2 Corinthians 12:5-6 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— 6 though if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I am speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.
Paul is willing to boast about this “man in Christ” but not attach his name to this. It is easier to boast about someone else than oneself, especially if you are a humble servant of Christ. The only thing Paul will boast in is his weakness. Verse 5 sounds like this humility, but v. 6 changes the matter. Paul could boast of such an experience like this and tell the truth. This is another good indicator that this was his own visionary experience and not another person. If he were to boast in a thing like this, people would think of him differently. Boasting has the affect on other people. People begin to pass a form of judgment, good or bad, upon someone who claims superior experiences, knowledge, or abilities. Paul wanted the churches to see him as a normal person who suffered for his faith. By doing this, he puts the attention on God and not himself.
Anytime we boast about our own strengths, we take the focus away from God. If we are honest about our weaknesses, we allow God’s strength to work in and through us, and people will notice this. One of the strongest testimonies is to give God glory even in our suffering. Paul is attempting to be honest but at the same time take a back seat. Even to be boasting in this visionary experience would be foolish.
This approach puts the opponents in the realm of foolishness. To rely on human abilities and spiritual experiences leads to foolishness. Paul had already written to the Corinthians about this same topic in 1 Corinthians. In ch. 1, he used irony to show that the strength and wisdom of the world are actually the reverse, and what the world understands and weakness and foolishness in the way of the cross is actually the reverse as well. Paul aligned himself with the way of the cross, which is the crucified life of total consecration and dependence upon God.
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