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Paul’s Visions and Revelations

It is necessary to boast; nothing is to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. ²I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. ³And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— ⁴was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. ⁵On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. ⁶But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, ⁷even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. ⁸Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, ⁹but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ¹⁰Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul’s Concern for the Corinthian Church

¹¹ I have been a fool! You forced me to it. Indeed you should have been the ones commending me, for I am not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. ¹²The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, signs and wonders and mighty works. ¹³How have you been worse off than the other churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!

¹⁴ Here I am, ready to come to you this third time. And I will not be a burden, because I do not want what is yours but you; for children ought not to lay up for their parents, but parents for their children. ¹⁵I will most gladly spend and be spent for you. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? ¹⁶Let it be assumed that I did not burden you. Nevertheless (you say) since I was crafty, I took you in by deceit. ¹⁷Did I take advantage of you through any of those whom I sent to you? ¹⁸I urged Titus to go, and sent the brother with him. Titus did not take advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct ourselves with the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?

¹⁹ Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves before you? We are speaking in Christ before God. Everything we do, beloved, is for the sake of building you up. ²⁰For I fear that when I come, I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish; I fear that there may perhaps be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. ²¹I fear that when I come again, my God may humble me before you, and that I may have to mourn over many who previously sinned and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and licentiousness that they have practiced.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

1. It is not expedient for me to glory Now, when as it were in the middle of the course, he restrains himself from proceeding farther, and in this way he most appropriately reproves the impudence of his rivals and declares that it is with reluctance, that he engages in this sort of contest with them. For what a shame it was to scrape together from every quarter commendations, or rather to go a-begging for them, that they might be on a level with so distinguished a man! As to the latter, he admonishes them by his own example, that the more numerous and the more excellent the graces by which any one of us is distinguished, so much the less ought he to think of his own excellence. For such a thought is exceedingly dangerous, because, like one entering into a labyrinth, the person is immediately dazzled, so as to be too quick-sighted in discerning his gifts, ⁸⁷⁷⁸⁷⁷ ^“Ses dons et graces;” — “His gifts and graces.” while in the mean time he is ignorant of himself. Paul is afraid, lest this should befall him. The graces conferred by God are, indeed, to be acknowledged, that we may be aroused, — first, to gratitude for them, and secondly, to the right improvement of them; but to take occasion from them to boast — that is what cannot be done without great danger.

For I will come ⁸⁷⁸⁸⁷⁸ “I will come Marg ‘For I will’ Our Translators have omitted (γὰρ), for, in the text, evidently supposing that it is a mere expletive. Doddridge renders it ‘nevertheless.’ But it seems to me that it contains an important sense, and that it should be rendered by then. ‘Since it is not fit that I should glory, then I will refer to visions, etc. I will turn away, then, from that subject, and come to another.’ Thus the word (γὰρ), for, is used in John 7:41, ‘Shall then (μὴ γὰρ) Christ come out of Galilee?’ Acts 8:31, ‘How can I then (τῶς γὰρ) except some man should guide me?’” — Barnes. Granville Penn renders the passage as follows: “Must I needs boast? It is not good indeed, yet I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.” This rendering he adopts, as corresponding with the reading of the Vat. and most ancient MS. Καυχᾶσθαι δεῖ οὐ συμφέρον μὲν ἐλεύσομαι δὲ εἰς ὀπτασίας καὶ ἀποκαλύψεις Κυρίου — Ed. to visions. “I shall not creep on the ground, but will be constrained to mount aloft. Hence I am afraid, lest the height of my gifts should hurry me on, so as to lead me to forget myself.” And certainly, if Paul had gloried ambitiously, he would have fallen headlong from a lofty eminence; for it is humility alone that can give stability to our greatness in the sight of God.

