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God’s kingdom does not operate like any earthly kingdom. It doesn’t play by the rules of the world. We see that in the 2 Corinthians 12:9 meaning that tells us that Jesus’ power is perfected in our weakness.
We like to downplay our weakness and focus on our strengths. We place the pressure on our own strength to get by. But God claims “my grace is sufficient for you” and “my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
This is a powerful verse that flies in the face of what our culture teaches us. And I think there’s some powerful lessons in the 2 Corinthians 12:9 that we need to hear today. I believe if you take a few minutes to look at this verse your life and your faith will be challenged and encouraged.
The Context Of 2 Corinthians 12:9
Let’s first look at what 2 Corinthians 12:9 says:
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
2 Corinthians is a letter that was written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. This church had some problems. Really, not too different than the western church. One of the issues was their reliance and longing for earthly things. They boasted in what they had.
In contrast Paul starts off 2 Corinthians 12 boasting not in what he had, but rather in who God is. Not only does he boast in God, but he highlights his own weakness. Something the Corinthian people would never do.
Paul famously says in 2 Corinthians 12:7 that he has a “thorn in his flesh.” He’s pointing to his weakness to prove his point. God’s grace is sufficient, his power is enough. God can, and will, overcome our weaknesses.
That’s what leads Paul to say of God, “my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul’s point is that we are all weak. But God is strong.
The church in Corinth thought they had it all together and boasted in what they had. Paul is showing them the foolishness of that sentiment. Rather than boasting their supposed strengths they should boast in their weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9 Meaning
Now that we know the context, let’s look at what lead Paul to write, “my grace is sufficient for you, my strength is made perfect in weakness.” There’s a powerful truth for us today found in the 2 Corinthians 12:9 meaning.
We are going to break this verse down section by section. But first let’s look at 2 Corinthians 12:9 and the surrounding verses.
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthian 12:8-10
But He Said To Me…
Remember the context. Paul has a “thorn in his flesh.” We aren’t sure what that is exactly, but it’s clearly something Paul struggled with. It could be a physical affliction, a temptation, or an external issue. I believe Paul intentionally doesn’t tell us so that we can place whatever our thorn is.
It’s important here to remember the context because Paul is contrasting the thorn, his weakness, to what he’s going to say next.
Paul has asked God to remove the thorn, but what is uncomfortable to Paul is being used by God for his benefit. Paul attributes the thorn to Satan, not God. Satan is the one causing the pain, God is allowing it. However the pain is not in vain, God is turning his weakness into something good.
In his weakness Paul learns a powerful lesson that I think we need today. He continues on.
My Grace Is Sufficient For You Meaning…
Paul has learned a valuable lesson. If you have nothing in this life but Jesus you have enough.
The reality is we all have a “thorn in our flesh,” a weakness. And that draws our focus. We tend to focus on all the needs we have in our life.
We are focused on the wrong thing. Instead we should shift from our thorn to God’s grace. He is enough for us. I believe God looks at us today and says, “My grace is sufficient for YOU.” You need nothing else but Jesus.
Jesus + Nothing = Everything
My Strength Is Made Perfect In Weakness Meaning…
When we shift our focus from our “thorn,” our weakness, to God the result is our weakness becomes a strength. We should note that Paul is not saying HIS strength. But rather GOD’S strength.
Our weakness cannot compare to the overwhelming power that Christ has. Where we are weak God is strong. His strength is made perfect when we look to him rather than trying to accomplish it on our own.
Therefore I will Boast All The More Gladly About My Weaknesses Meaning
Whenever you see a “therefore” in the Bible you need to ask what it’s there for. In this case Paul is concluding his argument. Because of God’s grace and strength Paul will now boast in his weakness.
Boasting in one’s weakness is the opposite of what the world tells us to do. We flaunt our successes. We only post the best photos on social media. We know how to put on a good face. But Paul teaches us a different way. To boast in our weakness, to not hide our faults. Why? Because it’s a testament of God’s strength.
Paul is walking not by his strength, but God’s. This is what the Christian life is about. Our weakness can bring God glory when we bring it to him rather than keeping it hidden. Weakness brings the opportunity for divine power.
God’s Grace Is Sufficient For You
Many Christians have bought into the lie of self-sufficiency that culture sells us. We tell ourselves that we are enough, that we can overcome our weaknesses, and that we have it within us.
The Bible teaches us a different way. We are not enough. On our own we are helpless. But we are not hopeless. God has done for us what we are incapable of doing for ourselves.
We don’t need to pretend to have it all together. We don’t need to hide our weakness. God’s Kingdom is upside down. The world highlights strength, the Bible highlights weakness. Why? Because in our weakness God’s power is perfected.
