|
2 Corinthians Chapter 4
Commentary by Ron Beckham
Verse 1. "Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we
do not lose heart,"
Whatever ministry we have, it is by the mercy of God, and is undeserved. God does
not need us, as He has demonstrated in my life, over-and-over again. Not to my hurt,
but to my joy, for it is important to recognize this, that to minister in His Name (to
have that privilege), is to receive mercy - and it is a clear sign that He loves us,
without limit. Because of the mercy of God, we can have courage and hope - we do not
lose heart.
The outward circumstances of our lives are less relevant, as we perceive the inward
work of God, often (but not always) manifested in prayer, in service, teaching, or a
comforting touch for the one in need. It is the Holy Spirit Who enables us and
prompts us to help one another, and it is not a burden to serve, but a gift from God.
Verse 2. "but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not
walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth
commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God."
To have a double motive is the natural state of mankind. To become honest (as we
are drawn to do in Christ), should be a surprise to every one, for deceit (often disguised
as the "white lie"), is the way of humanity. All too often, the "
minister" performs a ritual, or gives a talk - out of duty, and not out of love.
I have visited with a number of clergymen who do not believe, yet the ministry is
their job, and they cannot stop (for they would not have a job). Mark Behrens
pointed out this verse is like the old covenant, which pointed to Christ, but became a
mere ritual, because they chose to not have faith.
For years, I was distressed by a young man I met in seminary, who was already ordained;
but he LEFT the ministry after graduation, choosing to become a funeral director, instead.
(The door to ministry was closed to me at that time, and I was distressed by his
choice). Actually, I have come to accept Dan’s decision, because it was the
leading of God, and it is the will of God we must seek. None of this should be done
from the efforts of a man. If the ministry is not right for you – work elsewhere,
just like Dan.
To "minister" is not for money, or fame, for a career, or any other secondary
motive, but for the benefit of that other person, and for the glory of God. We are
to have no other motive than to love and follow the will of God. He knows what we
should be and do; even when we do not. Look to Him.
Verse 3. "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are
perishing,"
Joseph Excell has the understanding of this verse, and he asks "How can a
‘veiled’ truth (this verse) be a ‘manifested’ truth (verse 2)?"
And the answer is, "the gospel is bright, but the eyes that should see are willfully
closed."
WHY do people so often close their eyes to the reality of Christ? I believe the
answer is in the words "sensuality" and "denial." The drinker
denies that he is a drunk, because he ENJOYS the sensual experience of drinking (alcohol).
There is a temporary relief from fear, and there are momentary flights into
elation. If the drinker realizes "I am a drunk," addicted to the numbing
effects of this substance, he is in great danger - for he has taken a step toward stopping
the use of that which temporarily makes him less afraid.
To acknowledge Christ is to understand we truly are insufficient in ourselves; and to
SEE that we are always on the edge of losing - everything! Scary. We often
deny Him, Who would set us free, and give us peace. The drinker keeps on drinking,
and people enjoy the sensuality of certain thoughts and actions, which TEMPORARILY make
think they feel better. We need the permanence of salvation in Christ. We need
joy instead of elation, and His love in the place of fear.
Verse 4. "in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the
unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who
is the image of God."
The "god of this world" is the character we know as "Satan," or the
"adversary." He is the enemy of the true God, and the enemy of mankind.
He hates you, and would kill you in a moment, if he could (our Lord protects you).
Many follow him, though, for much like the drunk (commentary on verse 3) can become
temporarily elated by the substance that is killing him, Satan will, for a time, allow
sensual pursuits to mankind. You can indeed find "pleasure" for a time,
but then be ruined - forever.
Note that Jesus Christ is the "image of God." He created man and woman
alike in that image (Genesis 1:26-28), and there is no need for the endless speculation
about the NATURE of that image. What is it? The answer is right here - CHRIST
is the Image of God (see also Hebrews 1:3 and Colossians 1:15). To the extent we
contain Jesus Christ, we are in that Image, and the Image is in us. If we do not
receive Him, we are like the drinking glass - Designed to hold water and satisfy thirst,
we become only an object of frustration, when we are empty of Him.
Verse 5. "For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and
ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake."
