Someone has so aptly stated that deception wouldn’t be so deceiving if it wasn’t so deceptive. Paul’s thorn in the flesh is a deceptive sacred cow, so to speak, that holds many in bondage. Religious ideas about Paul’s thorn have caused so many to suffer needlessly, believing they were pleasing God.

Several years ago, I was in a certain church, having gone there to preach on Sunday morning. I sat in on the pastor’s Sunday school class. That was the wrong thing to do, because then I didn’t feel free to preach what I felt I should preach, for it was going to plow his ground cross-ways. I learned that everything I had to say was going to be contrary to what he taught. After hearing what he taught, if I taught against it, I would have caused a lot of confusion. I didn’t believe it was wisdom to do that in his church.

The Sunday school lesson that day was on the chastening of the Lord. He said the Lord sometimes chastens us with sickness.

I said to myself, “Self, you are going to behave and mind your own business”. But then he started talking about Paul’s thorn in the flesh. He said, “I’ve been to several Bible colleges, and no professor has ever been able to tell me what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was, and no one knows”.

Well, I had stood it about as long as I could, and I said, “Would you mind if we take what the Bible says it is”? And of course, he agreed. So I turned to II Corinthians 12:7 and read it. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

But he already knew what the Scripture said; he just didn’t believe it because it was contrary to what he had been taught. He had been indoctrinated and his mind had been blinded by religious ideas of men.

Subtle Deception

In II Corinthians Paul said: “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”. (II Cor.11:3)

Notice that Paul didn’t say, “I’m afraid, the devil is so great, he’s going to defeat us in life. But, I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. Jesus said it this way: “You make the Word of God of none effect by the tradition of men”. (Matt. 15:6) Following the tradition of men will make the Word of God ineffective in your life.

In Second Corinthians chapter twelve, we find Paul’s thorn account of his revelation and the reason why the messenger of Satan was assigned to him.

And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell; God knoweth,)
How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Of such a one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. (II Cor.12:3-7)

The reason Paul’s thorn has stuck so many people is because they have assumed that God gave it to him. It is that assumption that has kept them from putting up any resistance to that which Satan has assigned to them.

I have heard that Paul’s thorn was everything from sore eyeballs to ingrown toenails. But Paul identified it as a messenger of Satan to buffet him.

It was not sickness, it was not sore eyeballs, or ingrown toenails. And it certainly wasn’t blindness, for he was healed of that when Ananias laid hands on him in Acts 9:18. Paul identified the thorn as a messenger of Satan. He was dispatched to stir up trouble everywhere Paul preached.

Some say, “We will never know what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was” as though it were hidden from us. Others say, “I don’t understand why God wouldn’t heal Paul”.

But since Paul’s thorn was not sickness or disease, it wasn’t a matter of God healing Paul. It was a matter of Paul acting on the authority of God’s Word to defeat the purpose of the messenger of Satan. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. James didn’t say that the devil would flee from God. For it was not God’s responsibility to resist him. But the devil will flee from you who are here on earth.

So if Paul didn’t resist – by taking authority over this messenger of Satan – then God wouldn’t. Let us say it another way, God couldn’t if Paul didn’t. Jesus couldn’t do a thing about it, if Paul didn’t act on the authority of God’s Word.

The reason why many people don’t understand what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was, is that they believe God gave it to him. But, did you notice, that the Scripture didn’t say that God gave Paul the thorn in the flesh? It was an angel of the devil who was dispatched to Paul.
Yet some Bible commentaries state that God gave Paul a thorn in the flesh and it was some sort of sickness or disease to keep Paul humble. And because of that mentality, they read what the Lord’s answer to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee”, was, and they assume that Jesus said, “No Paul, I won’t heal you”. (II Cor. 12:9)

But that wasn’t what He said at all. Notice verse seven again, Lest I should be exalted above measure…there was given to me a thorn in the flesh…(II Cor. 12:7) Some have thought that Paul had too much pride because of the revelation. So God gave him a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble.

I don’t believe you can find in Scripture any evidence that God had anything to do with giving Paul a thorn in the flesh. God does not give His minister a revelation of His Word and then hinder him from preaching it. That would be totally out of character with God and His Word.

