Boasting in Weakness

Evaluating success in ministry can be difficult, for we are dealing with the spiritual growth of people, and such growth is nearly impossible to quantify. Thus, we are tempted to look to things that are easier to measure such as the number of professions of faith made, the number of baptisms administered, the size of an outreach budget, and so forth. Of course, it is not wrong inherently to take stock of such things, and measurements of what is outwardly observable can be helpful in evaluating ministry impact. However, they do not tell the whole story, and if we focus only on visible metrics, we may think our work is more or less effective than is warranted.

Paul’s critics in Corinth focused on what was readily observable in order to elevate themselves in the eyes of the congregation. Focusing on such things as rhetorical skill and their “success” in drawing people to their side, they sought to show themselves as apostles superior to Paul (see 2 Cor. 10). However, success in ministry is measured not by numbers but by one’s faithfulness to the Lord. Such faithfulness might lead to much outwardly observable success, but not necessarily. God is sovereign in the work of the church, and His power gives growth where and how He wills (see 1 Cor. 3:7).

Therefore, one of the best evidences of a successful ministry is our willingness to have God work in and through our weaknesses. After all, when the Lord uses our weaknesses, it becomes plain that His power alone brings lasting results for the kingdom. In essence, this is the theme of Paul’s Fool’s Speech in 2 Corinthians 11:16–12:10, which is why the Apostle tells us in today’s passage that he will boast only in the things that show his weakness. This sets him up for 12:1–10, where he says explicitly that he boasts in what the world does not boast in so as to demonstrate Christ’s power.

Paul confirms with an oath the truthfulness of what he has said about his various hardships (11:31), which shows us that oaths and vows are proper for Christians in serious circumstances. He then adds one more item to his catalog of weaknesses—namely, that early in his ministry he escaped persecution in Damascus by climbing into a basket and being lowered down through a window in the city’s walls (vv. 32–33; see Acts 9:23–25). This physical picture of being lowered offers a nice contrast with the false apostles who sought to make themselves higher than Paul, once more emphasizing the Apostle’s weaknesses and travails.