Dr Tom Constable says it this way: “This is one of the most important lessons every ambassador of Jesus Christ must learn. Both natural weakness and supernatural power are constantly at work in us, as they were in Paul and in Jesus. The Cross is the greatest example of divine power working through human weakness. The greater we sense our weakness, the more we will sense God’s power (cf. Ephesians 3:16; Philippians 4:13).”
We think our thorns decrease our usefulness for God and lessen the joy we can find in this life. But the opposite is true. When we rely on God for our strength we can find joy in our troubles and weakness because God will use them to bring his goodness into our life.
The way to the good life that Jesus promised is found when we admit our weakness and rely fully on God.
Thanks for reading this blog post, I hope that it helped you see God’s word in a new and exciting way. If it did would you share it with a friend? Also, check out this blog post: What Is God’s Grace (7 powerful truths you need to know)
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Jeffery Curtis Poor
Husband. Father. Pastor. Church Planter. Writer. Trying to be more like Jesus each day.
What Does My Grace Is Sufficient For You Mean? ANSWER: It means that God chooses to display His power in us by sustaining us in our weakness. Think about all the ways God displays his power. He controls the raging, torrential storms and the crippling droughts.
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10. Sufficient grace means enough grace. God supplies us with as much grace as we need for every situation we face. Grace for facing illness or financial need; grace for our lack of wisdom or lack of social skills; grace for dealing with rebellious children or aging parents.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9–10, Paul not only reveals the key insight into how weakness serves as the foundation for our life in Christ, but also how we might learn actually to rejoice in our weakness.
Giving grace to another person is simply to forgive them, unconditionally, just as God forgave us through Christ. "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you" (Colossians 3:13, NIV).
We need to know this when we do not want to be gracious to others, because God tells us to do everything in love. All the gifts we have been given whether it be love, joy, peace or patience, we need to share with the people around us so that they may see God's light shine through.
We see that in the 2 Corinthians 12:9 meaning that tells us that Jesus' power is perfected in our weakness. We like to downplay our weakness and focus on our strengths. We place the pressure on our own strength to get by. But God claims “my grace is sufficient for you” and “my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Because grace is so closely connected to strength, we can all be strengthened by the grace of Christ, and have faith that we as “weak things” can become strong. 10 Sharing a covenant relationship with the Lord gives us access to abilities beyond our own capacity, through his might and mercy.
Grace gives us a new life which is not condemned by God. Through God's grace we are forgiven, transforming our thinking, resulting in the renewal of our mind and heart. Through grace we live the kind of life that God would like every one of His children to experience.
The Bible Dictionary puts it this way: “The main idea of the word [grace] is divine means of help or strength. … Grace is an enabling power” (“Grace”). It enables the recipient to do and to be what he or she cannot do and cannot be if left to his or her own means.
grace, in Christian theology, the spontaneous, unmerited gift of the divine favour in the salvation of sinners, and the divine influence operating in individuals for their regeneration and sanctification.
My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness…” (2 Corinthians 12:9). The word “sufficient” is the Greek word arkeo. This is an old Greek word that means to be sufficient; to be satisfactory; and to give protection, power, and help.
When I am weak, Christ's power can assist, shine through, lift me up. Please let this happen! For Christ's sake help me to be content with whatever you let come my way - weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities - for when I am weak, then I am strong!
A brisk walk is sufficient to raise your heart rate. There must be sufficient funds in your bank account to cover the check. Her explanation was not sufficient to satisfy the police.
What is the sufficiency of Scripture? One way to explain it is that the Bible contains everything we need for knowledge of God, salvation, and godly living. A more concise definition is God's Word is enough.
The word enough, has a more general and comprehensive meaning; the word sufficient, a more limited and particular one. An hour at table, is, certainly, sufficient, for our nourishment; but, not enough, for some persons pleasure or satisfaction.
Jesus does not discriminate against any body because the grace of God has a coverage wide enough for everyone; and it does not matter how deep and far you may have been in sin: with Jesus, forgiveness is assured.
Our best efforts can never be good enough to earn salvation, but God declares us righteous for Christ's sake. We receive that grace through faith alone. God even gives us the faith that trusts him. We are not saved by obeying a list of do's and don'ts, but by grace through faith in Christ.
We experience grace “through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13). Grace is the Helper who guides and prompts and sanctifies us, and it sounds like that still small voice reminding us of the truth when we forget.
The Bible gives an easy, three-word answer for how you receive the grace of God: by trusting Christ. The Bible says in John 1:17, “For the law was given through Moses, but God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ” (NLT). God's grace is entirely wrapped up in a person: Jesus.
The chapter continues with Paul refusing to take credit for an astounding revelation from God. Given a ''thorn in the flesh'' to keep him humble, Paul learned to be content with his suffering since God's power was made perfect in his weakness.
The grace that is in Jesus strengthens us because it is how we were saved in the first place (Ephesians 2:8-9)! It is our salvation. God supplied us faith in the beginning, so we can trust that he will strengthen our faith as we continue to share in suffering as good soldiers of Christ.
