\n This article is part of the Key Bible Verses<\/a> series.<\/em>\n <\/p>\n But he said to me, \u201cMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.\u201d 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.<\/em> Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n My grace is sufficient.<\/strong> Paul says that God\u2019s grace \u201cis sufficient\u201d (in the present tense), underscoring the ever-present availability and sufficiency of God\u2019s grace, for Paul and for every believer, regardless of how critical one\u2019s circumstances may be (cf. Rom. 8:31\u201339). my power is made perfect in weakness.<\/strong> Paul was not allowed to speak about his heavenly revelations (2 Cor. 12:4, 6) but he quotes Christ\u2019s declaration (\u201cMy grace is sufficient\u201d) to underscore that his earthly weaknesses (not his revelations) would be the platform for perfecting and demonstrating the Lord\u2019s power. This is the main point of 2 Cor. 12:1\u201313 and the foundation of Paul\u2019s self-defense throughout 2 Corinthians.<\/p>\n As a father shows compassion to his children,<\/em> God is a father<\/strong> to his people as a whole (Ex. 4:22\u201323), and to the particular faithful members (Prov. 3:12). Of course many human fathers fail to embody this idea; this image assumes that biblically informed people have an intuition of what fathers ideally should be like. But it also serves as a goal for faithful fathers: they will seek more and more to be the kind of father who shows compassion to his children.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n The\u00a0ESV Study Bible\u2014<\/em>created by a diverse team of 95 leading Bible scholars and teachers\u2014features 20,000 study notes, 80,000 cross\u2013references, 200+ charts, 50+ articles, 240 full\u2013color maps and illustrations, and more.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.<\/em> Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Just as the message and its messenger (Paul) were foolish by the world\u2019s standards, so most of those in Corinth who believed the message were foolish<\/strong> by those same standards. God\u2019s transformation of them into his people (by choosing them to be saved) in spite of their humanly unimpressive pedigree excludes all boasting in ancestry, accomplishment, or affiliation with one preacher or another (see also 1 Cor. 3:21\u201322).<\/p>\n God chose what is weak . . . to shame the strong.<\/strong> The themes of the lifting up of the downtrodden and the reversal of human status are prophesied in the OT (e.g., 1 Sam. 2:1\u20138; Isa. 61:1; cf. Luke 1:52; John 9:39).<\/p>\n We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, \u201cThe reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.\u201d<\/em> Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n A Call for Mutual Acceptance between the Strong and the Weak. Paul addresses a specific dispute, probably over whether Christians need to abide by Jewish food laws. Paul clearly sides theologically with the \u201cstrong\u201d (who did not feel compelled to follow those laws), but he encourages them not to despise or scandalize the \u201cweak.\u201d<\/p>\n The strong have a responsibility to tolerate and support the weak instead of living selfishly to satisfy their own desires. The Christian life centers on strengthening others. Christ is the supreme example of living for the glory of God, as is shown in the citation of Ps. 69:9.<\/p>\n If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.<\/em> Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n God triumphs amid human weakness<\/strong>, embodying the principle of Christ\u2019s crucifixion (1 Cor. 1:27; 2 Cor. 10:3; 2 Cor. 12:5, 9; 2 Cor. 13:4, 9).<\/p>\n For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.<\/em> Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In this and the following verses, Paul grounds the subjective experience of God\u2019s love (Rom. 5:5) in the objective work of Christ on the cross. Weak<\/strong> here denotes lack of moral strength and is parallel to ungodly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.<\/em> Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n sympathize<\/strong>. Jesus is able to identify with his people (cf. Heb. 10:34) because of his human experience and the sufferings he endured while being tempted (Heb. 2:10\u201318, esp. Heb. 2:17\u201318). tempted. The Greek (peiraz\u014d<\/em>) can refer either to temptation intended to bring one down or to testing designed to build one up; both connotations probably apply here (cf. Matt. 4:1\u201311; Luke 22:28). without sin<\/strong>. Though Jesus was tempted in every respect<\/strong>, that is, in every area of personal life, he (unlike every other human) remained sinless, and thus he is truly the holy high priest (Heb. 7:26\u201328; cf. 5:2\u20133). In their temptations, Christians can be comforted with the truth that nothing that entices them is foreign to their Lord. He too has felt the tug of sin, and yet he never gave in to such temptations.