2 Corinthians 11–13: Weakness & Strength

Adversity, Christian Life, Courage, Encouragement, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, Personal Distress, Read the Bible in 2023, Schaeffer, Francis, SufferingLeave a comment

Read the Bible in 2023 ◊ Week 21: Sunday

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions and hardships, for the sake of Christ, for when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:7–10 LSB
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Sunday’s Bible reading of 2 Corinthians 11–13, finishes Paul’s letter. He knows the areas of weak­nesses in which they need strengthening, and as he has some strong and urgent exhortations for them as he closes his letter. From his great love and deep concern for them he continues to address looking on ourward appearances, boasting, deception, and their mistaken ideas of strength and weakness.

Weakness and strength are key thoughts in Paul’s letter; he has honestly written to them of his own affliction and burdens (2 Corinthians 1, 2 Corinthians 4, 2 Corinthians 6, 2 Corinthians 7, 2 Corinthians 11, and 2 Corthians 12, ). He writes of the Lord Jesus:

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though being rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:9 LSB
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For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God toward you.
2 Corinthians 13:4 LSB
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2 Corinthians 12:1–10, could serve as a lens through which to view 2 Corinthians with its inter­woven themes of love and suffering in the fabric of ministry.

It is necessary to boast, though it is not profitable, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows—was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. On behalf of such a man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in weaknesses. For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will consider me beyond what he sees in me or hears from me.
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Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
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Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions and hardships, for the sake of Christ, for when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:1–10 LSB
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In Jeremiah 17–21: Judgment & Faithfulness, I quoted Francis Schaeffer from his book, Death in the City, as he alludes to 2 Corinthians 12:9.

“So many people seem to think that if the Holy Spirit is working then the work is easy. Don’t believe it! As the Holy Spirit works, a man is consumed. This is the record of revivals; it is the record of those places in which God has really done something. It is not easy!

“As I stand and try to give a message into the world—at the café tables and in the universities, to individuals and large seminars, publicly and privately—a price has to be paid. Often there is discouragement. Many times I say, “I can’t go up the hill once more. I can’t do it again.” And what is God’s answer? Well, first it is important to know that God doesn’t scold a man when his tiredness comes from his battles and his tears from compassion. Second, this involves learning to say, and mean, “Lord, please make your strength perfect in my weakness.”

“Jeremiah, we recall, was the weeping prophet. This has psychological depth as well as historic meaning. He is really the man weeping. But what does God expect of Jeremiah? What does God expect of every man who preaches into a lost age like ours? I’ll tell you what God expects. He simply expects a man to go right on. He doesn’t scold a man for being tired, but neither does He expect him to stop his message because people are against him. Jeremiah proclaimed the message to the very end.”1

Jeremiah proclaimed his message to the end, and so did Paul. A prophet who wept and despaired. An apostle who knew sorrow and depression. Both sustained by God in His lovingkindness and compassion; both faithful unto death.

For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves
2 Corinthians 4:5–7 LSB
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What about us? We are also earthen vessels and having God’s treasure it does not mean we no longer weep or never tire; the surpassing greatness of the power is of God and not from ourselves. These truths are very clear in this letter. We cannot forget them or deny them, for if we do we will either grow proud or falter under our own strength. We must help each other, and as Schaeffer urged, learn to say and mean, Lord, please make your strength perfect in my weakness.

-k
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Silvesterzug Laterne: Bk muc. (CC BY-SA 4.0).
The Apostle Paul: Rembrandt.
1Francis Schaeffer, “The Persistence of Compassion,” Death in the City (Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove IL: 1969) 69–70.

I’m using Michael Coley’s Bible reading plan (one page PDF to print) to read through the Bible in 2023. Each day my posts are on different books because he divides Bible readings into seven categories, one for each day of the week: Epistles, The Law, History, Psalms, Poetry, Prophecy and Gospels. There’s more information on his plan and other ones at Read the Bible in 2023.

Copyright ©2011–2023 Iwana Carpenter

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