Print This Article“I Knew a Man”
“It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
“I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:1-2).
In this context, Paul is affirming and defending his apostleship. In doing so, he recognized that “to glory,” or boast, was necessary to defend his office, but he stressed that it was not “expedient” or profitable. Paul found it distasteful, but he had no choice and was forced to do it.
Thus, he told them, “I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.” Visions are seen, and revelations are heard. Through visions, Paul, as an apostle, received direct revelation from the Lord. “Revelations” refers to an unveiling of truth from God. Paul had direct encounters with the Lord in which he saw and heard Him and learned things he did not know before. When Paul was saved on the road to Damascus, the Lord told him, “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee” (Acts 26:16).
The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Paul many times over the course of his ministry to make known to Paul “the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began” (Rom. 16:25). The mystery is the body of grace truth; it is the faith that God revealed for the current dispensation of grace. This was revealed to Paul first.
The mystery had been kept secret since the world began; to make this previously hidden truth known, the Lord appeared to Paul to reveal it to him. However, the mystery was not made known to Paul all at once. It was gradually unfolded to him through a series of revelations.
Twenty years into his ministry, when he wrote 2 Corinthians, Paul was still receiving visions and revelations from the Lord and was expecting more.
Paul’s Spectacular Vision
“And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
“How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
“Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities” (2 Cor. 12:3-5).
Speaking of visions and revelations, Paul elaborated on the most spectacular one of them all in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4. When Paul wrote of this vision, he switched to the third person to describe it because of his reluctance to boast about himself and his ministry. He did everything he could to relate the experience while taking the focus off himself.
Paul wrote, “I knew a man in Christ.” The “man,” of course, was Paul himself, and he added his blessed position and eternal identity: being “in Christ.” This encounter occurred 14 years before he wrote 2 Corinthians. This means it took place between Paul’s conversion and his first apostolic journey. More specifically, it occurred during Paul’s years of ministry in and around his hometown of Tarsus (Acts 9:30). Thus, Paul went from his home on earth to his home in heaven for a short time. Paul had kept quiet about this experience for 14 years, and only then did he humbly and reluctantly mention it to defend his apostolic credentials.
Paul wrote of this experience, “(whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;).” Paul did not know whether the Lord had transported him physically in his body, or if his experience had been out of the body, as a strictly spiritual experience. Paul said that only God knew for certain.
Whether in the body or out of the body, Paul wrote, “such an one [was] caught up to the third heaven.” That Paul was caught up to the “third heaven” tells us that he was taken to the abode of God Himself. The third heaven is where God’s throne room resides (Rev. 4:1-2). It is where the Lord ascended to and is where He is exalted at the right hand of God the Father (Col. 3:1). The third heaven is the place where believers who have died under grace are present and at home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).
Paul reiterated in 2 Corinthians 12:3, “And I knew such a man” and, for emphasis, affirmed for a second time, “(whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;).” Paul was undoubtedly overwhelmed by this heavenly experience, and, by way of his repetition, he reinforces the fact that he truly did not understand the mechanics of how it occurred.
However, what Paul did know for sure was “that he was caught up into paradise.” The third heaven and paradise are the same place and synonymous here. Paradise in the third heaven above, however, was not the same location that the Lord and the believing thief on the cross went to when they died. When Christ told that thief, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), this referred to Abraham’s bosom in the center of the earth (16:22). Our Lord spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth before He rose from the grave (Matt. 12:40).
Paul was “caught up,” and taken to the third heaven. The vision was all of God and something He chose to grant and do for Paul. God chose to declare to Paul the Church’s eternal position in heavenly places (Eph. 1:3; 2:6-7), and so God chose that Paul be caught up to those heavenly places for a time.
Paul wrote of what he had heard while he was there, not what he had seen. Concerning what he heard, Paul gave a vague description, stating that he “heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” Paul heard the language of the third heaven, and he understood what was spoken. “Unspeakable” means inexpressible or unspeakable on account of its sacredness. The words Paul heard were too sacred to be repeated. They were ineffable or too great and holy to be expressed in the common words of our earthly languages.
In 2 Corinthians 12:5, Paul, again in deference and humility, wrote, “Of such an one will I glory,” or on behalf of such a person and his experience, he would boast—while it was, in fact, Paul himself, writing of the experience impersonally, as if it had occurred to some other man he knew. Paul spoke for that man and boasted that he had something to boast about: that God had given him such a privilege and experience. “Yet of myself,” or when Paul did speak of himself, he would not boast of himself or glory in his accomplishments, but rather he would boast “in mine infirmities.” Paul then explained what he meant by that.
Christ’s Sufficient Grace
“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
“For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
“And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:7-9).
Paul was not immune to the danger of pride. He could have been “exalted above measure” due to the numerous appearances and abundance of revelations given to him by the Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly he could have easily been prideful due to the spectacular vision of the third heaven that he described and experienced in verses 2-4.
However, Paul was in no danger of becoming too impressed with himself due to a thorn in his flesh that was given to him, which reminded him of his limitations and kept him humble and grounded. The word “thorn” means a sharp stake, a pointed piece of wood, or a splinter. A sharp “thorn in the flesh” is painful. Paul is referring to a contant, painful physical affliction with this word picture.
