2 Corinthians: Whose Ministry is It, Anyway? Ministry Pride Lesson Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12 HCSB

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1 May 31, Corinthians: Whose Ministry is It, Anyway? Ministry Pride Lesson Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12 HCSB Key Passage 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, Dig Deeper? You can do additional reading and research on 2 Corinthians 12 using the commentary at: Step by Step through the Week Monday: Begin your week of study by praying that the Holy Spirit would reveal God s truth to you and provide the wisdom you will need to obey God s word. Read 2 Corinthians 12 Read the following chapter summary: In this difficult chapter, Paul continued to rebuke the Corinthians for their disloyalty and complaining spirit. He defended his authority once again with a veiled reference to a man s revelation of heaven given to him by God; but his real boast was not the heavenly vision, but in his thorn in the flesh given to Paul by God (or allowed by God). This weakness was given to Paul to prove God s strength. Once again, Paul mentioned his superiority over the deceptive super-apostles ; to prove it, he pointed out how he was not nor would he ever be a burden to them (exposing the financial motives of the false teachers). He poured out his heart before them and asked them to see him for who he truly was and recognize his love and dedication for them. Noting that he would be coming to see them soon, Paul feared this trip may be a difficult one, especially if he found the church caught in sin and disobedience. Identify key words or major ideas in the chapter. Reread the passage. What has the Spirit of God taught you after reading through this chapter?

2 Tuesday: Read 2 Corinthians 12. If possible, read the passage in two or three different versions of the Bible. Multiple versions are available at Observe: 2 Corinthians 12:1-7a In your own words, describe the story Paul told about the man he knew. How does Paul indicate that the man is actually him? What does the apostle say to explain his purpose for sharing the story? Examine: 2 Corinthians 12:1-7a THIRD HEAVEN: The Bible speaks of only one eternal home for believers in which all of God's people will ultimately dwell with Him forever. However, there has been much confusion on this topic due to a passage in 2 Corinthians 12 in which Paul speaks of a third heaven. What did he mean by this? Although stated in an anonymous fashion (v. 2), it appears clear that Paul spoke of himself when discussing his vision of the third heaven. In it, he made reference to the cultural idea that included three levels of "heaven." The first level referred to the sky. In fact, the Greek and Hebrew words for heaven and sky are the same. The second level referred to the night skies or what we would call outer space. The third heaven referred to the unseen heaven where God dwells with His people. In addition to this passage, many people have been confused about levels of heaven because of the popular writing by Dante called The Divine Comedy. In this fictional story, he describes nine levels of heaven with details regarding each level. Further, many other religious movements speak of multiple levels of heaven or the afterlife. Both Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormon Church have concepts of the afterlife that include more than one level of what would be considered heaven. However, these concepts are not traditional biblical interpretations but rather interpretations unique to these movements. While there are many views of heaven and the afterlife found in cultural and religious teachings, the Bible presents only two places in the afterlife heaven and hell and does not teach multiple levels of heaven. All of God's people will dwell in God's presence forever. (adapted from compellingtruth.org)

3 When Paul tells the story of his transport to heaven (although he tells it in third person), he is boasting to some degree. What is the point he is trying to make about boasting? Apply: 2 Corinthians 12:2-7a How can you tell if someone is spiritually proud? Does pride have any place in the Christian life? Explain. Wednesday: Read 2 Corinthians 12. If possible, read the passage in two or three different versions of the Bible. Multiple versions are available at Observe: 2 Corinthians 12:7b-10 Why did God give Paul a thorn in the flesh? According to Paul, why did God give him the thorn? What is Paul s response to living with a constant thorn in his life?

