2 Corinthians 12
Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh
12:1 It is necessary to go on boasting. Though it is not profitable, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.
The Holy Spirit is going to allow Paul to boast again, because it is the only way to reach the immature Corinthians. Paul is going to compare his qualifications to the Judaizers and to the super-apostles.
12:2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago (whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows) was caught up to the third heaven.
The Greek word for "know" is οἶδα (oida), meaning to see and understand with spiritual insight. The Greek verb is perfect active indicative, meaning that the perfect action was a onetime completed action of the past that continues forever. The verb is active, meaning that Paul himself experienced the action. The mood is indicative, meaning that it is a 100% statement of fact. Paul spiritually understood that his personal experience was a 100% statement of fact.
The man in Christ was Paul. Notice that Paul, like all believers, is inside of Christ. Once a person believes on Christ, then he is baptized into the body of Christ.
Fourteen years ago were the years 42-44 A.D., a time before or just after Paul's first missionary journey. About this time, Paul was stoned and left for dead at Lystra. Since the stoners would not have left Paul in the street unless he was dead, Paul was most likely stoned to death, taken to the third heaven, and then raised from the dead to continue his ministry. After this resurrection, Paul would become a tremendous testimony to God's power and message.
Paul does not know if he visited the third heaven in body or spirit.
The Greek word for "caught up" is ἁρπάζω (harpazo), meaning to suddenly and decisively to snatch up by an open display of force. This is the same word that is used for the Rapture of the church.
Paul was raptured to the third heaven. The first heaven is the atmosphere where the birds of the heavens fly. The second heaven is the atmosphere where the sun, moon, planets, and stars settle. The third heaven is the place of God's throne, the place called Paradise.
The Lord Jesus said, “And no man has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven” (John 3:13) If no man has ascended up to heaven, then this means that Enoch and Elijah were not permitted into the third heaven. They may have been transported to the first or second heaven, but not the third heaven. According to the Scriptures, all who die in Christ are transported to be present with Christ in the third heaven. Paul was the first human to be transported to the third heaven and return back to earth. In Revelation 4, John will be the second person to make this same travel.
12:3 And I know that this man (whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows)
Was Paul dead or was he unconscious? We do not know. The death theory is just a possibility. There are many charismatic preachers who claim that they do know, but if Paul did not know, neither do the charismatics.
12:4 was caught up into paradise and heard things too sacred to be put into words, things that a person is not permitted to speak.
There are some people who claim that they have died, gone to the third heaven, talked to Christ, and then they return, write a book, tell people what they saw, and they gain a lot of profit from the book. Notice here that Paul was not allowed to tell what he saw.
There was a past author named Richard Eby who claimed that he fell down from a window, hit his head, died, went to the third heaven, wrote a book, and told everyone about his experience. He also made the comment that Christ would return before his death. Well, he died, and Christ has not returned yet, so he was a false prophet. Therefore, beware of these scam artists.
12:5 On behalf of such an individual I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except about my weaknesses.
The Corinthians were immature and wanted to hear the supernatural. Paul could have boasted about these things that he experienced in the third heaven, but his divine viewpoint was so strong that he chose to boast about his human weaknesses.
12:6 For even if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I would be telling the truth, but I refrain from this so that no one may regard me beyond what he sees in me or what he hears from me,
Paul wanted to be judged only by the gospel that he taught.
12:7 even because of the extraordinary character of the revelations. Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me – so that I would not become arrogant.
The Greek word for "extraordinary character" is ὑπερβολή (huperbolay), an emphatic term meaning beyond measure.
The Greek word for "revelation" is ἀποκάλυψις (apokalupsis), meaning new information from God that has never been revealed. Paul was receiving new revelation from God that was incredibly beyond measure.
The Greek word for "arrogant" is ὑπεραίρω (huperairow), meaning to lift one's attitude above others. God did not want this new incredible revelation to cause Paul to believe that he was better than others.
The Greek word for "thorn in the flesh" is σκόλοψ τῇ σαρκί (skolo tay sarki), meaning a sharp thorn or stake that produces pain to the skin.
The Greek word for "messenger of Satan" is ἄγγελος Σατανᾶ (angelos satana), meaning a supernatural messenger from the Satan, who is the adversary of God. God had allowed Satan to send a fallen angel, or a demon, to torment Paul.
The Greek word for "trouble" is κολαφίζω (kolaphizo), meaning to strike violently with the knuckles of the fist. The demon had a thorn in his fist and he continually struck Paul violently in order to keep him humble.
As with Job, Satan was the immediate cause of Paul's torment. However, it was ultimately God's cause, because God allowed it to happen for his glory. Paul had so many new divine revelations directly from God Himself, that God allowed Satan to keep Paul humble.
The application is that Satan wants to remove God's witnesses from this world. He will use disease, family members, church members, personal wealth and fame, or any other thorn in the flesh in order to accomplish this purpose. However, Satan is on a chain. Satan must have permission from God in order to place a thorn in the flesh of those who teach the gospel.
