2 Corinthians 4

Tuesday, 21 July 2015

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 2 Corinthians 4:8

There is a lot going on in these few words as Paul’s ideas were printed onto the parchment. The previous verse began with “But we have…” The verb was present-indicative. Now this verse has all of the clauses in a present-participle form. Thus, they are in apposition – “we have/we are.” Each of the articles in this verse respects inward conflicts, whereas each in the next verse will deal with external conflicts.

Also, in each of these clauses the idea is building upon the previous verse which noted first the “treasure in earthen vessels” and then “the excellence of the power…of God.” The first deals with the fragility of the created, the second with the power of the Creator. He is showing the superiority of the contents in the vessel despite the weakness of the vessel itself.

His first words “hard-pressed on every side” show their seeming inability to break away from that which is troubling them. And yet because of God’s power, they were “not crushed.” Despite the pressures, they were able to bear up.

Further, he says they were “perplexed.” The word indicates an inability to find a way out of something. And yet, at the same time, they were “not in despair.” In these last two words a paronomasia results. They are aporoumenoi and exaporoumenoi. It is as if Paul was temporarily tempted by a tasty treat of targeted tones in order to tantalize the ears of his readers. In an attempt to reproduce the original, one translator says “pressed, but not oppressed.”

Paul is showing that by living through the power of God, they were (and thus we are) able to bear up under the turmoil and trouble that constantly came their way. If we rely on our own physical make-up, we will surely see only defeat. But when we rely on the strength that is given by God, we will be able to bear up as the attacks come our way. As Paul says it elsewhere, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Life application: It is easy to read words such as Philippians 4:13 and say, “I will hold to this and trust in it.” However, it is much harder to continue to trust those words when the difficulties come. This is why we must memorize them and repeat them to ourselves again and again. We do this so that when the difficulties arrive, we will be prepared mentally to allow the strength of the Lord to take the lead.

Heavenly Father, help me to not just memorize catchy verses from the Bible, but to sincerely take them to heart in order to prepare me for the day of battle. When the trials arrive, grant me that sure confidence that what Your word says really does apply, even in the most difficult or darkest moments. Help me in this Lord. Grant me the surest confidence in Your wonderful word at all times. Amen.

Monday, 20 July 2015

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

Paul has been speaking of his ministry which is “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (verse 6). It is a ministry which surpasses the reflected glory of the Old Covenant which was written on stone. This light is written on the hearts of the believers. Paul, using this symbolism says that “we have this treasure in earthen vessels.” There is a dual significance to those words.

First, man was taken from the dust and formed into a living being. Therefore, by mixing in the right amount of water, and then adding in God’s animating breath, we have been formed into “earthen vessels.” We are fragile and yet we are suited for various purposes; some noble and some ignoble. But we have all been fashioned by the Creator. This symbolism is found in the Old Testament, but a very good rendering is in Jeremiah 18:1-11.

The second significance is that of the habit of people to use earthen vessels (jars of clay) for storing valuables. This is seen throughout the Bible as well. A good example of this is the story of Elijah and the widow in 1 Kings 17:8-15. It was also known that kings, returning conquerors, and wealthy people would store gold, silver, and other valuables in such jars as well. Even the precious wine created by the Lord in John 2:1-12 was kept in such clay jars.

Paul ties the two concepts together – humans being made of clay and being “jars” suitable for containing things, and real clay jars that are used for storing all sorts of things, valuable or of little value. To him the “treasure” that he bore, which is the ministry of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, is the most valuable treasure of all. And yet, it is contained in a weak clay jar which has no value at all in comparison to what it contains.

The reason for this is “that excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” The word translated as “excellence” is huperbolé. It literally means “a throwing beyond. Hence preeminence, excellence” (Vincent’s Word Studies). Within the saved believer is something of exceeding value – far, far beyond the value of the container which holds it. Such is the nature of the grace of God. He has condescended to allow His weak, fragile creatures to share in His exceeding glory, and He has allowed us to speak of it to others. It radiates forth from the darkened vessel with a magnificence which completely overshadows its faults. Thus it is obvious that the glory is “of God and not of us.

Life application: The most marvelous and glorious thing that we possess is the knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is a possession that is not intended to be kept hidden away, but shared with all. As we open our jar of clay and allow it to come forth, the contents are never diminished. Instead, they continue to overflow. Therefore, there is no loss to us when we share it, but there is great gain for all who receive it. Speak the word!

