The critics of Paul had a lot in common with the "prosperity Gospel" folks of our day -- promising that faith in Christ brings health, wealth, and good digestion. They raised suspicions about Paul in the Corinthians minds by noting, "Surely, a man of God, with a message like this, should not be suffering so much. He must be hiding something."
As I read 2 Corinthians I am dumbfounded at the clarity of Paul's response -- clarity that our lives are cruciform, that as the Christian life begins with a flight from self-reliance to Christ, so God acts in our lives to ensure that this pattern continues. The means he uses is suffering.
Paul notes that his experience Asia was one of being afflicted beyond all self-reliance, so that he despaired of life. He notes the purpose of God in this -- that we not trust in ourselves but in God who raises he dead. That is Gospel re-enactment. This God delivered him. And, he notes, that there will be future deliverance as well, which means there will be future suffering. (2 Cor 1:8-11)
His critics said: "Oh Paul, the problem here was unbelief. If you had only had enough faith, you would not have experienced this trial. God wants you to live triumphantly. If you truly believe, you will." Paul said, "God wants my life to look like Gospel re-enactment. He purposes that my life be a series of experiences of suffering that drive me out of all self-reliance to God reliance. I cannot circumvent suffering. It is critical to the re-enactment."
The pattern goes on. Chapter 4 speaks of how God makes it clear that the treasure (the Gospel) is in earthen vessels (old clay pots) -- God afflicts us, leads us into perplexing situations, causes persecution, and strikes us down -- we carry about in our bodies the dying of Jesus (4:7-10). We are given over to death for Jesus sake (4:11). The purpose is that the resurrection life of Jesus be manifested in our bodies, in our experience (4:10-12). Our out nature is wasting away (4:16) not moving from health to health. This is so it is clear that the inner nature is where daily renewal takes place.
At street level, in daily life, I find that my heart is natively self-reliant. I find that while I began the Christian life with utter self-hopelessness, I am quickly drawn back to self-reliance. God wants me to enter into Gospel realities, not flounder in the shallows and emptiness of self-reliance. He uses suffering and weakness to push me beyond myself. He brings me to weakness so his power will be seen, not by relieving me of weakness, but by resting upon me while I remain in weakness. That is the whole point of 2 Corinthians 12.
Are you suffering? This is an invitation from God your Father to flee to his infinite grace in Christ, to turn from self-reliance and a karma view of God to the true and living God, who will reveal is strength to you while you remain weak, who will show his resurrection power in your inner man while your outer man decays. By the power of the Spirit, your life will be a fragrant re-enactment of the Gospel.
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