My ideas, my speculations, my theories about life, are useless to you, just as yours
are ultimately not useful to me. I have written a novel, called "Achaia"
which was a lot of fun to write, and allowed me to express endless speculation about what
I consider was the nature of the pre-flood world. But I have not been able to get
publishers to read it, and it occurs to me the world may not NEED more speculative ideas.
Yes, we are to LISTEN to one another, but our SATISFACTION will not come from a
mere philosophy of life.
You need Christ! Knowledge is valuable, but you need Christ, deep in your soul.
You need to be SATISFIED at the depths of your being, which will not be reached by
sensual experience (verse 2), or mere knowledge - no matter how interesting that
"knowledge" may seem to be. We need the Lord.
I am your servant, to the extent these words give Christ to you. And we are
servants to one another, in the body of Christ. It is not our MINDS that need to be
changed, it is our hearts that need Jesus Christ. If you and I give Him to one
another, we satisfy the purpose for which we were created, and re-created - in Him.
Verse 6. "For God, who said, 'Light shall shine out of darkness,' is the One
who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Christ."
Jesus tells us that we "are the light of the world"
(Matthew 5:14) and defines that "light" as "good works" which "glorify your
Father in heaven" (5:16). John the Baptist had a specific function given
by God, which was to bear witness of the Light, that all might believe (John 1:6-8, and
forward). John’s "job" was to introduce the need for repentance
("make straight" the hearts of men), so that people would be ready to receive
Jesus Christ (the Light). Yet Jesus referred to him as a "burning
and shining lamp" (John 5:35).
If you asked the moon about "his" light, "He" might correctly
reply, like John the Baptist, "It is not my light, it is his," and he would
point to the sun. (Yet, the moon, from our perspective, seems to have light).
Our minds and hearts are illumined (made to understand) by our Lord, and people might look
to us and talk about "our" light. But I, like you, can only point at
Christ, and with wonder in our eyes, we say "It is Him; He is the Light."
And He is.
This week's study: 2 Corinthians 4:7-12
Verse 7. "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the
surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;"
Two things are very personal (to me) about this verse: 1) The more
acquainted I became, down through the years, with men who had titles like
"pastor" or "priest" or "minister," etc., the more puzzled I
got, because they have flaws, just like me. And, 2) I finally decided to
avoid the ministry (after first seeking it for a long time), because of my OWN flaws -
there is enough trouble and confusion in the world - why add to it?
What I did not understand, is that we are ALL "earthen" vessels. The
word "earthen" brings to mind a common, rough, clay, brown-colored pot, for
common use. And that is exactly what Paul had in mind. He had become a kind of
rough, "blue collar" worker - a tentmaker. Truly, we are all just human
beings, and we have nothing lasting in life to offer - except Him, Who died for us.
Now, the surprise is that we find the obvious power of God, in a very ordinary person,
and that is exactly the point - The excellence of the power is of Him, and not of you and
me. The person used for the glory of God, is like the gold coin found inside the
earthen pot, hidden there for just this moment - for the person who is in need.
Verse 8. "we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not
despairing;"
"Pressed (afflicted) on every side," is what it says, and I really don’t
particularly care for that imagery, for we like to be FREE. Paul was afflicted,
pressed, in every way. From a human perspective, Paul was like a shirt on an ironing
board – pressed flat by circumstances too great to bear. Yet in the Spirit,
Paul was FREE, like few of us will ever know in this life.
Circumstances pressed Paul but he was not crushed by them. Life is overwhelming,
many times, but we do not have to be taken by life to the point of despair. (We have
a secret) – we have HOPE in Christ. The troubles we experience, though they
press us down, are temporary in nature. We too often forget that Christ is with us,
and when all is done, we will be with Him, who truly LOVES you and me.
Verse 9. "persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not
destroyed;"
Jesus promised us, "If they persecuted Me" (and
they did), "they will also
persecute you" (John 15:20). But the most wonderful promise is in this
verse: You will not be forsaken. After they persecuted our Lord on the cross,
He physically left our midst. Before He left (and in the same context as John
15:20), He continued, "If I do not go away, the Helper"
(the Holy Spirit) "will not come to you; but if I depart"
(and He did), "I WILL send Him to you" (John 16:7).
