seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
2 Corinthians 12:1 I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. 5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
11 I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,”[a] even though I am nothing. 12 I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles. 13 How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!
14 Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? 16 Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! 17 Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent to you? 18 I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?
19 Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening. 20 For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. 21 I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulge
a. 2 Corinthians 12:11 Or the most eminent apostles
It sounds like Paul is wrapping up..... but wait.... he says he knows a guy who went to the third heaven.... what the heck.... the commentary this morning is from the easy English site.Paul’s opponents said that they had a lot of visions and other spiritual experiences. They wanted to know if Paul had any such experiences. These would prove that he was an apostle.
Paul describes an experience that he had 14 years earlier (about the year AD 41.) He does not want to say that he himself had this experience. He did not remember how this experience happened. He does not tell us about what happened. It was something that he could not explain. Perhaps it was an event that he could not explain in human language. Paul does not want to be proud about this experience. It was not the proof that God had sent him. That is what his opponents would have said. They wanted people to consider them by their experiences. The proof that Christ has sent Paul was not his experience 14 years earlier. It was in Paul’s words and actions while he was with them.
Paul was not proud because God gave him a very bad physical pain. But Paul may not actually mean a pain in his body. ‘The word means something sharp and painful that sticks deeply in the flesh. You cannot get it out. We do not know what this was. It was like every Christian’s experience of some physical or psychological problem. God gave him this to keep him humble and therefore fruitful in his service.’ (Hughes) It was a messenger from Satan. God allowed Satan to attack Paul in this way. God had allowed him to attack Job in a similar way. Paul prayed three times for God to remove this pain. God told him that his free goodness was all that Paul needed. We may pray that God will set us free from such troubles. Sometimes he does not because they can keep us closer to Christ. We can know his power working by our weakness. It protects us like a shelter.
Paul reminds them that God did signs and wonders and miracles. These showed he was an apostle. He was not inferior to the men who called themselves ‘superior apostles’ at Corinth. The only way that he treated Corinth differently from other churches was this. He did not ask them for money. He was sorry if he was unfair about this!
Paul tells them that he was preparing for a third visit. He tells them why he did not want to accept help from them. They thought that he wanted their money. They thought that he was cheating them in order to make a profit. Titus had collected money. But they thought that Paul had taken some of this money. Paul denied this. Parents should help their children. Children should not help their parents, he says. He is like their father in Christ. He would spend all his money and his strength to help them. He reminds them that neither he nor Titus had used them to make a profit. Both had wanted to help them.
This is from the bible-studys.org commentary.Six of Paul’s visions are recorded in Acts, and his letters speak of revelations he had received.
Acts 9:12 “And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting [his] hand on him, that he might receive his sight.”
Acts 16:9-10 “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” “And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.”
Acts 18:9 “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:”
Acts 22:17-18 “And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;” “And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.”
Acts 27:23-24 “For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,” “Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.”
"Visions" means presentation while neither sleeping or awake. You might be awake, but not aware of other things around you. The Lord revealed Himself to Paul in this manner.
Verse 4 shows this “third heaven” and Paradise is the same place. The first heaven is the earth’s atmosphere; the second is interplanetary and interstellar space; and the third is the abode of God.
Whether Paul had a vision, or was carried away into heaven to the presence of God, really does not matter. What does matter is that Paul had a close encounter with God. There are very few instances like this in the Bible.
We see in this, that Paul earnestly prayed 3 times to be healed, and God said no. We must carefully examine the guilt trip some ministers put on people who do not get healed. Sometimes it is not the will of God to heal you. It is God's business who he heals. We must not stop praying, but it is not our business whether they are healed or not, it is God's business.
The purpose of miraculous signs was to authenticate the apostles as God’s messengers. The miracle of the Corinthians’ salvation was also a mark of Paul’s apostleship.
Paul did heal the sick and cast out devils. In all of the ministry the Lord Jesus brought, the most important thing was to preach the gospel. On the trip to Rome, when Paul was shipwrecked, the people thought Paul to be a god, when he threw the poison serpent off, after it bit Paul. Paul had to tell the people not to worship him.
Paul says that he does not have to answer to them, but to Christ. Paul's teaching them to give to those in need was to build them up, not to tear them down. If their giving was with such regret, I doubt it would do them any good. Giving should be done with a free heart.
Ok.... Paul dictated or wrote Acts.... and in Acts.... it is said that six times Paul had visions. Now I believed that Abram had visions..... I believed Saul saw stuff that wasn't there..... I believe Moses talked to God so long he had a physical glow when he got back to the humans in the valley.... so why is it so hard for me to believe Paul had visions?The people in Corinth were street smart. They knew tricks of the trade.... how not to be cheated.... they dealt with drinking, drugs, lies, addictions, and all kinds of heart hardening trials every day. There were male and female prostitutes from the temple of Aphrodite [a brothel] so they were not about to let someone toting such a strange message get one over on them. They knew that when you perform a service.... you get paid. There was a problem with Paul because he was performing a service for free.... but then asking them to load up a cart with gold so he could take it back to the city....
Paul really was horrible at getting his point across..... nobody believed him.... but then again.... they didn't believe Moses at times either.
Paul's chief complaint is that no one believes that he really is a Christian. His looks are a hindrance. His lack of public speaking expertise is a hindrance. His actions are peculiar.... [i.e. refusing payment for services rendered].
If those people load up that cart with gold from the coffers in the church in Corinth.... that would be a miracle..... and God will have proven Paul's authority.