Paul's thorn in the flesh may have been his vision. He was blinded on the road to Damascus. In Galatians, he had to write his name in big letters. Many historians like to claim that Rome fell because of high taxes, corruption, expanded territory, disloyal foreign soldiers, and corruption. It is very possible that Paul's thorn in the flesh, his blindness, may have brought down the Roman Empire.
12:8 I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me.
The Greek article is used, meaning that Paul was speaking to the Lord Jesus. The Greek word for "asked" is παρακαλέω (parakaleow), meaning to beg in a close and personal manner. The verb is in the aorist active indicative tense, meaning that Paul asked three times in the past and never asked again.
12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me.
The Greek word for "grace" is χάρις (chars), meaning great favor given by God because of His kindness. The Greek word for "enough" is ἀρκέω (arkeow), meaning sufficient or satisfied. The Greek word for "power" is δύναμις (dynamos), meaning divine power. The Greek word for "perfect" is τελέω (teleow), meaning completed or had reached the end goal. The Greek word for "weakness" is ἀσθένεια (asthenia), meaning no strength or capacity.
The Lord Jesus told Paul that he had given him great favor and the favor was sufficient for Paul to complete his ministry. Christ's divine power comes to a completion by using weak vessels who do not have the strength or capacity to humanly fulfill the job. Paul was simply a weak vessel that humanly could not fulfill his ministry. Therefore, everyone who saw Paul in the weak human condition knew that he was only able to do God's will by the power of God.
12:10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
The Spirit of God came upon Samson and made him physically strong, but there came a day when he became very weak. Paul was very weak physically, but he brought down the mighty Roman Empire, turning it from paganism to Christ. Through God, the strong are made weak, but the weak are made strong.
The Signs of an Apostle
12:11 I have become a fool. You yourselves forced me to do it, for I should have been commended by you. For I lack nothing in comparison to those “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.
The super-apostles were the original 12 apostles. God gave Paul the divine power to reach more people than the other 12 apostles combined, but Paul looked upon himself as nothing. Paul was forced to boast about his apostolic authority, even though it made him uncomfortable, because of the low maturity level of the Corinthians.
12:12 Indeed, the signs of an apostle were performed among you with great perseverance by signs and wonders and powerful deeds.
Paul authenticated his apostleship by performing miraculous sign gifts in Corinth. Notice that these were "signs of an apostle". Only the apostles and their legates were given the ability to perform sign gifts to authenticate that their message was from God. This verse is not about modern miracles taking place in the charismatic churches today. Many of the modern miracles are either fraudulent or demonic.
The apostles could heal every person who came to them, raise the dead, and speak in tongues so that everyone could hear the gospel in the language of their birth. None of these miracles can be repeated today in an inconclusive manner. Satan may be able to duplicate a partiality of these signs among his followers in order to deceive others, but no charismatic can clear every hospital, raise the dead, or speak where everyone hears tongues in the language of their birth.
12:13 For how were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this injustice!
Paul was using sarcasm, saying, "Do you think I made you inferior to the rest of the churches because I did not take money from you?"
12:14 Look, for the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you, because I do not want your possessions, but you. For children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.
Paul was the founder and spiritual father of the Corinthian church. He reminded them that the parents were to care for their children. Therefore, on his next visit, he will again not ask them to care for him. Instead, he will feed them spiritually.
12:15 Now I will most gladly spend and be spent for your lives! If I love you more, am I to be loved less?
The more that Paul loves the Corinthians, the less the Corinthians love him. Paul would gladly spend his life for his Corinthian children.
12:16 But be that as it may, I have not burdened you. Yet because I was a crafty person, I took you in by deceit!
Paul was never a burden to the Corinthians, as he supported himself through his tent business. He was not a crafty person trying to deceive them out of their money. He simply preached the gospel.
12:17 I have not taken advantage of you through anyone I have sent to you, have I?
Evidently, the false teachers had accused Paul of stealing money from the Jerusalem collection.
12:18 I urged Titus to visit you and I sent our brother along with him. Titus did not take advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit? Did we not behave in the same way?
The false teachers also falsely identified Titus as a fellow thief.
12:19 Have you been thinking all this time that we have been defending ourselves to you? We are speaking in Christ before God, and everything we do, dear friends, is to build you up.
The Corinthians are not the judge of Paul. God is the Judge. Paul was not trying to build himself up. He was attempting to build up the Corinthians by teaching them Bible doctrine.
12:20 For I am afraid that somehow when I come I will not find you what I wish, and you will find me not what you wish. I am afraid that somehow there may be quarreling, jealousy, intense anger, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.
Paul had hoped that he would come to a mature Corinthian church. Instead, he finds an immature church that is quarreling, jealous, angry, selfish, slanderous, gossipy, arrogant, and in great disorder.
12:21 I am afraid that when I come again, my God may humiliate me before you, and I will grieve for many of those who previously sinned and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and licentiousness that they have practiced.
Corinth was the sin city of the Roman Empire. The Corinthians had been falsely judging Paul. If they do not change their tune, then on his next visit, Paul may have to judge the Corinthians with his apostolic authority. This type of visit would make Paul very sad.