2 Corinthians 4:7-18

Applebury's Comments

Paul's View Of His Ministry
Scripture

2 Corinthians 4:7-18. But 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; 9 pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not destroyed; 10 always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus-' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you. 13 But 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; 14 knowing that he that raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also with Jesus, and shall present us with you. 15 For 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.

16 Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; 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.

Comments

But we have this treasure.Paul's ministry as an apostle in connection with the New Covenant had been obtained through the mercy of God. He, therefore, did not hesitate to declare that he was in no way shrinking from the responsibilities involved in it. To him, it was a privilege to proclaim the gospel of the glory of Christ, for it is this gospel that gives enlightenment to the believer as he comes to know about the glory of God as it is seen in the Person of Christ. This gospel message is the treasure in such earthen vessels as the apostles. God had committed it to them as a trust. See 1 Timothy 1:11.

Paul wrote to Timothy telling him to guard that which had been committed to himthe gospel which was the precious treasure which had been given to him in trust for safe keepingurging him to turn away from profane bablings and oppositions of the knowledge which is falsely so called, which some professing have erred concerning the faith (1 Timothy 6:20-21). The human being is indeed a fragile vessel in which to entrust the precious message of eternal life, but such is the confidence that God had in Paul and others who dedicate themselves to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said to Timothy, The things which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).

the power may be of God and not from ourselves.This is the secret of Paul's ministry. The power of his message was not in himself but in God. He had written to the Corinthians in the first letter saying, I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling: And my speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of men's wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power (1 Corinthians 2:4). To the Romans he wrote, For I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16).

Paul's enemies at Corinth were evidently proud of their personal appearance, their ability as orators, and their power to persuade the Corinthians to believe them rather than the gospel which Paul had preached. Paul did not bother to defend himself against their insinuations that his bodily presence was weak. He took it as an occasion to point out that his power was from God, not from himself. This power could be seen in the miracles which the apostles performed. The miracles demonstrated that their message came from God. Its effect had been seen in the transformed lives of those whose sins had been washed away by the blood of Christ. They were living a life of separation from sin and dedication to the service of God. They had been pardoned in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of God. See 1 Corinthians 5:11.

There was another side to this ministry that had to do with life and death. It was that of human frailty facing the hardships of this ministry, facing them in such a manner that the power of God might be seen in His servants. Paul pointed out five examples of this human weakness. In none of them was he preaching about himself, for his faith and hope were in God throughout all his trials. The first four examples present contrasts between the hardships he faced and the relief that always came. The last explains his attitude toward all the hardships which he suffered in preaching the gospel.

pressed on every side, yet not straitened.This begins the list of physical hardships which Paul suffered in his ministry. He had been in tight places, but always found the way out. The not at Ephesus is a good example. See Acts 19:23-41. The town clerk quieted the mob that would have destroyed Paul and made it possible for him, after having exhorted the disciples, to go on to Macedonia. The arrest in Jerusalem was another tight spot in which Paul was saved from the violence of the angry crowd by the Roman soldiers that policed the temple area. See Acts 21:35. The pressures of his ministry finally resulted in his imprisonment. On the night following his arrest in Jerusalem, the Lord stood by him and said, Be of good cheer, for as thou hast testified concerning me at Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome (Acts 23:11).

perplexed, yet not unto despair.The difficulties involved in communication between himself and the Corinthian church left him at his wits end. He was eager to help them and to prevent the false teachers from making havoc of the church of God. But he did not despair; he took the necessary action that finally led him to Macedonia where he found Titus and learned about the situation at Corinth.

pursued, yet not forsaken.Paul's enemies pursued him wherever he went; but he was never left in the lurch, for the Lord was always with him. His enemies pursued him until they succeeded in having him arrested, but this led to his being sent to Rome where he presented his caseactually, the case for the gospelbefore Caesar. In the stormy crossing of the sea that threatened the lives of all on board the ship, an angel of God said to Paul, Fear not, Paul, thou must stand before Caesar. And lo, God hath granted thee all them that sail with thee (Acts 27:23-24). In the trial that followed, when all other had forsaken him, the Lord stood by Paul. See 2 Timothy 4:17. Out of confidence of victory, Paul wrote this message to Timothy, Be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill thy ministry. For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure is come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at the last day; and not to me only, but to all that have loved the Lord's appearing (2 Timothy 4:5-8).

smitten down, yet not destroyed.Paul knew what it meant to be struck down like a soldier on the battle field. At Lystra the enemy stoned him and dragged him out of the city thinking that he was dead. But as the disciples stood around him he rose up and entered into the city, and on the next day went on to Derbe. See Acts 14:19-20.

always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus.The Jews were constantly seeking to kill Jesus. See John 5:18; John 7:1. When they could not meet the logic of His wisdom in open debate, they took up stones to cast at Him. See John 8:59; John 10:31. They would have done it too, except for the fact that it was not His hour to die. He had the right to lay down His life and the right to take it again. See John 10:18; John 7:30. But they were determined to put Him to death; their only problem was how to get it done. Judas gave them the opportunity they had been looking for when he offered to betray Him into their hands. Their charge of blasphemy on which they agreed that He was worthy of death meant nothing to Pilate, and they knew it. Therefore they brought such charges as insurrection against Caesar that they might force the governor to sentence Jesus to die on the Roman cross. But He arose in triumph from the dead and ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25) As an apostle of Christ, Paul was always facing death at the hands of his persecutors. They finally succeeded; but for Paul, death simply meant being absent from the body and at home with the Lord. See also Colossians 1:24 for further information on Paul's attitude toward suffering for Christ.

that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.The life of Jesus is His life which survived the experience of death, for God raised Him up.

