What we believe often comes from what we have been taught by our parents and what we have been taught in church.
We have often taken much biblical teaching for granted, because maybe it sounded very logical, but many Biblical topics, however, we have often not researched ourselves.
But the Bible teaches us:
1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NASB)
Examine everything carefully
hold fast to that which is good.
Today, therefore, I’d like to give you an explanation of the thorn in the flesh with Paul like you may never have heard before.
I challenge and encourage you to open your Bible and prayerfully explore the real meaning of this Bible story.
I’d like to challenge you to open your heart to the possibility that things could be different than you’ve been taught and what you’ve always believed.
I pray that you will open your heart to the Spirit of God
and that you will have ears to hear what His Spirit is saying to you.
The text where Paul talks about the thorn in the flesh is in 2 Corinthians 12.
Let’s read it first so we know what it says and then we’ll explore what it means exactly what Paul is saying.
Paul writes to the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 (NASB)
Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,
for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself,
there was given me a thorn in the flesh,
a messenger of Satan to torment me-to keep me from exalting myself.
Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.
And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”
Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses,
so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
exaltation
Paul speaks of the surpassing greatness of the revelations.
He is referring to the revelations of Jesus Christ in his life ever since He appeared to him on the road to Damascus.
2 Corinthians 12:7
Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,
for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself,
there was given me a thorn in the flesh,
a messenger of Satan to torment me-to keep me from exalting myself.
In the first verse of chapter 12 Paul therefore says:
2 Corinthians 12:1 (NASB)
I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.
Jesus Christ is everything God says in His love wrapped up in the body of a human being.
John puts it this way:
John 1:14 (NASB)
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
full of grace and truth.
This grace of God has already been given to us, but in order to see it, we must see Jesus.
But jesus lived here on earth 2000 years ago and we live here now.
Therefore, even now, as with Paul, Jesus must be revealed to us in order for us to receive grace.
Peter says it exactly like that.
1 Peter 1:13 (NKJV)
Rest your hope fully upon the grace
that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The surpassing greatness of the revelations given to Paul,
is the surpassing greatness of the grace of God seen in Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:7 (NKJV)
To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
This measure of this gift is not different for each person!
The measure is Christ Himself.
Christ is the measure of the fullness of the grace of God given to each one of us.
This surpassing grace of God makes us grow up….
Ephesians 4:13 (NKJV)
…to a perfect man,
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
This is the exaltation that Paul speaks of.
The surpassing grace of God exalts him to the fullness of Christ.
So when he asks God to take away from him the thorn in the flesh, which we’re about to discuss, God says:
2 Corinthians 12:13 (NASB)
My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is perfected in weakness.
Most gladly, therefore, Paul saus, I will rather boast about my weaknesses,
so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
Who gave the thorn to Paul?
It is often thought that the thorn in the flesh was given to Paul by God so that he would not exalt himself.
This cannot be true, for God Himself says “My grace is sufficient”.
The grace of God is enough to be exalted to the fullness of Christ.
This doesn’t mean we’re then above others and better than them.
It means that we have then found our identity fully in Christ, which changes us from the inside out, so that eventually our behavior also changes to that of a son of God (Matthew 23:26).
Another reason why the thorn in the flesh was not given by God is because it says it was given by Satan.
The messenger of satan gives Paul the thorn in the flesh. How does he do this? By speaking.
2 Corinthians 12:7
Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,
for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself,
there was given me a thorn in the flesh,
a messenger of Satan to torment me-to keep me from exalting myself.
The word messenger is the Greek word angelos.
It is often translated angel but it literally means messenger.
A messenger delivers the message of the one who sends it.
In this case, it is Satan who wants to send Paul a message of temptation and to do so he sends one of his messengers.
This message of Satan goes against the message of God.
For God says that His grace is enough for us to be exalted even to His throne (Revelation 3:21).
But Satan wants to tempt us to work very hard for this, so that we really deserve it.
But this is a lie!
The grace of God is given to us and cannot be earned.
Paul says so himself in one of his letters.
Galatians 5:4 (NKJV)
You have become estranged from Christ,
you who attempt to be justified by law
you have fallen from grace.
a messenger of satan
The message of satan stings like a thorn in Paul’s flesh because he has listened to it and let it affect him.
We see exactly the same thing happening to Adam and Eve!
God says in Genesis 1:26
Genesis 1:26 (NKJV)
Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.
In the next verse God already acts upon what He said.
So we are made in the image and likeness of God.
But then Satan soon comes to tempt us not to believe this.
He wants us to believe that we have to work hard to accomplish this by obeying many laws and rules.
That, however, is earthly wisdom. It is the wisdom of the flesh!
We see this depicted in the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
It was …
Genesis 3:6 (NKJV)
…a tree desirable to make one wise.
However, it is the wisdom of satan.
This wisdom of satan are tares among the wheat (Matthew 13:24-30).
They are thorns and thistles that sting our conscience, causing us to doubt what God has said;
‘…did He really make us in His image and likeness?’ ‘…Is His love really unconditional?’
The thorn in Paul’s flesh came about because he listened to the voice of the messenger of satan.
Eve also listened to satan and became a messenger of satan herself when she delivered the message to her husband Adam. Because Adam listened to satan’s message, thorns and thistles came up.
Just look at what God says:
Genesis 3:17
Then to Adam He said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife,
and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;
Cursed is the ground because of you;
In toil you shall eat from it, all the days of your life.
Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you.
Do not toil any longer by listening to what Satan says!
There is no need to try to change your behavior so that you are a better person.
Let God change your heart, and your behavior will automatically change.
Your behavior comes from your identity.
You behave according to who you think you are.
When you find your identity in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, you will automatically start behaving more and more like a son of God.
You will no longer have to toil and you may rest from your works as God did when He finished creation.
Hebrews 4:3,9,10 (NKJV)
For we who have believed do enter that rest!
There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
For he who has entered His rest
has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
So no longer listen to what satan says, but enter into the rest of God.
This can only be done by faith, by believing what God says.
He made you in His image and His likeness.
He loves you unconditionally!
If you continue to believe what He says, you will be exalted to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
If you continue to believe what He says, you will overcome!
And He says:
Revelation 3:21 (NKJV)
To him who overcomes
I will grant to sit with Me on My throne.
That is grace!
Not through toiling, but out of God’s unconditional love for you.
That grace exalts you to the throne of God Himself.
Then you will have dominion over the flesh.
Then you will reign as a King’s son in the New Jerusalem, the city of peace.
Then satan will no longer be able to sting your heart and mind with thorns.
Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)
Then the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus.
