2
Corinthians 4English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)
The
Light of the Gospel
4 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of
God,[a] we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded
ways. We refuse to practise cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the
open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience
in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to
those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the
minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of
the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not
ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants[b] for
Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness”, has shone
in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ.
Treasure
in Jars of Clay
7
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power
belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck
down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so
that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live
are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus
also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but
life in you.
13
Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I
believed, and so I spoke”, we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing
that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us
with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace
extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of
God.
16
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self[c] is wasting away, our inner
self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is
preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we
look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the
things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
The
IVP New Testament Commentary Series
Setting
Forth the Truth Plainly (4:1-6)
There
is a constant temptation in the ministry to preach what people want to hear
rather than what they need to hear. Sermons that confront a congregation with
their spiritual shortcomings do not usually result in a pat on the back.
Instead, they quite often yield criticism and hostility. David Wells argues
that the pastoral task of brokering the truth of God to God's people has, for
this very reason, largely fallen by the wayside in evangelicalism today
(1993:1-14). To preach in a way that serves Christ and not people's egos takes
courage. But it is easy to become disheartened when people turn a deaf ear to
preaching that tells it like it is.
Paul
repeatedly had to deal with discouragement in his ministry. There were plenty
of preachers whose motives were less than pious and who would do whatever they
had to to gain a following (v. 2). There were also churches who were readily
seduced by flattering speech and winsome ways. It would have been all too easy
for someone who remained faithful in preaching Christ and not themselves (v. 5)
to grow weary of the downside of human nature (v. 1).
Paul,
however, did not give in to discouragement. What heartened him were two things:
the character of his ministry and the mercy of God. Since through God's mercy
we have this ministry, he says, we do not lose heart (v. 1). Through God's
mercy is literally "as we have been shown mercy." Paul looked on his
ministry as something he received not because of any personal merit but on
account of God's favour. Nor was this a matter of theoretical knowledge. Paul
experienced God's mercy first hand when he was stopped dead in his tracks while
pursuing Jewish Christians who had fled Jerusalem for the safer haven of
Damascus (Acts 9:1-9). Then there was the surpassing splendour of the new
covenant (this ministry). The privilege of being a minister of such a covenant
more than compensated for the trials and tribulations that he experienced as an
itinerant preacher.
God's
Power Is Made Known Through Ministerial Hardships (4:7-12)
Virtually
every archaeological dig in the Middle East has unearthed innumerable pieces of
pottery from earliest civilization forward. Pottery seems to have been a
favorite material for fashioning a wide variety of utensils. It was not a
costly material. The well-to-do turned to materials such as ivory, glass,
marble, brass and costly wood. Pottery, on the other hand, was the material of
the common person. It was used to make everything from pitchers, oil jars and
bowls to griddles, washbasins and pots. Coarse clay was preferred for
utilitarian ware. For more expensive vessels, the potter first refined the clay
by treading it out in water. Clay pots found many uses. Items of value could be
kept in them, and clay jars were especially popular for storing liquids because
the pottery hindered evaporation and kept the contents cool at the same time.
Even broken pieces of pottery, or "shards," found a use as writing
material for notes, receipts and messages.
In
verses 7-15 Paul compares the gospel minister to a piece of Palestinian
pottery. We have this treasure in jars of clay (v. 7). This treasure is the
glorious good news about Christ (vv. 1-6). Jars of clay is actually
"earthenware vessels" (ostrakinois skeuesin). The noun skeuos refers
to a vessel serving a specific purpose (such as a jug, cup, pan or pot). When
used of people it often carries the sense of "implement" or
"instrument" (Maurer 1971:358-67). So to be God's "vessel"
is to be his instrument in carrying out a specific service—in this case, the
gospel ministry.
The
marvel of Paul's statement is not to be overlooked. The gospel minister is a
vessel made of common, run-of-the-mill clay—fragile and easily broken. And yet
God has entrusted the treasure of the gospel to such a vessel, just as
Palestinians stored their valuables in common clay pots. Why does God do this?