Our inner spiritual natures are transformed by the power of Christ's grace. Our hearts were once totally enslaved to sin and now they have been freed. The changes that result from our union with Christ are so fundamental that the Bible says that in Him we become “new creatures” (2 Cor. 5:17).
God's grace, as divinely offered gift, does not take away or restrict our freedom; rather, it perfects our freedom by helping us overcome the restricting power of sin, the true obstacle to our freedom. We call the grace of the Holy Spirit that we receive through faith in Jesus Christ the New Law.
God showed grace by performing many miracles and also by healing those who are sick and crippled because that was the will of the Lord. One story in the Bible where Jesus showed Grace, is where Jesus healed the 10 sick people with leprosy and when only one out of ten came back to thank Jesus for healing him/her.
The 3 aspects of grace he taught are: Prevenient grace (God's grace that is operative before we are in any way aware of it); Justifying grace (God's grace that restores us to God -- as we become aware of God's love for us); and Sanctifying grace (the grace that brings us closer to God's way throughout our lives).
God's grace in Christ, when it is unleashed on a heart, changes everything. His grace awakens the spiritually dead every bit as much as when Christ summoned Lazarus from the grave. “Come forth,” He beckons. The once-selfish heart is transformed to serve.
The number of Graces varied in different legends, but usually there were three: Aglaia (Brightness), Euphrosyne (Joyfulness), and Thalia (Bloom). They are said to be daughters of Zeus and Hera (or Eurynome, daughter of Oceanus) or of Helios and Aegle, a daughter of Zeus.
approval or kindness, especially (in the Christian religion) that is freely given by God to all humans: Betty believed that it was through divine grace that her husband had recovered from his illness. by the grace of God formal.
The name, “Five Graces”, refers to an Eastern concept — the five graces of sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. Each needs to be honored in the full experience of life.
In Christian terms, grace can be generally defined as “God's favor toward the unworthy” or “God's benevolence on the undeserving.” In His grace, God is willing to forgive us and bless us, despite the fact that we fall short of living righteously. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. ( Proverbs 3:5) To trust in the Lord means more than believing in who he is and what he says; the word here for trust can also mean “to have confidence in.” Having confidence in something means having an assurance that leads to action.
Romans 8:34 says that Jesus “is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” In 1 John 2:1 we read that Jesus is our “advocate with the Father,” and from Hebrews 7:25 we learn that Jesus “always lives to intercede” for us.
Perhaps Romans 8:26-27 “suggests that God gets in touch with our suffering, but does so in a way that maintains his freedom and holiness. Intercession implies, first, a distance between suffering believers and God that must be overcome and, second, a mediating party who bridges the gap.
Other translations say, “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (NIV) or “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (KJV). This verse motivates us to cry out to God because He uses our prayers to change the world.
God's grace is such a powerful force in our lives. Grace is the unmerited unearned favor of God. God gives us grace because He chooses to give it to us, not because we deserved or earned it.
Sufficient, as is “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” That was what God said to Paul after Paul asked Him three times to remove his thorn in the flesh.
Merriam-Webster defines a person having grace to be one with “a controlled, polite, and pleasant way of behaving.” To the world, it is a way of carrying oneself. It is seen as a trait that plays out in your actions.
Grace is the power that God willingly gives us to help us do what we could never do on our own. When God said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you,” He was giving Paul His power to be set free from the thorn that was buffeting him.
The gift of grace has been given to us by God so that we may give it to others, even if we do not think they deserve it. Jesus was sent to the cross and died to save us from our sin when he did not deserve this suffering. However, he did this through the gift of sacrificial love.
The sufficiency of the All Sufficient God therefore is the adequacy of the provisions of the Lord God Almighty that can never be exhausted or run dry. He is the God who is more than enough to adequately handle all the needs of all His creatures without running short of supply.
A brisk walk is sufficient to raise your heart rate. There must be sufficient funds in your bank account to cover the check. Her explanation was not sufficient to satisfy the police.
God's "self-sufficiency is that whereby he has enough in himself to denominate him completely blessed, as a God of infinite perfection." God possesses infinite riches of being, wisdom, goodness, and power in and of himself (Gen 17.1; John 5.26; Rom 11.33; Eph 3.16).
We see that in the 2 Corinthians 12:9 meaning that tells us that Jesus' power is perfected in our weakness. We like to downplay our weakness and focus on our strengths. We place the pressure on our own strength to get by. But God claims “my grace is sufficient for you” and “my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
“There but for the Grace”: Szymborska, a Polish citizen throughout WWII, suggests that “luck” played a significant role in survival during WWII. Her poem essentially suggests that any and everything could have been the reason that she and others survived while 5 million Poles did not.
Introduction: My name is Stevie Stamm, I am a colorful, sparkling, splendid, vast, open, hilarious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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