Is It Right to Embrace Weakness Like the Apostle Paul? (2 Corinthians 12:9–10)

by esther phinias | 26 July 2024 08:46 am07

The Question:

Should weakness be something we accept? Paul seems to embrace it in:

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 (NKJV)

 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Understanding Paul’s Boast in Weakness

Paul was not celebrating weakness as though it were something inherently good. Physical infirmity, persecution, or hardship is not pleasant in itself. Rather, Paul gloried in weakness because it became the channel through which the power of Christ was revealed. Weakness humbles us, strips us of self-reliance, and drives us to lean wholly upon God’s grace.

This aligns with the biblical principle that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). When pride is broken, the vessel is emptied of self and becomes available for God’s power to flow through.

Paul’s Own Experience

Paul admitted that he lacked impressive human qualities. His critics observed:

2 Corinthians 10:10 (NKJV)

For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.

Yet, through that very weakness, the Spirit worked mightily—converting thousands, planting churches, and confirming the gospel with miracles. This shows that the treasure of the gospel is not in human vessels themselves but in the power of God.

2 Corinthians 4:7 (NKJV)

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

Paul rejoiced in his frailty, not because it was pleasant, but because it highlighted the sufficiency of Christ’s grace.

Biblical Examples of God Using the Weak

Moses – confessed, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent … I am slow of speech and slow of tongue” (Exodus 4:10, NKJV). Yet God still called him to confront Pharaoh and lead Israel out of Egypt. God’s testimony was that Moses was the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3), and in his humility God’s power was revealed.

Gideon – considered himself the least in his family and his clan the weakest in Manasseh (Judges 6:15). Yet God used him to deliver Israel, showing that “The battle is the Lord’s” (1 Samuel 17:47).

David – a shepherd boy overlooked even by his own father (1 Samuel 16:11), yet chosen by God to be king of Israel. His victory over Goliath displayed that strength is not in weapons or size, but in the Lord’s power (1 Samuel 17:45–47).

The Apostles – simple fishermen, tax collectors, and ordinary men, yet Acts 4:13 records that their boldness astonished the religious leaders, who recognized they had been with Jesus.

These examples echo Paul’s teaching:

1 Corinthians 1:26–29 (NKJV)

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

Weakness in Theological Perspective

1. Weakness reminds us of our dependence on grace. Salvation itself is not by human effort but by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). Weakness magnifies grace, because it shows our inability apart from Christ.

2. Weakness becomes the stage for God’s power. When Paul says, “For when I am weak, then I am strong,” he is teaching a paradox of the kingdom: God’s strength is best displayed when human ability fails.

3. Weakness keeps us humble. Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7) was permitted so that he would not be exalted beyond measure. God sometimes allows weakness to protect us from pride.

4. Weakness points us to Christ. As Hebrews 12:2 commands, we fix our eyes on Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith.” Our insufficiency drives us to His sufficiency.

Testimony of Ricky: Can My Weakness Hinder the Gospel?

Weakness is not in itself good, nor should we glorify disability, sickness, or hardship. There is no pleasure in pain. But when yielded to Christ, weakness becomes a platform for God’s glory. It demonstrates that no limitation—whether physical, intellectual, or social—can prevent God from accomplishing His purposes.

The Lord can use both the educated and the uneducated, the healthy and the sick, the urban and the rural. What matters is surrender to Him. As Paul declared:

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Conclusion

Weakness in itself is not praiseworthy, but when surrendered to God, it becomes the very place where His power is revealed. Rather than despairing over our limitations, we should rejoice that they allow the grace of Christ to shine more brightly.

May the Lord bless you and strengthen you in your weakness, that His power may rest upon you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source URL: https://wingulamashahidi.org/en/2024/07/26/is-it-right-to-embrace-weakness-like-the-apostle-paul-2-corinthians-129-10/

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