Grace — What’s the “Therefore” There For? To understand what the grace was that Jesus revealed to Paul in II Corinthians 12:9, it behooves us to consider Paul’s response to Jesus’ declaration. Paul’s response reveals what he understood Jesus to be revealing. In response to Jesus declaration about His grace, Paul said, “Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” II Corinthians 12:10 Notice that Paul said, “Most gladly, therefore…” Whenever we find the word “therefore” in Scripture, we must ask, “What is the ‘therefore’ there for?” The word “therefore” always connects what follows it to what was previously stated or experienced. “Therefore” establishes the significant connection between what is about to be said with what was said before or what was experienced before.Paying attention to the word “therefore” is critical in understanding Paul’s response in II Corinthians 12:10 because “therefore” informs the reader that Paul’s statement was not made in a vacuum, but was connected to the revelation of grace he had just received from Jesus. In this context, “therefore” direct the reader back to Jesus’ statement about grace and reveals the vital connection between what Jesus had just stated and what Paul was about to state. Based on the revelation of grace Jesus delivered to Paul, he responded, “…therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” II Corinthians 12:10 It will help us to understand what grace truly is in this context if we pay attention to what Paul did not say. Notice that Paul didn’t respond to Jesus’ declaration about grace with, “Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that I might be under God’s influence.” Notice that he didn’t respond, “Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that I might be delivered from my situation.” Notice that he didn’t respond, “Most gladly, therefore, will I glory in my infirmities that I might experience God’s willingness to use His power.” And notice that he didn’t respond with, “Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that I might experience God’s unmerited favor.” Paul could have responded in many ways to the revelation of grace he had just received. The truth is, however, that his response was based on what he heard and understood Jesus to be saying. His response reveals what he believed Jesus had just revealed to him about grace. So we must pay close attention to Paul’s responded. We must pay attention to what he did say. His response reveals what he believed Jesus had just revealed to him! So, how did Paul respond to the revelation of grace Jesus delivered to him? He responded by saying, “Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” II Corinthians 12:10 Paul’s use of the words, “the power of Christ,” make it abundantly clear that as far as he was concerned, the grace Jesus had just revealed to him was, in fact, the power of Christ. Grace was not “influence.” Grace was not “a means to escape.” And grace was not “unmerited favor.” Grace was, “The power of Christ that would rest upon him!” Clear and simple! There is no doubt that Paul understood the grace that Jesus revealed be the power of Christ. He understood grace to be the dynamos of Christ which could be bestowed upon him and which would empower him in the midst his difficult situation., He understood Jesus’ grace to be the sufficient strength/power of the Lord Jesus Christ that could be shared with him and would enable him, “to deal with the trouble manfully” [ II Corinthians 12:10 Amp]!
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 21:32:34 +0000
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