According to Paul, he does it to show that this all-surpassing power is from
God and not from us. God uses what is fragile and yet serviceable so that there
might be no mistaking the origin of the gospel minister's power. The adjective
all-surpassing (hyperbolh) stresses the extraordinary quality or extent of
something (Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich 1979). The "something" here is
power. The Greek dynamis is the term from which we derive our English word
"dynamite." The gospel is not merely a message that confronts the
mind but an explosive power that turns a person's life upside down. On May 18,
1980, Mount St. Helens in the Cascade Range of Washington exploded with a
stunning demonstration of nature's power. The explosion ripped thirteen hundred
feet off the mountain and leveled 150-foot Douglas firs even seventeen miles
away. We stand in awe of such force and yet forget the equally awesome power
that is unleashed in the preaching of the gospel.
A
Faith That Prompts Outspokenness (4:13-18)
Paul
is not alone in his opinion. He finds the same spirit of faith in the
psalmist's exclamation, I believed; therefore I have spoken (Ps 116:10). The
Greek term pneuma can refer either to the divine Spirit or to a human attitude.
The broader context of the psalm suggests that it is a commonality of attitude
between himself and the psalmist that prompts Paul to cite this text. The
genitive of faith is most likely subjective. Paul and the psalmist had in
common a "faith that prompts outspokenness." The Old Testament quote
is actually from the LXX rather than the Masoretic Text. In the LXX, the
psalmist recounts how his faith gave him the courage to speak out despite
opposition and how he was greatly afflicted because of his outspokenness. It is
not clear whether the psalmist is speaking of a crippling illness, a mortal
wound or a false accusation. Nevertheless, he, like Paul, felt crushed (Ps
116:10), dismayed (v. 11) and disillusioned (v. 11). And he, like Paul,
possessed a faith that prompted him to speak out.
What
motivates a person to speak out regardless of the personal consequences? This
is a question that Paul raises toice in the space of too chapters. It is also
one that we all ask from time to time. Why preach the gospel if it leads to
ridicule, personal deprivation and hostility? For Paul it was not a matter of
feeling that he was the best qualified or had superior credentials. It was,
rather, a question of conviction—a conviction that constrained him to speak
out, even when it was not to his advantage to do so. What was this conviction?
It was not the belief that Jesus is the Christ—as we would expect of a Jew—but
rather the certainty that he who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also
raise us with Jesus (v. 14). Raise us points to a corporate event. With Jesus
is best rendered "in the company of." Paul is thinking of the
parousia, when "God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in
him" (1 Thess 4:14). Paul could be saying that he speaks out despite the
consequences because he knows that if death takes him, God can and will raise
him up. But in light of verse 15 (all this is for your benefit), it is more likely
a recognition on his part of what hearers will miss out on if he fails to speak
out.
Not
only will God raise us, Paul says, but he will also present us with you in his
presence. The Greek verb for present means "to cause to stand" or
"to place beside." In his presence is not found in the Greek text. It
answers the question: "Stand where?" It is Paul's conviction that God
will raise and place before himself those who have heard and responded to the
gospel—another reason to speak out. All this (ta panta), he reminds the
Corinthians, is for your benefit (v. 15). What he undergoes as an itinerant
preacher he undergoes not for his own sake but for theirs. As Paul's spiritual
children, the Corinthians have been the direct beneficiaries of his willingness
to preach the gospel regardless of personal cost.
The Bible Panorama
2 Corinthians 4
V 1: ENCOURAGED God’s mercy and commissioning
for service encourage Paul not to lose heart.
V 2–6: ENLIGHTENED Unlike
unbelievers, Christians renounce the hidden and dark paths of shame because
gospel light has shined in their hearts to give them a personal knowledge of
God through Jesus Christ. Accordingly, they preach the Lordship of Jesus Christ
to blind and lost sinners.
