The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1909-11-19
Paul's Story of
His Life
Sunday School Lesson for Nov. II, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

My grace is sufficient for thee; for my
strength is made perfect In weakness.
. Cor. 1919.
TIME.-Autumn OF A. d. 81 20 late in
80 or early in 49,
PLACE.-In Macedonia, where the Sec
ond Epistle to the Corinthians was writ
ten.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
l. The church in Corinth was very
young, not seven years old, from the
first coming of Paul, who remained
with them only a year and half.
Since that time they had grown in
numbers with but little outside help
from Paul and those who represented
him.
2. The young church was surround
ed by intense worldliness, and heather
immoralties and principles, which
were like an intense moral malaria,
an unhealthy atmosphere.
3. There was in the city a consider
able colony of Jews who were opposed
to the whole Christian movement
4. An anti-Pauline mission of Chris
tian Jews from Palestine came to
Corinth with views opposed to Paul's
teachings concerning the Gentiles,
and insisted that all Gentle Chris.
tians should conform to the Jewish
ritual.
5. Cases of immortality had arisen
in the church for which Paul had
been compelled to reprove them.
6. There were divisions among
them, one being for Peter, another
for Paul, and another for Christ, as il
all were not for Christ.
7. There were attacks upon Pauls
character and authority.
Speaking of those who claimed &c
be the real leaders and apostles, and
who condemned him, Paul says:
%. Are they Hebrews" of purest
blood one of the nation and Ian.
guage?
$50 am l."
Are they Israelites," of the true re
ligion, worshiping the one God?
80 am l."
Are they the seed of Abraham" in
heritors of the promises, of the Mes
sianic hopes, and the kingdom of God?
$50 am l."
"a. Five times received I forty
stripes save one" from the Jews. None
are mentioned in the Acts. The Jews
were forbidden to infict more than
forty stripes (Deut. $3.50, and lest
they should break the law by mis-
take in counting they inflicted only
thirty-nine.
25. Thrice was beaten with rods"
Once mentioned in Acts 1922. A sim.
liar instance is given by Cicero
against Verres, V. g.
"Once was / stoned" At Lystra
(Acts 14:19). Stoning was planned
once before at Iconium, but the plan
was not carried out (Acts 1850.
Two.-The second test of apostle
ship.-12:1-6. Vision. Insight. Com
munion with God Realization of the
spiritual. Pauls second answer to OBJ
jectors is that he has right to speak
in the name of God; for though he
had not seen Jesus in the flesh, he
had seen eternal things, he had re-
ceived revelations from God.
2. II knew" DIETER 81 know') "a
man in Christ" That he is referring
to himself is proved by v. Z; and the
whole argument implies it. How 1t
came, he could not tell, but he knew
the fact. Caught up to the third
heaven" beyond the visible heaven,
ito the highest heaven where the
throne of God is" to Paradise the
abode of the just, and of the angels.
Whatever place it may have been, it
was into the inmost spiritual realities.
Note the several visions which are
recorded in the Acts from this vision
of Jesus at his conversion, TO his
vision in the storm on the way to
Rome. In his letter to the Galatians
OH, 12) Paul declares:
Il certify you, brethren, that the
Gospel which was preached of me is
not after man.
For / neither received it of man,
neither was l taught it, but by the
revelation OF Jesus Christ"
Something of this vision, of this
communion of God with our spirits,
of this realization of heaven and its
life, of this insight into spiritual
truths, is necessary to our best useful
ness and our highest life.
Three.-The third test of Paul's
Apostleship was his sanity life
12:7-10. Paul shows that the signs of
an apostle were wrought among the
Corinthians Gin signs and wonders and
mighty Deeds" every one of them for
the good of the people and the glory
of God. Il seek not yours but you,"
Il will very gladly spend and be spent
for you, though the more abundantly
/ love you, the less l be loved"
The Thorn in the Flesh. One special
form in which his saintliness was cul-
tivated and manifested is described in
VS.. 7-10.
What Paul's ". y thorn in the
flesh" was we cannot tell. But II ap-
pears to have been something which |
he feared would lessen his power
among them and hinder his work
II a person bearing a burden that
is too great for his strength, prays |
for relief. there are two ways of an.