2 Corinthians 12:9-10 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul now reaches the theological pinnacle of his rhetoric in this section with these verses. This has been his purpose all along: to show his own weakness in order to highlight the grace of Christ who responds to Paul’s suffering with this statement. The response is simple in its wording yet profound in its meaning. “My grace is sufficient” indicates that the grace of God through Christ is just what we need to make it through. All of God’s grace is experienced through the Son who is the Word from God. This Word speaks love to us and gives us assurance and peace in the midst of the storms of life. Sufficient refers to meeting the needs of a situation, being content, having enough. Christ’s grace will see us through.
This grace is “made perfect in weakness.” The word “perfect” can also be translated as “complete.” There is something about suffering that enables us to experience God’s grace in a way that we would not otherwise experience. There is something lacking in our experience of grace when we rely on our own strength and understanding. Going through difficult times makes us aware of a deeper aspect of grace. This aspect is related to the growth of our faith. Paul understood this growth to take place particularly in our weak times which are experienced especially in suffering. Suffering reveals that we are not adequate in ourselves to deal with every situation. There are many things out of our control.
In the New Testament, this suffering is just the general suffering of any human being but suffering for righteousness sake. Jesus gave this beatitude, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (Matthew 5:10-11). The grace of Christ will be most evident when we are doing the will of Christ and living out his purposes for us. This is why Paul had suffered all the things he lists in chs. 11-12.
The assurance of Christ’s grace inspires Paul to embrace his suffering with open arms and acceptance of the situation. This grace moves him to boast gladly in his weaknesses. This is the opposite natural reaction of people and surely of the opponents in Corinth. To boast in this fashion requires humility which is the open door to sanctification and transformation. The “power of Christ” comes through the Holy Spirit whom Christ sends to us as our Helper (John 14:18, 26). This is the same power that spoke creation into existence and performed miracles on earth. This is the power that changes the worst of sinners into the most effective ministers of the gospel. This power would be at work in Paul’s life if he would simply step aside and follow the will of Christ. This is what it means to live the consecrated life.
This life is not always pleasant from an earthly perspective. Paul knew that, and so he had to learn to be content in all situations (Philippians 4:11). It was for Christ’s sake that Paul did this, not for his own pleasure or happiness from a worldly perspective. This goes counter intuitive and counter cultural, especially in industrialized and developed nations today. The push is for more comfort. We all like comfort. We work hard so we can wear comfortable clothes, live in comfortable houses, and drive comfortable cars. These are not necessarily bad but can become idols that consume our attention, focus, and distort even our worship. Paul learned to be content in his “weaknesses, hardship, persecutions, and calamities.” That is an extensive list of difficult situations that covers just about all we will also experience.
The last statement in v. 10 summarizes Paul’s argument from a human perspective but has divine truth behind it. In his weakness, that is when he was the strongest. That is full of irony from a worldly perspective because people seem to be always jostling and maneuvering for positions of power and influence. Paul entrusted his struggles to the grace of Christ and in doing this, found a source of strength not available to those who seek human power. This power is available to everyone, not just great missionaries like Paul. The simple widow lady or the poor orphaned child can experience the power of this grace. People of every race and economic status can live in the power of the grace of Christ. The key to it all is submission of one’s self to the will of Christ. This is something that is learned and we grow into, but it also takes decisive decisions when the obstacles appear before us.
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