Q&A: What was Paul's Thorn in the Flesh?

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=168 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="129a11c3.png"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to the Heart4God Website!"><U><B><IMG SRC="4b55a500.png" border=0 width="90" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin"><U><B>Writings by Date</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id212.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin Organized "><U><B>Writings by Topic</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm"><U><B>Audio Files</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id690.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Videos"><U><B>Videos</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id323.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings of Others"><U><B>Other Authors</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id324.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id339.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions and Answers"><U><B>Q&A</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id328.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Heart4God Email List"><U><B>Heart4God E-mail List</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com"><U><B>Parables Blog</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id306.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="File Downloads"><U><B><IMG SRC="2b264140.png" border=0 width="100" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> <B>Q&A: What was Paul's Thorn in the Flesh?</B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="c2827160.png" border=0 width="807" height="22" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> The following was written as a response to a sister who was citing Paul's thorn in the flesh as an evidence of Christians being indwelt by evil spirits.</div> <bR> <div> Dear Sister, </div> <bR> <div> Thank you for letting me share with you. And thank you as well for demonstrating the fruit of patience in listening to what I have shared. You are a rarety in that you and I have disagreed on some points, yet you have not resorted to rejecting a brother, or becoming angry in your words. I have a good deal of correspondence with people who are professing believers in Christ, yet I encounter many failures of love and it is refreshing to receive your e-mails that are evidently written with love. </div> <bR> <div> I would like to share an observation about Paul's thorn in the flesh, since you have mentioned it here. Let me give the Scripture first. </div> <bR> <div> II Corinthians 12:7-10<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me -- to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. </div> <bR> <div> We can get an idea of what type of thorn in the flesh Paul had here by reading the context of this passage. After stating that he was given a thorn in the flesh, he then states that he has learned to be content with it, and then he mentions specific things he is content with: weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecutions, and difficulties. We can then understand that Paul's thorn was one of these things, and he actually experienced all of them from time to time and they are all types of messengers of Satan that keep us from exalting ourselves. In none of these things, however, do we see Paul describing any type of evil spirit indwelling him. All of these things are external attacks, though some effect the body, which is in keeping with your example of arthritis. </div> <bR> <div> I think we can actually pinpoint Paul's specific thorn in the flesh that he was speaking of here by comparing his writings to other churches. We know that when Paul first encountered Christ that he was blinded, and later something like scales fell from his eyes. He also refers to the awesome visions he was given in this passage regarding his thorn in the flesh, and I believe his thorn was that his physical eyesight was impaired. It was so bad that he could not even write most of his own letters, but had to dictate them to others. We see evidence of his visual impairment in the following verses: </div> <bR> <div> Galatians 4:12-15<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> I beg of you, brethren, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong; but you know that it was because of <I><B>a bodily illness</B></I> that I preached the gospel to you the first time; and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself. Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that,<I><B> if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me</B></I>. </div> <bR> <div> Galatians 6:11<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. </div> <bR> <div> Paul spoke of a bodily illness to the Galatians, and he says that he knows the Galatian believers would have given him their own eyes if they could have, so the illness was one that affected his sight. He further gives evidence that it is he that is writing to them because he is writing in such large letters, again being evidence of his poor eyesight. </div> <bR> <div> Romans 16:22<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> I, Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Lord. </div> <bR> <div> It is here revealed that Paul did not write the letter to the Romans. He transcribed it to Tertius who wrote it for him. This again is owing to his poor eyesight. </div> <bR> <div> I Corinthians 16:21<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> The greeting is in my own hand -- Paul.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> When writing to the Corinthians, Paul also did not write the letter, but he added the greeting in his own hand so that they would know it was authentic. So we see from these words that Paul was troubled by poor eyesight that today would have been as bad as many who are considered legally blind. </div> <bR> <div> I think an appropriate word to describe this type of demonic activity is not the word "possessed", but rather the word "oppressed". It is really an external operation of evil spirits that buffet the body from the outside, but they do not reside in the temple of our bodies with the Holy Spirit. </div> <bR> <div> Thanks again for letting me share with you. May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days, </div> <bR> <div> Joseph Herrin</div> <bR> <div> E-mail: </div> <div> website: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Georgia" ><A HREF="http://heart4god.ws" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://heart4god.ws"><U><U>http://heart4god.ws</U></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>