So then death worketh in us, but life in you.The earthen vessel was subject to death and persecution. But it held the glorious message of eternal life for the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was their servant for the sake of Jesus Christ.

the same spirit of faith.Defending his courage to speak even in face of death, Paul turned to the message of Psalms 116:8-11 to show that he had the same attitude of faith as the Psalmist who faced the threat of death. Paul's confidence was in God and in the power of the gospel to save. He knew that God had raised Jesus Christ from the dead, for he had seen the risen Lord. He was also certain that God would raise him up from the dead and present him to Christ along with the saints at Corinth. See Ephesians 5:25-27.

For all things are for your sakes.All that God had done through the Lord Jesus Christ was for the sake of the believer. All that Paul had suffered in order to bring the gospel to them was for their sakes. God's grace multiplied by the many who were brought to life in Jesus Christ caused thanks to abound unto the glory of God.

Wherefore we faint not.Paul declared again his courage to carry on the ministry of the gospel of Christ. He had faced hardships, even death itself, in fulfilling his ministry. He courageously continued on his course knowing death would overtake him some day. He develops this thought beginning in 2 Corinthians 4:16 and continuing through 2 Corinthians 5:10.

our outward man is decaying.By outward man Paul meant the physical body in which he had endured so many hardships. See the list in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28. It leaves us wondering how any man could have endured all this. But it was a different story with the man who lived in that body, that is, the inward man. While the body was subject to death, the inward man was being renewed day by day. Paul said, For which cause I suffer also these things: yet I am not ashamed; for I know him whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day (2 Timothy 1:12).

our light affliction.As we think of the affliction suffered by Paul, we wonder how he could have called it light. It was light as compared to the eternal weight of glory which he anticipated at the close of his faithful ministry. The affliction was for the moment, but the glory will be forever, eternal in the heavens. The afflictions could be seen, but the glory cannot be seen with the physical eye. The things that are not seen, however, are eternal. Paul discusses these things in 2 Corinthians 5:1-10.

Summary

Explaining his attitude toward the ministry of the New Covenant, Paul showed why he preached Christ, even though his gospel was obscured in the minds of some.
He had obtained this ministry through God's mercy, not by any merit of his own. He was determined not to act like a fainthearted coward in discharging his obligations to it. He renounced methods and motives not in harmony with the gospel and rested his case on the presentation of the truth. He refused to resort to the secret things that belonged to the shameful practices of false teachers. He did not resort to craftiness, nor did he deceitfully use the gospel. By making the truth clear to his hearers, he commended himself to the consciences of men before God.
Paul had said that some were blind to the true nature of the Old Covenant, and he readily admitted that the gospel might be obscured in the minds of those who were blinded by the god of this age. The sin of unbelief kept the glorious light of the gospel from dawning oh them. Even so, Paul was determined not to preach himself, but Christ Jesus as Lord. He was their servant for Jesus-' sake. God caused the light of the knowledge of His glory to shine through the preaching of the apostle that it might bring enlightenment to the believer.
This gospel was like a precious treasure which God kept in earthen vesselshis apostles and preachers of the Word. Paul trusted, not in -himself, but in God for strength to endure the hardships of his ministry. He was hard pressed, but not to the extent that he could not move. He was perplexed, but never gave up. He was pursued by men, but never forsaken by God. He was struck down, but never left to die until his time to go home to be with the Lord. Paul, just as Jesus had done, faced death constantly at the hands of his persecutors. But he was delivered from death that he might continue to tell of the risen Lord, for this meant life for the Corinthians who believed.
As the Psalmist believed in God who delivered him from death, so Paul also believed that God would deliver him. He spoke with boldness and confidence about his hope that God who raised up Jesus would raise him also from the dead and present him in the resurrection with the faithful Corinthians. He reminded them that he had endured all these things for their sakes in order that God's grace which was multiplied by the many trials through which the faithful go might abound in thanksgiving on their part to the glory of God.
Paul was not afraid to face the hardships of his ministry, even the constant danger of death. He knew, of course, that his physical body was wearing out. But this was more than offset by the fact that his inward man was being renewed constantly. These afflictions were a momentary light load as compared to the eternal weight of glory to which he looked after patiently enduring the trials of this life. He did not look at these perils as one who keeps his eyes on things which can be seen, for he was thinking of things that cannot be seen with the physical eye, that is, the things that are eternal in the heavens.