2 Corinthians 4:1-16

Paul's Apostolic Ministry

1 Therefore *, since we have this ¹ministry, as we ²received mercy, we ³do not lose heart,

2 but we have renounced the ⁴things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or ⁵adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth ⁶commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

3 And even if our ⁷gospel is ⁸veiled, it is veiled to ⁹those who are perishing,

4 in whose case ¹⁰the god of ¹¹this world has ¹²blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the ¹³light of the gospel of the ¹⁴glory of Christ, who is the ¹⁵image of God.

5 For we ¹⁶do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake.

6 For God, who said, "¹⁷Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has ¹⁸shone in our hearts to give the ¹⁹Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in ²⁰earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of ²¹the power will be of God and not from ourselves;

8 we are ²²afflicted in every way, but not ²³crushed; ²⁴perplexed, but not despairing;

9 ²⁵persecuted, but not ²⁶forsaken; ²⁷struck down, but not destroyed;

10 ²⁸always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that ²⁹the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

12 So death works in us, but life in you.

13 But having the same ³⁰spirit of faith, according to what is written, "³¹I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE," we also believe, therefore we also speak,

14 knowing that He who ³²raised the Lord Jesus ³³will raise us also with Jesus and will ³⁴present us with you.

15 For all things are ³⁵for your sakes, so that the grace which is ³⁶spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.

16 Therefore we ³⁷do not lose heart, but though * our outer man is decaying, yet our ³⁸inner man is ³⁹being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 4:1-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CORINTHIANS 4

In this chapter, the apostle declares the constancy, sincerity, and integrity of him, and his fellow ministers, in preaching the Gospel; asserts the clearness and perspicuity of it; removes the charge of pride and arrogance from them; takes notice of the afflictions he and others endured, for the sake of the Gospel; what supports they had under them, and what comforts they enjoyed: in 2Co 4:1 he observes, that seeing they were employed in such a ministry, as before described in the preceding chapter, though they met with troubles in it, they did not sink under them; the reason of which was, partly the excellency of the ministry, and partly the grace and mercy of God; and they were no less sincere than they were diligent; and were the reverse of the false teachers, who used dishonest methods, craftiness and deceit; these they disclaimed, and delivered out naked truth, with all simplicity and evidence, and as in the sight of God, in confirmation of which they could appeal to the consciences of all that heard them, 2Co 4:2 and whereas the apostle had affirmed the plainness and clearness of the Gospel ministry, both in the preceding chapter, and in the foregoing verse, he foresaw that an objection would be raised against it, which he anticipates, 2Co 4:3,4 showing, that though the Gospel was not spiritually discerned and savingly understood by some persons, yet this was not to be charged upon the Gospel, as if it was attended with darkness and obscurity; but it was owing to the unbelief of men, and the power of Satan over them, in blinding their minds; otherwise the Gospel in itself was light and glorious, in which Christ, the image of God, in a most resplendent manner appears; and those on whom Satan thus wrought were such as did not belong to God's elect, but were of the number of them that perish: moreover the integrity of the apostle and other ministers appeared in their preaching Christ, and not themselves; and in serving the churches in that way, for the sake of Christ; so that they were far from being chargeable with pride, vanity, and arrogance, 2Co 4:5 and they readily acknowledged, that all the Gospel light they had was from that God, who spoke light out of darkness in the first creation, whereby they were qualified to communicate light to others, in the name of Christ, 2Co 4:6 and though they had a treasure committed to their trust, and which they had within them, yet they freely owned they were but earthen vessels; and the reason why such treasure was put there was, that the power seen in the conversion of sinners by their ministry might appear to be not of themselves, but of the Lord, 2Co 4:7 and then the apostle proceeds to give an account of the afflictions endured by them, and of the divine supports they had, by which they were preserved from being overwhelmed with them, 2Co 4:8,9 one end of which afflictions, and which are signified by bearing the dying of Jesus in their bodies, and by being exposed to death for his sake, was, that his life might be manifest in them, or his power in the upholding of them, 2Co 4:10,11 and herein lay the difference between them and the Corinthians; the one were in deaths oft, and in very great distresses, and the other in prosperous circumstances, 2Co 4:12 but however, they had much consolation amidst their sorrows and troubles, and which they had partly through the Spirit of faith, and in a way of believing; and who after the example of David, and having the same Spirit as he had, believed and spake, 2Co 4:13 and partly through the hope of the resurrection of the dead, to which they were encouraged by the resurrection of Christ, 2Co 4:14 as also by considering what valuable ends were answered by their bearing afflictions for the sake of Christ, and preaching the Gospel, namely the good of the churches of Christ, and the glory of God, 2Co 4:15 and besides, they had an experience of the daily renovation of the inward man, or of the carrying on of the work of grace upon their souls; and of an increase of grace, right, and joy in them; and this kept them from fainting, though their outward circumstances and outward man were but in a poor condition, 2Co 4:16 but more especially what raised their spirits, and kept them from sinking under their afflictions, was the view they had of eternal glory and happiness, to which they had respect; and the comparison they were led to make between their present afflictions, and glory, which their afflictions were working for as, that their afflictions were light, glory heavy; their afflictions were but for a moment, their weight of glory was for ever; their afflictions were seen and temporal, their glory unseen and eternal; or the things of this world, which they often needed, and yet did not regard, were visible and temporary things; but the things of another world they had their eye upon were invisible, only visible to faith, and would endure for ever.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Corinthians 3:5
• 2. 1 Corinthians 7:25
• 3. Luke 18:1; 2 Corinthians 4:16; Galatians 6:9; Ephesians 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 3:13
• 4. Romans 6:21; 1 Corinthians 4:5
• 5. 2 Corinthians 2:17
• 6. 2 Corinthians 5:11
• 7. 2 Corinthians 2:12
• 8. 1 Corinthians 2:6f; 2 Corinthians 3:14
• 9. 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 2:15
• 10. John 12:31
• 11. Matthew 13:22
• 12. 2 Corinthians 3:14
• 13. Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:6
• 14. 2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Corinthians 4:6
• 15. John 1:18; Philippians 2:6; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3
• 16. 1 Corinthians 4:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:6
• 17. Genesis 1:3
• 18. 2 Peter 1:19
• 19. Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:4
• 20. Job 4:19; Job 10:9; Job 33:6; Lamentations 4:2; 2 Corinthians 5:1; 2 Timothy 2:20
• 21. Judges 7:2; 1 Corinthians 2:5
• 22. 2 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 7:5
• 23. 2 Corinthians 6:12
• 24. Galatians 4:20
• 25. John 15:20; Romans 8:35
• 26. Psalms 129:2; Hebrews 13:5
• 27. Psalms 37:24; Proverbs 24:16; Micah 7:8
• 28. Romans 6:5; Romans 8:36; Galatians 6:17
• 29. Romans 6:8
• 30. 1 Corinthians 12:9
• 31. Psalms 116:10
• 32. Acts 2:24
• 33. 1 Thessalonians 4:14
• 34. Luke 21:36; Ephesians 5:27; Colossians 1:22; Jude 24
• 35. Romans 8:28; 2 Corinthians 1:6
• 36. 1 Corinthians 9:19; 2 Corinthians 1:11
• 37. 2 Corinthians 4:1
• 38. Romans 7:22
• 39. Isaiah 40:29, 31; Colossians 3:10

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "in"
• [b]. Lit "age"
• [c]. Or "that the light...image of God, would not dawn" upon them
• [d]. Two early mss read "through Jesus"
• [e]. Lit "being multiplied through the many"