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2 Corinthians – Paul’s PEP
Poor pitiful Paul pleads profusely. Proficiently proffering purposeful preaching, plus personal pain; Paul profits through preaching, proclaiming, but not peddling. Paul, properly placing perspective pleases his paradigm.
OK, that’s plenty enough with my patent patois pleasure. But please explain how Paul could persist among such devastating problems? The answer is that Paul had PEP. I guess you could posit that Paul’s PEP provided him the power to persevere.
OK, I really done playing this time…probably.
Let’s begin with Paul’s Problems. Before we can appreciate Paul’s PEP, we have to be aware of his problems.
- Outward Problems – from the World (1:5,8,9; 6:4-5)
- Outward Problems – from the Church (3:1; 6:11-12; 7:2; 10:10)
- Inward Problems – for the Church (11:3,28-29; 12:21)
- Inwards Problems – from and for himself (1:8; 2:4; 7:5)
Those are the problems presented to Paul. How did he persevere? Paul’s PEP!
I. PAUL’S PERSPECTIVE
Perspective, also known as perception (there I go again), viewpoint, and outlook, shapes our attitude. Pay attention to the perspectives on several dichotomies (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). Outer Man versus Inner Man.
- Decaying versus Renewed.
- Momentary versus Eternal.
- Affliction versus Glory.
- Light versus Beyond All Comparison.
- Seen versus Not Seen
- Temporal Versus Eternal.
Life is made up of contrasts. Sometimes our perspective needs to be black and white, instead of intermediate shades of gray. Yes, life can be complicated. And yes again, sometimes we are in need of the wisdom of Solomon. However, do we sometimes complicate beyond the obvious because we do not like the obvious choice? Sometimes we need to simplify as much as possible.
What is Paul’s Perspective when simplified to its barest form? Everything to the glory of God (2 Corinthians 4:15).
Paul places light affliction in contrast with weight of glory. Weight is only translated as a “weight” in this passage. Normally, the translation is “burden.”
Now here is where perspective helps us out. The weight of glory is beyond all comparison. No other weight, no other pressure, no other affliction, can even compare. Now why is this so? All of the other contrasts show our future glory to be weightier. That’s why Paul could say, Therefore we do not lose heart. Paul’s perspective on life was …so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:15).
Let’s keep progressing.
II. PAUL’S EXPECTATIONS
Perspective comes from Expectations. What were Paul’s expectations of God, himself, others, and life in general? What were his expectations of life here and now, versus later? What are our expectations? What do we expect from this life and from our God? What do we expect for the future? Could we learn about our expectations by looking back at our perspectives? YES!
Look at Paul’s Expectations of life here and now, but with a glimpse to the future. Look at how expected the bad, but did not expect the bad to outweigh the good. Look at how his expectations colored his perspective (2 Corinthians 4:7-14). Notice the expectations of Paul looked at the present and the future. The present problems would not overpower him because he expected the future will present healing (2 Corinthians 5:1).
IV. PAUL’S PARADIGM – THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST
Paul’s expectations were not unreasonable. They were based upon God’s Promises (2 Cor.7:1) and Christ’s Paradigm. Our expectations are based upon both. However, for this lesson, I chose to emphasize the paradigm of Jesus instead of the Promises of God because I think that is the emphasis of 2 Corinthians.
Why can we expect God’s promises? Because of our Paradigm. A paradigm is an example, model, outstandingly clear or typical example. Our paradigm is our pattern or example. So as we look at the perspective of Paul, he can become our paradigm for our perspective. But of course, we know that his paradigm was Divine. Therefore ultimately, our paradigm is Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14; 12:9):
If our paradigm focused more in the inner, renewed, eternal, “man” then should we?
The only way that Paul could be pleased with the weight of glory that was to come is by wanting to please and imitate his paradigm, his example.
Therefore Paul was not poor, nor should he be pitied. That’s the proper perspective on him, ourselves, and our lives. So remember Paul’s PEP – Paradigm, Expectations, Perspective.
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