2 Corinthians - Chapter 4 Posted: 03 Feb 2013 08:36 PM PST ~ On February 4, 2002, a few friends gathered in my home to begin a Bible study. It is difficult to believe that was 11 years ago! This blog is the product of that sown little seedling. What began as a study for a few friends has now grown, reaching many throughout the world. How amazing! My prayer is for God to use this ministry to reach at least one lost soul and create a hunger within that person so he/she will accept Christ as his/her personal Savior. Furthermore, I pray for the Christians who read this blog, that they will grow in their knowledge of the Word and grow stronger as Christians so they can be an effective witness for Christ to bring others into God’s family. 1Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. The ministry Paul is speaking of here is the new covenant rather than the old covenant of the law. 2Rather, 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. Paul is referring to the false teachers who invaded the church in Corinth. He renounces their secret, shameful, and deceptive ways. He’s reminding the Christians in Corinth he never deceived them or distorted God’s message, but rather told them the plain and simple truth. 3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. For those who have accepted Christ, the message he taught them was easily understood. But for those who had not accepted Christ, their minds couldn’t comprehend what he taught. Their minds were ‘veiled’ as discussed in chapter 3. The unbeliever is blinded from the light of the gospel. The fact that a blind man cannot see the sun doesn’t diminish the brilliance of its light. The same is true with the gospel. Even if the unbeliever cannot see the truth doesn’t make it untrue. 1 Corinthians 2:14 - The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 4The 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. “The god of this age” refers to Satan. His work is to deceive. The allure of money, power, and other pleasures blinds people to the light of the gospel of Christ. All who reject Christ, preferring their own pursuits, have unknowingly chosen to make Satan their god. Satan is the unseen power behind all unbelief and ungodliness. “This age” refers to the time prior to the age of eternal life when Satan shall be purged along with anything that defiles God’s creation. 5For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. The false teachers had inflated egos, fixated on their own self-importance. Paul explains he never felt important, but what was important was his message of Christ. People must be introduced to Christ, not us. We must be sure to tell people about what Christ has done, not brag about what we’ve done or are doing in His name. Being a follower of Christ means serving others, even when they do not measure up to our expectations. Serving people requires a sacrifice of time and personal desires. Paul willingly served the Corinthian church even though they must have deeply disappointed him at times. 6For 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. “Let light shine out of darkness.” This is what God said at the creation in Genesis 1:3, but it also pertains to Christians because the darkness of sin is ousted by the light of the gospel. “The light of the knowledge of God’s glory” John 1:14 - The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. The light shining in Paul’s heart is due to the knowledge of the glory of God, which was shown to him through Christ who came from the glorious presence of God in heaven itself. Have you ever asked yourself, or maybe even said out loud, “Why don’t more people respond to the gospel message and accept Christ?” In asking this question, we’re assuming the message has been properly presented to them. Romans 10:12-17 - 12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?15And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” 16But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word about Christ. For someone to respond to the gospel message, THE WORD must be given in a clear and understandable manner; it must be bathed in prayer; and the lives of those presenting the message must reflect what they say. No one will trust or believe a hypocrite. Even Paul struggled with this reality. He had received this glorious ministry from the Lord, a message bringing life and righteousness, liberty and glory. He didn’t feel deserving of being the messenger, not only because he felt inadequate as most of us do today, but because he had been a persecutor of Christians prior to his transformation. But God had shown him mercy and forgiven him, giving him this important task to teach others about Jesus. It isn’t our past that portrays us, but our present. We can be forgiven for past mistakes. God’s grace is sufficient. But we cannot preach one thing while living another. So many times we try to witness, yet we fall short of knowing what to say. We walk away thinking, “if only I had said this when he said that”. Paul faced a lot of opposition and false teachers, yet he never gave up. He continued to preach the gospel openly and faithfully. He was never ashamed of how he preached. He knew what he was talking about. His information came straight from the Lord, yet even he was unable to convince a lot of people. So we shouldn’t be discouraged when we fall short with our limited knowledge. That’s not to say we shouldn’t strive to learn more so we can be more confident in our attempts to spread the gospel, but we can’t let our failures cause us to quit trying. Salvation is an act of God, not of man. It is our job to prayerfully and carefully present the gospel to lost souls. But we can’t make them believe. God has to initiate the work of salvation. Also, we must present God’s Word truthfully. When we tell people about Christ, we must be careful not to distort the message to please our audience. Remember, God is in that audience, listening to every word we say. 7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. Clay jars were used to conceal precious treasure because they were so ordinary they didn’t draw attention to themselves and their precious contents. In the same way, our grandmothers used a tin can to stash their extra cash. Paul is comparing himself to the clay jars. He sees himself as plain and unworthy, and yet he has within him this wonderful treasure of a message from God. Because he sees himself as unimportant and frail, they can know the powerful message is from God and not from Paul. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 - Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. Throughout the scriptures, God used the most humble and meek people to deliver His messages. Even the disciples Christ chose to follow Him were among the most undesirable men of that day. By using people with little influence, God is making sure it is evident the power of the message is from Him, not the messenger. The emphasis remains on God and what He can do. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. Paul says although they are being bombarded from all sides, it has not crushed their resolve. Although sometimes at a loss for understanding, they are not hopeless. Although they are being persecuted, they have not been abandoned by God. And although they’ve been knocked down, they have not been knocked out. So even when it appears Satan is winning the battle, God is faithful and gives us strength to endure. All of our humiliations and trials are opportunities for Christ to demonstrate his power and presence through us. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For 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. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. Paul is saying because he has suffered many hardships and been persecuted because of his preaching the gospel of Christ, he shares in the suffering of Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:5 – For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 18:13:22 +0000
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