2 Corinthians — Chapter 4
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1Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
2But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, 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.
3But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
5For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
6For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
8We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
10Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
11For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
12So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
13We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
14Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
15For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
16For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
17For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
1Therefore seeing we have this ministry, even as we obtained mercy, we faint not:
2but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man`s conscience in the sight of God.
3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish:
4in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn [upon them].
5For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus` sake.
6Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves;
8[we are] pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not unto despair;
9pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not destroyed;
10always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body.
11For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus` sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
12So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
13But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, I believed, and therefore did I speak; we also believe, and therefore also we speak;
14knowing that he that raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also with Jesus, and shall present us with you.
15For all things [are] for your sakes, that the grace, being multiplied through the many, may cause the thanksgiving to abound unto the glory of God.
16Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day.
17For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory;
18while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
1Therefore, since we have this ministry, just as God has shown us mercy, we do not become discouraged.
2But we have rejected shameful hidden deeds, not behaving with deceptiveness or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God.
3But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing,
4among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.
5For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake.
6For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ.
7But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.
8We are experiencing trouble on every side, but are not crushed; we are perplexed, but not driven to despair;
9we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are knocked down, but not destroyed,
10always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our body.
11For we who are alive are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our mortal body.
12As a result, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
13But since we have the same spirit of faith as that shown in what has been written, “I believed; therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak.
14We do so because we know that the one who raised up Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus and will bring us with you into his presence.
15For all these things are for your sake, so that the grace that is including more and more people may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God.
16Therefore we do not despair, but even if our physical body is wearing away, our inner person is being renewed day by day.
17For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison
18because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
1Therefore seeing we have this ministry, even as we obtained mercy, we don’t faint.
2But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
3Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who are dying;
4in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.
5For we don’t preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake;
6seeing it is God who said, “Light will 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.
7But we have this treasure in clay vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves.
8We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not to despair;
9pursued, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed;
10always carrying in the body the putting to death of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
11For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus may be revealed in our mortal flesh.
12So then death works in us, but life in you.
13But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, “I believed, and therefore I spoke.” We also believe, and therefore also we speak;
14knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will present us with you.
15For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, being multiplied through the many, may cause the thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
16Therefore we don’t faint, but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day.
17For our light affliction, which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory;
18while we don’t look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Summary
Though the gospel is veiled to the perishing, God shines light in our hearts — "we have this treasure in jars of clay" — afflicted but not crushed, because our light momentary affliction is producing an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines the blinding work of Satan, the treasure in clay pots, the paradoxes of suffering, and the eternal perspective.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Treasure in Earthen Vessels" on v.7 (MTP Vol. 10, No. 662) "Earthen vessels — clay pots. Fragile, ordinary, cheap, breakable. That is what we are. And God put His treasure — the Gospel, His glory, His power — in THAT. Why? So that when power comes out, everyone knows it's God's power, not ours. Your weakness is not a problem; it's the plan." Sermon: "Light Affliction" on v.17 (MTP Vol. 22, No. 1393) "Our LIGHT affliction — Paul, who was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and left for dead, calls his suffering 'light.' How? Because he's comparing it to 'a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.' When you weigh your suffering against eternal glory, it becomes light. Perspective changes everything."
Videos
The Bible Project — 2 Corinthians Overview
Animated overview of the book's literary structure, themes, and theological message. Excellent visual introduction. (Approx. 8 minutes)
Reflection
- 1. "We have this treasure in earthen vessels" (v.7). You are a clay pot — weak, fragile, ordinary. But you carry the treasure of the Gospel. Your weakness is not a disqualification — it is the strategy. How does knowing that God uses weak vessels change how you view your own limitations?
- 2. "Troubled on every side, yet not distressed" (v.8). The Christian life includes pressure — but not collapse. Are you experiencing the "yet not"? Troubled but not crushed? Perplexed but not despairing? What sustains you in the gap between pressure and collapse?
- 3. "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment" (v.17). Can you call your current suffering "light" and "momentary"? Only if you compare it to eternal glory. How much time do you spend thinking about eternity vs. thinking about your present problems?
- 4. "The things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (v.18). Everything you can see is passing away. Only the invisible is permanent. What are you investing in — the visible/temporary or the invisible/eternal?
- 5. Satan "blinds the minds" of unbelievers (v.4). When you share the Gospel and people don't respond, it's not because your argument was weak — it's because their minds are blinded. How does this truth change how you pray for unbelievers?
- 6. "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts" (v.6). Your conversion was a creative act — like Genesis 1:3. God spoke light into your darkness. How does seeing your salvation as a miracle of creation affect your gratitude?
- 7. Paul says "we faint not" (vv.1,16) — twice. What keeps him from fainting? The eternal perspective (vv.17-18). What keeps YOU from fainting in difficult seasons? Is your perspective eternal or temporal?
- 8. "Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day" (v.16). Your body is decaying — but your spirit can be renewed daily. What daily practices renew your inner man? Scripture? Prayer? Worship?
- 9. Suffering "worketh for us" glory (v.17). It's not just endured — it PRODUCES something. Your suffering is not wasted; it is working. Can you trust that your current pain is producing eternal glory?