2 Corinthians 12:1-10
My Grace Is Sufficient
1I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to gain, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.
2I 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 it I do not know, but God knows.
3And I know that this man—whether in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows—
4was caught up to Paradise. The things he heard were inexpressible, things that man is not permitted to tell.
5I will boast about such a man, but I will not boast about myself, except in my weaknesses.
6Even if I wanted to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me,
7or because of these surpassingly great revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
9But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.
10That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Berean Standard Bible
Paul continues his reluctant boasting by speaking about visions and revelations. He describes a man in Christ who fourteen years earlier was caught up to the third heaven and Paradise. Twice Paul says he does not know whether this happened in the body or outside the body. God knows, and Paul refuses to claim certainty he does not have.
He heard things that cannot be expressed and that people are not permitted to tell. Paul could boast about such a person, but he will not boast about himself except in his weaknesses. Even if he told the truth about the vision, he would rather people judge him by what they see and hear in his life than give him more credit because of a private experience.
Paul says that to keep him from becoming conceited, he was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment him. We are not told exactly what the thorn was. Paul pleaded three times for the Lord to take it away, and the Lord answered that His grace was sufficient and His power perfected in weakness.
Paul therefore says he will boast gladly in weaknesses so Christ's power may rest on him. He does not call evil good or claim to enjoy pain for its own sake. He has learned that weakness can become the place where dependence on Christ is most visible. “When I am weak, then I am strong” means strong in the Lord's power, not self-sufficient in his own.
Questions
1 What does Paul refuse to claim about the heavenly experience?
AnswerHe refuses to claim whether it occurred in the body or outside the body because only God knows.
2 Why does Paul avoid boasting in the vision?
AnswerHe wants people to judge him by his visible life rather than by an extraordinary private experience.
3 What did Paul ask the Lord to do?
AnswerHe pleaded three times for the Lord to remove the painful thorn in his flesh.
4 What did the Lord answer?
AnswerThe Lord answered that His grace was sufficient and His power was perfected in weakness.
What This Means for Us
We are not told what Paul's thorn was, so we should not confidently label every illness, disability, trauma, or hardship as the same thing. The promise is not that pain is harmless. It is that Christ's grace is sufficient in weakness.
Ask for healing and help without shame. At the same time, do not conclude that unanswered prayer proves spiritual failure. A dependent life can display Christ's power even while it longs for relief.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, meet us in the weaknesses we cannot explain or remove. Give us courage to ask for help and healing, humility to receive grace, and confidence that Your power is present with us. Amen.