Between visions and revelations there is this distinction — that a revelation is often made either in a dream, or by an oracle, without any thing being presented to the eye, while a vision is scarcely ever afforded without a revelation, or in other words, without the Lord’s discovering what is meant by it. ⁸⁷⁹⁸⁷⁹ ^“C’est qu’il signfie en ce qui s’est presente a nous;” — “What he intends in what is presented to our view.”
“Visions” (ὀπτασίας) — symbolical representations of spiritual and celestial things, in which matters of the deepest importance are exhibited to the eve of the mind by a variety of emblems, the nature and properties of which serve to illustrate those spiritual things. — Revelations (ἀποκαλύψεις) — a manifestation of things not before known, and such as God alone can make known, because they are a part of his own inscrutable counsels.” — Dr A. Clarke. — Ed.

2. I knew a man in Christ As he was desirous to restrain himself within bounds, he merely singles out one instance, and that, too, he handles in such a way as to show, that it is not from inclination that he brings it forward; for why does he speak in the person of another rather than in his own? It is as though he had said, “I should have preferred to be silent, I should have preferred to keep the whole matter suppressed within my own mind, but those persons ⁸⁸⁰⁸⁸⁰ ^“Ces opiniastres ambitieux;” — “Those ambitious, obstinate persons.” will not allow me. I shall mention it, therefore, as it were in a stammering way, that it may be seen that I speak through constraint.” Some think that the clause in Christ is introduced for the purpose of confirming what he says. I view it rather as referring to the disposition, so as to intimate that Paul has not here an eye to himself, but looks to Christ exclusively.

When he confesses, that he does not know whether he was in the body, or out of the body, he expresses thereby the more distinctly the greatness of the revelation. For he means, that God dealt with him in such a way, ⁸⁸¹⁸⁸¹ ^“Que Dieu a tellement besongne et precede enuers luy;” — That God had in such a manner wrought and acted towards him.” that he did not himself understand the manner of it. Nor should this appear to us incredible, inasmuch as he sometimes manifests himself to us in such a way, that the manner of his doing so is, nevertheless, hid from our view. ⁸⁸²⁸⁸² ^“Est incomprehensible a nostre sens;” — “Is incomprehensible to our mind.” At the same time, this does not, in any degree, detract from the assurance of faith, which rests simply on this single point — that we are aware that God speaks to us. Nay more, let us learn from this, that we must seek the knowledge of those things only that are necessary to be known, and leave other things to God. (Deuteronomy 29:29.) He says, then, that he does not know, whether he was wholly taken up — soul and body — into heaven, or whether it was his soul only, that was caught up

Fourteen years ago Some ⁸⁸³⁸⁸³ ^“Ne se contentans point de ceci;” — “Not contenting themselves with this.” enquire, also, as to the place, but it does not belong to us to satisfy their curiosity. ⁸⁸⁴⁸⁸⁴ ^“Mais nous n’auons point delibere, et aussi il n’est pas en nous de satisfaire a leur curiosite;” — “But we have not determined as to this, and it does not belong to us to satisfy their curiosity.” The Lord manifested himself to Paul in the beginning by a vision, when he designed to convert him from Judaism to the faith of the gospel, but he was not then admitted as yet into those secrets, as he needed even to be instructed by Ananias in the first rudiments. ⁸⁸⁵⁸⁸⁵ “Es premiers commencemens de la religion;” — “In the first elements of religion.” (Acts 9:12.) That vision, therefore, was nothing but a preparation, with the view of rendering him teachable. It may be, that, in this instance, he refers to that vision, of which he makes mention also, according to Luke’s narrative. (Acts 22:17.) There is no occasion, however, for our giving ourselves much trouble as to these conjectures, as we see that Paul himself kept silence respecting it for fourteen years, ⁸⁸⁶⁸⁸⁶ ^“This vision Paul had kept secret for fourteen years. He had doubtless often thought of it; and the remembrance of that glorious hour was doubtless one of the reasons why he bore trials so patiently, and was willing to endure so much. But before this he had had no occasion to mention it. He had other proofs in abundance that he was called to the work of an Apostle; and to mention this would savour of pride and ostentation. It was only when he was compelled to refer to the evidences of his apostolic mission that he refers to it here.” — Barnes. — Ed. and would not have said one word in reference to it, had not the unreasonableness of malignant persons constrained him.

