Sunday, 20 December 2015
If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. 2 Corinthians 11:30
Paul has established that of all the things the false apostles had boasted in, he had more reason to boast. What they were, he was also, and even more. After demonstrating to the Corinthians that he was eminently qualified to boast in such things, he then wrote about his weakness and that he was one who stumbled. From that thought, he now adds on the words of this verse, “If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.”
In other words, the previous boastings were done in an ironical and sarcastic manner. He didn’t really boast in those fleshly things at all, but instead named them to show that what the Corinthians thought to be important was, in fact, unimportant. Now, he will begin to show the things that he could truly boast in; “the things which concern my infirmity.”
In this, he is showing that the very things which are considered weak, unappealing, useless, etc. are those things which are greater than the supposed greatest boastings of the false apostles. It is nicely reflected in his previous words to them in his first epistle –
“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 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; 28 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, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-29
These things are well summed up in his coming words of chapter 12 verse 9 which say, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Life application: Those things which seem contemptible in the eyes of the false apostles are the things we might have reason to boast in the most. The Lord is looking on the internals. If they are sound, then all of the outward flash is seen to be useless, even harmful, in our walk with the Lord.
Heavenly Father, how good You are to us. You have allowed us to have freedom of worship within Your church by allowing us to structure our churches as we see fit. There is no “one size fits all model” and there is no “true style” of church mentioned in Your word. You have not directed a certain type of music, a particular type of building, or a set time of the week or day to meet. Instead, You have asked us to worship You in spirit and in truth. And so, Lord God, be pleased to receive Your worship and praise from a thousand different cultures in ten thousand different ways. Surely You are the God of the nations! Hallelujah to Jesus our Lord who has united us as one. Amen.