Paul provides four proofs of his apostleship.
His Revelations from Christ, vv. 1-6
A. Paul recounts an experience he had 14 years previous to the Corinthian letter:
1. Possibly referring to his “left-for-dead” stoning at Lystra in Acts 14:19-20.
2. Whether he was in the body or in the spirit, he did not know.
3. He was caught up into the third heaven:
a. The first heaven is the heaven of the birds.
b. The second heaven is the heaven of the stars, moon, and planets.
c. The third heaven is the heaven where God and Jesus are seated on thrones.
B. The word “paradise” does not appear in the Old Testament. The Septuagint translators used the word to translate “the Garden of Eden.” The word is used only three times:
1. Christ told the dying thief: “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise,” Luke 23:43.
2. Here in verse 4.
3. Christ told the church at Ephesus: “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God,” Revelation 2:7.
4. “Paradise” seems to be the region of the third heaven where all the departed saints are blissfully awaiting the day of Christ’s rapture of the church.
C. The revelation that Paul received he was prohibited from sharing. The fact that God shared this revelation with Paul confirms that Paul is Christ’s apostle.
His Thorn in the Flesh, vv. 7-10
A. Spiritual blessings are more important than physical ones. “Faith healers” who preach that sickness is a sin have a hard time with this chapter.
B. Unanswered prayer does not always mean the need is not met. God always answers the need even though it seems He is not answering the prayer.
C. Weakness is strength if Christ is in it. Remember Gideon’s pitchers, David’s sling, and Moses’ rod.
D. There is grace to meet every need. Grace enabled Paul to accept his weakness, glory in it, and take pleasure in it! Paul knew that his weakness would bring glory to Christ, and that is all that mattered.
His Apostolic Signs, vv. 11-18
A. Paul’s first apostolic sign is “patience.” Paul’s steadfast endurance under trial gave evidence that he was divinely called and commissioned.
B. Paul’s second apostolic sign is his attitude toward money. A true servant of Christ cannot have a love of money. Paul reminds them that he and Titus proved their sincere love for the church in the way they supported themselves and generously helped the Corinthians.
C. Miracles and signs alone are no proof that a man is sent from God, because Satan also has miraculous credentials (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17). When a servant’s life and motives are pure, then we can trust any miracles that God may give; but when his life is not right, those miracles cannot be from the Lord.
His Courage in Dealing with Sin, vv. 19-21
A. Paul warns the Corinthians that if they don’t take clean up their act, he will when he gets there.
B. They had dealt with the offender in 1 Corinthians 5, but there were other sins that needed attention:
1. social sins, v. 20,
2. sexual sins, v. 21.
What began as factions in 1 Corinthians 1:10 had now grown into debates, strifes, and tumults! Satan was in command, for God is not the author of confusion. False teaching leads to false living.
Conclusion
A. While none of us receives special divine revelations today, we must be in communion with God and receive our messages from His Word.
B. We can receive Christ’s grace to endure suffering, accept it, and glory in it.
C. Nothing should hinder us from dealing with sin in the church, not the love of money or fear of man.