2 Corinthians 11:5-6

2 Corinthians 11:5-6

For I consider myself in no way to be inferior to these excessively great apostles.  And even if I am only an amateur by words, I am not by knowledge.  Rather, in all things we have made this plain to you all in every way.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I have to laugh when I read Paul’s description of himself in verse 6.  He literally calls himself an idiot.  The Greek word for the word I translated as “amateur” is “idiotes” (ἰδιώτης).  Clearly this is the root word for our English word “idiot.”  In the Greek language, though, this word means any person who may be able to do a task but who lacks the formal training or apprenticeship to call themselves a professional.  Therefore, in the Greek language an idiot is really just an amateur.  That makes me smile.  In his day, Paul thought himself to be an amateur when it came to public speaking.  Perhaps the greatest evangelist of all time – besides Jesus Christ, of course – considered himself an amateur speaker.  That says something about both humility as well as our ability to truly evaluate our own strengths and weaknesses.

Have you ever thought of yourself as an amateur?  If Paul thought of himself as an amateur and did what he did, what does that say about any of us who think of themselves as amateurs?

Second Thought:

Paul acknowledges that he is no amateur in knowledge.  Here’s the thing, though.  If we remember the context of Paul’s writing, we know that Paul gives all credit to God.  So when he says “I am not an amateur by knowledge,” he isn’t talking about his own personal body of knowledge.  I believe Paul is talking about knowing Jesus.  Anyone that knows Jesus and who has the spirit of Christ in them does not need to worry about their knowledge.  The humble and submitted person will have God behind them, prompting them with the words to speak.

What does it say about Paul that he calls himself an amateur with respect to his human ability but has bold confidence in that which comes from God?  Does that need to be any different for us?

Third Thought:

The net result of this is that Paul does not consider himself to be inferior.  Other people may have more human training, but Paul isn’t interested in evaluating human training.  The best trained religious people in the world still crucified Jesus Christ.  Human training is important and nothing to be ashamed about.  But human training is nothing compared to what God can supply to us.

Have you ever considered yourself inferior to another person?  Are you comparing your human ability to theirs?  How does this expose our habit as human beings of focusing on human ability instead of divine capacity?

Passage for Tomorrow: 2 Corinthians 11:7-11