THE POWER OF WEAKNESS

Pastor Kevin Jeffrey

Grace Bible Church

Titusville Fla

Men throughout the course of time have placed a heavy emphasis on power. Men are governed by their ability to manifest mental, emotional and physical power. A failure to manifest power in either of these categories lead to a diminished view of a man by his spouse, friends and others.

The apostle Paul, however, was presented a conundrum by God concerning the power of weakness. The lesson he learned proved that weakness can lead to power.

Weakness, asthenia is used in the New Testament for spiritual and physical weakness. The heroes of the faith experienced physical weakness in the physical battles they faced against their physical enemies. (Heb. 11:34) The Lord displayed through crucifixion. 2 Co. 13:4   The apostle Paul suffered spiritual weakness due to the fear that overcame him due to persecution. (1st Co. 2:3)  Paul was so smitten by fear that the Lord had to appear to him to calm him down.

Paul came to understand that spiritual weakness is essential for a believer to experience the power of God. Such a truth is counter-intuitive to men. We are taught all of our life that all weakness is bad. But, will you listen to the Apostle Paul’s story.

The apostle, in 2 Co. 12, explained that he was allowed to be caught up to the edge of the third heaven. The edge of the third heaven (2 Co. 12:4) can be seen in the New Testament as the place where Old Testament saints went when they died. Prior to the ascension of the Lord, Paradise was in the heart of the earth (Lk. 16:23) Because of the revelation given Paul, the Lord gave him a “thorn in the flesh”, a “messenger of satan” to buffet him. (2 Co. 12:7)  Paul asked the Lord three times to take it away. (2 co. 12:8) God’s response was no. Paul learned the reason for the negative answer:

The Lord’s response to Paul was to allow the thorn to remain. The Lord told Him “My grace is sufficient for thee.” Grace is used in this form 16 times to emphasize God’s provisions for believers in this dispensation that is completely void of any work. -- K.D.J. Grace is completely separate from work of any kind. (Rom. 11:6)  Sufficient is used in the New Testament for the need to be satisfied with conditions or circumstances that God places the believer in at any given point in time -- can be translated: “it is enough” -- K.D.J. (1st Tim. 6:8; Heb. 13:5)

The Lord explained to Paul why his grace was sufficient: “For my strength is made perfect in weakness.”  Strength dunamis -- is an inherent ability to operate based upon possession of the intricacies needed to function. -- K.D.J.  When the Lord noted that His power is made perfect, He meant “to bring to completion; the present tense emphasizes the continuous action “my power is being perfected in weakness.” -- Reinecker/Rogers (Phil. 4:13)  Adam Clarke in his commentary on 2 Corinthians noted: “The more, and the more violently, thou art afflicted and tried, being upheld by my power, and prospered in all thy labors, the more eminently will my power be seen and acknowledged. For the weaker the instrument I use, the more the power of my grace shall be manifested.”  A.T. Robertson’s Word Pictures states that “Power is continually increased as the weakness grows. The human weakness opens the way for more of Christ's power and grace.”

The more dependent a believer is made to rely upon God, the more power he is able to experience. The believer experiences God’s power when he relies upon the grace given as a result of the believer’s relationship to the Body of Christ. (2 Tim. 2:1)

The Apostle Paul’s experience proves that the weakness of a man is not always bad. There are moments when men are without strength in which a dependence upon God is fostered. The result is that the believer can experience power as he relies upon the grace of God.