Power in Weakness-C. H. Spurgeon
II Corinthians 13:4
Paul admits anything they may have to say about his deficiency in natural dignity and elocution, but he declares the general principle of power in weakness, by which the Lord conducts the matters of the gospel dispensation. Power in weakness is the great secret of the gospel mode of working. Life, born of death, is the life of our souls, a life which would never have been in us at all if it had not been for the most cruel death on record, when men crucified the ever-blessed Lord. The apostle says, in verse 4, "Though He was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you"; that is to say, our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished His mighty purpose by becoming weak; through His weakness He became able to suffer, and to die-in order to save us from the thraldom of sin.
It was necessary that the Infinite should set aside His power, and become an infant; that He who wore the royal robe of sovereignty should be found in fashion as a man. He made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and fulfilled the divine law. Yea more, inasmuch as a great sacrifice must be offered for sin, a death was required; but it was not possible that God, regarded as God purely and simply, should die, therefore Jesus stooped to our weakness, and by weakness received the power to die--if I may call it so, that He by that death redeem us. By assuming our weakness, He gained the power to act as our substitute, and put away our sin by the sacrifice of Himself. I am not aware of any other passage of Scripture where weakness is in so many words ascribed to the Lord Jesus Christ. This makes the text the more striking. Remember that there was resident withing His complex person a boundless power which He could at once exert. He permitted some outgoings of that poer occasionally to let man see that His subjection was voluntary. He said of His life, "No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself." Yet He was weak, so that another was called to bear His cross, He cried "I thirst"; he appealed to His God, saying, "Why hast thou forsaken me?' and He was brought into the dust of death. He only spoke to those who came to take Him, and they fell backward: a word would have brought Him twelve legions of angels; truly did He say to Pilate, "thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it wer given thee from above." Yet as a voluntary captive He was bound, and as a willing substitute He died: "He saved others, Himself He could not save." Even on the cross He displayed abundant evidence that He possessed inherent omnipotence, for before He gave up the ghost, the mid-day sun veiled its face, and traveled on in tenforld night; the veil which hid the holy of holies was torn in two as by giant hands; the rocks were torn, the earth shook, and the dead arose; to let men see that He Who died in weakness was none other than the Son of God. He used His weakness as the instrument of His strength by which He became Almighty to redeem.
Now, you perceive tha this weakness of Christ is the way in which He exerts a wondrous power among men. Because of His being obedient to death, even the death of the cross, "God also has highly exalted Him and given Him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth." Because He died in weakness He has becom mighty to save by the putting away of sin. Has He not already finished transgression, made an end of sin, and brought in everlasting righteousness? By this sign He conquered: the ensign of His bloody cross is the seal of victory. It is Himself wounded, Himself hung up as a malefactor, Himself dead as a victim on the altar before the Most High God: it is Himself thus slain which is his power to pardon and save.
You know, brethren, that our Lord's power over our hearts comes by His great love, and the matchless manner of His showing it. Stooping so low to save such unworthy ones, he conquers our hearts. His dying love has begotten living love within us. It sends a spear into the heart of sin that Jesus yielded His heart for our sakes; this nails up the hands and feet of our rebellious lusts, to think that Jesus was crucified for us; this leads us in golden chains, the happy captives of His mighty grace, when we behold how His love stooped to the curse for us. The weakness of Christ is stronger in its power over our hearts than all His strength could have been. It is by weakness that Christ has achieved His mighty purpose. Today He has left His weakness on the cross, and gone upward to His throne, but there He sits clothed with a glory born of His weakness. The eyes of my faith even now behold him. I am glad I do not see Him more clearly or else I must cease to speak to you, and fall at His feet as dead, so great is His majesty, so glorious is His exaltation. That glory in our esteem has sprung out of His weakness, His sorrow, His death. Your brightest coronet, O Christ is fashioned from the crown of thorns! You are more lovely now that you were before! The marks of your passion have made You altogether lovely in the eyes of your people!