Heavenly Father, You have granted that I, a lowly and fragile jar of clay, may possess the greatest contents of all – the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Is it right that I keep this knowledge hidden inside me? That was never Your intent! When I share this wondrous treasure, what I possess never lessens. Instead it continues to flow no matter how much I share. Therefore, I retain the wealth and others are enriched by it as well. Help me to remember this Lord and to share this marvelous fortune with every person I encounter. To Your glory! Amen.

Sunday, 19 July 2015

 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

Following Paul’s order of thought, we can see how he is weaving together his words in order to best reveal what God has done in the giving of the gospel. In the previous verse, he seemed to stop his train of thought and redirect his readers to the understanding that everything he is conveying is not about himself, but about Jesus Christ.

And the verse just before that, he wrote –

“…whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” (verse 4)

He now pens verse 6 which is given to contrast what was seen in verse 4. The “god of this age” is now contrasted with ” the God” (meaning the true God). Those who have rejected Christ have their minds blinded. However, the true God who “commanded light to shine out of darkness” has once again revealed light. The creation account in Genesis 1 is being equated with the “new creation” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). What occurs when the veil is lifted is as marvelous as the original light shining out of darkness!

And the intent for this is that God “has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” There is a definite point in time – in the life of Paul, in the life of each of the apostles, and in the life of every person who comes to Christ, at the time of their conversion, when the light of what God has done through the work of Jesus shines upon our hearts.

At that wondrous moment, the veil is lifted and Christ is revealed. However, there is another contrast in these words. The glory of the law was a reflection from Moses’ face to the people of Israel. However, the glory of Jesus is not a reflection, but the transmission of God’s glory. This is seen, for example, in Hebrews 1 –

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; ³ who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power…” Hebrews 1:1-3

In Paul’s words here, we find the second and final use of the word phótismos, or light, in Scripture. He used it in verse 4 (cited above) and now he uses it again to show that in seeing Christ, we are seeing the full illumination and splendor of God who is the Source of all light. In other words, Jesus is the one who reveals our heavenly Father. As he said in John 14 –

“He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” John 14:9

The light came into the world at the spoken word of God and Jesus is that spoken Word. In Him the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily and in Him we have our eternal light and life.

Life application: If you feel beaten up by the world, refresh yourself in the word. Pick up your Bible and remind yourself that God has it all under control. He has given us Jesus and Jesus is fully sufficient to carry you through this world of darkness and into God’s marvelous light.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the light of Christ in my life! I have every assurance that no matter how bad things get, I have an eternal hope because of what You have done through Your Son. There is light, there is joy, and there is peace in opening Your word and finding there wonderful passages which show me Your love for us in the giving of Christ to bring us back to You. I love You and will stand content in You until the day You come for me! Amen.

Saturday, 18 July 2015

For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 2 Corinthians 4:5

Paul is continually directing or redirecting his readers to Jesus and away from himself. However, he often uses himself and/or those with him in his conversation. It is a natural thing to do, but charges of either egotism or personal gain could arise if his words were misapplied or misinterpreted. Because of this, he occasionally reminds those to whom he is writing that Jesus, not he, is the center of his theology.

He has been discussing the veil which covered the eyes of those who had rejected Jesus as the focus of Scripture. Then he noted in the previous verse that “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Now his words show that the “light of the gospel” is “not ourselves.” There is no personal boasting. Instead the light of which he writes is “Jesus Christ as Lord.”

Early in his first letter to the Corinthians, he wrote –

“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2

And then earlier in the letter he is now writing he said –

“For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:17

These and other reminders are brought into his letters to demonstrate clearly that it is all about Jesus. Personal references are simply life experiences that help make the message of Jesus more understandable, more personal, etc. They are not intended to draw the masses to himself, but to Jesus Christ. To further confirm this, he says that not only do they proclaim Jesus, but “ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”

Paul always attempted to exalt Jesus at every chance, and he diminished himself and the other apostles to their rightful position of being doulos (literally slaves) to those they ministered to. If they were slaves to the Corinthians, then how could they be egoists or braggarts? Rather, they had only the exaltation of Christ as their main goal and intent.