V 7–12: ENABLED Despite crushing pressures from
every side and persecution, Paul’s willingness to die to self and to live for Christ
means that God’s resurrection life is at work in Paul to the glory of God. All
Christians know the same truth when they trust the risen Christ.
V 13–15: EMBOLDENED The
Christian knows that Jesus is risen from the dead and that he, too, will be
raised one day to be present with his risen Lord. This encourages his faith and
emboldens him to speak for Christ.
V 16–18: ENERGISED Despite
the temptation to be discouraged within, and the physical weakness of their
bodies, God’s servants know God’s daily renewal and are motivated by the
prospect of glory to come. They do not lose heart. Their current trials are
light in comparison with the weight of that glory that will be theirs.
Dictionary of Bible Themes
7944 ministry, qualifications for
God, who calls his people to minister, also equips his people. The chief
qualifications are a response to God’s call, faithfulness, godliness and
Christlikeness.
God calls people to minister
Qualification is by call, not gifting or achievement Dt 7:7-8 See also
Dt 9:4-5
God calls those who the world regards as weak or foolish 1Co 1:27-29
Feelings of inadequacy to God’s call are common Ex 3:11 Moses; Jdg 6:15
Gideon; 1Sa 9:21 Saul; 1Sa 18:18 David; 1Ki 3:7 Solomon; Isa 6:5 Isaiah; Jer
1:6 Jeremiah
Responding to God’s call to minister
Readiness and availability 1Sa 3:10; Isa 6:8
Faith, rather than natural talent or moral perfection, is required Heb
11:1-2 See also Ge 27:19-24 Jacob was a deceiver; Nu 27:12-14 Moses and Aaron
disobeyed God. David committed adultery and murder: 2Sa 11:4,14-15
1Ki 11:9-13 Solomon disobeyed God’s command.
NT ministers are recognised by call rather than their achievement
The Twelve Mt 10:1-4 pp Mk 3:14-19 pp Lk 6:12-16 The Twelve, including
Peter and Judas, failed Jesus Christ at critical times.
Paul Ac 9:15; Ac 26:6; 2Co 4:7-12; 2Co 12:7 Though greatly gifted, Paul
was kept humble by his sense of unworthiness, difficulties and disappointments
and his “thorn in the flesh”; 1Ti 1:16
Ministry in the NT is described as service
Serving God Ro 1:9; Jas 1:1
Serving Jesus Christ Ro 1:1; Jude 1; Rev 1:1
Serving the gospel Eph 3:7; Col 1:23
Serving the church Ro 15:31; Ro 16:1; 1Co 16:15; 2Co 9:1; Eph 6:21; Col
1:7,25
Ministry is described in terms of its source, content or nature
Its source It is of the Spirit: 2Co 3:6,8
2Co 4:1 It is from God.
Its content Ac 6:2-4 the word of God; 2Co 5:18 reconciliation
Its nature Apostolic: Ac 1:25; Gal 2:8
Ro 15:16 priestly
Various ministries are equally linked by qualifications of character
Ac 1:21 the replacement for Judas; Ac 6:3 the Seven Overseers: 1Ti
3:2-7; Tit 1:7-9
1Ti 3:8-13 deacons; 1Ti 6:11 Timothy
The personal qualifications for ministry
Faithfulness 1Ti 6:11-14 Timothy; 2Ti 4:7 Paul’s claim for his own
ministry “faithful” is the sole description of the ministries of Epaphras and
Tychicus: Col 1:7; Col 4:7
Godliness Ac 8:21 Simon was not right with God. Timothy: 1Ti 6:11,20-21
Christlikeness Ac 1:21-22 The replacement apostle for Judas had to have
been with Jesus Christ from the beginning.
Be Blessed today
Yours by His Grace, for the sake of His Gospel and His Church
Blair Humphreys
Southport, Merseyside, England
22nd August 2015
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