When I Am Weak (2 Corinthians 11:16-13:14)

"For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor 12:10). "I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses..." (2 Cor 12:9). "I will boast of the things that show my weakness" (2 Cor 11:30).

Falsely accused: How would you truly feel when Christians falsely accuse you? That was what Paul encountered in the church he planted in Corinth. He was accused of being indecisive, deceptive, weak, corrupt, not being a true servant of God, unimpressive, a fool, lacking credentials (2 Cor 1:17; 4:2,16; 7:2; 10:7,1,10; 11:1,16; 12:11-12). What did Paul do? Did he retaliate? Defend his honor?

Background: The backdrop of 2 Corinthians is the devastating assault on the Corinthian church by the "super-apostles," who accused Paul of everything bad/evil under the sun. This devastated Paul, not because his pride was wounded, but because of his concern for Christ and his church (2 Cor 11:4,28).

Theme: The theme of 2 Corinthians may be stated as "Out of weakness comes strength" (God's Power Expressed Through Man's Weakness). The ESV Study Bible says, "The central theme of 2 Corinthians is the relationship between suffering and the power of the Spirit in Paul’s apostolic life, ministry, and message." Power through weakness is one of Christianity's countless confounding paradoxes.

What's the Problem with Paradoxes? The problem with a paradox is that Christians understand it and agree with it in principle, but practically it seems impossible to truly put it into practice. Thus, though you like the paradox, you do not experience it as a reality, because you are unable to live it out. How does strength come out of weakness?

Some Paradoxes: Here are some of the paradoxes that are common in Christianity:

• If you die, you live. If you try to live, you die.
• If you work hard, you will live easy. If you live easy, your life will be hard.
  
• If you live poorly, you're rich. If you try to be rich, you're poor, no matter how much you have.
• If you limit yourself, you're free. But if you live without limits, you're a slave.
  
• If you listen, you're heard. If you demand to be heard, no one listens to you.
  
• If you give up control, you have authority. If you're authoritarian, you loose control.
• If you're humble, you're exalted. If you want to be exalted, you're humbled.
• If you expose your weakness, you experience power. If you conceal your weakness, you loose your power, even if you have might.

2 Corinthians is Paul's 4th letter to the church at Corinth. The 1st letter is lost (1 Cor 5:9), and the 3rd letter, known as the "severe letter" (2 Cor 2:3-4), is also lost. What we have is Paul's 2nd and 4th letter, which is known to us as 1 and 2 Corinthians.
Understanding 2 Corinthians requires a knowledge of the context and circumstances as to why Paul wrote it. Paul was being severely criticized by some who regarded themselves highly (2 Cor 10:12) as elite and special "super-apostles" (2 Cor 11:5; 2 Cor 12:11). They undermined Paul's credibility not only as an apostle and a Christian, but also as a human being. So Paul wrote this letter to encourage them (chap 1-9) and to defend himself by "boasting" about his credentials, and about what God has done through him and revealed to him (chap 10-13).

Paul was clearly against boasting (2 Cor 12:1). Yet he boasted, not because he wanted to defend himself, but because he wanted to build up the gullible Christians (2 Cor 10:8, 12:19) who were being swayed by the defective teachings of the super-apostles (2 Cor 11:4).

Paul concludes 2 Corinthians by gladly boasting about his weaknesses, so that God's power may be manifest through his weakness in the following ways:

1. Weakness from Suffering (2 Cor 11:16-33). When we suffer we are weakened. When we avoid suffering, we feel better, perhaps stronger. But Paul suffered and became utterly weak because of his love and concern for the church.
   
2. Weakness from a Thorn/Stake (2 Cor 12:1-10). Everyone has a "thorn" in the side. God allows it so that we learn to truly depend on God and grow in his grace.
   
3. Weakness from Love for the Church (2 Cor 12:11-21). We are naturally full of ourselves by being concerned about our own security and self-image. But love for others and for the church weakens us, knowing that we can't do anything, and that only God can truly transform people.
   
