2 Corinthians 4

Sunday, 26 July 2015

And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, 2 Corinthians 4:13

Paul’s words here, “And since we have the same spirit of faith” are speaking of the same type of faith as his readers. He has been showing that the position the apostles face because of their faith – such as being hard-pressed, yet not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; etc is one based on faith. Further, the purpose of such desperate straits was for the sake of instilling faith in their Christian converts.

It is this “same spirit of faith” that Paul is referring to. Whether it is faith in distress or faith resulting from that distress, they shared in a unity of faith in the same message. Therefore, because the faith of the apostles was for the same end-goal as for that of those they shared it with, Paul cites the reason (remembering that the reason is what resulted in their many distresses). That reason is found in the Old Testament psalms. Paul says, “…according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke.'”

This is a line from the 116th Psalm. It speaks of a person who was in great trials and afflictions, just as the apostles were. And yet, he knew that God would hear his supplications despite those afflictions; he had not been abandoned by the Lord, but rather the trials were simply allowed by the Lord for His purposes. Likewise, the trials and afflictions of the apostles were not something which demonstrated that the Lord didn’t care about them or their message. Rather, it demonstrated exactly the opposite. These hardships were ordained by the Lord. And because of this he says, “…we also believe and therefore speak.”

Knowing that these difficulties were a part of the Lord’s purposes for them, they were all the more emboldened to speak. Their faith in Christ was unshaken by them. Read these first ten verses of the 116th Psalm and mentally put the apostles in place of the author and you will see what Paul is proclaiming –

I love the Lord, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
² Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

³ The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
⁴ Then I called upon the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”

⁵ Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
⁶ The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
⁷ Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

⁸ For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.
⁹ I will walk before the Lord
In the land of the living.
¹⁰ I believed, therefore I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted.” Psalm 116:1-10

Life application: Like Job’s friends, people in the world tend to look at hardships, difficulties, trials, and losses as meaning a person is not in God’s favor. The reciprocal is then believed to be true. When things are going well and all is peachy, it is perceived that God must really favor that person. This is shallow at best and hardly conveys the message of the Bible. Often, hardships are used by the Lord for His purposes and they have nothing to do with His disfavor. Through good times and bad, be sure to praise the Lord and look for His hand in what is resulting from the situation as it unfolds.

Heavenly Father, we tend to look at hardships, difficulties, trials, and losses as a demonstration of Your disfavor. And we also look at good times and prosperity as a sign of Your favor. But Your word often shows that it is otherwise. Help us to not become dispirited in times of trial, nor boastful in times of ease. Rather, help us to accept our lot based on our faith in Jesus Christ, knowing that if we have received Him, then whatever our situation is – good or bad – it has come about because You love us. Give us such wisdom O God. Amen.

Saturday, 25 July 2015

So then death is working in us, but life in you. 2 Corinthians 4:12

Paul has been speaking of the sufferings that he and the other apostles endured for the sake of the gospel. He went so far as to show the contrast between their lives, which were fraught with death and that of the life of Christ working through them. As they were “delivered to death for Jesus’ sake” the result was “that the life of Jesus” therefore would be manifested in them.

This then explains his words to the Corinthians to us now. He says, “So death is working in us” which refers to their state as apostles. But for the Corinthians it meant. “…life in you.” In other words, “You reap the spiritual benefits (spiritual life through the gospel) of our physical struggles (physical death because of the gospel).”

If still not understood, we could give a purely physical example from everyday life. Firemen are constantly exposed to “death” as they enter buildings which have become a blazing torrent of fire, and yet those inside reap the chance of continued life because of their exposure to death. Such was the life of the apostle. They constantly faced death in order to carry the message of life.

Life application: The word of God has come to us at a very high cost. Not only the apostles, but a string of other faithful people has been willing to put themselves at great risk, even death sentences, to ensure that the precious word continues to go forth. Today, people still risk death by taking the Bible to others in places where it is banned. Let us never fail to appreciate the high cost which has brought this precious word to the people of the world.

Heavenly Father, throughout history many people have suffered for the sake of Your word. Prophets of old, apostles and their disciples, translators, printers, and even preachers and teachers have put the truth of Your word above their own safety, even risking their very lives so that this word will continue to be made known to others. And above all, Jesus my Lord gave His life so that the word would continue as planned. Grant me a heart to cherish this precious gift which has come to me at such a high cost. Help me to never give an inch on the truths it contains, but to speak boldly the whole counsel of Your word. Amen.

Friday, 24 July 2015

For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 2 Corinthians 4:11

This is a restatement and expansion upon the previous verse. Taken together, they read –

“…always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. ¹¹ For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

Paul has, in these two verses, mentioned Jesus four times by name. The repetition of the name, instead of using a pronoun, highlights the honor he feels towards the Lord. In this verse he says, “For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake.” The contrast between “life” and “death” is highlighted.

The apostles lived for Christ, telling others of Him and sharing the good news everywhere. But during this, they were constantly subjected to the possibility of death. And eventually, a death for the sake of His name became a reality for most of them. In this life in the face of death, the result was “that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

Here Paul substitutes “body” of the previous verse for “mortal flesh.” This was done to highlight the corrupt nature of the body. Not yet being glorified, we are subject to pains, decay, and death. And yet, it highlights the life of Jesus all the more poignantly. His divine nature is seen through our corruptible bodies, and the hope of the resurrection is seen in the fact that we are dying. As the Bible scholar Alford says –

“God exhibits DEATH in the living that He may also exhibit LIFE in the dying.”

