Was Paul tempted sexually? 2 Corinthians 11:29 says so

Paul preaching in the Areopagus in Athens, by Raphael.

We all love Paul the Apostle. He's so earnest, so hardworking, so amazingly effective in planting churches! But did he also suffer the temptation to sin sexually? It's hard to imagine, but I believe he did based on 2 Corinthians 11:29:

Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? (NIV)

The New International Version provides a more literal translation for the Greek word puroomai, which literally means to burn. In the New Testament, this word is used only two times to refer to emotions: by Paul to refer to sexual temptation in 1 Corinthians 7:9 and by Paul again in 2 Corinthians 11:29 where he speaks of a burning feeling.

Most other English translations of the Bible follow the lead of the King James Version in translating puroomai to refer to indignation. In these translations, Paul is saying that he burns with indignation when others are led into sin.

"Yes, I feel weak, just like all of you, but I haven't given in"

But does this jive with the rest of chapter 11 and 12? Also, if Paul is the only New Testament writer to use puroomai to refer to emotions, shouldn't we at least consider that he would use the word in the same manner to refer to sexual temptation here?

This is a much more natural reading of 2 Corinthians 11 leading up to verse 29: "I've already made a fool of myself boasting about myself, since you all are impressed by such boasting. The physical hardships that I've had to deal with are far beyond the pale of what anyone else can claim to have endured. Likewise, the emotional hardship I endure is equally great. Not only do I constantly worry about all the churches under my care, but I face daily the same types of weaknesses and temptations that you all do, but I never give in to those things."

To me, this is a much more characteristic and natural reading of Paul's message here. You can imagine Paul pacing the room, dictating the letter to his amanuensis, becoming more and more enthused as he recounts all the hardships that he has undergone. But beyond the physical suffering that he has experienced, he wants them to know that he's just an ordinary guy. He also feels weak at times, and yes, he also is tempted sexually.

Astute readers in Corinth would have remembered that Paul used the word puroomai to refer to sexual temptation in a previous letter. Without elaboration, it would have been natural for them to understand Paul's meaning here as referring to his own private temptations that no one else could have known about had he not revealed it to them. But that's the mood he's in now.

In exasperation, Paul says in verse 30: "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness." Yes, Paul says, I feel weak. I also burn with temptation. But I choose not to give in to those things for the sake of Jesus, because I don't want to disqualify myself for ministry.

Paul was not without normal sexual feeling. He considered it his right to take a believing wife with him as he ministered, as the other apostles did. But he gave up that right so that he might serve without concern for her wellbeing.

The take-away: Paul's not superhuman, and that's OK

So, what's the take-away for us believers today? Personally, I take heart knowing that Paul was just a regular guy in terms of the temptations that he faced. Sure, he was exceptional in that he disciplined himself ("beat his body to make it his slave," in his terms) beyond what most of us could imagine, but he was not immune. And if he could do it, then there's hope for you and I.

My review of The New Matthew Henry Commentary from Zondervan

The New Matthew Henry Commentary from Zondervan

I purchased The New Matthew Henry Commentary from Zondervan for three of my friends recently. We are all pastors at the same church and I've benefited greatly from the original Matthew Henry Commentary during sermon preparation. Henry delivers the "old school" gospel. This was the book that basically served as seminary training for the English revivalist George Whitefield, who read a multi-volume series repeatedly when he was a teenager. I especially like Henry's commentaries on the Jesus' parables in the gospels. 

Despite the value that I've derived from the commentary, I had previously hesitated from passing this on to my friends because the language is very old and the particular book I use, an unabridged, 2,000-page, 5.6-lbs beast from Hendrickson, has smaller type than my pocket bible. I have to use a special reading lamp when using the commentary to keep from going blind. Don't get me wrong--I still love it to death! I did major in English Literature in college, after all.

Anyway, the "new" version from Zondervan was released in late 2010 and promised updated, modern language. And, it's incredibly inexpensive, listing at just under $20 from Barnes & Noble. 

So, the new books arrived the other day and I made an inspection. The good: 1) Nice quality. The paper is thin, but super-bright. 2) The text is very readable. Zondervan did a great job of handling the point-by-point style of Henry. 3) The updated language seems pretty faithful to Henry's original. The bad: 1) As I was afraid, the "updated" language also meant cutting a lot of wordiness, which I'm not going to defend. Yes, Matthew Henry was extremely wordy. And, he would leave no pebble unturned when examining the scriptures. However, a quick comparison of the commentary on Genesis 2 revealed that the editing job was indeed an abridgment, not simply an "updating" of the language into modern phraseology. The section I compared lost at least half of the words. Yes, some of the cut sentences were repetitious, but they explained what Henry was saying in a fuller sense.

If you're looking for an accessible Matthew Henry Commentary, this might be the one to go with. I'd say it compares very well with other abridged versions. I'm not ashamed to give this book as a gift. However, negative points to Zondervan for not being clear that this is an abridged version that loses a lot of the original material.