PerryDox – BeJustAChristian

News Alert! Paul was human! Excuse the hyperbole, but I wonder sometimes if we inappropriately place Paul on a pedestal far above us, a little above Peter, and just a tad below Jesus. The humanity of Peter is easy to see and empathize with; just ask anyone with the habit of inserting foot into mouth. Peter even needed rebuking; by both Jesus and Paul. But Paul, do we ever see human weakness in Paul?

Compare Paul’s reactions to dying in Philippians 1 and 2 Corinthians 1. Paul is in prison at the time of writing, “To live is Christ, to die is gain” (Phil.1:21). He doesn’t even know which one to choose (v.22). Death is described euphemistically as a “desire to depart” (v.23). How calm. How philosophical. How theoretical.

Compare that demeanor and language to “our affliction,” “completely overwhelmed,” “beyond our strength,” and “personally had a death sentence” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). Not quite so calm, philosophical or theoretical. Why the difference? Paul is human.

First, how human is it to be able to remain calm when simply discussing the possibility instead of the reality of death? All of us know we will die, unless Jesus returns first. We even joke about it. But hearing the news from the doctor changes the perspective, doesn’t it? Being at the other end of a gun or knife is terrifying. Second, Paul lets us in on a divine secret. God allows this death sentence “so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead” (2 Cor.1:9). Even the great Paul needs reminding not to fear dying. Preaching the resurrection is different than living the hope. Third, while no one knows what the affliction is in 2 Corinthians, many believe it is the wild animals in Ephesus that Paul fought (1 Cor.15:32). Different manners of death understandably produce different reactions. Being beheaded is humane compared to being torn limb from limb. Finally, although the two epistles are only separated by around 5 years, Paul is more mature and experienced in Philippians. Older people handle death differently than the young.

So, Paul is human. I’m sure that wasn’t news to him.

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This entry was posted by PHall on Thursday, July 24th, 2014 at 4:22 pm and is filed under II Corinthians. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.