Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 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. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

• 2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

2 Corinthians 4:1-2 ‘holding firmly to the truth’: “Since Paul had been shown mercy by God and received his new covenant ministry directly from Christ, he would not give up in spite of the struggles he had faced with the Corinthian church (4:1). No matter what other would-be teachers might do, Paul and his companions had no intention of acting deceitfully or distorting the word of God. Though some had attributed false motives to Paul, he engaged in an open display of the truth and commended himself to everyone’s conscience (4:2). No one had a shred of evidence to substantiate an accusation against him. Let the same be true of you.”

• Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 4:1-2 ‘First Resource: The Word of God’: “The business of a minister of Jesus Christ (and remember, all Christians are called to be His ministers-not just pastors and teachers) is to declare the Word of God. Notice how Paul puts it …
“Here we see not only the failure of the first century church, but of today’s church in so many areas-clever, subtle tampering with the Word of God, undermining its authority, subverting its message, ignoring its witness, and refusing to act upon its truth.“

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

2 Corinthians 4:1 ‘this ministry’: ”The New Covenant gospel of Jesus Christ. lose heart. A strong Gr. term which refers to abandoning oneself to cowardly surrender. That was not how Paul responded to the continual attacks he faced. The task of ministering the New Covenant was too noble to lose heart over (cf. Gal. 6:9; Eph. 3:13). Since God had called him to proclaim it, Paul could not abandon his calling. Instead, he trusted God to strengthen him (cf. Acts 20:24; 1 Cor. 9:16, 17; Col. 1:23, 25).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 4:2 ‘living by faith’: “Quote – Living by faith is not easy, but it is essential. It is the only weapon for adversity that cannot fail. – Dorothy Kelley Patterson”

• Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Patty Comber, Pauline Epistles contributor)

2 Corinthians 4:3-6 ‘our enemy is not flesh and blood’: “When people reject the gospel, the truth is veiled from their view (4:3), Their spiritual darkness is facilitated by the devil-the god of this age-who has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to prevent them from believing the gospel of the glory of Christ (4:4). This is a reminder that we do not struggle ‘against flesh and blood’ but ‘against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens’ (Eph 6:12). Therefore, Paul knew he couldn’t wage this battle by proclaiming himself but instead Jesus Christ as Lord (4:5). Only God can cause light to shine out of darkness. Just as he created visible light at the dawn of creation, so also he shines spiritual light into darkened hearts to give sinners the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus (4:6).”

• Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 ‘the veil that prevented people seeing the truth’: “Some of Paul’s critics maintained that Paul’s message was obscure. Paul argued the problem was not with his message but rather with the veil that covered people’s minds and prevented them from seeing truth (2Co 3:15). Unbelievers, ‘those who are perishing,’ have had their minds blinded by the ‘god of this age,’ Satan (2Co 4:3–4; see Eph 2:2), who, though defeated by Christ (Heb 2:14), temporarily continues his hold over the world to prevent people from seeing the light of the gospel (1Jn 5:19).”

• Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Patty Comber, Pauline Epistles contributor)

2 Corinthians 4:3 ‘if our gospel is veiled … to those who are perishing’: “The false teachers accused Paul of preaching an antiquated message. So Paul showed that the problem was not with the message or the messenger, but with the hearers headed for hell (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14). The preacher cannot persuade people to believe; only God can do that.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 4:4 ‘the god of this age’: “Satan (cf. Matt. 4:8; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; Eph. 2:2; 2 Tim. 2:26; 1 John 5:19). this age. The current world mind-set expressed by the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes, and views of the majority of people. It encompasses the world’s philosophies, education, and commerce. … has blinded. Satan blinds men to God’s truth through the world system he has created. Without a godly influence, man left to himself will follow that system, which panders to the depravity of unbelievers and deepens their moral darkness (cf. Matt. 13:19). Ultimately, it is God who allows such blindness (John 12:40). image of God. Jesus Christ is the exact representation of God Himself (see notes on Col. 1:15; 2:9; Heb. 1:3).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 4:5 ‘we do not preach ourselves’: “The false teachers accused Paul of preaching for his own benefit, yet they were the ones guilty of doing so. In contrast, Paul was always humble (12:5, 9; cf. 1 Cor. 2:3); he never promoted himself, but always preached Christ Jesus as Lord (1 Cor. 2:2).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 4:7-10 ‘Walking the Plank’: “Satan is at work to bring us down.
“But he’s not winning. The reason? Because of the treasure inside us-the fragile clay jars.
“My first year as a head coach in Tampa Bay, we began the year with five straight losses.
“To make matters worse, I wasn’t the fans’ first choice to take over as head coach of the Buccaneers-they had hoped for Steve Spurrier, a former Bucs quarterback and successful head coach at Florida and Duke. And I was selling something entirely different than the players had known in Tampa. I had made no secret of the fact that while winning football games was important, it wasn’t the most important thing to me. My faith and my family were foremost in my mind, and I was not only talking about improving the football team on the field but also helping to build an organization grounded in character and integrity.
“That strategy is easier to sell when you’re winning. The franchise had never done well, and the number one priority seemed to be to win football games.
“And so, here we were, 0-5. But I was able to take comfort in these verses from 2 Corinthians because I knew God was right there with me.”