Life application: When in church, what is the preacher focusing on most? Pay attention to his words, particularly those in the sermon. Are they centered on you? If so, he may be using platitudes to schmooze you. Are they centered on him? If so, then he probably has an ego problem that he wants filled with your adoration. Are they centered on a general “God” without specificity on Christ? Then his theology is probably severely lacking. Are they centered on the Holy Spirit? Then not only is his theology severely lacking, he has probably purposely directed your attention away from what is proper and onto himself. This is because he is most likely claiming to be a vehicle (rather than the Bible) by which the Holy Spirit reveals truth – bad juju there. Or are they centered on Christ? If they are, then they are properly directed words, proclaiming what the intent of Scripture truly is.

Heavenly Father, Your word is given to show us Jesus. If a preacher or a teacher focuses on the congregation, himself, a general or ambiguous “God,” or even on the Holy Spirit, then he has missed the intent of Scripture and he has wasted his words. Scripture is centered on and reveals Jesus. Without that, the focus of Scripture – Jesus – is lost. Help pastors to properly preach and teach Your word; revealing to us the glory of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Friday, 17 July 2015

…whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 2 Corinthians 4:4

The “whose” of this verse are “those who are perishing” of the previous verse. Those who have not received the gospel of Christ are perishing. And the reason for this is that their “minds the god of this age has blinded.” Spiritual darkness is a pall which is found in all people born of man. Sin is an inherited trait and those who have sinned (all of them) are under the power of the devil. Here he is termed “the god of this age.” This is the only time this phrase is used of him, but it corresponds with other such names for him in the Bible, such as –

“The ruler of this world” (John 14:30).
“The prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).
“The wicked one” (1 John 5:19).

These terms, among others, give us varied descriptions of the devil so that we can see his sphere of influence and the characteristics which define him. In this verse, Paul shows that he is in control of the lost during this age until Christ is finished with His complete plan of redemption found in the dispensational model. Eventually he will be cast into the Lake of Fire and a new age will come to pass (Revelation 20:10).

However, during this age he has blinded the eyes of those “who do not believe.” The tense of the Greek for “has blinded” is aorist-indicative-active. This means that he has blinded man in the past (which occurred at the fall of man), but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the blindness continues in the present. In other words, he has blinded the world, but the world can come to see the light through Jesus Christ. Until they do, they remain blind. Jesus alludes to this type of thing in John 9 –

“And Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.’
⁴⁰ Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, ‘Are we blind also?’
⁴¹ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.'” (John 9:39-41

The devil has done this, as Paul explains, “lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” Though this is speaking of all who are in Adam, Paul has specifically been speaking of the veil which is over the eyes of the Jews who have failed to see Christ revealed in Scripture. He is giving an explanation of why this is so.

The word he uses for “light” is photismos. It is a special word which is used only here and then again in verse 6. Ellicott notes that the word signifies not merely a purpose, but a result. To understand this, we can think of a person with blinded eyes. When he turns his face to the sun, there is no perception of the sun at all. Not only does he not see the light, but he cannot see the light.

The intent of the Scriptures is to illumine the “glory of Christ.” However, the Jews cannot see this because they have been blinded. God knew that this would occur and thus the dispensation of grace, which is the Church Age, was introduced. During Israel’s time of blindness (Romans 9-11), salvation has come to the Gentiles. Instead of seeing Christ, who is the image of God, they see only darkness.

Finally, the word for “shine” here is augazo. It is only used here in the New Testament and it indicates “to shine forth.” Christ radiates from the Bible just as the sun shines forth at dawn (which is where the root of the word augazo comes from). Paul’s use of this word is described by the Bible scholar Charles Ellicott –

It “…stands as intermediate between the object and the shadow, far plainer than the latter, yet not identical with the former, however adequately representing it.”

In other words, Scripture is not the Lord, but it accurately represents Him. Thus His radiance shines forth from it. However, in eyes which are blinded, there can be no shining forth of this beautiful radiance.

Life application: If you wonder why someone hasn’t come to Christ, this verse may adequately describe their situation. They have been blinded by the devil and they cannot seem Him in Scripture. However, through prayer we have a weapon to overcome this blindness. Never stop praying for the lost!

Heavenly Father, I know that the god of this world, the devil, is the one who blinds people to the truth of Scripture. The life of Christ radiates from it, but when eyes are blind, they cannot perceive His glory. I pray for the lost that I know, desiring that You open the eyes which are blinded so that they can see. I know that through You all things are possible. Open the eyes! Change the hearts! This I pray, O God. Amen.