He (the Holy Spirit) has been sent to you, and He loves you.
We are not forsaken (not alone in our suffering). Life often knocks us down, but
we are not destroyed. Do you see this? - You cannot die! They can kill the
body, for a time, but "to be absent from the body, is to be present with the
Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8). If you are in Him, the most important part of what
you are, will never die. Your illness (any illness you have) is only temporary, and
so is any "death" you might experience. Give yourself to Christ - You will
never die, and you will truly LIVE, here on earth.
Verse 10. "always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the
life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body."
Philo commented, life is like "the daily carrying about of a corpse."
We tend to object that kind of imagery, but there is a great truth, here. Paul
commented, "If we be dead in Him, we shall also live with Him" (2 Timothy 2:11),
and that is exactly what baptism pictures, in relation to our life in Christ Jesus.
We are dead to this world, but ALIVE to God. Where it counts, we have LIFE.
Paul teaches us, "Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ
Jesus, were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through
baptism into death, that just as Christ Jesus, were baptized into His death? Therefore we
were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the
dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life" (Romans 6:3-4). Verse 5 continues, we are "united together" in
the likeness of His death" (and His life).
If you go to a store where they sell plants (nursery), and buy a little packet of
seeds, it might occur to you they (the seeds) are dead. Leave them in the packet,
and sure enough, nothing will ever happen. But you buy them, because you know that
if you put them in the ground (like Christ was in the tomb), and water them (like the Holy
Spirit gives you "living water"), they will GROW into something wonderful!
And so will you - in Him. Others will see Him in you, and they will want Him,
too.
Verse 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."
It’s the normal human response to avoid any suffering. We often want
to be well, and handsome, tall, intelligent, young, slim, strong, and with just the right
touch of "cute" so others will be drawn to us. Yet life is really not
about us; it’s about Christ IN us. If we are ordinary, short, maybe somewhat
sickly, and a little overweight…If we are old, and not so cute, and not as bright as
we might hope…Yet there is SOMETHING about that person, and we wonder, what IS it
about them? Then we discover; it is Christ!
Our "disadvantages" are actually wonderful; for when Christ works in us and
through us, others can look and see, and UNDERSTAND it is not us who do the work, but
Christ in us! Our weakness makes people look for another Cause, and this Cause is
Him. A teacher of the Word of God is like a dead man (the imagery in these verses);
for instance, any life in this study, on the Friday Study website - is Christ. I
have nothing to offer you, and yet He, on the other hand, has EVERYTHING to give to us
both.
Verse 12. "So death works in us, but life in you."
This verse puts everything in life, into its’ proper focus. Life, for us, is
not about us, at all; it’s for the other person., I was not born (and reborn in
Christ) for me - I was born and reborn for YOU, and you for me, and both of us for Christ
(and Christ was given for us all).
We are His! Drag me away, Lord, for I am dead! But He Who lives in me, is
ALIVE, and He is giving this dead person WORDS, that I might speak to You. And you
are given to every one of us; for this is the body of Christ.
Verse 13. "but having the same spirit of faith, according to what is
written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, therefore we also speak,"
In the sense that we are truly dead to this world, and alive in Christ, our experience
(for each one) is the same. This verse is a quote of Psalm 116:10, by the way, where
the context refers to us (humanity) as "simple" people, brought low, saved by
the Lord, at rest in Him, delivered from death, and in the land of the living (Psalm
116:1-9). And yet, the Psalmist was "afflicted" and said "in
haste" that "all men are liars."
Ever think that (all men are liars)? But the Psalmist went to the Lord, and took
His cup of salvation, trusted in Him, and the section in Psalms, continues with the
beautiful and haunting verse, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His
saints" (Psalm 116:15). We die to this world, that we may be ALIVE in another
(in Him).
Verse 14. "knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with
Jesus and
will present us with you."
These are those who say that Jesus is a great teacher, but cringe away from references
to His death for us on the cross. It’s important, ESSENTIAL to your life,
that you carefully read this verse, in this context, which includes chapter 5, verse 15 -
Jesus Christ "died for all!" Jesus died on your behalf, as your
Substitute, and you have no future, no standing with God, no LIFE, except though Jesus
Christ Who died on the cross for your sins, and gives you LIFE in the sight of God.
