Narcissism Has But One Hope

Common Sense Commentary:  "And lest I should be exalted above measure ... there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure." 2 Cor.12:7. The Apostle Paul had many admirable qualities.  Among those qualities,... courage, commitment, faithfulness, honesty and humility, was the rare quality of self-effacement. He knew his weaknesses and failures,
and confessed them openly.  I think the reason he was so honest about himself is that he also knew the liabilities those weaknesses incurred to him and the damage they did to others.  He knew what the self inflicted pain and destruction of vain pride, boasting and self-love would do to his own spiritual life, and how they would affect others as well.  He told the truth about himself, which was sometimes positive and sometimes negative.  In one place Paul said of himself, "I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." 1 Cor.15:9. In another place, he said of himself, "In nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing." 2 Cor.12:11.  My point is, that, though Paul was chosen of God as an Apostle, preached to thousands, won great numbers to Christ, Performed miracles, founded churches all over that part of the world, was caught up into the presence of God and wrote half the books of the New Testament, he remained an humble, self-effacing, faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. He was both admired and hated, but unaffected by either. He was actually a very humble man and God's extensive use of him proves it. It is a fact of Scriptural conclusion that there is no "spirituality" without "humility". Vain-glory and pride cancel out any measure of spirituality, but not our salvation, which is in Christ. Paul was not a vainly proud or boastful Christian.


Need I remind you that we, flesh and blood, human beings, have enough built in humiliating features that none of us, except a full blown narcissist, should ever dare to "...think of him/herself "more highly than he ought to think." Rom.12:3. But a Narcissus's self-adoration perversion has suffocated every effort of reality to shine light into his darkened, self-righteous soul. I think the only cure for such a huge case of ego, is in an even larger dose of extended, intolerable, withering pain .... driving that shriveled soul to the foot of the cross... in meek and humble repentance.


"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." Rom.12:3.   

"Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake." Psm.115:1.  RB