• Tony Dungy with Nathan Whitaker, Uncommon Life – Daily Challenge (excerpt from devotion for 20 September)

2 Corinthians 4:7 ‘Science & Technology’: “’Earthen vessels’ (2 Cor. 4:7) were manufactured from clay and hardened by fire. In its natural state, clay was seldom fit for use in making pottery. Several stages of preparation included mixing the clay with water, adding straw, sand, shells, or pulverized potsherds to it, and kneading it with the hands or feet to remove air bubbles. Paul emphasized the weakness of our humanity by comparing Christians to common clay pots.”

• Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible

2 Corinthians 4:7 ‘Second resource: the mysterious indwelling treasure of the Spirit of God.’: ”Victorious living does not come from a charming personality or by being clever or well-educated. Victorious Christian living comes from this treasure hidden inside the earthen vessel of our lives. The power source of a victorious life is the Spirit of God. This is the secret by which God’s power is released in our lives.“

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

2 Corinthians 4:7 ‘Wick Lamps’: “Pottery, bought for one or two copper coins in the Corinthian marketplace, was often used as a receptacle for wick lamps. Though cheap and fragile, they fulfilled their job as a holder for the lamp wicks. Paul used the imagery of these jars of clay to illustrate the sharp contrast between himself and the grandeur of the message he bore. He was ordinary and unimpressive, but he preached a gospel of light and power. God intended this so that the true source of the message be recognized as divine and not human.”

• Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Patty Comber, Pauline Epistles contributor)

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 ‘the long journey’: “For some of you, the journey has been long. Very long and stormy In no way do I wish to minimize the difficulties that you have had to face along the way. Some of you have shouldered burdens that few of us could ever carry. You have bid farewell to life-long partners You have been robbed of life-long dreams. You have been given bodies that can’t sustain your spirit. You have spouses who can’t tolerate your faith. You have bills that outnumber the paychecks and challenges that outweigh the strength.
“And you are tired.
“It’s hard for you to see the City in the midst of the storms. The desire to pull over to the side of the road and get out entices you. You want to go on, but some days the road seems so long. …
“Let me encourage you … God never said that the journey would be easy, but he did say that the arrival will be worthwhile”