It isn’t "what’s in it for me" anymore – it’s about our
Lord. We are ALIVE to Him and He is alive to you and me.
Faith, in such a setting, means that if life goes well, we should continually be in
praise before Him shouting (in our heart or out loud, it does not matter), "Thank
you, God, praise You, God, for You are wonderful!" And if we suffer in life,
our prayer is just the same.
Verse 15. "For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is
spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of
God."
All things are for our sake. When you think God does not hear you, remember this:
ALL things are for you. Even when He does not seem to hear your cry, it is
for your sake, that you may be drawn to more faith in Him. The end result of this,
is that grace might run rampant through us, like a sweet plague of love, which
"kills" us, but gives us life.
And when this joy in our Redeemer, sweeps through us, we become thankful, and our
praises will resound, to the glory of God.
Why do we not have revival? Maybe the answer is right here, that we do not
recognize that ALL THINGS are for our sakes. Perhaps it is time for us to see the
grace of God in our lives; time to thank Him, from a sincere, grateful heart, and praise
our glorious God. I’d like to try it (we might start a revival).
Verse 16. "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is
decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day."
Therefore, we do not lose heart. Paul had as much to be discouraged about, as
anybody I’ve ever heard about (as we shall see, later in this Book of 2nd
Corinthians). And he has already told us he got discouraged (2 Corinthians 1:8),
just like you and me. But he caught this, this - IDEA! That even our
sufferings are designed to bring us to GLORY in Christ!
Our "outward man" is indeed perishing. Anybody in my age group can tell
you there is a gradual shutting down of vital forces of life. When I was in San
Diego, helping one of my sons move, I dropped things that I could have carried with ease,
just a few years ago. I open my mouth, reach for a brain cell, and the word just
isn’t there. It happens to everyone, in Christ or not.
Yet the "inner man," that place where Christ has chosen to live, is RENEWED
in Him.
Verse 17. "For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal
weight of glory far beyond all comparison,"
Our "light affliction." I have visited with Jonathan Merchant and
watched him struggle in relation to his newly paralyzed, 23-year old body. I sat
with Bob Douglass, as he took 2-years (it seemed a lot longer) to die from cancer. I
intend to prayerfully be there for the Viet Nam widows (they made me "Chaplain"
of their group), who long for their husbands, with a love that cannot be replaced.
Their afflictions do not seem "light" at all.
And yet, they are light in one way - our afflictions are only temporary. All our
sufferings are "for a moment" when we are in Him. Bob is healed, Jonathan
will be healed, in this life or in the next. You and I are healed, as well.
Another reason for comfort, in this verse, is that our afflictions are doing a work in
our lives, not only for us, but also for those we meet. We are being prepared for
eternity, for glory, and if my problems are useful in that direction, then I say,
"Amen" to any "trouble" I might seem to have. Bob did that, and
Jonathan is doing just as well. It’s time for you and me, with our light
afflictions, to do the same.
Verse 18. "while 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."
We (people) tend to focus, to dwell, on that which is seen. My 84-year old
mother, is one of the nicest people you could every meet. And she gets around very
well, considering everything. Yet, she tends to focus on what she once was, and she
chooses to miss the fact that she is doing very well. Don Araiza reminded us of a
phrase from the "Desiderata," which is "gracefully surrendering the things
of youth."
My mother is doing GREAT, when we consider that whatever limitations she may have, are
only TEMPORARY in nature. A little while, and she will be with Him. A little
while, and you and I will be there, too. Have you trusted in Him?
The problem with your sufferings, your afflictions, that they really are permanent,
until you trust in our Lord, Jesus Christ. In Him, all your trouble will soon be put
away. At the wedding supper of the Lamb, my Mom will be precisely the 20-year old
person she longs to be, and she will be with Him. Amazingly, even I will be there,
for I have received Him, who loves you and me. Will you be there? Trust Him
now; ask Him into your heart, and I’ll see you in a moment of time, at the wedding
supper of the Lamb.
Ron
Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
|