II Corinthians 13:4
Paul admits anything they may have to say about his deficiency in natural dignity and elocution, but he declares the general principle of power in weakness, by which the Lord conducts the matters of the gospel dispensation. Power in weakness is the great secret of the gospel mode of working. Life, born of death, is the life of our souls, a life which would never have been in us at all if it had not been for the most cruel death on record, when men crucified the ever-blessed Lord. The apostle says, in verse 4, "Though He was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you"; that is to say, our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished His mighty purpose by becoming weak; through His weakness He became able to suffer, and to die-in order to save us from the thraldom of sin.
It was necessary that the Infinite should set aside His power, and become an infant; that He who wore the royal robe of sovereignty should be found in fashion as a man. He made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and fulfilled the divine law. Yea more, inasmuch as a great sacrifice must be offered for sin, a death was required; but it was not possible that God, regarded as God purely and simply, should die, therefore Jesus stooped to our weakness, and by weakness received the power to die--if I may call it so, that He by that death redeem us. By assuming our weakness, He gained the power to act as our substitute, and put away our sin by the sacrifice of Himself. I am not aware of any other passage of Scripture where weakness is in so many words ascribed to the Lord Jesus Christ. This makes the text the more striking. Remember that there was resident withing His complex person a boundless power which He could at once exert. He permitted some outgoings of that poer occasionally to let man see that His subjection was voluntary. He said of His life, "No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself." Yet He was weak, so that another was called to bear His cross, He cried "I thirst"; he appealed to His God, saying, "Why hast thou forsaken me?' and He was brought into the dust of death. He only spoke to those who came to take Him, and they fell backward: a word would have brought Him twelve legions of angels; truly did He say to Pilate, "thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it wer given thee from above." Yet as a voluntary captive He was bound, and as a willing substitute He died: "He saved others, Himself He could not save." Even on the cross He displayed abundant evidence that He possessed inherent omnipotence, for before He gave up the ghost, the mid-day sun veiled its face, and traveled on in tenforld night; the veil which hid the holy of holies was torn in two as by giant hands; the rocks were torn, the earth shook, and the dead arose; to let men see that He Who died in weakness was none other than the Son of God. He used His weakness as the instrument of His strength by which He became Almighty to redeem.
Now, you perceive tha this weakness of Christ is the way in which He exerts a wondrous power among men. Because of His being obedient to death, even the death of the cross, "God also has highly exalted Him and given Him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth." Because He died in weakness He has becom mighty to save by the putting away of sin. Has He not already finished transgression, made an end of sin, and brought in everlasting righteousness? By this sign He conquered: the ensign of His bloody cross is the seal of victory. It is Himself wounded, Himself hung up as a malefactor, Himself dead as a victim on the altar before the Most High God: it is Himself thus slain which is his power to pardon and save.
You know, brethren, that our Lord's power over our hearts comes by His great love, and the matchless manner of His showing it. Stooping so low to save such unworthy ones, he conquers our hearts. His dying love has begotten living love within us. It sends a spear into the heart of sin that Jesus yielded His heart for our sakes; this nails up the hands and feet of our rebellious lusts, to think that Jesus was crucified for us; this leads us in golden chains, the happy captives of His mighty grace, when we behold how His love stooped to the curse for us. The weakness of Christ is stronger in its power over our hearts than all His strength could have been. It is by weakness that Christ has achieved His mighty purpose. Today He has left His weakness on the cross, and gone upward to His throne, but there He sits clothed with a glory born of His weakness. The eyes of my faith even now behold him. I am glad I do not see Him more clearly or else I must cease to speak to you, and fall at His feet as dead, so great is His majesty, so glorious is His exaltation. That glory in our esteem has sprung out of His weakness, His sorrow, His death. Your brightest coronet, O Christ is fashioned from the crown of thorns! You are more lovely now that you were before! The marks of your passion have made You altogether lovely in the eyes of your people!