B O A S T I N G I N W E A K N E S S 2 Corinthians 11:16-33

I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying

with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast.

— vv 16-18

Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

— Proverbs 26:5

“His words are no reflection of the real Paul, but only of the Paul who, to preserve the Corinthian church from moral and doctrinal

seduction, must answer the real fools according to their folly."

— D.A. Carson

For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the

face. To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!

— vv 19-21

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not

for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief

Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

— 1 Peter 5:2-4

But whatever anyone else dares to boast of — I am speaking as a fool — I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am I.

Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I.

— vv 21-22

I anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel,

of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness

under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss

because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

— Philippians 3:4-8

Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one — I am talking like a madman — with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with

countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night

and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles,

danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless

night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

— vv 23-27

In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience — by

word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God — so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to

Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ.

— Romans 15:17-19

Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one — I am talking like a madman — with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with

countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night

and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles,

danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless

night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

— vv 23-27

From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

— Galatians 6:17

And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am

not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

— vv 28-29

But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

— 2 Corinthians 11:3

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

— Psalm 73:26

“As we understand our own trials and sufferings in this light, we discover that, far from disqualifying us from experiencing and proclaiming the gospel,

they actually qualify us for it. God uses the hardest and most shameful experiences of our lives to soften us and bring us to fuller understanding of his surpassing benefits. In our isolation from the world’s provision, we learn

that we are fully satisfied when he is our portion. He uses our sufferings to demonstrate his sufficiency. And he uses our afflictions as the occasion

for dispersing comfort and the deepest realties of his abiding care.”

— Gospel Transformation Bible

Blessed be the God

and Father of our

Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of mercies

and God of all comfort, who comforts

us in all our affliction.

— 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Blessed be the God

and Father of our

Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of mercies

and God of all comfort, who comforts

us in all our affliction.

— 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.

But that was to make us rely not on

ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

— 2 Corinthians 1:9

Blessed be the God

and Father of our

Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of mercies

and God of all comfort, who comforts

us in all our affliction.

— 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.

But that was to make us rely not on

ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

— 2 Corinthians 1:9

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to

show that the

surpassing power

belongs to God and not to us.

— 2 Corinthians 4:7

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down

in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

— vv 30-33

What do you have that

you did not receive?

If then you received it, why do you

boast as if you did not

receive it?

— 1 Corinthians 4:7

What do you have that

you did not receive?

If then you received it, why do you

boast as if you did not

receive it?

— 1 Corinthians 4:7

Such is the confidence that we have through

Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in

ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made

us sufficient to be ministers of a new

covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit.

— 2 Corinthians 3:4-6