Inadequacy
Pastors Leslie & Adeline Chua
“Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.
Not that we are sufficient in ourselves
to claim anything as coming from us,
but our sufficiency is from God,
who has made us sufficient
to be ministers of a new covenant…”
We live in a therapeutic culture where the significance of self-esteem has been elevated to a glorified status, and may I add, over emphasised. It is believed that living well and having a good feeling about oneself is essential for success in life.
You can find a galore of self-help books on building self-esteem lining the shelves of book stores and Kindle online. Confidence and competence are stressed in leadership training. Training starts young. Many parents buy into the idea that children need flattery to succeed. So, they tell their kids that they are smart even when they are not performing anywhere close to their ability.
The sense of inadequacy is frowned upon.
This is the prevailing culture in which we live. Christians are not spared from feeling the same way. So, we import the same values into our thinking, which in turn affect the way we think about Christian service and ministries.
____________________________________________
The sense of inadequacy is frowned upon.
____________________________________________
Paul’s Inadequacies
In writing to the Corinthian church, Paul stated clearly his view concerning his ministry success and accomplishment. He attributed it to the Lord. It had nothing to do with his competence.
His confidence rested solely on God. He readily admitted that he and his co-labourers were not sufficient in themselves. On the contrary, their sufficiency came from God. It was God who made them sufficient. In other words, God gave them the abilities and power to be effective in their ministry work.
That was the great apostle, Paul, speaking. Unlike the other apostles, Paul was a religious establishment person. He was highly educated. He was a Pharisee and a brilliant theologian. He had trained under the famed rabbi, Gamaliel. Yet, Paul humbly confessed his inadequacy and inability.
____________________________________________
Paul was inadequate,
but he found his adequacy in Christ.
____________________________________________
His admission was not a cliché. He had enough experience of challenges, opposition, and a fair share of failure. He understood that unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.
Paul was inadequate, but he found his adequacy in Christ.
Paul’s declaration of his inadequacy was made in the context of his running battle with some troublemakers in the Corinthian church. These were some Corinthians and several Jewish men who had infiltrated into the ranks of the church. Paul labelled these Jews as “peddlers of God’s word,” “super-apostles,” “false apostles,” and “deceitful workmen” (2 Corinthians 2:17, 11:5, 13).
These men bragged about their credentials and abilities. The Corinthians were taken in and they began to compare Paul to them. These super-apostles had charisma, and they could speak and preach better than Paul, whereas Paul by his own admission was an unskilled communicator (2 Corinthians 11:10: 11:6). They were Hebrews, descendants of Abraham (2 Corinthians 11:22-23).
____________________________________________
“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”
Paul’s credentials were not his achievements,
but his weaknesses, insufficiencies, and inadequacies.
____________________________________________
In response, Paul contended that his credentials surpassed theirs. But he would not resort to boasting like these men. If he had to boast, he would boast of his inadequacies –“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” Paul listed a series of sufferings and challenges that he encountered during his years of ministry(2 Corinthians 11:21-30).
Paul also ended his letter to the Galatians in a similar fashion. He did not say that he was a great apostle who had accomplished many things for the Lord. Instead, he said, “From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” Galatians 6:17).
Can you see? Paul’s credentials were not his achievements, but his weaknesses, insufficiencies, and inadequacies.
Three Observations Concerning Inadequacy
Paul celebrated his inadequacies because he understood the ways of the Lord. Here are two observations.
First, the Lord uses those who are inadequate.
____________________________________________
People do not realise that
God alone determines the outcome
of any and every endeavour.
Victory and success are in the hands of God.
He does not need the able and wise
to accomplish His purposes.
____________________________________________
God is fond of using the foolish things of this world to confound the wise, and the weak to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). The reason is simple. It is so that no one can boast he has succeeded solely by his own intelligence and abilities.
People do not realise that God alone determines the outcome of any and every endeavour. Victory and success are in the hands of God. He does not need the able and wise to accomplish His purposes. Instead, He looks for the humble. He uses people who are faithful, available, and teachable.
Paul understood the ways of God.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, he chided them for their sectarianism, “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:5-7).
It is God who gives the growth and increases. In other words, it is God who determines the outcome. We do our part, but we have no control over the outcome. So, we should not have any bloated sense of self-sufficiency and pride in our achievements.
Solomon rightly observed that “the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favour to those with knowledge” though he wrongly attributed the outcome to time and chance (Ecclesiastes 9:11). The Lord always determines the outcome.
____________________________________________
In the ways of God,
our inadequacy is not a handicap.
Instead, it is a conduit through which
God’s grace and power flow.
____________________________________________
Second, Paul observed a divine principle at work in his life. God’s grace was always sufficient for him, and God’s power was made perfect in his weakness. Whenever he was weak, then he was strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
This principle certainly sounds paradoxical. It goes against the wisdom of the world. In the ways of God, our inadequacy is not a handicap. Instead, it is a conduit through which God’s grace and power flow.
Therefore, Paul celebrated his inadequacies and rejoiced in his weaknesses. He even boasted about them because then, the power of God would rest upon him.
Third, a degree of inadequacy is necessary to keep us humble and even-keeled.
____________________________________________
The thorn would serve the purpose
of keeping the great apostle
in a constant state of inadequacy,
and hence dependency on God.
____________________________________________
We all are prone to the sin of pride. The apostle is no exception. God gave Paul a thorn in the flesh to keep him from getting conceited because of the surpassing greatness of divine revelations. God must have known that Paul’s head would grow too big if he was not instilled with a sense of inadequacy.
We have no idea what the thorn in the flesh is. Paul described it as a messenger of Satan. It tormented him. Understandably, Paul besieged the Lord to remove the thorn, but God said no. The thorn would serve the purpose of keeping the great apostle in a constant state of inadequacy, and hence dependency on God.
Then, he would depend on God’s grace. Then, he would experience God’s power in his weakness. Then, he would continue to find victory and success in his ministry.
Final Thoughts
The ways of the world are contrary to the ways of God. The world cherishes self-esteem and confidence whereas God reckons that a level of inadequacy is beneficial for us.
In other words, there are blessings and usefulness in our inadequacy. I am not suggesting that we do not improve ourselves when we are lacking in certain necessary skills and competence for our work. We should. Rather, I am saying that in the economy of God, inadequacy is not necessarily a handicap.
____________________________________________
The most important blessing of inadequacy is
it drives us to depend on God utterly and completely.
Then, like Paul, we will experience the paradox of grace,
that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness.
When we are weak, then we are strong.
____________________________________________
Parents who keep flattering their children to boost their self-esteem by telling them that they are smarter than is the case are doing their children a great disservice. Instead of helping their kids, they are setting them up for failure when they grow up.
These children will grow up lacking in self-awareness of their strengths and weaknesses. Someday, reality will sink in, and they will be worse off.
If we are honest about our own insufficiencies and inadequacies, we can work on our areas of lack. We can try to plug the gaps. We can find others to complement our weaknesses.
However, the most important blessing of inadequacy is it drives us to depend on God utterly and completely. Then, like Paul, we will experience the paradox of grace, that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. When we are weak, then we are strong.