• Max Lucado, In the Eye of the Storm

2 Corinthians 4:11 ‘delivered to death’: “Refers to the transferring of a prisoner to the executioner. It was used to refer to Christ’s being delivered to those who crucified Him (Matt. 27:2). In this case, it refers to the potential physical death constantly faced by those who represented Christ. our mortal flesh. Another term for Paul’s humanness—his physical body (cf. v. 10; 5:3).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 4:14-18 ‘The Resurrection of the Dead’: “While believers may be afflicted and persecuted and perplexed in this life (2 Corinthians 4:8), they will not be forsaken (verse 9). They are constantly ‘being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake’ (verse 11). But they can walk about ‘having the same spirit of faith,’ trusting in the fact that what is spoken about God’s faithfulness and about eternal life will come to pass (verse 13). The child of God can know for certain that ‘He who raised the lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you’ (verse 14). The apostle makes the message of the resurrection one of the key doctrines in his theology (1 Corinthians 15:12-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). The resurrection will culminate in the presentation of all believers together before the lord in heaven (2 Corinthians 4:14). Meanwhile, God’s grace is spreading to more and more people every-where, causing ‘the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God’ (verse 15). The hope of the resurrection is so certain that the fact the believer’s physical outer man will decay should not disturb us. ‘Our inner man is being renewed day by day’ (verse 16), and the temporary and momentary ‘light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison’ (verse 17). Christians should not look at the things which are seen, but the eternal things ‘which are not seen’ (verse 18). These things are the “spiritual and heavenly, among them being those of the inner man. Ordinary eyes and unenlightened minds cannot see them and hence never regard them and, when they are told about them, imagine them to be folly’ (Lenski, I and II Corinthians, p. 993).
“The joys of heaven are eternal joys. ‘There shall be no interruption; no night; no cessation; no end’ (Barnes, Notes on the New Testament, 11:95). The Savior, who is eternal, is the believer’s everlasting friend, and all our fellow believers will live with us in heaven for all eternity. There will never again be a time of separation!”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 ‘suffering for the gospel’: “Paul suffered severely for the sake of the gospel. But when he reflected on his struggles in light of eternity, he saw them as being light and momentary. Only by comparing the weight of these sufferings to the weight of eternal glory would these sufferings pale into insignificance. Even though afflictions may cause a person to waste away outwardly, the life-giving Spirit renews a person inwardly day by day in preparation for the glory to come. Paul encouraged the Corinthians to shift their focus away from the heaviness of temporary, external circumstances toward the internal and eternal weight of glory that is the inheritance of those who believe.”

• Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Patty Comber, Pauline Epistles contributor)

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 ‘light affliction’: “Paul calls his troubles momentary light affliction. How can he possibly refer to such intense, prolonged suffering this way? First, he understands that negative circum-stances have a positive effect when we trust and obey God through them. They are producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory (4:17). The pain and suffering of this life can be truly awful. But when the input of affliction is compared to the output of glory that Christ is accomplishing on your behalf, Paul insists that the difference between them is like night and day. Second, Paul can call his affliction ‘momentary’ and ‘light’ because he does not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary; but what is unseen is eternal (4:18). So if your tribulations seem long and heavy, you’re looking at the wrong thing. To put it another way, if all you see is what you see, then you do not see all there is to be seen! Paul is not saying we must close our eyes to the reality of our suffering; he’s saying we need to open our eyes by faith to unseen realities that will last forever. An eternal perspective gives the believer the ability to handle the struggles of this life.”

• Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 4:17 ‘affliction’: “Notice the antithesis here: ‘light affliction’-‘weight of glory.’ ‘Affliction’ is not set in contrast with peace or freedom from affliction but with ‘glory.’ The ‘light affliction’ is ‘momentary’-the ‘weight of glory’ is ‘eternal.’ And then, as if to exhaust all ordinary powers of speech in order to adequately express the contrast between the ‘light affliction’ and the ‘weight of glory,’ the apostle says it is’ an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.’
“But why did Paul call our present afflictions in this world ‘light’? First, to remind us our affliction is light compared with that of many others. Next, because our affliction is light compared with what we deserve. We can truly say with the psalmist, ‘He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities’ (Ps 103:10). Then next, our affliction is light compared with that of our Lord. What heart can conceive of the bitterness of that cup of which Jesus drank? I think there is no consolation for an afflicted child of God so rich as what arises from the contemplation of the sufferings of Jesus. And further, our affliction is light compared with the blessing and privileges that we enjoy. The blessing of full and free forgiveness far outweighs any affliction we ever have to endure. And our affliction is light as we prove the power of the Lord’s sustaining grace. We may well say that no affliction weighs more than a gnat resting on an elephant when the Lord’s upholding grace is sweetly manifested to our soul in times of perplexity, anxiety, and pain. Once more our affliction is light when we see what it leads to, Our growth in grace is greatly assisted by affliction and trial. Certain propensities to evil can only be removed in the furnace-as the dross is burned away from the pure metal. “

