What was the thorn in Paul’s side?

[Enoch111]

Now what was the thorn in Paul’s flesh? I have no idea...

No one else does either. But it was some kind of ongoing physical disability which Satan used against Paul to hinder him and his ministry. In this context "flesh" means body -- muscles and bones. So he might have been crippled, or his eyesight may have become weak, and either way a daily irritant.

 

[quietthinker]

No one else does either. But it was some kind of ongoing physical disability which Satan used against Paul to hinder him and his ministry. In this context "flesh" means body -- muscles and bones. So he might have been crippled, or his eyesight may have become weak, and either way a daily irritant.

maybe he couldn't give up Havana cigars. ....just kidding!

 

[MatthewG]

Bump

 

[MatthewG]

maybe he couldn't give up Havana cigars. ....just kidding!

 

[Brakelite]

No one else does either. But it was some kind of ongoing physical disability which Satan used against Paul to hinder him and his ministry. In this context "flesh" means body -- muscles and bones. So he might have been crippled, or his eyesight may have become weak, and either way a daily irritant.

The Lord showed me several years ago a number of verses and circumstances in the NT that show Paul was indeed partly blind. I suspect a leftover of his experience when converted on the road to Damascus. I believe God allowed this in order to ensure Paul's humility and continuing trust in Jesus and not in his own flesh and ability.
Examples...
KJV 1 Corinthians 16:21
21 The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand
KJV Colossians 4:18
18 The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen.
KJV 2 Thessalonians 3:17
17 The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write .




It seems this was a common occurrence that Paul would himself write final paragraphs, it seems that usually others wrote the bulk of the letters on his behalf except for his letter to Philemon which he wrote personally in order that the importance may be magnified...

KJV Philemon 1:19
19 I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.










KJV Galatians 4:12-15
12 Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.
13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.

 

[The Learner]

2 peter 1

 

[MatthewG]

“Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature. For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall; so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore I intend always to remind you of these things, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to arouse you by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. And I will see to it that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we heard this voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word made more sure. You will do well to pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭21‬ ‭RSV‬‬

2 Peter 1:1-21 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be mult | Revised Standard Version (RSV) |

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be mult

bible.com

 

[Brakelite]

“Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature. For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall; so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore I intend always to remind you of these things, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to arouse you by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. And I will see to it that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we heard this voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word made more sure. You will do well to pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭21‬ ‭RSV‬‬

2 Peter 1:1-21 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be mult | Revised Standard Version (RSV) |

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be mult

bible.com

I don't get the relevance to this discussion.

 

[MatthewG]

I don't get the relevance to this discussion.

Perhaps there is not one. We established Paul had an issue with his eye sight. But the thorn could have been a moral one, but Paul continued to trust in God and the Lord Jesus Christ to carry him through to do the will of God in his life.

Thank you for sharing and commenting.

 

[Ronald Nolette]

Hello to you reader,

Here are some of my thoughts,


If it’s indication of the enemy, can ourselves also be our own enemy? From scriptures it plainly stated in James that every individual has their own temptations.


“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1:12-18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬


This text suggests that only good things come from God. That by the spirit anything a person does would be an attribute from a good gift from God being produced, in the idea of spiritual fruit.


However each person here on this forum, and our in real life all each have their own temptations they deal with, be it secretly known to them and God, or publicly know to them and God as well as others who may know whom willingly admit their temptations they suffer from, in which Christ may reside with them due to their weakness.


You see Paul here mention


“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭12:9-10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬


What he takes pleasure in, and that he would rather boast about the problems he has in which seems to be addressing honesty with himself but also with the Corinthians who he is writing to and God, in order that Christ may give him rest for his soul knowing and sharing the truth.


Paul also asked a rhetorical question in the letter to the Romans,


“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬


Now had been addressing many issuers prior before coming to this question, talking about being free from sin, abiding in the spirit becoming children of God, suffering for Christ sake.


Then he asked this question, in Romans 8:31.


It’s been indicted in the Bible by the writer of Hebrews a warning to not fall away, from the faith, they hold on to.


“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭3:12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬


The answer to the question in Romans 8:31, is that it is ourselves that can be against us. Even though God be for one, as human beings with free will, one can choose to go against God.


Now what was the thorn in Paul’s flesh? I have no idea it would have been nice if he would have written it down, but He pleaded three times, for this personal delivery, (Paul goes on to address his love for his brothers in Romans 10).


“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10:1-3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬


Thank you for reading, thought would share some of my thoughts they may be wrong, they might be right. May you be guided by the spirit and keep fast and hold on to what is good.


God bless you,

Matthew G.

Many consider his terrible eyesight to be the thorn in his flesh.

Paul had to have soemone write all but one of his epistles and needed a companion to insure safe travel. It is a good guess, but a guess nonetheless.

 

[MatthewG]

Perhaps we can ask Paul in heaven one day what it was, Ron.

 

[Brakelite]

Many consider his terrible eyesight to be the thorn in his flesh.

Paul had to have soemone write all but one of his epistles and needed a companion to insure safe travel. It is a good guess, but a guess nonetheless.

And to support that is...
KJV Romans 16:22
22 I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord .
Guess? No. You discern what the scriptures reveal, and accept the evidence by faith. Claiming the thorn to be something else other than what evidence suggests is guessing and unbelief in the word of God.

 

[DJT_47]

The answer is in Romans 7: concupiscence

7What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 8But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 9For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

 

[MatthewG]

concupiscence. What does this mean djt?

 

[quietthinker]

concupiscence. What does this mean djt?

online dictionaries are very handy!

 

[DJT_47]

concupiscence. What does this mean djt?

Strong sexual desire, lust. Some people say Paul's thorn was medical, but that can't be correct since such doesn't require God's grace. It's clear in Romans 7 as posted.

 

[MatthewG]

How interesting thank you!

 

[amigo de christo]

No one else does either. But it was some kind of ongoing physical disability which Satan used against Paul to hinder him and his ministry. In this context "flesh" means body -- muscles and bones. So he might have been crippled, or his eyesight may have become weak, and either way a daily irritant.

I dont know what it was either . But i do know the thorn in my buttocks . ITS this all inclusive delusion
taking so many captive . its a pain to see it happen .

 

[friend of]

If Paul's thorn was an affliction that God allowed Satan to give him to keep him humble, then why would Satan continue to smart him with it when doing so would be to the benefit of Paul's soul?

 

[MatthewG]

If Paul's thorn was an affliction that God allowed Satan to give him to keep him humble, then why would Satan continue to smart him with it when doing so would be to the benefit of Paul's soul?

Perhaps it did keep Paul from becoming to prideful.