The phrase, Lest I should be exalted above measure, is referring to the fact, that if it had not been for the messenger of Satan assigned against Paul to stir up trouble, everywhere he preached, Paul would have been exalted to the point that he could have influenced the known world with this revelation. But he was not able to preach it freely, for Satan hindered him on every hand.

Ask yourself this question: Why would God give Paul a revelation of the new birth and assign someone to cause trouble everywhere he went, so he couldn’t preach that revelation? The answer is obvious, God didn’t do it but Satan did.

Trouble Started at Antioch

Evidently, this messenger of Satan was assigned to Paul at Antioch. For the Scripture says, the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. (Acts 11:26) That is significant, because Paul spent one whole year at Antioch preaching the revelation. (v.26)

Paul taught this revelation with such effectiveness that the people began to call them Christians. No doubt, Paul shared the revelation of how the rebirth of the human spirit had caused them to become new creations that never existed before. I believe the preaching of this revelation so exalted Paul’s ministry in the eyes of people that he had the potential of reaching the known world with the Gospel. For that reason Satan assigned an angel of the devil, to buffet Paul and stop this revelation.

Paul had both revival and a riot almost everywhere he preached. The riot was caused by the angel of the devil sent to stop his message. Antioch is where the persecution started, evidently it was because of the revelation Paul preached.

In John 11:47-48 when Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, the Pharisees and the chief priests said, “What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him alone, all men will believe on him…”.
In Jesus’ ministry the Gospel was growing to such measure, until they said everyone was turning to Him. I believe this is what Paul is referring to in essence, Lest I should be exalted above measure…there was given me a thorn in the flesh. He was saying, “I would have been exalted above measure through this revelation even to the point that the world would have received this gospel”.

You may say, “Well, I don’t know about this thorn in the flesh being an angel of the devil”.

The Bible says, …In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. (II Cor. 13:1) So, let’s go to the eleventh chapter of II Corinthians.

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (II Cor. 11:13-14)

One translation says, Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. This word “angel” is the very same Greek word that is translated “messenger” in chapter 12,verse 7, where Paul says, “…there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan…”. So Paul is literally saying, “There was assigned to me an angel of the devil to buffet me”.

The word “buffet” used here means to strike with a clenched fist or an open hand. In other words, it was a steady buffeting, to keep the revelation from being preached. It was not sickness and disease. “…There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan…”.

So, if Paul said his thorn in the flesh was an angel of the devil, who are we to say that he was wrong? It was his thorn and he ought to have known what it was.

Religious Ideas Deceive

It is amazing that so many religious people say Paul’s thorn was something other than a messenger of Satan when in the same verse that Paul mentioned it, he plainly stated what the thorn was. It is also interesting that they believe it was God who gave Paul the thorn.

But even common sense would tell you God did not send an angel of the devil to buffet Paul. God wanted him to preach that revelation, but the devil wanted to keep him from obeying God.

Paul’s statement, the messenger of Satan to buffet me in the Interlinear Greek-English New Testament states it this way, that me he might buffet. A personal pronoun is used here in the Greek text. That tells us it was not sickness.

For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (II Cor.12:8-9)

My Grace is sufficient for you.

What does that mean? Jesus didn’t say, “No, Paul, I won’t heal you,” or, “No, Paul, it is not My will for you to be delivered”.

The Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you”. In other words, God’s grace was sufficient to deliver him, but Paul must act on God’s Word and resist the devil. If Paul didn’t resist him, he wasn’t going to flee. The messenger of Satan was not going to leave unless Paul resisted him. It was not God’s responsibility. It was Paul’s responsibility to exercise his God-given authority here on earth. Yet, it was God’s anointing that Paul must rely upon for effective deliverance.

Exercise Your Authority

Some of you reading this newsletter need to exercise authority over the messenger of Satan that has been assigned to cause you trouble. They cause problems in finances, in your physical body and many other situations. Satan’s goal is to keep you off balance physically, financially and spiritually so you cannot fulfill your calling.

God wants you free, but unless you exercise your authority, nothing will change. The good news is that you have been delivered from the authority of darkness and you are more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ. Don’t wait six months to act on your God-given authority. Victory is available through acting on God’s Word! 

Copyright 2004 by Charles Capps ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Used with Permission The Christian Online Magazine