<\/p>\n Draw near<\/strong> (Gk. proserchomai<\/em>, \u201capproach, go to, draw near to\u201d) is used consistently in Hebrews to represent a person approaching God (7:25; 10:1, 22; 11:6; 12:18, 22; cf. Ex. 16:9; 34:32; Lev. 9:5; Deut. 4:11), which is possible only when one\u2019s sins are forgiven through the sacrificial and intercessory ministry of a high priest (Heb. 7:25; 10:22). The encouragement to \u201cdraw near\u201d to God\u2019s throne implies that Christians have the privilege of a personal relationship with God. Confidence<\/strong> translates Greek parr\u0113sia<\/em> (\u201cboldness,\u201d \u201cconfidence,\u201d \u201ccourage,\u201d esp. with reference to speaking before someone of great rank or power; cf. Heb. 3:6; Heb. 10:19, 35). It indicates that Christians may come before God and speak plainly and honestly (yet still with appropriate reverence), without fear that they will incur shame or punishment by doing so. throne of grace<\/strong>. God the Father, with Jesus at his right hand (Heb. 8:1; Heb. 12:2; cf. Heb. 1:8), graciously dispenses help<\/strong> from heaven to those who need<\/strong> forgiveness and strength in temptation (see Heb. 2:18).<\/p>\n Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.<\/em> Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Although Christians do not always know God\u2019s will in prayer, the Spirit himself intercedes<\/strong> for them in and through their unspeakable groans (cf. Rom. 8:23). This does not refer to speaking in tongues, since what Paul says here applies to all Christians and, according to 1 Cor. 12:30, only some Christians speak in tongues.<\/p>\n God always answers the requests of the Spirit in the affirmative, since the Spirit always prays in accord with God\u2019s will.<\/p>\n Have you not known? Have you not heard?<\/em> God never suffers setbacks, and he helps those who do.<\/p>\n Even youths.<\/strong> Human strength at its best inevitably fails. Only the promise of God can sustain human perseverance.<\/p>\n wait for the LORD<\/strong>. Savoring God\u2019s promise by faith until the time of fulfillment. renew<\/strong>. Find endless supplies of fresh strength.<\/p>\n Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.<\/em> Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Come to me<\/strong> is an invitation to trust Jesus personally, not merely to believe historical facts about him. All who labor and are heavy laden<\/strong> refers in the immediate context to those oppressed by the burden of religious legalism imposed on people by the scribes and Pharisees. But the wider application is that Jesus provides \u201crest for your souls\u201d (Matt. 11:29)\u2014that is, eternal rest for all who seek forgiveness of their sins and freedom from the crushing legalistic burden and guilt of trying to earn salvation by good works.<\/p>\n yoke.<\/strong> The wooden frame joining two animals (usually oxen) for pulling heavy loads was a metaphor for one person\u2019s subjection to another, and a common metaphor in Judaism for the law. The Pharisaic interpretation of the law, with its extensive list of proscriptions, had become a crushing burden (cf. Matt. 23:4) but was believed by the people to be of divine origin. Jesus\u2019 yoke of discipleship, on the other hand, brings rest<\/strong> through simple commitment to him (cf. 1 John 5:3).<\/p>\nAll commentary notes adapted from the<\/em> ESV Study Bible<\/a>.<\/h2>\n
1. 2 Corinthians 12:9\u201310<\/h2>\n
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2. Psalm 103:13\u201314<\/h2>\n
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so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.<\/em>
For he knows our frame;<\/em>
he remembers that we are dust.<\/em> Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n![\"ESV](\"https:\/\/static.crossway.org\/studio-files\/media\/93f16f7f851b100d8775dcca84c6da3ea0cc95b6.jpg\")
<\/p>\n3. 1 Corinthians 1:26\u201329<\/h2>\n
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4. Romans 15:1\u20133<\/h2>\n
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5. 2 Corinthians 11:30<\/h2>\n
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6. Romans 5:6<\/h2>\n
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7. Hebrews 4:15\u201316<\/h2>\n
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8. Romans 8:26\u201327<\/h2>\n
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9. Isaiah 40:28\u201331<\/h2>\n
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The LORD is the everlasting God,<\/em>
the Creator of the ends of the earth.<\/em>
He does not faint or grow weary;<\/em>
his understanding is unsearchable.<\/em>
He gives power to the faint,<\/em>
and to him who has no might he increases strength.<\/em>
Even youths shall faint and be weary,<\/em>
and young men shall fall exhausted;<\/em>
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;<\/em>
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;<\/em>
they shall run and not be weary;<\/em>
they shall walk and not faint.<\/em> Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n10. Matthew 11:28\u201330<\/h2>\n
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