4 Examine: 2 Corinthians 12:7b-10 THORN IN THE FLESH: Paul speaks of a thorn in the flesh in 2 Corinthians 12:7. He calls it a messenger of Satan that had a purpose of torment. Many explanations have been put forward, but whether Paul is referring to a physical, spiritual, or emotional affliction or something else entirely has never been answered with satisfaction. Some of the more popular theories of the thorn s interpretation include temptation, a chronic eye problem, malaria, migraines, epilepsy, speech disability, or another person who opposed his ministry (2 Tim 4:14). No one can say for sure what Paul s thorn in the flesh was, but it was a source of real pain in the apostle s life. Paul clues us in concerning the thorn s purpose: To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations. So, God s goal in allowing the thorn in the flesh was to keep Paul humble. Anyone who had encountered Jesus and was commissioned personally by Him (Acts 9:2-8) would, in his natural state, become puffed up. Add to that the fact that Paul was moved by the Holy Spirit to write much of the New Testament, and it is easy to see how Paul could become proud. No one likes to live in pain. Paul sought the Lord three times to remove this source of pain from him (2 Cor 12:8). He probably had many good reasons why he should be pain-free: he could have a more effective ministry; he could reach more people with the gospel; he could glorify God even more! But, Paul learned that God s power is made perfect in weakness (verse 9). God likely wanted Paul s difficulty to be described in general enough terms to apply to any difficulty we may face now. We can know that God has a purpose and that His grace is all-sufficient. (adapted from gotquestions.org) In 12:10, Paul uses a paradox: when I am weak, then I am strong. List and describe at least three examples of this paradox in heroes of the faith throughout Scripture. Apply: 2 Corinthians 12:7b-10 How has God used weakness in your life to demonstrate His strength? On the other hand, when have you tried to do something for God in your own power and failed as a result?

5 Thursday: Read 2 Corinthians 12. If possible, read the passage from a different version of the Bible. Observe: 2 Corinthians 12:14-21 What terms does Paul use to describe his relationship with the Corinthian believers? What does Paul say is his ultimate goal for coming to them? However, what does he fear he will find when he arrives? Examine: 2 Corinthians 12:14-21 CARNAL CHRISTIANS: Can a true Christian be carnal? In answering this question, let s first define the term carnal. The word carnal is translated from the Greek word sarkikos, which means fleshly. This descriptive word is seen in the context of Christians in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. In this passage, the apostle Paul is addressing the readers as brethren, a term he uses almost exclusively to refer to other Christians; he then goes on to describe them as carnal. Therefore, we can conclude that Christians can be carnal. The Bible is absolutely clear that no one is sinless (1 John 1:8). Every time we sin, we are acting carnally. The key thing to understand is that while a Christian can be, for a time, carnal, a true Christian will not remain carnal for a lifetime. Some have abused the idea of a carnal Christian by saying that it is possible for people to come to faith in Christ and then proceed to live the rest of their lives in a completely carnal manner, with no evidence of being born again or a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). Such a concept is completely unbiblical. James 2 makes it abundantly clear that genuine faith will always result in good works. Christians who become carnal in their behavior can expect God to lovingly discipline them (Heb 12:5-11) so they can be restored to close fellowship with Him and be trained to obey Him. God s desire in saving us is that we would progressively grow closer to the image of Christ (Rom 12:1-2), becoming increasingly spiritual and decreasingly carnal, a process known as sanctification. For a genuine believer in Christ, carnality will be the exception, not the rule. (adapted from gotquestions.org)

6 Paul lists a number of sins he expects to find within the church when he returns (12:21). Read 1 Corinthians 5. How does this chapter explain why the Corinthian church may have continued to tolerate the open sin of its members? Apply: 2 Corinthians 12:14-21 What is your normal response to other church members who disappoint with their sinful behavior? How can you respond to sin in your congregation without becoming spiritually prideful? Friday: Read 2 Corinthians 12 and the following devotional from J.C. Philpot: "My grace is sufficient for you--for my strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9 How mysterious are God's dealings! That such a highly-favored man as Paul should come down from the "third heaven" to the very gates of hell (that is not too strong an expression, for "the messenger of Satan" came from hell), that he should sink in soul-feeling to the very gates of hell, there to be buffeted by "the messenger of Satan;" and all to teach him a lesson that heaven did not teach him--the strength of God made perfect in weakness! Do you not think, that if WE are to learn our weakness, we must learn it in the same way? How did Paul get his religion? And must we not get ours, in our feebler measure, through the same channels, by the same means, and by the same inward teachings? If we are to learn the secret of Christ's strength, it is not by making daily advances in fleshly holiness, and getting stronger in SELF day by day. It is not by old nature being so mended and improved, as bye and bye to be shaded off into grace, just as the colors in the rainbow are so harmoniously blended that you can scarcely tell where the one ends and the other begins. For this is what is really meant by "progressive sanctification," that the old nature is so gradually softened and blended into grace, that we can scarcely tell where the old man ceases and the new nature commences.

7 Did the Apostle learn Christ's strength in that way? No; but by being buffeted by Satan's messenger, and thus being beaten out of his own strength, he found Christ's strength made perfect in his weakness.