Tonight I actually had to watch from home, and I even started late…whoops?

Paul loved the Corinthians. And he was grieved that they were being ripped off by the false teachers of the area. As such, he talks about a “man” in Christ…this was actually Paul, he’s just that humble. The story talks about a man that went to the Third Heaven (The Place where God Dwells), but he doesn’t describe it as he feels that no word would be adequate. And this is coming from a man that writes so much of the “New Testament” in a very eloquent way.

As an aside, there’s only one section of Revelation that even describes part of Heaven…there’s that veil that still exists as no human tongue could capture what it really is. Psalms also goes into a subjective description (Psalms 16:11).

At Paul would desire to boast, he doesn’t for many reasons…once again, he’s humble. He doesn’t come in saying “I’m the Apostle Paul, I’ve been to Heaven…what do you know about God?” Instead, he comments on his infirmities, because it’s the power of Christ that spurs him on and makes him strong. So, what was his Infirmity? Maybe malaria, an eye disease (Galatians ??), or a million other things. Why not tell us what it is? If he told us, we could look and go “I don’t have that” and not get the point that God can help with any infirmity. God grace and power is more than sufficient (2Cor 12:9) for anyone.

With great power comes great suffering. Take Elija and Elisha, they spend most of their time suffering and being oppressed. A little like Paul really. Or Joseph, or David, or Job. When we give up and are weak in the world, we are strong in The Lord. How one might ask, well, every infirmity is a place and way for God to show his power (12:10).

Paul continues on and tells the people that they should have defended him when the false teachers came. What were they trying to do that he needed defending? They were telling everyone that he wasn’t a real apostle, however he points out that the works of the apostles really were being done (12:12). The false teacher, with their smooth words, really did a number on the Corintians (similar to the Galatians)…but to what point? The point is to take down the grace of God, to put up a barrier and bring people into legalism. Legalism will rob you, not only of your joy but of your joy in the Spirit. As Paul moved on, he comments that the more that he loves the Corinthians (the more he tells them the truth), the less that they love Paul…they were basically accusing Paul of exactly what they were doing: swindling the people and taking disciples away (12:15). The reality is that Paul wasn’t looking for their money, he was looking for their salvation and helping them in their walk with God, not their money (12:18). From Paul, “In the end, I’m not justifying myself against you, I stand before God and He’s the one I do these things for!”

The Corinthian church was a very carnal church, it was highly influenced by the world around it. It was full of various problems. So what was the problem? A lack of God’s word? No. A lack of receiving God’s word. You can’t just hear the Word, you gotta do it (James)! Lack of application, not a lack of education. Paul’s pretty sure that it’s going to be a breaking experience, breaking his heart in all the evils that are going on. As such, he’ll have to be there a disciplinarian, and it greaves him greatly. (12:20-21)

Paul wraps up chapter 13 with his final defense before he comes, saying that they can go ahead and keep sinning and he will show that he is an apostle of The Lord. He continues with reminding them to check their faith, examine their lives, and test their inner core being. We’ve seen this come back, there’s an attitude that seems to make everything ok as long as you think you’re a Christian. As such, examine yourselves (13:5-14). Christ is God, he died and rose again, confess that you’re a sinner and receive God. This causes a change on the outside, for Paul this included loving people even while they were stabbing him in the back. Paul just keeps praying for them and trying to help (12:9), It’s all for edification. not for destruction…sometimes that’s as simple as smiling an other times its as drastic as asking people to leave the church for a certain period of time. Discipline is a tool for edification, and we must try to remind people that we’re “slapping” their hands with a loving ruler.