Keep Me Humble

What is your belief in your own ability to be strong in the LORD, to live as you intend in Him? Do you see any room for growth or are you quite satisfied with your present relationship with God?

Hyperbole is a figure of speech and is meant to be exaggeration, to make a point by overstating. Paul is using a form of hyperbole when he says,

I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. ¹

There is debate about whether Paul is speaking of himself or some other man in Christ but the context does seem to be Paul. He is making the point that he is an apostle, one who has seen Christ in the flesh and was delegated by Christ to a specific work and that he has experienced things which cannot be communicated. But then, just when we might think Paul is someone very special, he turns the corner and speaks of the enabling that the LORD gave Paul to encourage him not to become proud, arrogant or conceited in his special-ness:

On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses—though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be 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. So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ²

Paul recognizes that his experience could quite easily draw him into conceit and acknowledges this warning against the tendency to become proud in himself. He doesn’t embrace the reminder but he does come to accept that in him it is likely the blessing of God to protect him from himself. He acknowledges his desire to not have the reminder but accepts that God is sufficient to strengthen him in this weakness, that he does not have to escape to go through with it in the LORD.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 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. ³

In Jesus, His strength likely is best demonstrated through our weakness and Paul confirms that he has chosen to be content in whatever state he is so the LORD may show His ability through that weakness.

Paul concludes this aside on the nature of strength and weakness but the comparison of himself to those who insist upon being superior to the Apostle:

I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. ⁴

Sarcasm is another figure of speech that is used to draw the dis-similarity between two which are actually more similar than appearance. Paul is not a fool, is not inferior, is not nothing and that leaves the accusers without argument. Humility in weakness wins one for the LORD.