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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.

16. But be it so. These words intimate, that Paul had been blamed by malevolent persons, as though he had in a clandestine way procured, through means of hired persons, what he had refused to receive with his own hands ⁹³⁴⁹³⁴ ^“This passage is so far from being friendly to the exercise of guile, that it is a manifest disavowal of it. It is an irony. The Apostle does not describe what had actually been his conduct, but that of which he stood accused by the Corinthian teachers. They insinuated, that he was a sly, crafty man, going about preaching, persuading, and catching people with guile. Paul acknowledges, that he and his colleagues did, indeed, ‘persuade men,’ and could not do otherwise, for ‘the love of Christ constrained them.’ (2 Corinthians 5:11, 14.) But he indignantly repels the insinuation of its being from mercenary motives. ‘We have wronged no man,’ says he, ‘we have corrupted no man; we have defrauded no man.’ (2 Corinthians 7:2.) Having denied the charge, he shows the absurdity of it. Mercenary men, who wish to draw people after them, have an end to answer: and ‘What end,’ says Paul, ‘could I have in view, in persuading you to embrace the gospel? Have I gained any thing by you? When I was with you, was I burdensome to you? No: nor, as things are, will I be burdensome. Yet being crafty, forsooth, I caught you with guile.’” — Fuller’ s Works, volume 3. — Ed. — not that he had done any such thing, but they “measure others,” as they say, “by their own ell.” ⁹³⁵⁹³⁵ The reader will find the same proverb made use of by Calvin, when commenting on 1 Corinthians 7:36. (See vol. 1, p. 265.) He probably alludes, in both instances, to a sentiment of Horace: “Metiri se quenquam suo modulo ac pede verum est;” — “It is proper, that every one should measure himself by his own measure and foot.” (Hor. Epist. 1.7. 98.) — Ed. For it is customary for the wicked impudently to impute to the servants of God, whatever they would themselves do, if they had it in their power. Hence, Paul is constrained, with the view of clearing himself of a charge impudently fabricated, ⁹³⁶⁹³⁶ “Pour refuter et repousser loin de soy le blasme qu’on auoit controuue impudemment;” — “With the view of repelling, and putting far away from himself the blame which they had inpudently contrived.” to defend the integrity of those whom he sent, for if they had committed any error, it would have been reckoned to his account. Now, who would be surprised at his being so cautious as to alms, when he had been harassed by such unfair judgments as to his conduct, after having made use of every precaution? ⁹³⁷⁹³⁷ ^“Veu qu’on semoit de luy des souspectons et iugemens si iniques, apres qu’il auoit si diligemment pourueu a toutes choses?” — “Inasmuch as they propagated such unfair surmises and judgments respecting him, after he had so carefully used precaution as to every thing?” Let his case, however, be a warning to us, not to look upon it as a thing that is new and intolerable, if at any time we find occasion to answer similar calumnies; but, more especially, let this be an admonition to us to use strict caution, not to furnish any handle to revilers. For we see, that it is not enough to give evidence of being ourselves upright, if those, whose assistance we have made use of, are not, also, found to be so. Hence, our choice of them must not be made lightly, or as a matter of mere form, but with the utmost possible care.

⁹³⁴ “This passage is so far from being friendly to the exercise of guile, that it is a manifest disavowal of it. It is an irony. The Apostle does not describe what had actually been his conduct, but that of which he stood accused by the Corinthian teachers. They insinuated, that he was a sly, crafty man, going about preaching, persuading, and catching people with guile. Paul acknowledges, that he and his colleagues did, indeed, ‘persuade men,’ and could not do otherwise, for ‘the love of Christ constrained them.’ (2 Corinthians 5:11, 14.) But he indignantly repels the insinuation of its being from mercenary motives. ‘We have wronged no man,’ says he, ‘we have corrupted no man; we have defrauded no man.’ (2 Corinthians 7:2.) Having denied the charge, he shows the absurdity of it. Mercenary men, who wish to draw people after them, have an end to answer: and ‘What end,’ says Paul, ‘could I have in view, in persuading you to embrace the gospel? Have I gained any thing by you? When I was with you, was I burdensome to you? No: nor, as things are, will I be burdensome. Yet being crafty, forsooth, I caught you with guile.’” — Fuller’ s Works, volume 3. — Ed.

⁹³⁵ The reader will find the same proverb made use of by Calvin, when commenting on 1 Corinthians 7:36. (See vol. 1, p. 265.) He probably alludes, in both instances, to a sentiment of Horace: “Metiri se quenquam suo modulo ac pede verum est;” — “It is proper, that every one should measure himself by his own measure and foot.” (Hor. Epist. 1.7. 98.) — Ed.

⁹³⁶ “Pour refuter et repousser loin de soy le blasme qu’on auoit controuue impudemment;” — “With the view of repelling, and putting far away from himself the blame which they had inpudently contrived.”

⁹³⁷ “Veu qu’on semoit de luy des souspectons et iugemens si iniques, apres qu’il auoit si diligemment pourueu a toutes choses?” — “Inasmuch as they propagated such unfair surmises and judgments respecting him, after he had so carefully used precaution as to every thing?”