What was Paul’s thorn in the flesh? It has been much debated, but it is impossible to say dogmatically what the thorn in the flesh was. All we can say for sure is that it was a painful affliction in Paul’s life. God has not revealed the precise nature of it, perhaps so that all afflicted believers throughout this age and in all places, who themselves have their own thorn in the flesh, may be encouraged and helped by Paul’s unnamed, yet painful experience. Thus, it is a good thing that we do not know, because no matter what our sufferings may be, we can apply the lessons Paul learned from his thorn and find the same comfort.
Paul regarded his thorn in the flesh as “the messenger of Satan” that was designed by the devil to “buffet” him. The Greek word translated as “buffet” means to strike with the fist or, more generally, to batter or maltreat violently. Paul’s thorn was painful and caused suffering; it was a tool of Satan to discourage and frustrate Paul.
There is a stark contrast between two of Paul’s experiences in this chapter: from paradise to pain. He experienced the blessing of God in the third heaven and then felt the buffeting of Satan on earth.
Satan’s design for the thorn of the flesh was to hinder Paul in the work of the Lord, but the Lord used it to further that work by keeping Paul humble and causing him to rely on the Lord and His grace.
Due to the pain and discouragement from his thorn in the flesh, Paul wrote, “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me” (v. 8). “Besought” means to beg or implore or entreat. In the intensity and constancy of his suffering, Paul drew near to the Lord, and three times Paul passionately prayed and begged the Lord to remove the thorn in the flesh.
This passage demonstrates that, with His change of dispensations, there was a change in God’s will and promises regarding prayer. Thus, what happened next was not, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matt. 21:22). To Paul’s first prayer, no answer came. To his second prayer, no answer came. To his third prayer, the Lord “said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). The Lord answered Paul’s prayer in a way that he did not expect. The Lord answered Paul’s prayer, but denied his request.
The Lord had a higher purpose for Paul’s thorn of affliction: to teach the apostle dependence on the Lord and the sufficiency of His grace. The thorn had driven Paul to recognize his insufficiency and weakness. In Paul’s state of suffering and inadequacy, the Lord promised that His grace was sufficient for Paul’s insufficiency because the Lord’s strength would be made perfect in Paul’s weakness. Instead of removing the thorn from Paul’s life, the Lord would give and keep giving His grace in it, and the grace that He gave Paul was sufficient to meet his needs. Rather than removing the burden as Paul has prayed and pleaded for, the Lord said that He would continually give Paul the grace to bear it.
“My grace is sufficient for thee.” This is the grace of God, a grace that comes in infinite and endless supply. It is a grace that is more than sufficient to meet our needs. God’s grace is a dynamic force. It is God’s love, kindness, and mercy in action. It is the power of God available to each believer. It is God’s provision for our every need.
“My grace is sufficient for thee.” Always in the present, God’s grace is sufficient and available to provide and strengthen us in our need. It is not that His grace was sufficient. It is not that His grace will be sufficient one day down the road. It is right now, at this moment, at all times, in the present, His grace is sufficient. It is always available. It is always enough.
“My grace is sufficient for thee.” God’s grace was more than adequate and fully sufficient to meet Paul’s needs. In dealing with our own thorn in the flesh, God’s grace is sufficient to hold us up, strengthen us, comfort and encourage us, bring us through any out of any and every type of trial and difficulty, and enable us in the end to triumph over it.
“My grace is sufficient for thee.” It was sufficient “for thee”—Paul—a member of the Church, the Body of Christ, who had a thorn of affliction. This promise of Christ to one member of the Body of Christ is true for every member. This promise made to one believer who had a thorn in the flesh is true for every believer who has any type of thorn. The “thee” means you. God’s grace is sufficient for you!
In your pain, suffering, and anxiousness, with your personal thorn, Christ is saying the same thing to you today: “My grace is sufficient for thee.”
The Lord told Paul, “for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Like Paul, when believers find themselves without strength, and we look to the Lord in faith for His aid, He faithfully provides His all-sufficient grace for His strength to be made perfect in our weakness.
The Lord wanted to display His grace and power in Paul’s life and ministry (1 Cor. 15:10). Through His almighty strength alone, the Lord wanted to make Paul truly strong. However, in order for the Lord’s strength to be received and worked in and through Paul, pride and selfconfidence needed to be worked out of his life. This took place through Paul’s thorn in the flesh, which brought him to a humble place of weakness and helplessness. When Paul turned to the Lord in faith, this allowed His strength to be made perfect in Paul’s weakness.
What It All Means to Us Now
“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:10).
Sorrow, physical pain and suffering, disappointments, and failure all can bring the believer to that place of weakness and dependence on the Lord. But when we look to the Lord and depend on Him, we become a channel through which God’s power can flow freely and be perfected in us.
We are called to live by God’s grace through faith. Spiritual maturity comes through an acknowledgment of our weakness and our constant need of the Lord. The more we recognize our weakness and trust the Lord, the more God’s grace and divine power work through us.
As a result of all that happened in his life, Paul gained a new perspective. He saw and experienced the blessing of the Lord’s answer. He rejoiced that God had brought him to a place in his life to rely on the Lord’s grace and to see it at work. Thus, with conviction, Paul wrote, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9).
So thoroughly had Paul learned this concept that, rather than boasting in his accomplishments as an apostle, he boasted in his infirmities (vv. 5,9). And he had come to “take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake” (v. 10). Paul did so because he knew that when he was “weak” in those times, the Lord, by His grace, would provide the power that Paul needed, making him truly “strong.”
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