{ "id": "basics-u4-l4-5-q01", "question": "Why did God allow a messenger of Satan to buffet Paul?", "answer": "God allowed a messenger of Satan to buffet Paul to keep him from exalting himself, a purpose Paul states twice in the same verse (2 Corinthians 12:7). Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations Paul had received, and because he had a natural tendency toward self-righteousness that he had exploited to the full as an unbelieving Pharisee, God knew that when He poured the power of His Word through Paul there would be a very great danger that Paul would be tempted to magnify his own importance. So He allowed what was apparently a high-ranking demon, a thorn in the flesh, to inflict bodily pain, keeping Paul weak and dependent on grace.", "url": "/faq/why-did-god-allow-a-messenger-of-satan/", "unit": 4, "lesson": "4-5", "lesson_title": "Empowering—The Spirit", "question_type": "comprehension", "tier": 1, "faq_class": "review", "aeo_questions": [ "Why did God permit a messenger of Satan to torment the Apostle Paul?", "What purpose did God intend for allowing Satan's messenger to afflict Paul?", "Why did God allow a demon to cause physical suffering in the life of the Apostle Paul?" ], "topic_anchor": null, "derivation": "voice-rewritten", "source_authority": "authoritative", "author": "Gene Cunningham", "book": "The Basics", "source": { "doc_id": "btbm-01-TheBasics-8-10-24", "ref": "The Basics, Unit 4, Lesson 4-5 - Empowering—The Spirit (Review q1)", "book_page": [ 213, 220 ], "flipbook_page": 225, "view_url": "/library/the-basics/unit-4/lesson-4-5" }, "scripture": [ { "display": "1 Corinthians 11:28-31", "osis": null, "book_pages": [ 227 ] }, { "display": "2 Corinthians 12:7-10", "osis": null, "book_pages": [ 226 ] }, { "display": "Philippians 4", "osis": null, "book_pages": [ 227 ] }, { "display": "Hebrews 4:14-16", "osis": null, "book_pages": [ 226 ] }, { "display": "1 John 1:7-10", "osis": null, "book_pages": [ 227 ] }, { "display": "Psalms 32", "osis": null, "book_pages": [ 227 ] }, { "display": "Galatians 5:16", "osis": null, "book_pages": [ 227 ] }, { "display": "Ephesians 1:23", "osis": null, "book_pages": [ 227 ] }, { "display": "Ephesians 4:30", "osis": null, "book_pages": [ 227 ] }, { "display": "Ephesians 5:18", "osis": null, "book_pages": [ 227 ] }, { "display": "1 Thessalonians 5:19", "osis": null, "book_pages": [ 227 ] } ], "topics": [ "Greatness", "Paul", "Righteousness", "Satan", "Self-Righteousness" ], "topics_context": [ "Grace and weakness", "Power", "Holy Spirit", "Christian, way of life", "Paul, the apostle", "Power, appropriating", "Faith-Rest, technique", "Filling of the Spirit and power", "Power and Holy Spirit", "Power, human", "importance of Bible" ], "printed_pages": [ 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 220 ], "related": { "ranked": [ { "id": "basics-canon-legalism", "topic_idf_score": 9.926, "why": "topic", "shared_topics": [ "Satan", "Righteousness", "Self-Righteousness" ], "topics": [ "Cross", "Glory", "Grace and truth", "Legalism", "Righteousness", "Satan", "Self-Righteousness", "Service" ], "shared_verse_count": 0, "same_lesson": false }, { "id": "basics-u3-l3-2-q04", "topic_idf_score": 7.675, "why": "topic", "shared_topics": [ "Righteousness", "Self-Righteousness" ], "topics": [ "Absalom", "Ahithophel", "Bathsheba", "David", "Death", "Judas", "Judgment", "Righteousness", "Self-Righteousness", "The Sin Unto Death", "Uriah" ], "shared_verse_count": 0, "same_lesson": false }, { "id": "basics-u5-l5-4-q07", "topic_idf_score": 7.2, "why": "topic", "shared_topics": [ "Satan", "Paul", 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