Author: Charlie Garrett

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.

Thursday, 16 July 2015

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 2 Corinthians 4:3

The previous verse spoke of the “hidden things of shame” which Paul and the apostles had renounced. Instead, he spoke of the “manifestation of the truth” which is found in the gospel message. He now writes words which are intended to correct any perceived contradiction. In saying that it is the manifestation of the truth, then how can it be veiled to some? A manifestation implies something that is open and available to all. But there are some who haven’t received it because they are “perishing.”

As he notes, “if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.” Therefore, there is no contradiction in his words. People must be willing to accept that Jesus is the explanation for, and fulfillment of, all Scripture. If they fail to accept this, then the veil remains (as he noted in the previous chapter). The result for such people is that they “are perishing.” But there is a note of hope even in his words. He uses a present participle for the word “perishing” rather than a past participle. In other words, he doesn’t say, “to those who have perished.” Because of this, it does not exclude hope of the person turning to the Lord and having the veil lifted (Keep praying for your Jewish friends!).

The gospel is the manifestation of the truth and it is available to any who will but receive it – even until their dying breath. Albert Barnes gives a lovely set of examples of comparison for us to consider –

“It is not the fault of the sun when people shut their eyes and will not see it. It is not the fault of a running stream, or a bubbling fountain, if people will not drink of it, but rather choose to die of thirst. The gospel does not obscure and conceal its own glory anymore than the sun does. It is in itself a clear and full revelation of God and his grace; and that glory is adapted to shed light upon the benighted minds of people.”

Life application: Minds are easily dulled and we tend to gravitate towards those things which we prefer, regardless if they are right or wrong. The gospel sets us free from this, and yet until we come to it, the perception is that we will lose all of the things we like in the process. Instead, when we come to Christ, we are enabled to appreciate things in their proper perspective. As we grow closer to Him through His word, what is right becomes increasingly desirable and that which is wrong becomes increasingly undesirable. Truly a veil is lifted in Christ.

Heavenly Father, in turning to Jesus, there is a new love of that which is right and proper. However, unless we continue to study Your word and pursue righteousness, it is so easy to get bogged down in a morally confused state where tolerance rather than obedience is the norm. From there, our religion devolves into acceptance of that which is morally improper once again. I pray that hearts will turn towards You with a desire to seek Your whole counsel as recorded in Scripture. Anything less will certainly result in sadness when we stand before You. Amen.

Wednesday, 15 July 2015

But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 2 Corinthians 4:2

Building upon the thought of “this ministry” which he mentioned in verse 1, Paul acknowledges the purity of it. The word “but” is given as a contrast to “having received mercy.” They had once needed mercy and based on the granting of that, they (meaning him and the apostles) “have renounced the hidden things of shame.” Charges had been leveled against him for various reasons and certainly the others had been slandered in one way or another as well. But those were mere words without truth.

Rather than speaking of things which are inappropriate, the speech of the apostles was pure and pointed to holiness, not illicit behavior. And not only did he conduct his speech in this manner, but he encouraged others to as well. In his letter to the Ephesians, he said –

“For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.” Ephesians 5:12

Further, their conduct was “not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully.” The word Paul uses for “craftiness” indicates “crafty behavior; unscrupulous cunning that stops at nothing to achieve a selfish goal.” In contrast to such an attitude, his life, doctrine, and intent for sharing the gospel was open and only had the best of others in mind.

There was nothing but good intent and honesty in his conduct. He proved this by working with his own hands to sustain himself rather than peddling the word of God for profit. And this is exactly what he means by the use of the word translated as “deceitfully.” It is a word used only here in the New Testament and it gives the idea of “to ensnare; then to corrupt. Used of adulterating gold, wine, etc” (Vincent’s Word Studies). If someone were to take something of value and water it down for by mixing in something of lesser value, they would be acting in this manner. But Paul held the word of God in the highest reverence and refused to budge an inch on its proper presentation.

Instead of acting in such a disgraceful way, he says they had conducted themselves “by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” In other words, they understood that what they did was in the sight of God and therefore they purposed to always act with this in mind. At the end of the day, their conscience was clean from anything that would be considered dishonest or disreputable. If only all of God’s ministers would act in such a forthright manner today!

Life application: The Bible is God’s word, not ours. When we share it, we are to hold it in the high reverence that it deserves, knowing that the Source holds it as His chosen means of relaying the truth about Himself to us. Further, when we share it, it is in His presence. Therefore, we must remember that He knows our treatment of it and will hold us accountable for how we present it.

Lord God Almighty, You have chosen the Bible as the means of specifically revealing Yourself to us. Therefore, how we treat it is a reflection on our heart’s attitude toward You. You entered the stream of humanity in the Person of Jesus and this great book reveals Him to us. Therefore, when we diminish Your word, we show contempt for Him and thus for You. Help each of us to soberly consider how we treat Your superior word, knowing that an offense against it is an offense against You personally.  Amen.

Tuesday, 14 July 2015

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. 2 Corinthians 4:1

In the previous chapter, Paul noted that he and the apostles were ministers of the new covenant (3:6); that it was a ministry of the Spirit (3:8); and that it was a ministry of righteousness (3:9). This is the ministry that he is speaking of. Everything about it is superior to the old covenant which was received by Moses. This ministry, as he explained, is one of revealing the surpassing glory of God that will not fade away.

However, his next words show that he is not bragging about the marvelous honor that has been bestowed up them. Rather, in the reception of the ministry, mercy had been bestowed. As fallen men, they were inherently unworthy of the position and status that they now bore. Paul alludes to this in 1 Timothy 1-

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, ¹³ although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.” 1 Timothy 1:12, 13

In the mercy poured out on him and the others, they were enabled to “not lose heart.” On several occasions, Paul speaks of standing strong in the faith and he encourages others to act likewise. One example of this is found in Galatians 6 –

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6:9

The term to “lose heart” implies being worn our or wearied to the point that one is no longer effective. But Paul knew that with the reception of God’s mercy came the inner strength to endure the challenges that came with the ministry. Two other instances of the use of this word by Paul are found in Ephesians 3:13 and 2 Thessalonians 3:13.

Paul was constantly encouraging those who had been saved, knowing that like him, they had been given everything necessary to continue their walk of faith to the end.

Life application: If God has saved you, then He has a purpose for you in His church. If He has a purpose for you in His church, then He has also enabled you to meet that purpose. Don’t shrink back from the honor bestowed upon you, but use it to its fullest to His glory.

Lord God, I know for sure that You have had mercy on me in this life. And I know that along with that mercy comes the responsibility to share this knowledge with others. As this is true, then You have certainly endowed me with the ability to fulfill that responsibility. And so help me to use my time wisely in the ministry to which You have called me. I know You are here with me in it and so I know that I can fulfill it! Amen.