4. Final Warning: Examine yourself (2 Cor 13:1-14). It's so easy to examine others, critique others and convince ourselves that the fault is with others. But Paul's final warning is "examine yourself." Paul closes his letter with the grace of Jesus, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Spirit (2 Cor 13:14).
   

Questions:

1. Weakness as a Fool: Why might Paul have repeated the word "fool(s)" or "foolish(ness)" 11 times (1 Cor 1:18,20,21,23,25,27; 2:14; 3:18,18; 4:10; 15:36) + 8 times (2 Cor 11:1,16,17,19,21; 12:6,11)? How did Paul show his "foolishness" (2 Cor 11:16-33)?
2. Weakness through a Thorn: Why did Paul write in the 3rd person (2 Cor 12:1-6)? Is it good to boast (2 Cor 12:1,5-6)? What did God want to teach Paul through his thorn/stake (2 Cor 12:7-10)?
3. Weakness in Love for the Church: How did Paul not burden them (2 Cor 12:11-18; 11:7-11)? Why did Paul defend himself (2 Cor 12:19-21; 10:8)?
4. Final warnings: Why should we examine ourselves (2 Cor 13:1-10)? What can we learn from Paul's farewell remarks and his Trinitarian blessing (2 Cor 13:11-14; Mt 28:19; 2 Thes 2:13-14; Rev 1:4-5)?
   

References:

• The Message of 2 Corinthians, Paul Barnett, The Bible Speaks Today, 1988.
• 2 Corinthians, John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary, 2003.
• ESV Study Bible

From Paul's suffering, we find 5 reasons God allows suffering in believers' lives:

1. To reveal their spiritual condition/character (2 Cor 12:6). The true measure of a man of God is not his mystical experiences or his great achievements, but his godly life and his faithfulness to the Word of God. God plunged Paul into the deepest sorrow and the severest pain to reveal most clearly that he was a genuine man of God. True spiritual power, authority and integrity do not come from visions and revelations but from godly humility (2 Cor 4:7; Col 2:18-19).
2. To humble them (2 Cor 12:7). Like Job (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7) and Peter (Luke 22:31), God allowed Satan to bring devastating suffering on his saints to achieve their greater usefulness.
3. To draw them to Himself (2 Cor 12:8). That God did not remove Paul's pain does not mean that he did not answer Paul's prayer; the answer was simply different from what Paul has asked for.
4. To display his grace (2 Cor 12:9a). Charis (grace) appears 155 times in the NT. Grace sets Christian faith apart from all other religions.
5. To perfect his power (2 Cor 12:9b-10). God not only wanted to display his grace, but to also display his power. God wanted Paul to not only be humble but also strong. The fires of affliction are necessary to burn away pride and self-confidence. Paul had lost all ability, humanly speaking, to deal with the situation in Corinth. His only option was to trust totally in God's will and power.

Final Greetings: Perfection (1 Cor 13:11)

The key to understanding Paul's final greeting lies in the phrase "aim for perfection" (NIV '84), "strive for full restoration" (NIV 2011), "aim for restoration" (ESV), "be made complete" (NASB). The Greek katartizo has the sense of adding something that is lacking, putting things in order, adjusting things that are out of adjustment. It is imperative that Christians are commanded to pursue integrity. As we grow in grace, we must constantly reevaluate our priorities, get our behavior in line with Scripture, and be restored to spiritual wholeness. Theological errors need to be corrected; biblical knowledge needs to be increased; sin needs to be dealt with; violated relationships need to be restored; laziness, indifference, and aparthy need to be turned into energetic, devoted service (1 Cor 1:10; 1 Thes 3:10). In this verse Paul gives 4 final exhortations:

1. "Rejoice" (NIV 2011; ESV) ("good-by" '84 NIV).
2. "Comfort/encourage one another" (ESV; NIV 2011). ("listen to my appeal" '84 NIV).
3. "Be of one mind" (NIV 2011, '84). "Agree with one another" (ESV). "Be like-minded" (NASB).
4. "Live in peace" (ESV, NIV, NASB).

Obedience to these exhortations is followed by a wonderful promise of divine blessing: "And the God of love and peace will be with you" (ESV, NIV, NASB).