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

2 Corinthians 4:18 ‘Third resource: Hope’: ”We have a body that cannot be destroyed-‘an eternal house in heaven;’ that is, as 5:1 tells us, ‘not built by human hands:’ God has a great future ahead for us. The life we now live is preparation for the life that is to come. The present is but a prologue to a never-ending future. “

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

2 Corinthians 4 ‘Summary’: ”It is easy to lose heart when you face trails, setbacks, and failures. But failures in life do not need to define you. Rather, you are defined by your God-given identity of disciple. As long as you remain in Him, you continue to be defined by Him, not by any failings. So how do you remain in Christ though you are still an ‘earthen vessel’ that makes mistakes?
“First, admit your mistakes. Your primary instinct will be to downplay the failure, but instead choose to be honest about who you are. Failing to admit your mistakes will create false illusions for yourself and those who know you. If people are going to recognize God’s work in your life, they have to see the work of Christ in you in both the ups and the downs.
“Second, accept God’s forgiveness if your failure involves sin. The only way to overcome sin is to ask God to forgive you-and then embrace the forgive-ness that He offers. As David wrote, ‘He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities’ (Psalm 103:10). God specializes in forgiving failures. There is nothing you have done that cannot be forgiven if you come to God in repentance. Once you have asked for God’s forgiveness, receive it. It is a gift of grace that you cannot earn.
“Third, apply the lessons you learned in failure toward success. Author John Keats wrote, ‘Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid.’ Don’t throw your failures away. Use them to learn how to more fully trust Christ and succeed by His power and ability. God will often allow your failures to become distinctive points of power and ministry in your life.
“Fourth, accept failure as a fact of life, not as a way of life. Failure is something that happens because of bad choices. It is not our identity. Peter is an excellent illustration of this point. When he denied Jesus, he failed three different times … one right after the other. Yet it was not long before he delivered one of the most powerful sermons ever preached on the Day of Pentecost. The only way to explain this transformation is Peter’s encounter with the risen Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit in his life. Jesus forgave this ‘earthen vessel’ and equipped Peter to carry the light of His gospel to the world.
“Finally, arise from failure and start again. When you fail, don’t feel sorry for yourself and wallow in self-pity. God loves you and has chosen you as a vessel to carry His gift to the world. He doesn’t make bad decisions. So get back on your feet and get started moving forward again.”

• David Jeremiah, 2 Corinthians (Jeremiah Bible Study Series)

My Thoughts

Paul starts these four short paragraphs in this short chapter with an affirmation that he and the others with him do not teach anything but the inspired Word of God.  This is the Word that Jesus taught Paul, starting on the road to Damascus.  I do not think it stopped there.  Paul had catching up to do.  He was not a disciple who heard everything that Jesus taught.  The three days after he arrived in Damascus until Ananias came to him and his eyesight was restored was a great time for Saul (Paul) to reflect.  Probably in constant prayer and receiving more revelation.  There could have been even more over the years before he came back to Jerusalem and during the time he went back to Tarsus until Barnabas picked him up to assist in the ministering to the church in Syrian Antioch.  And remember that Saul (Paul) was examined by the Apostles in Jerusalem.  Other than the means in which Saul met Jesus, the gospel was the same.

But to unbelievers, the gospel is not fully understood, not really understood at all.  Sadly, some unbelievers can parrot things that make it sound like they understand.  That led to me saying the salvation prayer hundreds of times until I understood that the unconditional surrender had to come first.  So I can speak from experience here as a life-long church goer.

But this theme of the gospel seeming to be foolishness to the unbeliever was a theme in 1 Corinthians also.

Paul speaks of holding these truths in jars of clay, as scrolls were often kept during his time.  He uses a poetic parallelism as he compares the afflictions and the strengths.  Sure, there are trials.  There are persecutions.  But the Gospel will not be defeated.

So, no matter how hard the day has been, we do not lose heart.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

2 Corinthians 4 1. How did the light of Christ first break through to you?
“2. Why is being a servant to others essential for sharing the gospel? What is one way you could be more of a servant to someone you are concerned about now?
“3. How do verses 7-12 and 16-18 help you cope with your present difficulties and anxieties?
“4. How does this section challenge common ideas of what makes a person a ‘success’?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Second Corinthians 4 has one set of questions as noted above.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.