Life application: If you know someone with a terminal disease who exalts Christ Jesus through their affliction, then this verse may be more understandable. Jesus is manifest through the ending of their life; in their death is the assurance of fellowship with God through it all, including the coming resurrection unto eternal life.

Glorious God! I don’t look forward to aging, falling apart, and having pains and difficulties in this mortal body. However, if I can be a testimony to the life of Jesus through my dying, and if I can give the devil a black eye in the process, then I will count whatever comes my way as an honor. Let my life, even in its corrupt state, be a witness to the glory of my Lord! Amen.

Thursday, 23 July 2015

…always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 2 Corinthians 4:10

In the previous two verses, Paul made 4 contrasting thoughts concerning difficulties faced by the apostles and yet overcome by the power of God in them. Continuing on in a similar vein, he says that they are “always carrying about in the body, the dying of the Lord Jesus.” This is a reference to the sufferings and death of the Lord. The word “dying” is nekrósis. It means both the process of dying and the deadness of something which lacks any life at all. The only other use of it is in Romans 4:19 when speaking of the deadness of Sarah’s womb.

In their bodies, the apostles were always carrying about this state. They were exposed to the constant threat of death and even experienced acts which could easily lead to death. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says –

“And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? ³¹ I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.” 1 Corinthians 15:30, 31

And in a great summary of his sufferings which he endured, and the reason for them, he says to the Philippians –

“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:8-11

These references, and numerous others, show the constant threat of death which surrounded Paul and the other apostles. And yet they were willing to endure this, carrying the dying of the Lord with them, so “that the life of Jesus also may be manifest in our body.” There are different opinions on what Paul is referring to here.

It could be that he was showing through his life of “dying” that he lives through the power of Christ, and thus he is an object lesson concerning death and resurrection. It could be that the power of Christ (because He is resurrected) is seen in the apostles; they are a witness to the life of Jesus. Or it could be that Paul is simply speaking as being one who emulates Christ. As he is dying and will die just as Christ died, so he will live again as Christ lived again; thus his life is patterned after the Lord – having died in a weak physical frame, and yet to be raised to an immortal new frame.

Whatever the intent of Paul’s words truly is, he and the other apostles suffered for the name of Christ, both in death and in life. But to them (and therefore it should be to us) there was no loss, but only gain. As he said to those in Rome –

“For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Romans 5:10

Life application: Christ died so that we could live. In proof that this is true, He now lives so that we are to have no fear in death. If we are in Christ, we have moved from death to life. The body may perish, but the hope of everlasting life is assured.

Heavenly Father, we have always lived in fear of death, but Christ came to die so that we could live. For those who accept His work by faith, we share in His victory over death and we have the assurance of eternal life. Thank You for the absolute guarantee we have because of the resurrection. Sin is nailed to the cross and therefore we can never be separated from You again. What a glorious promise! No fear here… Jesus has paved the way to eternal life! Amen.

Wednesday, 22 July 2015

…persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—  2 Corinthians 4:9

Paul continues with his contrasts which began in the previous verse. Those previous contrasts were from internal struggles; these are from external ones. His imagery is as if a soldier in combat who is first “persecuted, but not forsaken.” The words have the intent of “pursued, but not abandoned” (Ellicott). As if they were soldiers being pursued by an enemy, Paul says that even in such a state the Lord is with them. This follows along with the wording of Hebrews –

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ ⁶ So we may boldly say:
‘The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?'” Hebrews 13:5, 6

And surely this imagery is appropriate because the state which Christians find themselves in is a true battle. Paul discusses this in detail in Ephesians 6. His description includes this thought –

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12

The second contrast is that they are “struck down, but not destroyed.” This again is the imagery of a soldier whose life is spared despite being wounded. It could even be of wrestlers in a bout of mortal combat. When Jacob wrestled with the Lord in Genesis 32, the match continued without either letting up, and so in order to end the match, we read these words –

“Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.” Genesis 32:25

Jacob was struck down, but he was not destroyed in the process. The Lord could have done so, but instead He humbled him and yet spared him. Paul shows that this is the state of the apostles as they strived to share the message of Christ. With their many struggles, both internal and external, they were able to press on because the Lord was there with them to ensure they would never falter or fail.

Life application: The Bible sys that the Lord will never leave His people and He will never forsake them. Paul was eventually martyred for his faith, as were almost every one of the apostles. Did the Lord break His promise? No! They have something that those who persecuted and killed them don’t have. They have the assurance of eternal life because of their trust in Christ. Truly, what can man do to one who is saved by the blood of Christ!

Heavenly Father, You have promised to never leave nor forsake Your people, and yet millions of faithful Christians have been martyred over the ages. Should we lose hope? Should we despair? No! We should rejoice that they were saved by You — and they are saved by You. As followers of Christ, we have the absolute assurance that the blood has saved us. No fear here! Whatever happens to this earthly body is temporary, but an eternal glory awaits. Hallelujah and Amen!