Even to the third heaven. He does not here distinguish between the different heavens in the manner of the philosophers, so as to assign to each planet its own heaven. On the other hand, the number three is made use of (κατ ἐζοχὴν) by way of eminence, to denote what is highest and most complete. Nay more, the term heaven, taken by itself, denotes here the blessed and glorious kingdom of God, which is above all the spheres, ⁸⁸⁷⁸⁸⁷ ^“Par dessus tons les cieux;” — “Above all the heavens.” and the firmament itself, and even the entire frame-work of the world. Paul, however, not contenting himself with the simple term, ⁸⁸⁸⁸⁸⁸ ^“Non content de nommer simplement le ciel;” — “Not contented with simply employing the term heaven.” adds, that he had reached even the greatest height, and the innermost recesses. For our faith scales heaven and enters it, and those that are superior to others in knowledge get higher in degree and elevation, but to reach the third heavens has been granted to very few.

⁸⁷⁷ “Ses dons et graces;” — “His gifts and graces.”

⁸⁷⁸ “I will come Marg ‘For I will’ Our Translators have omitted (γὰρ), for, in the text, evidently supposing that it is a mere expletive. Doddridge renders it ‘nevertheless.’ But it seems to me that it contains an important sense, and that it should be rendered by then. ‘Since it is not fit that I should glory, then I will refer to visions, etc. I will turn away, then, from that subject, and come to another.’ Thus the word (γὰρ), for, is used in John 7:41, ‘Shall then (μὴ γὰρ) Christ come out of Galilee?’ Acts 8:31, ‘How can I then (τῶς γὰρ) except some man should guide me?’” — Barnes. Granville Penn renders the passage as follows: “Must I needs boast? It is not good indeed, yet I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.” This rendering he adopts, as corresponding with the reading of the Vat. and most ancient MS. Καυχᾶσθαι δεῖ οὐ συμφέρον μὲν ἐλεύσομαι δὲ εἰς ὀπτασίας καὶ ἀποκαλύψεις Κυρίου — Ed.

⁸⁷⁹ “C’est qu’il signfie en ce qui s’est presente a nous;” — “What he intends in what is presented to our view.” “Visions” (ὀπτασίας) — symbolical representations of spiritual and celestial things, in which matters of the deepest importance are exhibited to the eve of the mind by a variety of emblems, the nature and properties of which serve to illustrate those spiritual things. — Revelations (ἀποκαλύψεις) — a manifestation of things not before known, and such as God alone can make known, because they are a part of his own inscrutable counsels.” — Dr A. Clarke. — Ed.

⁸⁸⁰ “Ces opiniastres ambitieux;” — “Those ambitious, obstinate persons.”

⁸⁸¹ “Que Dieu a tellement besongne et precede enuers luy;” — That God had in such a manner wrought and acted towards him.”

⁸⁸² “Est incomprehensible a nostre sens;” — “Is incomprehensible to our mind.”

⁸⁸³ “Ne se contentans point de ceci;” — “Not contenting themselves with this.”

⁸⁸⁴ “Mais nous n’auons point delibere, et aussi il n’est pas en nous de satisfaire a leur curiosite;” — “But we have not determined as to this, and it does not belong to us to satisfy their curiosity.”

⁸⁸⁵ “Es premiers commencemens de la religion;” — “In the first elements of religion.”

⁸⁸⁶ “This vision Paul had kept secret for fourteen years. He had doubtless often thought of it; and the remembrance of that glorious hour was doubtless one of the reasons why he bore trials so patiently, and was willing to endure so much. But before this he had had no occasion to mention it. He had other proofs in abundance that he was called to the work of an Apostle; and to mention this would savour of pride and ostentation. It was only when he was compelled to refer to the evidences of his apostolic mission that he refers to it here.” — Barnes. — Ed.

⁸⁸⁷ “Par dessus tons les cieux;” — “Above all the heavens.”

⁸⁸⁸ “Non content de nommer simplement le ciel;” — “Not contented with simply employing the term heaven.”