also Ja 1:2-4
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. It may be impossible to determine exactly the nature of "Paul's 
 Thorn In The Flesh"
 a. Some commentators believe that this ambiguity was by design
 b. Otherwise, those with other "infirmities" may think the spiritual
 lessons are not for them
 
2. But from a perplexing passage, we can glean powerful principles
 applicable to all...
 a. In time of infirmity, pray!
 b. But don't be surprised if the answer to your prayers are similar
 to those given to Paul
 1) "My grace is sufficient for you"
 2) "My strength is made perfect in weakness"
 c. The Lord may choose not to remove the infirmity...
 1) Instead, He may choose to give you the strength to endure it
 2) If so, then rejoice that power of Christ rests upon you!
 
As we close, think about the Lord's statement as it relates to the 
problem of SIN, and the SALVATION He offers ("My grace is sufficient 
for you")... - cf. Ti 3:4-7

－－《Executable Outlines》

Experience in Paradise

Act in the Same Spirit

Follow the Same Course

I. A Man In Christ

1. The Third Heaven

2. Inexpressible Things

3. Do Not Boast

II. A Thorn in My Flesh

1. Torment from Satan

2. Plead with the Lord Three Times

3. Grace is Sufficient

III. Three “Fear” for the Church

1. Not as Wanted

2. Quarreling and Disorder

3. Humble and Grieve